The Idol Who Returned from Hell – Chapter 30

Author: Dawn

When episode 2 of 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉 ended, it was truly chaotic chaos.

I too tried hard to search for reactions on the internet, diligently browsing live talk and communities, but everywhere I went was burning with different topics.

Naturally, there was good reason for that.

‘Definitely, it seemed like KNet seriously prepared for this season. How many plot threads did they scatter in just one episode?’

Last night I had to constantly manage not to let my cheeks get too red while watching episode 2 live with my 〈Volt〉 team roommates.

Because Ryu Si-hwan got much more screen time than I had expected.

I never dreamed they would include even those detailed scenes of when I first met Kang Seon-woo and Ma Si-hyeok.

On top of that, scenes of me giving one-on-one lessons to Yu Ha-woon also aired consecutively, so thanks to that I seemed to have gained a nickname.

‘It feels strange getting called father at this age. But at least it’s not grandfather.’

Right, if you add up the 50 years I spent in hell, I’d be more than old enough to be their father.

Let’s just think positively. The achievement of earning a pet name from the national managers this quickly is extremely difficult to accomplish.

They even preserved my grade evaluation scene almost perfectly without editing out any parts.

The comment from dance trainer Shin Jae-hoon that had been inserted in the trailer also came out tastefully.

[Si-hwan, you did fucking amazingly well.]

Since Shin Jae-hoon had given ice-cold harsh reviews to the previous trainees, that contrast effect was starkly revealed.

The editing was created in a direction that highlighted my venomous eyes and stable vocals so people could feel his assertion was justified.

—Si-hwan is a rabbit, a rabbit… mountain venom, poison venom…

└Crazy LMAO mountain poison venom lol that’s so accurate for real

└Seems like he got completely venomous from practicing mixed up with the kids T_T insane for real

└Ah LOL he has to do at least this much to get the main platform lol

└All the mindless haters went mute, right? Hehe

This ego search was also successful.

Most people who were annoyed that a mere independent trainee had stood on the main platform tucked their tails and disappeared.

The national managers who had been supporting me were proudly walking around with their shoulders straight.

The sight of me definitively proving my skills during the final grade evaluation, the impact my self-PR video brought, and the fact that even a famous celebrity indirectly promoted my existence all meshed together like gears to create good synergy.

It was good that Ryu Si-hwan’s recognition and favorability rose through friendly editing. But the establishment of a rival relationship with Seong-hwi that I had worried about during the final grade evaluation… returned unchanged as a hot topic.

[Was it Ryu Si-hwan? You performed well. I felt like my position was being threatened, so it was interesting. So I decided I had to destroy this stage so I wouldn’t fall behind. I have a strong feeling we’ll meet often in the future—shall we do well together?]

This scene that KNet had touched made things look much stranger than at the actual site.

No matter how much this sudden provocation had stirred the venue, people hadn’t openly looked at Seong-hwi with strange gazes.

However, true to being editing masters, they variously attached ‘trainees making serious expressions’ and ‘judges shaking their heads’ extracted from here and there.

With considerable cross-editing added on top, they firmly established an atmosphere that everyone was flustered after hearing Seong-hwi’s words.

[Production team) How did you feel when that incident happened?]

[Honestly, I was a bit flustered.]

[What is this…?]

[I felt this was the beginning of true survival.]

[That kind of survival where mutual checks become increasingly fierce…]

They hadn’t even asked me such direct questions.

They probably picked a few other trainees and only cut and inserted lines that gave the reactions they wanted.

With my face deliberately making a disgusted expression overlaid on top, it created a situation perfect for people to tear apart.

—Why are they doing that to Si-hwan when he didn’t do anything wrong

—The team battles haven’t even started yet, why check him like this lol didn’t that guy also give a really arrogant interview earlier

└For real… Just feels like he’s saying I’m fucking good~ right to his face

—Seong-hwi is kind of unlikeable…

—I had high expectations because he’s from X2, but he was this kind of person? LOL. Said everything I needed to say

└That’s right, the trainee gallery was totally hyping him up saying he’s from X2, but in the end when you look closely he’s like this lol that’s why the trainee gallery can’t be trusted~

└This is obviously evil editing and besides, those words could come from a competitive mindset, how much have you seen to say his personality is shit, can’t trust it and stuff…

└From what I see, Seong-hwi fans will probably use this excuse until ISL 2 ends ^_^

‘…I hadn’t calculated this kind of situation.’

I just didn’t say it, but Seong-hwi and I had definitely established a rival relationship from that point.

That kind of minor provocation was a bit annoying, but it wasn’t to the degree that it really bothered me.

I never dreamed the KNet production team would make Seong-hwi the target of their first evil editing.

Like adding oil to a burning house, after this, individual interviews of me and Seong-hwi appeared.

[Production team) What were you thinking at that time?]

[Seong-hwi) Ah, then? (Shrugs shoulders) I really wasn’t thinking anything special. It was something I wanted to say? It looked interesting. Kind of like adding tension to a loose state? I definitely had a feeling I’d frequently clash with trainee Ryu Si-hwan.]

[Ryu Si-hwan) It was true that it felt like checking. But I think I just mentally repeated the thought that I shouldn’t waver and should do what I could.]

How much my head hurt at that time.

‘I never received that question.’

When I gave that answer was… probably the interview conducted the day before the group battle round started.

They had asked whether I felt checked or not seeing Team 4 practicing hard.

I could only admire the fact that they used that answer like this.

