I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed – Chapter 6

Author: Cireng

Chapter 6

By the time I got home, it was already pitch-black outside the window.

My body, having endured an unfamiliar day, went completely limp. I halfheartedly kicked off my shoes and tossed my bag onto the sofa.

“What the hell, you’re wearing makeup?”

My older sister, who had been leaning against the sofa, suddenly lifted her head.

“Yeah. We shot the profiles today.”

“Crazy. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you put anything on your face.”

Normally, she would have bombarded me with complaints about coming home late, but today, apparently, my made-up face was more fascinating to her.

“Cleanse properly before you sleep. You’ll get breakouts.”

“Yeah. But can I take this off with soap?”

“Do you think you can? Ha, how did someone like you end up deciding to become an idol?”

‘Ah, shit. I walked right into that one.’

And so began a twenty-minute cleansing lesson.

“This is eye makeup remover, and this is cleansing oil. There’s an order to it, an order.”

“No, why does even washing your face have an order–”

“Shut up and just memorize it.”

In the end, I reached the point where I was gently rubbing my face with my pinky finger.

‘……Being an idol really isn’t easy.’

“No, at this rate, I’ll be washing my face until dawn.”

“You really don’t understand how scary broadcast cameras are. Even if you’re handsome, it’s useless if your skin breaks out.”

I was exhausted after merely finishing washing my face.

I wanted to collapse straight into bed, but I had to pack my things first for dorm life.

Thanks to having gradually prepared things ever since I regressed, I finished quickly.

‘Seong-woo of the past, thank you.’

Finally, I put in the cosmetics my sister Yoo Seong-ah had packed by type, then threw myself onto the bed. At her insistence, I was even covered in a thick layer of sleeping pack.

My eyes were closing, but my mind was strangely clear.

The entire day passed by like a panorama.

The makeover, my first time wearing makeup, I-yul’s changed hairstyle. The profile shoot, and even my own face captured on camera.

“……Ha.”

A short laugh escaped me.

Just then, a number flashed in one corner of my vision.

“SP…”

The points that had continued accumulating throughout the day. Especially the number that had shot up at the shoot.

But the problem was…

“What the hell am I supposed to use this for…”

It was nice being able to see my level of interest in real time, but if these points were just going to pile up without purpose, they were meaningless.

At that moment, the status window reacted.

[S: SP stands for ‘Spotlight Point.’]

[S: These are points that turn other people’s ‘interest’ into a resource.]

[S: Accumulated SP can be converted into items.]

It was short, but more than enough to get the point across.

“Items?”

My sleepiness vanished instantly.

As soon as I finished speaking, a new window appeared.

[※ Item Creation Available]

A blank space appeared beneath it.

▶Item Name: _______

▶Effect: _______

“Great!”

I immediately sat up.

The survival show filming would officially begin tomorrow. So this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My mind began racing.

‘First of all, what I need most is–’

There was no need to think about it.

“Being good at dancing.”

The status window turned red.

[※ Creation Failed – Conditions Not Met]

I furrowed my brow.

“No, what’s the problem? Then, how about Dance Master?”

Another red warning appeared.

[※ Creation Failed – Conditions Not Met]

[S: The effect of an item must be intuitively understandable from its name alone.]

There was another condition.

“Copy Kang I-yul’s dancing skills.”

[※ Creation Failed – Conditions Not Met]

[S: Only items that are absolutely necessary for the user can be created.]

And yet another.

“No, but I need all of these right now, don’t I?”

[S: …….]

“The One Who Dominates the Camera.”

Failure.

“Born-to-be Idol.”

Failure.

I came up with names while enduring an almost unbearable amount of cringe, but not a single one succeeded.

Fortunately (or unfortunately)it seemed there was no separate limit on the number of failed attempts. After that, dozens more failures continued to pile up.

“……Are you kidding me?”

I was already exhausted to death, and having everything rejected over and over made irritation boil up inside me. I lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“What the hell do you want?”

The status window no longer responded. It was basically telling me to find the answer myself.

My thoughts gradually became hazy, and my eyelids grew heavier.

“Ha, it’s way more finicky than I thought.”

The SP number continued blinking faintly.

It was clearly a point given to me, yet I couldn’t even use it…

‘This is frustrating.’

I tried a few more times, but in the end, I couldn’t overcome my sleepiness.

…I’ll think about it tomorrow.

Just like that, I lost consciousness.

***

A strange tension hung in the practice room from early morning.

The moment I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was the cameras installed throughout the practice room.

One beside the door, one above the mirror, and one in every corner. The black lenses watched us like eyes keeping us under surveillance.

“……Wow.”

Someone quietly swallowed.

People unnecessarily fussed with their hair, adjusted their posture, and stole glances at the mirror. Everyone was conscious of the first filming in their own way.

Now it was really beginning.

The moment we stopped being trainees and became ‘cast members.’

