Episode 38
Waaaaaaaah—
My ears are ringing from the cheers.
Amidst the dizziness after the stage ended, only one thought circled in my head.
‘Ah, I finished well.’
The pouring cheers proved it.
As I looked at the audience seats with a proud heart.
"Hyung, here's your jacket..."
I received the jacket Kang A-jin handed me.
Of course, I didn't put it on right away.
Even standing still, I could hear the sound of ratings going up, so there was no need to wear it.
Tch, petty.
I think I heard something muttering from behind, though.
I bowed to the fans who were endlessly cheering, and came down from the stage with my team members.
"Great work, everyone!"
"Wow! It's over!"
"Hooray!!"
While the other trainees were cheering, only Woo Jung-woo and Kang A-jin's atmospheres were a bit strange.
"No matter how high you scream... taking off your top once... has more impact..."
Woo Jung-woo muttering quietly with a face that seemed to have realized something.
And Kang A-jin, with his cheeks puffed out to the max with an unfair expression, said to me.
"Rin-hyung! Put your clothes on quickly. Aren't you cold?"
"No, this much is nothing... It's not the dead of winter right now."
"It's February, so it's still winter!"
Thinking about jogging with bare arms in the severe cold of minus 10 degrees, this was nothing.
Rather, maybe because I was excited after the stage ended, it felt hot.
"A-jin."
"Yes?"
"Are you jealous?"
"Ugh..."
As if his weak point was hit, Kang A-jin scrunched his face.
"A-jin still has a long way to go."
"First of all, your height... Ack. Why are you biting me!"
"You're noisy!"
Watching Kang A-jin playfully fighting with the other team members, I thought that A-jin had really changed a lot over the past few days.
In a good direction, of course.
‘Is it because of the awakening?’
I recalled the status window message I saw a day before standing on stage.
-Kang A-jin's awakening is complete.
-Kang A-jin's trait 'Wounded Puppy' changes to 'Puppy That Overcame Its Wounds'.
-Trait 'Perfect Match' evolves into 'Minds Alike'.
-Trait 'Minds Alike' is activated. (Target - Kang A-jin)
When forming a team with Kang A-jin, all stats increase by 20% on stage. + Random traits are activated according to the stage.
I'm not sure why Kang A-jin's trait change was visible to me, but it's probably because we shared the 'Perfect Match' trait.
Anyway, after Kang A-jin's awakening, I was relieved of one worry.
I don't know what 'Puppy That Overcame Its Wounds' meant, but it looked better than 'Wounded Puppy' at a glance.
And the evolution of the 'Perfect Match' trait.
I'm not sure if it changed so grandiosely that the word 'evolution' was warranted, but.
Besides the stat increase effect on stage, another option was added.
Random trait activation according to the stage.
I didn't know well how much help this would be until I did this stage.
However.
-Trait 'Charisma' is activated.
The trait activated before going on this stage was 'Charisma'. It was a trait that perfectly fit this stage.
If only traits fitting the stage continue to activate before the stage like this in the future.
‘This seems pretty good?’
It seemed like Kang A-jin also shared the activated trait.
Because the look in his eyes as he looked at the camera today was unusual...
‘Of course, I did better.’
Anyway, thanks to Kang A-jin's awakening, I was able to go crazy on stage with peace of mind.
Just because I gave up the center didn't mean I yielded the entire stage to Kang A-jin.
We are teammates, but also competitors.
Looking at the results, Kang A-jin and I seemed to create good synergy for each other.
Is this also the power of the 'Minds Alike' trait?
As I was feeling good after finishing the stage like that, I heard something strange.
"A-jin... let's exercise! Make some abs and..."
"Yes, hyung... let's go back and start with protein first..."
Hearing Woo Jung-woo and Kang A-jin muttering, I got a little worried.
‘Guys, I'm sorry, but... even if you exercise, you can't be like me...’
But their expressions looked too serious to tell them the cruel truth.
