I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed – Chapter 56

Author: Cireng

Chapter 56

Even after the interim evaluation ended, the team members’ excitement didn’t settle down easily.

The performance had been much better than expected. Naturally, they had also received tremendous praise from the judges.

‘It’s only natural.’

But I couldn’t smile at ease.

Song In-hyuk’s final evaluation kept circling around in my head. The fact that Go Jae-seong had received a similar criticism wasn’t particularly welcome, either.

‘Isn’t this the time for you to be a little more ambitious?’

At first, I thought he was simply talking about screen time. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt like he had meant something else.

I recalled each of our performances one by one. The team members’ parts were appropriate, and there hadn’t been any mistakes in the harmonies. The arrangement had also received positive reactions from both the judges and the trainees.

And then there was…

“Seong-woo hyung.”

“…….”

“Hyung?”

“Ah, yeah. I-yul.”

I pretended nothing was wrong.

“Could you practice this part with me?”

“Which part?”

“The part where the two of us alternate singing.”

It was the part where the two of us exchanged one line each before finishing with harmonies.

“Sure.”

The MR began to play.

♪ My young wish

As I-yul’s voice ended,

♪ The snow that piled up all winter

My part naturally followed.

We went back and forth through the part a few more times.

Just as we were about to enter the final harmony, I-yul suddenly stopped singing.

“Why?”

“Can we sing it again?”

“Hm? Sure.”

But I-yul stopped singing in the middle again.

‘…What is it?’

If he had a problem, I wished he would just tell me outright.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

After hesitating for a long while, I-yul asked as if he had finally made up his mind.

“Hyung, why don’t you show your 100%?”

“100%?”

“Yes.”

It felt as though I had been struck over the head.

Only then did I understand what Song In-hyuk’s evaluation had meant.

I had been unconsciously holding back.

To make Kang I-yul stand out more. To prevent Kang I-yul from being buried beneath my voice. I thought that if I held back a little, the entire team would look more stable.

As if I were someone who had set 99%… not 100%, as their maximum.

I hadn’t realized that I-yul had noticed it, too.

“That’s because, for the sake of harmony…”

As I began to speak as if making an excuse, Kang I-yul’s expression stiffened ever so slightly.

“Do you think I can’t handle your 100%?”

Those words struck me hard in the head once again.

‘I-yul, how do you manage to say nothing but things that are right…’

More precisely,

‘Things that hit me right over the head.’

***

The moment Kang I-yul heard Song In-hyuk’s evaluation, he became certain.

The regret he had felt wasn’t his alone. There had clearly been no problem with the two of them working together.

But having personally watched Yoo Seong-woo’s solo stage, he could tell.

This wasn’t Yoo Seong-woo’s 100%.

From beginning to end, Yoo Seong-woo had been adjusting himself to I-yul. He reduced his breathing so that I-yul could sing comfortably, and whenever their voices overlapped, he took a step back.

At first, he had been grateful. But the more they practiced, the more uncomfortable he became. At least once, he wanted Yoo Seong-woo to show him everything he had.

That was why he had asked to practice the same part over and over. But this time, too, Yoo Seong-woo hadn’t shown his 100%.

A slightly twisted suspicion began to form in his heart.

‘Someone who needs to be helped.’

Could it be that Yoo Seong-woo thought of him only that way?

Not as someone who could sing on equal footing with him, but as someone he had to keep accommodating and pulling along.

His pride had been hurt.

It was true that he owed Seong-woo a debt, but when it came to the stage, he wanted to compete fairly and squarely.

“Hyung.”

Kang I-yul looked straight at Yoo Seong-woo.

“Show me your 100%.”

“Then I’ll show you my 120%, 130% as I try to do even better.”

“…….”

“Please don’t go easy on me anymore.”

Yoo Seong-woo remained silent for a while.

Kang I-yul bit his lip, wondering if he had said something unnecessary. However, he didn’t avert his gaze.

A moment later, Yoo Seong-woo slowly nodded.

“Okay.”

“……!”

Kang I-yul’s eyes widened.

“Let’s do it again.”

The song began again.

♪ My young wish

This time, it was different from the very beginning.

Without avoiding his eyes, Yoo Seong-woo took over the melody.

♪ The snow that piled up all winter

‘As expected…!’

Everything was different: the emotion, the energy, all of it.

It was only a 1% difference, but he seemed like an entirely different person.

For the first time, Kang I-yul faced his own abilities exactly as they were.

‘I’m still nowhere near him.’

It was frustrating. And that was why he liked it even more. He wanted to get a little closer, even if only by a small amount.

