The night before the second team competition.
We gathered at the set as usual to watch Na Ah Ah.
Na Ah Ah was already on episode 4.
And episode 4 was composed solely of the ranking announcement.
It seemed that, since it was the first ranking announcement, the production team wanted to put more effort into it.
[Han Si-woo: The first place is Participant Ha Ye-rin-!!]
[Brotherhood Planning Participant Ha Ye-rin 1st place in the first ranking announcement-!!]
[Brotherhood Planning Ha Ye-rin – 635,820 votes]
[Predicted rank 99 → Actual rank 1]
To be honest, the predicted rank was just the position chosen during seat selection, yet the production team directed it as if I dramatically exhibited explosive growth.
The highlight, though, was my figure walking up to the 1st place seat.
[Churp-, churp-.]
[All participants’ eyes focused on Participant Ha Ye-rin’s feet….]
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): She truly looks like a queen, a queen.]
As I climbed the stairs, I looked majestic, just like Park Yoo-jung’s reaction interview made me seem like a queen.
[…….]
In the middle, it was a bonus to watch Yoo Seol’s reaction as I took my place in 1st.
She appeared to be biting her lip, either trying to suppress her disappointment or purposely aiming for the camera.
[Thud.]
[At last, Participant Ha Ye-rin sits on the throne!]
At that moment, I had a somewhat proud expression.
I worried that if my proud expression came off as unlikable to the viewers, but now I think it was a good choice.
The sight of me beaming in satisfaction as I blended with the 1st place seat, even I felt charisma.
With the narrative of growth laid by the production team added to my girl crush persona, there couldn’t have been a more satisfying scene for my fans.
[Han Si-woo: …Ye-rin, how do you feel about being the top in the vote count during the first ranking announcement?]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …….]
[Participant Ha Ye-rin can’t find words easily.]
On screen, I really looked overwhelmed with emotion.
With the background music the production team laid out, it seemed I was about to shed tears.
But…, that atmosphere was shattered by what I said next.
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …Thanks to you, fans, I’ve come this far. I’ve never placed first in my life, but…, thanks to you, I feel really good to be the top in vote count. So….]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): I will continue to be number one in the future.]
[Ha Ye-rin’s bold declaration!]
[……!!]
[Participants are surprised!]
As the participants looked shocked, intense background music filled the air.
The scene with Yoo Seol also captured her surprise, and ended in an advertisement.
As the advertisement aired, Na Han-na, who was sitting next to me watching the broadcast, whispered.
“You really spoke quite boldly back then.”
“…You didn’t know I said that?”
“Um…, I think I was dozing off in the chair since it was morning during the shoot.”
“…….”
No wonder there seemed to be less screen time for Na Han-na; that was why.
I found it amusing but very much Na Han-na.
Well, it turned out to be good.
Since Na Han-na said it was her first time seeing this scene, I decided to ask her for her impressions as a viewer.
“Hanna, how did I look from your perspective in that scene?”
“Hmm….”
Na Han-na paused for a moment before speaking.
“If it were someone else, it would seem rude and arrogant…, but since you said it, somehow….”
“Somehow…?”
“It was cool…, you know.”
“I looked cool?”
With an unexpected answer, I joked and asked again, but Na Han-na blushed and looked away.
“…I said that from a viewer’s perspective, from a viewer’s perspective.”
“Okay, heh.”
When you team up, even if there’s dislike, it becomes affection.
At first, Seo Yoo-jin, who was rude and loud, gradually started to look cute, just like how I began to find Na Han-na cute.
And Na Han-na can’t lie.
So if she said it was cool, then viewers would surely feel the same way.
As the advertisement ended, I felt relieved and resumed watching what was left of the broadcast.
From the middle to the end of the ranking announcement, I took almost all the screen time, while the final part belonged to Yoo Seol.
[Han Si-woo: Now, the participant who ranked 2nd in the vote count, Yoo Seol from JJ Entertainment, please come up and share your thoughts!]
[Yoo Seol (JJ): I’m really grateful to all the fans-!]
[Yoo Seol (JJ): It’s all thanks to the fans that I placed 2nd despite my lacking skills. And….]
[Yoo Seol (JJ): I’d also like to congratulate Ye-rin for achieving 1st. I learned a lot by watching Ye-rin and the other participants’ performances.]
In contrast to me, Yoo Seol finished her interview with humble words.
Her expression seemed genuinely happy yet also genuinely bittersweet.
As I admired Yoo Seol’s acting performance and control of her emotions, I turned my gaze to the Yoo Seol sitting in the filming location, not the one in the broadcast.
And she….
‘…is smiling?’
She had a barely noticeable small smile on her lips.
Na Ah Ah Episode 4 was nearing its climax, and it was already past 11 PM.
And the second team competition would start filming tomorrow morning.
This meant there was no more rehearsal time left for us.
Of course, most teams had finished rehearsing by now and completed the preparations for the second team competition, but….
‘The 2nd team is…, still….’
There was no sound indicating the 2nd team had successfully wrapped up their rehearsals.
As proof, Seo Yoo-jin’s face was filled with anxiety and dark circles as if she was about to collapse.
But why?
Yoo Seol didn’t seem anxious and just appeared calm.
