WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 42

The one who answered was Chenstin’s leader, Yuho.

“Oh, it looks like Chenstin’s leader Yuho’s competitive spirit has been set ablaze!”

The announcer responded lightly.

However, I had a strong urge to push back.

Chenstin was a rookie group that had only debuted a year ago.

Honestly, it was way too early to decide whether a group was successful or a failure when they were just one or two years in.

A group like WEEKANIZ, who were still struggling to sell even 50,000 albums in the first week of sales in their fifth year. That was what one called a failed group.

So what did it matter that Chenstin didn’t qualify as a ‘failed’ group?

Of course, the fan voting was the problem.

For trainees who hadn’t debuted yet, one could say that they at least started from a relatively similar playing field.

But already established idol groups had an existing fanbase……

From what I knew, VOV, WEEKANIZ, IONER, and Loop7 were all about the same level in terms of popularity.

But Chenstin, despite having debuted only recently, were the most popular rising rookie group here.

And IONER also had a pretty large fandom.

One could say they were pretty famous among failed idols.

However, on a show that only featured failed idols, that they were famous only among failed idols meant nothing. They were just famous.

Which meant that, in the end, the fan vote was nothing more than a battle between already established forces.

WEEKANIZ chances of winning just plummeted significantly.

Even if we were to put on a lion mask and jump through flaming hoops, votes would still not change.

No fan in their right mind would throw away their own team just because they found another group more entertaining!

“Well then, we can’t go without hearing from our idol leaders. Could you please introduce yourselves, your groups, and share a few words about your mindset going into this competition?”

It seemed the production team had wrapped up their explanation, seeing that the announcer now turned to look at us sitting in the back row.

“We’ll start with VOV’s Yeojun-nim, followed by WEEKANIZ’ Yuyoung-nim, IONER’s Yeeun-nim, Loop7’s Heerae-nim, and Chenstin’s Yuho-nim in that order.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yeojun was the first to take the mic.

“Hello, I’m Yeojun from VOV. First, I would like to sincerely thank the KCN staff and production team for taking an interest in our group and inviting us to be part of this show.”

His speech was as smooth as butter. It seemed like he had his social skills maxed out.

Was he really just an idol or did he roll around the corporate world like I did?

I squinted at him with some suspicion, but he didn’t have the gaze of someone reading a status window, nor did he show any strange mannerism.

“Erm…… Honestly, after watching that highlight reel, my team and I did a lot of self-reflection. Looking back, I think we’ve really lost sight of our beginnings. Through this program, we hope to show our fans a different side of us and to use this opportunity to change for the better. We’d appreciate it if you’d kindly watch over us. Thank you.”

Ah, I take back what I said about his social skills.

Who the hell started these kinds of things by saying that?

This guy just made it a lot harder for everyone coming after him, especially me, who was up next!

“Thank you, Yeojun-nim. That was a message filled with both determination and reflection. Next, we have WEEKANIZ’ Yuyoung-ssi?”

I cleared my throat lightly.

“I’m Yuyoung from WEEKANIZ. It’s truly an honor to be invited to such a prestigious event. As for me…… Hmm. I deeply resonate with PD Kim’s philosophy that personal integrity and respect for one’s profession are essential for success. Personally, I feel like there’s a lot I can learn from PD Kim, so I’ll be observing closely and striving to show you my growth throughout the program.”

If Yeojun focused on vague, overarching values.

I emphasized sharp goals and tangible achievements.

In other words ‘flattery’.

“…… Haha, that’s flattering.”

PD Kim picked up his mic, responding with a chuckle.

Seemed like he really liked that.

I did hesitate for about three seconds, remembering how I chewed him out in the past. But I mean, let’s be real. No matter how much of a grudge he might hold. When you publicly shower someone with praise in front of an audience, talking about their ‘philosophy’ and how much you respect them, no one, especially these types of self-important boomers like him, could resist puffing up with pride.

However, unfortunately for him…… he had no idea that by over inflating his ego, I was actually making him look like an even bigger fool.

“Well, it’s true.”

I sealed the deal with a simple tone before continuing.

Excessive apologies did nothing but make one look weak. It only increased one’s unlinkability.

The words ‘I’m sorry’ had already passed over my lips not too long ago, so there wasn’t really a point in repeating it.

What I needed to do now was shift to a more forward-looking image.

“I’ll make sure never to disappoint our fans again. For someone in our profession, there’s no greater reward than bringing happiness to them. Thank you.”

With that, I lowered the mic and offered a polite bow while seated.

“The idols here are all such great speakers. Wow, I think you’re all much better than I am at this. It’s like I’m listening to a panel of lecturers, not idols. Truly, idols with both talent and intelligence.”

The announcer showered us with praise.

I lowered my eyebrows a little and smiled humbly.

But honestly, I found the announcers words a little funny.

So did that mean that the announcer originally thought idols weren’t supposed to be intelligent?

(Not that that was entirely wrong.)

“Next up, we have Yeeun-nim from IONER?”

