Chapter 377

Chapter 377

“Raebin, aren’t you going to eat?”

“I ate before I came home, thank you,” Raebin replied energetically after washing his face and leaving the bathroom.

He had been staying at Ryu Gunwoo’s studio apartment for a few days following his sudden move to Seoul. However, his parents had spoken with his uncle living in Seoul, who had allowed him to stay in his home. But as it happened, he would practice all day, accompany Eugene to Gunwoo’s apartment to talk strategy, then end up eating there more often than not. So in essence, he felt like he was still imposing on Gunwoo a little.

I wonder why he is being so nice to me? Raebin still wondered about that, but he continued to work hard, faithfully carrying out his role in the new system he found himself in. He adjusted to his new lifestyle in a surprisingly natural manner. It was almost like he had lived this way before. Raebin thought carefully about it, and came to a conclusion.

I suppose this is not so different from school! His daily life was very systematic, just like a student taking classes. Speaking of school, as soon as he joined LeTi, it was arranged for him to transfer to an arts high school in Seoul that allowed him to count entertainment-related activities as attendance.

The agency is an amazing place. A cool coincidence had unfolded as well. The agency that Eugene and Gunwoo belonged to was the same one he had signed a contract with for his first song.

“You signed a contract for a song with LeTi…?”

“Yes!”

The person in charge of new hires at LeTi had been more happy than Raebin could ever know when he’d been brought in. And the reason that he had followed two people he had never met before to Seoul and attempted living the life of an idol trainee was because they had managed to persuade him to do so on the way home from the strawberry greenhouse.

Gunwoo—whom the others often called Moondae, for some reason—had calmly explained why they’d come to him.

“I listened to some of the songs that you wrote. Many of them are well suited to choreography.”

“What is choreography?”

“Dance. And most teams that focus on recent trends in music and dance are idol groups.”

The guy then said as if asking a question, “I think experiencing the way they perform for yourself will be a great help in your composing career.”

“…!”

Raebin had never tried it before, but he found these words persuasive. Gunwoo continued, smoothly describing the method he was proposing—an agency’s survival show.

“A survival show is the fastest and most thorough way you can experience what it’s like to perform as an idol. And if you get disqualified, you can walk away with just the experience you need.”

Raebin had marveled.

“I see. So you mean I will get a lot of experience that will help with my composing and then naturally end up disqualified?”

“Perhaps.”

This was where Raebin was mistaken. Moondae’s suggestion was based on the premise that he would be disqualified, but he had never promised that Raebin would be disqualified for sure. He intended to make sure Raebin stayed—even if it required him taking some shady measures. Raebin was set to debut, but he still believed he would end up getting booted off the show.

Who would have thought I’d be the only one of the three of us who’d win the first performance? Raebin thought. This was truly a survival show. He couldn’t shake the thought that the two others had put on wonderful performances, and yet here they were, at risk of disqualification.

Even so, both of them seemed unbothered by it. And he trusted them more because of this. He nodded to himself.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just practice,” Gunwoo had said.

“You’re doing great, Kim Raebin!” Eugene had added.

And so Raebin waited excitedly for the first episode of Wise to air, even though he wouldn’t even be in it. He wanted to see the guy who had helped him perform.

“Hmm.”

There was no delay, and the show began at exactly 10:50 P.M.

[Yes, I am!]

A series of silhouettes that turned their heads, posed, and raised their arms flashed past, appearing in time with the beat.

[Who can be a star?]

Footage of fourteen people with their backs to the stage was the final sequence in the opening scene. It was the typical reality survival show opening. After the same flashy sequence that had appeared in the teaser played out on screen, revolving around promoting the agency, the camera zoomed in on an empty stage. A dark set, lighting, and music made the atmosphere feel tense, lending the show a premium feel.

[President Kim Taein: Let’s get started.]

The trainees came up to the stage one by one, and soon their performances began. This was nothing like Idol Inc. They were starting off with trainees that were already well known to the agency, which meant that all fourteen’s characteristics were already well established.

The agency seemed to have their favorites—a few of the trainees that they wanted the public to know about.

[The skilled leader]

Shin Jaehyeon, for example, was described like this.

[I respect him so much.]

[He almost always takes first place at each monthly evaluation.]

[He can do just about anything.]

A series of witness accounts, as well as footage of his daily life and practice sessions were shown in sequence, emphasizing his skill. The keywords used to describe him included skilled, trustworthy, calm, and talented. His good looks certainly helped.

- Wow, he’s so handsome…

Raebin, who was watching the episode on TV, did not realize it, but a decent-sized audience had gathered online to watch and discuss. They were mostly fans of existing idols who were interested to see that the famous LeTi Entertainment was producing a new idol group.

