How to Avoid Debut

༺ How To Avoid Debut – 8 ༻

 

  As soon as I finished expressing my thoughts, the 3rd place was announced to be Jigu. Despite being the first stage in the second episode, the reaction was tremendous. 

 

  I expected Jigu, who usually had a composed expression, to thank everyone and walk off stage, but instead, he left a surprisingly long comment. His back view, filled with sincerity in each and every word captured on camera, seemed excited. 

 

  “Let’s take a brief break.” 

 

  A short break was given once again, leaving only the long-awaited announcement of the 1st and 2nd place. As much as I wanted to rush over to my uncle and ask if he was okay, I couldn’t approach him, who was sitting next to the main PD, avoiding the eyes of all these participants. 

 

  Smile! Remembering my uncle’s desperate emphasis on smiling, I realized his expression had been quite serious. 

 

  “Hyung, was the 4th place really that moving?” 

 

  The moment I thought I should take a sip of water and bent down, Jun came over and slumped down under the chair. He was beaming, perhaps happy about securing the high rank of 9th place. 

 

  “Congrats on being 9th.” 

 

  “It should be you we’re congratulating. You looked so moved your face was almost crying.” 

 

  “What do you mean crying?” 

 

  “No use pretending. You were only smiling with your mouth. Well, I might have cried too if I were in 4th place. Just now, when I came up with the survival sticker for 9th place, I was on the verge of tears. I thought I would only get scolded and be eliminated, but I realized there were people who appreciated me. You feel the same, right?” 

 

  There was nothing to say to his knowing face. Until now, the rank of 4th place didn’t quite sink in, but the number of recommendations I heard from the MC was quite high. During just a little over a week. How many people must have seen that short video. 

 

  “That’s right, I’m happy.” 

 

  It’s not that I didn’t have regrets about dancing, I just lacked the courage to try again. Sitting in an undeserved position felt burdensome, but it felt good to be praised for my dance. It would have been better if it was a compliment heard from appearing in a program like “Master of Life,” rather than in a life-or-death program. 

 

  “Did you see Jigu hyung looking happy earlier?” 

 

  “You seemed really pleased, too.” 

 

  “Well, I never expected anything, so of course. Honestly, I know my skills best. I’m planning to work harder on dance and singing practices. Praise makes even a whale dance, it’s invigorating.” 

 

  Jun, who clenched his fist and burned with ambition, and Jigu, who was staring blankly at the lights from afar, came into view. Seeing them, I eventually bowed my head. 

 

  Everyone’s working hard. What have I done? The upright dream I had until my senior year of high school was now completely collapsed. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to live a moderate life, but seeing Jun’s face, determined to practice hard, gave me an odd feeling. 

 

  “Why are you like this, hyung? Were you moved again?”

 

  “Yeah, so you should go now.” 

 

  “Ah, why! I’m telling you I’m bored. Everyone seems sensitive so I feel like I shouldn’t talk to them.” 

 

  I responded to Jun, who was whining and pouting, as I opened a bottle of water. 

 

  “I’m sensitive too.” 

 

  “Ah, I see. You should control your emotions too, hyung.” 

 

  “If you get it, then go.” 

 

  “Don’t cry here and ruin your makeup for no reason. You’re not a baby.” 

 

  Jun, who had been patting my shoulder, laughed and hurriedly returned to his place. 

 

  Why would I cry? I could cry because another embarrassing moment has been added to my life. My heart pounded, worrying about how that shabby impression was captured by that big camera. My uncle said he can’t do a full edit, but I wish he could at least cut out the grammatically incorrect sentences. 

 

  After pondering for a while on how to ask for edits, the break time was over. By the time Seongwon and a stranger each came out as candidates for 1st place, I had already envisioned everything on the screen. 

 

  I will work harder as you’ve given me such a high rank. The perfect structure of quickly zooming out after delivering a simple impression, turning my back, and immediately moving on to 3rd place. 

 

  “Kim Seongwon was more talked about because he showed both singing and dancing at once.” 

 

  “Yes. I thought I should show as much as I could. Being an idol is a profession where you both dance and sing. It’s not about doing just one thing.” 

 

  Seongwon, answering confidently with a bright smile, eventually clinched the first place and returned to his seat. From his confidence to his skills, everything was impressive. 

 

  Despite his comment targeting those who only prepared dance or singing, no one could rebut him. It was because Seongwon seemed more prepared for his debut than anyone else. Even my uncle chose Seongwon as a likely debut candidate without hesitation. 

 

  After the announcement of the first place, there was a time to listen to the stories of those who were eliminated. I wondered why they were putting us through such an upsetting process, but realizing it was for the fun of the broadcast, I quietly listened. A participant ranked 27th tightly held the microphone with both hands in a situation where all survivors were watching, and he opened his mouth.1 

 

  “This program may be over for me, but I won’t give up and will continue.” 

 

  I could only imagine how dramatically this scene would be edited, and my head turned of its own accord. It felt like the caption “A boy’s dream never stops” would appear in swooping cursive. 

 

  Hearing the trembling voice full of ambition, the person next to me inhaled a nervous breath. This person, who never stopped belittling his ordinary self, was ranked 32nd. 

 

  “Everyone did a great job! From 26th place, you should come here by 10 am the day after tomorrow. Because we’re moving on to the next mission.” 

 

  The moment the order to disperse was given, everyone immediately stepped out of the set. A few participants who had gotten close comforted the eliminated ones, but they were just a few. 

