I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 35

Chapter 35

 

The last stage was ‘Born to be.’ Since it was the team with Joo-han in it, both the trainees and the judges paid close attention. On top of that, because it was such an intense song, they already had a certain advantage going in.

But…

“Honestly, it’s a little… shocking?”

The result was different from what everyone had expected.

“It went beyond simply not feeling like a team. It felt like each of you was fighting onstage.”

“The problems we pointed out during the midterm evaluation have gotten even worse.”

I clicked my tongue softly.

‘At first, it seemed like they were planning to ride on Joo-han’s coattails.’

At some point, the atmosphere had become strange.

Whether it was inferiority or anxiety, they had overdone it in their attempts to stand out somehow, which had created this problem. Whenever Joo-han stood in the center, the people around him would practically start flailing even harder.

‘The choreography for that team was almost entirely created by Joo-han himself in the first place.’

In the end, the team collapsed.

“Even amid all that, Trainee Joo-han did a good job holding the center.”

“That’s right. He’s the youngest, yet he’s the calmest.”

Just as the judges had said, Joo-han performed just as well as he had before my regression.

No, he performed too well. And that was what made it even more problematic.

“The other four trainees were unnecessary for today’s stage.”

The atmosphere in the venue turned ice-cold.

“…Holy crap.”

“Teacher JackP must be really angry.”

“I hope you don’t forget that you’re participating in an idol survival show right now. If you want to perform solo, withdraw now. Don’t cause trouble for everyone else, too.”

In the end, one of the trainees burst into tears.

Amid the chaotic atmosphere, the third-round evaluation came to an end. And thirty minutes later, the mission results and Code announcement ceremony began.

“We’ll now reveal the results of the third-round mission!”

The team names appeared one after another on the electronic display behind Kang Se-jun. And finally, the name it stopped on was…

 

[Stop!: Go!]

 

“First, the result for the Go! team is… Congratulations. You’ve taken third place.”

“Oh!!”

“Thank goodness……!”

The Go! team cheered as they hugged one another. On the other hand, when the Go! team, which they had considered the weakest team, took third place, the faces of the ‘Born to be’ team turned pale.

“…One of us, then.”

There were no surprises. In the end, the ‘Born to be’ team was confirmed to have taken fourth place.

“Now, let’s check the first-place team. The first-place team will receive a benefit that can be used in the next round.”

My heart pounded wildly. Both teams had received favorable reviews, so it wouldn’t have been strange for either one to win.

“I hear that the judges’ opinions were particularly divided during this round.”

Kang Se-jun smiled meaningfully.

“Neither result would have been strange. The first-place team is… Ah, I see which team it is.”

It was a moment that made everyone’s palms sweat.

“The first-place result is… Let’s come back after a commercial.”

“Huh?”

So this was how they timed the commercials.

After finishing his line, Kang Se-jun shamelessly continued announcing the results.

“The long-awaited first-place team is–”

The names of our team and the Full Blooming team flashed back and forth rapidly on the electronic display.

And finally, the name it stopped on was…

 

[Black and White]

 

“Waaaaah!!”

“Ha…”

Han Sang-yoon collapsed onto the floor, as though all the strength had drained from his legs. Nam Jun-ho and Jang Hyeon-jun grabbed hold of each other and shouted.

Kang I-yul lowered his head while covering his face with both hands.

Only then was I able to let out a sigh of relief.

‘We did it.’

Looking at us displayed on the electronic screen, Kang Se-jun smiled and said,

“Congratulations, Black and White team. To summarize the judges’ evaluations, they were as follows.”

Kang Se-jun lifted the results sheet.

“The stage that stayed most faithful to its theme was the most harmonious team, and… The most novel stage.”

The venue stirred once again.

“The Full Blooming team was excellent as well.”

The camera showed Choi Un-jo and Go Jae-seong.

“However, the interpretation shown by the Black and White team received a slightly higher evaluation.”

At that moment, my eyes met Go Jae-seong’s.

He was smiling, but the corners of his mouth had stiffened ever so slightly.

Of course. This time, it was clear that Go Jae-seong had done his best, too. He had scraped together all the future information he knew and used it onstage.

And yet, he had still failed to win…

‘That must give him a headache.’

