I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 66

Chapter 66

 

The editing direction for the Adolescence team was obvious.

‘You’re still not going to cry after this?’

 

[Trainee Kang I-yul: I’ve been a trainee for almost six years now, but I kept getting smaller and smaller as a person…….]

 

[When is the tearjerker shit gonna end?]

> Is there anyone here who isn’t desperate? Everyone’s desperate, so why the fuck are they milking the tears like this?

↳ You really don’t have any room in your heartㅠㅠ Then instead of watching a survival show while unfairly attacking kids who are barely high schoolers, go get some counseling, you fucking lunatic.

 ↳↳ That gradual escalation of anger;;

↳ Yeah, don’t know whose fan you are, but I can tell you’re obviously keeping tabs on ㅇ1yulㅇㅇ

 

Fortunately, the melodramatic segment wasn’t very long.

Maybe because they had spent so much time on the dance-position team, our team quickly moved on to the stage.

“Everyone at the venue was surprised.”

“I didn’t know you had such an angel voice, Seong-woo.”

“Euhahah.”

Joo-han laughed as if he found it amusing.

“Hyung, are you an angel?”

 

[So all the spoilers were right.]

> Why is the Debtors’ vocal chemistry so fucking good? I held my breath watching them exchange parts.

↳ I’m devastated I couldn’t see it at the venueㅠㅠㅠㅠ

↳ Isn’t it just the result of editing?

 ↳↳ Yeah, go watch FocusOn’s video before you fucking talk.

 ↳↳ If they edited it but the live performance is even better, are you saying we should call that editing?

 

‘As expected, everything had already been leaked.’

 

[That’s not the important part.]

> They’re going to show what they talked about after this, right? If they don’t tell us, I’m going to die of curiosity. Boys Code, you’re the ones who killed me.

↳ You seem to have a talent for being a menhera.

↳ It came out KEKEKE. “I believed in you, 100%”.

 ↳↳ What does 100% even mean? KEKEKE Ah, so cute.

 ↳↳ When did those two get this close? Bring us a full ten episodes packed with their interactions.

 

However, once the on-site voting results were revealed, the message board immediately turned into a battlefield.

 

[So fucking pissed.]

> Apparently, Go Jae-seong fans at the venue deliberately didn’t cheer during Joo-han’s part and glared at him like fucking crazy to keep him in check. Fucking spite votes KEKEKEKEKE Even so, their own little shithead couldn’t get first place either, so this is pretty funny^^

↳ The spite votes are real KEKEKE Juran-dan worked so hardㅠㅠㅠ

↳ So the reports that Go fans at the venue were fucking shoving Juran-dan around and aggressively trying to keep them away from good seats were actually true?

 

[I’m gonna go bald.]

> Can you stop grabbing Jae-seong by the hair already? Why are the people who already got first place acting like their egos are so fucking huge;; We don’t even need to keep Jae-seong in checkㅠㅠ You’re the ones who started the whole rivalry, so why the hell are you bitching at Jae-seong’s angelic fans?

↳ Angel-like (posting Go Jae-seong promotion on community boards every day while subtly putting down other trainees, stabbing other trainees’ home masters at venues, and creating derogatory nicknames for other trainees) fans, you mean.

↳ Did Joo think he was going to stay in first place forever? KEKEKE This code announcement ceremony is going to be fun to watchㅎㅎ

 

[Between Juran-dan and Go fans]

> Isn’t this really not the time for you guys to be fighting each other? Shouldn’t you be beating up Han instead, since he took first place through your mutual benefit?

↳ Sang fans got this result by consistently voting only for their favorite without casting spite votes, though?

↳ If you’re going to fight, go outside and fight.

↳ The Sang fans who were just sitting quietly: Why are we being dragged into this?

↳ Juran-dan and Go fans are fighting right now; if you ask the Sang fans, all they can say is “Just get the fuck out of our way.”

 

Go Jae-seong’s fans had consistently made enemies with other trainees’ fandoms. I didn’t expect even something like this to be the same as before my regression.

‘As expected, old habits die hard.’

 

***

 

It was already the sixth time, but the morning of the Code Announcement Ceremony was always quiet.

“You up?”

“Yes.”

Even while talking, the trainees’ energy was different from usual.

“We will now begin the sixth Code Announcement Ceremony.”

As befits a ranking announcement ceremony held right before the semifinals, the set was much more extravagant than usual.

Kang Se-jun appeared once again wearing a fusion hanbok. The outfit seemed to have been chosen with the Chuseok holiday broadcast in mind.