***
Two months had already passed since the first episode of 'National Idol Season 2' aired.
['National Idol Season 2' continues to renew its highest viewership ratings day after day despite endless controversies.]
[Surpassing public broadcasting audition viewership ratings? Audition powerhouse MusicNet's 'National Idol Season 2' achieves 8.7% viewership ratings in just 7 episodes.]
[The first in cable audition history to surpass the demonic 10% viewership ratings mark? What's the reason for the success of 'National Idol Season 2'?]
With the record-breaking success of 'National Idol Season 2', which was thought to simply end as their own festival, analyses of the reason for National Idol's success poured in daily across all entertainment articles.
There were several reasons. The constant creation of controversies. The buzzworthy contestants. The stage videos that topped the rising video rankings on video sites every time they were released, etc.
Of course, to the fans supporting the trainees of National Idol, such things weren't important.
-The 3rd evaluation stage this time was really crazy. Especially Sunwoo Rin... everyone who saw it knows, right?
-The white-haired husky A-jin was cool too, but Sunwoo Rin completely crushed it at the end...
-Please don't forget our main vocalist Jung-woo too ㅠㅠ
└So was our Rin cool or not?
└Of course... he slayed...!
The spoilers from fans who attended the pre-recording, perhaps MusicNet had given up trying to block them all.
They only strictly regulated illegally filmed videos, and trainees' photos circulating around quietly had now become an open secret.
-Give us Sunwoo Rin's stage video quickly!! I want to see Ripped Rin too!!!!!
-I sincerely beg you, MusicNet officials, I want to save that scene as it is without a single bit of editing. Please do not ignore my earnest request.
-My heart hurts just from seeing the picture... my left atrium and right ventricle keep high-fiving each other.
-I was living in a two-room, but after seeing Ripped Rin's picture, I immediately broke the wall and made it a one-room... I can't take questions because I need to fix it.
-Tearing clothes used to be popular in the past, I thought it was outdated now... but I like this kind of thing?
While all sorts of jokes were running rampant on the web like that.
A sinister group that interfered with the fans' happy delusions began to invade.
-So what happened to Kang A-jin? Don't tell me people actually believe he reconciled with A-rin and Ye-rin? Seeing as he's using his younger sibling as a shield to calculate A-rin's return, Kang A-jin absolutely must not debut.
-Exactly ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It was so funny how Kang A-jin's fans defended him in the spoilers, saying A-jin did well too ㅋㅋ Your A-jin got his soul completely beaten out by Sunwoo Rin anyway, right?
Despite the malicious antics of the antis, Kang A-jin's fans held back patiently until the broadcast started.
-We can just respond after seeing today's broadcast edit anyway, don't unnecessarily fight and feed them from now on!
-A-jin did well on stage, so there's no need to care about those kids.
-When today's broadcast ends and the fancam is released tomorrow, we'll immediately go into full-scale support. Everyone, please get ready!
For those various reasons, episode 8 of 'National Idol Season 2', which the fans had been waiting for, was broadcast.
"The 3rd evaluation, the concept evaluation stage that you all have been waiting for, begins now!"
Waaaaaaaah—
Along with Ria's words, the sight of the cheering audience was shown.
Finally, the 3rd evaluation stage was broadcast.
-It's finally starting.
-Daebak! I should have gone there too ㅠ
-I was there ㅎㅎㅎ
As the broadcast started, an enormous number of posts began to go up, enough to paralyze the bulletin board.
"The first stage is the 'National Oppa' team's stage. Let's meet the stage of by the Brave Couple Composers right now."
Along with Ria's words, the 'National Oppa' team's stage preparation process was briefly broadcast.
And soon the stage began.
-Wow, it starts right away with Yujin Kim? The first team is already too intense?
-Yujin, can I call you oppa just for today?
-Wow, a fresh yet faint concept. Were those two things able to coexist? Totally my style...! The stage is crazy.
Yujin Kim's team's stage ended. Next, Wi Chun-woo's team's stage preparation process was broadcast.
