The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut – Chapter 31

Author: rolypoly

The editing was persistent enough to make one frown, and a certain intention could be felt behind it.

Mistakes in the lyrics, voice cracks, missing the beat….

The same scenes were shown multiple times from various angles, with the reactions of the judges and other trainees spliced in between.

Even I, who had seen the same broadcast dozens of times, found myself squeezing my eyes shut; I could only imagine how shocked the viewers seeing it for the first time must have been.

[What’s this? Is this rigged or something?]

[Whoa, looks like his mental state is completely gone;;]

[Now I see why he couldn’t debut at LMH lol]

All sorts of mockery and contempt poured in, going beyond mere criticism.

However, unlike with Okada, I wasn’t particularly worried about Yoo Sung.

The Yoo Sung I knew wasn’t the type of person whose will would be broken by negative reactions from viewers.

‘There’s no need to worry about Yoo Sung. The problem is… me.’

I thought, anxiously fiddling with a hangnail on my finger.

After the LMH trainees’ stage ended, a string of trainees with relatively interesting narratives or characters appeared, and then finally, the person everyone had been waiting for, Han Theo, stepped onto the stage.

[“Hello, I’m Han Theo.”]

Even before the performance began, the chat window exploded at Han Theo’s mere appearance.

[Wow, it’s Han Theo!]

[I thought my neck was going to break from waiting.]

[The protagonist always shows up last.]

[Wow… seriously, he’s insane-looking.]

Aside from the fact that he was a third-generation Korean-American, Han Theo’s backstory was ordinary and his character was plain.

However, his overwhelming visuals and skill made him special.

‘How am I supposed to beat that guy?’

Through dozens of regressions, I knew roughly what kind of pasts the trainees had and what their weaknesses were.

But I knew almost nothing about Han Theo.

Not only did Han Theo always carry a faint smile on his lips, but he also rarely said anything unpleasant, even when preparing for a stage together.

At first, some trainees who found Han Theo difficult even began to treat him like a pushover after seeing his reactions and attitude.

But the Han Theo who was always smiling, the Han Theo who never said anything harsh to others, was not the real Han Theo.

‘Han Theo is wearing a mask.’

A solid, thick mask that wouldn’t break no matter how much you hammered at it.

Even after regressing dozens of times, I had never once seen Han Theo’s true face.

‘If I had tried harder to get close to him, would I have been able to grab at least one weakness…?’

Forget it.

There was no use in regretting it now; it wasn’t as if I could go back.

‘But… when is my stage coming out?’

Han Theo’s turn—who was essentially the protagonist of EX-Class K-POP Idol—usually came toward the very end of episode 2.

So, I thought my stage would appear in the early or middle part of episode 2.

However, even when Han Theo’s stage came up, mine had yet to be shown.

‘Since it appeared in the preview, it couldn’t have been completely edited out… Wait, don’t tell me these b*stards—?’

Just as I realized something was wrong, Han Theo’s stage ended.

Instead of the flashy stage, the screen now showed the familiar backstage.

[“You want to change your song selection?”]

As the image of a flustered staff member filled the screen, I involuntarily clenched my fists.

‘These b*stards… what were they thinking, putting my stage right next to Han Theo’s?’

* * *

The reaction to my stage wasn’t bad.

[I wondered what he was thinking when he changed the song right before the performance, but it seems like he made the right choice.]

[The dance and vocals are decent, but there’s something charming about him.]

[Fr, talent? Star quality? Don’t know how to phrase it, but he definitely has something like that]

However, perhaps because I followed immediately after Han Theo, there were slightly more negative reactions than positive ones.

[Are you all blind? The dance and singing are absolute trash, what charm are you talking about]

[Honestly, this was scripted lol. Does it make sense to change the song right before the stage?]

[For real, I want to sell electric pads to the people who believe this.]

[If he had come out earlier, I would’ve cheered for him, but of all things, his stage is right after Han Theo lol. Looks like he really got on Jang Hyuksoo’s bad side.]

Of course, the bad blood between my fans and Han Theo’s also played a part.

Han Theo’s fans, who had found a perfect excuse, began to lead the charge in bashing me as if to pay back the resentment they had suffered during the fandom wars.

‘I got played.’

I hadn’t thought Jang Hyuksoo would put my stage and Han Theo’s together.

Of course, Jang Hyuksoo and the PDs must have known that the fans of Han Theo and myself were on bad terms.

While friction between fandoms might be good for generating buzz in the short term, in the long term, it could increase program fatigue and instill a negative perception in people.

‘Jang Hyuksoo definitely knows this too….’

What was he thinking, putting me and Han Theo together?

Or perhaps he prioritized securing early buzz even at the cost of program fatigue and negative public perception.

