Chapter 35
Preparation for the 3rd evaluation began.
The trainees prepared for the evaluation in a much freer atmosphere than before.
Compared to the strict regulations when they first entered the dorm, the dorm now had almost no restrictions.
And the current atmosphere in the dorm was clearly divided into two.
"I think this is about enough? How about we stop here and rest?"
"Right, practicing all day doesn't make it much better. Let's do it again tomorrow when the trainers come."
The lower-ranking trainees, who had already anticipated their elimination, were hardly showing any motivation.
"Everyone, let's work a little harder. Our performance is coming up soon."
"I think it'd be better if we worked on this part just a bit more. Let's practice for just one more hour? Huh?"
The trainees within the top 20 who had taken the leader and center positions in their teams were burning themselves out practicing, as if this were their last chance.
Practice continued amidst these contrasting atmospheres.
In severe cases,
"Tch, acting like a leader..."
"Hey. What did you just say?"
The atmosphere in the practice room turned icy in an instant.
"You're the leader, and you took the center spot, so of course you feel like practicing. You're excited because you think you'll make it to the final evaluation, aren't you?"
"Isn't it good if we all work hard together? Why are you being so twisted and ruining the mood by yourself?"
"All work hard together? But in the end, the ones who benefit are you two, right? You two can work hard by yourselves. I'm leaving."
"Hey, aren't you coming back? That's exactly why you're a loser. You know that?"
"What, loser? You crazy bastard!"
The two participants grabbed each other by the collars and collided roughly.
"Hey, the camera's rolling...! Stop them quickly!"
"Ah, let go of me!"
"You crazy punk, I said the camera's rolling!"
"Ha..."
'Cameras really are a restraining device.'
The camera crew, who had excitedly rushed over after hearing that two trainees were fighting,
"I should have done better as a leader. I'm sorry..."
"No, I got mad over something trivial."
Once the camera was pointed in their faces, the two instantly turned into gentle sheep.
Looking at the two, the cameraman gazed at them with a look of disappointment, as if saying, 'Is it already over?'
Having forcibly reconciled in under a minute, the two trainees resumed practicing as if nothing had happened.
Watching the opposing team continue their practice in a heavy atmosphere, I thought,
'Is it okay for things to be going this smoothly?'
Looking at my team members in our harmonious atmosphere, I recalled when the teams were first formed.
***
"Alright, the teams are formed, so shall we pick our center, leader, and main vocal now?"
When the team was first formed and we were distributing parts and roles, I was a bit tense.
"For main vocal, wouldn't it be best for Jung-woo to do it?"
While everyone was agonizing over it, Han Soo-won, currently ranked 34th, spoke up first.
"I think so too!"
"Yes, I agree."
"If everyone says so, I'll work hard as the main vocal."
Woo Jung-woo said with a humble expression and took the main vocal position.
Actually, this much was easy to predict.
However, the part I was most worried about was
Han Soo-won, who recommended Woo Jung-woo for main vocal as if it were obvious, and was now naturally smiling while observing the other trainees' reactions.
'I can't figure out what he's thinking.'
Han Soo-won was a 25-year-old trainee, the oldest among the current audition contestants.
He had been a trainee for a whopping seven years.
Actually, if we had met outside, 25 wouldn't be considered that old.
But considering that 90% of the trainees here were in their late teens to early twenties, in this place, it was by no means a young age.
Truthfully, when I first became teammates with Han Soo-won, I had considered yielding the leader position to him.
I had already taken the leader role twice in the 1st and 2nd evaluations.
The position I was aiming for now was
'I think it'd be good to be the center this time.'
I gave up the center position to Woo Cheon-woo in the 1st evaluation, and to Baek Si-hyun in the 2nd.
Of course, I still think that was the right decision back then.
This time, the situation was a bit different.
There were three top-ranking trainees on our team: me, Woo Jung-woo, and Kang A-jin.
With Woo Jung-woo naturally taking the main vocal position among them,
'It's down to me and Kang A-jin.'
But putting Kang A-jin as the center for this concept? The song itself doesn't suit Kang A-jin.
'It's best if I do it. But...'
Thinking about the stage, it was right for me to take the center position.
But what I was worried about was, what if the lower-ranking trainees tried to compete with me for the center position?
What if, in particular, Han Soo-won tried to take the center position?
