Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 30

Having finished both the self-composed mission song and the cover song stages, I gasped for breath.

‘…It’s only been four sleepless nights, so why am I so exhausted?’

Briefly exhausted, I momentarily forgot that I had to fix my makeup soon and go back on stage, and just sat backstage, catching my breath.

‘…Damn it, now that I think about it, back then I only stayed up all night reading books. …Staying up for four nights with physical labor is too much, I need to remember that.’

Anyway… I quietly called out to the System inside.

‘Check quest.’

[Main Quest ‘Brilliant Start’!

You have overcome many difficulties and finally stand at the threshold of your debut. Take one more step and complete your debut!

Completion Condition: Debut

Reward: ???]

…I can’t even guess what they’ll give as a reward. Maybe a fragment of possibility.

Personally, I don’t want to see any more of other people’s misfortunes.

The moment I caught my breath and got up from my seat, Lee Hyun-jae, who was walking in front of me, was about to fall.

…Huh? I reflexively got up and supported him.

“Are you hurt?”

“…I was so nervous, my legs, the strength, it just gave out.”

He struggled to regain his balance and barely managed to stand up straight.

“…Hyung, the horizon is a place we can’t reach, right?”

…Why ask me something like that now.

“While writing lyrics with hyung, I kept imagining us debuting as six, but someone is going to be eliminated… right?”

“…That’s right.”

Even if we don’t want to climb the stairs, even if the stairs disappeared from the stage after we protested as much as we could, someone will be eliminated.

Then, Lee Hyun-jae slowly nodded and began to cry.

“…Hyung, what should I do? I don’t want to be eliminated, but I really don’t want the hyungs [older brothers/male colleagues] or Hyun-jin, who have suffered together, to be eliminated either.”

…Well, no matter how cruel the purpose of the survival show is, human nature cannot be changed. Why are each and every one of the members so kind?

“…Internal contradictions are a natural phenomenon and can even help humans grow.”

Then, Lee Hyun-jae wiped away his tears and said.

“More weird stuff.”

…This kid, seriously, even when I carefully say something to him.

“So, you’re saying that my feelings right now are natural, so I should accept them?”

“…Yeah.”

He’s a little lacking.

“And you’re saying that I should use this as a stepping stone to grow?”

“…Exactly.”

“…Thank you. Can I still send you my worries even if I get eliminated?”

I’m not confident in giving advice, but I’m confident in listening, so I nodded and went with Lee Hyun-jae to fix our makeup.

Now… someone is really going to be eliminated.

Thinking about it, those damn broadcasting station guys, making only one person get eliminated at the end. Why are they being so cruel until the end?

* * *

In the end, the six who made it to the stage stood in their places wearing the white shirts and leather pants they wore for the second performance.

Lee Dong-seok would announce the rankings, and they would move from the platform on the right to the platform on the left. Only five spotlights were lit on the left platform.

If you go into that, your debut is confirmed, and if you stay on this platform, you are eliminated.

Everyone is looking at each other and trying to smile, but it can’t be helped that tension is peeking out from beyond those smiles.

‘I wonder if Mok-hwa came.’

I quickly scanned the audience seats for people involved. I didn’t have time to look during the stage, so I should check now to see if she’s still in one piece.

Among the other families who were praying with their hands together, there was Mok-hwa.

In her hands, she held a piece of cloth with the phrase ‘A flower blooming in hardship’ written on it, with her two-block haircut, smiling brightly.

Even though four years have passed based on this world’s standards, her old self remains intact.

…This is bad. I feel like I’m going to cry.

Mok-hwa, who made eye contact with me, waved her hand slightly and clenched her fist, shouting, “Fighting!”

I try to maintain my expression and turn my head forward.

…She won’t be disappointed, right.

In the meantime, Lee Dong-seok’s hosting is reaching its climax.

“A total of 70% from text voting and 30% from previous individual cam views, only 5 out of 6 will remain as members of ‘The Next Nietzsche’. These 5 will participate in a reality show showing the debut preparation process and will lead Nietzsche Entertainment’s next generation!”

And after a moment of silence, Lee Dong-seok finally raises his voice.

“Well, the text voting has been tallied. …Then, I will announce the 1st place!”

Um, it’s probably Chae Ha-min.

* * *

During the live broadcast, as the text voting time ended, SNS began to be filled with mentions from those who were truly sincere about ‘The Next Ni’.

―Dong-hwa, let’s debut, Dong-hwa is the flower of idols, K-pop’s future, there will never be another Ji Dong-hwa, let’s debut

―Hyun-jin… I have midterms the day after tomorrow… If you get eliminated, I’ll be so sad that I’ll ruin the exam… If you get in, I’ll be so happy that I’ll ruin the exam… If I’m destined to ruin it, I want to ruin it with joy…

―Giant Rabbit. Debut. Of course.