“Now, before we officially announce the codes, we will reveal the number of eliminations for this round.”

The numbers on the screen moved around chaotically.

“What the hell, why aren’t they revealing it right away?”

“Is this your first time seeing this? They always do this and then…”

 

[3]

 

Questions burst out from trainees whose faces had turned pale all over the set.

“Huh??”

“What?”

This was the first time there had been this many eliminations.

“We’re screwed…”

“Ah…”

The trainees who had ranked Code 12 or lower in the previous ranking, as well as those who hadn’t received a benefit, let out groans of despair.

“A total of twelve trainees will survive.”

“Wait. Then Round 6…”

Kang Se-jun naturally cut in with his line.

“Unfortunately, three trainees will not be able to stand on the stage for Round 6.”

It was a much harsher culling than expected.

“Then, from this moment on, we will begin the Code Announcement Ceremony!”

At this announcement ceremony as well, name tags were only exchanged when there was a change in the debut lineup.

“First, Code 11. Congratulations, trainee Kwon Gi-hyun.”

“…Huh? Uh, huh?”

“Congratulations!”

The despairing expression from just moments ago had completely vanished.

“Yes, trainee Kwon Gi-hyun. Thanks to receiving the team benefits this round, he has risen one spot to 11th place.”

“Th-thank you. Seong-woo hyung! Thank you so much!”

He stomped his feet and even waved his hands at me. Thinking back to Round 2, he really had changed a lot.

“Code 9. Congratulations, trainee Song Woo-joo.”

“Th-that’s a relief…”

Song Woojoo also bowed toward me. I genuinely felt like a teacher who had just received a carnation.

Since there were no name-tag exchanges, the announcement proceeded quickly. Before I knew it, we had reached Code 6. Out of habit, I checked the danger level.

‘No change.’

Taking the benefits and broadcast effect into account, Kang I-yul’s entry into the debut lineup seemed safe enough.

If so, this position was most likely going to be Choi Un-jo.

“Ah…! There’s an upset. This is a trainee who has never once been pushed out of the debut lineup.”

“Whoa.”

“Is it two people? Un-jo and Joo-han.”

“Come on, Un-jo got a benefit this time.”

Choi Unjo was already straightening his clothes.

Meanwhile, Joo-han calmly stared only at the electronic scoreboard.

‘As expected.’

“It is trainee Choi Un-jo.”

“……Ah!”

Choi Unjo never lost his smile until the very end.

“That’s a shame!”

Choi Unjo was probably the only person who could say something as disappointed as that with such a bright expression.

He immediately ran over to Kang I-yul and gave him a thumbs-up.

“Then that means there has also been a change among the five members of the debut lineup.”

“Which trainee, then, has newly joined the debut lineup?”

They must say these tensionless lines because they’re written in the script.

Kang Se-jun checked his cue card and raised his eyebrows.

“There’s another upset this time.”

The murmuring grew louder. The cameras captured the faces of the trainees competing for spots in the debut lineup one after another.

“Congratulations. Code 5 is trainee Go Jae-seong.”

“……Huh?”

“Oh.”

Even I hadn’t expected this.

‘The effect of the individual benefit was really this big?’

He was probably not only feeling his pride wounded right now, but might also be having an existential crisis over the fact that this was the result of all that fucking hard work.

Ah, maybe he could also be happy that this incident would make his fans even more fired up.

“He took Code 1 at the previous announcement ceremony, so I think this may be the biggest twist of the day.”

Go Jae-seong immediately waved his hands in denial.

“Regardless of what code I get, I’ll do my very best!”

It was quite different from his tearful remarks at the previous announcement ceremony.

‘He doesn’t mean it.’

Code 4 was confirmed to be Han Sang-yoon. It was the result of his benefits combined with his fandom uniting around the decision to vote only for Han Sang-yoon.

“Now, Code 3.”

I-yul had his head lowered, scratching his palm with his fingernail. It was a habit that unconsciously appeared whenever he was nervous.

‘Please……’

“Congratulations, trainee Kang I-yul!”

Both my fists clenched on their own.

“…Made it.”

Only those two words barely escaped my lips.

I-yul’s legs seemed to give out, and he collapsed onto the floor. Choi Un-jo quickly supported him and helped him back up.

I wanted to run over and hug him right away, but I held myself back.

I-yul bowed to Choi Un-jo before walking up onto the stage.

The danger level, which had remained completely unmoving, finally changed.

 

[Danger Level: 85% (▼7%)]

 

‘It went down!’

“Trainee Kang I-yul, your ranking fell as low as Code 6 at the previous announcement ceremony, so this is an incredible rebound.”

