With the stage prepared down to the final fan song now complete.
The countdown began as soon as the MC finished urging viewers to cast their final votes.
“All right, voting will now close! Ten! Nine!... One! Voting is closed!”
That didn’t mean the rankings would be announced right away.
Although the text votes were being tallied in real time, there was still a process left because the number of votes was so enormous.
Of course, the production crew had anticipated this situation and played the VCR they had prepared.
What appeared on the screen was Harang unnie striking the final slate.
[We’ll strike the final slate!]
The final slate. The participants sat gathered around the room, their feelings unsettled.
[What are we doing here?]
[Isn’t this the audition meeting video?]
Of course, the participants knew why they had gathered, but they delivered the obligatory broadcast lines as if they had no idea.
The screen at the front of the room lit up.
[Kyahhh! Turn it off, please!]
[Pfft—what is that?!]
The participants teased one another and chattered as they watched each other’s videos.
And the viewers felt healed watching them.
- LOL, the kids are so freaking cute
- You can already tell all their personalities just from the audition on the first day LOL
- The really unexpected part is Ye-eun doing a crazy dance LOL She really wanted to do that...
Each participant’s video played in turn, even if only briefly.
[I prepared a piano performance.]
- Holy crap, are we finally getting to see it?
- What? She’s playing the piano!!!?????
- Insane, insane, our baby is playing the piano
Dohui’s fans had searched every corner of the internet for videos of her competitions, but only articles had surfaced. There was no way the videos possessed by only Dohui’s mother and piano teacher would appear.
The most the fans had been able to see were brief accompaniments during the practice sessions shown here and there throughout the program.
But they hadn’t even been able to see the silhouette of Dohui properly performing a classical piece, so the fans were desperate to see her playing the piano.
As curiosity about Dohui—the nineteenth overall grand-prize winner, known as a piano genius—swelled like a cloud, the first video of her classical performance was finally revealed.
Dohui sat down in front of the piano on the screen.
A melody played beneath Dohui’s fingers.
Although Dohui’s piano performance had been cut down to around thirty seconds for airtime, just seeing a glimpse of what had been hidden behind the veil was enough to send her fans into a frenzy.
- Ah, why cut it off here ㅡㅡ
- Why is Dohui playing the piano so well with those tiny hands so freaking thrilling ㅠㅠ
- ???: Why is trainee Lee Dohui doing idols?
- I don’t know much about piano, but even I can tell she’s good at a glance
- Thank you for becoming an idol ㅠㅠ I really have to praise Topdong for casting Dohui
- Wow, watching her play the piano is seriously making me fall for her. She’s so cool, but cute too. What do I do?
- No, they should show the whole thing. What are they doing?
***
Beneath the stage.
“Dohui... You did so well and enjoyed yourself onstage, so why do you keep coming down here and crying...!”
The makeup artist spoke as if soothing me.
She had already touched up my makeup for the third time.
Of course, it was fine as long as she fixed it, but I had smiled brightly and enjoyed myself onstage, only to come down with tears welling in my eyes. It was understandable that she would be flustered.
But what could I do...? I hadn’t developed a tolerance to the drug yet...
“Ye-eun~ You have to stop crying now, okay?”
Of course, the other participants were in the same situation.
More than one or two participants had burst into tears right onstage.
Over there, Ye-eun unnie’s eyeliner had been spectacularly smudged.
Meanwhile, when I looked in the mirror before me, the corners of my eyes had spread into a pinkish hue, giving me an air of sorrowful beauty.
I wanted to embrace myself right that instant.
‘What do I do if I’m this pretty even when I cry...?’
While once again confirming my self-love by thinking that I was terribly sinful, a familiar melody rang through the concert hall.
It was Scherzo No. 1, the piece I had played with my own fingers.
My piano performance was being revealed to the world now, too.
“Dohui-yaaa!”
The makeup artist hurriedly pressed a cotton pad to the corners of my eyes once more.
“The participants need to stand by for the stage now! We’ll be moving soon!”
Whether or not the participants were filming a melodrama, the staff shouted out.
***
After the audition meeting video ended, interviews with all the participants played in turn on the viewing screen.
[Hwang Yeonha: I came here thinking this was truly my last chance.]
[Kim Seyeon: If I’ve made it this far, I really want to debut.]
.
.
.
[Kim Naeun: I’ve worked hard all this time to make it into the seven.]
[Kwon Hana: I don’t want all the effort and sweat I’ve shed to go to waste.]
Along with the captions, the viewing screen returned to the concert hall.
The thirteen participants stood onstage.
Tension hung in the air.
All the participants had stiff expressions.
‘Whew... Why am I so nervous?’
I kept biting my lips anxiously.
It was probably partly because of the background music designed to heighten the tension, but it was also because I was only now feeling the pressure of the three thousand people present.
Especially whenever my eyes met those of the audience, I felt strangely embarrassed, so I kept my gaze fixed on the pyramid-shaped ranking seats set up at the front of the stage.
It would have been nice if they announced the results quickly, but the MC dragged things out, adding pointless flowery phrases.
And finally, after receiving the cue, the MC began the announcement.
“Now, I will call out the ranks and names of the seven SAVEN debut members chosen directly by the Chusers.”
“Trainees whose names are called, please move to the area where the ranking seats have been prepared and take your seats.”
