Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Light streamed from the machine, and the wheel slowed to a stop on a silver image I hadn’t noticed before.

“Hmm.”

The notification had said “jackpot,” so I supposed it could only be something good. Perhaps this time I’d receive a special ability that was more useful, preferably something that would be helpful to me on stage.

[Trait: “Words of Persuasion (C)” obtained!]

Your words have a strong emotional impact on anyone who listens. 35% chance of being triggered. Activates at any time.

How was I supposed to use this special trait? It felt like it suited a con artist better than it did an idol. Was I supposed to use it to try and manipulate public opinion or something? But no, that didn’t seem to fit since the description had specified “listeners.”

Let me think… After stewing over it for a little, I realized that this special trait may be more useful to me than I’d first thought. Contestants in survival shows like this were often asked to speak directly to the viewers, usually when introducing themselves or during the ranking announcements. There was no doubt that it would be more advantageous if I was able to elicit some sort of emotional response than if listeners felt nothing at all. And since the description specified “listeners,” maybe this special trait would apply to my singing as well.

If that were the case, it would definitely come in handy. Hopefully, it would make it easier for the audience to become immersed in my performances.

Good. This is far better than nothing. Gathering my thoughts, I checked my status window.

[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo)]

Level: 8

Title: None

Singing: A-

Dancing: C

Physical attractiveness: C+

Charm: C

Trait: Infinite potential, Words of Persuasion (C)

Status abnormality: Debut or Die

Points Remaining: 1

Since my first performance on stage had just aired, I’d earned the “First Experience” achievement and a point. I only needed to practice singing three more songs and I’d have completed the achievement that called for practicing five hundred times. I would level up sometime today and get another point. As for the point I already had, I planned to use it right away.

My first priority is... “Let’s go with physical attractiveness.” It was time I leveled up to a B. Navigating through the status window without hesitation, I found myself thinking, I hope I get mentioned in the comments more from the next episode. Then I got ready for bed, even though it was still a little early.

Filming would recommence early tomorrow morning, so I would need my rest. I had a feeling tomorrow we would either be filming the first team battle or a self-introduction video.

***

“And ‘Idol Incorporated’ is back! Contestants, did you all have a nice break?”

“Yes!”

My prediction hadn’t been far off the mark. I studied the set as the contestants responded enthusiastically to the emcee’s question. Signs had been erected around the large assembly hall—the same venue where we’d been shown the theme song for the very first time. Anyone who’d watched the previous season would be able to guess that this meant the first team battle was about to begin.

A few of the other contestants seemed to know this, judging by the glances I could see being exchanged among them. We might not have a choice in who would be on our team, but it wasn’t a bad idea to be prepared regardless. I wondered if I should try to nab someone specific for my team.

Come to think of it, I’m not close enough to anyone to try that. I decided to just focus on what the emcee was saying instead.

“The performance you’ll be preparing today is… a team battle!”

“Wow!”

No one looked all that surprised.

“Since this is our very first team battle,” the emcee continued, “I’m sure all of you have someone you’d like to be on the same team as.”

Since he was posing this question, I guessed that his next sentence would begin with “however.”

“However! An idol must be able to work well with anyone. You will not be allowed to form your own teams for this evaluation!”

Despite what the emcee was saying, in the first season, contestants had been allowed to form their own teams, and they’d edited the footage so that it looked as though certain people were being ostracized. It had caused several of them to drop out of favor with the general public.

“So then, how will we form the teams?” the emcee asked. “First of all, everyone, please select a ball from this box!”

“This is a bit scary,” Lee Sejin—the gold-grade one—whispered to me. Thanks to the way the production team had positioned us, I was the only one he tended to talk to, probably because the camera had a clear line of sight on us.

Can’t ignore the cameras. I nodded halfheartedly, following the person in front of me to pick my own ball from the box—number twelve. It seemed the numbers would either be used to form the teams, or people would be allowed to choose their own teams in order of their numbers.

“Who is number one?” the emcee asked. “Please raise your hand! Ah, Lee Hongsu!”

A silver-grade contestant had raised his hand awkwardly. The emcee pointed to one of the signs scattered around the hall.

“In order of their randomly selected number, contestants will take turns choosing one of the signs!”

So it was the latter.

The emcee smiled and gestured dramatically. “Turn the signs on, please!”

Lights within the signs flickered to life. They looked modern and sleek, but what was more important was the words revealed on each. All of the signs held the name of a well-known agency.

