WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 73

“I didn’t expect anyone among us to perform this song.”

Kiwoong stared at me with wide eyes.

He wasn’t wrong. Normally, nobody would pick a rival’s song. That was just common sense.

This was basically a ‘direct challenge’. Which sane person would do such a reckless move willingly?

Especially not when I was already at the mercy of the editing team of this damn show.

“Yuyoung-hyung, fighting~.”

I heard Chanyoung cheering me on.

However, to me, someone who was already half-deranged from the thrill of provoking a certain someone, there was no way I could pass up this golden opportunity of having the number one main dancer as my team mate.

He had walked straight into my hand himself as well.

If I wanted to reach the top, I would have to take him down eventually.

So this was actually perfect.

“Wow!”

As I got into position, the others cheered.

Chentsin’s songs were famous for their powerful opening choreography.

The sharply defined, precise movements enhanced the performance’s masculine charm while the fast tempo added a distinctly chunky, rhythmic appeal.

It was undeniably a choreo that had been shaped by Iho’s influence.

“Whoa, this is actually insane?”

“It’s completely clean, almost flawless.”

It looked like Kiwoong had a good eye for talent.

My concept this time was ‘clean’ and ‘polished’.

When it came to dance performances, it was a given that the stage would be filled with nothing but show-offs trying to outdo each other.

And when that happened, the performance would inevitably spiral into chaos.

My strategy was simply to suppress my ego, maintain precise and controlled movements, and stand out by being calm and refined among the over-the-top energy others displayed.

“Oh, it’s totally different from Iho-hyung’s style.”

“This is so cool.”

Of course, the dance break of this song obviously belonged to Iho.

The rest of the routine was sharp and structured, but that dance break was completely different.

This was Iho’s moment, a self-indulgent solo sequence designed to make him shine.

To be honest, it didn’t fit this song at all.

The exaggerated waves and over-the-top expressions practically screamed ‘Look at how amazing I am!’, but to my eyes, all of this just seemed out of place.

What was even the point of showing off when it didn’t even mesh well with the music?

Sure, our team also had Seo Haedun who was quite annoying (but danced incredibly well) but he at least knew when to dial it down.

No matter how much idols were supposed to promote themselves, I guess I was just too old-fashioned like that.

I couldn't help it. Excessive self-promotion just rubbed me the wrong way.

So, for my version of the dance break, I kept the original choreography but toned down the extra theatrics, relaxing my expression and softened the waves.

Even just this small adjustment made the performance so much more refined.

Of course, for the other sections, I copied Chenstin’s original choreography.

The item I used only allowed for perfect replication.

As the short performance ended, I wiped away the sweat from my forehead and looked around at the others.

Everyone looked pretty excited. Except for Iho.

“Hyung! That was insane! I never expected you to do this song and you totally killed it!”

“When did you even practice this?”

“The choreography’s the same, but it feels completely different. So cool.”

I gave the excited members a humble smile.

“I’m actually quite the Chenstin fan, so I practiced this in my free time.”

“That’s awesome. Iho-hyung, what do you think?”

Chanyoung turned to look at Iho, who gave a small nod.

“As the original choreographer, I’m honored.”

It seemed like he wanted to remind everyone that he had been the one to create this choreo more than anything else.

“Shall we vote then?”

We tore out a sheet from a practice notebook, handed them around, and wrote down a name.

Since this was an anonymous vote, we could just vote for ourselves.

But what if everyone just ended up with one vote each?

A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.

I looked down at my paper for a moment, and wrote down ‘Kiwoong’.

If I didn’t get a single vote, at least I could prove that I didn’t vote for myself.

That way, I could avoid embarrassment and help someone else out, so maybe I wouldn’t end up looking too bad when this would be aired.

not that worrying about it now mattered anymore, considering how messed up this show was.

Actually, I genuinely wanted Kiwoong to be the center though.

I had noticed how Iho subtly looked down on him quite often.

From what I could see, their skill levels were pretty similar. The only difference was their style.

Iho dismissing Kiwoong just because his style didn’t fit his choreography was seriously starting to piss me off.

“Wait, this is anonymous, right?”

Saemi, after thinking for a bit, turned to ask us.

“Well, yeah, right……?”

At that moment, seeing Saemi’s uncertain expression, a clever idea popped into my head.

“What if we hand over the ballots to the camera man instead of opening them ourselves? Since we don’t have that many, it would probably be easier to recognize who wrote what just by looking at the handwriting. That might make things a bit awkward.”

“Oh, good idea!”

Chanyoung’s face lit up instantly. He must have really liked that suggestion.

He only started writing after confirming that the camera man had given the OK.

Which meant…….

‘He’s waiting to see how the wind blows.’

Even in an anonymous vote, they were still checking our Rank 1’s reaction before making a decision.

How were these guys ever going to survive if they spent all their time tiptoeing like this?

Meanwhile the WEEKANIZ kids…… If you so much as snatched a single cookie out of their hands, they would start a riot demanding it back.

I collected all five ballots and handed them over to the camera man.

He seemed a bit flustered at first by this unexpected task but quickly regained his composure and began revealing the votes.

“Alright, let’s begin. First vote……Kiwoong, one vote.”

“Whoa! Thank you so much!”

Kiwoong seemed genuinely touched.