In any case, it had already happened, and there was no way to change the broadcast that had already aired, so I had no choice but to play along appropriately without getting on Jang Hyuksoo’s nerves.

‘It’s still the beginning, so it’s fine.’

What Jang Hyuksoo and the viewers wanted were crises, conflicts, change, and growth.

Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5… all the way to the final live broadcast stage.

It was enough if I clearly demonstrated change and growth in the upcoming shoots and broadcasts.

“Good morning, everyone!”

The morning after the broadcast of episodes 1 and 2 ended.

After finishing breakfast, we gathered in the auditorium again according to the announcement.

The MC, dressed in casual clothes, spoke energetically toward the trainees who were still half-asleep.

“Alright, alright! Today, a sub-quest as important as the main quest will take place, so everyone pull yourselves together and pay attention!”

A sub-quest as important as the main quest?

At the MC’s words, the trainees snapped to attention and began moving quickly to find their seats.

The MC scanned the seated trainees once and then nodded toward the staff waiting in the back.

The large screen on the platform changed.

[The first sub-quest has arrived.]

[Sub-Quest: PR Video Filming]

It’s finally here!

The trainees’ eyes went wide, and they swallowed hard.

“Yes, today we are going to film the PR videos you’ve all been waiting for!”

A PR video is a self-introduction video where trainees introduce themselves to the viewers, appealing their charm and individuality within a short period of 15 seconds to 1 minute.

Even though it’s a self-introduction video, because the time given is short and a hundred PR videos are uploaded at once, trainees usually showed difficult songs and dances or funny personal talents that could leave a strong impression.

“EX-Class K-POP Idol will produce PR videos in a slightly special way, different from ordinary idol survival audition programs!”

The trainees swallowed dryly and stared intently at the MC on the platform.

Soon after, new text appeared below the large screen on the platform.

[Sub-Quest: PR Video Filming

Description: Film a PR video using the rewards obtained by clearing dungeons.]

Dungeons?

At the emergence of an unfamiliar word, the trainees who had yet to fully grasp the program’s concept tilted their heads in confusion.

‘I’m not sure about the main quest, but I’m confident I’ll take first place in the sub-quest.’

* * *

Out of the hundred trainees, I was the only one who smiled leisurely to himself.

“There’s no need to panic! We’ll explain everything step by step from one to ten!”

As soon as the MC finished speaking, the screen changed.

Four rectangles with black lines on a white background.

And inside the rectangles, three black symbols were drawn in each.

“Is it a map…?”

When a quick-witted trainee whispered from the back, the MC on the platform’s eyes sparkled.

“Correct! Starting now, this map indicates the dungeons that you trainees must conquer!”

At the word ‘map,’ the trainees began staring even more intently at the screen.

The identity of the black shapes was a map showing the inside of the building from the 1st to the 4th floor.

On each floor, symbols with unknown meanings were drawn, indicating the locations of the ‘dungeons’ the MC had mentioned.

“You trainees simply need to head to the dungeons marked on the map and clear them!”

The trainees began to guess what the dungeons were and how to clear them based on the symbols marked on the map.

I recalled the locations of the dungeons—which were so familiar I could find them with my eyes closed—and drew the most efficient route in my mind.

“Depending on your dungeon clear results, rewards will be granted that can be utilized when shooting your PR video, so please do your absolute best! Now, please prepare immediately!”

The moment the MC’s explanation ended, the screen changed once more.

The map on the screen disappeared, and a red timer appeared.

[01:00:00]

The quick-witted trainees were already standing up even before the MC told them to.

“Now then, get ready….”

The trainees who had been sitting dazed also hurriedly scrambled to their feet.

However, it was already too late.

“Start!”

The trainees who had finished preparing first bolted out like bullets.

However, those who left first only had quick wits; they didn’t know where the dungeons were.

While the trainees who came out first were flustered and lost, they got mixed up with those who came out later, and the scene became a total mess.

After squeezing my way through the crowd, I headed toward the location of the first dungeon.

A camera followed closely behind me.

Pretending to hesitate slightly, I arrived at the end of the first-floor hallway and found a familiar-faced staff member standing in front of a box full of plastic balls.

“Oh? I found it! This is the dungeon, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. You’ve found the first dungeon! Please check the mission!”

The staff member said, handing me a sheet of paper.

[Dungeon #1: Rock-Paper-Scissors, Best of Three!

Description: Play rock-paper-scissors three times with the staff member and win twice.

Clear on the first attempt: Gold Ball

Clear on the second attempt: Silver Ball

Clear on the third attempt: Bronze Ball

If you fail to clear, you can try again after 5 minutes.]

Since I already knew the contents, I pretended to skim through them.

When I handed back the paper I had finished reading, the staff member asked with an intrigued expression.

“Are you ready?”