♪ The day it all melts away

♪ Without leaving a trace~

Just a little more. Just a little more.

To reach Yoo Seong-woo’s 100%, he threw out his own 105%.

♪ We’ll head toward the most beautiful tomorrow…

Yoo Seong-woo’s singing stopped. I-yul thought he knew why.

“Sorry. That just now wasn’t 100%.”

“I thought so.”

“Again…”

“Yes.”

“Let’s do it a few more times.”

Kang I-yul didn’t know that those few times would turn into several hours.

To be honest, he regretted it a little. He hadn’t known that Yoo Seong-woo could be this persistent and tenacious.

“Ugh, my 100% didn’t come out just now, either.”

“It was fine.”

“Being fine and being 100% are different.”

Whenever he felt even the slightest regret, he immediately stopped singing.

It reached the point where I-yul began worrying about Yoo Seong-woo’s throat instead.

“Hyung, shouldn’t you be careful with your throat?”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course.”

Kang I-yul spoke seriously.

“If your throat isn’t in good condition, you won’t be able to give 100% no matter what you do.”

At that moment, Yoo Seong-woo burst out laughing.

“That’s what you meant?”

“Then what did you think I meant?”

“I thought your heart was aching because you were worried about me.”

“……Would you like to practice some more?”

“No. I’ll rest.”

Even if he had to force himself, Kang I-yul stopped Yoo Seong-woo from practicing. He knew that he couldn’t stop himself until Seong-woo stopped first.

“Hyung, you should drink this, too.”

In the end, Kang I-yul handed him the bellflower pear juice he carried around every day.

“Oh–if I drink this, will I become 120%?”

His narrowed eyes were full of mischief.

Kang I-yul sighed.

“…It doesn’t work like that.”

Even so, a smile had already spread across his lips.

***

Friday evening arrived as it always did.

Hyoyoung had been sitting in front of the television for ten minutes before the broadcast began.

From the moment the teaser was released until now, there had been only one person who was her favorite.

Go Jae-seong.

And today, her intuition felt unusually sharp. She had a premonition that today’s broadcast would become a monumental moment for her and Go Jae-seong’s fandom.

[Code 1 is definitely]

> It’s Jeseong, right? If not, something’s seriously wrong.

↳ Of course. Otherwise, there’ll immediately be accusations of vote manipulation.

↳ Yeah, if it’s according to the spoilers that were posted.

↳ Ah, I’m not even nervous. I’m just fucking excited lol.

↳ I’m already looking forward to seeing how much those fans will freak out if he loses Code 1 ^^

Hyoyoung, too, barely managed to calm her pounding heart.

[Last week, the Boys Code Round 4 on-site evaluation became a hot topic.]

[No. 1 in variety show buzz, No. 1 in CNet variety show ratings.]

[Who will claim the new debut lineup?]

“Oh, it’s starting.”

[The fifth Code ranking announcement ceremony. Two trainees will be eliminated.]

[The rankings will be announced in order, beginning with 15th place. The five members of the debut lineup will only replace their name tags if there is a change in the lineup.]

The announcements continued without any major surprises up to Code 7. Now, only the trainees who had been moving in and out of the debut lineup remained.

When Kang I-yul was called as Code 6, Hyoyoung clenched her fists tightly.

Meanwhile, posts from shocked Kang I-yul fans quickly appeared on the message board.

[Ah, this is driving me crazy.]

> Why is ㅇ1-yul in the danger zone? Seriously, everyone, please vote…… If he can’t debut this time, he’s really going to live as a regular civilian.

↳ Don’t think about your second favorite right now. Save your favorite first.

↳ The other debut lineup trainee on his team was honestly way too overpowered this timeㅠㅠ

[This is ridiculous.]

> Braces Guy is in the debut lineup, but Kang ㅇ1-yul isn’t?

↳ Why are you suddenly grabbing Seong-woo by the hair? He had the team benefit and performed fucking well;;

↳ If you only look at dancing, he’s a little ambiguous, but he did well on the Round 4 stage. What’s the problem?

“Tsk. This is why your favorite needs to do well. Keeping them from going crazy over rankings is what makes them a good kid, a good kid.”

[Code 5 is trainee Choi Un-jo.]

“This is unexpected?”

↳ ???

↳ Fuck lol. Is Braces Guy at least Code 4?

↳ Why are the people above reacting like that? Braces Kid was Code 4 even in the signal song.

↳ But why does everyone still call him Braces Kid when he took his braces off? lol

But something even more surprising happened soon after.

