Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 75

Kyle, unfortunately, was eliminated in 39th place.

As the only eliminated member of our lively team, it made us feel even worse.

When the trainees were saying their final goodbyes, Kyle held his head high, determined not to cry.

But when it came time to part, he burst into tears, making our hearts heavy.

“You guys, sob, make sure you debut. Got it?”

“You too, hyung. You have to debut. Let’s keep in touch.”

We wanted to talk longer, but the schedule was tight.

Unlike last time, when there was about a day’s gap between the ranking announcement and the training camp, this time, the survivors immediately boarded a bus to the training camp.

Almost half of the trainees, unsure whether they would survive or be eliminated, had to drag their suitcases back home.

“…It would be nice if everyone could do well without anyone being eliminated.”

Of course, that was something that could only happen in a dream.

Jing Xiao, who was sitting next to me in second place, nodded in agreement with my words.

His eyes were red from crying for a long time while hugging Kyle.

To save energy, I tried listening to “Rewind” on Gyun Seong-ha’s MP3 instead of using the confiscated phone, but I could hear the trainees behind me talking.

“Tae-jung composed the song for this contest, but he got eliminated.”

“Wow… what happens to the song then?”

“What do you think? It’s just going to be Tae-jung’s team without Tae-jung….”

I put my earphones in.

The bus carrying the trainees continued to drive for a long time until we arrived at the training camp.

Having successfully memorized the “Rewind” song about ten minutes ago, I wound up the earphone cable and put the MP3 in my pocket.

“We’ve arrived! Everyone get off without leaving anything behind and line up!”

The trainees got off and lined up in two rows. The staff checked the headcount.

“Yes. We’ve confirmed all thirty-six members. Let’s move.”

Thirty-six people wasn’t a small number, but being here made it feel somewhat empty.

We moved to the auditorium, where we ate the late lunch provided by the production team, which seemed to double as dinner.

“Why are there so many empty seats….”

“Right. It was packed here initially.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling an inexplicable emptiness in the leftover spaces.

The trainees, who had a short meal in a quiet atmosphere, gathered according to the staff’s instructions.

“Let’s slate!”

Sae-bom Jung clapped the slate and quickly returned to his seat.

Jena, holding the microphone, opened her mouth.

“Looking at you all now, it’s hard to believe that we’ve already passed the halfway point of Pick Your Heart Season 3. You’ve all worked really hard so far.”

Forcing a bright energy in front of the cameras, the trainees applauded in self-congratulation.

Jena continued her explanation.

“But it’s not over until it’s over. Only 21 trainees can advance to the final evaluation, which will be broadcast live.”

A sigh of disappointment could be heard from the trainees.

If only 21 make it, it means that nearly half, 15, will be eliminated.

There never seemed to be an easy way through.

“The voting method will also change slightly. Previously, you could vote for 10 trainees at once, but in this third vote, you can only vote for 3 trainees.”

With the reduced number of votes, from now on, trainees with a loyal core fandom would have a slight advantage.

‘…I don’t know what all this means when it’s already decided who will debut.’

I managed my expression to avoid looking downcast and continued to listen to Jena’s explanation.

“As mentioned, the third evaluation is the original producing evaluation. Now that the number of trainees has decreased from 64 to 36, you will have to choose one of the two songs you prepared.”

Jena declared clearly.

“Then, we will now finalize the groups for the original producing evaluation.”

The method of choosing songs and groups was as follows:

There were six songs, and each group consisted of six members.

Starting from 36th place, you choose a song, and if the song is full, the lower-ranked person gets pushed out.

If you get pushed out, you get another chance to choose from the remaining spots after everyone has chosen.

The re-selection process seemed more complicated, but I missed that part of the explanation.

Fortunately, I was in 3rd place, so I didn’t have to worry about being pushed out.

Trainees like Seo Moon-gyeol and Oh Hyun-jin, who had their songs confirmed early as original composers, moved to the song-specific practice rooms in the next building.

“Now, 36th place trainee Ma Tae-won, please choose your song and move.”

The called trainees got up one by one and left the auditorium.

“11th place trainee Ban Yo-han, please choose your song and move.”

Ban Yo-han, who had practically disappeared from the screen, maintained his 11th place rank.

As he got up, his eyes met mine for a moment before dropping.

“3rd place trainee On Raon, please choose your song.”

After waiting a bit longer, my name was called.

Jing Xiao and Seo Chan-bin, who had been staying with me until now, waved me off.

I waved back to them and bowed to Jena before leaving the auditorium.

The VJ following me with an ENG camera signaled for me to say something.

