Chapter 46
The final song stage ended.
While the audience and trainees were all intoxicated by the lingering emotions of the stage.
"National Idol Season 2 final round. All live broadcast stages have ended. And..."
Along with Ria's words, the number 10 appeared on the giant screen on stage.
"Now, we will close the live text voting."
3, 2, 1
With the countdown, the live text voting for 'National Idol Season 2' finally ended.
***
The live text voting ended.
The number of text votes counted in this live broadcast was approximately 2 million votes.
It was a figure that increased more than twofold compared to season 1's live broadcast.
While various commercials and on-site interviews were being conducted to secure time for counting the enormous number of text votes, and full effort was being put into killing time on stage.
The trainees who came down from the stage were reapplying their makeup and waiting only for the moment of the final announcement.
-Debut as an idol (0/1)
Reward: ???
Will I be able to achieve this goal today?
Actually, it's uncertain whether you could say you debuted as an idol right after the audition ended.
'Anyway, it's more than 90% done.'
Compared to when I first saw the goal and felt lost, now the goal was almost within reach, flickering before my eyes. The emotions were inevitably different.
The waiting room filled with tension.
The trainees who had been excitedly chatting and sharing their impressions of the last stage for a while were now silenced by the heavy atmosphere of the waiting room.
"Please move to the stage!"
Finally, the time to determine the trainees' fate had arrived.
"Ah, I'm nervous... I even took a heart-calming pill. Why am I still so nervous?"
"You just took that! Please wait a little more patiently!"
Park Han-hwi and Woo Jung-woo, consistent from the beginning until now.
"Alright, let's go let's go! Let's go~~"
"Let's go!!"
"I'm coming too!"
Shim Sung-ha and Bu Ji-seok excitedly rushing out of the waiting room, trying to hide their nervousness, and Wi Chun-woo following behind them.
"Huuuuuu, huuuuuu."
"Are you okay, Si-hyun?"
"Yes, I'm okay."
Baek Si-hyun looking extremely nervous, and Yujin Kim with a calm face standing guard beside him.
"Rin-hyung...! Why aren't you getting up?"
"Hmm? We should go..."
"Hurry up and let's go!!"
I saw Kang A-jin's face urging me to hurry and grabbing my hand to pull me up.
'This feels like a scene I've seen somewhere? No... was it the other way around?'
Looking at Kang A-jin's face, I recalled when I first met him.
"Yeah, let's go. To debut"
At my unconsciously spoken words, Kang A-jin looked at me with surprised wide eyes for a moment, then smiled broadly and said vigorously.
"Yes, let's go! To debut...!"
***
If you watched season 1, everyone would know.
"Now... the highly anticipated final live broadcast. We're just moments away from the final ranking announcement."
This line gets repeated about 100 times before the ranking announcement.
The audience on site didn't seem to care about that, as their favorite trainees were right in front of them, so they didn't seem to mind whether the announcement was delayed or not.
[Sunwoo Rin for the win anyway!]
That seems like a dangerous slogan... Yujin Kim's fan is glaring at me from beside me even now...!
I timidly waved my hand to the fan who was vigorously waving the slogan.
Kyaaah-
Rin!!!-
The fans on site might be fine, but I could almost hear the channels of viewers watching the live broadcast changing from all the way here...
While I was worrying about that inwardly.
"Then we will now begin... the ranking announcement!"
Whether the counting was finally done, Ria with a slightly brighter expression spoke, and the fans' cheers rang out powerfully throughout Olympic Hall again.
'Is it really starting?'
I'd been fooled more than once or twice, but looking at Ria's expression, it seemed like it was real this time.
Tension was gradually returning to the faces of the trainees who were showing clear signs of exhaustion from standing in the same spot for over 20 minutes.
"Over the past 3 months, 'National Idol Season 2' has run hard under the interest of the national judges. We will now announce the final ranking of this highly anticipated final round."
At Ria's words, Olympic Hall, packed with 4,000 spectators, was momentarily enveloped in silence.
"As a result of counting both the live text votes and online votes, the trainee in 6th place... the 6th place trainee is a trainee who captured the hearts of the national judges with outstanding dance skills."
At the mention of outstanding dance skills, everyone looked at one person.
"In 6th place is... Baek Si-hyun! Congratulations!"
