LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 65
Chapter 65
“Let’s keep him.”
Writer Jang Ah-hyun was right when she said it would be a waste to throw him away.
There were countless rumors both inside and outside the broadcasting station, but Jo In-soo, the producer with a keen sense for the show, continued to give various instructions.
“Jing Xiao did well this time, so let’s include some of the mentors’ comments and push him as a growth character. Let’s also keep Raon alive for now. If he does well, we might be able to make him like Lee Saet-byul.”
“Yes.”
“Rather than focusing on each individual, let’s put the emphasis on the stage itself.”
The assistant director understood the contradictory instructions to keep Jing Xiao and On Raon while focusing on the stage perfectly.
“Yes. What about Trainee Seo Moon-gyeol?”
“…Edit his screen time like before and only show the stage and his direct camera shots decently.”
They decided that leveraging Seo Moon-gyeol’s popularity was more important than excluding him entirely.
‘His ranking will rise, but we just need to make sure he doesn’t make it into the debut lineup in the end.’
The other three trainees also performed better than before, but not enough to break into the top ranks.
“Let me step out for a cigarette.”
Jo In-soo, the producer, frowned as he went out for a smoke, his pride wounded for having conceded for whatever reason.
Behind him, he heard writer Jang Ah-hyun and the assistant director chatting.
“I wondered what he meant when he said he had a picture in his head during the interview and to look forward to it, but it turned out like this. Still, maybe because he has some experience with big agencies, he’s surprisingly smart even though he looks naive.”
“Do you think On Raon planned all of this, writer Jang?”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. Even if he did plan it, it might just be a coincidence that things turned out so well. But if it happens once and then twice, there’s got to be something, right? In my opinion….”
Click.
“Whew….”
As Jo In-soo, the producer, came out to the terrace and exhaled a long puff of cigarette smoke, he suddenly remembered what the music director, whom he knew personally, had said during the preparation process for the competition.
‘This is something we need to save, regardless of who we are pushing.’
Then he recalled what writer Jang Ah-hyun had just said.
‘No way.’
A trainee under twenty, new to broadcasting, couldn’t have planned that far ahead, right?
Jo In-soo’s thoughts soon dissipated with the cigarette smoke.
He was too proud and stubborn to admit that he had acted according to the intentions of such a young rookie.
* * *
The day after the second performance, I lay down sick, unable to move, just like after the first performance.
I remembered being brought back to the dorm by Kwak Sang-hyun, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself lying near the entrance.
[Penalty for completing a schedule with a level of intensity that exceeds your stamina: You have contracted a severe cold. Rest well and eat well.]
[Status Effect: Severe Cold – All abilities reduced by 50%]
It wasn’t just a cold, but a severe cold.
I had expected this to some extent since I had expended twice as much energy as during the first performance.
In fact, I couldn’t even recall how I managed to finish the performance, check the overall ranking, do interviews, and shoot individual direct camera shots.
Fortunately, the overall and individual direct camera shots were taken during the main stage performance.
Some teams with complex sets had filmed during rehearsals, but our team didn’t have that, so we had to stay until late at night.
It was thanks to a producer’s consideration that my individual direct camera shots were taken during the main stage.
Remembering the terrible stamina I displayed during the first performance, the producer had made a note of it.
He was one of the few producers with a good reputation among the Pick Heart trainees.
‘Even if he knew, it’s not easy to take care of it like that. I should buy him a drink later.’
Still, it’s a pity to think that the other team members’ direct camera shots would be filled with scenes of me looking exhausted in between.
I did my best, but with such poor stamina, it was impossible to perform as well as on the main stage.
“Ah, my head hurts….”
I felt a bit dizzy and had a slight ringing in my ears.
As I lay there groaning, I remembered what Kang Ji-woo said about feeling more lonely when sick and alone.
Thinking about it quietly, it seemed true.
To lie around like a corpse on such a nice day without eating anything.
‘The porridge was delicious back then. With salty beef jerky on top….’
No. If Kang Ji-woo hadn’t said that, if he hadn’t made me delicious, warm porridge, I wouldn’t have known this unfamiliar sadness.
‘It’s all their fault.’
Just as I was about to call Kang Ji-woo to demand why he did that to me, I barely regained my composure and lay back down.
‘It’s not like I drank a lot…. Don’t lose your dignity just because you’re lacking stamina….’
Even the system seemed to pity my feverish, dazed self, granting me an exemption from daily quests today.
