I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 78

Chapter 78

 

Gyeong-jin’s eyebrows drooped almost immediately after she clicked on Jung Eung-gyu’s post.

“What is this? It’s so touching…”

Along with a photo he had taken directly of the TV screen, a long post had been uploaded.

 

[Jung Eung-gyu @JGK_singalong 2 minutes ago]

Hello, this is Eung-gyuㅎㅎ After being eliminated from Boys Code, I thought about how I could communicate with my fans, so I opened a personal SNS channel!

……

I worked really hard preparing for the My Girl stage, so I’m really disappointed that I was eliminated.

I was also curious about who would take over my parts, and honestly, I was going to be a little jealous, but since it’s Seong-woo hyung, I don’t think I can do thatㅎㅎ I’ll always be cheering for you, Seong-woo hyung!

 

“That’s really heartwarming.”

And that was how Episode 8 ended at the most perfectly timed moment.

“They’re ending it here?”

The problem was that the final rankings, with the benefits reflected, had been pushed entirely to next week.

The comment section caught fire once again.

 

↳ Did filming get delayed because of Go’s scandal;;

↳ The apology statement is already up, so why would they need to leave it out;;

↳ Why are you blaming Jae-seong again? Give it a rest;;

 

“Jeez.”

Gyeong-jin clicked her tongue.

“We won’t have to put up with those guys for much longer.”

 

***

 

Amid the bustling staff, the trainees took their seats one by one.

“Ugh, I’m nervous!”

Ji Dong-seok grabbed my shoulders and made a huge fuss.

Two people would be eliminated this time. Just like last time, they would begin announcing from Code 9.

The only difference was that this time, the trainees would come forward and sit in their new seats according to the ranking as their names were called.

“Code 9. Congratulations, trainee Ji Dong-seok.”

“W-whoaah!!”

Ji Dong-seok’s shriek had become something that would almost feel strange if it weren’t there. I eventually couldn’t hold back my laughter either.

“The reason I was able to make it this far is all… thanks to Seong-woo!”

“Me?”

‘All of a sudden?’

I was momentarily bewildered by the unexpected words of gratitude.

“Whenever I’m on the same team as Seong-woo, I don’t get eliminated! I survived this time too because I got the benefit!”

He wasn’t wrong. Before my regression, Ji Dong-seok had been eliminated after Round 4 of the survival show.

Even he looked like he had never imagined that he would make it all the way to the final.

“Code 8 is… trainee Kwon Gi-hyun.”

The moment his name was called, Kwon Gi-hyun whipped his head around.

His face looked half out of it. Beside him, Song Woo-joo patted him on the shoulder so hard that it practically made a thump.

“Congratulations!”

“Really……?”

After the Shine stage, the number of fans pushing Kwon Gi-hyun as a vocal member had increased significantly. He also showed stable vocals during the Turn Over stage, and thanks to that, he had climbed to his highest individual ranking.

‘What will happen to Woo-joo…’

Before the regression, both of them had ruined their Round 2 stage and quietly been eliminated. That was why, this time, even I couldn’t easily predict what would happen.

Unfortunately, however, Code 7 was not Song Woo-joo.

“Code 7, trainee Go Jae-seong.”

“…….”

The venue became silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Ever since the survival show began, there had always been people around Go Jae-seong.

Trainees who wanted to be on the same team as him, guys trying to make an impression on him, and trainees who ran over to hug him first every time the results were announced.

But now, even when Go Jae-seong stood up from his seat, no one moved.

“This is ridiculous…”

A small voice came from somewhere.

“Must be nice.”

Even that wasn’t congratulations. Only cold gazes followed Go Jae-seong’s back.

Well, he had managed not to be eliminated despite the controversy.

“Yes, trainee Go Jae-seong. Unfortunately, this time, you have been pushed out of the debut lineup.”

“Yes.”

“Now only the final remains. Please give us a few words about your resolve going forward.”

Go Jae-seong slowly raised the microphone.

“Um…”

Five seconds, four seconds… As the silence grew longer, Kang Se-jun quickly glanced at PD Seon for a cue.

“It’s probably disappointing…”

Just as he was about to hurriedly add another line, Go Jae-seong opened his mouth.

“I learned a lot.”

After taking a brief breath, he continued slowly.

“I also learned that if my desire to do well goes too far, I can end up deeply disappointing the people who love me.”

His head, which he could barely lift, and his shoulders drooped as though his spirit had been completely crushed. To anyone watching, he really looked like someone who had spent several days reflecting deeply on himself and sincerely regretting his actions. But to my eyes, he didn’t look pitiful at all.

Just how much sincerity was actually contained in those words?

“Even so, to the fans who continue to support me and believe in me. Thank you so much……”

There were even tears glistening in his eyes.

“Before becoming a great idol, I will become a truly good person.”

He bowed so deeply that his crown nearly touched the floor.

“Thank you.”

‘As expected.’

