NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83
Thud-, thud.
At the Second Ranking Announcement, the participant who placed first ascends to the winner’s seat.
Han Si-woo slowly looks up at her figure.
It’s a bit ridiculous to express such feelings towards a trainee around twenty years old, but her every step seems to carry a kind of elegance.
After all, Han Si-woo thinks that the participant now sitting in the winner’s seat is…
the most outstanding, skilled, and star-studded contestant in my Idol Academia.
Of course, until he discovered Ha Ye-rin.
“Congratulations to Yoo Seol from JJ Entertainment for achieving first place in the Second Ranking Announcement!”
Yoo Seol was the first place winner of the Second Ranking Announcement.
She beat the rising star Ha Ye-rin by around 2000 votes to reclaim the top spot.
Han Si-woo thought Yoo Seol also deserved to be in first place.
Yoo Seol holds an exceptional skill and a solid fandom in Na Ah Ah.
‘She seems to be filled with ambition hidden behind her innocent face.’
However, Han Si-woo’s gaze was directed not at Yoo Seol but rather at Ha Ye-rin, who was clapping with a disappointed expression from under the podium.
Ha Ye-rin was biting her lips, perhaps in frustration over losing the top spot.
Han Si-woo chuckled, finding it interesting.
‘Fake talents usually can’t get back up once they fall.’
But unlike the overflowing fakes, Han Si-woo genuinely thought Ha Ye-rin was ‘real.’
Objectively, Yoo Seol’s skill is still several notches above Ha Ye-rin’s.
What kind of performance will Ha Ye-rin show in order to reclaim first place from Yoo Seol?
‘A genius’s approach is different from an ordinary person’s. Ordinary people can’t predict the moves of a genius.’
Though he’s already reached the status of a world star, Han Si-woo calls himself an ordinary person.
And… he awaited with excitement to see what kind of performance the genius Ha Ye-rin would showcase this week as the remaining ranking announcements proceeded.
“…First, I want to sincerely thank the fans…”
I looked up at Yoo Seol, who was sharing her thoughts on winning first place.
‘I kind of expected this…’
After Yoo Seol placed second in the last First Ranking Announcement, her fandom solidly rallied around her.
Moreover, she was practically the main character of the fifth episode of Na Ah Ah yesterday, so her vote count must have exploded from last night.
Thus, I had thought long ago that the probability of Yoo Seol achieving first place in this ranking announcement was quite high.
‘Still… it’s a bit disappointing…’
I momentarily fell into a bittersweet thought before shaking my head.
This time, unlike last time, I had placed a regrettable second, which should motivate my fans.
I was definitely in a favorable position for the next ranking announcement.
With that in mind, I quickly shook off my disappointment and resolved to show a good performance in this Third Team Competition to reclaim first place in the next ranking announcement.
After finishing Yoo Seol’s first-place speech and my second-place thoughts, the announcement of the eliminated participants followed.
“…The eliminated participants, please return home immediately.”
Most of the eliminated participants seemed to have already anticipated their fate, leaving the set with relatively indifferent reactions.
Of course, the sadness of being eliminated wouldn’t simply fade away.
One of the eliminated participants had been on the same team as me during the First Team Competition, making it even more difficult.
“…Unnie, I’ll be going now.”
“…Alright, take care.”
With that, the solemn farewell between survivors and eliminations ended…
“Let’s take a 5-minute break before moving on to team selection~”
As Shin PD announced a short break, the participants sprawled out in their seats.
I took this opportunity to head toward Yoo Seol in the winner’s seat.
“Unnie.”
“…Why?”
Perhaps because the camera was off, Yoo Seol’s response was indifferent.
But…
‘…Hmm?’
Having watched her for quite a while, I could somehow sense that Yoo Seol was not in a good mood, considering the camera was off.
‘I thought she’d be in a good mood after winning first place… why?’
Even if I didn’t understand her situation, her bad mood was visible, so I quickly stated my purpose.
“…I’m sorry about the weird things I said when I misunderstood you last time.”
After the Second Team Competition of Na Ah Ah, I had carelessly suspected Yoo Seol of pushing Seo Yoo-jin to the edge.
That incident … would have been quite upsetting for Yoo Seol.
‘Ah… Could it be that she’s upset because of that?’
I sincerely bowed my head in apology to her.
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Really… I’m sorry.”
Of course, doing this wouldn’t necessarily ease Yoo Seol’s feelings.
I expected a response of ‘It’s fine,’ ‘Go away,’ or ‘I don’t need it.’
But…
“……”
“……?”
While I was bowing my head, Yoo Seol remained silent without any reaction.
This was strange, so I lifted my head to see her…
“……”
She wore a blank expression that was hard to describe, and within it, I could catch glimpses of an inexplicable guilt and embarrassment.