This is how the confrontational dynamic between me and Seong-hwi, both top-tier trainees, was officially declared.

‘Even though he was sneaky, he didn’t feel like a kid with a fundamentally bad nature.’

Of course, Cerberus had given him a harsh review calling him an annoying human.

But I didn’t feel at all like he had acted ‘to disparage Ryu Si-hwan.’

On one hand, I felt a bit sorry for him.

Thanks to that, it became an opportunity for me to regain the competitive spirit and pride I had been living while slightly forgetting.

But I was concerned that public opinion seemed to be leaning too much in a negative direction.

Apart from content aspects, much attention was also focused on the newly started match prediction round.

The topic that drew the most firepower was precisely the high-payout event that had popped up in real-time.

If someone had invested all their money and gotten it right, they could have earned as much as 3 million won.

It was impossible to predict how many people got the question right and what items they’d buy to give as gifts to whom.

This was purely in the hands of third parties.

{Snore, snooze…}

Lying alone in the empty dormitory while scratching Cerberus’s forehead, I rubbed my eyes and checked the time.

The current time was 2 PM.

Outside stays were only possible for two days, but it seemed most trainees had left the dormitory to visit home during this weekend.

Having no family to meet, I had planned to laze around in bed without using my outside stay permit, but.

Buzz! Buzz!

Suddenly the phone was ringing.

[Caller: Kang Seon-woo]

“…”

Something smelled ominously suspicious.

But I couldn’t ignore it, so I answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Si-hwan! What are you doing!”

“Contemplating life in bed.”

“What’s that! Hey, do you want to come here too? Ha-ru, Ha-woon, and Si-hyeok are all here right now!”

“Did the four of you plan this together?”

“Hahaha! Actually, only Ha-ru and I had made plans, but somehow we ended up deciding to all hang out together. So you should come too. You’re bored alone, right?”

I don’t know what magic Kang Seon-woo cast, but in just a few days he seemed to have recruited all three younger guys.

I glanced at the languid sunlight streaming in from outside the window.

‘The weather is nice though.’

“Got it, send me the location on chat.”

“Okay! Take a taxi and zoom over here!”

“Are you going to pay for the taxi?”

“…Uh, huh? What did you say, Si-hwan? The connection seems unstable right now. It’s all crackly and weird, hey! I’ll call you back later! Come safely!”

Beep, beep, beep—.

I looked at the phone screen where the call had ended and sighed.

‘Damn bastard.’

* * *

The location Kang Seon-woo sent was a cafe in Gangnam-gu.

“Thank you.”

Since the 〈ISL 2〉 dormitory was in a place barely reachable by public transportation, I usually had to take taxis like this to go out.

Getting out of the taxi, I put on the mask and hat I had prepared in advance.

I thought it might be excessive, but considering the current popularity of 〈ISL 2〉, it was essential.

‘Even doing this, people who would recognize me would still recognize me.’

Witness accounts of fellow participants building friendships might not be bad, but there’s no harm in being careful.

But these guys didn’t seem to get the same context as me at all.

“Brother Si-hwan! Over here, over here!”

“…”

I was left speechless seeing Yu Ha-woon who had come out to the cafe entrance to greet me, waving both hands enthusiastically.

This isn’t even openly advertising.

Of course, there are many people in this world with the name Si-hwan, but a Si-hwan dressed suspiciously and meeting up with well-proportioned men would be extremely rare.

“Ha-woon, a little quieter—”

“Ah, this is a public place!”

Trying my best to calm down Yu Ha-woon who was running back and forth beside me, I entered the cafe.

Seeing the bustling crowd, Cerberus beside me wrinkled his nose.

{Ugh, I really hate crowded places like this.}

‘If it’s too complicated, you can go outside.’

{No, if I’m alone outside I’ll be lonely. I’ll just quietly stay hidden, Master.}

Ma Si-hyeok was waving at us from far away.

“Brother, you came?”

“Si-hyeok, hello. But where did the other two go?”

Ma Si-hyeok was clearly sitting at a table for six, but no matter how much I looked around, Kang Seon-woo and Chae Ha-ru were nowhere to be seen.

As soon as I arrived, Ma Si-hyeok got up holding tissues and an empty coffee cup.

“Brother Seon-woo and Ha-ru went to the shop ahead of time. They said the reservation time was up.”

“Shop?”

“Yes.”

From the first time I saw Kang Seon-woo, I had assessed him as quite quick-witted with good mental agility.

He definitely seemed to make good use of this survival program’s structure.

‘The episode filmed after this short break period will probably be the ranking announcement and second round. He’s probably trying to use the fact that showing a different image from previous episodes can draw attention well.’

Chae Ha-ru would be thinking of getting rid of those cumbersome bangs.

I couldn’t imagine how Kang Seon-woo would change his appearance.

I had a strong feeling some interesting scene would unfold.

“So we can go straight to the shop too?”

“Yes, it’s not far from here so we’ll get there quickly.”

Since it was mid-summer, wearing a black hat and mask made me sweat naturally.

So the moment I entered the hair shop with cool air conditioning was so happy, but.

“Brother, you came?”

Seeing the various pins and hair rollers attached to Chae Ha-ru’s head made me laugh naturally.

When I chuckled while covering my mouth, Chae Ha-ru, who had been reclining in the fluffy chair, made an awkward expression and pointed behind him.

“I’m nothing. When Brother Seon-woo finishes bleaching and dyeing later, it’ll be even funnier, you know?”

“You came to get new styling but it’ll be funnier?”