NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
The next day.
“Ye-rin.”
“……Umm.”
“Ye-rin, wake up. We’re here.”
“…Ah.”
As always, I arrived at the Na Ah Ah Set through Kang Hyung-man’s car, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep, only to be awakened by his voice.
“…I’m sorry. When did I fall asleep…?”
“It’s okay. You must have been really tired.”
Maybe it was because I didn’t sleep well last night worrying about various things and Seo Yoo-jin that I still felt the fatigue lingering.
I stretched my arms, packed my things, and stepped out of the car, where Kang Hyung-man and Older Brother Sang-gu waved me off.
“I’ll work hard this week. Thank you for bringing me.”
Just as I finished my goodbye and was about to head inside…
“Ah, wait a second, Ye-rin.”
“……?”
Kang Hyung-man stopped me.
“I almost forgot to give you this.”
“What is… um…?”
I looked down at what Kang Hyung-man placed in my hand and gasped.
“This is…?”
“It’s chocolate.”
What Kang Hyung-man handed me was a high-end brand chocolate wrapped individually.
That must be super expensive.
As I stared at the chocolate, Kang Hyung-man scratched the back of his head and said.
“…I know chocolate has high calories and sugar. It might not be suitable for someone like you who’s watching their figure, but…”
“……”
“Still, they say chocolate is the best for relieving stress. Eat it whenever you’re feeling down.”
Chocolate could indeed be called a fattening potion.
Of course, it was an inappropriate food for me as an idol trainee, but…
“Thank you, President. I’ll enjoy it.”
It seemed that Kang Hyung-man noticed my struggles because of my parents this week. Feeling his sincerity, I happily accepted the chocolate.
Not only that, but I immediately unwrapped one and popped it into my mouth.
“…It’s delicious.”
Since it was such high-end chocolate… and I hadn’t had it in a while, it was so good it made my head spin for a moment.
“President and Older Brother Sang-gu, you should each have one, too.”
“No, I’m fine with…”
Swish-.
Kang Hyung-man waved his hand dismissively, but I forcefully unwrapped two chocolates and placed them in their hands.
Kang Hyung-man glanced at the chocolates I placed on his hands, smiled widely, and then he and Sang-gu ate them in one go.
“Let’s eat, Sang-gu.”
“Yes.”
Thump.
Then he immediately put his hand on top of my head and patted me.
“Thanks to you, I got to eat something sweet for the first time in a while. Thank you, Ye-rin.”
“No… but this is from the President…”
He simply bought it, and I just shared a little of it, so what’s there to be thankful for?
I tilted my head in confusion, but Kang Hyung-man looked genuinely pleased, patting my head with a happy face.
“Hang in there this week. After filming wraps next week… I’ll come to pick you up.”
“Yes…!”
With that, I waved goodbye to Kang Hyung-man and Older Brother Sang-gu and headed into the set.
It was the start of what seemed like a tough day with all sorts of things piling up, but perhaps thanks to Kang Hyung-man’s chocolate, I felt a little less fatigued and more energized.
“Sister-!!”
“Ah…, Yoo-jung!”
On my way to the dorm to unpack my stuff, I ran into Park Yoo-jung.
As usual, she approached me like a puppy and hugged my waist tightly.
There was quite a height difference between us, so Park Yoo-jung buried her face in my chest and rubbed against me.
“Did you have a good week?”
“Uh-huh…, and you?”
“I’ve been well too, hehe.”
Park Yoo-jung and I chatted closely while heading to our dorm.
Then it happened.
Murmurs.
“……?”
Something… it wasn’t noisy, but I suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere and whispers among the other participants around us.
When Yoo-jung and I both turned our heads in confusion…
“Ah….”
There was Seo Yoo-jin pulling a suitcase, trudging towards the dorm.
‘Her face…’
Was she crying all night or something? Her eyes were swollen. She looked filled with worry, and anyone could see she hadn’t slept a wink.
‘Poor thing…’
I felt bad and was about to approach Seo Yoo-jin, but…
Thud.
“Sister.”
“……”
“…There’s already a camera there.”
…I was stopped by Park Yoo-jung.
Looking around as she said, I noticed cameramen already lined up to capture the arriving participants at the set.
“Of course, I feel bad, but… if you go to Yoo-jin now, you might unnecessarily get caught up in something.”
“……”
Park Yoo-jung is a good girl, but she can be quite rational sometimes.
Getting caught up with Seo Yoo-jin… that could mean being filmed as a villain together on the broadcast.
And it seemed like we weren’t the only ones thinking that…, as there was a defensive barrier around Seo Yoo-jin; no one was near her at all.
‘Ah…’
Seeing her looking so lonely made my heart ache even more.
“Rather…, maybe she should just quit….”
If she appears on the broadcast now, people will keep criticizing her. The production team wouldn’t let her be either…
Quitting would reduce the pain she’s feeling right now.
As I muttered this without realizing, Park Yoo-jung replied in a low voice.
“If she quits now…, she’ll never get to debut.”
“……Ah.”
“If she disappears from everyone’s sight while getting criticized like this, she’ll forever lose her chance to debut as an idol. It would be best for Yoo-jin to at least settle the score here with Na Ah Ah, even if she’s getting grilled.”
“……”
…Is there truly no paradise where one escapes?
Remaining here seems to be the best choice, and that just makes my heart ache even more.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling that way, as Park Yoo-jung had a different expression as she looked at Seo Yoo-jin’s lonely figure and said.
“…It’s too much.”