The ability that had once made his fans eat their words hadn’t gone anywhere. Even in this situation, he knew exactly what his fans most wanted to hear.

But one thing was certain: Go Jae-seong would never be able to debut. There was still one gift left to give someone who had already begun to fall.

Song Woo-joo’s name was not called for Code 6 either.

“All right, then. We will now announce the new debut lineup.”

Go Jae-seong was out of the debut lineup. Everyone already knew who would fill that empty spot.

There was only one thing they wanted to know. Just how much had the rankings changed?

“First, Code 5. Congratulations, trainee Choi Un-jo.”

“Ooooooh~”

“Hurry up and get up there!”

Choi Un-jo walked forward, shaking his body as if he were excited. It was nothing more than walking, yet he moved rhythmically as though it were choreography.

“All the way to debut like this! I’ll keep going!”

Choi Un-jo thrust his fist forward energetically. The gesture would have been cheesy if someone else had done it, but somehow, it suited him perfectly.

“Code 4 is trainee Han Sang-yoon.”

I immediately patted Han Sang-yoon on the back.

“Congratulations, hyung.”

“Thanks.”

Perhaps because he had cried so much at the previous announcement ceremony, his expression was much calmer this time.

“I’m really happy to have maintained my ranking! To all my teammates who performed with me… thank you.”

As he said that, he looked toward where I-yul and I were standing. I gave him a thumbs-up in response.

“Next, I’ll announce Code 3 right away.”

The electronic board displayed the faces of me, I-yul, and Joo-han in separate slots.

‘Thank goodness…’

Just knowing that I-yul had at least maintained his previous ranking brought me a wave of relief. At the same time, though, the desire to hold on to first place raised its head.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo.”

“Huh?? Really?”

I reflexively straightened my clothes and stood up.

At that moment, Kang Se-jun hurriedly waved his hand.

“No, we haven’t announced it yet.”

“…Ah.”

Laughter erupted from various places. My ears instantly grew hot.

“What place do you expect this time?”

“I think I’d be happy with any ranking.”

His eyes seemed to ask, Isn’t that a little too textbook-perfect?

But as always, you have to listen to Korean until the very end.

“Still, after getting first place once already, I’ve gotten greedy.”

“Oh…”

Kang Se-jun nodded with interest.

“Then what about trainee Kang I-yul?”

I-yul rolled his eyes for a moment as he thought. Then he looked back and forth between Joo-han and me.

‘Huh?’

The tip of his nose crinkled slightly. It was a habit that came out whenever he was joking around.

It was a sight I hadn’t seen in a really, really long time.

“I’ve never reached that position before, so I’m curious. I feel like the air at the top would be different too.”

The fact that he had found enough composure to joke around like this made me want to cry with happiness.

“How about it, you two trainees? Is the air really different up there?”

Joo-han played along first.

“It does seem like the smell is different up there. Do they spray a separate perfume?”

He subtly winked at me, so I immediately played along.

“It’s a little… fresher? It is.”

Kang Se-jun covered his face with his cue card as he tried to hold back his laughter.

“Our Boys Code… pfft! We absolutely do not discriminate against trainees based on scent–. I’m saying this again to prevent any misunderstanding. Ahem, ahem!”

He repeatedly fanned himself with the cue card while suppressing his laughter.

‘His laughter threshold is pretty low.’

Thanks to that, the tense atmosphere eased a little.

“Then, I’ll announce Code 3.”

Perhaps because of that, the shock when the name was called was slightly lessened.

“Trainee Yoo Seong-woo.”

“Whoa…”

Small gasps erupted from all around.

To be honest, even I thought I had a higher chance of being a candidate for first place than third. This time, I had received both the team and individual benefits, after all.

But for the result to cause this much commotion.

‘This feels pretty good, actually.’

That was when it happened.

“……Hyung.”

I turned at the small, trembling voice and saw I-yul looking flustered.

“I’ll go up first.”

“…….”

“Won’t you congratulate me?”

I-yul quickly shook his head from side to side. I lightly patted his shoulder before heading toward the platform.

“Unfortunately, your ranking has dropped slightly.”

“Yes.”

I could more or less guess why. The aftermath of ranking first at the previous announcement ceremony had probably been significant. Until then, I had merely been a popular pick, but once I rose all the way to first place, the amount of spite voting against me had increased accordingly.

On top of that, after the spoiler saying that I had abandoned Amnesia and gone to My Girl was posted, quite a few fans were disappointed, saying they couldn’t understand my choice.

‘They might come back after seeing this stage, though.’

Even so, I absolutely did not regret transferring to My Girl.

“Now that I have a place to look up toward again, I’ll give it my all on the final stage without regrets and climb back up!”

Without realizing it, I put strength into my voice. Thankfully, cheers from the other trainees poured out.

“Fighting!!”

“You can do it!”

Even the anxiety that had been shaking in I-yul’s eyes just moments ago was replaced by a spark of life.

“If you could say a word to your fans?”

