"Now, I shall announce the 1st and 2nd place. The ranks chosen directly by our Chuseo. Who will be the protagonists of 1st and 2nd place? First, I will reveal the two trainees who are the final candidates on screen!"
The host shouted again, veins bulging.
"Now, please reveal them!"
The faces of the two everyone had expected appeared on the monitor.
"Topist Entertainment trainee I Dohui, and JS Entertainment trainee Eun Sera, please come to the center of the stage!"
After my name was called, I received congratulations from the unnis.
In particular, Naeun unni held my hand tight.
"Do-hui, congratulations!"
She was offering her congratulations with all her heart.
I was pulled by Naeun unni into a fierce hug.
And now, standing at the center of the stage.
What was swirling in my head this very moment was the final congratulatory remark Naeun unni had just made.
Rather than 'Can I take 1st place,' it was 'Can Naeun unni, who just finished that hug, debut together with us.'
Since we had been together every single day for three years, I had watched how hard Naeun unni worked.
If her debut hadn't fallen through, Naeun unni, who always got good scores in the monthly evaluations, would surely have debuted with us.
—These are the two trainees who rose to become final candidates for 1st place.
While the MC's words flowed in one ear and out the other, Sera unni's hand appeared before my eyes.
It was a request to hold hands.
Sera unni's hand, laced with mine, was trembling fiercely.
A sentiment arose in me: 'So even Sera unni, whom I can never tell what she's thinking, is nervous.'
"Indeed, 1st place! Who will take that glorious seat! Revealing it right now! Before we do~"
At the MC's playful tone, the audience's sighs and boos rang out.
"Haha, first, trainee Eun Sera! How are you feeling right now?"
"Uh…"
Sera unni's fingers fidgeted.
"The Chuseo… for choosing me like this, I'm truly grateful to have become a final candidate for 1st place. Honestly, I'm a bit introverted, and since I tend to think inside my head by myself, I often heard that I was out of it… so maybe because of that, I can't speak well… but I think I know that the feelings rising in me right now are happiness and gratitude. Thank you."
"Ah~ you often heard you were out of it! From whom?"
Sera unni looked at me.
For now, I shook my head violently.
"I just hear it often…"
I thought it was a soliloquy, but when did she hear it..?
"Haha, yes, I understand. Then now I'll ask trainee I Dohui as well. How are you feeling right now?"
Honestly, I wasn't thinking anything.
Like my mind was floating blankly.
I just combined random words in my head and roughly spat them out.
"Looking at Sera unni next to me, she's truly someone who is so good at this, so I'm really grateful just to have risen as a 1st place candidate alongside such a person."
"Is that all? Very well! Then trainee I Dohui. Do you think you can beat Eun Sera and take 1st place?"
I don't know why they had to specifically include the words 'beat Eun Sera.'
"I really don't know about that. But even 2nd place is something I'm incredibly grateful for, and I think it's a very high rank."
Though in this life, I've only ever come in 1st place.
"If I were to take 1st place, I think I'd be overjoyed."
Precisely because of that, I wanted to take the final 1st place no matter what.
"Understood. Now, without dragging it out any longer, I will reveal 1st place immediately!"
Contrary to those words, the MC dallied again.
The MC brought up all sorts of topics: the special perk for 1st place (center of the debut song), the hype and influence brought by Jeodol Season 3, its ripple effect, and everything else.
By now, the viewer message boards were probably filled with curses at the MC and posts saying to just announce 7th place instead of 1st and 2nd, who were going to debut anyway.
Finally, the MC shouted in a booming voice.
"Thank you for the long wait. The final 1st place of Jeodol Season 3. The protagonist of that glory is…!"
—Topist Entertainment trainee I Dohui!
As I heard the announcement, both my ears felt stuffed and seemed to ring.
—Beeeeeeep
It felt like the news of my name being called was coming from beyond a wall.
They say the hormone that comes from happiness is dopamine.
Something even higher, adrenaline or endorphins, seemed to spread throughout my body.
—Do-hui, congratulations on 1st place.
Sera unni was hugging me and speaking, but the sense of the external and internal felt disconnected from each other.
Perhaps because my pupils were dilated, the faces of the audience looked exceptionally clear.
And in my field of vision, I saw my family who had come to cheer me on.
Mom was shedding tears.
Seeing Mom cry, I felt that Mom and I resembled each other.
And the expressions of the staff members filming with cameras below the stage, looking at me, were like:
'You should be crying now.'
Still, I had no intention of crying.
Since I had promised not to cry, a man must value his promises above all else.
Instead, the corners of my lips rose to the ends of the sky.
Wouldn't they say I'm being cocky?
For now, I covered my face with my palm.
—Trainee I Dohui! We'd like to hear your thoughts!
"Trainee I Dohui?!"
Ah, my thoughts.
I hurriedly brought the mic to my lips.
And the sound that came from my throat was a cracked note that had gone off-key.
"Eeeh."
Embarrassing, but I composed myself and opened my mouth again.
I looked at Mom and spoke.
"First… Mom, don't cry."
The screen captured Mom crying.