If I had been kicked out in this state, I might have been found by a passerby around 8 PM and taken to the emergency room as a new lodging.
And a headline like ‘Pick Your Heart Season 3, Trainee Overwork Suspected’ would have appeared in the news.
“….”
It seemed like it was time to sleep again, judging by how my thoughts were wandering.
Although I had only eaten half a stale bread and some lukewarm water while awake, I closed my eyes, hoping that I would feel completely better when I woke up again.
* * *
After lying down for three full days, the status effect was finally lifted.
The system, which claimed to only grant one day of rest, remained quiet for three days. The system I knew wasn’t usually this generous. Suspicious.
Based on this suspicion, I had a feeling this severe illness was somehow its doing.
[…… Intuition +1]
Damn you….
It was frustrating not to even have the energy to confront it.
“I’m hungry.”
Having survived on half a piece of bread and water for three days, I felt an intense hunger.
Saving on food costs was out of the question; I had to survive first. So I washed up quickly, changed out of my sweat-soaked clothes, and went outside.
‘Is this what a vampire feels like coming out into the sunlight….’
The sunlight was excessively dazzling.
I entered a nearby porridge chain store with a look that clearly screamed ‘patient’ and ordered the most expensive and delicious porridge without hesitation.
Seeing how sick I looked, the store owner brought me extra portions of precious domestic beef jerky without me even asking.
Kang Ji-woo’s homemade feast was something else, but the porridge I devoured quickly had a slight recovery effect attached to it.
I thought it was more important to get back to my condition quickly than to save money, so I packed a few more bowls of porridge, even though it was expensive.
Eating well and sleeping well, my condition soon fully recovered.
When I charged my phone for the first time in days, I saw that I had received more messages from fellow trainees than I had expected.
**[Jun-woo] Hey!**
**[Jun-woo] Your team’s reaction is amazing**
**[Little Fox] Why aren’t you answering your phone?**
**[Gang Ju-boo] I heard this one was tougher than the last time**
**[Gang Ju-boo] You’re not sick again, are you??**
**[One-year-younger Xiao] Hyungs! When are we meeting??!**
**[One-year-younger Xiao] Let’s go eat something spicy together**
**[One-year-younger Xiao] Let’s gooo!!**
…
I found myself wondering if I had given my number to this many people. It took quite some time to explain and reply to each message.
“How many are there…?”
‘Diligently responding to all the messages received’ was also the first condition of today’s daily quest.
That’s right. The daily quests, which I didn’t particularly want to see again, had returned along with my health.
My day was once again filled with the struggle to complete these daily quests.
To give a few examples of the quests I received….
Picking up trash while running ten laps around the civic park, getting scouted while singing at a karaoke rumored to be frequented by entertainment industry insiders, practicing a girl group hit medley, and counseling Nagase Ritsu about his homesickness over cake.
It seemed like they had been lenient because of the competition preparations and my terrible condition, as a variety of missions greeted me.
Still, I felt I had become somewhat accustomed to this awkward lifestyle.
I was also getting used to people sneakily taking my picture when I was outside.
I could tell because, thanks to my camera detection skill, I could occasionally recognize the cameras pointed at me.
The skill seemed to apply not only to broadcasting station cameras but also to all kinds of filming devices, including phone cameras.
Once, I turned around right away when I felt something strange and made eye contact with someone who was taking a picture of me with their phone.
I was surprised, but the person seemed even more shocked.
They dropped their phone in surprise. I wondered if it didn’t break.
Before I could even react, the person picked up their phone and quickly disappeared. They must have been very embarrassed.
In the process of performing quests and experiencing such small happenings, there was the fun of seeing various stats naturally increase.
For instance, after running ten laps around the civic park, if my stamina didn’t increase, I’d have grounds to sue.
Occasionally, in my spare time, I tried to improve my body’s abilities, including my poor stamina.
On nights like tonight, when it was sufficiently dark, I would go to a deserted park and try out different exercise equipment one by one.
**[You have exercised at an appropriate intensity. Stamina +1, Strength +1]**
Ah, it increased.
Confirming that my stamina and strength had increased, I slowly released the tension in my legs, which had been trembling to support my body.
‘Stamina and strength are particularly hard to increase.’
After getting off the exercise equipment, I checked the time on my phone and realized it was time to head back.
‘I’d better hurry.’
Today was the day the second performance aired.