Beside Go Jae-seong, who was forcing a sour smile, Choi Un-jo was innocently holding up a V sign.

“Second place!”

“……Ha.”

A laugh escaped me before I knew it.

‘That guy, seriously.’

Even if he were dropped onto a deserted island, he would be the kind of human who survived on his own.

 

***

 

“Now, then, we’ll proceed with the long-awaited Code announcement ceremony.”

Kang Se-jun appeared once again, having changed his outfit in the meantime.

“This debut lineup will be determined through individual evaluations, regardless of the mission team rankings.”

At those words, the expressions of the ‘Born to be’ trainees brightened slightly. Even if their team had failed, it meant they could still survive individually.

On the other hand, the trainees who were already in the debut lineup had tense expressions.

The lights gradually dimmed. Then, beams of light moved chaotically toward the debut lineup positions.

“What will the new debut lineup selected through the third-round evaluation look like?”

Once again, the Code exchange began in order, starting from Code 20.

“Trainees who are eliminated will remain in their seats until the very end, without being able to exchange their Codes.”

The cruel method elicited sighs from among the trainees.

Han Sang-yoon reclaimed his place in the debut lineup as Code 4.

“To my younger brothers on the Black and White team, who went through all that together with me.”

He smiled with an emotional expression, but his voice was hoarse.

“Thank you so much for following along so well.”

‘That’s a relief.’

As Jang Hyeon-jun, who had been Code 4, became Code 8, the next order was Code 7… I-yul. I-yul took a deep breath and climbed onto the platform.

‘Please, let him be in the debut lineup…’

The instant the number changed felt unbelievably long. The danger level above Kang I-yul’s head repeatedly rose and fell, almost as if it were deliberately teasing me.

 

[Code 7 ▶ Code 3]

 

“…Whoa!!”

A scream burst out of me without my realizing it.

“Third place?”

“No way–”

“He went up that much?”

Fortunately, perhaps the other trainees were surprised by the dramatic rise as well, because exclamations erupted from various places.

‘He’s back.’

Back in the place where he was supposed to be.

I-yul stared at the number for a moment, his face showing that he couldn’t believe it. Then, he lowered his head and stepped forward.

“Um, Trainee I-yul?”

“…Y-Yes.”

And when he finally raised his head, I felt like I understood what it meant for one’s heart to collapse.

He was desperately pretending to be strong, but he couldn’t hide his reddened eyes and the tip of his nose.

“Thank you… so, so much.”

His voice trembled.

“I’ll… work hard.”

At the sight of Kang I-yul’s tears, which they had never seen before, the trainees began to stir.

“This is my first time seeing Kang I-yul cry.”

“Ha, must be nice…”

“Well, he went from seventh to third place. I would’ve cried, too, if I were him.”

The danger level above Kang I-yul’s head changed.

 

[Danger Level: 82% (▼4%)]

 

‘Thank goodness…’

It really was a relief.

Half of what I had wanted from the third round had succeeded.

I-yul walked toward Go Jae-seong.

‘Tear it right off, I-yul!’

Perhaps because he was still sniffling, I-yul ripped off the Code sheet more roughly than I had expected.

It was somewhat satisfying.

“Now, we’ll announce Trainee Go Jae-seong’s final Code.”

If possible, I had wanted him to take my Code. But it was impossible to ignore the impact of the stage that had become his killing part.

 

[Code 3 ▶ Code 2]

 

For a moment, my mind stopped.

‘Wow…’

I barely managed to hold back the curse that almost slipped out. Even I felt impressed by how well I managed my expression in the midst of it all.

Go Jae-seong headed toward the platform with a relaxed smile.

The lackeys’ applause erupted.

“I really didn’t expect this at all… Thank you!”

It was frustrating, but I had no choice but to acknowledge it. It had clearly been a good stage. Even if he had pieced together fragments of other people’s work.

“To my friends on the Full Blooming team, who worked so hard together with me, thank you. I’m so happy that it feels like all the time we spent practicing through the night because we really wanted to do well has finally been rewarded.”

‘It isn’t yours.’

My insides twisted, but cursing him wouldn’t help me in the slightest.

‘Go Jae-seong is also a regressor.’

