WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 47

I quickly went to my seat and sat down.

Unlike the first recording, the seating arrangement wasn’t by group members.

I was seated a little to the left, Tae Oh was in the center, and Haram was between us.

The general setup was slightly skewed to the left, but we were all at least two seats apart, making it impossible to have a proper conversation.

As soon as I sat down, I started fixing my hair with my hands.

Ahn Yuyoung seemed to have slightly wavy hair or something…… Thanks to the icy morning winds, my bangs had flipped completely backward.

Even with an idol’s face, I probably looked ridiculous.

No, actually, wasn’t it even more important for idols to hide this kind of disheveled look?

A staff member came over, clipped a mic onto my outfit, and greeted me lightly.

“E-excuse me, I, uhm……”

“Yes?”

“……I’m wearing slippers. Is that okay?”

The staff member glanced down at my feet when I said that.

“Haha. Yeah. There’s no stage performance until this afternoon.”

She gave me a small laugh and reassured me.

Was that really meant to be reassuring? Or was I actually being laughed at?

“Erm…… Also…… Makeup……”

“Just stay seated for now. Everything will be explained.”

Then, she just left like that.

There was something oddly unsettling about the way her response wavered between kindness and indifference.

“Alright. Now there are only 40 seconds remaining. Yes, our idols are entering one by one. Loop7’s Heerae, you're the 20th to arrive. Yes, Chenstin's Leeho, you’re the 21st. Welcome.”

35 seconds…… 28 seconds, 20 seconds…… 15 seconds……

“Okay, now 10 seconds! 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, time’s up!”

Lee Kyubin finished the countdown.

The large LED screen showed 00:00:00:00.

“Now then, please close the doors!”

Lee Kyubin shouted loudly.

The countdown vanished from the screen.

And in its place a live broadcast of the front gates, that we had thought looked like those of a prison, appeared.

“Gasp……”

The gate……

Was closing.

“……”

And I despaired.

Because I could see people standing outside those doors, familiar faces with expressions reminiscent of racoons that had their cotton candy washed away.

……They were Baekgyeom and Ire.

* * *

“The first mission was ‘Arriving at the studio on time’ It wasn’t a difficult task. You all arrived in very natural states. Don’t worry too much, we’ll give you some time to freshen up soon, so there’s no need to feel too embarrassed, haha.”

‘Yeah, and yet you’re here with your lips perfectly lined with lipstick, huh.’

I mumbled inwardly.

“As of now, out of 31 total participants, 23 have successfully completed the mission. Seven have failed to do so.”

Ah, so out of those chosen seven, two of them were from our group.

As their proud leader-hyung, I could just cry.

“Unfortunately, those who failed will not be able to participate in today’s first recording.”

“What?”

And then a sentence that made me doubt my ears echoed through the room.

Naturally, the entire studio erupted into shocked murmurs.

Even a corporate job didn’t fire you for being late once, so what kind of extreme bullshit was this?

Unable to hide my sheer disbelief, I just sat there with my mouth hanging wide open.

“The first recording will run for approximately four hours from 7 am onward. The mission will be revealed, and a discussion period will be given. The second recording will begin after lunch. Participants who failed the mission will only be able to join from the second recording onward.”

Then maybe you should've told us earlier!?

I kind of felt like jumping up and screaming all the profanities I knew at the top of my lungs.

Wait.

Did this mean that I had to record right now while wearing these slippers, with my eyes still glued together by eye boogers?

My vision went dark.

And those two dumbasses standing outside were like [ㅇ.ㅇ] before the closed doors.

Ah…… My head hurt.

“Now, here is the list of participants who failed to complete the morning mission on time.”

Chenstin’s Munsu.

Chenstin’s Wijun.

IONER’s Yeeun (Wow and this guy was supposed to be their leader).

VOV’s Kiwoong.

WEEKANIZ’ Ire.

WEEKANIZ’ Baekgyeom.

Loop7’s Kei.

I stared blankly at the Hall of Shame displayed in big, bold letters.

Hmm, what a sight.

“For every member who failed the mission, their group will receive a penalty. On the other hand, if a group has a member who placed in the Top 5, they will be granted bonus points.”

I was WEEKANIZ top ranking member, right?

12th place? Yeah, not even close.

At this rate, there was no escaping the abyss for us in this mission.

“And now, let’s reveal the Top 5 participants.”

Chenstin’s Yoojae

VOV’s Euimin

WEEKANIZ’ Haedun

WEEKANIZ’ Sanho

Loop7’s Heerae

“Huh?”

What? Some of these names seemed pretty familiar, didn’t they……?

“These are the five participants who ranked the highest! As you can see, their faces are currently displayed in a five way split on the screen. As for their groups, they will each receive a bonus. Since WEEKANIZ had two members fail but also two members rank in the Top 5, their final score ends up being plus-minus zero, haha.”

Yeah, thanks for the math lesson.

……But seriously, where the hell did those two even come from?!

I was sure that when I first entered, I did a quick scan of the room, and I didn’t see any familiar faces.

Did I just miss them because I didn’t do it thoroughly?

Ah, thank goodness.

A deep sigh of relief rose from my gut.

In the end, we didn’t lose anything, so this was a huge stroke of luck.

Seo Haedun, with his usually indifferent expression, stared straight into the camera.

Yoon Sanho looked somewhat gaunt, but his appearance itself was neat, making it obvious that he deliberately came early.

He also looked like he had groomed himself quite well.

