Debut or Die

Chapter 65

It was common for a group debuting in a survival program to film a reality show.

This was because they could bring in some characters and the popularity gained from the audition program.

‘…Still, I didn’t expect to go straight into filming right away after one meeting like this.’

Even during the meeting, I didn’t hear much about it.

It was just an interview about what the members wanted to do.

‘It’s a relief that the dorm is good at least.’

Maybe they were conscious of the filming, but the dorm was more splendid than I thought. It was the first time I stayed in a large new apartment with such good security.

Of course, there were cameras on every corner.

“Ah, camera!”

“Hello…?”

The guys who took off their shoes at the entrance and ran to the living room looked at the camera and pretended to know. It was an action that had been requested in advance.

‘They said it’s unnatural to look like we aren’t too aware of the camera.’

In the first place, if there were this many of them, it would be more difficult not to be conscious.

Even in the living room, there were several cameramen and production crew waiting in the blind spot of the unmanned camera.

From what I heard, they stayed for a while today for the first cut of the reality show, and they would withdraw leaving only the unmanned cameras behind.

“First of all… Congratulations on passing, everyone~”

“Wow~!”

“Our proof shot!”

The passing participant sitting around the living room clapped and took a picture together before starting the reality show.

“Wow, it feels like a new team match has begun.”

“I think you’re right, except that the team match is happening for five years.”

“Oh~ Raebin seems good at this?”

Fortunately, everyone looked natural.

‘This is how you benefit from living with the camera all the time in <Idol Inc.>.’

In addition, the atmosphere was friendly with the joy of passing.

They were three times less sensitive and tolerant than they were at the time of the audition, exchanging good wishes and jokes and laughing together.

“You all did a great job.”

“That’s right. I feel like I can enjoy anything now!”

“L-Let’s have a good time…!”

And at the right time, a robot vacuum cleaner suddenly popped out of the crew’s camera blind spot.

It was the mascot of this reality show and the main PPL.

“Huh?”

“What does he have!”

A card covered with glitter glue dangled near the vacuum’s head.

Quick-handed Cha Eugene lifted the vacuum cleaner and pulled out the card.

“What’s written on it?”

“Right!”

Cha Eugene excitedly read the contents of the card while still holding the robot vacuum cleaner on his side.

“Hm… ‘You guys… From now on, you’ll receive missions through cards! Clear the mission so that you can become a true group!””

“Ah.”

“M-Mission.”

The atmosphere darkened slightly. There was no reaction to the trauma.

Ryu Chungwoo laughed as if he had given up.

“Haha, I passed the audition, but the mission doesn’t end…”

I thought bitterly.

‘…To be a true group, I think we need to pull our acts together, starting from the agency.’

I thought of Tnet, which repeatedly notified and canceled the change of affiliation three times a day, three days ago.

I had a bad feeling.

‘I feel like I had a meaningless expectation.’

Because the program was so successful this time, it seemed they wanted to roll Testar by creating a new direct agency at the T1 level.

However, since there were contracts with Tnet subsidiaries in the past, taking the group away was difficult.

So, because they were busy fighting each other, the group was in a state of neglect.

I read an article this morning that we would be releasing a debut song within a month. But we hadn’t even met our manager yet.

‘It’s driving me crazy.’

I held back my sigh.

At that time, Cha Eugene raised his hand.

“Oh? There’s more! ‘Today’s mission is… Free time!'”

“Ooh!!”

In an instant, the atmosphere turned relaxed.

I also said ‘I’m very happy with the break I got today.’ and received high fives from the guys around me.

‘Let’s not think about it.’

It was almost confirmed that we entered T1’s new agency anyway.

Rookies without spare time had no authority. I just had to accept it.

‘…Please don’t add your relatives to the planning.’

I hoped the high-ranking people would take care of the sales, accounting, and management and didn’t touch the planning. Please use the people experienced on the job.

“Look at our room! Let’s get a room!”