[Code 4 is trainee Han Sang-yoon.]

“Huh?”

[At this rate,]

> Isn’t Yoo Seong-woo going to take Code 1? LMAOOOOOO

↳ That would be the most entertaining outcome, though.

↳ Yoo Seong-woo taking Code 1 while the Go and Joo fans are fighting each other.

↳ That’s a peaceful ending for everyone lmaoooo.

↳ It’s not impossible, yeah. Yoo Seong-woo probably has the highest public recognition, right? He’s also getting a boost from his sister.

“What is this?”

‘Yoo Seong-woo is going to become Code 1?’

It was something she had never once considered. The only people who had ever seemed like potential threats to Code 1 were Joo-han and Han Sang-yoon.

[All eyes turn toward trainee Yoo Seong-woo, whose name has yet to be called.]

As tense background music played, Hyoyoung began biting her nails along with the tension.

“Ah, seriously, don’t mess with me.”

[We will now announce Code 3.]

The camera alternated between the faces of Yoo Seong-woo, Go Jae-seong, and Joo-han.

And then came the caption that infuriated her in an instant.

[It will be revealed in 60 seconds!]

“Fucking hell, seriously.”

Sixty seconds passed like an hour, and finally, Code 3 was revealed.

[Congratulations, trainee Yoo Seong-woo.]

“Yes!!”

↳ Oh, what a shame.

↳ My heart was seriously pounding because I thought he might actually become Code 1.

↳ It doesn’t make sense in the first place. Why is everyone making such a fuss? lol

↳ Congratulations on Code 1 in advance, Jae-seong.

↳ It’s kind of funny to expect Code 1 when Joo-han is there.

But Yoo Seong-woo, who had actually risen to Code 3, had been dazed the entire time. Moreover, when he exchanged name tags with Kang I-yul, he could barely lift his head.

[Trainee Yoo Seong-woo is unable to properly remove his name tag with trembling hands.]

[Trainee Kang I-yul helps trainee Yoo Seong-woo and hands him the name tag.]

“What’s wrong with him?”

Compared to the touching story of two trainees she wasn’t interested in, Go Jae-seong’s ranking was much more important to her.

[ㅇ1-yul is so kind.]

> Who would take off someone else’s name tag for them there… The kid must be feeling awful right now.

↳ I always think this, but that method is so fucking cruel. If they’re going to do it, they should at least use name tags that come off easily.

↳ Maybe it’s because the two of them are closeㅠㅠ

↳↳ I’m not sure they’re that close.

↳↳ Did you not watch the horror experience content? Kang ㅇ1-yul was basically Yoo Seong-woo’s keychain.

↳ I’m an ㅇ1-yul fan, and I’m fucking pissed. My own kid’s ranking dropped, and now he has to comfort someone else, too?

As she watched the comment section turn into a mud fight, Hyoyoung hummed leisurely.

[Code 2, trainee Go Jae-seong, please come up onto the stage.]

“Please……”

She clasped both hands together.

[Code 2 ▶ Code 1]

“AAAAAAH!!”

[Congratulations, trainee Go Jae-seong. You have been selected as the new Code 1!]

↳ Oh, congrats, congrats.

↳ The world is finally turning the right way again.

↳ This is justice being served.

↳ As expected, he’s the man who suits Number 1 the best.

↳ The voting benefit is seriously huge; he probably couldn’t have become Code 1 without it, right?

↳↳ Hey, don’t cry, just say it lol.

Hyoyoung paced around the living room like a spectator who had just witnessed a comeback goal at the World Cup.

At last, Go Jae-seong had ascended to the throne.

It was the result of completely washing away the humiliation of having started at Code 6 because of some trainee no one had ever heard of during the first ranking announcement.

She didn’t even hear Joo-han’s relaxed speech.

Only when Go Jae-seong’s speech began did she refocus.

[Trainee Go Jae-seong: I will never, ever let anyone take this position away from me in the future. Thank you so much to my team, who worked hard together with me. Especially you, Seong-woo.]

“Huh?”

Hyoyoung thought she had heard wrong and checked the reactions on the message board.

But most of them were similar to hers.

↳ Why Yoo Seong-woo all of a sudden?

↳ I thought I heard wrong;;

↳ That’s so out of nowhere.

[Trainee Go Jae-seong: I really hope we can debut together.]

The message board exploded.

↳ What is this?

↳ Ah, the dopamine is exploding from the very beginning today lol.

↳ Are they really that close?

↳ Boys Code, release the behind-the-scenes footage right now.