“Also, as with today’s live broadcast, the trainee ranked seventh—the cutoff for debut—will be called last.”
“First, the trainee in sixth place! This trainee led her team well with her innate leadership.”
At the word ‘leadership,’ I watched with the faint hope that perhaps my face would appear on the screen.
But as expected, it only showed Hana unnie, Yeonha unnie, and Naeun unnie in turn.
“The trainee in sixth place is...”
“The first member whose debut has been confirmed is...”
The MC once again dragged out the moment with pointless embellishments and pauses.
“Congratulations! Kwon Hana, trainee from Pudding Entertainment!”
The other participants hugged Hana unnie and congratulated her.
Swept up in the atmosphere, I approached Hana unnie and hugged her too.
After embracing everyone, Hana unnie went to the MC at the front and accepted the microphone.
“Uh... Hello, I’m Kwon Hana from Pudding Entertainment. I never dreamed that I would go from being an athlete, getting injured, and then successfully debuting as an idol... I think the support and love from the Chusers gave me the strength to make it this far. And to the trainees I’ve been with all this time, the trainers, and the CEO of Pudding Entertainment... thank you so much.”
Perhaps overcome with emotion, Hana unnie revealed tears that hadn’t been visible before.
After swallowing back her tears, Hana unnie continued.
“And... my father, who lost my mother when I was young and raised me while always supporting me all this time on his own. I love you so much. Thank you!”
The screen showed Hana unnie’s father waving her slogan.
“Ah, trainee Kwon Hana, who worked harder than anyone and put in more effort than anyone! I’m sure her father is incredibly proud of Kwon Hana right now! Congratulations! Please go up onto the podium now!”
After returning the microphone to the MC, Hana unnie climbed onto the podium, and the MC began announcing the trainee in fifth place.
“She showed us many cute sides of herself offstage, but onstage, she is a trainee who displays a surprisingly different level of talent.”
The screen alternated between Kim Seoyun, Park Ye-eun, and Eun Sera.
Then it showed me.
...?
Even if I had shown a cute side onstage because of the concept, I thought I had displayed enough leadership and charisma offstage.
Was I the only one who thought so?
The audience member whose eyes had just met mine was looking at me with a pleased expression.
Apparently, everyone was looking at me through a distorted lens.
“The trainee in fifth place is...! From Top East Entertainment...”
Of the four candidates, everyone looked toward the same place.
The other participants knew better than I did that I was a contender for the win.
“...trainee Kim Seoyun! Congratulations!”
Kim Seoyun usually bickered and joked around with us.
But she was also Kim Seoyun, someone I was close with and had never had a genuinely serious fight with even once.
I had expected Seoyun unnie to make it.
But apparently, she hadn’t.
“Uh... uh... First of all, thank you so much to the Chusers for choosing me. To be honest, after my first debut fell through, I spent every day wondering in my heart, ‘Will I really be able to debut?’... So I never expected that I would debut, and I didn’t prepare anything. But I feel like all the people I’m grateful for are suddenly coming to mind...”
With her eyes reddening, Seoyun unnie rambled through her acceptance speech.
“The participants I practiced with, the trainers, everyone at Top East... And my family—uh... there are quite a lot. My aunt... my uncle...”
Kim Seoyun began listing every person who came to mind.
“...Dad and Mom... Serim... Jaewoo... And finally, the four people I promised to debut with. Including Dohui and Naeun unnie, Uah and Chiyo too... I think I was able to keep going all this time because you were always with me. Once again, thank you, Chusers! I’ll work hard!”
Because Kim Seoyun took so long while rambling through her acceptance speech, the next announcement came a little more quickly.
“This participant has a charm that brightens everyone’s mood with her unique, radiant energy. And with her high-level dancing in every mission, she captured the hearts of the Chusers.”
The screen, which had been moving between Harang unnie, Chaerin unnie, and Seyeon unnie, fixed on Chaerin unnie.
“The trainee in fourth place is trainee Gong Chaerin!”
Chaerin unnie must have organized her thoughts beforehand, because she calmly recited her acceptance speech.
“Hello. I’m Gong Chaerin from Zy Entertainment.”
.
.
.
“I’m always truly grateful, and I’ll become a singer who remains humble and knows how to be thankful in every moment. Thank you.”
Now, third place.
The only people who stood out to me were Harang unnie and Sera unnie.
It had been the same pairing during the first ranking ceremony.
Back then, Sera unnie had taken first place from her.
“Third place is...! Trainee Jeon Harang!”
Harang unnie hugged everyone one by one in her cheerful manner, and she held on for a long time when she hugged Seyeon unnie, who was from the same agency.
“Hello, I’m Haru Jeon Harang. I’m... I’m...”
Perhaps her tongue had gotten twisted, because Harang unnie stumbled over her words.
“To be honest... after the ranking I received at the beginning, my rank kept gradually falling. I came here prepared for the possibility that I might not make it into the TOP7... But when the scene I’d dreamed of actually happened...”
Harang unnie burst into tears and continued her speech.
“Chusers... thank you, truly, truly. Thank you so much to everyone who stayed with me... Thank you to everyone at Haru Entertainment... Thank you to my beloved family... I’ll keep working incredibly hard and putting in an incredible amount of effort so that I can become someone worthy of this place, all the way to the end and from now on! Thank you so much!”
Now, only first and second place remained.
And seventh place.