Of course, the decision-making power itself lay with the higher-ranking trainees. If I firmly stated I would be the center, it would become a situation of 'no one can stop me.'
However.
'I can't afford not to care about my image.'
My current rank is 2nd.
I received a 100,000-vote benefit at the 1st ranking announcement ceremony, barely overtaking Park Han-hwi.
To overtake Yoo Jin-kim, who is 1st, at the next ranking announcement...
'It's probably difficult, since we also lost to Yoo Jin-kim's team in the last evaluation. 1st place is already out of reach.'
My goal right now was not 1st place, but to defend my 2nd place position.
You might ask, wouldn't 3rd or 4th place still be in the safe debut zone?
Originally, rather than my rank slowly rising like stairs, I had ridden the momentum and surged all the way to 2nd place at once.
But if my rank drops now and the momentum turns downward?
The disappearance of the image that Seonwoo Rin was the trend would be a huge blow to me.
Of course, a drop in rank could cause the fans to rally,
'But maintaining my rank is much safer than gambling on that.'
Continuing to run in 2nd place and building a rivalry angle with Yoo Jin-kim was the best for me.
Only then, at the final live broadcast,
'Would I even get a chance to aim for 1st place.'
Ultimately, what was important from my standpoint was
Taking the center position naturally without any damage to my image.
If a lower-ranking trainee wants the center position with the weapon of desperation, and I were to unilaterally ignore that and make a dictatorial decision,
'The editing isn't on anyone's side. The production team has no reason to go out of their way to make me number one.'
No one knows when you might get backstabbed by malicious editing.
In that sense, the scariest person for me right now was Han Soo-won.
A 25-year-old trainee. A trainee period of a whopping 7 years. This was his last chance.
I couldn't ignore those titles Han Soo-won held.
'It would be nice if he was satisfied with the leader position.'
If I thought Han Soo-won was aiming for center, I absolutely couldn't think of a way to firmly reject him.
'Rather than me rejecting him, I need help from those around me.'
If a trainee with strong opinions like the Boo brothers helped me, I wouldn't even need to step up,
'Kang A-jin is absolutely impossible, and Woo Jung-woo... I'm still not sure.'
There was no trainee who would reliably help me.
It was a moment my head was getting complicated.
'Right, let's hand over the leader position to Han Soo-won first. Then, if he has a conscience, he'll absolutely never say he wants to do center too.'
The atmosphere had quietly grown tense; if I delayed any longer, a strange tension would linger.
Just as I finished my calculations quickly and was about to speak,
"I think it'd be good for Rin to take the leader position. He's done well as a leader so far. Considering the concept this time too, Rin seems like a perfect fit for leader. What does everyone think?"
'Damn, I was a step too late.'
"Uh, I'm also in favor, as long as Rin-hyung is okay with it."
"I'm good with it too!"
Woo Jung-woo and Kang A-jin cluelessly voted in favor, so I had no way out.
"Are you sure, hyung? The leader position..."
"No! No! I'm just not cut out to be a leader. I want Rin to do it. Hahaha!"
Even my final counterattack was futilely blocked.
'It can't be helped.'
"Then I'll take on the role of leader. Thank you everyone for trusting me."
Clap clap clap-
With the applause, the selection of the leader ended quickly.
Now, the last thing remaining was
'What should I do? Should I just push Kang A-jin for center? No, that's a bit...'
Since I had become the leader, I had to take charge of the proceedings from now on.
With my head complicated by various thoughts, I looked at Han Soo-won's face.
Still wearing a light smile.
It was hard to read his thoughts.
'He doesn't seem simple like Yu-won. He's a higher-caliber player than I thought.'
Han Soo-won had the ability to naturally sway the atmosphere.
If Han Soo-won claimed the center in this atmosphere...
It looked hard to block him without getting hurt.
I should have kept Han Soo-won in check from the start and given him the leader position. Thinking carelessly was my mistake.
Letting go of my thoughts a bit, I opened my mouth.
"Alright, then we finally have to pick the center. Are there any trainees who want to apply?"
The atmosphere turned quiet as soon as the center position was mentioned. As I expected, Han Soo-won was the first to raise his hand.
"Can I speak first?"
"Yes, go ahead, hyung."
"I..."
Was he really aiming for center from the start?