The door opened, and the broadcast staff entered first. Microphones, lighting, camera positions. The scene was organized with efficient, no-nonsense movements.

And finally…

“Is everything ready?”

A tall man walked into the center of the practice room with a bright voice.

“Holy crap.”

“This is insane.”

“Is this for real?”

The trainees sprang to their feet almost simultaneously. Half of it was practically a conditioned reflex.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Se-jun, and I’ll be the MC for Boys Code.”

He smiled leisurely as he looked around at us. But the trainees were the exact opposite.

Kang Se-jun, leader of the five-member boy group ‘Nexity’ and an active idol who had recently completed a successful solo career as well. More than ten years after his debut, he was still an individual who maintained top-tier popularity.

At the unexpected appearance of such a big name, everyone was staring blankly at him, cameras and everything else forgotten. Their faces were a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

‘Of course they’d be surprised.’

He was the person who had driven the early buzz surrounding Boys Code. Apparently appearing out of loyalty to CEO Song In-hyuk, he went on to make a perfect success of his debut as an MC through this program as well.

‘He was also the protagonist of a song I wrote.’

It felt strange somehow. To meet the same person again, but in a situation completely different from the one before my regression.

“It’s finally our first shoot.”

Kang Se-jun casually raised his cue card.

“You’re all excited, right?”

Awkward laughter escaped from here and there.

As if he understood perfectly, Kang Se-jun nodded and continued.

“What will be the very first image you show the public?”

Answers flew out from various places.

“Profile photos?”

“An interview, maybe?”

“Our first stage?”

Once he had received enough answers, Kang Se-jun shook his head.

“No.”

After a brief silence, he opened his mouth amid the tension.

“It’s the signal song.”

With those words alone, the atmosphere completely changed.

The signal song… the face of a survival show, and the stage through which the public would first encounter the trainees.

At Kang Se-jun’s gesture, a screen descended at the front of the practice room.

Thump, thump. Along with the low beat that reverberated through the room, letters appeared on the screen.

『BOYS CODE — SIGNAL SONG』

The eyes of the trainees reflected in the mirror sparkled. Of course they were excited. This was the stage where they would make their first impression on the public.

But I knew.

This excitement wouldn’t last long.

[Boy’s Code (Prod. Lowkey)]

-A hip-hop EDM signal song depicting the journey of boys trying to solve the unknown code known as debut.

The brief song introduction passed, and the sound immediately blasted through the room.

Boom!

Exclamations erupted from all around from the very beginning.

“Wow…”

“This is insane…”

Sirens, footsteps, rhythms meshing together like machinery.

It was an intensity that grabbed you by the ears.

♪ In this space where we crash-landed

♪ Placed before our eyes

♪ An unknown system

♪ Warning

♪ Tell me how to escape

The melody was simple, but highly addictive. I almost found myself humming along without realizing it.

The signal songs of most idol survival shows had refreshing concepts. After all, they were the best way to bring out the trainees’ youthful freshness.

‘It’s practically free points.’

But Nix Entertainment had put some thought into it.

To differentiate themselves from the flood of idol survival shows, they had chosen intensity instead of freshness. Lowkey, too, was a producer famous for powerful songs for male idols.

Immediately after its release, reactions were sharply divided.

Some called it fresh, while others found it familiar.

It was fresh as a trainee survival show, but as a concept for a male idol group, it was conventional.

But there was one thing everyone agreed on.

The song was genuinely good.

♪ Keep on moving

♪ Never stop

♪ Break it

♪ Open this door

♪ The only code

♪ Boy’s code

It was the killing part that had earned a lot of love for its high note that made listeners feel a sense of liberation.

“This is amazing…”

“I’m actually going to sing this?”

The admiration lasted only briefly.

“How are we supposed to sing this?”

“We’re screwed…”

Reality soon came crashing down.

‘You can’t get scared already–’

The ending was a wistful piano melody. They would probably take close-ups of each person one by one during this part. It was the section where they had to put their lives on the line and sell themselves.

Only three minutes… But it left a powerful first impression.

“We’ll show you the choreography video right away.”

[Choreography: Euphoria]

Just looking at this combination, you could tell how much Nix was betting everything on this survival show. At this point in time, Euphoria was a highly successful choreography team whose every routine was popular enough to become a challenge.

It was a miracle signal song created by mobilizing every connection possessed by the two rookie executives.

“Euphoria? The choreography team with Jacob?”

“That’s insane…”

“Is this really possible?”

The anticipation rose once again.

“……What the hell?”

“W-WHY are there so many?”

But that anticipation was shattered to pieces in exactly ten seconds.

“Ah, wait a second.”

Because the choreography was packed so tightly that there wasn’t even a single second of rest.

In fact, if you looked closely, there weren’t any particularly difficult moves. The problem was that even the smallest off-beat was filled.

In short, it was choreography designed to kill people.