As if recalling all the emotional hardship he had gone through, I-yul tilted his head back. As though he was trying to keep himself from crying.

“Uh… um…….”

Only after taking several breaths did he finally manage to speak.

“First of all, I really want to thank all the fans who voted for me. I thought this was really my last chance, so I kept thinking, ‘What if it doesn’t work out this time either?’”

The hand gripping the microphone was trembling violently.

“Honestly, I was… really scared.”

His voice trembled along with it.

‘Hold it in, hold it in…….’

From the moment I-yul began his speech, the emergency siren in my tear ducts had been blaring wildly.

Before my regression, I had become a fan late, so I only watched the program long after the broadcast had already ended.

Since I already knew they had debuted, I had never been nervous or shed tears while watching the Code Announcement Ceremonies.

But now it was different.

Because I had gone through every single one of these moments together with them.

“Since I’ve returned to the place I once stood, I’ll definitely protect it.”

After taking a brief breath, I-yul looked in my direction.

“And Seong-woo hyung.”

Our eyes met.

“Thanks to you, I was able to learn what it means to show 100% of myself on stage.”

‘Fuck……’

Ah, whatever. I don’t know anymore. Even if the whole country finds out I’m a crybaby and screenshots of me with fish eyes start circulating everywhere, I can’t hold it in anymore.

“Uh… trainee Yoo Seong-woo, are you crying?”

“Ah, no.”

At this point, I wished it were a status-window error. At least then I could use that as an excuse.

“It seems trainee Kang I-yul’s eyes are getting red too. It looks like the two trainees really grew quite close while working together as a team this round. That’s another part of the charm of Boys Code.”

Kang Se-jun skillfully read out the line the writer had hastily scribbled down for him.

“Trainee Kang I-yul, please go wipe his tears.”

I-yul scratched his cheek awkwardly, then approached me with an awkward gait.

“Hyung, why are you crying?”

“Who told you to say something so touching?”

“Huh?”

Trying to hide my embarrassment, I tossed out the words casually.

“I’m congratulating you–”

“I don’t have a handkerchief–”

“Wait, you’re actually going to wipe them for me?”

“Ah, hold on.”

I wondered what he was doing until he pulled his jacket sleeve all the way out and held it in front of me.

“What, you want me to wipe them here?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll get scolded if you get makeup on it.”

“I’ll get scolded, I guess.”

Well, nothing I could do about that, then. I lightly dabbed the corners of my eyes with his sleeve.

“Trainee Kang I-yul, please wave that sleeve at the camera once–”

At the staff member’s request, Kang I-yul waved his arm without having the slightest idea why.

“They make us do the weirdest things, don’t they?”

Joo-han muttered quietly from the back.

“Tell me about it.”

Well, I suppose this was another memory to add to the collection.

“Now, we are left with only the announcement of the long-awaited Code 1. The two candidates for Code 1, please come up to the center stage.”

As I stood up, Joo-han quietly spoke to me.

“I feel like you’re going to get first place, hyung.”

“Come on, even so.”

Honestly, even Code 2 still felt surreal. It was burdensome, too.

‘Code 4 or 5 would definitely be the most comfortable.’

The moment I stepped onto the stage, my heart began pounding like crazy from an inexplicable tension.

I hadn’t realized that simply being a Code 1 candidate would feel this burdensome.

I naturally thought Joo-han would be in first place, but had I actually been secretly hoping to get first place myself?

I didn’t know I was this shameless of a person.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo, this is your first time being a Code 1 candidate. How do you feel?”

“It’s really… I’m still in a daze because I never even imagined getting this ranking.”

“If you get first place, are you going to cry again?”

“Ah…… no. I’ll give my acceptance speech like a man!”

While I rambled incoherently, Joo-han still had a perfectly calm expression.

“Then, we will announce Code 1.”

The trainees’ gazes focused on the two of us.

Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun

The grandiose sound effect overlapped with my heartbeat as one.

The electronic scoreboard alternated between showing the two of us.

“The new owner of Code 1 is…”

Kang Se-jun paused for a moment before shouting energetically.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo!”

‘As expected, it’s Joo-han.’

I immediately started applauding Joo-han. But that guy was also looking at me and applauding.

‘Huh?’

Wait…

Something was wrong.

Joo-han approached me first with a wide grin.

“Hyung, I think I might need to lay out my mat.”

“What?”

Kang Se-jun called my name again.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo, how do you feel about becoming the new Code 1?”

What the hell.

Noona, I got first place on Boys Code……