WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 59

Anyway, since I hadn’t completely botched the timing, the performance flowed without any disruptions.

And right after that part would be my turn.

This was the moment to demonstrate my vocal prowess to the fullest.

―TOTTER TOTTER

If only I could give you my everything—!

“Whew……”

I sighed in relief.

Thanks to my item buffs, my vocals came out clear and powerful.

Overall, no one had made any mistakes on stage.

And strangely enough, the wide group shots which the staff hadn’t really put that much effort into actually turned out to be a good thing.

It made it easier to take in the entire performance.

―All my heart, it’s directed at you

TOTTER

The last line ended.

Everyone struck their final pose.

The camera zoomed in on each member one by one, capturing their ending expression.

From the left, Baekgyeom, Haram, Haedun, Yuyoung, Sanho, Ire, and Tae Oh.

“……Woah, Yuyoung-hyung’s expression is insane.”

Haram, who was sitting next to me, suddenly blurted out in a loud voice.

“Woah, insane. You killed that ending, Hyung.”

Even Baekgyeom turned to look at me, his eyes wide.

I was completely dumbfounded.

I mean, I knew my ending expression turned out decent…… but was it really that good?

All I did was stare at the camera…… seeming just a little exhausted.

“Hyung, this is seriously huge. It’s like I just saw something in you I’ve never seen before.”

Even Yoon Sanho was making a fuss.

[Hidden Mission ‘First Stage Memory’ Successful!

Reward: +300 points, stat boost]

The system window popped up, congratulating me on my achievement.

300 points? That was a pretty generous reward for a hidden mission.

If I saved up a little more, I might even be able to buy something useful like the <Notebook> instead of just the Bookmarks.

[Perform a celebration right now!]

What?

A celebration?

Right here?

The system started to freak me out a bit.

The notifications kept flashing across my vision over and over like error messages.

At this point, I couldn’t even see what was happening on the broadcast anymore.

This was so damn terrifying, like if I ignored it, a knife would suddenly come out of the screen and stab me.

I was so flustered I didn’t even have time to think.

What should I even do? I had to do something, so I turned toward the camera.

“……”

“Oooh, are we getting an encore from the Ending Fairy master?”

Baekgyeom hyped me up from the side.

Yeah, that was the plan.

I was really trying my best to recreate the same ending expression from earlier.

The problem was I had never once in my life practiced making facial expressions, so I had zero confidence that I was even doing the same expression right now.

For all I knew, now that my buff had worn off, I was probably making some weird, awkward, constipated face instead.

However this was the only way to ‘celebrate’ I could think of.

I mean, I couldn’t just jump up and bow dramatically, right?

That would have been 100 times worse.

“……Haha, trying to do it again is pretty much impossible. I guess some expressions only come out when you're fully immersed. I didn’t even realize that I was making that expression.”

“It really looks melancholic. Our concept is ‘Powerful innocence’ right? This fits perfectly. Since you made the song, I guess it makes sense that you got that part down.”

“It’s powerful Melancholy.”

“Ooh. Yeah, that's it. Melancholy, melancholy.”

Tae Oh seemed to be so delighted that he practically bombarded me with compliments.

Haedun had been listening quietly, but now he added in a small, pointed remark.

―I was really impressed by the ending. How should I describe it? Your gaze looked like it was burning, but your expression seemed like you were about to cry. I thought to myself ‘That must be what it’s like to embody powerful melancholy.’ Honestly, I’d love to learn from you. Haha

Lee Kyubin’s obnoxious commentary continued.

―Alright, WEEKANIZ, thank you for your performance.

‘Oh, that part…….!’

I internally groaned.

Chae Ire’s ‘Yuyoung-hyung actually wrote all the lyrics’ accusatory (?) comment had been completely cut.

I was a bit annoyed that they cut that one out.

It would have been prime footage to perfectly shut down Haedun’s rabid fans while also boosting my credit in this wholesome group atmosphere.

Urgh, I already hated the production team, but now I did even more.

After WEEKANIZ’ stage ended, Loop7’s performance began.

The song was completely dark. The polar opposite of WEEKANIZ’ concept.

That probably worked out better for both groups though.

The first mission seemed to be just an introduction.

There was no judging and no voting.

The broadcast tried really hard to explain their ‘fair’ evaluation system this time around as if they knew someone was going to complain.

It seemed like the episode reached its final moments.

[Next Week]

The preview for the next episode began.

[The second mission will be revealed.]

Large text flashed on screen.

[?? : Actually, I had some complaints about this]

An interview with someone complaining appeared.

Classic clickbait material.

[?? : Aah! The door is closing!!]

……Wait, that voice sounded familiar.

Even with pixelation and voice distortion, I felt like I knew exactly who that was.

[Lee Kyubin: The individuals listed above will not be allowed to participate in the recording.]

Ah, so next week, our dear Baekgyeom would be sacrificed to entertain the audience.

[?? : It was kind of a tricky situation. I had no idea what to do……]

Another anonymous interview.

It wasn’t me.

But something felt familiar about it.

