WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 65

―Yes, this concludes all the live performances. Did everyone enjoy them? I certainly did.

With all five groups having finished their stages, Host Lee Kyubin appeared on screen again.

Each idol group was now gathered in their respective waiting rooms watching the broadcast.

―Starting from this round, performances will be judged. The results will be decided by a panel of judges we have invited. Fan voting will begin next week. So to all our fans, please be patient and wait just one more week. The judging criteria will be based on vocals, performance, and overall stage completeness. Now, let’s reveal our panel of judges!”

The LED screen behind Lee Kyubin lit up, playing a video.

[Moyoung from FOREIGNERD]

[Producer Team IIR PROJECT]

[Solo Artist Kieun]

“FOREIGNERD?”

I absentmindedly read the name out loud.

FOREIGNERD was a five-member group that had just renewed their contracts.

Since they got to renew their contracts, that meant that they were doing pretty well in the industry.

……And two of their members were regular cast members on KCN’s Saturday variety show.

As expected, everything in this industry was about connections and backing.

IRR PROJECT was a two man music production team.

They had originally worked on instrumental beats but had recently started collaborating with some idol groups on digital singles.

And seeing them now on this show, it seemed like they were actually trying to fully establish themselves in the idol industry.

I should probably try to get closer to that producer team.

There were zero downsides to networking with them.

Even when I skimmed my memories of the near future, I couldn’t recall any major scandal that involved them.

The final judge was a female solo artist.

Kieun was a living legend in the idol world as a vocalist and performer known for her unstoppable career.

Fifteen years ago, when idol groups dominated the industry, she appeared out of nowhere as a solo act.

She had debuted at just seventeen, but her presence and skill were already on par with adult performers.

Her powerful vocals and groovy dance style gave her a gender neutral charisma. She had been struggling in obscurity for about five years before suddenly rising into stardom.

Due to her solid skills, she never faded from the spotlight and continued to grow her brand.

At this point, she was considered a role model for both male and female artists alike.

She was a solid choice for a judge.

As Lee Kyubin finished the introductions, the LED screen split open on both sides.

Through the gap, the three judges stepped onto the stage.

―Now, what are your thoughts after watching the performances?

Kyubin directed the first question to Moyoung from FOREIGNERD.

―Yes. All the idols put on such incredible performances. I feel like I learned a lot just from watching. I personally……”

A predictable, safe response left his mouth.

The interview continued for a bit longer, but I wasn’t really paying attention.

―……Alright. Thank you for sharing your insight. Now, it’s time to announce the winner of this round! The group that takes first place will receive a special benefit, which will also impact next week’s individual rankings. As you all know the overall competition winner will be determined by adding up each member’s ranking at the end of the show. And now, the long awaited first place goes to…!

“Urgh, I’m nervous”

Yoon Sanho gulped.

―……Before we reveal the winner, let’s start with the second place! Actually, never mind, that would be too nerve-wrecking, right? Haha. Let’s just start with the first place! The first placed group is….!

“Oh, come on.”

Baekgyeom was about two seconds away from losing it.

Please, just announce it already.

If they dragged this out any longer, Baekgyeom was about to go viral for yet another outburst.

―……Chenstin! Congratulations!

“Haah.”

Damn it……

―Second place goes to IONER, third place to WEEKANIZ, fourth place to Loop7, and fifth place to VOV! Everyone did an incredible job. This is only the beginning of the competition, so there are still many rounds left! Fan voting will open at midnight tonight, and next week’s competition will add in these votes. And one more important announcement! Starting next week, our live performances will take place in front of a studio audience! Fans will be able to attend the show in person! For ticketing information, please visit our official website. We hope to see many of you here.

“Wow, they’re adding in a live audience next week? We never heard anything about that. Hyung, did you know?”

“Nope, I didn’t.”

“Yuyoung-hyung, you also didn’t know?”

“Whoa…… Yeah. This is my first time hearing this.”

“That’s insane.”

None of us had known that there would be a live audience.

Since most of the show’s main footage was pre-recorded or broadcasted live, no one expected this.

―Please look forward to next week’s episode of Ultimate Idol!

[After this episode, each group’s monitoring clips of Episode 1 will be released! Stay tuned for exclusive unseen footage that wasn’t included in the main broadcast.]

“So, is the broadcast now over?”

Tae Oh asked.

“Didn’t they say they would be airing the monitoring clips?”

Baekgyeom replied, still glued to the screen.

[Last week, the contestants of <Ultimate Idol> gathered to watch Episode 1 together]

“Ah, looks like it’s starting.”

Ire mumbled to himself.

The clip was edited footage from when all the contestants had gathered to watch the first episode.

The staff had gone on and on about ‘minimizing edits’ and ‘using unmanned cameras’ and what not, but in the end it was still edited, edited and edited even more.

