Free Web NovelIt was Kim Jinsoo’s first time attending the pre-recording of a broadcast as an audience member.
To be more exact, aside from having passed by a broadcasting station building before, he had never actually gone inside one, so he had no idea how audience admission even worked.
‘What the hell, they clearly told us to be here by 5, so why aren’t they letting us in right away!’
The text message Jinsoo had received had said he needed to be at the station by 05:00, so just in case, he’d arrived at the station with a bit of extra time to spare before the scheduled time.
But even now, over an hour later, he still hadn’t been allowed inside and could only stand in line holding the numbered ticket he’d been given.
‘Ugh··· it’s freezing!’
The cold made his teeth chatter on their own, reminding him of standing early-morning winter guard duty back when he’d been in the army.
When he looked around, he saw that the vast majority of the people around him were women, and every single one of them had come thoroughly prepared against the cold.
Starting from padded jackets so thick they were practically sleeping bags, hand warmers as a basic item, and everyone bundled up with ear muffs as well.
Apparently they’d known in advance that they’d have to wait outdoors like this for a long time.
‘Is this really worth seeing, going this far?’
By this point, Jinsoo was starting to regret coming to watch the pre-recording.
He had come here with the sole purpose of seeing Lee Sion in person, but he was seriously doubting whether she was worth going through this much trouble for.
Wouldn’t it be a hundred times better to just roll around on his warm bed at home, browsing the board on his phone and watching stage videos on YouTube? As he was having that kind of thought:
“She’s here!”
One of the people standing in line suddenly shouted out at the bus approaching from the distance.
‘What’s here?’
At their reaction, Jinsoo thought some celebrity must have appeared and looked over with anticipation, only to see it was just a bus. He grumbled inwardly, wondering why they were making such a fuss.
“They’re getting off! You have to film now!”
Unlike Jinsoo, the people in line were each pulling out their phones or cameras that looked like big cannons and started filming the bus.
Jinsoo had no idea what was going on, but since everyone was doing it, he at least took out his phone and turned on the camera too.
And right away, he understood.
He realized why people had brought those big cameras that were obviously just going to get confiscated.
“Ayeon!!! Look over here for a second!!”
“Seo Ryujin!!! Do well on your stage today!!!”
“Let’s debut, Yoo Jihae!!!”
Voices boomed across the plaza in front of the station, loud enough to bury the sound of camera shutters going click-click.
And to respond to those voices, the people getting off the bus waved at them or made hearts with their hands.
The ones getting off the bus were none other than the contestants of Idol Ground 100.
“Lee Sion!!! Uwaaaaah!!”
“Sion, just one handshake!”
“I’m supporting Real Madrid too because of you!”
And among them, there was one name being shouted especially loudly, and Jinsoo couldn’t help but shout as well.
Of course he did—because right now, Lee Sion was walking right past in front of his eyes.
‘Holy shit! How is she prettier than on TV?’
For several days now, Jinsoo had been working hard to lower his expectations.
After all, seeing someone on TV and seeing them in person couldn’t help but be different, so he wanted to prepare himself in case seeing Lee Sion in real life didn’t match what he’d imagined.
But making a joke out of all those worries, the Lee Sion Jinsoo was seeing now was on the level where the broadcast—no, the camera couldn’t even capture how good she actually looked.
“···?”
“···!”
Sion was waving at the people in line calling her name, chatting with the contestant next to her.
“Why are Ryu Ayeon and Lee Sion together?”
“No way··· are they on the same team?”
“But they look super close, I’m gonna lose it. Those two are close?”
The one chatting with Sion was Ryu Ayeon, and because it was a combination no one had ever expected, Jinsoo could feel the crowd around him buzzing in shock.
He was just as surprised as they were.
In truth, the fandoms of Lee Sion and Ryu Ayeon did not get along well online.
[From now on this is Lee Sion Gallery]
(a screenshot of Lee Sion being announced as 1st place at the Ranking Ceremony)
「Ryu Ayeon got pushed down to 3rd by Seo Ryujin, right? 」
[New unreleased Lee Sion photos dropped!]
(a Pink Spell gif of Lee Sion)
「Yeah, your fave is just an entertainment pick, the real idol is Ryu Ayeon」
Lee Sion Gallery and Ryu Ayeon Gallery were in a relationship where they would barge into each other’s boards every chance they got, stir up trouble, and then leave.
It had happened because both of their faves had high buzz and popularity among the Idol Ground 100 contestants, so they kept each other in check.
If some lower-ranked contestant’s fandom heard this, they might be dumbfounded, but from their perspective, this was a fight not over debut, but over the number one spot, so things were fierce between them.
And yet, in ridiculous contrast to that kind of fan war, here were Lee Sion and Ryu Ayeon looking extremely close with each other.
‘I need to get on the board!’
Jinsoo felt an urgent need to hurry up and share this insane information with everyone, along with photos, and show off.
‘So this is why!’
And in that moment, Jinsoo realized it.
He realized why people endured this biting early-morning cold to come watch pre-recordings.