The passing participants stood up with the ‘free time’ card and started touring the house.

Three rooms and three bathrooms. It was a good composition that could be used plenty.

And there was a number sign in front of each bedroom.

“Testar’s first~ mini-game! The subject is choosing a room!”

“You sounded the same.”

“R-Really.”

Kim Raebin volunteered to imitate the MC of <Idol Inc.> but he sounded similar enough to stimulate PTSD that we became solemn again. Still, the game went on without a problem.

We picked notes from a box in the order which was determined through several board games with so many random elements.

“This also has a strange deja vu…”

“I know right…”

Every time it overlapped with <Idol Inc.>, the kids got sentimental.

Anyway, I pulled out the second note after Cha Eugene.

It was number one.

‘I avoided number three.’

Bedroom no. 3, the main bedroom, was shared by three people. Naturally, two people were much better than three.

‘I wish I can share a room with a quiet guy.’

For now, I had dodged Cha Eugene.

‘I’ll just have to dodge Keun Sejin.’

As soon as I thought so, Lee Sejin, who was next in order, pulled out number 1.

“…”

Right before a silence broke out, Keun Sejin and Ryu Chungwo hit in.

“Oh~ Moondae and Sejin hyung are in the same room~”

“Both of them are fragile types, so I think they’ll get along well.”

“Right?”

It was fortunate that there were quick-witted guys.

“Take good care of me.”

I quickly reached out my hand, and Lee Sejin slowly held out his hand and shook mine.

‘I’m a bit worried about this filming.’

I liked that he seemed to be the quiet type.

However, the camera would be running for 2-3 weeks, so the key was whether or not this guy would pretend to be friendly during that time.

‘The production team will take care of it.’

It was not an audition, but a reality show, so I figured the editing would go well.

It wasn’t good for the production team if there was a controversy.

“Let’s quickly pick one too~”

The remaining room ended up being assigned to people with polar opposites.

Kim Raebin and Seon Ahyeon were in the same room.

“P-Please take care of me.”

“I look forward to your kind cooperation and please take care of me as well.”

Looking at the two guys who weren’t close to each other having a greeting battle, I thought it would be uncomfortable over there, too.

Of course, they were still better off than me.

First of all, neither of them had the same personality as Lee Sejin.

“Oh~ Our room looks really fun, right?”

“I like the big room!”

“Okay! Let’s get along.”

And room number 3 for 3 people… Keun Sejin, Cha Eugene, and Ryu Chungwoo shared the room together.

It was already noisy. However, Ryu Chungwoo looked somewhat satisfied.

‘Come to think of it, Ryu Chungwoo’s position is a little unresolved.’

Except for Cha Eugene, Ryu Chungwoo never met any of the winning participants personally.

It would be better to get into a crowded room and catch up on the situation quickly.

The fact that there was also Keun Sejin who was friendly and polite to his seniors must be the icing on the cake.

Following the crew’s signal, I immediately moved to the bedroom to unpack and rest.

“Which bed would you like to use?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Really?”

In that case.

I went straight to the bed on the left and unpacked. It was on the other side of the living room, so there would be less noise ringing on the wall.

By the way, Lee Sejin was also looking at this bed. Thanks to that, I was at loss for words again.

“…”

It’s not a survival show so why should I please you?

I planned to do whatever I wanted in the places where I wouldn’t get caught.

Lee Sejin looked this way without saying anything, then went to the other side and unpacked.

With a calm mind, I started unpacking my things. Actually, I didn’t have much, so I didn’t have anything to organize.

Oh, I bought some clothes because I didn’t have a lot of them. It was with the prize money that my team won by a narrow margin in the final.

I heard that because of the problem with the time distribution in the final, it was announced on the Internet after the program ended and got criticized a bit, but well, it was fine because I still got the money.

By the way, the kimchi refrigerator… I hadn’t received it yet. There were no other swindlers like them.

‘I’m getting a little pissed off.’

