Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 66

Before the broadcast started, I hurried back to the guest house, quickly washed up, and sat down in front of the TV.

While watching this kind of show, I should be snacking on a thin, crispy bag of chips.

But, given my current situation, there was no such luxury, so I settled for a peach-flavored candy I brought back from dinner and rolled it around in my mouth.

‘I wish our performance was today….’

The second round of the competition was broadcast over two weeks, and it was obviously advantageous to be on the earlier episode.

The first round of the competition, which aired right before the first elimination, had its ups and downs for the same reason.

On the show, the team formation game was in full swing.

Watching the broadcast, I learned about the situations of other teams that I hadn’t known before.

For a low-ranked trainee, there were quite a few disappointing moments. Rank was everything.

Next, we chose songs and positions.

After Jena announced the criteria for determining the order, there were scenes of top-ranked trainees’ faces stiffening awkwardly and lower-ranked trainees shrinking as if they had committed a crime.

Kyle, one of our team members, was among them.

Even though this was already the sixth episode, it still felt strange to see snippets of people I knew highlighted like this.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t watched TV before, but feeling this way was probably because, for the first time, I was in the position of being seen rather than just watching.

This is why it’s important to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Anyway, the song selection process seemed to pass quickly.

They showed the trainees holding the position & song placards in vertical quarter cuts all at once.

As it progressed, the scenes of trainees with fewer choices left, looking troubled, were shown longer.

Finally, it was our team’s turn, and Seo Moon-gyeol stepped forward.

It seemed like the first time Seo Moon-gyeol’s features were shown so clearly.

Since Seo Moon-gyeol went forward to pick a placard, I thought our team would be mercilessly edited out.

‘Why?’

I doubted Jo In-soo PD suddenly had no personal feelings towards Seed.

The reason soon became clear.

[On Raon: Hyung, not that one! That one!]

In slow motion and close-up, with reactions from other trainees looking surprised.

It was somehow a dramatic production.

[On Raon: Hyung, guys, just trust me this once.]

“Wow. Seeing it like that, it’s really……”

I seemed like an attention-seeker.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I gave myself a harsh evaluation, but the situation was edited to be more interesting than it actually was, true to the entertainment nature of the show.

Pick Heart’s production team was good at both killing and saving moments.

If Jo In-soo PD wanted, he could elevate any decent trainee to the debut line just with editing.

Of course, the opposite was also possible.

[Jena: Somehow, Raon seems to create a lot of unexpected situations in moments like this.]

A scene from the first round of the competition, where Ban Yo-han raised his hand and asked to be picked, was shown. It was a cut that had been edited out back then.

What’s this? Instead of just being happy, I felt suspicious first.

[Jena: So, Seo Moon-gyeol, will you trust trainee On Raon?]

Another moment fitting for a ‘dun dun’ sound effect passed, and Seo Moon-gyeol answered that he would trust me and took down the placard.

Watching this, I became curious about the PD’s intentions.

* * *

While On Raon was wondering about the PD’s intentions,

The internet was overflowing with waves of emotion.

– Wow, what’s with all the Seed kids’ screen time?

– It’s my first time hearing Moon-gyeol’s voice^^

– I thought the PD had changedㅎㅎㅎ

– I just stopped channel surfing because I saw someone so handsome, who was that mixed-race looking guy? I couldn’t see because it passed byㅠㅠ

┗ It’s Seo Moon-gyeol from Seed Entertainment!

The reactions were so intense that you would think an entire episode was filled with stories about Seed trainees.

The response to On Raon’s entertaining presence was also positive.

– On Raon is looking more charming each time

– He’s like a scene-stealer? He makes the show so much more funㅋㅋㅋㅋ

┗ I don’t think I could have cut that out either

Actually, quite a bit of On Raon’s footage, which was too good to cut, had been left out due to Jo In-soo PD’s direction.

Even the initially moderate screen time, which wasn’t too little nor too much, was the result of carefully selecting the best moments from a lot of footage compared to other trainees.

