Chapter 33
"Let's meet the trainees of 'National Idol Season 2' who have visited Music Station. Hello, everyone!"
"Hello, national judges, we look forward to your support!"
Along with the lead of Park Han-hui, the center of the main theme song 'JACKPOT', the 15 trainees greeted in unison.
Right now, we were on 'Music Station', a music broadcast on MusicNet.
Of course, not everyone came out; only the trainees up to 15th place were able to appear on the music broadcast.
I would like to send my meager words of comfort to the Boo brothers in the 20s rank who unfortunately couldn't appear on the broadcast and are probably grinding their teeth in the dorms right now.
'I must absolutely avoid running into them when I get back to the dorm.'
"You will soon be standing on your first live broadcast stage, is there any trainee who can tell us how you feel right now?"
We just finished the stage through pre-recording, you know?
Of course, the MCs would know it too. They're just reading what's written in the script.
While I was thinking someone would answer well and trying hard to put on a smile for the broadcast.
'No, why are you giving the mic to me?'
The only microphone passed through Park Han-hui's hand and came into mine.
Wait a minute. But what exactly was the question?
'This is bad.'
A warning bell rang in my head.
Flustered, before I could even think of something in my head, my mouth moved first.
"I didn't catch that?"
"Keuk. The, thoughts on the live broadcast! Sunwoo Rin trainee."
The MC couldn't hold back his laughter, covered his mouth with the script, and asked again.
"Ah, I'm very nervous and trembling, but thinking that I can meet the national judges, I prepared hard for the stage, so I hope you look upon me favorably!"
"Yes, Sunwoo Rin trainee. It seems you are very nervous."
"That can happen. Even I don't really remember what I did during my first stage."
'You people, lower the corners of your mouths when you speak.'
The stage was pre-recorded, but the interview was live.
My mistake just now must have been broadcast live nationwide in real-time.
Of course, it was better than creating the worst-case scenario of asking back, "What was the question?", and the MCs seemed to pass it over with a smile, but.
'Still, it's so embarrassing.'
To make a mistake I've never made before, right on a real-time live broadcast.
'No, wait a minute. This is all part of the concept.'
Right, today's concept is a soldier. Soldier Sunwoo Rin does not feel ashamed over such trivial things.
I finished rationalizing it in my head.
"Then, could you tell us about the point choreography of 'JACKPOT' that you will be showing on today's stage."
Even while I was declaring mental victory, the interview continued to progress.
At the MC's request, Baek Si-hyun, Park Han-hui, and Wi Cheon-woo, who had been preparing in advance, stepped forward.
-Make it burst JACKPOT
On this flashy stage
Look at me
The three danced to the song sung by the trainees behind them.
"Yes, we've even seen the point choreography like this. Now, it's time for the trainees' self-appeal, right?"
Following the MC's request, we each struck a pose.
However, I felt Yoo Jin-kim, who was next to me, moving closer to me.
'Why are you acting so close?'
'Let's just get through this roughly.'
We exchanged glances for a fleeting moment.
Like that, the capture time ended, and the live broadcast interview concluded by introducing the next stage.
"Great work!"
With the trainees' greetings, the staff began moving busily again.
While the trainees were watching the mood of the two MCs, who were idol seniors that hadn't left the waiting room yet.
"You all worked hard!"
"Good luck with the audition!"
"Yes, thank you!"
Everyone bowed their heads toward the two MCs who were giving bright greetings.
However, one of the MCs suddenly approached me.
'What is this? Is this perhaps the rumored post-filming discipline?'
"You passed over that amusingly earlier. You have a sense for variety shows!"
"That's right, you did well and amusingly in the audition too? Let's see you on variety shows later!"
Like that, the two MCs offered words of praise and disappeared in an instant.
"Wow! Rin hyung got praised by the seniors. Daebak!"
"Rin, if you debut like this, won't you fly on variety shows?"
Sim Sung-ha and Park Han-hui said to me with smiles, but.
'This isn't a good thing. You crazy idiots...'
My sense of shame hadn't faded at all.
"Hyung, but when you made a mistake earlier. Why did all the MCs laugh?"
"Don't try to find out, A-jin... You'll get hurt."
"Hup... Yes sir!"
Just as I simply cut off Kang A-jin's curiosity like that.
"Everyone, please wait for a moment. The mini fan meeting will start in 30 minutes."
With the writer's words, a brief silence fell over the noisy waiting room.
"Ah, I'm so nervous. What should I do?"
"Do you have any Cheongsimhwan? Please, my heart is beating too fast!"
"Are fans waiting for us when we go out? Do we just stand there?"
The waiting room had turned into pandemonium in real-time due to the trainees' fuss.
"Now, everyone, shh!"
When I, unable to bear the sight of the anxious writer, stepped forward and shouted.
'This actually works?'
The surroundings instantly grew quiet.
The writer sent me a look of gratitude with her eyes and began to speak.
"The mini fan meeting will proceed shortly for about 20 minutes. There will be a simple Q&A time, but problematic talk. You must never do broadcast spoilers! And it will end after having a photo time."
The writer finally breathed a sigh of relief after pouring out words rat-tat-tat.
And then the writer came over to where Yoo Jin-kim and I were.
"When you go outside, trainee Yoo Jin-kim and trainee Sunwoo Rin, please host it together, just the two of you."
"Yes? Us?"
"It's not really anything special for hosting. Just read the question memos we received and communicate. That's all you need to do!"
"Yes, understood."
When Yoo Jin-kim answered confidently, the writer made a relieved expression and moved elsewhere.
"Hosting all of a sudden, are you confident?"
"Well, since they said there are questions, wouldn't it be fine to just read them well and answer?"