By the time I folded my last clothes with a sigh, the quiet room was filled with the sound of human voices.

“Ta-da!”

“As expected, room number 1 is good. Is it because this is where the first place stayed?”

It was the guys from room three.

While Cha Eugene and Keun Sejin were happily wandering around the room, Ryu Chungwoo, a graduate of the National University, taught me how to unpack, so I finished organizing in an instant.

“Is there anything you want to eat for dinner?”

Ryu Chungwoo smiled and sat down on the bed.

“Galbi!”

“Jokbal!”

Cha Eugene was understandable, but it seemed Keun Sejin was being extra on purpose to get more screen time.

…Suddenly, I had a foreboding feeling that I wouldn’t be able to escape this ruckus while the reality show was in progress.

* * *

We had to cook and eat dinner together. Thanks to this, I cooked for more than 2 servings for the first time in a long time.

‘Cooking is better than going to the grocery store.’

Once I went out, I had to talk more. Because there would be fewer people with me.

In addition, it took quite a bit of courage to enter the large mart with three cameras.

Anyway, the cooking was quite successful. Surprisingly, the supports did well.

Except for Seon Ahyun.

“S-S-Sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

I think you should apologize to your own hands instead of me.

I kicked Seon Ahyeon out of the kitchen after he almost cut his own hand for the third time.

Seon Ahyeon, who was anxious, was relieved when he was given a job setting the table instead.

‘…That’s why the old lady came to his house.’

I was wondering why they attached a worker to a guy who was good at housework. It was because he was terrible at cooking.

Anyway, the jjimdak was well done. It was Ryu Chungwoo who picked this menu that after winning the rock-paper-scissors.

‘I tried to cook it on my birthday because eating out was a waste of money, but it ended up being useful like this.’

I shrugged my shoulders as I recalled my birthday in the first year of earning money from selling data.

“It looks delicious.”

“Right.”

“…”

Lee Sejin did not respond in particular to Kim Raebin’s words, but he was surprisingly cooperative in cooking.

‘Is it because I am holding a knife?’

I tidied up the kitchen knife I was still holding. In the meantime, the jjimdak was taken to the table in the hands of the grocery shopping group.

“Oh~ The jjimdak is really good!”

“The soy sauce is well seasoned and soft.”

The meal was a success.

“Should I learn how to cook, too?”

“I’m good at cooking.”

“Oh? Then you should cook!”

“But grocery shopping is better.”

With Cha Eugene’s bright remark, the reality show’s introduction was wrapped up.

“Thank you for your hard work~”

As the filming team withdrew, they installed a claw machine in the living room.

All the dolls inside were placed with the back of their heads facing up.

‘It would be creepy to see it at night.’

Anyway, they asked us to pull out one of those dolls after we got surprised to see it in the living room tomorrow.

‘It’s pulling out doll content.’

I heard that we would meet the manager tomorrow and finally started an album meeting with the agency, but to do that, I needed a good sleep.

I quickly entered the room with the determination to sleep a lot today.

Lee Sejin was already in bed and looking at his smartphone.

“Good night.”

“…You too.”

Is it because he ate well? He seemed a little more relaxed than in the morning.

I immediately put on earplugs and went to bed. The last thing I saw was the camera spinning alone in the corner.

‘I hope the people I meet tomorrow don’t just talk nonsense.’

And this wish was only half fulfilled.

* * *

The manager was a decent guy.

“If you need anything, just tell me!”

He looked gentle and his critical point seemed high. He looked like the kind of person who wouldn’t raise his hand to a child.

‘Indeed, we’re already too popular to be called rookies.’

“Once you start the album activities, there will be another manager, so don’t worry!”

“Yes!”

First of all, there was a high possibility that the person who spoke up first would set the atmosphere, so I decided not to care about that for now.

And the meeting with the agency.

This is…

“The talented Testar is in charge of organizing the songs, right?”

“…? Yes?”

To sum it up, it’s sh*t.