The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 75

〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉 episode 11 didn’t become a hot topic just because it simply had the final ranking announcement ceremony.

Of course, it was similar in nature, but it also had the characteristic of being the final recorded broadcast of a program scheduled up to episode 12.

And right before the live broadcast unfolded, it was the last chance to decide which trainee to cast your precious vote for.

In addition to the symbolic meaning that episode 11 itself held, the attention from the general public brought by 〈Winning Shot〉, which appeared on KNet’s music show Music K Showdown the day before, had also risen considerably.

Even people who initially had no particular interest in 〈ISL 2〉 were waiting for episode 11 with curiosity like ‘Trainees with this level of skill are appearing?’

With such an explosive number of viewers on board, the long-awaited 3rd ranking announcement ceremony began.

National managers who had watched 〈ISL 2〉 from episode 1 were captivated by several topics.

First, whether Ryu Si-hwan would be able to defend the 1st place throne he had obtained in the 2nd ranking announcement ceremony to the end.

Second, now that it had been spoiled that the 〈Winning Shot〉 team had already received the group survival benefit, whether the trainees who belonged to that team were originally settled within the top 20.

And third, whether all the few remaining trollers who had been preserving their lifelines until now would all be eliminated.

The trollers who had given mental damage to Seong-hwi, who was almost certainly considered to debut, and Yu Ha-woon, whose core fandom was being maintained, were still receiving a beating from the national managers.

—I was dumbfounded back then too what did that idiot guy do so well to survive…. lol

└Wasn’t it just sympathy votes thrown his way because it seemed like he’d be eliminated that snowballed into this?

└I never understood the sympathy vote bullshit from the beginning. At least you should suffer some damage from someone to feel sympathy or not, but this asshole caused damage to others himself, so what sympathy lmao

└He’ll definitely be eliminated today

└If that bastard makes it to the finals? Then I’ll go to KNet headquarters and take a shit

└Screenshot captured lol

Now with the intro of 〈HIT〉, which could be heard for the last time in a recorded broadcast, the long-awaited episode 11 began.

[Ah, when they create this atmosphere, I’m already anxious.]

[I feel like I’m about to cry.]

[I wonder if there’s anywhere without cameras……]

The essential course that always comes out when survival programs reach the final stretch.

It was content where they watched videos left for their future selves when they first entered the 〈ISL 2〉 dormitory.

How much they had changed during this time.

Whether they had maintained the initial mindset they first revealed to the end.

During Season 1, all the trainees became a sea of tears while watching messages left by their past selves.

Season 2 trainees were no exception.

[……Of course there will be many difficult things, and there will be quite a few situations where you might collapse. As much as the opportunity to achieve your dream has come, I hope you can somehow endure to the end and overcome it. So you won’t fail again.]

[Sob.]

[Ah, why am I getting teary too.]

The personal videos shot by all 35 trainees in advance were played in order, and relatable words continued to fill the audio.

Since they were peers in almost similar situations, they probably became even more immersed.

Finally, when they reached Ryu Si-hwan’s personal interview in the last turn.

[I want to say this. Not just me alone, but I hope all the trainees who participated in 〈Idol Stove League〉 can take away something precious. My future is also unclear, and honestly, I don’t know how far I can climb as an individual trainee. But even with an invisible future, the moment I stand on stage is clearly drawn. And I’m confident that I can definitely find precious experiences within that. Though we all walk different paths…… we’re comrades chasing the same dream. I hope we can all find something sparkling and finish this program. Both myself and the nameless comrades who will be sitting next to me.]

[Why is he so good at speaking again.]

[Sobbing!]

[You express things so tastefully, Brother Si-hwan.]

Even the trainees who had been holding back tears until the end got misty-eyed, and some complained to Ryu Si-hwan for no reason.

And the viewers watching the broadcast focused on the same point.

—Every time Si-hwan’s interview comes out, I feel comforted too

—How does he always speak so beautifully, is that also a talent

—Ah, is this the friend called Hwan-father? He looks dashing.

└Yes yes that’s Hwan-father!!

└Our daughter insisted we watch this together, so I’m watching for the first time, and he’s handsome and speaks well too. I hope he debuts ^^

└Thank you ma’am…… Come vote via text next week too!

—First of all, Ryu Si-hwan seems to always focus not on the individual but always on the group. In every round’s individual interview, even though he did many things well himself, he said the team members did better, that he couldn’t have come this far without the team members. Today too, he said he hopes everyone can gain precious memories

└Si-hwan will definitely be the leader if he debuts, right?? Tell me I’m right

└Who else would be leader besides Hwan-father lol

└Kids like Life B-cuts were already completely following Lord Ryu lol

After the individual interviews, memories from the past 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounds passed by one by one in film format.

The 〈ISL 2〉 production team’s secret weapon they had been hiding until the end. The acoustic piano version of theme song 〈HIT〉 played as BGM, truly creating the atmosphere that this grand journey was coming to an end.

Actually, Ryu Si-hwan had already shown the acoustic guitar version of 〈HIT〉 during his self-PR video, so it became a minor spoiler, but the production team was glad that at least the piano version remained.

The national managers also looked back on past days with wistful hearts.

—Hah, I was happy for the past two months

—I really swore I’d never watch this when they were pushing ads lol…… yeah, that was impossible

—What should I watch when ISL ends, it was my only Friday pleasure

└Believe that our babies who will debut will appear here and there right away

└I can already see the future, KNet will immediately run a reality show with these kids lol

└It is the standard rule

└It’s obvious but you can’t deny what’s always delicious

Just when they were immersed in memories and emotions, the scene of the 3rd ranking announcement ceremony appeared and the atmosphere changed drastically.