-This team had almost no screentime last week, and this time it's practically entirely edited out too.
-Because that person whose name must not be spoken was there...
└Ah, the team with that person is here?
└Shh, you must not say that person's name! The Staroad fans will swarm here soon...!
The stage preparation process, which was close to being entirely edited out, was briefly broadcast like that.
Soon the full-fledged stage began, but.
-Wi Chun-woo looks somewhat intimidated. He wasn't a skill pick to begin with, but still, as the center, that's a bit...
-The song is okay, but the kids' skills are very lacking compared to the previous team. Did they not practice properly?
The disappointing stage ended like that.
-When on earth does Sunwoo Rin's team come out?
└When? Have you only been watching the broadcast for a day or two? Obviously they're being held hostage until the end, duh.
└Ah, when do I have to wait until the last order ㅠㅠ
At the end of the fans' long, long wait, the final stage was finally revealed.
"Finally, the last team. Let's meet the six trainees who prepared the stage for Composer JYT's
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Saving Private Kang A-jin ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The team name is crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Wow, the team name is really a straight ball... Please just let the stage be good... If they named the team like that and ruined the stage, really... I don't even want to imagine it.
Similarly, the stage preparation process briefly came out before the stage began.
"I want to be the center in this evaluation."
-W-what? Sunwoo Rin isn't the center, Kang A-jin is?
-No, Kang A-jin as the center there is a bit...
While everyone was wondering, Sunwoo Rin's interview began.
Q: What did you think when trainee Kang A-jin asked for the already decided center position?
Rin: I was definitely flustered at first, because I didn't know A-jin would make such a request.
Q: What was the reason you willingly granted the request?
Rin: We met as competitors within this audition, but A-jin is also my precious teammate. A-jin had some personal difficulties, and I wanted it to be an opportunity for him to overcome them.
Q: You've never been a center before. Thinking about it again, aren't you disappointed?
Rin: Disappointment... Rather than disappointment, first of all, I hope A-jin does really well.
Q: ???
Rin: Otherwise, I feel like I'll chew up the stage all by myself.
The edit, which could have easily been perceived as Kang A-jin's greed, was offset to some extent by Sunwoo Rin's confident interview.
-Crazy! It's crazy!
-Look at our Rin, people of the world...! Consideration and competitive spirit... isn't he really an idol talent born for the stage?
-He didn't just yield, it was a declaration of war...! Real soldier!
As soon as the interview ended, the stage for the 'Saving Private Kang A-jin' team began.
-The atmosphere is crazy!
-Wow, A-jin's hair is daebak! Have you seen an idol that suits gray hair this well?
-Everyone~ our puppy became a wolf!!!
Kang A-jin showed an appearance that overwhelmed the stage, making it hard to find his cute appearance from before.
-A-jin's charisma is daebak...
-That charisma on that face is foul!
Just as Kang A-jin was about to take the upper hand, Sunwoo Rin started to run wild on stage.
-Seniors, is this what a beast-dol is?
-It seems to give tension to the loosened idol industry.
Finally, the finale of the song.
When Sunwoo Rin tore his sleeveless shirt in front of the pillar of fire.
-He tore... He tore it...!
-Goosebumps... Goosebumpsssss...
-Sunwoo Rin tore his clothes!!!
-Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!
-Ripped Rin! Ripped Rin! Ripped Rin! Ripped Rin!
Posts overflowed on the bulletin board so fast that the eyes couldn't keep up with the speed they were uploaded.
-Wow... Sergeant Sunwoo Rin completely saved Private Kang A-jin... Huh? What? Why isn't the text typing? What, the server exploded????
At the same time Sunwoo Rin tore his clothes, even the website's server was torn apart.
And...
"The 1st place team of the 3rd evaluation is the 'Saving Private Kang A-jin' team!"
"The 1st place trainee of the 3rd evaluation is... Sunwoo Rin!"
The revealed results of the 3rd evaluation were one-sided.