Chapter 13

'This is what's called righteousness.'

I stared at the machine in action, calculating the number of cases that'll possibly happen, in my head.

It's the kind of ball machine you'd see on TV shows. You press the start button, a blast of air blows in, scatters the balls, and one escapes through the top exit.

As MC Ko Hyun-joo says, it's all about luck.

There's no other handicapping or eye contact between the participants.

You could end up with an A-grade contestant who is similar in skill to you, or you could end up with a D-grade or F-grade contestant who's really at the very end of the pyramid.

It's times like this that I wish Cerberus had a power other than smell that allowed him to see the future.

The Yorkie, who has been with me since the beginning of hell, is resting in my room. I knew he'd have a hard time keeping up with a long shoot like today.

'This is going to make group composition virtually meaningless, and we're going to have a song fight.'

Unless the gods of fate help you, you'll almost inevitably be paired with a lower-ranked contestant. Because there are more low-ranked people than there are A-ranked people.

So you have to figure out how to maximize your synergy in similar conditions.

As MC Ko Hyun-joo continued on with the explanation further, I first tried to figure out the songs that were labeled on the signs.

"Inside this machine are as many balls that are labeled 1 through 16 as your number. Some will contain seven, some will contain six, and I want you to come out in order and go to the number sign that was drawn from the drawing machine and form a group. Now, would you please come forward, starting with trainee number one?"

The order was not the order of the grades, but the order of the numbers used in the initial level test.

"What was your number?"

"Me and Si-hyuk were stuck together. 77, 78."

"Oh no, I'm going to be sold first."

Kang Sun-woo's number was 51. I wasn't in the front of the line, but my number and Ma Si-hyuk's number were in the far back, so it was a quite good comparison.

About 10 minutes passed.

I looked at the group status as people were exiting one by one.

'All the A's are laggards.'

We were now 55 numbers in, and there were only three A competitors in front of the group sign.

In short, there were a couple of other A-Grade participants drawing their number sign around the same time as you.

As if they were all aware of this fact, the pre-placed trainees kept looking at where we were sitting with wistful eyes.

'If two A's are in the same room, it'll be like having a slippery slope.'

The winning formula hasn't been announced yet, but it probably won't deviate too far from the typical on-the-spot voting.

If there is an on-site vote, attention will naturally gravitate toward the more recognizable and skilled A-grade contestants, so it's a win-win.

I was secretly hoping for at least one A-grade to get things off to a good start.

"Trainee Yu Si-hwan, number 77, please come out and pick up the ball."

When it was my turn and I went up to the drawing machine, I felt the atmosphere within the auditorium changing slightly.

The students who had been simply making eye contact were now openly praying with their hands together, and those who were in direct contact with me were even gesturing.

"Si-hwan, draw number 4, draw number 4!"

Kang was waving four fingers as if he was campaigning for the office.

"Hyung, please number nine!"

Yoo Ha-woon cried out, clasping his hands together and sounding like he was trying to catch a departing lover.

I wonder what path the Goddess of Fate will send me down.

Another ball soon rolled out of the drawing machine, and I swallowed hard, checking the numbers that was labeled on the ball.

[ 9 ]

'Mr. Judge, are you watching me from Hell? If so, I'd like to thank you from the very bottom of my heart.'

Although there were no A-grade players in Group 9, it was still a fairly balanced field. First and foremost, I was reassured by the presence of Yoo Ha-woon, whom I already knew.

Everyone held their breath and looked forward as I stepped out with the ball.

I didn't mean to draw attention to this.

Only the KNet guys will be happy to have more to edit.

Since the mood of the place has been passed on to me, I'll try my hand at showmanship here.

"Whoa, you mean...?"

As I slowly walked toward where the group was standing, the person in front of me went wide-eyed.

I felt bad that I'd dampened his anticipation, but I just nodded and moved towards the side.

"Oh..."

A hollow sound cut through the air.

I got the same reaction every time, reaching group four.

"Si-hwan, don't just go, stay cool!"

"Blame it on the ball, not me."

I patted Kang Sun-woo on the shoulder and succeeded in breaking his expression.

He looked so embarrassed that everyone in the auditorium had instantly bursted into laughter.

"I'll take care of you."

When I finally stood in front of Group 9 and smiled brightly, the members of Group 9, who had been waiting in a row, jumped up and grabbed my hand.

"Okay, okay!"

"It's totally doable!"

"I can't believe I caught a mebo!"

"Tongue in cheek!"

At this point, Yoo was on the verge of tears.

It would be a weird picture if we hadn't even decided on a song yet.

I quickly pinched his cheek and said quietly,

"Woon-ah, if you're going to cry, let's cry after winning the battle."

"Humph! Got it!"

With Yoo Ha-woon still clinging to my side like a poodle, I greeted on with the other members.

At a quick glance, there was one A, three B, two C, and one D in the group.

We hadn't even finished the lottery yet, and there were already seven people in the room.

There was no one who did exceptionally well on the level test or in the final rating, and no one who overwhelmingly pushed the volume on KNet.

As I said earlier, it was a group that was "no more balanced than any other".

I wore a smile on my face, but inside I was crunching numbers up a storm.

If your first impression is that the balance isn't too bad, this could be a problem.

On the whole, the vocals and dance can work well together, but on the other hand, that could be the end of it.

Just an okay performance with no real highlights.

In the nature of survival auditions, where you have to make an impression on the judges and the public, this group is doomed if they can't showcase their strengths.

'There are so many things I need to point out.'

In this case, you'll need to put a lot of thought into your song selection and, most importantly, quickly identify your group members' strengths and weaknesses.

I felt like my shoulders were getting heavier by the minute.

