Save a Failed Idol's Life C.201:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: NicoleTempest

Chapter 201 What People Want (1)

The first stage was about to start.

Several cameras were shining not only on the stage, but also on the other trainees sitting below, to catch the viewers’ psychology, as well as any funny or provocative scenes.

‘I don’t know if this will actually air.’

Everyone was hoping to get on the broadcast even from below the stage, and they didn’t spare their cheers.

I looked around awkwardly at the other trainees and team members, then turned my eyes to the stage.

Unless they were like Hwijin, who was aiming for a re-debut, they were all mediocre trainees, so it wasn’t such a great stage.

Fifty-fifty, to be honest, should I say it was mediocre?

But it seemed that the mentors’ coaching had some effect, or not, because they had made a huge improvement compared to the first preliminary audition.

‘The preparation period was only a week from the start. This is good enough.’

Thirteen trainees had declared to quit halfway, saying they didn’t know it would be such a tough march.

From the first to the eighty-seventh, they all clenched their teeth and made the stage.

Even if they were eliminated after this stage, they wanted to show their best results for this stage.

That made me feel a bit sad.

‘No one is not desperate.’

So all the more, it should be fair. The ranking should be determined by the skill, I thought. But… I glanced at the seat where Yu-geon was and shook my head.

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It was no different from ruining myself to have such expectations in a system where the winner was already decided.

The bigger the gap between the fairness in my imagination and the reality, the more frustrated I would be.

With a short impression, the first stage ended, and I applauded the trainees who had worked hard.

As the recording proceeded sequentially from the first team that started, Junwoong’s expression became darker.

“Are you okay?”

In the end, Wonsang, who had been ignoring Junwoong with a cold attitude, asked him with a worried expression, thinking that it might affect the stage.

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I’m sorry.”

Junwoong raised his head, startled by Wonsang’s concern.

After that, Junwoong tried to look calm, feeling pressured by the awareness that his team members were worried about him, and looked up at the stage.

‘If there’s still a car accident left, I hope it happens after everything is over.’

With that unrealistic hope, I looked up at the stage again, and the stage of the team that Hwijin belonged to was starting.

‘Oh…’

Hwijin chose a fresh high-teen ballad song [First Love].

He wore a simple design of summer clothes, different from the school uniform-like outfit he wore at the opening stage shooting, matching the concept of the song.

‘To be honest, one of them looks more like a teacher than a student.’

Hwijin was young-looking, but he looked like a college freshman at best, so he stood out a bit.

Everyone seemed to have the same thought, and there was a light laughter here and there.

[We’re looking at each other from the end of the clock hand]

[It’s still a distant future, I’m a little anxious]

They focused on delivering a pure and fresh image, and it felt refreshing just to watch.

[This moment, our precious memories]

[I’ll hold your hand tight so we don’t scatter]

Hwijin’s efforts paid off as he performed the movements without being too aggressive or too simple, using the line movement and hand gestures well.

‘If we recruit him, we’ll have more options for planning… He’ll definitely be helpful.’

[I want to tell you right now, I love you]

[And my heart that beats so much that I can’t tell you]

Not all the members were perfect, but they felt more excitement than nervousness.

It was a pure joy to be able to do this stage regardless of the result.

At the time of Boys Be Ambitious shooting, I wondered if Hwijin was lucky to be in a good group.

‘At this point, it must be his leadership skills.’

I could feel that Hwijin and the other members were enjoying the stage, and their energy made the viewers happy too.

Why couldn’t I feel this positive power in Floss?

The reason was obvious if I thought about it a little.

‘He was only a nominal leader, not a real one. He didn’t have a chance to put his ideas into the planning, or the kids didn’t follow him even if he did. Something like that.’

No matter how talented a leader is, he can’t show his abilities if the members don’t follow him.

I felt a bit sorry for Hwijin, who must have suffered a lot in Floss.

[You always shine a light in my heart]

[Please hold my hand right now-]

As the seven of them stood side by side and stretched their arms in sequence, the trademark choreography of the original song, the applause and cheers erupted everywhere as the whole composition was finished.

The quality and intensity of the stage were better in the previous groups, but this was the only time the applause came out.

‘It must be because this team was the first to convey the performers’ happy energy so well.’

I also applauded sincerely and showed my respect.

‘The next one is…’

As soon as my positive mood sank back to the ground, the stage of DIY A group started.

‘Anyway, the timing…’

Tsk. I clicked my tongue inwardly and looked at the stage, as if to prove that our suspicion was not jealousy, their costumes were similar to ours.

They seemed to put more effort into it, their costumes were better in detail.