- There’s Shin Jaehyeon

- T_T I’ve been waiting for you to debut for so long. My bank account is yours Jaehyeon

- Look at these reactions. He already has so many fans LOL. I expected as much.

- He’s so good-looking, but he’s also the perfect fit for LeTi and skilled, too. I have a feeling that he will be the leader of the new group

Jaehyeon was already well-known thanks to rumors, and the reactions to him online were so enthusiastic that it was almost as if he had already debuted. Jaehyeon’s performance played out on the lit stage, perfectly professional, graceful, and flawless.

[The pain will sting]

The order they’d performed in had been changed using the power of editing so that his performance stood in contrast to the awkwardly intense performance right before his. However, doing so wasn’t even necessary. His performance turned out great, just as Jaehyeon had intended.

- Okay I have decided to vote for Shin Jaehyeon

- He’s the leader? Yup he deserves it.

- I can already see so many new fansite masters emerging

It was important to leave room to rise up in the ranks one more time in the later stages of a survivor show. As a result, Jaehyeon did not show off everything that he was capable of, but as usual, he got exactly the reputation that he wanted.

No surprise there! Raebin, who had simply been enjoying the show, nodded to himself.

So he’s as skilled as he is nice.

“Welcome.”

Recalling the friendly way Jaehyeon had shaken his hand, he scribbled out a few notes. He had been taking notes following every single stage. That didn’t last long, however.

“Oh!”

The person he had been waiting for was finally onscreen. It was a cleanly dressed Gunwoo with his black hair styled neatly. There was another wave of activity on the internet.

- It’s the guy with the glasses! He’s not wearing glasses this time T_T

- Oh, good-looking guys with that cold look are so rare T_T Thanks LeTi!

- I can already picture him, Shin Jaehyeon, and one more member forming a trio at the center

He was one of the trainees that had been much talked about because of how handsome he was. A phrase describing Gunwoo flashed across the screen.

[The singing genius]

The description was as intuitive as it was cringy. It was also something that none of the viewers had been expecting.

- ?? So he can sing?

- A genius?

The phrase hadn’t included anything about his appearance.

- Wait, so he’s a main vocalist with that face?

- It’s probably because they want to emphasize something other than his good looks. Don’t get too excited. (I’m so excited)

└ LMAO

- Perhaps his genius is his looks

- I think the captions are overdoing it haha

The performance started out slow. Gunwoo moved up to a huge microphone sitting in its stand and sang a surprisingly rich and moody song. It was a jazz track. He sang the high notes, low notes, and the technical parts with ease, all while infusing his voice with emotion. There was a gripping quality to his performance.

- Oh

-?

- Oh my gosh

- He’s damned good

The chat became filled with simple exclamations. Raebin balled his fists as he looked at the screen. Gunwoo’s skill was incredible, but for some reason, Raebin felt a strange sense of satisfaction. It was almost like a puzzle piece had just fallen into place.

Maybe it’s because he is the ideal guide vocalist that I pictured in my head. It felt rather odd. The evaluation stage only lasted two minutes, however, and then the song was soon over. The slow ending allowed viewers to enjoy the lingering notes of the song, which was quickly followed by the president’s out-pouring of praise. Gunwoo simply stood and listened, but the internet weighed it with a proper evaluation of its own.

- Okay, he is the main vocalist

- Gosh, that is one dang good singer

- Doesn’t he also dance?

└ For real? What can’t he do? Is this even possible?

- I liked him because of his looks. I never thought his performance would eclipse his looks… Am I in love?

More information came out as his interview with the president continued, pleasantly shocking the viewers.

- He’s been a trainee for three months

-??

- LOL I feel like he’s the main character from a drama

His current station was also mentioned.

[President Kim Taein: Which college are you attending?]

[Ryu Gunwoo: Yonhui]

[Ryu Gunwoo: University.]

So he’s smart, too! Raebin nodded to himself. No wonder Gunwoo had seemed so knowledgeable and persuasive. Not everyone accepted this new information so calmly, however.

-??

- Yonhui University? Is that the same Yonhui I know?

- So he’s the main vocalist with those looks, is also smart, but has only been a trainee for three months…

- Even op manga characters don’t go this far these days, LeTi…

People were starting to question how this was even possible, some claiming that this couldn’t be real.

- With a face like his, he should already have become famous at his university haha

- He has everything a man could possibly hope to be. I think it would be a challenge to dislike him. I am so excited already LOL

- They just enhanced his voice on the show to give him attention. Can’t you see it people?

└ You must be feeling inferior

- Oh my god! I love it! I’ve never seen an idol like this before T_T Hurry up and debut, Gunwoo!