"Is that so?"
Just as I was half-doubting Yoo Jin-kim's confident attitude.
"We will move out now."
We left the waiting room and slipped out of the broadcasting station.
After walking for a while, we could see the fans gathered in front of the platform from afar.
And.
Waaaaaaaah-
I felt it earlier during the stage too, but they had truly amazing vocal volumes. They would all make great military band members.
As the trainees went up on the platform, louder cheers continued. The sound of cameras clicking could be heard from all over.
I was momentarily dazed and couldn't gather my senses, then.
"Hello, national judges."
"Hello!"
When Yoo Jin-kim grabbed the mic and spoke, I delivered greetings along with the other trainees.
Waaaaaaaah-
After the cheers erupted once again.
"Thank you so much to everyone who came to see us here. They said there will be a separate time to take photos a little later, so we would appreciate it if you took a lot of pictures then. First, let's start the self-introductions one by one. Rin hyung?"
"Yes? Ah, hello. I am Sunwoo Rin. Thank you all for coming!"
Riiiiiin~!!!
Sunwoo Riiiiin!!
As I spoke, I could hear the cheers of fans shouting while shaking slogans with my name written on them.
Starting with me like that, the self-introductions of the 15 trainees continued briefly.
"From now on, we will have a time to answer the questions prepared by the fans in advance."
When Yoo Jin-kim spoke, a staff member came up on stage holding a panel full of memo pads.
"Now then, shall we have the trainees choose the question sheet they like?"
'He's hosting well...?'
As expected, his experience of having been active didn't go anywhere, and Yoo Jin-kim was continuing the hosting more naturally than I thought.
'Then maybe it's okay if I stay a bit out of it?'
Out of curiosity about what questions there were, I also headed toward the trainees to see the questions.
-What is your favorite food?
-Who is the trainee you are closest to?
-What was the hardest part during the audition?
Mostly, normal questions took the lead.
But.
-Do you have any complaints about the editing?
-Why was Yoo Jin-kim trainee sick?
-Are you in contact with the eliminated trainees?
Hey, this is a bit... Did they not filter the questions and just put them all up?
I hope no tactless trainee picks these questions.
"Now then, is there any trainee who would like to answer the question they chose first?"
"I will do it first!"
Park Han-hui raised his hand first and received the mic.
"It's a question about who the closest trainee is. I got closest to Jung-woo when the audition started, but while preparing for this 2nd performance, I also got a lot closer to Rin, so um... I can't pick just one. I think I'm closest to Rin and Jung-woo."
'Since when did our internal intimacy deepen this much?'
I didn't know Park Han-hui would pick me as the closest trainee.
I'll have to pay a little more attention to Park Han-hui from now on.
"Did the 2nd performance preparation process come out on the broadcast? Ah... it hasn't aired yet? This isn't a spoiler, right? Ah! You're saying this much is okay."
It seems a warning had come in at that time to prevent spoilers.
Seeing the production team drawing a circle above their heads saying it was okay, Park Han-hui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Please be careful about broadcast content in your future answers. Then the next trainee?"
"Me!"
Sim Sung-ha received the mic and spoke playfully.
"Since when was Kang A-jin trainee so cute?"
"Yees?"
Along with Kang A-jin's flustered appearance.
Kyaaaaah-
The fans' cheers poured out.
I approached Kang A-jin and said.
"You recently transformed from a Sigorzav breed to a Golden Retriever, didn't you."
"Yes? Sigorjab? What is that?"
"You will know if you look in the mirror. Anyway, please answer since when you were cute."
"Uh... since I was born?"
'Good, that's how you become shameless, A-jin.'
Kang A-jin, who answered himself but then his face turned bright red.
"Now, for the sake of protecting the trainee, let's move straight to the next question. This time, Wi Cheon-woo trainee?"
"I will, answer the question about, when it was the hardest."
Wi Cheon-woo looked at me as if he had made up his mind and spoke.
"When preparing for the 1st performance, Rin hyung was too scary and it was hard."
Whoa!
Bbu-bbu-bbu-
It was as if he had made some huge confession, the trainees behind were shouting cheers.
"We can't help but listen to Sunwoo Rin trainee's rebuttal here, can we?"
The trainees brought the only two mics in front of my mouth as if holding a press conference.
"I hope we definitely become a team in the next performance too."
"Ah, he's showing the magnanimity of a big man here."
"Then Wi Cheon-woo trainee ends up looking like a petty person!"
It was Sim Sung-ha, who had taken my mic at some point and was hosting.
At Sim Sung-ha's words, Wi Cheon-woo made an unfair expression, but.
"Cheon-woo, it was very hard for you, shall we hug?"
"N-no... urgh!"
We two shook off all the remaining resentment with a single hug.
"Now, then next is Baek Si-hyun trainee?"
"Yes, the memo I picked says, 'Trainees, please ask the fans reverse questions'."
"Oh, reverse questions? Is there any trainee who has a question they want to ask the fans?"
"Can I ask a question?"
Woo Jung-woo, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly raised his hand and received the mic.
"There are some fans wearing school uniforms right now..."
'What in the world is he trying to say?'
When I looked at Woo Jung-woo with a worried heart.
"By any chance, how did you come here while going to school? Are you still on vacation?"
I skipped school to come here!!!-
I sneaked out-
When the fans answered Woo Jung-woo's question, his expression suddenly hardened.
"Everyone, you have to go to school. From next time, you shouldn't come like this skipping school! We can't take responsibility for your li... mmph!"
I hurriedly covered Woo Jung-woo's mouth and thought.
'Jung-woo... are you perhaps, a bit of a, boomer...?'