When his name was called first, Baek Si-hyun instantly froze like a statue.
"Si-hyun, congratulations!"
When Yujin Kim, who was next to Baek Si-hyun, shook his shoulder and offered congratulations.
"Ah! Th-Thank you!"
Only then did Baek Si-hyun come to his senses and exchange congratulations with the surrounding trainees.
Since Baek Si-hyun was almost the youngest in the audition, the older brothers' enthusiastic congratulatory shower burst out.
"Uuuu..."
Baek Si-hyun, who seemed already exhausted from the brief congratulations, walked toward the stage.
"Congratulations, Baek Si-hyun."
"Thank you so much... Honestly, I didn't know I would get to debut like this..."
When Baek Si-hyun finished saying his prepared acceptance speech with a nervous face.
"Then could you express this feeling with a dance?"
"A d-dance?"
In the end, at Ria's words, Baek Si-hyun accumulated another dark history by dancing a bizarre dance with a blank face. Then he went up to the podium and sat in the 6th place seat.
When Baek Si-hyun took the 6th place seat, there were now only six seats left on the podium.
The screen that was capturing Baek Si-hyun sitting alone on the podium with a still dazed face returned to Ria.
"Now we will announce the 5th place trainee..."
The music that heightened the tension again could be heard.
When the camera came close to my face and was filming me.
"The 5th place trainee is a trainee who has performed the main vocal role excellently in the competitions so far."
'Main vocal, huh.'
On the screen on stage, the faces of Yujin Kim and Woo Jung-woo, and Kim Tae-ha, who wasn't well known because he was overshadowed by those two but had played the main vocal role multiple times, appeared.
'If it's 5th place, it won't be Yujin Kim.'
In the order captured on screen, the three people showing three expressions—calm, tense, and anxious—passed by.
"In 5th place is... Woo Jung-woo!"
When his name was called, Woo Jung-woo smiled brightly and shared a hug with Park Han-hwi next to him.
And after finishing the hug with Park Han-hwi, directly to the next person...
'Why directly to me...?'
"Rin-hyung, thank you so much for everything!"
"Congratulations, Jung-woo."
I ended up sharing a hug with Woo Jung-woo.
Well, I've also benefited from Jung-woo many times.
After I congratulated Woo Jung-woo with about half sincerity, Woo Jung-woo lightly exchanged greetings with the trainees and went up on stage.
When Woo Jung-woo, who said a common acceptance speech that directly connected to working hard from now on, was about to go up to the podium.
"Woo Jung-woo. Do you have anything special you'd like to say to your fans?"
At Ria's last question, Woo Jung-woo made a thinking expression.
I somehow got a bad feeling seeing that.
'Don't tell me...'
The memory from the first mini fan meeting suddenly came to mind, and I was tensing up.
"Every time fans gave me love, I felt a bit strange. Am I a person who deserves to be loved like this? Is it okay for me to receive this much love?"
Fortunately, unlike my worry, Woo Jung-woo was speaking standardly.
However.
"I still don't know. I'm grateful that you give me so much love, but I don't want to be your number 1 priority. Because you have family and precious friends too."
'Ah...'
It seemed like the wise-saying disease had exploded, as Woo Jung-woo continued speaking without noticing Ria's flustered expression.
"However, you fans are always my number 1 priority. I will work hard with the determination to die, so that liking me will never be something to be ashamed of."
Woo Jung-woo's acceptance speech ended.
Fortunately, the fans' reaction wasn't bad.
'Should I consider that as part of his charm...'
Like that, the announcement up to 5th place passed.
"In 4th place is... Park Han-hwi."
Woo Jung-woo's soulmate Park Han-hwi's name was immediately called.
"I'm not sure how to express it. I feel so good! Thank you so much and I love you, fans!"
It was Park Han-hwi who had the charm of making people feel comfortable and good.
Park Han-hwi's acceptance speech, which left a brief laugh even in the tense moment of ranking announcement, ended.
Next was the turn for 3rd place.
"Now, we're about to announce 3rd place. Who will be in 3rd place..."
While Ria was taking a long time on stage, I looked around at the trainees.
Excluding me and Yujin Kim, the trainees who had entered the debut zone were... Kang A-jin, Wi Chun-woo, and Shim Sung-ha, three people.
Whether everyone was thinking the same as me, the faces of the three people appeared on the large screen.
