NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
The corner that followed the team selection was none other than song selection!
I still remember.
The production team forced me to get out during the cyber spinning wheel.
And then, [Where is my first love!] by Tail Rose came out.
[Han Si-woo: Alright, the song for the Mackerel Sandwich Team is [Where is my first love!] by JJ Entertainment’s Tail Rose!]
[Q: How did you feel when the song was selected?]
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): I thought Ye-rin unnie picked really well! I’m confident I can do well!]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): It was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t a song from our seniors, but it was still good.]
[Most of the responses from the Mackerel Sandwich Team were positive!]
[But!]
[Q: How did you feel when the song was selected?]
[Ha Ye-rin: (I’m not sure if it fits my image)… I don’t know about this…]
[A slightly dark expression on participant Ha Ye-rin.]
-Wow! Tail Rose!
-Isn’t Tail Rose’s song not that hard?
-I think it’ll be fine, so why!?
-Ah, I wish it had something sexy, but Tail Rose’s song feels too childish.
-Hmm… it might not suit Ye-rin’s image and Tail Rose’s image?
There were comments in the comment section expressing that my image didn’t fit with Tail Rose either.
This continued when Yoo Seol’s team finished their song selection.
[Han Si-woo: The song for the Veggie Sandwich Team is [Thank you very much] by QQQ Entertainment’s Bumbleblack!]
[Q: How did you feel when the song was selected?]
[Yoo Seol (JJ): I’m a fan of the Bumbleblack seniors! I’ll do my best with my fan heart! Aja aja!]
-Ah… it would have been perfect if Seol had sung a Tail Rose song.
-I heard Yoo Seol was originally in the Tail Rose debut team but got cut?
-Oh damn, Seol got hit with the bomb here, can she handle Bumbleblack’s song?
-This song isn’t fitting with our Seol though ㅠㅠ
It was clear that Yoo Seol and I were picking songs with contrasting images, and I could feel the comment section heating up with worry and expectation.
‘Surely the production team didn’t manipulate the wheel with this in mind…?’
…For some reason, I felt like the Na Ah Ah production team might actually do that.
Well… anyway, since it ended nicely, I decided to focus on the next scene.
[Leader and Center Rank Selection]
I wondered how the production team had edited this part… Depending on the degree, there was a chance Seo Yoo-jin could fall into despair.
As someone who didn’t want to see Seo Yoo-jin portrayed negatively, I had no choice but to watch the broadcast closely.
And…
[Mackerel Sandwich Team]
As if reading my mind, our team’s rank selection scene came first.
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): Shall we pick a leader first?]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): Me! I want to be the leader!]
[The youngest raises her hand confidently.]
-LOL
-Cute, Yoo-jin!
-She looks a bit like a chick and a cat combined.
When they saw Seo Yoo-jin raise her hand to be the leader, the comment section showed a favorable response.
It seemed that Yoo-jin looking incredibly cute as the youngest trying to be the leader was well-received.
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I’ve learned arrangement at the company, and I know our song [Where is my first love!] well! I can do well as a leader!]
-I saw you performed really well last time.
-Since the company is SAV, let’s let her be the leader.
Since there was no issue with Yoo-jin’s abilities, most people agreed it was fine for her to be the leader.
Thus, Yoo-jin became the leader of our team, and the real problem came next.
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): Now, the next is the center.]
Naturally, the comment section seemed to think I would be the center.
-What… of course it’s…
-This has to be Ye-rin.
-LOL who else but Ye-rin would be the center?
But…
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): Me! I want to be the center too!]
The part where Yoo-jin, already the leader, expressed her wish to be the center aired just like that.
’Dammit…’
I clicked my tongue at that part.
I wondered if the production team would cut this part, but it seemed they couldn’t miss the chance to produce a hit segment from their perspective.
Of course, the comment section exploded.
-What?!
-What do you mean?!
-No, what are you talking about Yoo-jin, you’re the leader!
-What? You want both the leader and center? LOL What kind of greed is this?
-Why the heck?
-Don’t mess around, seriously.
Just as Seo Yoo-jin’s public opinion was about to plummet…
“Hmm…?”
…The cleanup began.
[Q: Why did you say you wanted to be the center when you were already the leader?]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I’m confident about this stage! I thought if I could do both, we could show a great stage!]
[Full of motivation.]
[Fired-up eyes.]
The production team immediately aired an interview scene showing Seo Yoo-jin’s strong competitive spirit.
As the scenes passed, it seemed like she was making effort but forming a character that lacked awareness, making it difficult for the viewers to keep criticizing her.