“Here you can see the names of many global agencies famous for producing K-pop! You will be asked to choose one of them. But only fourteen people are allowed to choose each sign!” The emcee held his hands out wide. “If that allotment is filled, anyone with a higher grade can still join and force a contestant with a lower grade out!”

“Wow. That’s brutal,” the gold Lee Sejin muttered to me. “Don’t push me out if we end up choosing the same agency, okay? I’m pretty good.”

“You’re… gold grade.” I couldn’t understand why he would assume I’d do such a thing when he had a pretty high rating himself.

“Someone with a gold grade could still be pushed out by a platinum.”

“I won’t,” I said.

“Wow, such a chic response.”

I’m not going to let him drag me into a conversation.

There were five signs in total—which meant seven people would be forced to stand in the corner with nowhere to go. I could already envision what the confessionals would look like.

“…This is so scary…”

“…Things are really heating up…”

“We’ll start with contestant Lee Hongsu, who picked number one!”

The first contestant chose a prestigious agency famous for its male idol groups. I was number twelve, which meant I was pretty high up in the line. I probably wouldn’t have to force anyone out of their chosen team. It worried me, however, that I wasn’t able to predict who would end up on my team.

Depending on who my team members were, the quality of the performance and how we were edited—and eventually even the direction of the program—would change. I didn’t recognize any of the eleven contestants who were called forward before my turn, which meant none of them had debuted in my previous life—I needed to be smart about this.

“Next contestant! Please make your choice.”

After some thought, I chose a sign. I went to the group consisting of the contestants with the highest grades so far. Every company had hit songs in their discography anyway, and choosing a song wasn’t really going to be the issue regardless of which one agency I selected. The composition of the team mattered more than the choice of agency. Any performance would be made better by having more skilled people on the team, so I made my choice based on the eleven people who had chosen before me, even if they were an incomplete sample.

I’ll go to the sign with the largest number of high-grade contestants. Still clutching the ball in my fist, I approached my chosen sign, and the two gold-grade contestants who were now on my team welcomed me awkwardly. I got the impression that they’d agreed to choose the same sign together. I’d only said hello to them a couple of times, but they were obviously trying their best to look happy to see me.

It’s tough being on reality tv, isn’t it?

“Wow! We needed a main vocalist!”

I decided to be grateful they were saying nice things and just roll with it. Thankfully, both of them were good at dancing. This is when the problems began.

“Next is… ah, contestant Lee Sejin!”

The former child actor Lee Sejin selected the same team as me. Holding a ball marked with the number fifteen, he approached, spine rigid, and stood behind the sign. The two gold-grades seemed ready to welcome Lee Sejin, too, but he went and stood behind them too quickly and they missed their chance.

“Oh…” One of the boys in front of me exclaimed awkwardly.

I supposed I should make the effort to acknowledge him since he was now standing next to me. Turning my head, I nodded, and he returned the gesture. He didn’t look very happy.

I didn’t feel good about this. Maybe someone will force him out for me. But the chances of that fell to nearly nothing when a bronze grade, lower even than silver, joined us. Sh*t.

Time passed quickly and before long we’d gone through the first thirty contestants. Seon Ahyeon approached nervously, carrying a ball that read “33.” Well, it didn’t hurt to have more gold grades on the team. Besides, he had a pretty accommodating personality. I waved at him easily, and Ahyeon beamed as he waved back eagerly. I felt a little embarrassed by his enthusiasm.

The platinum contestant Ryu Chungwoo was the next person of note to join my team. He was the former national athlete in archery, and one of the guys I knew would go on to debut from this season.

“Nice to meet you!” Chungwoo said with a grin, the thirteenth member of our group.

That left only one more opening. Sadly, the first and second-place winners had chosen one of the other signs—the same one the very first contestant had picked, sporting the name of an agency famous for its male idol groups. That agency was especially popular and therefore was the first to fill up. The group included Cha Eugene and many others who made headlines by either debuting or just becoming famous thanks to their performances. Even contestants with silver grades were not guaranteed a spot in that group.

“Sorry.” The silver contestant who’d been pushed out nodded despite being clearly upset and made his way to my group. He wore an especially pitiful expression. It was Choi Wongil, of all people.

He’d been really aggressive from the start, but his confidence had apparently taken a hit, causing him to mess up his grade evaluation and drop down to silver. I couldn’t be sure, but I got the impression that he was avoiding making eye contact with me.

“Wow, if anyone wants to join they’ll have to push someone out from now on. We’ve got fourteen people.”

“Oh no.”