There were many moments he regrettably cut, thinking, ‘I really wanted to keep this…!’

On Raon’s screen time was that valuable.

In the very early days after my possession, On Raon’s presence was as thin as air unless he did something actively, mainly due to systemic reasons.

From such an On Raon, sparks of brilliance occasionally burst out like fireworks. All of those moments were screen time.

The assistant PD, who edited the initial broadcasts following Jo In-soo PD’s instructions, now thought that if all the eye-catching moments had been aired, On Raon would not have just been in 15th place but easily secured a spot in the upper ranks of the debut line.

In the first round, he seemed momentarily subdued, but recently, meeting teammates who matched well, he had been pulling out screen time continuously.

As the viewers said, even just airing the scenes of them getting along during practice was enough to make the fun team entertaining.

Unfortunately, most of that footage was cut out.

What Jo In-soo PD wanted was not harmony.

Jo In-soo PD was a person who pursued a thrilling stimulus so intense that it left a lingering pain, despite being prepared for it in advance.

He was the kind of person who would sell his soul for ratings and buzz.

He was often evaluated as such even by his colleagues, so that said it all.

Jo In-soo PD became lenient only for ratings, buzz, and the higher-ups.

1 a.m.

Today’s broadcast was also nearing its end.

There was talk about how overall, the trainees seemed to have become more sensitive compared to the beginning.

It was because the filming was done after the trainees had somewhat grasped their positions through rankings and community reactions.

At first, they were scared of malicious comments and held back, but now, midway through the program, they were desperate and ambitious, so they couldn’t always remain rational.

[Seok Soo-young: Trainee Choi Tae-woo should be very grateful to his team members.]

When the fifth team’s performance, which had given viewers an uneasy feeling by focusing on Choi Tae-woo’s poor skills during practice, ended.

Even during practice, Choi Tae-woo, who had been struggling with his pitch, received intense negative feedback from the mentors after the performance ended.

The editing made it seem like he was today’s sacrificial lamb, but the truth was, he hadn’t performed well, so the real-time reactions were unfolding exactly as the PD had intended.

– No matter what, how can he think of becoming an idol with such skillsㅠ?
– Exactly. I’ve voted for Tae-woo a few times, but this is just too burdensome.

┗ He even picked the team members and chose the position himself because he wanted to challenge himself with vocals. Where did that confidence come from…?

– I can hear Jun-woo practically tearing up inside. Not only is he teaching vocals one by one, but this is ridiculous…

– Jun-woo, you did wellㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Although his dancing skills were notably lacking, leading to his early assignment to the Hyesung class, Kim Jun-woo’s vocal prowess shone brightly, fitting for a main vocal.

– And yet, in a team of six, only two are shown. What about the other four?
– Even Yo-han did better than Tae-woo with his screen time.

– Yo-han’s voice is clear and bittersweet, like markValentine’s prince mark.

┗ It’s not about being good; it’s just his tone. He didn’t have many parts, so it’s hard to judge his skillsㅋㅋ..

┗ Whether it’s tone or not, the fact that Yo-han, with fewer parts, sounded better than Tae-woo with more parts is undeniable.

┗ Please stop comparing and criticizing other traineesㅠㅠ…

The polite tone and gentle atmosphere of the café were the reasons the comments were at this level. In other communities, including Pick Three, posts were already filled with harsh words.

It wasn’t just Choi Tae-woo’s problem.

Unless they were completely buried due to lack of screen time, there wasn’t a trainee who wasn’t criticized or disparaged.

They were criticized for being too young, too old, having a previous debut, being an actor, model, or ordinary person, being a foreigner, being greedy for parts, having too much screen time (PD pick).

Reasons for criticism could always be found.

Malicious comments became even more ruthless when people forgot that trainees were also human and treated them as thoroughly objectified products.

Although there were many who didn’t do this, the voices of those who did were loud enough to reach the trainees.

Most of the trainees were in their late teens to early twenties, and it was a heavy burden to bear. It was something they shouldn’t have to endure.