—No damn it, let people be immersed for a bit

—I’m going crazy LOL I was about to tear up but it went right back in

—Hah, why am I trembling like I’m sitting in that chair, I’m going crazy

—Please…… you can’t be eliminated here, please……

Still, most viewers were planning to watch comfortably.

Now that they had figured out who their favorite was, they were confident that most top-tier trainees would definitely advance to the finals.

However, the variable that occurred from the start shocked certain core fans to the point of fainting.

—Did I just hear wrong???

—Yu Ha-woon is 18th place? Is this a bug

—No, the Winning Shot stage was so good but why is he 18th place, this makes me want to curse

—Why didn’t Ha-woon’s individual fans vote?? I couldn’t do it for him since Ha-woon is my second pick, but there were many people pushing him as their main pick

└I definitely did it…… Where did everyone go…….

└Didn’t everyone get complacent? That those seven would definitely survive?

—Noooo hahhh, Ha-woon did survive as a result but what’s with 18th place…… He completely returned from the edge of hell T_T

└Hasn’t his ranking been continuously rising until now?

└Yeah yeah he started from the 20s and even entered the top 10 range, but now he suddenly crashed lol I’m laughing in disbelief

—Let’s be honest. Ha-woon didn’t do anything wrong. This is just what happened because we weren’t united and got complacent

└Hah seriously…… Actually I was busy last week so I forgot to do the daily voting T_T I didn’t know he’d fall this much, I’ll work hard again

└Even though he got B in the initial grade evaluation, he worked hard and pulled his ranking up significantly, and in the 2nd team battle he even took on leadership while dealing with those stupid teammates and showed his efforts, and in the 3rd round he made a stage cool enough to rival any boy group but what? 18th place? We really need to wake up

Yu Ha-woon, a member of 〈Winning Shot〉 who was expected to rise in ranking, being ranked 18th caused primary confusion.

Following that, in the top-tier announcement, Seong-hwi also fell to 3rd place, causing another reversal.

—What is this continuous backstab after backstab, my head is spinning

—I’m obviously not criticizing Seon-woo, but…… does it make sense for Hwi to fall to 3rd place? Someone who was 1st?

└Seong-hwi’s core fans probably didn’t change, but it seems like a fact that many newly inflowing people went more toward Kang Seon-woo and Ryu Si-hwan rather than Seong-hwi

└That seems right. I don’t want to get into details but looking at Winning Shot too, Seon-woo and Si-hwan had a bit more impact than Hwi…… It’s sad

└I didn’t think anything when Yu Ha-woon’s ranking dropped, but now that Hwi dropped too, reality really hits. We need to get our act together too

Seong-hwi’s individual fans couldn’t hide their shock at the ranking that kept falling step by step.

In contrast, fans of Kang Seon-woo and Ryu Si-hwan were able to watch episode 11 with strange relief.

—At this rate, our Hwan-father might even get final 1st place?

└I was thinking just debuting would satisfy me, but debuting in 1st place lol feels like a dream

└We’re kind of maintaining cohesion because we got shocked early lol I still remember the terror of the 1st ranking ceremony……

└What happened?? I’m a newbie who joined from episode 9

└During the 1st ranking ceremony, Si-hwan lost to Hwi by 40,000 votes and got 2nd place

└Ah, PTSD is coming lol. Yeah, back then we all went “is this for real?” when he got 2nd with a 40,000 vote difference and focused hard on Si-hwan

└Oh, something like that happened

—Anyway, let’s have Ryu Si-hwan take 1st place like this and proudly claim the center position too!

—If he gets 1st in the survival show and claims center position, does that make Ryu Si-hwan (main vocal, center, leader, visual)? Wow damn, that’s awesome

└Lmao. No, leader hasn’t even been announced yet but people are already definitively putting him in LOL

└The most difficult to find thing in today’s world – a visual center main vocal

And when the process of the ranking announcement ceremony ending came out, the community blazed with similar topics as before.

—Sang-hun was originally going to be eliminated, this doesn’t make sense either

—No, I naturally thought he’d at least make it into the top 20

└Even though Winning Shot was hugely popular, it seems the influx of fans by member varied greatly. This time Si-hyeok and Ha-ru really benefited from it

└Still…… I naturally thought those seven would smoothly advance to the finals

└There are definitely a lot of reversals

└Wow, I noticed something creepy here… If Winning Shot hadn’t received the group benefit, Park Chang-jung would have almost survived again lol

└That guy’s lifeline is really long LOL. He was trying to survive again

└Thank goodness Park Chang-jung was eliminated

Once people’s mouths and hands start moving, it’s not easy to stop them.

Even while the final mission theme was being announced, this chaotic scene didn’t calm down.

Everyone was busy discussing what situation their favorite was in, what the prospects were, and how the fan cohesion was.

But then, MC Go Hyeon-ju appeared and dropped an announcement along with the preview.

[National managers. Only one broadcast remains now. Only the live final round starting next Friday at 11 PM. A moment when your money will work more importantly than ever. Who will be the dream idol directly chosen by the national managers’ hands? Please stay with us to the end. Play the Stage.]

Like that, they made the ‘money and number of people are related’ bait roll again as episode 11 ended.

At that moment when people were crying out in anguish over whether they should convert money to benefit votes or endure until the end.

The atmosphere inside the 〈ISL 2〉 dormitory was extremely cold.

“Then from now on, we will begin voting for each genre’s center.”