So did that mean that he hadn’t voted for himself either?

“……Yuyoung, one vote.”

“Oh~.”

My name came up too.

Since I didn’t vote for myself, that meant someone else gave up voting for themselves to vote for me instead.

Who was that thoughtful person?

I might need to figure out their handwriting later and keep them close.

“……Yuyoung, two votes.”

“Oooh~.”

Huh, wait, was this actually happening?

“…… Iho, one vote.”

“And the final vote is…… Erm…… Yuyoung, three votes.”

“Huh?”

Saemi’s cheerful voice echoed through the practice room.

“Hyung, congrats.”

Chanyoung calmly encouraged me.

Iho was clapping with a completely blank expression.

The other members were smiling, but I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

‘Damn, my mind game failed.’

I had fully expected everyone to just vote for themselves, ending with a one-vote tie all around. Since I voted for Kiwoong, I was sure the final result would be Yuyoung getting 0 votes and Kiwoong getting two votes.

Of course, I didn’t want to get flamed to death, so I had already planned to practice like crazy and make sure my skills weren’t lacking. But I never expected my performance to actually impress these guys so much.

‘……Was the anonymous voting a stroke of genius or something?’

Then, a realization flashed through my mind.

I remembered how Chanyoung hesitated and only wrote down his vote after the camera man agreed to count them.

If the votes hadn’t been anonymous……

‘……They probably would have all voted for Iho.’

The hierarchy of this team…… had solidified way too fast, right?

I got that idol life was survival of the fittest, but did they really have to treat their own team like a food chain as well?

I almost felt emotional at these poor kids’ struggles.

And honestly, I was already sick of this constant ego battle.The way popularity and skill dictated everything was just so exhausting.

I definitely had to take on the role of the hierarchy breaker.

If I was going to be the ultimate troublemaker, I might as well do it properly.

“I don’t need to be center.”

“Hyung, why?”

The others’ eyes widened in shock.

“It’s not a big deal….. I’m good.”

The way I said it so indifferently left them completely dumbfounded.

“Kiwoong, Chanyoung, Saemi, and Iho, all of you did so great. So shouldn’t we each take turns leading during different parts of the song? We don’t have to change the choreography, just adjust the formations a bit. That way, everyone gets their moments to shine for their own fans. Plus, since we all have different styles, it’ll make the performance more fun to watch, right?”

“Okay!”

“I’m in.”

“……Fine.”

Chanyoung, Kiwoong, Saemi, and even Iho all agreed.

A perfect victory.

I had never felt so refreshed.

Humming in satisfaction, I dusted myself off and got up.

* * *

The week passed like that.

It was almost time for episode 3 to air.

I had already washed up, prepared my snacks, and was fully prepared to monitor the show.

The location I had chosen.

“……Is someone in this stall?”

“No idea? Hey, don’t say creepy stuff. Let’s just get out of here. The show’s starting soon. Urgh, I feel scared. I hope I got completely edited out.”

……That’s right.

A bathroom stall.

“Sigh……”

Sitting on the toilet, I stared at my phone.

I planned to monitor the reaction of fans before it aired.

The response on Pings and DukDukForest was already explosive.

Especially from people who used to be into idols but had since left the fandom.

<@ This show is super manipulative and sensationalized…… but I kinda get what it’s trying to say. I guess it’s about putting idols in their place?>

<@ Yeah, it’s so damn dramatic, but also kinda convincing lol. Definitely the number 1 most manipulative survival show>

<@ Don’t really care who wins, but lmao the witch hunts are way too intense. It’s kinda uncomfortable to watch>

└ Sure looks like you care though?

└ Lmao, if you’re just here to pick fights, I’ll ignore you

The 5% viewership prediction I got from my item wasn’t a lie as it seemed.

Right now, the show was already at 2.4%, so 5% was totally within reach.

And up until episode 2, the contestant who had been pelted with the most stones was IONER’s leader, Yeeun.

<@ INR’s leader literally seems like he’s offering himself up as a sacrifice for this show…… Dude’s straight-up an arrogant prick>

For real, his aggressive attitude, uncooperative interviews, and constant scowling had already made him the nation’s punching bag.

And now, a new rising star in the hate rankings had emerged.

<@ WKNZ leader looks like he doesn’t even wanna be an idol>

└ The members seem nice, though…… was this guy always this much of a downer? lol

└ Nah, I used to kinda like him but ended up leaving the fandom. Dude’s just straight-up timid…… People even say he’s gloomy as hell.

└ Guess he wasn’t joking when he brought up money, huh ;;

[Notoriety : 84

Notoriety Keywords : Sales, Materialistic, Incompetent]

No wonder my head hurt before the show even started.

I scrolled through more comments, scanning the situation, before switching to my OTT app just as the show began.

As the broadcast started, Lee Kyubin appeared in the studio right away.

“Hello, dear viewers of <Ultimate Idol>.”

After a brief introduction to the Position Evaluation mission, the screen immediately transitioned to the main broadcast.

The newly formed teams were introduced.

[Each team, now gathered together]

[<Ah Yuyoung’s dance team> seems to have already finished their strategy meeting]

[Chanyoung : Then we just have to trust in Iho and follow his lead!]

[Saemi : Seriously, we’re so lucky to have Iho on our team……]

“Urgh……”

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