“Until this morning, I was really worried if I could do the song I wanted, but the CEO gave me a higher rank than I expected, so I think it’ll be okay. I hope there are exactly five people in the place I’m going.”

I walked quickly to the next building.

A staff member was waiting on the first floor.

“Please tell me your desired song.”

“I choose ‘Rewind’.”

When I answered without hesitation, the staff explained with a blank expression that I should move to practice room number 3 on the second floor.

‘Really, I hope there are exactly five people. No more, no less.’

I had such cowardly thoughts as I carefully opened the door to practice room number 3.

“Hello….”

“Welcome, Raon!”

“Welcome, Raon!”

Slam! I closed it again.

I didn’t know how many people were inside, but the trainees were all mimicking the terrible things I had just done.

I could see the camera director following me smile slightly.

“Director, I can’t change my song choice… can I? Right.”

I braved the inescapable reality and opened the door again.

“Welcome, Raon!”

Five hearts, so adorable they made me want to crush them, stood lined up, welcoming or perhaps driving me away.

Ah, I couldn’t stand it.

I rushed toward Ban Yo-han, who had the cutest and freshest heart among the five.

“Ban Yo-han! Really, this hyung…!”

As I grabbed Ban Yo-han by the collar and shook him vigorously while he laughed joyfully, Kim Jun-woo remarked in awe.

“Wow, how did you match what he suggested in one go? You two must be really close….”

I wasn’t sure about being close, but I knew Ban Yo-han was the best at coming up with things that annoy others.

Having sinned, Ban Yo-han didn’t resist and let me shake him until my poor stamina gave out, and I sat down.

“Wow, the aegyo master.”

“Isn’t it Professor Raon, who turns everything into aegyo just by breathing?”

Kim Jun-woo and Ok Do-yoon grinned.

“It’s okay. It was really cute.”

Seo Moon-gyeol, the original composer, consoled me.

He spoke warmly, but since he was also in cahoots with Ban Yo-han, it wasn’t very comforting.

“If your first attempt at aegyo is that good, you’re definitely an aegyo genius, aren’t you?”

Na Yoon-jae, the original aegyo master who wasn’t in the Rewind A-1 group, smiled brightly.

Instead, Kashima Sora wasn’t there.

Seeing Ban Yo-han, who was ranked lower than Kashima Sora, who placed 9th, standing there unscathed, it seemed he chose a different song from the start. The team wasn’t even full.

‘Did he abandon being the temporary center to aim for the main vocal?’

In any case, the six members for Rewind were confirmed: myself, Ban Yo-han, Seo Moon-gyeol, Ok Do-yoon, Kim Jun-woo, and Na Yoon-jae.

—

While the surviving trainees diligently prepared for the contest at the training camp, previews of the Pick Your Heart 3 second ranking announcement flooded the internet.

Whenever a sighting report of a trainee surfaced in the afternoon, extremely nervous representatives would rush to verify its authenticity.

Several spoiler posts about the second ranking announcement also appeared.

**[PYH3 2nd Ranking Announcement Spoilers + Fact Analysis]**

Order doesn’t matter.

1. Significant ranking changes. Top 20 much tighter than in Seasons 1 and 2.
2. With the vote changing to 3 picks now and 1 pick for the final, anything could happen.
3. Seo Chan-bin in the top ranks. He has an overwhelmingly strong fan base among those over 30. He’ll debut unless he messes up on camera.
4. Oh Hyun-jin’s rank dropped a bit. But with a strong core fan base among those under 20, he’ll debut unless he messes up.
5. Hardly any good vocalists among the surviving trainees. Only rap positions are abundant.
6. Despite saying they dislike recycled trainees, they’ll definitely take at least two (Seo Chan-bin, Bae Seo-joon, Lee Seung-hyuk, Park Soo-hyun will not be eliminated). Prepare to embrace them.
7. Jing Xiao has a ton of fans from mainland China. Likely to debut in the top ranks.

(skip)

14. On Raon’s rank rose significantly. Positive image boost. Gained a lot of general public fans and a stable core, especially many new fans from overseas.
15. Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol survived. They are unbeatable in core strength. Their fan base correlates with screen time. If their rank rises when switching to one pick, they will.
16. Criticizing other trainees only strengthens their fandom. It’s better to promote your own.
17. The only trainees you can relax about are the consistently top-ranked Seo Chan-bin, Na Yoon-jae, and Oh Hyun-jin. If you get distracted by others, it’ll end up like Nam Heart 1.
18. Honestly, nothing matters. Just offer prayers and hope for Jo In-soo’s favor.