A lower-ranking trainee taking center comes with a huge risk for them too, but let's hear what he has to say.
As I thought that and glared at Han Soo-won,
"I think Rin has to be the center, of course."
"Excuse me??"
What?
Did I completely misread him all along?
"Of course, I want the center too, but what's the title of our song? Soldier Game. The only trainee who can pull that off the best is Rin. Rather than being greedy for a position, if we make a choice for the team, I think Rin absolutely has to be the center."
Han Soo-won finished speaking.
The trainees who might have considered applying for center seemed to have already given up, simply nodding their heads.
Actually, to say you want to be the center in this current atmosphere
'Would just mean I'm putting my greed above the team.'
If Han Soo-won, who objectively looked the most desperate here, said that, it was hard for the other trainees to find words to rebut.
'Even if it were me, I wouldn't be able to say I want to do it...'
"Yes, I think that's right too."
"Rin being the center seems like the best choice for the team."
When the two lower-ranking trainees said so, the center position was practically decided.
"Alright! Then it's decided that Rin is the center!"
"Wow! Our team seems to get along so well!"
As Han Soo-won spoke, mimicking the action of banging a gavel, Kang A-jin said with a bright smile.
"Thank you, everyone."
Even though my thoughts about Han Soo-won were completely off base, well, the result was what I wanted.
'This is fine, right?'
Riding the momentum, our team finished distributing parts smoothly, and we took a short break before full-fledged practice began.
Stepping outside the practice room for a moment, I ran into Han Soo-won passing by.
I was actually curious.
I wanted to ask why he hadn't shown any greed for the positions, but it was an embarrassing question for a higher-ranking trainee to ask a lower-ranking one.
"Let's work well together from now on, Rin."
"Yes, please take care of me too."
When I returned the greeting to the good-natured Han Soo-won,
Han Soo-won spoke to me again.
"If there's anything you need while practicing, let me know comfortably. I'll help you as much as I can."
"Excuse me? Anything I need?"
"Ah, did I sound weird? I just thought I could help out with the team atmosphere or things like that."
What Han Soo-won was saying sounded somewhat significant.
It didn't sound like he was saying he'd work hard as a teammate, but rather a feeling of helping me individually, person to person?
"Is there something you want from me?"
Actually, I had been thinking about it for a little while.
It didn't seem like Han Soo-won had given me the leader and center positions so readily just because he was a pushover or because he was scared of the editing.
It seemed like he had some intent.
"You're very direct as expected. It might sound too opportunistic to call it something I want, but it's not like I didn't have those thoughts. Hmm... To put it honestly, I'm thinking about what happens after the audition ends?"
"After the audition ends?"
Han Soo-won looked at me and spoke with a serious face, unlike the lighthearted image he had when we first met.
"This mission is the end for me. There's not much left of the last chance. Truthfully, it's too late for me to become an idol now. Well, I failed to seize my last chance."
Han Soo-won's expression as he spoke so self-deprecatingly didn't look sad at all.
"Still, I haven't completely given up on my dream. Even if I'm not an idol, I want to keep working in the entertainment industry, I guess? That's why. Being on your good side is better when we meet later. You're practically confirmed to debut, Rin. Well, it's a bit opportunistic, but it's the thought that if I treat you well now, something might come back to me later? Was I too honest?"
"No. I'm fine. Actually, you saying that makes me feel more at ease."
"I knew we'd click. Don't worry at all, I won't come looking for you and be a nuisance later. You don't seem like the type to put up with that anyway. Just help me out a little if we happen to run into each other later, how about it? Deal?"
He was a realistic person.
Since the audition was already over for him, he was securing benefits elsewhere.
'I feel like we might end up meeting again later.'
"Alright. Let's do well together."
Like that, I had unexpectedly gained a decent business partner.
***
Just because our team was going smoothly didn't mean every team was.
No.
This was beyond just not going smoothly...
"I, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, everyone."
At a time when everyone should be practicing hard, the practice room was as quiet as if a nuclear bomb had gone off.
I could see Lee Yi-kyul apologizing to his team members.
"Enough. Do whatever you want!"
Woo Cheon-woo got up from his seat in anger, and the other team members followed him out, bringing silence back to the practice room.
Looking at Lee Yi-kyul, who had a devastated expression, I thought to myself.
'That team... is finished.'