Now it was IONER’s turn, the group that had become ‘The Official KCN-certified Group of Shameless Bastards’.

If there was ever a time for groveling and damage control, this was it.

Yeeun took the mic, his face noticeably tense.

“……I’ll do my best. I don’t really know what else to say here…… I just think all I can do is promise to try harder.”

Then he bowed his head slightly, like I had done.

That’s it?

“Ah…… Yes. Of course. That’s fine. At the end of the day, you’re all here to grow and  improve in this program. I'm sure your fans will recognize your sincerity. Haha.”

The announcer was practically making excuses for them.

……At this point, shouldn’t we be calling Yeeun a spy in IONER?

Unfocused eyes.

A drained expression.

A flat, lifeless voice.

A strangely vague apology.

Everything about him screamed walking PR disaster.

It felt like if one got too close one might catch it like some highly infectious virus.

The announcer must have sensed it as well, because they didn’t press Yeeun any further and swiftly moved on.

“Loop7’s Heerae-nim, could you introduce yourself?”

Heerae with his usual bright and cheerful voices responded with a resounding “Yes!”

“I’m Heerae, the leader of Loop7. Uhm, to be honest our group isn’t, like, that great. But we’ve always worked really hard to be loved, you know? Still, I’ve realized we have a long way to go, and I think I’m still only realizing how much we lack. So from now on, we’re really going to try our best and show you our charm! And if we’re lacking in anything, we’ll work even harder to improve! Since this is a competition show, we’re going to do our best not to fall behind our seniors and juniors, and push ourselves even further!”

‘That was long.’

And without any substance!

How many times did he just say ‘do our best’ and ‘work hard’?

It was the worst kind of speech. Rambling and substanceless.

People who talked like this were usually hard working but not very sharp.

Heerae seemed like exactly that type.

No clear vision as the leader…… but at least he was trying his best.

Not a bad character trait, but definitely not useful.

……Though keeping him around might have surprising perks.

Since he seemed to like me, there was no real need to push him away or something.

If I dumped him like this for no reason it would just make me look cold-hearted and unlikable.

“Yes. That was a heartfelt statement of determination.”

The announcer, a master of sugarcoating, praised them.

“And finally, we have Chenstin’s leader, Yuho-nim! Earlier, you mentioned that your competitive spirit was burning, haha. Would you like to elaborate on that?”

“Ah, yes. First of all.”

With an energetic reply, Yuho suddenly sprang to his feet.

“We’d like to formally introduce ourselves as a group. Checkmate! Hello, we are Chenstin!”

Wait, this kid……

Did he really just stand up to do the full group intro by himself?

‘……This is cheating!’

He looks way too diligent!

Damn it. I can already hear his likability points shooting up.

A short burst of applause and cheers came from the staff and attendees.

This had to be rigged, right? Should I launch an official investigation?

Completely unaware of my twisted inner thoughts, Yuho simply kept smiling as he continued speaking.

“Compared to all the seniors here, Chenstin is still a rookie group with very little experience. That’s why we’re incredibly honored to have been invited to this event.”

Did he already win an award or something?

Did you already place first, huh~?

“Although we don’t have much experience, I believe that’s precisely why we have the strongest passion! As fresh rookies, we’re still burning with enthusiasm, and we’ll make sure to show you our fighting spirit! This was Chenstin!”

Yuho stood up again, gave a deep bow, and then took his seat.

And just like that, the five of us had finished our self-introductions.

In my head I categorized us as follows:

Job interview ace.

Bootlicker.

Delinquent.

Naive.

Grade schooler (but a gifted one).

These were the labels I decided on.

What a fantastic lineup.

After that, they went on to interview the writers.

Since there wasn’t anything particularly worth paying attention to, I took some time to scan the room.

It seemed like Ahn Yuyoung had slightly poor eyesight.

I couldn’t make out the faces of the reporters seated in the audience.

If I wanted to see clearer, I had to squint, which would make it obvious that I wasn’t listening to the speakers.

And if that were caught on camera……

I would become the main course for the next highlight reel.

“Alright, so we’ve had the chance to hear in-depth from the production team. Now we’ll move on to the Q&A session, where reporters can ask our producers and the five leaders any questions they might have. If you have something you’d like to ask, please raise your hand…… Oh, quite a few went up! One moment. Who was the first to raise their hand?”

Even with my blurry vision, I could tell that at least five people had their hands up.

Earlier, when I checked from the stage, I noticed that there were quite a few reporters there, which I thought was a good sign.

And seeing so many hands raised now was even better.

They say no attention is worse than bad attention.

I would rather get a controversial comment than be completely ignored.

Well, as long as these comments weren’t life-threatening.

“Yes, the reporter seated at the far right. Have you received a microphone?”

“Yes. I have…… I have a question for WEEKANIZ’ Yuyoung-ssi.”

‘Huh?’

The voice coming through the mix wasn’t unfamiliar to me.

“Ah, I’m Kim Heetae from Atstar News.”

“……”

Why the hell is that guy, a desk editor, crawling out to the field? Seriously……

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