Mom waved her hand toward the camera.
"You're acting like you're the one who got 1st place."
Laughter spread through the concert hall.
"First… to the Chuseo who seated me in this glorious and undeserved position of final 1st place, thank you so much. Honestly, I think the reason an utterly clueless person like me was able to take 1st place is because of the teachers who always helped and taught me by my side, and the unnis who practiced with me. And to the Topist family members watching this on TV, thank you for always supporting us."
"Ua unni, Chiyo unni, Naeun unni, Seoyun unni… I think this is the first time I've said this… but thank you always. Even though I talk back every time, you were such a huge strength to me."
"And our family. Mom, you're not still crying, right? Dad, Mom, I really love you. My lovely Doa, since unni got 1st place, you have to give me ten kisses on the cheek as promised, okay?"
"Lastly, I will become an I Dohui who does her best every moment to repay the Chuseo. Thank you!"
Since I was spewing words straight from my spine without passing through my brain, I worried about what I had said, but precisely because of that, it felt like I had spoken my true feelings.
Listening to the applause and cheers, my heart ached.
While calmly cooling my heated head, Sera unni's thoughts began next.
"I always thought that having the opportunity to be loved by the majority was an incredibly rare and precious opportunity… Thank you. Ah, the Chuseo who support me call themselves Seradan… Thank you for doing your best more than I do. I think I've received more than I've given. And… my mom told me not to come here. She was afraid I'd get hurt. But Mom, I don't get hurt. Rather, I've met so many good people… Thank you to all the fellow participants. Thank you to the production staff. Thank you so much to the Chuseo. I will work hard…!"
Sera unni speaking more calmly and maturely than me.
Thinking that if Sera unni had taken 1st place, she would have been rambling just like me, I received the staff's signal and climbed onto the 1st place podium.
"Now. Only the final 7th place trainee remains."
Along with the MC's words, tense background music began playing again.
"The two candidates for 7th place, combined from the pre-broadcast online voting and text voting! We will reveal them now!"
Because all the trainees had spoken lengthy thoughts, the MC, pressed for time, revealed them without dragging.
"Topist's trainee Gim Naeun."
"AlF's trainee Bak Yeeun! These two!"
The audience let out crossed screams of pity and cheers.
And I let out a scream mixed with hope too.
I wanted it to be Naeun unni… but Yeeun unni too.
"Among these two is the final debuting member in 7th place. Before the announcement, we'll have a brief word. Topist's Gim Naeun trainee. You've really worked hard all this time, but if there's anything you'd like to say one last time."
"Uh… first, I really want to debut, but… even if I can't, I want to say that I've truly been happy being together all this time."
"Understood. Now Bak Yeeun trainee."
"Uh… at first I was in tier 5 and got harsh criticism from the trainer teachers… but thanks to so many unnis and Do-hui… and the trainer teachers, I think I was able to make it this far. Just being able to become a candidate means I've achieved such a huge improvement, so really… thank you."
The MC brushed it off with a 'Very well,' and repeated everything he had said so far.
While my heart was racing, finally the MC spoke the name.
"ALF's Bak Yeeun trainee!"
'So it turned out this way.'
Naeun unni was hugging and patting Yeeun unni, who had collapsed to her knees on the floor.
I closed my eyes and pressed my eye corners with my fingers.
My eye corners throbbed.
The MC's continuing words.
"May we hear a word from trainee Bak Yeeun?"
Yeeun unni's tearful voice was heard.
"Uh… to those who cheered for me until the end today… and v… voted for me, Chuseo, th… thank you. Uh, I saw a placard over there saying 'Yeeun, let's debut,' and I was waiting with a really apologetic heart that I wouldn't be able to keep the promise, but… I'll continue to work hard and show you a good side. And the unnis in front of me right now… colleagues who worked harder than anyone and ran together with me… I wanted to be with them… Thank you. I'll work hard."
Then Naeun unni's voice, who had placed 8th, was heard too.
Her distinct voice was trembling.
"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to debut… but my dream is still to debut! I'll work hard at the company and with a cool appearance…"
Sounds of swallowing tears and laughter.
Naeun unni's thoughts continued.
"I'll work hard so we can meet again on stage. Thank you!"
Ending-credits atmosphere background music and the MC's closing continued.
"Yes, I'm sure many Chuseo will remember Naeun's wonderful appearance. We will support you so that your developed appearance and your dream of debuting will definitely come true."
"With this, the 7-member girl group SAVEN created by the Chuseo has been confirmed."
"Chuseo who have shown overflowing interest and passion all this time!"
"Thank you for spending the hot summer with us trainees."
"Thus ends Jeodol Season 3, but we ask that you look forward to the steps of group SAVEN, which is only just beginning. Chuseo, please support us!"
Stage effect fireworks burst splendidly and confetti flew around above our heads.
I ran down from the podium and rushed to Naeun unni together with Seoyun unni.
Perhaps because my heart had grown heavy, or perhaps because it had grown tender.
Or perhaps because it was now permissible to let my tears show outwardly.
Tears thoroughly soaked my collar.