‘…What is this?’
Just as I was about to interpret why her expression was like this, it happened.
“Now~ According to my internal clock, 5 minutes have passed! Let’s resume shooting!”
“Ah.”
Since Shin PD declared the shooting resume earlier than expected, I had to return to my spot.
Even while heading back, Yoo Seol maintained her expression from earlier without any character acting.
‘Was my apology that shocking to her?’
I returned to my seat, curious about Yoo Seol’s unusual demeanor.
As all the participants gathered, Han Si-woo began the proceedings.
“Now we will start the selection for the Third Team Competition!”
“……”
At Han Si-woo’s words, all the participants tensed up.
This was because team selection was the most crucial part of the team competition.
The first round was random, and the second round was decided by the production team.
So, how would the third round unfold?
I waited for Han Si-woo’s words with tension like the other participants.
Finally, his mouth opened…
“Now, the top 6 participants based on personal votes, please come forward!”
‘No way…!’
The moment he called out six participants including me, I could roughly guess how the team selection would work.
“From now on, these six participants will be the leaders of each team! The leaders will select their team members one by one, starting from 6th place backwards!”
“……!”
“If the participants don’t like the team they’ve been selected for, they can reject the leader’s choice, and the rejected leader’s turn will pass to the next order!”
As soon as Han Si-woo’s words ended, the six participants who stepped onto the stage wore bewildered expressions, and at the same time…
‘Who should I pick…?’
My brain started racing.
From now on, I had to select my team members from among those sitting in the pyramid.
First, I quickly decided on candidates in my head.
The first person that came to mind was Lee Hye-jeong,
A solid main vocalist capable of handling any range of songs, with a good personality, and most importantly, familiar.
Lee Hye-jeong, sitting in the pyramid, seemed to want to join our team and shot me a glance.
‘Okay, I’ll keep Hye-jeong unnie in mind, and next….’
Park Yoo-jung.
An all-rounder with balanced skills in dance and vocals, with a charming personality that brightens the team atmosphere.
‘But Yoo-jung’s ranked 9th, so another team can pick her first… Should I prioritize Yoo-jung over Hye-jeong unnie even if it’s risky…?’
While I was pondering between Hye-jeong and Yoo-jung, the team selection began.
The 6th and 5th place participants each picked the highest-ranked remaining participants, 7th and 8th place.
Then, the 4th place Na Han-na…
“Um… I’ll choose participant Lee Hye-jeong, 14th place.”
She chose 14th place Lee Hye-jeong over 9th place Park Yoo-jung and others.
…Na Han-na probably thought she needed to secure solid vocals first since she’s definitely a strong dancer.
‘We’re on the same page.’
Zap!
“……!”
I shot a glare at Na Han-na for taking Hye-jeong, causing her to hurriedly avoid my gaze.
I wondered if Hye-jeong would reject Na Han-na’s choice…
“Participant Lee Hye-jeong! You have been selected by participant Na Han-na. Will you accept?”
“Ah… um… I will accept.”
She probably felt it was burdensome to refuse, as she accepted it.
It was disappointing, but for Hye-jeong, it was unavoidable. Refusing here would attract unintended attention.
‘It can’t be helped… I still need to figure out how to bring Yoo-jung…’
Then, it was the turn of 3rd place Seo Yoo-jin.
Among the remaining ranks, the highest was 9th place Park Yoo-jung, so I worried Seo Yoo-jin might pick her.
But…
“I, I will choose participant Kim Se-hee, 10th place.”
…For some reason, Seo Yoo-jin didn’t choose Park Yoo-jung.
‘10th place Kim Se-hee…’
She was indeed a memorable contestant with decent skills. It was a good choice, though not as good as Park Yoo-jung.
‘Whatever, I just need to pick Yoo-jung when my turn comes. I’m lucky.’
Just as I was about to directly pick Park Yoo-jung when my turn arrived…
“Participant Kim Se-hee! You have been selected by participant Seo Yoo-jin! Will you accept?”
“…….”
Unlike the other participants who immediately accepted, Kim Se-hee closed her eyes, hesitating to answer.
As Kim Se-hee hesitated, Seo Yoo-jin’s eyes grew wide like saucers.
‘No way…’
I held my breath, waiting for Kim Se-hee’s response filled with suspicion.
And then….
“…I will reject it.”
“……!”
What I had feared actually happened.
“…In that case, participant Seo Yoo-jin’s turn will pass to the next order.”
Kim Se-hee rejected Seo Yoo-jin’s selection, so Seo Yoo-jin lost her opportunity to choose a team member.
From that moment, the atmosphere began to turn strangely tense.