Not only could you see the celebrities you liked in person, if you were lucky, you could even see them reacting to your words and responding to you. That alone was an incredible experience.
On top of that, just like now, you could see sides of them that would never make it onto broadcast, that you were seeing earlier than everyone else—no, sides other people might never get to see at all. You absolutely had to come for something like this.
‘How much do cameras like that cost?’
Realizing that the photos that had been posted on the board or on Sionism up to now had been born from the hard work of fans like these, Jinsoo even started feeling interested in cameras too.
But that could wait until later; first he needed to get on the board and make a post.
***
“Ryu Completely-Mute-And-Silent, why do you not answer the fans’ cheers?”
“··· Shut up.”
Unlike the last recording, this time they were moving according to the exact broadcast recording time, so they were able to encounter the audience who had arrived earlier.
It was a complete shift in the production team’s attitude from how, for Music Count—where they had sung the theme song—and during the Group Battle Mission, they had snuck the contestants around through the underground parking lot so their presence wouldn’t be noticed.
“Seeing the people who came to watch us makes my heart pound···.”
“Seriously. How do senior idols sing in front of thousands like this? Just seeing the people gathered now is enough to make me dizzy···.”
“It’s exactly at times like this that you have to stay calm. Don’t get carried away···.”
When they encountered the people who had come as audience members, the youngest line, Shinyu and Yunkyung, got excited and made a fuss, and Lee Gahyeon tried to rein them in.
However,
“Please give your precious vote to our team!”
“Got it!!! Sion!!!”
I couldn’t possibly let a precious promotion opportunity like this slip by.
I raised one hand high and shouted for their precious vote, saying our team’s Lee Gahyeon had been sleeping badly because her recent voting rank was low.
“At least one of you grab Lee Sion! Why is she so hyped up?”
“I’ll catch her, unni.”
“Me too.”
Apparently my campaign speech wasn’t to their liking, because Gahyeon clamped a hand over my mouth and ordered the team members to grab me.
And as if they’d been waiting for that signal, Kim Nayeon and Ryu Ayeon each grabbed one of my arms and started dragging me off by force.
“Wait! Who just pretended to grab me and secretly pinched my arm!”
“Girls, if you’re going to hit her, do it once we’re inside the station where no one’s around.”
“Can I hit her first?”
“Let’s just think we were six from the start and settle this cleanly···.”
Apparently, “not hitting me” was not one of the options those three were considering.
Even if I tried to run, Kim Nayeon and Ryu Ayeon were both pretty strong, so even for me, who had once been the Haan-dong Arm-Wrestling King, shaking off an arm held tight by them wasn’t easy.
In times like this, there was no helping it. freēwēbnovel.com
“Jihe unni!!! Save me!!!”
I had to send out an emergency rescue request to our leader, Yoo Jihae.
“Girls, let’s head to the waiting room now.”
“···Okay.”
Thankfully, none of our team members were so steeped in Western ways that they had forgotten Korea was the Land of Courtesy in the East; even the ferocious beasts holding me let go when our leader and eldest, Jihae, spoke.
Looking regretful, Gahyeon and her minions released me.
Once freed, I immediately hid behind Jihae and stuck out my tongue at them as we moved toward the waiting room.
“Hey, Sluggish Ryujin.”
“What made you late again? Sit down, the stages are starting soon.”
When we arrived at the waiting room, the other contestants were already seated and waiting for the stages to begin.
I greeted Seo Ryujin, who was sitting in the very front row, and she barely acknowledged my greeting before pointing to the seat next to her and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} telling me to sit.
“Do you like me that much? Enough that you want to keep me right beside you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! The production staff assigned these seats, okay?”
“Huh?”
Now that she mentioned it, there were name tags stuck to the chairs.
The chair next to Seo Ryujin had a name tag reading “Lee Sion,” and the chair next to that had one that said “Ryu Ayeon.”
So naturally, it ended up looking like Seo Ryujin and Ryu Ayeon were sitting on either side of me.
I tried to think about why they would seat us like this, but nothing in particular came to mind, so I just sat where they told me to and looked at the monitor in the waiting room.
Because it was almost time for the first stage of the Position Evaluation to begin.
***
“Thank you!”
“No, it’s fine. We Sion fans have to help each other!”
When the male fan who had received a hand warmer from her put on a moved expression, Jiyeon felt proud.
‘He came all the way here to see Sion too, so I have to treat him well!’
Despite being indoors, the venue for this recording was colder than she’d expected.
Because of that, all the audience members sitting in the stands were warming their cold hands with hand warmers, but the male fan sitting next to Jiyeon didn’t seem to have one, and was blowing on his hands instead.
If that had been all, Jiyeon might have just felt sorry and left it at that—but then her eyes caught the placard in the man’s arms.
–Congratulations to Overseas Soccer Board Goddess Lee Sion on 1st Place–
It was clearly a first attempt, and pretty crude, but the sincerity of it came through perfectly.
