READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 18
Chapter 18
On the evening of the day, we filmed the evaluation videos. Aside from brief individual interviews, they gave us complete free time to rest.
However, seeing the kids’ noticeably more exhausted faces compared to the first day of filming in the studio, it didn’t seem like they were resting peacefully.
The dining hall, usually bustling with noise at mealtimes, was oddly quieter than usual, and the clattering of dishes echoed unusually loud.
The entire building felt quietly subdued, anticipating the upcoming grade announcement.
Even the person serving the food asked if something had happened that day.
“It’s probably because we’re leaving tomorrow. Everyone’s feeling uneasy.”
The lady who seemed to understand nodded with a warm smile and added a bit more stir-fried pork to my tray, saying we’d worked hard.
I thanked her with a slight bow and headed to the seat my roommates had reserved.
Kim Junwoo grumbled in a low voice.
“The portions here are always so small.”
“This much is enough. You just eat too much.”
Ban Yohan, who had looked shocked when Kim Junwoo said he ate five meals a day, said as he picked up his chopsticks.
“Your portions are too small. Especially you, On Raon, Koreans get their energy from rice, but you don’t eat much, so you lack stamina.”
It’s because the food doesn’t taste good.
“If only my stamina leveled up every time I ate.”
“What are you, a game addict?”
“I want to play games.”
You guys don’t even know that I’m already playing a game right now?
Tomorrow, as soon as I get my phone back, I’ll check what mobile games are available here.
As we ate in silence, Jing Xiao, who looked dazed as if all his energy had been drained, murmured.
“It ends tomorrow.”
“It’s not the end. It’s just the beginning.”
Ban Yohan nonchalantly responded.
Hearing that, Kim Junwoo choked and coughed as if he was about to vomit.
Then he glared at Ban Yohan with a slightly resentful look.
“Why do you have to talk about that while we’re eating?”
Jing Xiao and I nodded in agreement as we rinsed our mouths with water.
Only Nagase Ritsu, who didn’t know Korean, looked at us with a puzzled expression.
“Anyway, let’s have a big meal together after this.”
Kim Junwoo made a promise that would never be kept.
Jing Xiao, looking at him with a smirk, replied.
“Koreans always say that and then they never contact me.”
The perfect analysis of Koreans by the Chinese made even the kids at the next table burst out laughing.
“Xiao, you really know Koreans well.”
It’s a pity. There should have been a camera here.
If this was broadcast, it would have been captured with subtitles and become a meme.
Everyone else was shaking with laughter, but Kim Junwoo, who started it all, couldn’t laugh or get angry and just glared at Jing Xiao.
“Hey, I wasn’t just saying it.”
Kim Junwoo should not have said that.
Jing Xiao and I pounced on him immediately.
“Oh? You’re treating?”
“If you’re treating, then beef. Korean beef.”
“We’re kind, so we’ll go to an all-you-can-eat place.”
“[Yohan, what’s he saying now?]”
“[Junwoo said he’s buying meat. As much as we can eat.]”
“Wow. Thank you.”
“No! Ritsu, no! No money!”
Kim Junwoo screamed, and I regretted once again that there were no cameras there as I ate the yogurt dessert.
* * *
The next morning, all 100 trainees were gathered in a large auditorium-like space.
“Pick Heart Chicken Fight Tournament?”
Kim Junwoo, who had been nervously nibbling at his breakfast because he thought the grades were going to be announced, read the banner at the front with a blank voice.
“Chicken fight?”
“Are we having a chicken fight now?”
At that moment, two people who looked like female idols suddenly jumped onto the podium.
“Hello, Pick Your Heart Season 3 trainees!”
At the sound of the clear voice through the speakers, the buzzing trainees fell silent and looked up at the podium.
“This is Yours’ Yu Hana!”
“And Kim Da-young!”
Waaaaah! The trainees who figured out the situation cheered. I blended inappropriately.
It seemed they were trainees who had debuted in the previous season.
“This class competition chicken fight tournament is a tradition of Pick Heart! Last season, I defeated 10 people and won.”
“Wow, that was intense. You moved like an eagle among chickens! I still remember it.”
“I was pretty amazing back then!”
Yoo Hana’s lively and confident words made the trainees laugh, murmuring how cute she was.
“Now, let me explain the rules!”
The rules were simple.
Nine people from each class would come out and participate in a group chicken fight, and the last remaining class would win.
A total of 45 people would come out at once, and Yoo Hana’s feat of eliminating 10 people alone was suddenly impressive.
I was curious how she did it with such a small frame. Maybe she had good power? I should look up the clip later.
And it was mentioned that the winning class would receive a prize.
As I stared blankly at the front, wondering if a sudden quest might appear for such an event, it happened.
[A sudden quest has occurred!
As expected, a quest arrived.
It’s slow. Is it manual?
[▶ Quest Description: The traditional class competition chicken fight tournament of Pick Your Heart has begun. Achieve a fair victory by any means necessary!
▶ Guaranteed Reward: Choose one among stamina, strength, or agility +5]
[Y/N]
Don’t they usually say to play fair?
This system is uselessly righteous in unnecessary places.