―Can the dancer line be established without Chae Ha-min? If the agency has any sense, they should put him in

―A current physical education student friend recognized that Ryu I-deun has a good body frame, let’s have him debut and wear a suit just once!!!!

―Someone who knows…

―Jun-ah… Seok-jun-ah… A name I’ll die for… A name that makes me feel like I’m going crazy… A guy who hits my heart every time he raps with that face that looks like he’s going to be an actor… A guy who’s Wizny’s 최애 [choeae – favorite] with that physique… You have to debut no matter what.

―Hyun-jae… A group without a refreshing voice… This grandma doesn’t like it… Hyun-jae… What will you become…?

―Grandma, Hyun-jae is good, but you should also think about your health~!

Everyone declared firmly the reason why the trainee they were pushing had to get in, and lamented whether the group would be okay without each member.

At the moment when a chaotic scene unfolded on SNS, Lee Dong-seok MC, who had been dragging out the ranking announcement, finally called out the 1st place.

“1st place is trainee Ji Dong-hwa!”

Thanks to the family affair controversy that broke out at the last minute, and the truth revealed there, Ji Dong-hwa, who was already popular, received public attention.

―F*ck, it has to be Dong-hwa

―I can’t be sure if it’s a dream, so I tried to smash my head with the remote control… It was reality… Tonight… tears are flowing…

Ji Dong-hwa enters the spotlight with a blank expression. Every trainee who passes by hugs or congratulates Ji Dong-hwa first.

When asked for his thoughts, he raised the microphone.

“…First of all, um, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the fans who gave me the unexpected ranking of 1st place.”

Ji Dong-hwa then bends his body 90 degrees and bows.

“My younger sibling… is under this stage, and I’m showing a good side in front of them, um, I’m sorry.”

And Ji Dong-hwa sheds a thin tear. After taking a deep breath for a moment, Ji Dong-hwa wipes away the tears with his fingers and says one word.

“For those who have completely changed my future life, I will repay this grace with a good performance. Thank you.”

However, the fans were holding their hearts, captivated by Ji Dong-hwa’s appearance of silently shedding tears in a blank state, regardless of his impressions.

―I remembered… Ji Dong-hwa, my ex-boyfriend who was so cold when I said let’s break up but only shed one tear… How have you been?

―Be quiet, from now on, he’s everyone’s ex-boyfriend

―A successful businessman, one tear shed in front of me… My memory was successfully remodeled again today

―Dong-hwa met his younger sibling again ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was really sad when I read the sibling’s post, I’m glad ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

―But the moment he said sibling, he reflexively shed tears, he must have cherished them so much… Why do men of the same biological gender as my parents treat me like trash on the street…?

And after a proper time-wasting session, 2nd place is announced.

“2nd place is trainee Ryu I-deun!”

Ryu I-deun, who captivated the hearts of those who were watching out of curiosity thanks to the fit of the white shirt he showed on the last stage, took 2nd place with a slight difference from 3rd place, and his legs gave way the moment his name was called, and he struggled to get up.

And even after entering the spotlight, Ryu I-deun, who was overwhelmed with emotion and cried for a while, raised the microphone.

“I thought it would be the last, the last challenge, and I wanted to give up in the middle, and, uh… Thank you, Dong-hwa hyung! I will repay this grace for the rest of my life!”

Ryu I-deun said his impressions, but his head was overloaded, and he said whatever came to his mind.

Ji Dong-hwa, whose name was suddenly called, is zoomed in on the screen, highlighting his dumbfounded expression.

He even says ‘This crazy guy’ with his mouth, but then closes his mouth as if he suddenly came to his senses.

“Thank you so much to the fans who let me debut like this, and to everyone who believed in me and cheered me on, and to everyone who looked at me favorably!”

Ryu I-deun’s comment, which seemed to mention Ji Dong-hwa as someone who helped him when he was having a hard time, gained a response from Ryu I-deun’s fans.

―Ji Dong-hwa must have helped our I-deun a lot mentally… I didn’t even know that…

―I didn’t like Ji Dong-hwa’s cold face… I guess he’s kinder than I expected

And then Chae Ha-min and Seok-jun, who were called out, confirmed their debut in 3rd and 4th place, respectively.

Chae Ha-min took a deep breath of relief when his name was called, but unexpectedly, he didn’t cry.

“Thank you to everyone who cheered me on so that I could debut! You called me a rabbit, but after my debut, I will show you a lot of cool sides besides cuteness! Mom! Dad! I debuted!”