The moment she saw it, Jiyeon immediately handed him the spare hand warmer she had brought, and once she then revealed that she was also a fan of Lee Sion, they quickly became friendly.
“Oh, so you’re older than me, oppa.”
“Yeah, but you look really familiar. Have you been to something like this before?”
“Yes! Actually, I’ve been doing idol fangirling for five years!”
“Wow! You’re a pro.”
After exchanging simple introductions, Jiyeon learned that the man named Jinsoo was four years older than her.
‘He’s probably a Sionism member, right?’
She was curious how surprised Kim Jinsoo would be if he knew she was Sionism’s owner, but Jiyeon held herself back.
In truth, nothing good ever came from revealing a fan café owner’s personal info, so she had to be careful.
“I didn’t know audience admission was this strict. I thought we’d just have to hand in our phones at the entrance, but they checked us super thoroughly, you know?”
While Jiyeon was briefly thinking about Sionism, Jinsoo was grumbling to her, complaining that the admission process was way too strict.
The bag checks before today’s Idol Ground 100 recording really had been thorough.
First, at the table in front of the station gate, they had to turn in all electronic devices they’d brought. Second, the staff went down the line and scanned each audience member with a metal detector.
And finally, they had to pass through a detection scanner installed at the entrance before they were allowed in. freёwebnovel.com
“It’s because this place has a long rap sheet.”
“A rap sheet?”
“In the past, idol fans brought things like ultra-small cameras or recorders and leaked stuff, so these days all the pre-recordings check this strictly.”
You might have expected fans to complain about such picky checks, but if they didn’t do this, as soon as the pre-recording ended, stage spoilers would flood the internet, so from the station’s perspective, they had no choice.
“Welcome, everyone, to the pre-recording of Idol Ground 100!”
While Jiyeon and Jinsoo were talking about the admission process, before they knew it, the main MC of the program, Jang Junseok, had come up on stage and was announcing the start of the broadcast.
“Wow, Jang Junseok is seriously handsome.”
“Right? And he’s such a good host on the show too.”
Seeing Jang Junseok in person, having only ever watched him on TV, Jiyeon and Jinsoo started getting excited.
It wasn’t just them; she could feel the audience members around them changing expressions in anticipation, now that the stages were about to start.
“Right here in Sangam-dong today! The stages that the survivors of the Idol Ground 100 survival audition, who have made it this far, will be presenting to you are the Position Evaluation stages!”
“Position Evaluation?”
She thought this was the second mission after the Group Battle Mission, but Jiyeon still didn’t have a clear sense of what kind of stages they would be.
And as if he’d read her mind, when Jang Junseok gestured with his hand, letters began to appear on the screen behind him.
[Vocal & Rap Position]
Candy Pop Heart
00:59 (Almost One)
When I Reach You
Blooming Day
You Know
Breath
Summer Glow
[Dance Position]
Bang! Bang! Love
Blackout
Fine
Glass Flower
Replay Me
Run (Right Now)
Hidden Sketch
“The 14 stages you see on the screen now, divided into Vocal & Rap Position and Dance Position, are the stages the contestants will be performing today!”
“Wooooo!!!”
At Jang Junseok’s words, a cheer erupted from the audience.
“Starting now with the first Vocal & Rap Position stage, Candy Pop Heart, a total of 14 performances will be held.”
After pausing, Jang Junseok gestured again, and the screen that had been showing the list of songs now changed to an explanation of how the mission would run.
“Unlike the previous Group Battle Mission, this time the teams are not competing against each other. After each stage ends, the judges will score the stage, and once all the stages in each position are finished, the 500 of you in the audience will cast your votes.”
Just as he explained, the Position Evaluation this time was different from the previous Group Battle Mission.
Instead of teams going head-to-head, all seven teams in each position would be competing against each other in an even harsher and more merciless system.
“So after all seven Vocal & Rap Position stages end, we just pick the stage and contestant we liked best and vote for them, right?”
“Yes, and the team that takes 1st place there will get a benefit of 100,000 votes, and for each position, the contestant who ranks 1st will get an additional 50,000 vote benefit.”
“At that point, the 1st-place team or 1st-place contestant is guaranteed to survive, right?”
At Jinsoo’s words, Jiyeon shook her head.
This benefit wasn’t something that would just end at helping someone survive.
If it went to a lower-ranked contestant, then sure, it would help them survive, just like Jinsoo said—but if it went to an upper-ranked contestant, especially someone within the top 10, it could flip the rankings completely. That was how enormous this benefit was.
‘The votes of the people here are going to be seriously important.’
She had no way of knowing what criteria they had used to select the audience members, but all Jiyeon could do was pray that there would be lots of Lee Sion fans among them.
“Now then, we’ll begin today’s first stage, Candy Pop Heart! It’s show time!”
Whether he knew anything of Jiyeon’s desperate feelings or not, the main MC, Jang Junseok, shouted the line that had now become his signature way of announcing the start of a stage.
And at the same time, five contestants appeared on stage through the entrance.
The Position Evaluation had begun.