 

  There wasn’t really much interaction among the participants, so it was understandable. That was the most fortunate thing. Honestly, group activities were uncomfortable, and the increase of familiar faces considering the future wasn’t something I desired. 

 

  As soon as I stepped out of the set, avoiding a few people who were busy comforting a crying man, my uncle, looking around cautiously, grabbed my arm and led me to a secluded place. It seemed like I visited the corners of the set quite a lot because of my uncle. 

 

  “You, why did you do that during the impression announcement!” 

 

  “You told me to smile, uncle.” 

 

  “That’s not a smile…” 

 

  Uncle, seemingly at a loss for words, opened his mouth blankly and then repeatedly hit his chest with his fist. His punches were so vigorous that I thought he might fall over in pain. 

 

  “Your eyes were crying, but your mouth was smiling. What kind of mess of an expression was that?” 

 

  “Jun was also saying something about it, what kind of expression was that?” 

 

  “It was the expression of sending off the person you love while holding back tears.” 

 

  I wanted to ask what kind of expression that was, but I decided to drop it as I probably wouldn’t understand. Uncle had told me to smile, so I forced a smile, but I definitely didn’t look sad. I had thought about wanting to get off the show in my mind, but I wasn’t sad. 

 

  “I’ll do my best to edit it.” 

 

  “Anyone would think you’re part of the editing team, uncle.” 

 

  “That’s what I’m saying. Plus, the chief editor only drinks Java Chip Frappuccino.” 

 

  Uncle, with a look of despair, took out his wallet from his pocket and shook it a few times. It was not completely empty, but it was clear there were only a few bills left. I was about to check my bank account balance to offer him a coffee when an astonishing statement sprang from my uncle’s mouth. The next mission is, what? I frowned, thinking I’d misheard, and asked again. 

 

  “……What did you say?” 

 

  “Ah, haha…… I just told you early. It’s something no one knows about yet.” 

 

  “……A team mission?” 

 

  “It was supposed to be something else, but they switched the order of the second and third rounds. The third mission was a bit difficult to proceed with many participants.” 

 

  I had just been glad about not having any group activities, but my uncle dashed that naive thought and dumped it in the trash. Talking with my uncle recently was always draining. 

 

  “Exactly what kind of team mission is it?” 

 

  “What else? Making a group and performing… I’ll text you the details.” 

 

  “Uncle, you can’t send long text messages.” 

 

  “……I’ll send it by email. But you know this kind of thing is a secret, right? You can’t talk about it.” 

 

  There was no one for me to tell, but my uncle earnestly requested with a worried expression. 

 

  “There are more leak routes than you think. There’s a lot of staff leaks alone.”

 

  “How do you know so much?” 

 

  “I was into idols for a while.” 

 

  “Right, you were a fan of NOBLE, weren’t you?” 

 

  Uncle brightened up with a fond memory and clapped twice, smiling brightly. 

 

  “Do you remember when you were going to your first autograph event and you called me? How many albums did you buy? Anyway, you bought a lot, and when you unboxed them, people gathered around to trade photo cards. I remember that. You were so into it, why did you quit now?” 

 

  “I don’t know. I think that field was also in a slump.” 

 

  What was most precious to me, dance, had entered a slump, and I think I naturally let it go. 

 

  There was a time when I didn’t have any particular thoughts when I saw their sharp choreographies, and when I lost my admiration, I completely quit. I even threw away all the albums. While I was stuck in the past, Uncle picked up the cellphone that was in his pocket and started to search. The subject of his search was me. 

 

 └ Let’s just walk on the debut pathㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅠ The fighting spirit increases  

 

└ I had no idea that it would be full edited till the second episode ^^! The editing skills are amazing! 

 

└ It’s fortunate that the stability zone was included ㅠ I wish I could give a higher rankㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ 

 

  “Your fans are buzzing because they’ve full edited up to the second episode. They say they’re scared they might get hit in the back of the head with a log on a dark road.” 

 

   “…….”

 

  “Was it a soup bowl? The main PD seems like the kind to shatter that, too.” 

 

  The fans’ fighting spirit seemed high. I was a little scared and proposed a reasonable solution to Uncle. 

 

  “How about dropping out?” 

 

  “Well, that’s not really… in terms of the program’s image……” 

 

  “What about a concept of having to leave due to a traffic accident?” 

 

  “I’m sorry, my nephew. Once the filming is over, I can’t buy the convenience store in front of your house, but I’ll set up a mini convenience store inside your house. I’ll even bring in a perfect hot water dispenser for ramen!” 

 

  I nodded at Uncle’s voice, which was floundering pitifully. To be honest, I was a bit tempted by the hot water dispenser for ramen. I was getting tired of always boiling water in the coffee pot. As I nodded, Uncle grabbed my hands firmly as if thanking me. 

 

  “I must be crazy to put you through all this trouble…. I should have participated myself. Then at least the 33rd place would be confirmed!” 

 

  I pressed down on Uncle’s shoulders, who was regretfully sitting down, not too late, and quickly escaped the situation. It was best to avoid Uncle when he acted strangely like that. Without even a proper goodbye, I grabbed my phone and dashed outside. I was due to meet him the day after tomorrow, so it didn’t seem to matter. 

 

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading this chapter!

If you liked it, please help me continue translating by disabling adblock for the next chapter. Most of the few dollars I earn is from adsense, and your support means a lot! Thank you! ~ Xen

You can rate this series here.

If you want to donate please do so here.