Meanwhile, Ma Si-hyuk, who was next in line, staggered over with a sullen face.

As he passed in front of me, he flashed me a ball with the number 10 on it.

He must be even more depressed that he's not in the same group as me.

"Wow!"

"We won, no questions asked. We couldn't possibly lose!"

I turned my head to spy on the group next to me, who were reacting with excitement.

The first thing I saw was Sung-hwi smiling with confidence.

"This is great, we got some good reinforcements."

There was a reason why Team 10 was so excited.

It was the only one of the 16 groups to have two A's.

There was Sung-hwi, who generated a lot of buzz early on, and Ma Si-hyuk, who wrote a story that turned out to be a twist in the final grading. It was clear that if they were to face off against each other, it would be a headache.

"Please do well!"

"Okay, okay, please do well..."

Unlike the other members who were cheering, Ma Si-hyuk bowed his head which he had an unconfident look in his eyes that you could easily notice.

I was worried about our group's situation, but seeing him like that, I was also worried about them too.

I didn't hear the exact reason, but Ma Si-hyuk's demeanor had been consistent since the first filming of 'Asri 2'.

Then, also having my help, it soon changed a bit.

Like a lame duckling, he broke away from me and reverted back to his original self.

'With Sung-hwi on top of that, I don't wanna know what that asshole narcissist is going to do.'

Once all 100 contestants were assigned to their respective groups, MC Ko Hyun-joo delivered the next long-awaited announcement.

"Sixteen groups formed entirely by luck. What do you think, do you like it?"

"Yes~!"

"Yes.…"

Answers of varying volumes were heard here and there.

"All that's left, then, are those signs right there in front of you, and I'm going to tell you how the first round, the Group Battle Competition, will play out."

I had been looking at the songs on the signs for a while now, trying to figure out my best options.

So far, I've narrowed it down to about 3 songs that are probably the least risky.

Hopefully this will be a smooth ride.

"Now, before I explain how we're going to proceed, I'm going to need one representative from each group to come forward here."

KNet bad guys.

If they do this, it's just like a drawing machine.

We don't even know how it's suppose to work.

'It's my fault for ever thinking to use common sense with these station bastards in the first place.'

The members of Group 9 glanced at each other, confused.

"Hey, does anyone want to leave...?"

"I don't really know what to do, so..."

"Well..."

Then, as if it was just inevitable, all eyes turned towards me.

"Yeah, after all, shouldn't you be the one to leave?"

"I'm just giving him a chance to pick in rank order, just in case!"

Sung-hwi's eyes sparkled as he'd patted my shoulder.

"Big brother, you should go for it!"

"Uh, yeah."

I wasn't even given a veto.

As I walked to the front of the auditorium, I found myself surrounded by delegates who had been semi-forced out of other groups.

"You too?"

"Haha, so Si-hwan is here too?"

Kang Sun-woo, whose expression was clearly visible on his back, and Sung-hwi, who laughs as if this very whole development is terribly amusing.

We start with some light exploration.

"Do you have any songs in mind?"

"Well, to be honest, they're all pretty famous, and they're all songs that I've probably done at least once in my life as a student, so I guess it's a toss-up."

"I've got the exact song I want to play."

Sung-hwi laughed softly, leaning in very close.

"Of course, Si-hwan won't let you know about it."

"I didn't think you were going to tell him either."

"Oh, come on. Be mean. This is really a 'competition', isn't it? I thought pulling out your hand was a beginner's move, forgive me."

The narcissist's wall was a mild interruption to the exploratory battle.

Once all the representatives from each group were present, Ko Hyun-joo took the microphone to get everyone's attention.

"Now that the group representatives have been elected, let's move on to the actual song selection process. Those signs in front of you look like something you'd want to hold onto, right?"

Something feels uneasy.

It's not just that we've set up the delegates so far away from the signs.

When you mention that it looks like something you want to grab, I can picture one thing.

"If you look closely, you'll see that there are two signs for each song, and at the back of the line where you're standing, there are exactly eight grooves for the signs."

I realized where the mood was going.

Turning my wrists and ankles this way and that, I spoke in a low voice to Kang Sun-woo, who was staring distantly at MC Ko Hyun-joo next to me.

"Hey, why don't you loosen up."

"Huh?"

"Start with your ankles, loosen up."

"Suddenly?"

Kang's question was soon answered.

"Before, you formed the group through sheer luck, but now you have to fight for the songs you want with your own strength. Just like baseball, if you want to be an idol, this is the foundation, so let's start with how much physical strength you have."

With a wave of his hand, MC Ko Hyun-joo created a giant 10 on the large screen in the center of the auditorium.

"In exactly 10 seconds, the group representatives will run hard to grab a placard with the name of the song they want. The first eight to get their placards in the groove will get the chance to perform that song. Okay, everyone, get ready!"

As soon as the word "run" was uttered, the air in the auditorium became electric.

The participants, watching their representatives in their respective groups, began to chant the countdown at the top of their lungs.

"10! 9! 8! 7!"

"Ah, so this is why you told me to loosen up."

Kang scratched his head and laughed, as if he finally understood what I meant when I had said that to him.

"But what can I do? I can't run."

"What's the point of telling me that?"

Sung-hwi, on the other hand, stretched his legs and smiled with his trademark maniacal smile.

"Ah, it's fun to bump and fight like this, isn't it, big brother Si-hwan? I hope your group and our group don't overlap in the songs we want, because I'm pretty fast."

"Six! Five! Four! Three! 2! 1!"

It was almost time for the starting whistle.

I lowered my stance with the tiniest bit of resentment in my heart.

'Honestly this damn production crew.'