Seok-jun also didn’t cry and walked out gracefully like Wizny’s prince and gave his impressions.

“The reason why I, who am lacking—after a long trainee life—was able to debut—is all thanks to the people who cheered me on and my family—Grandpa, who couldn’t come because he’s not feeling well! Your grandson will definitely—make you live in luxury—.”

“Yes, I heard you well. With trainee Seok-jun debuting in 4th place, now there is only one spot left, and there are only two trainees left. Only one of the two can debut.”

The moment Lee Dong-seok MC said that, Ji Dong-hwa’s expression was caught distorting very briefly on the side.

―Did anyone see Dong-hwa’s expression? It seems like it’s because the kids are being eliminated ㅇㅇ This self-composed song lyrics, VCR, and everything shows that he’s thoughtful

―If you think about it, Dong-hwa seemed to have a pitiful expression every time someone was eliminated in the previous competitions

―ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ It’s a very subtle change, but his expression has been getting a little worse since before, but today it changed the most ㅅㅂ Ji Dong-hwa, who makes me fall for him even in these parts, you are… irreplaceable…

The fans seemed to be discovering several new aspects of Ji Dong-hwa, who had no facial expressions like a machine today.

“Now, ‘The Next Nietzsche’! The last trainee to join the debut members is!”

Lee Dong-seok dragged it out like crazy before the final announcement, and finally started the announcement.

“Right now!”

Lee Dong-seok paused for a moment to fix the card and shouted.

“It’s trainee Lee Hyun-jae! Congratulations!”

Lee Hyun-jae, who collapsed the moment he was called, breathed heavily and finally started crying like crazy.

It was pitiful to see him crying three times louder and more sadly than Ryu I-deun cried.

When he completely ruined the stage due to nervousness, when his parents subtly put pressure on him, and when they strongly recommended him to study abroad, Lee Hyun-jae forcibly endured all those situations and reached the end of his long trainee life of 9 years.

Thanks to the fact that the broadcast time was not yet tight even in the midst of the long crying, everyone was just watching, and Kim Hyun-jin, who was next to him, carefully patted Lee Hyun-jae on the back.

Kim Hyun-jin’s warm appearance, who seemed like a delinquent, made the hearts of Kim Hyun-jin’s fans, who were driven to the point of crying the moment his elimination was confirmed, even sadder.

Lee Hyun-jae seemed to have calmed down with that touch, and slowly walked out, leaving Kim Hyun-jin behind, and entered the spotlight on the left.

Chae Ha-min grabbed Lee Hyun-jae, who was staggering as if his legs were giving way, and barely managed to regain his balance.

“I think I’ve been a trainee for a total of 9 years. I’ve heard that there are many people who do it longer than me, but I’m so grateful that you let me debut like this, and whenever I had a hard time or had worries, I read the posts that the fans uploaded, and Dong-hwa hyung gave me counseling, thank you so much, thank you so much!”

Nothing matched from beginning to end, and there were even parts that couldn’t be heard properly because he was sobbing in between.

But everyone at the scene applauded because they could understand his feelings.

And the microphone was returned to Kim Hyun-jin, who was the only one left on the right, and Kim Hyun-jin shouted with a bright smile.

“I was able to come to the final stage thanks to the people who cheered me on. Uh, I-deun hyung told me, this elimination is just taking one step back.”

Kim Hyun-jin was smiling. But tears started to flow from his eyes.

“I, I will keep running. So until then, please wait for me just a little bit. Thank you so much to everyone who cheered me on!”

And with Kim Hyun-jin’s impressions as the last, the long, long survival came to an end.

* * *

I said goodbye to Kim Hyun-jin, who was trying to leave with his family first, and returned to the waiting room. Perhaps they were considerate so that we, who were debuting, could be happy to our heart’s content. The road back, which had always been practiced by six people, but returned as five, was empty.

Like that, the dream of six people debuting for a short time returned to being futile.

…Dreams are valuable because they are futile.

If Kim Hyun-jin was someone whose life should have changed because of me, like Ryu I-deun or Chae Ha-min… I think I would be very sad.

[Attention! Surprisingly, that is not the case. Rather, ‘Kim Hyun-jin’ has entered a better possibility.]

…But System, who can know that, who the hell are you?

I ignored the System’s notification, which didn’t give me any answers and only sent a quest completion signal, and turned my gaze forward.

And at that moment…….

“Hyuuuuung!”

The door opened and Mok-hwa ran like crazy and hugged me tightly.

“…It’s been a while, Mok-hwa.”

In order not to make it awkward on purpose, I opened my mouth as if the past 4 years hadn’t passed.

“…Hyung, can I hit you just once?”