Chapter 21
My impressions after watching the entire first episode were.
'It was overall satisfying, but.'
First of all, the screen time was undeniably good.
I was a bit bothered by the military song playing every time my face appeared, but still, my individual reaction cuts were overwhelmingly more frequent compared to other trainees.
'As for the stage, well. It goes without saying.'
I almost broke my poker face for a moment when 'that' scene appeared three times, though.
I held out well without breaking it, thanks to my superhuman patience.
'With this much, I think I've gotten everything I could from the first episode.'
Being remembered as an entertainment character isn't necessarily always a good thing, but getting attention first is the priority in the beginning.
Also, I had some confidence.
'Once the team battle stage is broadcast, the current evaluation will definitely change.'
A talentless entertainment character can easily become disliked.
It would be the best if the image of 'an entertainment character who also has the skills' was established early on.
Of course, I couldn't say I'm currently superior in skills compared to other trainees.
'Because I have the status window.'
I've put in the maximum amount of effort I could so far.
Now, it was a matter of editing.
First of all, there wasn't really any editing in this first episode that could be called malicious editing.
Rather, some potentially problematic scenes didn't even appear.
'The freestyle dance and Kim Na-hee's evaluation scene completely disappeared.'
Thinking about how worried I was about how that scene would be broadcast, I'm not sure if I should call it a relief or if I should still be on guard.
It would be a relief if it was an edit in a favorable direction for me, but.
'They might blow it up strangely in the second episode.'
Considering that favorable editing towards me has continued, I'm not too worried, but I couldn't completely let my guard down either.
'Because these MusicNet bastards have a history.'
Stimulating and dangerous editing was MusicNet's specialty.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, there was no stimulating editing in this first episode.
It was only absent in 'the first episode'.
Because MusicNet's specialty exploded in the 'preview'.
It was within everyone's expectations that Eugene Kim would stand on the grading stage before the first episode ended.
Of course, including the 60-second commercial, and Eugene Kim's stage being pushed to the second episode after the commercial ended.
'Always the same pattern.'
Just when everyone was thinking, 'Ah, of course it ends like this,' and feeling relieved.
The preview came out, and an unusual background music started playing.
The first to appear were the D-rank trainees.
It started with someone bursting into tears.
-I can't do this anymore.
-Mom... *sob*...
Then, the cold faces of the trainers driving the trainees hard began to appear.
-If you guys do it like this, I can't teach you anymore.
-Beeeep-do you even want to be an idol?
Next was the sight of trainees practicing hard.
'My face was caught quite a bit there too.'
The peaceful scene was brief. Suddenly, urgent music started playing.
-What? What's going on?
-Beeeep-collapsed?
Along with the surprised faces of the trainers.
The screen soon transitioned.
The CCTV footage played with a blurry screen.
The played footage was.
'Me carrying Eugene Kim on my back and running.'
However, the identities of the two trainees were not revealed. It seemed they intentionally hid their identities.
'Come to think of it, if they just showed Eugene Kim being loaded into an ambulance...'
With the poor video quality and black-and-white footage, even I would have had a hard time recognizing it was me at first, so the viewers probably wouldn't be able to tell either.
-Can this go on broadcast?
-No, no matter how I think about it, this isn't right.
As meaningful lines from unknown people were heard, the preview ended with the final scene of an ambulance entering from outside the dorm.
'Is it okay for this to go out like this?'
***
The first broadcast of National Idol Season 2 announced the start of its success with a viewership rating of '2.5%', more than double the '1.2%' of Season 1's first episode.
However.
[The 'Devil's Editing' resumes, the cruel reality of
[Viewers complaining of fatigue from the broadcaster's excessive directing, is this audition program okay as it is?]
[The newly returned
With the controversies starting alongside the broadcast of the first episode, criticisms of 'National Idol Season 2' began to rise endlessly.
The devil's editing controversy that had been raised since before exploded, triggered by the final scene of the preview.