Welp.

With the sheer amount of footage they recorded, it wasn’t like they could air all of it.

Excessive data production was a form of environmental pollution after all.

<Chenstin, starting off with bright and cheerful energy>

Chestin appeared on the screen with subtitles emphasizing their vibe.

‘Hmm…… They don’t really look all that cheerful though……’

The members were just sitting silently in a row, slightly nodding their heads or idly tapping their feet as they watched the screen.

Something about them just kept rubbing me the wrong way, so I started to feel like I’d have a really hard time getting along with Chenstin.

Of course, only in my heart.

This was exactly the kind of situation where I should make an effort to get closer to them.

If someone is annoying, just give them even more attention. That’s my speciality.

Chenstin, VOV, Loop7, and IONER.

All of them monitored their performances more or less calmly.

Well, as for IONER…… Given how disastrous their appearance in Episode 1 had been, the atmosphere should have been really dark.

Well, or so I thought.

―Whew, this was rough.

―Hehehe.

―Ah, this…… Haha, how embarrassing. I should probably just stay standing from now on.

Unbelievable……

How could he be so shameless?

IONER’s Yeeun had just been fully revealed lying down within five minutes of the fist episode along with Baekgyeom on national TV.

And yet, he didn’t even blush when watching himself be a complete mess.

Even with subtitles that literally said ‘Yeeun, lying down as soon as he enters’ he didn’t even look surprised.

He was just blankly staring at the screen saying stuff like ‘I should probably stay standing next time.’

That was his excuse?

If it had been one of the WEEKANIZ guys, I would have already…….

Vaporized in an instant. The malicious comments would have exceeded more than 200 which would have made my notoriety pierce the sky. All my internal organs would have failed.

―Do you regret not making it into EOO?

―……I don’t think I would’ve gotten in even if I had done better.

Seo Haedun’s individual interview began to play.

―Then what if EOO offered you a spot now? Would you take it?

―Hmm. I……

[WEEKANIZ falles completely silent]

[Had they just learned Haedun’s true feelings for the first time?]

‘Wait, these captions……’

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

I knew this feeling.

―But honestly, if EOO made an offer like that, shouldn’t he take it?

―……What?

On screen, I was running my mouth like it was nothing.

At that moment, I remembered.

I had deliberately said that to stir things up a little but also smooth things over.

Just a gentle storm to keep things moving.

[Haram : Hyuuung, then what about us~.]

[Tae Oh : Y-yeah. We’re a team!]

[Yuyoung’s words leave the members shaken]

[Do the members think differently?]

[Haedun’s expression darkens]

[How does Yuyoung really see Haedun and the team?]

Wait, weren’t these captions way too extreme?

Haedun’s expression wasn’t that dark, okay?

That was just his usual ‘Ahn Yuyoung, get lost’ expression, you know?

[Tae Oh : ……See? Even Haedun-hyung is mad.]

Oh, right. He had frowned a little.

Even after rewatching, this still didn’t make sense.

[Haedun frowns]

[Silence fills the WEEKANIZ monitoring room]

[And then]

[Yuyoung:......If we’re in a team, does that mean we have to stay together no matter what? I don’t think so.]

[Yuyoung’s firm stance]

[The members seems somewhat shocked]

[Do Yuyoung and the team think differently?]

[Yuyoung:...... If he wants to leave, then I don’t think we should be saying ‘We’re a team, so we all go or none of us go’ or ‘We have to follow him’. I don't think that's right either..]

[After Yuyoung’s words, the members seem deep in thought]

“Huh?”

“……What?”

Sanho was the first one to voice his confusion.

Tae Oh followed right after, equally confused.

[Yuyoung : ……Sorry for the lecture.]

[Haram : No, if anything, it was motivating. I liked it.]

“Haah……”

I let out a deep sigh.

Because right after Haram’s words, the monitoring clip of Episode one ended.

Which meant…

The most crucial part of my statement, the ‘recovery’, was completely cut from the edit.

I had deliberately stirred the conversation so I could follow up with.

‘Shouldn't we be working our asses off to improve until every one of us is good enough to get into EOO too?’

……That was the most important part of my statement.

And the members had completely agreed, immediately making all that tension disappear.

But this edit completely twisted it in a vicious way.

They removed the part where the team had relaxed.

Instead, they made it look like I had coldly ripped into my own members.

I hadn’t expected them to be that vicious……

Had I underestimated them?

Then……

“……Ugh!”

“Hyu-hyung? What’s wrong?”

“Urg, I’m fine……”

“Is your head hurting?”

The screen in front of me seemed to double, triple and quadruple.

The images blurred, overlapped, stretched, and finally faded.

[Notoriety : 78

Notoriety Keyword : Incompetent, Untrustworthy]

Ah,

I had definitely underestimated them.

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