It was Yoo Seol, of all people…, and with her ominous trait of ‘darkening,’ I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
This unease persisted until the moment Na Ah Ah Episode 4 ended….
“Alright~ Now we’ll begin the second team competition-!!!”
“Waaaaah-!!”
In the end, the day had come for the second team competition, with my unease still unresolved.
“Phew….”
It was only the second time presenting on stage before an audience.
No surprise, the tension filling my heart right before going on stage was off the charts.
So I tried to ease this tension as I stood up.
“…Oh no, I have to go out soon, where are you going?”
“…Bathroom, I’ll go to the bathroom.”
“……Okay.”
Noticing my unhappy expression, Na Han-na silently nodded.
I kicked open the door to the waiting room and headed for the bathroom.
Since I was fully made up, I couldn’t splash water on my face.
I just sighed as I looked in the mirror in front of the sink.
That was when it happened.
Creeeak-.
The bathroom door opened….
“Hmm? Unnie-!”
Park Yoo-jung from the third team entered with a bright smile, looking like she had no tension at all.
“Ah…, Yoo-jung.”
“Eek! Unnie! You look so pretty today! But…, um…? …What’s wrong? Your expression….”
“Ah…, just…. I’m nervous. The stylist is too intense right now….”
The reason I was nervous wasn’t just because it was right before going on stage.
It was the exaggerated styling compared to my usual look. And it was the arrangement that clearly had mixed opinions.
That made me tense up even more, unable to predict how the audience would judge us.
“Hmmm….”
Park Yoo-jung seemed to sense my feelings, resting her chin for a moment before saying.
“I’ve indeed seen your team rehearse a bit. It definitely is a preference-sensitive stage. But you know what, Unnie? Your stage surely has a definite demand.”
“…Definite demand?”
“Yes. And I think you need to bring your expressions a bit stronger than now. Unnie, could you imitate me for a moment?”
“Uh? Hmm….”
As I nodded, Park Yoo-jung made a sharp expression and whispered.
“Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
“…Yoo-jung, that’s the joke you did before. I don’t have time for jokes….”
I was going to dismiss it laughing, thinking Park Yoo-jung was just joking again. But her expression was serious.
“This is not a joke, Unnie. You have to do some mind control like this to match your styling and the mood of the song.”
“R-really?”
“Okay, try saying it. Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
“…Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
As Park Yoo-jung said it seriously, I repeated after her.
But it seemed my line and expression didn’t satisfy her.
“You need to remove that timid expression and give off a look that implies you’re looking down upon and despising them. Um…, Unnie, imagine there’s a cockroach right in front of you.”
“…Cockroach? …Why a cockroach? I’m really good at catching them….”
“…So let’s not think of cockroaches. Think of something that gives you chills just by looking at it instead.”
“…….”
Something that gives chills just by looking at it….
If that were the case, I had a cheat code to use right away.
I simply imagined my parents right in front of me and set my expression.
“……Oh, your expression is amazing right now.”
Then Park Yoo-jung responded with satisfaction.
“Now, say that line again with that expression. Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
“Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
“Perfect.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Park Yoo-jung clapped saying it was perfect and then said.
“It’s perfect, Unnie. Keep that expression on stage and keep repeating that in your mind.”
I was utterly shocked.
“…Yoo-jung. Are you saying to have that expression and think about pigs while I’m performing in front of the audience…? No way, how can I….”
“People will actually like that side of you. Just trust me!”
“……Huh.”
It was hard to believe, but…, since nothing Park Yoo-jung had said until now had been wrong, I nodded.
“…Alright. Then I’ll go back now, Yoo-jung.”
“Yes, Unnie! Fighting!”
“Okay, you too, fighting!”
And from the moment I left the bathroom until I reached the waiting room, I repeated the line and expression.
“Hey, pigs, get on your knees and crawl over here to lick my feet.”
The moment I opened the waiting room door while repeating those lines….
“Ugh, you scared me.”
Just as I almost ran into Na Han-na, who was coming out of the waiting room, our eyes met for the first time, and she opened her sleepy eyes wide. It seemed she was surprised by my expression.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no. More than that, Unnie… what happened in the bathroom? Your expression is….”
“…What? Is it weird?”
“No…, it’s not weird, um…, actually, it seems to fit our concept quite nicely.”
“…Really?”
Is the teach-in from Park Yoo-jung working…?
“Now seems the expression is good, so let’s go. It’s our turn on stage.”
“Ah, okay.”
The first team then moved to backstage. It was just a brief moment of waiting before going on stage.
And right before the production team’s cue sign fell.
“…Unnie.”
“Uh, Han-na.”
Na Han-na briefly spoke to me.
“…I’m sorry for being rude until now. And…, I had a lot of fun preparing for this competition….”
“…….”
Her eyes seemed a bit more awake than usual when she said that.
“Let’s finish well, okay?”
That look somehow struck me as cute, and I felt an urge to mess up her hair but had to hold back because we were right before the stage.
So instead, I lightly patted her shoulder.
“Yeah, let’s do well on stage.”
“…Yes.”
Just as I said that, the production team signaled the cue.
“1st team, you may enter now.”
“Fighting-!”
“1st team, fighting-!!”
With someone from the team shouting fighting, we all cheered together and entered.
After a lot of drama and problems in the second team competition….
It was time to showcase the results.
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