Moreover….
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): How about we decide by vote?]
[The Mackerel Sandwich Team decided to vote for the center!]
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): Please raise your hand if you think Yoo-jin should be the center.]
Swish.
[Seo Yoo-jin, raising her hand alone ㅠㅠ.]
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): Now, please raise your hand if you think Ye-rin unnie should be the center.]
Swish- swish.
[All the participants raised their hands.]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): …Krrk.]
[Before the results were announced, a sigh from Seo Yoo-jin?]
[It turned out she was peeking with her eyes half-open.]
[Q: Why were you secretly peeking with your eyes half-closed?]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I was… curious… I’m sorry.]
[Q: How do you feel since you weren’t selected as the center?]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): …Well, I’m disappointed, but I have to accept it. This is a democratic country after all….]
Her half-closed eyes while sneakily observing the voting results and her swiftly accepting the results turned the viewers’ opinions in her favor.
-LOL she was peeking with her eyes half-closed! LOL
-Ah, Yoo-jin is cute.
-Right? LOL The youngest might want to do everything because she’s very motivated.
-Why is the fact that she’s accepting it because it’s a democratic country so cute? LOL
It seemed like the production team decided to embrace Yoo-jin rather than push her down.
Thus, the part I worried about passed without major issues.
Once the leader and center rank selections wrapped up, our team’s screen time ended, shifting to another team.
After other teams finished their rank selection, it was now time for everyone to start stage rehearsals.
Up to this point, our Mackerel Sandwich Team had received a decent amount of screen time.
But in the next segment, during the mid-term evaluation…
[Han Si-woo: From the audience’s perspective, this stage was… not very pleasant.]
Our team exploded with screen time worthy of the main character in this episode.
[Han Si-woo: Ha Ye-rin participant.]
[Han Si-woo: What do you think is the problem with this team?]
I was particularly singled out as a potential cause of our team’s issues, receiving a lot of camera attention.
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): The problem with our team is…]
[Han Si-woo: It must be difficult to say that you are disrupting the stage atmosphere.]
With Han Si-woo’s continued cold remarks, comments flared up.
-Yo, don’t mess with Ye-rin!
-What a baseless accusation, she’s pretty!
-Ah, Han Si-woo, seriously.
-Does everyone have blind spots? Han Si-woo is not wrong right now?
-LOL The center is making a scary face in the middle so the mood of the song isn’t alive.
On top of that, the production team even played some grand music to heighten the tension.
[Han Si-woo: Ha Ye-rin participant. I had high expectations for you personally. Did you know?]
[Han Si-woo: But after seeing today’s stage, I’m greatly disappointed.]
[Han Si-woo: If you cannot resolve today’s issue… it may be better to change the center of this team.]
[……!!!]
[The participants look shocked.]
[Ha Ye-rin’s shocked expression.]
[What will be the fate of the Mackerel Sandwich Team?]
[Stay tuned after the ads!]
As Han Si-woo’s final comment ended, the screen darkened and the ads began.
-Ah damn ads!
-What do you mean change the center, what are you talking about?!
-Hmm… maybe it would be better if Yoo-jin was the center?
-No way, it’s absurd to take Ye-rin out of the center position.
-It’s definitely Ha Ye-rin as the center, for real!
The Na Ah Ah production team was really skilled at leaving cliffhangers.
During the one-minute ad break, the comment section was ablaze with discussions about whether the center should be changed or not, but before a conclusion was reached, the broadcast resumed.
Now, the next scene to air showed Seo Yoo-jin raising her voice to change the center and Lee Hye-jeong collapsing from malnutrition.
I focused on the screen, wondering how the production team would edit this.
And….
[The dim atmosphere of the Mackerel Sandwich Team.]
[Unable to narrow down opinions, the team members decide to conclude the next day….]
[The next day.]
[A slightly brighter expression from participant Ha Ye-rin.]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Uh… I was thinking about something yesterday…]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): How about we try some arrangement?]
[Ha Ye-rin with a good idea overnight!]
[Oooh…]
[The team members admire Ha Ye-rin’s suggestion.]
[Park Yoo-jung (Levi): Wow… I felt it again at that moment. Unnie Ye-rin is a genius….]
[What kind of stage will the Mackerel Sandwich Team prepare?]
[You’ll find out soon!]
[Stay tuned!]
As I watched the next scene, I could only be puzzled.
Right there….
“…Did they cut the scene of unnie collapsing?”
It appeared as if the scene of Lee Hye-jeong collapsing and going to the hospital had been completely deleted, as if it never existed.