-It's obvious that the last scene of the NatIdol preview is clickbait, so why is everyone getting fired up? Who hasn't been tricked once or twice?
└No. An acquaintance of mine works at MusicNet and said a trainee really was taken away.
└Fake without proof? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Don't believe it if you don't want to.
-Until now, MusicNet has played around with editing, but they've never intentionally created a situation that didn't exist. The important thing right now isn't whether someone was taken away or not, but why they were taken away.
└No, I'm telling you it's probably nothing. People who take things too seriously are the worst.
As time passed, rather than calming down, the controversy only grew bigger.
And as if putting a period to it, a post that poured oil on the controversy spread like wildfire through the community.
-I'll tell you who the two trainees in the last scene of the 'NatIdol 2' preview are.
【First of all, I'm not a MusicNet official.
I just recognized who they were right away after watching the preview, and I'm explaining it because it's amazing people can't recognize them.
To give you the conclusion first, the person being carried is Eugene Kim, and the person carrying them is Sunwoo Rin.
Evidence attached below.
(Scene of Sunwoo Rin and Eugene Kim in the same room in the dorm.)
It's a scene that briefly passed in the preview.
First of all, Sunwoo Rin and Eugene Kim are using the same room in the dorm.
That alone doesn't mean it's definitely the two of them! It's not like that.
Look closely at the photos of the two here.
(Sunwoo Rin's shorts, Eugene Kim's shoes.)
Going back to the CCTV footage, it's blurry and hard to see, but. It's confirmable that the pants of the person carrying them are shorts.
And decisively, the shoes of the person being carried are exactly the same as the shoes Eugene Kim wore.
Lastly, the reason I recognized them at once is because of their physique. I work in fashion, so I look at people's body types a lot, and among the trainees, there's no one else but Sunwoo Rin who has shoulders and a back like that.】
Starting with this post, articles comparing the two's hairstyles with the hairstyles of the people in the CCTV.
Articles saying that as a result of running a CCTV footage analysis program, it's definitely Sunwoo Rin and Eugene Kim, etc.
Gradually, the identities of the two changed from speculation to certainty.
As the identities of the main subjects in the video became certain, Eugene Kim's fans began to join this controversy.
-MusicNet gave Eugene Kim a D-rank, and that wasn't enough so they're using even her collapse as broadcast bait?
-Explain the situation properly and release an official statement!
-I was looking forward to watching this season because my bias was coming out, but. This really doesn't seem right.
-I left a protest post on the bulletin board. I'll attach the bulletin board address in the comments...
So on one side, Eugene Kim's fans who were burning with anger, and.
-Everyone, I cooked up a GIF of the gloomy Kang A-jin puppy moment from the episode 1 preview.
└Gasp! So cute!! Thank you!!!!!
└Our A-jin, let's only walk on a flower path!
-Everyone, I found something interesting, wanna see it together?
└Hm? What is it?
└Look at the post I uploaded below!
-Sunwoo Rin Hermione Theory
【(Sunwoo Rin practice room photo) X4
Sunwoo Rin, who is in every ABCD-rank practice room. The birth of 'NatIdol's' Hermione?】
└Wow! What? He's really in every lesson scene?
└Praise the author's eagle eyes! Anyway, what is this bait really? Will it be resolved in the next episode?
└Even if I'm just really curious, I have to watch the next episode live!
-Baek Si-hyun's facial expression evolution in episode 1.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They're all the same.
└No, look closely and they're all different. Joy, sadness, panic, awkwardness, every photo conveys a different emotion.
└Crazy ㅋㅋㅋ Did you learn mind-reading? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Ah, these days, new bait is pouring out every day, so I'm so happy.
└Excuse me... it's burning outside right now!!!!
└Boom boom boom! A fan whose bias is Eugene Kim has nowhere to go. Please take us in ㅠㅠ
└Welcome!! Don't get stressed outside and play with us here~~~!
The veteran fans of 'NatIdol' who had already been badly burned in Season 1.
Were shouting 'Happy fan, happy path', completely ignoring the situation outside, enjoying a happy fangirl life with the pouring bait.