“……”
“…Yoo-jin may be rude, but she’s still only 17… she can change enough… People who judge her solely on a single aspect are too harsh. The production team that’s setting the stage for this criticism is terrible as well.”
“……”
“She’s still so young….”
Park Yoo-jung’s expression seemed to hold a calm rage.
I felt that if we continued down this road, the atmosphere would get heavier, so I patted Park Yoo-jung’s head.
“Stop pretending to be an adult. You’re only 18, Yoo-jung. You’re just a year older than Yoo-jin. You’re still young.”
“You’re also 19, just a year older than me… Everyone here is young, really.”
“……Yeah, you’re right.”
Among the Na Ah Ah contestants, the oldest participants are two, including Lee Hye-jeong at only 22.
And most of the Na Ah Ah contestants are still high school students who haven’t even turned 18.
Recalling that fact made me feel as if I could burst out laughing.
“Hurting kids who aren’t even adults… using them as tools for ratings… This place is truly full of bad guys.”
“……”
As I said that, Park Yoo-jung seemed to try to lighten the mood, smiling slightly.
“We’ll have to work hard this week to survive among all these bad guys.”
“Right… We have to survive this week.”
With that, we clenched our fists and steeled our resolve as we headed inside.
After unpacking our stuff in the dorm and putting on some simple makeup…
“Alright, we will now begin the second ranking announcement!”
…The second ranking announcement started.
The method for the second ranking announcement was the same as the first.
First, the elimination criteria were those who were not among the top three individual votes from the losing team, and the elimination candidate was announced on the screen in a tense atmosphere.
From what I could see, there wasn’t much difference in the voting results compared to the first announcement, but there was one thing to certainly note…
“Lev Entertainment’s Park Yoo-jung ranks 9th!”
“Kidship Entertainment’s Lee Hye-jeong ranks 14th!”
“Thank you-!!”
…The rankings of Park Yoo-jung and Lee Hye-jeong had risen significantly.
Well… I had somewhat expected this.
Both Park Yoo-jung and Lee Hye-jeong were underrated compared to their stats and had performed well in the second team competition.
Especially Lee Hye-jeong.
Despite still having low screen time and unfair treatment from the production team, she showcased good performances and grew in rank, making me proud.
Thumbs up.
As I gave Lee Hye-jeong a thumbs up, she did the same to me, and we exchanged smiles.
With that positive atmosphere, the ranking announcement continued…
Before we knew it, only the announcements for the eliminations and the top 4 ranks were left.
To note, the top 4 candidates were me, Yoo Seol, Seo Yoo-jin, and Na Han-na.
Seo Yoo-jin had damaged her image significantly due to last night’s broadcast, so it was expected she’d collect votes based on her prior popularity and be among the top 4.
‘It would have been better for Yoo-jin to be unnoticed right now.’
She was bound to get more hate for being in the top 4 while everyone was criticizing her.
Then, against all odds…
“…3rd place goes to SAV Entertainment’s Seo Yoo-jin!”
…Seo Yoo-jin had pushed Na Han-na aside, placing third, just like in the first ranking announcement.
Na Han-na this time seemed completely uninterested in her rank and just gave a brief comment with sleepy eyes.
“…Thanks to the encouragement from our fans, I’ve been given an undeserved position. Thank you. …That’s it.”
Then Seo Yoo-jin…
“……I… I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. And, I still want to thank my… fans who supported me….”
She finished her comments looking like a completely different person from her usual confident self, teary-eyed and drained.
As I watched her, I suddenly thought to check my status window…
[Trait: Arrogant/Conceited Trait (Trait Deactivated)]
…And I noticed that her arrogant trait had been deactivated.
‘Something….’
It used to be quite annoying having that arrogant trait, but now that it’s deactivated, it feels empty.
‘…Will I be able to see the arrogant Seo Yoo-jin again?’
With a bittersweet feeling, the rankings up to 3rd were announced…
“…Then let’s move on to the next ranking announcement.”
Only two people were left.
Swish-.
At that moment, Yoo Seol and I locked eyes as if we had planned it…
“……”
And turned our heads towards the first place seat.
When the seating was chosen, Yoo Seol had sat there herself, and during the first ranking announcement, I had occupied that spot.
Truthfully, before the final voting, being in first place didn’t hold much significance.
In fact, staying in a lower rank until the last moment before becoming first would be the more ideal narrative.
But…
‘…I don’t want to lose.’
My heart raced faster as I looked at the first place seat.
It might be an unnecessary desire, but I didn’t want to let go of it.
Whether he knew how I felt or not, Han Si-woo continued at a leisurely pace.
“This first place competition was… quite fierce. The vote count difference between the first and second place is just 2000 votes.”
Murmurs.
The audience stirred at the mention of a 2000-vote difference.
That was a significant decrease compared to the 50,000 votes’ margin between Yoo Seol and me during the first ranking announcement.
‘This next first place is going to be nail-biting…’
Just 2000 votes difference made me feel a sense of crisis.
Stealing a glance at Yoo Seol, I noticed she seemed tense as well, her expression unable to mask her anxiety.
“Then, I will announce it now. In this 2nd ranking announcement, who will be the one to claim first place with just a 2000 vote difference!”
Everyone focused their tense gazes on Han Si-woo’s mouth.
Han Si-woo lingered for a moment before smiling widely and announcing loudly.
“Congratulations! The participant who achieved first place in the 2nd ranking announcement is…!”
…Please.
“Is…!!!”
And as the results were announced…!
“……!”
…I couldn’t help but widen my eyes for a moment.