READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 61
Chapter 61
I arrived at the guesthouse safely before my HP was completely depleted by Ban Yo-han. After a good night’s sleep, I woke up early in the morning.
Setting the sleep mode to fatigue recovery could make it hard to wake up at the desired time due to forced sleep, so I set it to normal mode. As a result, my fatigue level was still around 40.
‘This much is manageable.’
After making toast with the bread prepared by the guesthouse and the jam bought from the market, I took a taxi to the studio.
In fact, Gwak Sang-hyun had offered to pick me up again today, but considering Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol’s condition, I declined.
The studio, which I visited yesterday and again today, was bustling from the morning.
The trainees were busy doing their makeup in front of the mirrors.
Maybe because the number of trainees had almost halved compared to last time, the makeup artists seemed more relaxed and meticulous.
“It’s all done.”
[With the professional’s skill, attractiveness +45 until the end of the shoot]
[Burning stat effect doubles the buff effect.]
That meant my attractiveness had risen by 90 just from makeup.
Looking in the mirror, my face indeed looked better.
The makeup artist, seeing my face again after standing up, marveled at how well the makeup suited me.
Upon checking, my attractiveness had exceeded 250.
Even so, it didn’t mean I was twenty-five times more handsome than the first day when my attractiveness was 10. It seemed that actual ability didn’t simply correlate with the numbers.
‘Is there some other rule?’
Anyway, feeling better as I somewhat looked like my old self, I returned to my waiting team after finishing my makeup.
“All dressed up like this, we really look like a team.”
“Hey, Day. Can we take that to mean we weren’t a team before?”
“What are you talking about!”
It was payback from last time.
Our team’s outfits featured noticeable traditional Korean patterns on the sleeves and overall had an oversized fit.
For reference, Day and I received hoodies, Jing Xiao and Seo Moon-gyeol got shirts, and Nagase Ritsu and Kyle got thin jackets.
The red and white-toned outfits gave our team a lively impression.
Kim Jun-woo, styled in a typical boyfriend look, looked at me and let out an exclamation.
“Wow, why are you so handsome? You keep getting better looking!”
“Really? Am I unrecognizable?”
“No, I recognized you from far away.”
“I see…”
Actually, I tended to be harsh when judging my face because I kept thinking of my old face.
I thought it might be better from someone else’s perspective, though.
It seemed that wasn’t quite the case.
Seeing my disappointed reaction, Kim Jun-woo hastily spoke.
“No, why are you upset? It’s a compliment! You have a good base! Your eyes were always pretty, and the makeup enhances it. You look vibrant. Wow, you’re a total idol! Don’t be intimidated by the handsome ones!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s like, ‘Was he always this handsome?’ Don’t worry. You’re a total idol today.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Anyway, with my attractiveness over 250, people’s reactions seemed different.
I thought I should watch makeup tutorials on YouTube and do my makeup.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t become a professional makeup artist just by watching a few online videos, and I didn’t have the money to buy the necessary makeup products, so I quickly gave up.
‘Still, for the next shoot, I should at least wear the tint I bought during the daily quest like Jun-woo hyung.’
Speaking of which, the time for the daily quest to refresh was approaching.
Anticipating that the conditions would be related to the competition like yesterday, I prayed for something easy.
As the time on my phone changed from 7:59 to 8:00, the quest window popped up before my eyes.
[The daily quest has been refreshed.]
‘Let’s see the conditions…’
[The quest completion conditions are as follows:
1) From the moment you step on stage, abandon all hesitation, shyness, and other reservations, and pour everything out without any regrets.
If there is even a slight regret or dissatisfaction in your heart, it will be considered a quest failure.]
Reading the explanation, my expression turned subtle.
‘What’s the psychology behind setting a condition that should be obvious?’
But I didn’t think about it for long.
The system probably didn’t think deeply either.
[Wisdom +1]
See.
* * *
After a long wait, the audience started entering around 6 PM.
The body searches that had caused complaints during the last competition were still in place. In fact, they were even more thorough.
Even after entering, the wait didn’t end.
Although the sound of the air conditioner could be heard, with nearly a thousand people packed tightly together, the temperature rose uncontrollably before the competition even started.
“This is insane. It’s already hot.”
“Hey, it looks like it’s starting.”
As someone whispered to their friend, the darkening studio indeed hinted at the start of something.
Today’s host was Lee Chang-yeon.
“Hello. I’m Chang-yeon from Jupiter, your host for the position producing evaluation competition.”
Lee Chang-yeon, dressed in a neat semi-formal suit, gave a light bow.
Other mentors, including Jena, were already seated in the designated mentor seats.
“Today’s competition is very important as it will determine the second round of survival and elimination for the trainees.”
At the mention of elimination, boos erupted from the audience.
Lee Chang-yeon continued with a sly smile.
“The second competition is the position producing evaluation. Unlike previous seasons, the trainees have prepared their stages by fully utilizing their producing abilities, including arranging, choreographing, and making rap themselves.”