– Tae-woo’s mom should stay off the community for a week.

One person left this comment while watching the community reactions with a heavy heart.

In any case, after Kim Jun-woo, who took first place in the team, finished his interview, the focus shifted to the next team.

This would be the last team of the day due to time constraints.

And the team called up by MC Lee Chang-yeon was.

[Seo Moon-gyeol: Do you know why Heungbu is rich?]

[Trainees: Because he has a lot of excitement!]

It was the Heungbuja team.

Although they were the last to perform during the actual competition, the order could be easily rearranged through editing.

– Oh my, it’s the legendary Eolssu Eolssu!

– Binwoo is genuinely so handsomeㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Moon-gyeol and Xiao were always super handsome, but Raon is stunning today.

Thanks to various reviews posted online, dedicated viewers already knew some of the content and reactions of the competition.

The pure anticipation for the Heungbuja team’s stage, which even received an encore, was the highest among the eleven teams.

The fierce viewers softened a bit at the appearance of the anticipated team.

The practice process was portrayed as Jing Xiao’s growth journey, with On Raon taking up the second most screen time.

[Production Team: Why did you choose that position (vocal × performance × rap) that everyone wanted to avoid?]

[On Raon: I have a picture in my head.]

On the screen, On Raon looked straight into the camera and declared that they should look forward to it.

He looked like someone with a secret move. The editing maximized the already high anticipation.

The screen switched back to the stage.

The song title and the trainees’ names were displayed in subtitles.

On Raon, who was monitoring the broadcast while fighting off sleep, sensed that his gamble was leaning towards success.

Soon, that feeling turned into certainty.

The gamble wasn’t just a success but a great success.

Instead of ruining the stage, the decent camera work saved it, something as rare in Pick Heart as seeing trainees’ camaraderie.

There was no ‘bad camera’ that unnecessarily focused on the audience during the killing part, drawing complaints.

The reactions of the trainees and mentors were also edited in a way that didn’t interfere with the stage appreciation.

It was Jo In-soo PD’s critical blow to salvage the faltering popularity once he had committed.

The reactions to the stage, which stood in stark contrast to the previous team, exploded in real-time.

In fact, it was a cold sequence arrangement intended to highlight the contrast effect from the start.

– Dancing to this song…? Isn’t Binwoo a genius???

– The arrangement was really good. The team members should bow to Seo Moon-gyeol.

– On Raon, who thought of the whole concept, outfits, and the petal scattering at the end, is amazing.

– The encore was deserved. Those who saw this live must have been thrilled.

┗ 22 It must have felt like the end of a concert.

┗ Those who went to the show and missed this will regret it for life… It was epic.

– It’s amazing that they pulled this off with trainees like Xiao and Ritsu, who aren’t particularly outstanding in skills.

┗ Plus, except for Seo Moon-gyeol, they’re all from the lower class.

┗ Muk Teacher: (Pleased)

– I’m curious about the other trainees’ practice process too, but they didn’t show it. How did Dae and Xiao become so close?

┗ It’s good enough that they did justice to the stage.

┗ 222 I wish they did this for other stages too.

– It’s my first time seeing Moon-gyeol get a solo shot at the center, and it’s so touchingㅠㅠ

– Jo In-soo, you get a free pass today for this edit.

After the stage ended, the scene of the trainees being emotional, crying, and collapsing to enhance the lingering impression was also broadcast.

The performance was praised as perfectly fitting the show’s concept of self-production and global appeal, and it was hailed as legendary across all seasons.

Thanks to the Heungbuja team’s legendary stage, PD Jo In-soo, the trainees, and the representative could all be satisfied for the first and last time as one.

Before the broadcast ended, the interim ranking with Oh Hyun-jin in first place was announced.

Na Yoon-jae, who had been a solid first place, was pushed to third, and Ha Seo-joon, who had been fourth, dropped to eleventh. Yoon Myung-soo, who had been nineteenth, rose eleven places to eighth, indicating significant changes.

And everyone knew that the rankings next week would be very different from now.

It was a storm.