There was no longer any way to view it as a coincidence.

The problem wasn’t the regression itself. It was that Go Jae-seong was far more dangerous than I had thought.

Before my regression, Go Jae-seong hadn’t been able to climb this high. But now, the future was changing. And it was changing much faster than I had anticipated.

He didn’t simply steal the future. He picked out only the things that had succeeded and made them his own.

Go Jae-seong tore off Choi Un-jo’s Code sheet and sat proudly in the second-place seat.

I didn’t take my eyes off Go Jae-seong.

He looked satisfied. Of course he did. He had created a result that had never existed before my regression.

But now, I knew, too.

That he was a regressor.

That fact alone was enough.

Fine. If you’re a regressor, then I’ll make thorough use of that fact, too.

‘What do you know, and how much do you know?’

Now it was my turn to move first.

 

***

 

Choi Un-jo, who had exchanged Codes with Go Jae-seong, was called as Code 5. I let out a small sigh.

Now, only one debut lineup position remained: Code 1.

“Code 6, Trainee Yoo Seong-woo. Please come up onto the stage.”

“Yes.”

Before I climbed onto the platform, Han Sang-yoon quietly shouted, “Fighting.” But no matter how much I tried to activate my positive-thinking circuits, there was no way I would take first place.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo’s final Code is…”

Swish, swish

I heard the sound of the numbers changing behind me.

‘Could I be falling…’

I shook my head. Let’s not worry about things needlessly. Even objectively speaking, our stage had turned out well, hadn’t it?

“Yes, Trainee Yoo Seong-woo’s final Code is…”

There had been criticism of my dancing, but my producing had been fine, and my vocals had received good reviews, and…

“Code 6.”

‘Ah……’

My legs gave out from relief before I knew it.

“Wow, he stayed where he was?”

“Yoo Seong-woo arranged the whole song, didn’t he?”

“That’s amazing. Seriously.”

The murmuring grew louder.

It would be a lie to say I hadn’t hoped for a higher ranking.

Especially from the moment our team took first place, my heart had begun to pound with anticipation. Could I finally stand in the debut lineup alongside I-yul this time?

Debuting together after performing our first stage together.

If that happened, it would truly feel as though we were one team. One fortunate thing was that my danger level hadn’t risen. It definitely seemed that I-yul’s ranking was more important than mine.

‘It’s disappointing, but… this isn’t bad.’

Sixth place. Just below the debut lineup, in a precarious position. But for now, I was grateful even for that.

“Code 1 has naturally been confirmed as the unchanging first-place trainee, Joo-han.”

“Thank you!”

In the end, both eliminated trainees from Joo-han’s team came from the same team.

“It’s unfortunate, but we’ll continue to support the dreams of both trainees.”

“…Thank you.”

A team where first place and last place coexisted. It was truly a survival-show-worthy result.

“And with that, the third-round debut lineup has been finalized.”

The two eliminated trainees left the studio, and Kang Se-jun continued with his final remarks.

“Debut lineup members, please come up.”

The five trainees who had been standing to the side according to their rankings moved to the debut lineup positions.

I-yul, who was passing by me, stopped for a moment.

“……Hyung.”

“……?”

“It’s all thanks to you, hyung.”

The words were quiet, but they struck me clearly.

A small laugh escaped me.

‘Yeah. This is enough.’

The disappointment I had felt just moments ago disappeared so completely that it was almost strange.

At the very least, it meant that what I had done in this round hadn’t been meaningless.

I lowered my gaze. Without realizing it, my fist had clenched slightly.

‘Next time.’

I raised my head. The lights, even more dazzling than those in the second round, illuminated the debut lineup positions.

The five members of the debut lineup greeted the camera.

For some reason, having to look up at them like that made my insides ache.

‘I’ll definitely stand up there with them.’

Fortunately, the trainees were scheduled to receive two weeks of free time. It was called free time, but in reality, it was a period of warm-up to prepare for Part 2.

“I look forward to seeing how much the trainees will grow during these two weeks!”

That was why I had been able to answer Robin’s question so confidently.

Only one person came to mind.

The person I needed most right now.

‘Noona.’

This time, I really needed to ask her for some help.