NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
As Yoo Seol’s team finished their performance…
Waahhhhhh-!!
Gyaaaaahhh-!!
It’s insane-!!!
Yoo Seol-!!
Encore-!!!
The audience erupted in tremendous cheers.
We, in the waiting room, felt like we shrank in our seats.
“…….”
“…….”
Our team, overwhelmed by the cheers for Yoo Seol, fell silent, until Seo Yoo-jin finally spoke up.
“Why are you all sulking? We got just as much cheering! The audience loved us! So why the long faces? It’s annoying! If you keep this up, nothing good will come of it!”
Seo Yoo-jin’s tone was quite rude. I thought she had been a bit more polite these past few days, but I guess she’s back to her old self.
But…
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“We did great too. You can’t know who’s better without a comparison, right? So let’s stop being gloomy. And…”
I nodded to her words and tried to cheer up my teammates when…
Gyaaaaahhh-!!
Yoo Seol-!!!!!
“…Coming in second still counts as doing well. Let’s not be too hard on ourselves…”
But once again, the audience’s cheers crashed over us like a wave, and I felt myself shrink again.
“Ahh! Ye-rin unnie! Don’t say that!”
“But I feel like we’re going to lose…”
“Is this person really our center?! Ugh!”
While Seo Yoo-jin was huffing at my pitiful state, the next stage began.
The final stage featured Na Han-na, who was part of the A Rank team, and just like Yoo Seol’s team, they showcased a girl crush theme…
“Hmmm…”
“They did well, but it’s a bit….”
I guess because Yoo Seol’s team was so impressive, it felt a little lacking.
After Na Han-na’s team, all team competition stages were concluded.
Main MC Han Si-woo took the microphone once more.
“With that, all the stages of the team competition have come to an end!”
Aaahhhh-!
After several hours of competition, the audience couldn’t help but express their disappointment.
Seeing the audience, Han Si-woo smiled and continued.
“Based on your reactions, it’s clear how much fun today’s performances were. Now, let’s reveal the results.”
Paf!
With Han Si-woo’s hand gesture, the monitor on stage displayed a countdown.
60.
59.
…
A one-minute countdown was in progress on the screen.
“During this remaining minute, the audience can vote for which team performed best! You can change your choice freely until time runs out, so please choose wisely!”
47.
46.
…
Time was ticking away.
At least it was fortunate that the other screen captured our expressions in the waiting room.
Since we were the first team, which was quite disadvantageous, we waved our fingers to appeal for votes.
3.
2.
1.
And just like that, the countdown ended.
“Alright, you can no longer change your choices!”
Aaahhhh-!
Voting closed.
“Huff…”
Once the voting was closed, I felt an inexplicable relief wash over me, like I was finally able to breathe.
Everything was set. All that was left was the announcement.
“…Everyone did well. And let me say this one more time…”
“……”
“…Coming in second is still good.”
“Stop saying that!”
Despite Seo Yoo-jin’s annoyance at my words, I pressed on.
“…Right, even third place is still good. Plus, we were at a disadvantage going first, and also…”
“Ugh!”
I used to not be such a negative person…
Why am I feeling so pessimistic?
And well… truth be told, this first competition doesn’t offer any benefits for team rankings, so it’s okay if we’re not number one.
‘As long as we’re not in the bottom six, there’s no penalty….’
I was prepared to accept the results no matter what as I awaited Han Si-woo’s announcement.
“Now, let’s start announcing the rankings for the stable teams.”
Han Si-woo deliberately started with the less critical middle rankings.
“Fourth place is… the Smoked Salmon Sandwich Team!”
Gyaaaahhh-!
Fans breathed a sigh of relief as their supported team secured a safe ranking.
When it was time for the lower rankings…
“And the last team to receive a penalty is, the Crab Mayo Sandwich Team.”
Ugh…
“No way…!”
They wailed as if someone had died.
Huff…
Sob…
Participants, mostly from lower-ranked teams, streamed tears upon realizing their fate.
They would likely be eliminated with the next week’s ranking announcement, which was heartbreaking.
With that round of grief passing, only three teams remained.
Our team, Yoo Seol’s team, and Na Han-na’s team.
The monitor above the stage captured the anxious faces of the participants in the waiting rooms.
“Now, I will announce the third-place team. The third-place team is…”
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me which team came in third; I felt like they all had a fair shot.
‘Still, if we’re talking impact, Na Han-na’s team was likely the frontrunner…’
And the result was…
“The Avocado Sandwich Team!”
Arghhh-!
Whaaaaaah-!
Just as expected, it was Na Han-na’s team.
As soon as their third place was announced, the screen showed Na Han-na’s face.
It seemed the production team wanted to capture her disappointment.
But…
Bowing.
She simply lowered her head as if unaffected by the results.
…Honestly, she was impressive. Her face displayed only a desire to sleep.
‘…But Na Han-na’s fans likely see that as part of her charm.’
Anyway, after finishing the announcement for the third-place team, only the top two remained.
“…….”
“…….”
Now that it came down to this, the team members became tense, anticipating the first-place announcement.
But not me.
‘Even now, I think Yoo Seol’s stage was amazing.’
Objectively speaking, we seemed likely to take second place, so I relaxed and watched the screen.
“Now, only the first and second place rankings are left to announce. Will it be the Mackerel Sandwich Team or the Veggie Sandwich Team that claims the glory of first place?”