Of course, I felt bad. Wonsang and Taeryun also frowned.

Only Junwoong among our members was looking away from the stage with his head down and silent.

‘Sigh…’

The final version I saw was not a bad stage.

They didn’t waste time on brainstorming, and they used the idea they got to improve it, so maybe it was a natural result.

If someone who didn’t know saw it, they might think it was amazing to make this kind of stage in such a short time with only trainees.

‘But in the end, it’s the quality they made with the time they saved by stealing ours.’

If we didn’t waste time on concept, props, and redoing, we could have done better than this.

No matter how much I was, I couldn’t help but feel unfair.

“…”

Now that it’s come to this, I can only hope that our Plan B will work.

I swallowed a sigh for the nth time and clapped without any heart.

I couldn’t help but lose my appetite as I watched the expressions of my teammates on stage, who seemed to be proud of the stage they had prepared with sincerity.

‘Just a little more, hang in there.’

As soon as the stage of DIY A team was over, the stage of the team that Shim Naru belonged to started.

‘This one was a rock ballad song with almost no choreography.’

It was a song that had to compete with explosive vocal range and singing skills, as well as poignant emotional lines.

‘Maybe all the participants who want to be the main vocal of the neighborhood are gathered there.’

They seemed determined not to disappoint, as they put a lot of energy into the first verse.

Was it because they were in good condition then, or because they didn’t have as many parts as they did in Bobbyam, so they could handle it themselves.

Shim Naru, who had been a concern, also showed decent skills for what it was.

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‘Even if they fly and bite, they are mostly trainees with no experience, so they have to stand out among them.’

There was a basic difference in skill between him and the other members.

Even if they were all in the same boat, there were people who made a stage that was enjoyable for both the viewers and the performers, hiding it as much as possible, and there were people who made a stage that made themselves stand out the most.

The sure thing was that Naru could become a much better member than he was now if he just changed his mind a little.

He was too talented to be left alone to fall.

‘If he chooses not to change, he’s not worth dragging and pulling with force.’

As I became more confident in my original thoughts, the number of songs left decreased, and soon it was my turn.

‘I hope I do well first.’

I comforted the shoulders of Jeon Woong, who was shriveled up.

“Don’t be too nervous and relax your shoulders.”

Of course, if I thought about what he had done, which was suspected to be his doing, I would have been boiling with resentment from the beginning, but until the end of the stage, we were one team, whether we liked it or not.

“Ah, yes…”

Junwoong’s eyes looked up at me weakly and then fell to the floor again.

I finally opened my mouth to say something.

“I know you’re upset right now. But I hope you don’t give up on the stage either.”

Junwoong raised his trembling eyes and met mine.

Soon his eyes lost their focus and shook from side to side, looking pitiful, but I didn’t feel any more sympathy.

“Anyway, it’s not often that you get to show your stage as a member in front of so many people. You’ve been working hard, too, Mr. Junwoong. You have to show them a great result and finish it.”

I tried to say it nicely, instead of saying don’t ruin the stage by being depressed.

Junwoong nodded faintly and muttered.

“I’m sorry…”

If you’re sorry, do well on the stage. I swallowed a sigh of frustration inside.

“Next stage, DIY B team, please stand by!”

This was it. Just a little more. I got up from my seat and headed for the stage.

As the lights came on, it was clear that only four people were on the stage.

DIY B team was the only one with four people, which everyone already knew from the rehearsal.

But whether they were hoping to get on the broadcast with a cut or two, reactions of surprise erupted here and there.

‘Let’s do this.’

I had no regrets about the stage, because I did my best.

The only thing that worried me was whether these trainee members would follow me well until the end.

As the first verse started, I tried to console myself by thinking that even if I messed up, I would still get a decent result in the individual round.

[Loud Music, Everyone’s Attention]

[Changes as Soon as You Appear]

It was a pop dance song with a strong jazz feel in the instrumentals.

The tempo was slow overall, but it suddenly sped up in certain sections. My goal was to get through those sections without copying the original too much.

‘I wanted to use the scarf as a prop, but I didn’t expect this to happen.’

The scarf could have been a noticeable prop, but when a provocative item like handcuffs came out, it could have ruined the main point.

I didn’t want to hear the criticism that I was using a stimulating prop to attract attention rather than showing my skills.

But since the situation was like this, I had nothing to hide.

There were four people on the stage. We used the large space available for each person to make our movements bigger.

Fortunately, the reaction from the audience below was not bad, and it was time to use the toy handcuffs in my pocket.

‘Just don’t do anything weird and finish it well.’

I clenched the handcuffs in my hand as I reached into my pocket nervously.