Gunwoo’s sincere words had an innocent ring to them, only enhancing his reputation even more. He was being talked about just about everywhere, but at the same time, some people quickly began to dislike him. That he seemed to have no weakness and probably had no tribulations in life prompted both admiration and dislike.

However, the buzz surrounding Gunwoo was blazing like oil thrown on a fire.

[The identity of the handsome guy with glasses who danced for Marshmallow at the end of the year]

[Here are the LeTi trainees who will make it big]

This popularity quickly reached the people in Gunwoo’s vicinity as well.

***

I picked up my phone. I had twenty-four missed calls. When I opened my messenger app, I was met with a wall of new notifications. New ones kept appearing right before my eyes.

[Speaker Lee Yujin: What in the world? Why are you debuting?]

[Speaker Lee Yujin: Don’t tell me the thing you wanted to do was become an idol? I mean…]

The messages were all similar, and there were so many of them.

I did not expect this. But it was not hard to imagine why this was happening. Gunwoo in this world had been an ordinary college student before suddenly appearing on TV as an idol trainee. No wonder those who knew him were contacting him out of curiosity.

No doubt he lived a very quiet life before all this. From the list, it seemed that most of the messages were from group assignment partners, and I didn’t get the sense that absurd rumors were going around. Still, I supposed I should check out the school community website just in case.

Chungwoo seemed to have heard the vibrations of my phone.

“My friends were asking me today if you were my cousin,” he said.

Oh?

“What did you tell them?”

“I told them we are twins, not cousins.”

Are you serious?

Glancing at my face, Chungwoo burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. Of course, I told them that you’re my cousin, and that you’re an amazing person.”

Sitting down beside me, he held out a frost-covered can of beer.

“…!”

“What’s the matter? Oh, you don’t drink this type of beer?”

“No, I do.”

I took the beer and opened it. I gulped it down immediately. It had been a while since I’d felt a cool beer sliding down my throat. Since this wasn’t reality, I saw no reason not to enjoy myself a little.

“How was filming? Was it fun?”

“Yeah, pretty fun,” I replied, putting down the can.

I had only told him I was on the show after my profile picture had appeared on the internet. He had seen it before I could tell him and asked me about it.

“Gunwoo, you didn’t tell me you were going to appear on this show.”

“Oh, uh…”

I had been able to gloss over it by telling him that I hadn’t been certain it would go through. His attitude changed a little after seeing the show air.

“I see… I can tell that you’re enjoying yourself.”

He seemed to quite like the show—even now, he was focused on the TV. The second episode was playing.

[New contestants show up…]

The second episode ended on a cliffhanger, with the supplementary team walking in. The existing contestants were shown standing in a row, with tense expressions on their faces.

Not bad. The show was pretty intense, and it was hard to predict what would happen next. I had a feeling that it was going to be successful.

I can’t settle for just being successful, of course. Predicting how the internet would react to the third and fourth episodes, I grinned. I had to ensure that things stayed on course until the very end. The show was about to take a completely unpredictable turn for those who were watching the earlier episodes now.

***

[New competitors appear in the form of the supplementary team!]

“What are you watching?”

“Oh, it’s the new LeTi survival show.”

An idol group was on the move via van. The member seated in the back was watching the show with a serious look on his face when another of his group interrupted. Seeing the Wise and LeTi logos on the screen, the other member gave a half-hearted boo.

“Another new idol group from a big agency?”

“Ugh.”

A couple of the others also reacted similarly, but they were mostly busy with their own pursuits—be it talking to friends, playing games, or even dating.

Xyrop, a group from the reputable agency MS Entertainment, had no trouble finding a footing in the music industry. The group had debuted three years ago. They had started winning the main prize at most awards ceremonies, and their wallets were growing thicker. The members were beginning to slack off.

Ugh. This dude doesn’t even know his own schedule. The member who had been watching the show repressed a sigh and turned away with a smile.

“Oh, come on. We will be on the show as mentors, remember? That’s why I’m watching it. I need to take a good look!”

“Oh, okay.”

It was obvious the guy had been totally unaware they would be appearing on the show.

You talk big, but you never seem to know much. Lee Sejin stamped down on the thought that made him want to smile sarcastically and instead grinned lightly as he resumed watching.

He’s really good… He had gone back to the first episode, where a contestant was singing a smooth jazz track. There was nothing at all awkward about the performance, and it left a lasting impression on him. Lee Sejin watched, cupping his chin in his hand.

He had debuted, which was what he had always wanted, and everything was going better than he could have expected. He couldn’t erase the vague thought, however, that none of this really belonged to him.

I wonder what’s wrong? Winter was still going strong.