Lee Chang-yeon emphasized the word “directly,” causing a small stir among the audience hearing this for the first time.
“After the trainees finish their performances, the audience members can vote for the trainee they think did the best within their team. The trainee with the highest votes will receive 30,000 votes.”
The trainees watching the scene on TV from the waiting room were visibly surprised at the significantly increased reward compared to the first competition.
“And after all the performances are over, you’ll vote for the team you think did the best by position. The top team in each position will receive a high-definition fancam for the entire team and 50,000 votes for each member. Please note that mixed positions, which prepare more than two of vocals, performance, and rap, will vote among themselves.”
Once again, the trainees reacted enthusiastically.
The better their reactions, the more likely they were to appear on the broadcast.
“So, if you’re first in your team and first as a team, that’s 80,000 votes.”
A trainee mumbled quietly.
It was an enormous number of votes that could change the rankings even for the lower tiers, let alone the top ones.
Lee Chang-yeon continued his explanation smoothly.
“Also, for the third competition, you will collaborate with professional composers and choreographers to perform original songs.”
The announcement of a different third competition from the previous two seasons, which had proceeded by covering existing songs except for the final live broadcast with debut songs, caused a stir in the hall again.
The trainees’ reactions were similar.
“Present here today are the professional composers and choreographers who will be participating in the third competition.”
A camera panned to show the composers and choreographers seated together in a location with a good view of the stage.
“Although the details of the third competition are still a secret…”
Lee Chang-yeon paused deliberately.
“If you show a great performance today, there might be good things waiting for you in the third competition, so please do your best.”
* * *
During the competition, various incidents occurred, such as catching someone who secretly posted reviews on SNS with a smuggled phone or redoing a team’s performance due to sound issues. As each team took the stage one by one, it was already one o’clock.
Of course, it was one in the morning, not the afternoon.
Being tense in front of the constantly rolling cameras made my makeup feel stuffy, my eyes dry, and my body stiff.
“We’ll move to the last team and wait.”
While we received touch-ups for our makeup that had come undone during the long wait, we loosened our stiff bodies by lightly practicing our choreography.
Day, who was wearing a mic and staring blankly at the stage, suddenly spoke.
“The applause and cheers have decreased a lot compared to the beginning.”
I had also noticed this, but I pretended to be nonchalant as I answered.
“It’s one in the morning now, over four hours since we started, and they’ve been standing since the afternoon, so they’ve been on their feet for almost ten hours. They must be tired. It’s okay. Since we’re the last, everyone will cheer well.”
“Really?”
“The last performance is usually the highlight in music shows. Let’s think of ourselves as the finale.”
I reassured my team members with these words, but as I waited for our turn, listening to the previous team’s song in the dark backstage, I began to worry.
Our performance thrives on the audience’s response.
“Hyung, Gyeol hyung. What if they’re not excited?”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who had been resting his eyes, looked at me calmly as if I was worrying unnecessarily.
“Just do what we did in the car yesterday.”
“Is that really enough?”
“…Do you plan to do more?”
Seo Moon-gyeol asked back bluntly.
Since yesterday, Seo Moon-gyeol seemed a bit colder to me.
There’s no way the usually calm Seo Moon-gyeol would act this way, so it must be my petty imagination, right?
“But hyung, you look very excited right now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. A lot. Your expression says so.”
Better to look excited than not.
I decided to think positively.
As the previous team finished their performance and left, the set on stage was dismantled and our set was newly installed. Meanwhile, the staff made final checks on our in-ear monitors and microphones.
“We’re going up now.”
“Let’s cheer one last time.”
I looked at our leader, Seo Moon-gyeol, expecting him to say something.
Seo Moon-gyeol, after briefly choosing his words, spoke in his characteristic calm yet slightly excited voice.
“Everyone, you worked hard. Don’t be nervous. Leave no regrets. Let’s be free.”
His words were somewhat clumsy, probably because he had no choice but to accept the role of the leader, but the call to be free was unmistakably clear.
Seo Moon-gyeol’s firm eyes, as if he would surpass some limit by himself, were somehow provocative.
Maybe that’s why.
Even though my skills were still lacking compared to Seo Moon-gyeol’s, I felt a simple desire to win on stage.
[Group ‘Heung Bu Ja’ strengthens their resolve before their first and last group performance. Buffs are applied to group members.]
[Will +15 Strength +15 for 1 hour (Target: Heung Bu Ja)]
First and last.
I repeated those words in my mind.
After today, there would be no more performances with these team members.
It felt like everyone holding hands shared the same thought without saying it.
“….”
“….”
But no one was cheering first.
They just glanced at each other, awkwardly smiling as if embarrassed.
We really needed to get on stage now.
“Saturday, or is it Sunday now? Anyway, it’s one in the morning, the perfect time to play.”
So, I just went for it.
“Let’s go without hesitation! One, two, three!”
“Fighting!”