***
After episode 1 aired, nothing particularly unusual happened in the dorm.
Occasionally, when trainees passed by talking.
'I heard it's a total mess outside right now?'
'Is our program going to be okay? Sigh...'
Sounds like that could be heard, but.
Since I was only inside the dorm, the outside reactions didn't really hit me first-hand.
Unrelated to what was happening outside, we were currently waiting for the first ranking announcement ceremony.
Currently, with the ranks up to 7th place pre-revealed at the end of episode 1. The trainees below that still didn't know their proper ranks.
Of course, since voting hadn't ended yet, the ranks within 7th place could change at any time, but. According to what was currently revealed.
1st place was naturally taken by Eugene Kim. Following that, Park Han-hwi took 2nd, and Wi Cheon-woo took 3rd.
For 4th and 5th, Kim Tae-ha and Yoo Won, who were A-rank trainees from the start, ranked in order.
6th was Woo Jung-woo, and the last 7th place was.
"Hyung! Did you come back from an interview?"
"Yeah, hi A-jin. How does 7th place feel?"
"No... if you keep teasing me about that... I'm also a captain... mmm!"
I hastily covered Kang A-jin's mouth.
"Hahaha, hyung was just trying to congratulate you, there was a little misunderstanding."
"Mmph"
"Hm? What?"
"Pfft! I can't breathe...!"
If I said I saw a puppy panting in Kang A-jin's gasping figure, he'd get mad again, right?
"Oh? Isn't this the debut group Kang A-jin trainee-nim who has climbed to 7th place in National Idol Season 2?"
"No, such a precious person in this shabby place? Where? Where are they?"
"Heeeeek!"
The voices of the Boo brothers started to be heard from afar.
They must have bothered him a lot these past few days, as Kang A-jin was startled just by hearing their voices and ran off somewhere.
"Uh, hi Rin!"
"Boo guys. Stop tormenting A-jin."
"We're not tormenting him, A-jin is secretly enjoying it too!"
"Right! Can't you see the back of A-jin enjoying himself over there?"
'How does that look like it?'
In Kang A-jin's back now visible in the distance, only emotions like panic, anxiety, and nervousness could be felt.
"Anyway, I'll be going. Have fun!"
"Oh right! Rin, you're going out to rest this time too, right?"
I hesitated at Boo Ji-seok's words and said.
"Well, I'm not sure."
"Haven't you not gone out even once since you came in? When you rest this time, go out and get some fresh air!"
"Yeah, and we're meeting A-jin outside, so you have to come too! Got it?"
"Promise!"
The Boo brothers disappeared in an instant after only saying what they wanted to.
'Should I really go out at least once?'
Actually, I've been running non-stop all this time.
There was still some time left until the ranking announcement ceremony. And it had been a while since I saw my family's faces.
'Yeah, I should go home when I rest this time.'
***
"I'm home!"
Having decided to put it into action, I went straight home without hesitation.
On my way home, I definitely felt the gazes of people recognizing me.
Since I caught a taxi right at the terminal, the mishap of being stopped by people didn't happen.
'But I think some photos were taken.'
This happened even though I wore a hat pulled down, following the advice of the trainees around me.
'As the broadcast progresses, it'll probably be hard to even go out properly.'
What should I do if I even get asked for an autograph?
I think I need to practice my autograph even now.
"Min, your brother is home!"
The lights in the house were clearly on, but there were no signs of anyone.
Seeing that grandmother wasn't in her room, it seemed she went out.
'Min's room door is closed, is she inside?'
Knock knock-
I knocked on Min's door, but no sound came from inside.
"Min, are you in there?"
The moment I turned the doorknob to check if the door was locked, just in case.
Click-
The door opened with a sound.
And inside the room, I saw my sister wearing earphones, typing away furiously.
'What is this? Is she writing a comment?'
I patted the back of my sister, who still didn't know I had arrived.
"Uh...huh???"
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"KyaAAAAAAAAAH!"