The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 188

“Who should we choose?”

“I’m torn. It feels like no matter who we pick, we’ll be watching our backs a bit.”

“Hmm……”

Groaning sounds could be heard here and there around us.

MC Min Yonghan was grinning as if something was incredibly amusing.

Seeing everyone agonize longer than expected, I wondered if I’d pressed the button too quickly.

“No, it’s fine. I would’ve definitely pressed those brothers’ names too, you know?”

“Aren’t you going to choose Comet?”

“Stop with the scary talk. You saw Brother Han-ul too.”

Kang Seon-woo shuddered his whole body.

Well, I’d also experienced firsthand how cold an atmosphere Joo Han-ul could create.

Moreover, for Kang Seon-woo, there was even that obsessive yandere image layered on top of it.

His fear must be no joke.

About ten minutes later, all groups had finished their selections.

Min Yonghan, who tallied up the results, wore a genuinely surprised expression.

“We got a very unexpected result! This is quite thrilling. Wow, I never imagined this.”

Anyone could tell it was scripted exclamation, so I wished he’d stop wasting time and just announce it.

“A total of 4 votes came out.”

“What, 4 votes?”

“They were concentrated that much?”

Reacting innocently despite having done it themselves was too contrived. I bet it’ll get edited out.

“The team that will go first in the 1st competition is none other than, CENTIX.”

The other guys seemed to have predicted this to some extent too.

We showed no particular reaction and even bowed politely in thanks.

Then an interview immediately came to me as the leader.

“Si-hwan, you guys received the most votes, how are you feeling?”

“Yes, actually I was expecting our name to be called in my heart. Since everyone here are incredible seniors, and CENTIX is still running toward our 1st debut anniversary. Compared to the other seniors, we’ve shown a bit less, so I understand this result and can humbly accept it.”

“Oh, I see.”

While listening to my words and looking over the tally results again, Min Yonghan’s eyes flashed.

Like he’d discovered new prey.

“There’s something tremendously interesting here! Everyone’s curious about which group CENTIX, the youngest group in 〈All Star〉, pointed to, aren’t you?”

The other idols nodded a few times too.

“The youngest picked the eldest. CENTIX chose Zefa as the group they think they can beat. Wow, this is incredible!”

The moment my choice was revealed, the filming location briefly stirred.

Everyone was glancing toward Zefa, so it seems no one except us even thought about picking Zefa.

“We can’t help but ask about the reason. How did you come to point to Zefa, Si-hwan?”

“There really wasn’t any special reason.”

I calmly grabbed the microphone and spoke.

I could see Baek Joo-won in the distance shooting hot gazes toward me.

A smile naturally curved my lips.

“CENTIX thinks of ourselves as the youngest, challengers, and underdogs. When we decided to appear on 〈All Star〉, we said this among the members, and at the same time we also resolved that we needed to prepare thoroughly enough to reverse this kind of situation. So ahead of the 1st competition, with the will to show our determination, we chose Senior Zefa who are in the highest position here.”

The moment I delivered the comment I’d written in my head beforehand, Cerberus on my shoulder wagged his tail enthusiastically.

{That’s right, Master! That red pepper paste head human’s displeasure is rising even more! He really didn’t like that comment just now!}

‘Perfect.’

And at the same time, Seong-hwi sitting behind me lightly tapped my back and laughed quietly.

“Brother, you spoke well. I feel refreshed.”

{Huh, huh? Why is that person stealing my lines?}

“This much is nothing.”

“I really like this kind of provocation. You know that, right brother?”

{No, I like provocation too. Why does he keep stealing what I should say—.}

Zefa also did an interview, but surprisingly it wasn’t Baek Joo-won who grabbed the microphone.

“Actually we picked CENTIX too, but as Si-hwan just said, the other conditions were too equal so we inevitably decided by years of experience. Hearing that you pointed to us means you’ve prepared well and have confidence, so we hope you’ll show us a good stage later. Let’s all fighting.”

It seemed like Seok Jae-han had intercepted the microphone first.

If hot-tempered Baek Joo-won had grabbed it, who knows what nonsense he might have spouted from the start.

A wise choice.

“Here’s another unexpected result. Zefa received 2 votes and automatically becomes CENTIX’s next turn!”

“What?”

“Who else picked us?”

This time Baek Joo-won couldn’t stay still.

Seeing him widen his eyes and look around, he seemed considerably upset.

“Zefa’s other vote came from…… Comet sitting across from them. A rival showdown, it’s already getting heated!”

“Ha, haha!”

Baek Joo-won immediately stared intensely at Joo Han-ul.

Unlike him burning hotly, Joo Han-ul just maintained a calm expression and picked up the microphone.

“It’s simple. During our last comeback, our results were almost similar to Zefa’s. Since it wasn’t clear who had the upper hand, I wanted to prove it with this opportunity.”

“Comet left a short but incredibly powerful reason! Ah, I’m getting too excited, what should I do? I want to see the actual stages quickly!”