Han Si-woo seemed to want to stretch the anticipation before revealing the results.
“Of course, the rankings from this first team competition come with no benefits. However… there’s an interesting statistic.”
Han Si-woo grinned, displaying some kind of data chart.
“…What’s that?”
Seeing that, my team members couldn’t help but flinch.
“Out of all previous idol audition programs organized by Nnet, every winning team was from the team that placed first in the first team competition.”
“……!”
“Of course, it’s just a fun statistic, but it’s quite intriguing, isn’t it?”
Is this some kind of joke?
It was more than intriguing; it was definitely anxiety-inducing.
Swish-.
After Han Si-woo’s comments, even I, who thought being second was fine, scooted my chair closer.
“You know how I haven’t shared the vote counts by team until now? But this time, let me give you a hint…”
“……”
“The vote difference between the first and second place teams is just 4 votes.”
“……!”
That marginal difference made it impossible for me not to wonder.
The expressions of the other team members also stiffened.
And Yoo Seol on the opposite waiting room monitor…
“Ah, please…”
She was trembling with her hands clasped together.
She looked so pitiful, it made me want to give her the win.
But…
‘That’s just acting.’
I realized her demeanor was a performance after watching her for a while.
It seemed Yoo Seol thought her team would take first place.
I secretly hoped her expression would falter.
“Now, let’s finally announce the first place ranking!”
Dugudugudugu.
Though it felt somewhat cliché, there was no better way to build tension.
“……”
“……”
Our team, Yoo Seol’s team, and everyone’s gaze was fixed on Han Si-woo’s mouth…!
“The glorious first place team is…!”
‘Please…’
…I want to be number one.
By now, I was praying with both hands clasped tightly toward the heavens when the result was announced.
“Congratulations! The Mackerel Sandwich Team!”
“……!”
When our team name was called, my teammates looked utterly shocked, eyes wide open.
Whaaaaah-!
The only one cheering was me. I stood up with an unusual reaction they’d never seen before, nearly kicking my seat.
Pwahaha-!
Seeing me, my teammates cracked up before they hugged in the middle.
Whaaaaaah-!
“We are number one-!!!”
Thus, Na Ah Ah’s first team competition concluded with the Mackerel Sandwich Team winning dramatically by a narrow margin of 4 votes.
The fact that the Mackerel Sandwich Team snagged first place was a shock to the audience, leaving them in a brief state of disbelief.
But this was…
Whaaaaaah-!
Shocking screams from Ha Ye-rin broke the silence.
Hahaha-!
Ah~ cute-!!
Seeing the previously cold and aloof Ha Ye-rin losing her character was new and adorable for the audience.
Laughter rippled through the audience as applause and cheers filled the air for the winning Mackerel Sandwich Team.
Whaaaaaah-!!
You did so well-!!
I love you, Ha Ye-rin-!!!
Given the intense competition, most of the audience wholeheartedly cheered for us.
Of course, there were some vehement fans who protested.
“No way, how did this happen? This doesn’t make sense!”
A female audience member, who voted for Yoo Seol’s team, was furious upon seeing that Ha Ye-rin’s team had taken first place instead.
“Hey, didn’t you vote for Seol? It seemed like everyone was rooting for her team, so how did that team end up in first place?”
“Uh, well… I voted for the Mackerel Sandwich Team…”
“What?”
Her friend was taken aback by the betrayal.
“Are you serious! I brought you here, and you said you liked Seol! Her girl crush concept was epic, why didn’t you vote for her!”
“C- chill out…”
She liked Yoo Seol and had set her heart on voting for her after watching Yoo Seol’s performance.
But…
Gulp.
At the last moment, she switched from Yoo Seol’s team to Ha Ye-rin’s team.
The performance and setup for Yoo Seol’s team were great, but… Ha Ye-rin’s stage stayed with her longer.
‘It was amazing…’
Being timid, she liked how an idol shone more confidently than her.
And today’s performance by Ha Ye-rin…
The shy girl learning about love and being reborn in Where is my first love!, felt as if Ha Ye-rin was whispering to her.
You can do it too.
You can become like me.
Suddenly, she found herself unable to resist voting for Ha Ye-rin’s team.
She guessed most of the audience here likely chose Ha Ye-rin’s team for similar reasons.
‘That’s why our Ye-rin’s team won.’
Unknowingly, the nickname for Ha Ye-rin shifted to our Ye-rin in her heart, while her friend, a Yoo Seol fanatic, looked gloomy.
“Ahh… how annoying… If it wasn’t for Han Si-woo’s random comments before the results… what if Ha Ye-rin really wins over Na Ah Ah and Yoo Seol comes in second…”
“W-Well, second place is still good.”
“Who are you teasing right now?”
She glared at the traitor before turning her eyes back to the screen showing Yoo Seol.
Yoo Seol was smiling as if second place was fine, but strangely, she also looked somewhat bittersweet.
“Oh dear, our Seol must be sad too, right? She totally slayed the stage today…”
Among the participants, Yoo Seol undoubtedly showcased the most exceptional talent.
It’s a fact even Ha Ye-rin’s fandom had to acknowledge.
But seeing Yoo Seol, who had such overwhelming skill, fall short in a puzzling manner made…
“Is there nothing we can do for Seol?”
Frustration gradually built among Yoo Seol’s fanbase.