I could see Kang A-jin standing next to me with surprised, round eyes.
Shim Sung-ha and Wi Chun-woo were also looking at the screen with trembling eyes.
Even after the faces of the three people were captured on camera, Ria maintained the tension for a long time and dragged out the time.
"In 3rd place is a trainee who showed an amazing upward trend and settled in the debut zone at a higher rank than the previous ranking announcement..."
When the faces of the three people were turning blue, she finally announced the name of 3rd place.
"In 3rd place is... Kang A-jin."
"Woah!"
When Kang A-jin's name was called, Bu Ji-seok, who was standing behind, passionately hugged Kang A-jin from behind.
"Our puppy! Congratulations!"
Starting with Bu Ji-seok, among the other trainees' congratulations, Kang A-jin barely managed to exchange greetings with a hazy mind.
"Hyung..."
"Go up first."
Kang A-jin, who exchanged last greetings with me, bowed his head deeply and walked toward the stage.
I could see water drops falling along the path Kang A-jin walked.
Kang A-jin, who barely managed to get on stage and grabbed the microphone, had a face already covered in tears.
"Hic... I really didn't know this day would come... I really couldn't even imagine... Sob... To my parents and sister first... Sob..."
Even while sniffling, Kang A-jin, who managed to say all of his acceptance speech, went up to the podium for the 3rd place seat while sobbing.
I could see Woo Jung-woo, Park Han-hwi, and Baek Si-hyun hugging Kang A-jin.
And now what remained was.
"National Idol Season 2 final round broadcasting live. Now only the announcement of 1st and 2nd place remains. Who will be the highly anticipated 1st place... Let's meet the two trainees who are candidates for 1st place right now."
The lighting that was illuminating where the trainees were standing suddenly turned off.
"Wh-what."
"The lights suddenly..."
While everyone was confused and panicking.
I looked at Yujin Kim's face.
And.
Flash-
Two lights suddenly turned on.
Those lights illuminated me and Yujin Kim respectively.
The two of us shown on screen.
Were looking at each other's figures.
Waaaaaaaah-
Cheers burst out fiercely.
Just like when the competition stage ended. A powerful echo.
The announcement of 1st place began amidst the heart-pounding cheers of the audience.
"Yujin Kim, Sunwoo Rin. Both trainees, please move to the center of the stage."
When me and Yujin Kim walked toward the stage, the lights illuminating us slowly followed us.
Slowly walking toward the stage, we finally stood at the very center of the stage, facing 4,000 spectators head-on.
"Yujin Kim. You have never missed the 1st place spot until now. Will that result continue today?"
At Ria's question, Yujin Kim grabbed the microphone and answered.
"I hope so, but... honestly, I'm not sure."
Seeing Yujin Kim speaking calmly, Ria nodded and asked again.
"It's not easy to predict the results. Then what do you think about Sunwoo Rin, who is also a candidate for 1st place?"
It seemed like an unexpected question, as Yujin Kim's eyes slightly widened.
"Um... Rin-hyung is..."
Yujin Kim, who was speaking hesitantly, soon smiled slightly and answered.
"Excluding my parents, he's the most reliable person I've ever met."
It was an unexpected answer.
Surprised by Yujin Kim's answer, I looked to the side and saw Yujin Kim with red ears, ignoring my gaze.
"I can really feel that the bond between the two trainees is close. Then, can we hear your resolve as we're about to announce 1st place?"
"I think there were many people who found it strange seeing me come out to this audition."
'Why is he suddenly saying that?'
At the unexpected remark, the inside of the concert hall buzzed, but Yujin Kim calmly continued speaking.
"I've always been an outsider wherever I went. That was the same even when I achieved good results in the audition, and even when my debut album went up the Billboard charts."
"Being an idol was my childhood dream. I achieved some success as a solo singer, but I was still always thirsty for something."
"Coming here, I realized it clearly. I wanted to be an idol. Hanging out with hard-working trainees, preparing for stages together, I became certain of that thought."
"My resolve for the future... there's only one goal. I want to reach the top spot in the world with the members of the team that will be formed today."
"I will definitely reach number 1 on the Billboard charts."
After Yujin Kim's shocking remark, the noise in the concert hall disappeared.
Wait a minute, Yujin...
If you say that first...
'Then what am I supposed to say!!!'