The Goal is the Ending Fairy

(T/N: ⌜Hee-jo⌟ ; ⌜Dan-ah⌟)

⌜I’m watching with Lee Jinyu”⌟

⌜I’m watching with Ha-reum too hehe⌟

⌜Our performance is coming up soon, I’m so nervous ㅠㅠ!⌟

⌜I know right⌟

⌜(Trembling avocado emoticon)⌟

Yoon Hee-jo burst out laughing at the emoticon that followed. 

Despite the dry tone of the conversations, it was quite a cute image. 

When she showed the conversation to the person beside her who was looking at her curiously, they too let out an amused snort.

‘Ah!’

It was an involuntary laugh. That ‘trainee’ who showed a wise, benevolent smile despite her somewhat cold impression. 

They both thought the emoticon didn’t match that image at all when thinking of her simultaneously. So when their eyes met unknowingly, the laughter they’d been holding back burst out.

Thanks to that, the commercial break felt short. 

When the two lifted their heads again, the broadcast was replaying the scene where it had cut off. 

After Won Chaeseo’s brief interview ended, atmospheric lighting illuminated her. 

Perhaps not because of complaints about the commercials, but the performance started quickly without unnecessary additions. 

Won Chaeseo, who chose an energetic and powerful song despite its lyrics, delivered the vocals with unwavering precise pitch.

〚Under that transparent summer sky〛

〚We’re running way (ay)〛

〚Running to the end of the refreshing sea〛

〚A cool bite of our dream〛

〚I can’t wait it〛

It was a song from an idol group known for their summer playlist hits. 

The bright and refreshing tropical beat enhanced Won Chaeseo’s bright image even more. 

Thanks to that, viewers could enjoy that refreshing feeling without burden, even though summer had long passed. 

She properly executed the brief rap in the middle of the song, and also successfully delivered the following dance performance. 

Her relaxed dance lines and facial expressions, befitting someone experienced on stage, highlighted her strengths.

↳ Kyah this is it!!!!!

↳ An experienced trainee really is different fr fr

↳ The complete idol package 

↳ For real these are the kinds of people who become idols… their talent is no joke

↳ But does anyone else think she looks much more tired in the interview than before?

↳ She definitely seems calmer compared to before, I remember she used to smile a lot during Dream Challenge

↳ Is this really the Chaeseo I knew? Why’s her expression so stern? Late puberty??

While some long-time viewers found something odd about her, the performance itself received unanimous praise. 

Only Team 3’s performance remained. Barring any unexpected events, all ten performances would likely be shown on schedule. There was plenty of time since quite a few earlier performances had been cut through editing.

“Unnie’s coming up next!”

“Yeah… I’m so nervous about this…”

The trainee was energetically cheering for the trembling Yoon Hee-jo. 

Yoon Hee-jo placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her shaking breath. And there were others waiting for the later stage just as eagerly as them…

Meanwhile, I was in another dorm watching episode 1 of Hi.Light with Lee Jinyu. On our screen, Han Yul was now introducing Team 3.

“We’re coming up now~!”

“Yeah.”

We both fixed our eyes on the screen, crossing our arms. Lee Jinyu’s eyes were full of anticipation, while mine remained more indifferent.

The reason I ended up watching the broadcast with Lee Jinyu was nothing special.

– “Unnie~ I’m so lonely alone in my room… Can’t we watch together?” –

She had been so persistent with such pleas that I couldn’t refuse her. Lee Jinyu had the room to herself since her roommate was eliminated during the second mission. 

So her clinging was because she was lonely… okay, I could accept that explanation.

‘But why does it have to be me again.’

I rubbed my brow at that thought.

“Oh, I’m getting some good camera angles, don’t you think?”

“Seems like it.”

I leaned back against the bed frame after flatly responding to Lee Jinyu’s comment. On screen, people were being interviewed about her.

【Seo Dan-ah| Jinyu… does well. She joined the company at the same time as me, and there’s a lot to learn from her in terms of both skill and mindset…】

【Gam Seoju| Not just singing and dancing, but wow her sense is really! (good)】

Why did they have to use my interview specifically… I frowned again at that part.

“Unnie, am I good?”

“……”

“And there’s a lot to learn from me?”

I had expected her to show this kind of proud expression. While I was spending energy pushing Lee Jinyu away again, her performance quickly followed.

‘As expected of a debut member.’

It was a performance where her natural talent and ability could be felt even through the screen. Of course, her face added to the performance as well. 

Even I found myself watching mindlessly when her prettily defined eyes curved while looking at the camera. Her dimples when smiling were quite charming too. It was reminiscent of a puppy showing off.

↳ What’s up with HON??? What’s with these trainees’ visuals??

↳ HON bastards were hiding them all

↳ Her expressions are so good

↳ LOL she’s pulling off this choreography… first time seeing someone besides Two-One members dance this well lol

↳ For real she has that Two-One vibe but makes it work

The comments were full of praise too. Lee Jinyu was a slightly different case from other popular trainees, in that she gained attention through the algorithm’s selection. 

The others already had recognition before the program or had overwhelming skills. While Lee Jinyu performed well, she didn’t particularly stand out in terms of recognition or position compared to them.

Because of that, even I remembered questioning whether she was really meant to be a debut member… just during the early part of the first mission. 

But that turned out to be needless worry. Contrary to my doubts, she gained instant fame with just one PR video. 

This was the power of the algorithm’s selection. Her self-PR video even ranked 4th in overall views, with an overwhelming lead over my 5th place. In that sense, she truly seemed like a character chosen by the game. 