The two gold grades who’d arrived first whispered between themselves, and I was starting to grow worried about our team’s lineup. And after sixty people had already been called up to choose, a new problem arose.

“I’ll push out… bronze-grade contestant Jung Hyungjoong. I’m very sorry!” It was the gold-grade Lee Sejin. He bowed repeatedly as he forced someone out of our team for the first time. The boy was so apologetic and friendly that no one thought worse of him for it.

“Wow! Moondae! You're going to be our lead singer?” he asked playfully.

“The person best suited to it will be, no doubt,” I replied.

“Gosh, you always sound so cool.”

If the cameras weren’t rolling, I’d have punched him in the face. I stared at him without responding. He grinned, thumped me on the back, and joined the line. I was pissed off.

“So, has everyone selected their agency?” the emcee asked.

A new line had been formed for the contestants who’d been forced out of the other groups. Thus, the teams were finally decided. My team hadn’t changed after the gold Lee Sejin joined, with the exception of a silver pushing out a bronze. The composition of my team was this: two platinum, five gold, five silver, and two bronze.

It was actually the most well-formed team, with the exception of the highest-ranked group. My teammates, upon realizing this, looked pretty pleased with how things had turned out. I doubted this was the end, though.

“I’m sure you’re all eager to choose an amazing song to perform!” the emcee said.

“Yes!”

There were fourteen people in each group. That was way too many. I was sure we’d be split into groups of seven. I know who I want to stay away from, and as for who I want to be with… I turned my head and found Ryu Chungwoo staring at me.

He nodded at me subtly. It seemed as if he was also hoping to form a team of just the higher-graded contestants. Good. I guess I’ll just have to try and avoid looking two-faced…

“But before that… The first person to arrive at each of the signs, please raise your hands!”

The participants standing at the front of each line raised their hands.

The emcee grinned. “Please press the button on top of the sign, if you will!”

“I’m sorry?”

“The sign?”

“A button? Oh, it must be the rectangle up here.”

The contestants murmured among themselves and before long had all pressed the buttons as asked. The signs blinked and changed.

“Huh?”

“What are they, lottery numbers?”

Two lines of seven numbers each were displayed on each sign, including the one I was standing behind.

[4, 7, 12, 15, 33, 37, 62.]

[17, 24, 27, 38, 41, 59, 72.]

“Can everyone see the numbers?” the emcee asked.

“Yes!”

“We can see it!”

“Now you should go and purchase a lottery ticket… Just kidding! These will be your teams! Do you remember the numbers on the balls you picked out earlier?” the emcee asked. “Those are the numbers you can currently see on the signs! Seven of you will form one team. Then you’ll be going up against the other team sharing the same agency name!”

The set erupted in noise.

“Huh? Hey, what number are you? I’m five, right? Oh my gosh.”

“What the hell?”

“Wait, we’re on different teams?”

Things were no different in my group. The gold contestant who’d pressed the button suddenly gave a shout of joy and hugged the guy right behind him, who was also a gold grade. I knew it, they planned to be on the same team together.

He then turned to me and shouted, “Bro! Twelve! We’re on the same team!”

“Oh my gosh, yes! We’ve got a main vocalist!”

Someone wrapped his arm around me from behind and dragged me into a hug with the gold-grade contestants.

“Our team’s pretty good.”

It was the gold Lee Sejin. I see. He was number sixty-two. As the three of them chattered excitedly—I got the impression their enthusiasm was a little forced—I tried to figure out who else was on the team. Fifteen, thirty-three, and thirty-seven remained.

Thirty-three was Seon Ahyeon, which was good. I turned to speak to him, stepping away from the other three. Their awkward pretending annoyed me.

“Let’s work hard together,” I said.

Seon Ahyeon nodded eagerly. Now then, who else?

I’d have liked the platinum-grade Ryu Chungwoo to be on my team since he would be debuting at the end of the show. Let’s see… was he thirty-seven?

Nope. Thirty-seven was Choi Wongil. He was facing us awkwardly, his ball clutched tightly in his hand. I felt certain of it. Ryu Chungwoo had collected his group around him and was already forming plans.

Sh*t. And as for fifteen… Darn it, fifteen is the child actor, Lee Sejin. He was also staring at the three gold grades standing together, looking reluctant to join them. This is bad. The editors would have a field day with his reaction.

My knowledge of the future aside, our team composition looked great on the outside. Perhaps, for this reason, Seon Ahyeon spoke up. He sounded happy.

“I-I-I think we have a good team.”

At least one of us feels good about this.