It probably was one of our members.

Haram, maybe?

[One day in <Ultimate Idol>, an endless whirlwind]

[?? : So we have to stand outside in the cold?]

That pure, naive question, so innocent that it might actually cleanse a listener’s soul, was definitely asked by Chae Ire.

[Idols, rise to the top

<Ultimate Idol>

Airs next Saturday]

[Full performance videos and individual fancams available for replay on our website]

“It’s over!”

The broadcast had ended.

Yoon Sanho clapped enthusiastically and shouted as if he had just finished an exam.

“Hmm……”

Seo Haedun let out a hum, seemingly deep in thought.

To be honest, I was there with Haedun actually.

The broadcast was just……

I mean I knew they would be aggressive, but this level of blatant aggression even made me worry.

Even the fans who swore to boycott the show probably at least watched the first episode to decide whether they would drop it or not.

But with this kind of editing……

One by one, the members started to leave the room, heading to the bathroom or checking their phones during our break.

I stretched for a moment before also taking out my phone.

It was now time to check the reactions.

This was honestly more nerve-wracking than the actual broadcast.

However, I already had a strong hunch, no, a strong conviction that fans wouldn’t be watching this kind of show.

I mean, let’s be real, fans these days weren’t just blind fools.

They wouldn’t just mindlessly react in the way the show wanted them to.

They were rational consumers who made calculated decisions about who and what to support.

Of course, there was still a unique thrill in unconditional devotion.

The rush of pure and reckless love that was blind to anything else.

However, nowadays, people wouldn’t pour their entire lives into fandoms the way they used to.

And if some might still do, the fan culture seriously shifted. The peer pressure to act a certain way within a fandom wasn't as strong anymore.

Which was why I found this situation even more baffling.

Why were the producers acting so cartoonishly evil?

They were so blatantly trying to push an evil villain level edit that it was almost hilarious.

No matter how much people said that idols these days failed to appreciate the love they received, no matter how much they acted entitled and arrogant, and no matter how unprofessional they may seem, drifting around with dead fish eyes, at the end of the day, there were still people their fans liked.

If anything, fans would be more likely to curse out the broadcasting team for twisting everything negatively rather than blindly hopping on the bandwagon and criticizing idols because the show wanted them to, but then again……

<@ This show…… is somehow refreshing>

“Huh?”

What was that?

<@ I get what the producers are trying to say…… I can also get that their methods are really blatant and provocative. But for some reason, I can’t help but sympathize…… Maybe it’s because I’m a working adult?>

Huh??

No way.

That couldn’t be a fan.

I checked their profile picture.

Unless I was mistaken, that face taking up half the frame of this preview image….. belonged to the one more decent looking member of VOV. Euimin.

Hmm.

I see.

Maybe they were being so cynical because they were a VOV fan.

I switched over to the Chenstin fandom.

<@ ……So the rumors about Chens being late were actually true>

└ Take this down

└ Why are you spreading baseless rumors like you know everything? Delete this post! Are you even a real fan?

……It was absolute chaos over there as well.

Weird. From my prior research, this was supposed to be the most loyal fandom.

Well, you never truly knew what was inside something until you cracked it open.

They say one of the reasons Earth met its great destruction eons ago was because all the continents were connected as one.

The heat from the planet’s core had nowhere to escape, so it built up pressure and eventually exploded.

It seemed like that was also the true nature of the Chenstin fandom.

A fascinating cultural artifact, one worth keeping an eye on.

Then what about Loop7?

Given the older demographic, I figured their fandom culture might be a bit more mature.

<@ To everyone who watched the show, let me be honest. I think it’s actually a blessing that Loop7 didn’t get much screentime in this mess. Of course, I’ll always respect their decision to appear on any broadcast they choose, but~~ In a show like this, having less exposure is basically proof that they’re the good kids..>

└ Totally agree, lol.

└ 100% with you. If the producers are digging for dirt and still couldn’t find anything, that's a sign of their good character~.

Wow, these people were almost like wise monks……

If I ever get the chance, I would love to receive some life wisdom from them.

Next, IONER.

Their reaction was exactly as expected.

They were fanatical but in a unique way, I’d say.

<@ Bring out the punishment stick>

<@ When’s our turn?>

<@ Here we go again with antis foaming at the mouth. Why was this show even made, ugh. What’s so great about hating something while secretly enjoying it?...... This fandom is so exhausting, seriously T_T>

Every now and then, I would see someone who seemed (kind of) normal.

But when you were the one good hearted soul drowning in a sea of 100 rabid attack dogs, you were bound to be under a lot of stress.

Alright, now to check our fandom.

I hesitated a bit before checking, feeling a little nervous.

Alright, I should start by searching for our song title.

<@ Holy shit, Totter is amazing, right? Why are the lyrics so gut-wrenching?>

<@ Totter is insane>

<@ Where did they get this song from? It reeks of money>

Yeeeah, so I bought it from the future.

Sorry. Actually I more or less stole it actually.

……The reaction was pretty good.

Could it be okay to hope for the best?

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