Kang Seon-woo was stroking his chest as if his insides were all refreshed.

“Brother Han-ul, I believed in you.”

“Where did the guy who was trembling with fear just a while ago go?”

“Ah, that friend clocked out a few minutes ago.”

“I see.”

The teams that weren’t pointed out decided their remaining order through simple rock-paper-scissors among themselves.

All preliminary preparations were finished, and now the first stage of 〈All Star〉 was waiting for us.

“Alright everyone, gather up.”

After fixing our makeup, just before leaving the waiting room.

I called the members together.

“We talked about similar things a few weeks ago, but today feels different, doesn’t it?”

“Yes!”

“Everyone’s been saying from the start that they’re looking down on us, so I’m really angry right now.”

“Brother, I’m angry too!”

“I don’t want anything else. Just show everything we’ve practiced. Just show everything we’ve been synchronizing up until now and let’s come down from the stage without regrets. Got it?”

I never thought I’d be the one saying these words directly.

When I came to my senses, I was somehow leading a tremendous chant with my voice.

“CENTIX let’s go tear up the stage!”

“Let’s gooooo!”

“Let’s goooo!”

* * *

‘Hmm, I’m not sure how this will go.’

A woman barely breathing in the cramped audience managed to read the message her friend had sent.

[Hey, I couldn’t go so please watch properly for me and report back T_T]

[Just tell me briefly what the kids looked like in person and how the stage was…]

She’d seen plenty of articles about how all the currently successful male idols were appearing together.

〈All Star〉, which naturally became a hot topic, made it easy to guess that competition among audience members would be incredibly fierce early on.

She still wasn’t quite sure how someone like her, who’d been away from idol fangirling for N years, ended up in this seat.

‘……Maybe I shouldn’t have just accepted the ticket.’

A close friend who was a passionate fan of one of the six teams had begged her to please go.

Knowing that the woman’s older brother worked on KNet’s production team, she wanted to use that connection.

Unable to refuse that proposal, the woman was experiencing the heated atmosphere of a live venue for the first time in ages.

‘These days I haven’t been living with any interest in idols at all……’

Still, there were quite a few names she’d seen frequently through articles.

Apparently the most successful idols right now were Zefa, Comet, and CENTIX.

‘Then these three groups will probably come out near the end.’

The woman was thinking of resting a bit and slowly conserving her energy.

When entry time approached and she went inside the filming location, she was greeted by a scale beyond her imagination.

A stage incomparably wider than the music show stages she’d been to before. Stage equipment she’d never seen.

It felt like seeing a new world.

“Hello everyone! I’m Min Yonghan who will be serving as 〈All Star〉 master. Nice to meet you~!”

The MC who had made countless appearances on variety programs quickly delivered preliminary announcements.

Since there was still quite a while until the actual broadcast, he was making all kinds of earnest requests and pleas to prevent spoilers.

‘Well, I only need to tell this one friend, so it doesn’t matter.’

Anyway, even if he said this, the people who were going to talk would obviously chatter on the internet.

The woman maintained an indifferent expression while waiting for the announcements to end.

“Then we’ll start with the first stage! The first group to brilliantly open the 〈All Star〉 stage is…… Ah, really their rise since last year has been extraordinary. A group where the nickname that’s followed them since debut, ‘monster rookies,’ really fits perfectly, CENTIX!”

Hearing CENTIX’s name, the woman was slightly surprised.

Generally in these large-scale programs, don’t they place groups with good recognition or skills in the latter half?

If she, who hadn’t been interested in recent idol culture, knew their name value, she thought they deserved that.

For some unknown reason, CENTIX ended up decorating the opening stage.

Pop, pop.

The lights went out all at once, and only faint tension lingered in the filming location.

Up until this point, the woman hadn’t been harboring any particular expectations.

—Drrrrr!

But when CENTIX leaped onto the stage with the fierce electronic guitar sounds, her eyes immediately opened wide.

‘……What are these kids?’

The stage ran for about 4 minutes.

But for the woman who watched the stage in a daze, 1 minute felt like 1 hour.

It seemed like her senses were paralyzed from the unexpectedly intense impact.

The shock was so fresh that even when another heavyweight, Zefa, appeared after CENTIX, she couldn’t really feel it.

Zefa must have done a good stage too.

However, CENTIX’s 〈Realize〉 stage was still burned into the woman’s frontal lobe and remained there.

‘This is just overwhelming.’

She didn’t know how other audience members felt.

But from her perspective, having taken a long break from fangirling, the most orthodox, clean, and powerfully captivating stage was CENTIX’s.

When all stages ended and there was time to vote for the best stage.

Here too, her choice remained unchanged.

‘Wow, I feel like I enjoyed myself for the first time in ages.’

While leaving the filming location, the woman left a message for her close friend.

[Hey was the group you liked CENTIX?]

[?? No no I said I like Zefa, why?]

[I recommend you get your eyes checked again]

[???? Why are you suddenly doing this to me]

[You asked me to tell you the summary lol. This is the one-line summary]