He was already handsome, but with some extra time and effort, his face seemed to shine even more.

He seemed to have noticed it too, because he gave the camera a shy smile.

That sure was impressive.

Haedun was naturally intense, so I wasn’t really that surprised by him.

But seeing Yoon Sanho so diligent made me think that the sun had to be rising from the west.

Then again, just imagining Baekgyeom whining at the closed door made me nod. Yeah. The sun was definitely rising in the east like normal.

“Alright, everyone. Now, you will begin your second mission. The first mission ‘Audition reenactment’ was meant to help you revisit your roots. Now you’ll need to build on that foundation and showcase your full abilities.”

Lee Kyubin scanned the disheveled participants as he spoke.

Showcasing our full abilities, huh? Fine. Whatever they say……

But no matter how I look at it, waking us up only 20 minutes before the call time was a deliberate way to screw us over.

They only told us the call time was between 7:00 and 7:30.

Those sadistic bastards.

“Well then, before we introduce the mission, since it’s the morning, let’s rekindle your passion with a rewatch of the highlight video.”

“Uwaaah~~~!”

Gasps and groans escaped from all around the room.

I simply stared at the screen with a look of complete enlightenment.

“Whew……”

As soon as the video started playing, intense reactions erupted.

Some couldn’t bear to watch and hung their heads.

Some watched but grimaced.

Some went full-on guilty mode, acting as if they were at a memorial service……

I tried my best to maintain a ‘sincere’ expression.

The cameras were definitely going to be rolling nonstop.

If I looked too disgusted or too unfazed, I would fall right into the editing trap.

I couldn’t overdo my regret, but I also couldn’t laugh it off too casually.

I had to face the video with just the right amount of humble reflection.

“Did everyone watch the video carefully?”

Lee Kyubin was starting to feel more like a retreat instructor.

“Everyone, the production team did not create this program to make you feel guilty or force you to repent.”

The moment he pulled out the word ‘everyone’ my brain immediately thought ‘Here comes another round of bullshit philosophy’. Maybe I was just too cynical.

“I feel the same way as you all do. Our profession is to stand in front of the camera, which gives us the unique advantage of being able to see ourselves more objectively than people in other jobs. However, even I fall into complacency sometimes, thinking, ‘This should be good enough’, or ‘My diction is fine, I don’t need to practice more’.”

Lee Kyubin continued with a smile on his face.

“I’m sure you all feel the same way. ‘After all the sleepless nights and exhausting schedules I endured, people should cut me some slack. This should be fine, right?’ I believe those thoughts must have crossed your minds at least once. Even I think like that sometimes…. And that’s normal. Anyone who’s human does. However, a true professional is someone who can shake off those thoughts quickly and refocus themselves.”

Hmm, yeah, this was absolute bullshit philosophy.

I nodded along just enough.

At the very least, I needed to act like I was listening so I could move according to the production team’s preferences.

“This program simply serves as a catalyst to help you find your center again. And to our dear viewers and fans, I hope you won’t see this too negatively. Instead, please watch how your favorite idols rediscover their passion and regain their determination. I encourage you all to wholeheartedly cheer them on.”

‘So it was just damage control in the end, huh……’

For all this long-winded rambling, this was nothing more than a plea for public sympathy.

They clearly seemed to be fully aware just how much public opinion had tanked after the highlight reel and press conference articles.

When a show was getting calls for boycotts and demands for cancellation before it even aired its first episode, that much would be obvious.

Especially when those complaints were coming from the very fanbase that was supposed to be their main audience.

“I’m sure all of you here share the same mindset, right?”

“……Yeees!!!”

The response came just a beat late.

´Which meant…… that deep down everyone had unanimously wanted to answer ‘No’.

“Yes. The intensity of your voices proves just how genuine your convictions are.”

Lee Kyubin smoothly wrapped up the segment with his usual scripted charm.

“Now then, following ‘Audition Reenactment’ and ‘Hit Song Battle’, it’s time to reveal your next mission.”

A deafening sound effect rang through the studio.

And on the massive LED screen, bold text appeared.

[Idols, become All-Rounders]

“……?”

Oh no, I can feel an annoyed expression already creeping onto my face.

Gotta keep my eyes under control.

“Yes, you all look like you’re very curious.”

Lee Kyubin spoke up again.

“Being an idol isn’t just about being good at singing. But then again, what if you can’t sing at all? Well, that’s not acceptable either. Idols, at their core, are in a profession that communicates through music. So, what are the skills that idols need? Singing, performing, rapping, variety show skills…… There are countless things. To cover all of these, idols work in groups. I think that’s why the group format is so popular worldwide.”

‘Wow, what a fancy way to describe something that’s basically just a combo meal you can pick and choose from.’

Of course, I only thought this to myself as I nodded along like I was really into it.

“And so, this mission is all about stepping beyond the narrow skill sets you’ve been honing until now. It’s the All-Rounder Mission. The members of your group will have to switch roles and perform in a position different from their usual one. If you’re usually a rapper, you’ll take on the vocal role. If you’re normally a vocalist, you’ll become the main-performer! The performance will be revealed in a live broadcast one week from now!”

The recording studio fell completely silent.

I also missed my cue to react, so I just moved my eyes around.

Then my eyes met Seo Haedun’s.

“…….”

He seemed to convey something with his gaze.

Maybe we were getting along better than I thought because he seemed to have the exact same thought as me.

‘……We’re screwed.’

Our team.

The guy who was supposed to be dancing, was standing at the school gate in detention!

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