“Thank you!”

Mwah.

I blew a familiar kiss with my hand.

“Has that become your trademark now?”

I answered playfully to Kang Se-jun, who laughed as though he found it absurd.

“I’m thinking about whether I should keep pushing it.”

“Yes, we will support that as well.”

When I walked up to the debut lineup seats with light steps, Choi Un-jo and Han Sang-yoon welcomed me by mimicking my hand kiss.

‘Now, all that’s left…’

“Then, the trainees who are candidates for first place, please come up onto the platform.”

Unlike Joo-han, who was as relaxed as usual, I-yul’s shoulders were completely tense.

Just as I-yul came up onto the platform, our eyes met. I quickly put my index finger to my lips, then made a gesture of lifting the corners of my mouth.

At first, he seemed to wonder what I was doing, but soon he copied my gesture and burst out laughing.

‘As expected.’

When you’re nervous, having a laugh is the best thing. Only after seeing him walk with much lighter steps did I finally feel relieved.

“Phew…”

But then again, Joo-han was Joo-han. There was a reason Joo-han’s birthday support had been so lavish even among the devastated Impactor fandom before my regression.

‘The Nix and Go Jae-seong fans who managed to drive even those Joo-han fans away really are…’

“Trainee Kang I-yul.”

“Yes, yes!”

I thought he had relaxed, but the moment he stepped onto the platform, he froze up again.

“Perhaps because this is your first time standing up here, you seem very nervous.”

“Yes. I still can’t quite believe it.”

The hand gripping the microphone was visibly trembling.

“If you become Code 1, how do you think you’ll feel?”

I-yul took a moment to catch his breath.

“I think…… I’ll cry.”

My eyes began to sting.

‘Ah, emergency.’

If Kang I-yul got first place, I’d be the one having an emergency.

It was a position he had never managed to reach even before my regression. After belatedly binge-watching the survival show, I couldn’t even begin to describe how disappointed I had been.

If I had even had a chance to vote, I would have thrown away all social decorum and scraped together votes from my eighth cousins, my older sister’s ex-boyfriends, anyone I could find.

Even if I had to go that far, I wanted to let Kang I-yul sit in the Code 1 position at least once.

‘My long-standing wish is finally coming true like this!’

I desperately suppressed the emotion welling up inside me.

“Trainee Joo-han, if you take first place this time, you’ll reclaim Code 1 after quite some time. How do you feel?”

“I think I’ll be happier than when I first became Code 1.”

Beside Joo-han, for whom this position seemed so natural, Kang I-yul looked even more pitiful with how stiffly he was standing.

“Then, I’ll make the announcement.”

Kang Se-jun flipped through his cue card. I craned my neck and narrowed my eyes in case I could see anything written on it.

Naturally, I couldn’t see a thing.

“Congratulations.”

‘Kang I-yul…… Kang I-yul…….’

I repeated it fervently in my head, hoping the voice in my heart would overlap with Kang Se-jun’s.

‘Kang I-yul–’

“Trainee Kang I-yul!”

‘Yes!’

“Waaaaah!!”

“…….”

At that moment.

Filling the entire electronic board was my face, both arms raised high in celebration.

“…….”

But the water had already been spilled… or rather, the tear ducts had already burst.

“Did I, ahem, just call trainee Yoo Seong-woo’s name?”

Kang Se-jun seemed to have started tearing up for an entirely different reason.

“Ggh, hhhng…”

“Aigoo, trainee Kang I-yul. Go up there and comfort him for a bit.”

I hurriedly shook my head. I needed to hear I-yul’s first-place speech already, so what kind of nonsense was that?

“You want me to keep filming even while this is happening?”

Nod nod.

“No, Seong-woo hyung. If I get first place, are you going to cry that hard too?”

Shake shake.

“That’s mean, hyung!”

“Trainee Joo-han, are you upset?”

“Yes!”

Even as he said that, the corners of Joo-han’s mouth were filled with mischief.

Embarrassment? I didn’t care about that anymore.

Kang I-yul had gotten first place.

 

[Danger Level: 75% (▼7%)]

 

“…….”

My breath stopped.

Seven percent. It was a drop on a scale incomparable to anything that had happened so far.

The moment I saw that number, I knew. This wasn’t simply a matter of moving up one place in the rankings. Kang I-yul’s future was definitely changing.

The position he had never managed to reach before my regression.

The team that had fallen apart. And even the future of the twenty-two-year-old Kang I-yul that had come to a halt in the pouring rain.

Little by little, it was moving farther away from the future I knew. The moment I realized that, the tears that had barely stopped began pouring down again.

On the electronic board was Kang I-yul, now Code 1, and me, crying even more messily than he was.

‘Yeah.’

This was what I had come back to see.

A future where Kang I-yul didn’t die, a future where he didn’t end up as a failed idol.

A future where he was loved by people, recognized for his abilities, and could smile freely on stage.

The first scene of that future was right before my eyes.