There didn’t seem to be any penalties, so I accepted it casually. The reward was tempting.
We were given about 10 minutes to select the players.
Excluding Jiuhe’s class, where everyone’s participation was confirmed due to the quota of nine, everyone else got noisy as they selected their players.
“Who wants to go out of our class?”
“Me!”
I raised my hand faster than anyone else.
But the reaction was cold.
“You look like you can barely stand on one leg for 30 seconds.”
The fact hurts.
This is all because of what I learned from our coach.
“Right. Class president, just sit and rest.”
“You’ve worked hard until now. We’ll win for you.”
No matter how warm the words were, it was clear that I was no help in winning, so they were telling me to get lost. Bastards.
Since the quest didn’t require me to be a player, I stepped back after threatening that they’d get a 10-point penalty if they lost.
With my pathetic stats, I couldn’t do anything, anyway.
At that moment, Ban Yohan, who had been staying out of the group selecting players, whispered something to Jing Xiao, who had been chosen.
After hearing the whisper, Jing Xiao wore a dubious expression and said.
“Wow, hyung. Do you like winning that much?”
“Is there anyone who dislikes winning?”
Jing Xiao shook his head and approached the other selected trainees, whispering something to them.
It looked like he was sharing some strategy.
Ban Yohan, who met my eyes, smiled and gestured to me.
“On Raon, come here too.”
“Me? I’m not a player.”
“Just listen.”
After hearing the small whispers from Ban Yohan, who was making sure other class trainees couldn’t hear, I had no choice but to react like Jing Xiao.
“Hyung, do you really want to win that badly?”
“Why? I thought you wanted to win, too?”
I had no rebuttal.
We had to win. If I got this reward, I could finally get my stamina over 20.
More than anything, I wanted to escape this wretched stamina as soon as possible.
“Alright, is everyone ready?”
The players moved inside the line.
The rest of the trainees, who were not participating in the match, lined up on one side.
“Before we start, trainee Oh Hyunjin from True, could you say a few words about your determination?”
“I will only take down three people and come back.”
“Will just three be enough?”
“Well, five?”
Yoo Hana and Kim Da-young continued to interview one person from each class.
“Chicken Fight Survival! Who will be the last one standing?”
“Everyone, be careful not to get hurt and get ready by lifting one leg. Yes, everyone is ready. Ready….”
Beep! Yoo Hana blew the whistle.
Immediately, a strange sound was heard.
“Who’s the best chicken!”
At Kim Junwoo’s resounding shout, our class players, who had been exchanging glances, all opened their mouths at once.
“I’m the best chicken!”
“我是最好的鸡肉！”
“私が一番よく行く鶏である！”
“ฉันเป็นไก่ที่ดีที่สุด!”
Foreign languages, no… alien languages were flying around. And they were all from our class.
What the heck?
Yoo Hana and Kim Da-young, who had been noticeably flustered, recovered their composure and shouted with surprised faces.
“Oh, what’s this? Team Hyesung is taking a very aggressive approach!”
“Are those words curses? Are they curses?”
“Don’t worry. Based on my three months of Japanese study, it seems they are saying they are the best chickens! The words after that… I don’t really know!”
Our team, half of whom were from abroad, screamed in their native languages and charged at the other team players like drugged chickens.
The sudden bombardment of foreign languages confused the victims, causing them to either run out of the line or laugh and fall, getting eliminated.
“…Are they having a nervous breakdown?”
While someone muttered this, I was recalling Ban Yohan’s advice in my head.
– Try making eye contact with other team players and disrupting them with a pitiful look. Sometimes, you can look particularly pitiful, and it might work.
The description of being particularly pitiful was annoyingly accurate, making me angry.
I wasn’t sure if my Born Pitiful effect would work at the right time. If it went wrong, only I would end up humiliated.
However, seeing our chickens, who had exerted themselves too much early on, moving slower in the latter half gave me the courage to do something.
Wait for me, stamina +5.
And….
[Because of the effect of the trait, Born Pitiful, the opponent cannot ignore you and must look back at you with pity.]
This system, did it enjoy watching variety shows?
Seomoon-gyeol, who had been swiftly attacking our side, was caught in the Born Pitiful effect and looked at me with shaking pupils.
Taking advantage of that moment, Azumi Ren, one of our class players, charged at Seomoon-gyeol from the side.
Even though Seomoon-gyeol forced himself to stand with strength, he eventually fell after a series of hits.
“Isn’t that a foul?”
Seo Chanbin, who noticed me in Seomoon-gyeol’s line of sight, pointed his finger at me.
I feigned innocence and turned my head.
“What? I didn’t do anything.”
“You were making a pitiful face and acting cute from the outside! That’s interference!”
“Did trainee Seo Chanbin find me cute? Then it’s not acting cute, I am truly cute.”
Seo Chanbin looked at me speechlessly, his face a mix of frustration and disbelief.
He seemed to hope I would quickly retract my statement.
If it were my original body, I might have understood, but saying such things with a face that wasn’t cute by my standards was extremely embarrassing. But the more situations like this, the more brazen I had to be.
There is a kind of cuteness that doesn’t rely on looks, so it should be fine. Probably.