Even from my perspective, there was nothing to say about the story flow.

Still, I focused primarily on the fact that my understanding of the game system was finally correct.

‘Still not recovered from the shock of the second mission…’

I bit the inside of my mouth bitterly, remembering how the majority of debut members had been completely wiped out.

By now, other performances were appearing one after another on screen. (Most passed by briefly.) In between, only performances produced to maintain interest received strong spotlight. 

The stars of those performances were Park Sojung, who had been active in children’s entertainment shows since childhood, and Yoon Hee-jo, who made her name as a dancer for a famous singer.

↳ Park Sojung LOL her stage is totally cutie party overload LOLOL

↳ Her vocals have trot vibes and the dance has this bouncy beat LOL what madness

↳ People who do cute concepts are just built different… heh

↳ Hee-jo’s face is god-tier, she was pretty with short hair but how is she so elegant with long hair??

↳ Her face is amazing this makes no sense! Did God make her human?

↳ What is this, a dance specialty show?

Naturally, the judges were satisfied with these performances too, and they returned to their waiting seats after receiving good reviews. By the way, at this rate…

“Wow, unnie’s the last one!”

As Lee Jinyu said, I had become the final performer.

‘I wanted the timing right after Park Sojung or Yoon Hee-jo…’

I quietly checked the chat reactions before shifting my gaze. On screen, Han Yul was calling out my name.

* * *

Finally, with the first episode’s broadcast over, I was able to let go of some of my underlying worries. 

To cut to the conclusion, the show showed signs of success from its very first episode. 

Even the rerun that immediately followed on the Y-app where the broadcast was streaming maintained its heat. You could tell just by looking at the endlessly scrolling chat window.

And TBQ, the program’s partner broadcasting station. It recorded quite high ratings, proudly achieving #1 in real-time programs. 

For a company survival show, not even on public broadcast, to get these ratings just in the first episode…

‘That’s not easy to achieve…’

It seemed to be thanks to everything from the company’s reputation to the appearance of many famous trainees. The various ways they drew attention right before the broadcast must have helped too. 

It made me newly appreciate how the company had consistently exposed their trainees through various media. Of course people would be interested when they gathered performers who were practically celebrities.

But more important than having many viewers was how those numerous viewers were reacting. That’s why I was searching MiTube right after the broadcast ended. Just typing ‘Hi’ in the search bar brought up related searches like ‘Hi.Light’, ‘Highlight’ and so on. 

Related videos were also abundant. This was because TBQ’s MiTube channel and HON’s official channel had poured out videos. 

As if they’d been waiting, when the broadcast had just ended. And these were unedited full versions of the trainees’ edited performances and footage of those who got screen time.

Hi.Light | Ep.1 ‘ Runner-up Appears?!’ | Chae Seonha Trainee Individual Evaluation…

Hi.Light | Ep.1 ‘Cuteness that Charmed Even the Judges’ | Park Sojung Trainee Individual Evaluation…

Hi.Light | Ep.1 ‘Loverless Short Hair Queen Returns!’ | Yoon Hee-jo Trainee Individual Evaluation…

Scrolling through the continuous stream of videos, I could easily find videos related to me.

Hi.Light | Ep.1 ‘The Voice that Became the Talk of the Town!’ | Seo Dan-ah Trainee Individual Evaluation Stage [Unedited] @XX1013_TBQ

My voice surely wasn’t enough to be ‘the talk of the town’, really. Putting aside the embarrassing title, I clicked on the thumbnail.

〚That night when stars fell〛

〚In your eyes…〛

‘The vocal tone really is good, I’ll give it that.’

It’s a thought that keeps coming up, but I really got lucky with the voice. There was more luck. The fact that my video was uploaded as an ‘unedited version’.

In the first episode broadcast, my performance was shown in full length. Including the mundane scenes before and after, the portion was decent. 

This was clearly unexpected special treatment for my level, not even being in the top ranks. Additionally, they made the unpopular trainees’ performances rush by right before mine. They even added captions like 

【Judges showing no expectations】, 

【Will she be like the previous trainees?】…

Hmm. Because I was last, they lowered expectations that had built up? I was really thankful for at least that much.

But

‘You crazy bastards.’

I was completely taken aback when they not only compared me to other trainees but actually raised expectations for me even higher. 

It was editing that highlighted me by putting others down. 

Perfect for making their fans dislike me. Still, if I had to criticize it, it wasn’t that bad. Whatever the case, the production team did keep me alive within the allocated time.

‘If I was just a card to be used and thrown away, they wouldn’t have shown me like this.’

That was my conclusion. Though I really don’t know the reason. Of course, how could anyone understand what those broadcast station adults are thinking… Maybe raising likability worked on them too.

‘Or… because of that reward?’

Along with the word ‘reward’, I carefully recalled its contents. It was the message window that appeared after the second mission ended.

>>Important character ‘Won Chaeseo’ has been moved by you!

>>As additional reward, your broadcast screen time increases partially!

>Broadcast screen time +10 seconds Up↑

It was unexpected. Extremely so. Everything that appeared on screen was completely different from expectations, aside from being sudden. 

That made it more surprising. And the reward obtained from that was 10 seconds of broadcast time. Maybe that contributed here and there to this amount of screen time.

In the end, is it just a difference between the production team’s attention-seeking value or the main task’s reward? Either way, it was good for me since I survived the editing.

‘Thanks to that, I got these reactions too.’

Without even watching the remaining video, I turned my attention to the comments section.