LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Four out of the six team members, excluding myself, were team play black trainees I didn’t want to associate with.
This time, there was no way to escape to another team.
Ban Yo-han, who was assigned to the song ‘Kick-off,’ displayed a notification hoping for my elimination while pitying me.
Kim Jun-woo, assigned to the song ‘Infinity’ with Seo Moon-gyeol, also looked at me with a similar expression to Ban Yo-han before suddenly being shocked.
[Kim Jun-woo was surprised to realize how handsome you were.]
Lee Seung-hyuk, who disliked all good-looking people, was visibly losing favor with me in real time.
I guess I had become more handsome.
Recently, I had been monitoring a moderate community, and thankfully, the suspected plastic surgery rumors hadn’t surfaced yet. Probably.
It would be quite unfair if such rumors did arise.
After all, I had only just started to regain the face that the system had stolen from me, and they were accusing me of plastic surgery.
Are you listening, No. 14227?
[I’m listening, so unclench your fist. Strength -1]
Reducing my already weak strength?
He was truly a consistent fellow.
—
[♥On (+sizz) on the way to the ranking ceremony♥]
New candid shots
ON THE ROAD [(photo)
17×××× on the way to the ceremony
#OnRaon #Pickyourheart3]
Onraondong is now really almost the same height as Yo-hanㅠㅠㅠ So cuteㅠ
He feels like he’s growing while taking a diaryㅠㅠㅠ
– Wow, so refreshing and pure…
– These days, On’s face is so interesting, I’m so excited
– On has consistently grown well. If you picked him from the beginning, it would’ve felt great to nurture him
– I’m a recent fan, and he was originally handsome, but these days, he’s especially idol-like and captivating
– But why do they always hang out together? They even went to see the billboard together before
┗ They’re just close + On is an individual trainee, so isn’t it because he helps him commute? They’ve been like this even before their boss relationship became a thing
However, representatives trying to bring down other trainees to promote their own, and those who stirred up trouble to attract attention, were plentiful. Therefore, it wasn’t completely unexpected for comments about his recently elevated charm to emerge.
– He probably couldn’t have had surgery due to his filming schedule, but honestly, didn’t he get some procedures done? Can someone really change this much in three months?
┗ It’s nonsense to talk about changing so much
┗ Totally possible. At 18, boys are still growing, and it looks like he just grew naturally. Xiao also grew a lot in three months
┗ His eyes were always pretty, and his nose and mouth look exactly the same as in the PR video (photo)
– He’s a minorㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Still 18 years oldㅇㅇ He hasn’t even finished growing yet, why would he have surgery or procedures?
┗ Exactly, the only surgery possible at this age would be double eyelid surgery, but his eyes were already pretty. Mentors complimented his eyes a lot in the first broadcast
┗ On fans are desperately defending himㅋㅋ
┗ Those attacking On are obviously fans of certain other trainees. Do they think we don’t know?ㅋㅋ
– Fans of a certain country are really embarrassing to be fans of, let alone talk about surgeryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Proving that one did not do something was always harder than proving that they did. Whenever these provocative posts emerged, fans countered them aggressively with thorough evidence.
– He’s not stupid, why would he have obvious surgery now? The moment he’s caught coming out of a plastic surgery clinic, he’d be finished. Also, minors need parental consent for procedures, and no sane parent would agree to that
┗ Fact is, kids aiming to be celebrities do get procedures done even in high schoolㅋㅋㅋㅋ Those who were child actors or kid models even got double eyelid surgery in elementary school because of their parents
┗ What does that have to do with him
– Procedures cause swelling for a few days, right? Recently, there were filming sessions almost every three days, and fansites released preview photos each time. There was no swelling or unnatural parts at all. If he had any work done, I’d love to know where and how he got it doneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
┗ 22 If he did, share the clinic info
– He said he wanted to do well in the third evaluation and worked hard without sleepㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ridiculous
– On’s graduation photo from Han Gong Academy (photo) looks exactly the same, so stop it
┗ Comparing this with his 1-minute PR video, it’s just his current face
– Honestly, I don’t see where he had anything doneㅋㅋㅋ
Even those who raised suspicions couldn’t answer clearly when asked where exactly he looked different.
In fact, nothing had changed.
Even I didn’t know what had changed to make me look so much more handsome.
In other words, it was a matter of perception, not form.
‘At first, I thought only his eyes were pretty, but the more I look, his nose is nice too? Huh? Now I even like his smile? Wow, his forehead is so pretty. But… what did he look like before?’
……Something like that.
The tight filming schedule was also a factor.
Since On Raon started showcasing his charm in earnest, trainees hardly had any breaks.
Even on days without filming, On Raon sightings were reported at least once a day.
On Raon and his fans’ generally positive image also played a part.
This time, the fans of the ‘Ah Yeah Ah Yeah’ team and the ‘Because You’re Cute’ team were particularly favorable.
The trigger was the reviews that came up after the third evaluation.
[Today, some fans had really bad manners;]
How long is a stage, really? Couldn’t they stand up for a bit while the trainees performed? Just three minutes???
(omitted)
It’s definitely talking about Ah Yeah Ah Yeah and Because You’re Cute, and my pick is in ‘Melt Me’
They must have felt down because they’re in the lower ranks, and with no enthusiasm from the audience, I felt bad; the trainees must have noticed too, right?
I’m not expecting them to cheer, but if they got tickets, isn’t it right to be polite?
(omitted)
– Seriously, today was so disappointing.. It wasn’t just one or two people, but a lot, to the point that the trainees noticed; I was disgusted
– My pick is Jung Min and I felt so sorryㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– I can sit if I’m tired, right?ㅋㅋ
┗ Here’s a bad manners representative
– If you’re going to do that, give me your ticketㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Under these circumstances, several testimonies emerged after the evaluation, saying that On Raon’s fans had enthusiastically cheered for both teams’ performances, remembering his request to watch other performances well.
The fans of the ‘Ah Yeah Ah Yeah’ team and the ‘Because You’re Cute’ team still appreciated that.
Thanks to this overall favorable image, the controversy ended with reactions like ‘Eh? Not really,’ ‘He looks the same as before,’ ‘He just grew well,’ ‘Tired of fake controversies,’ and it didn’t escalate beyond a certain point.
Of course, it was still uncertain what would happen once all of On Raon’s charms were fully restored.
Meanwhile, there wasn’t a single community that wasn’t in chaos ahead of the final debut.
Not only On Raon, but all the trainees were facing intense scrutiny due to their rising fame.
– “Yoon-jae got caught politicking.”
– “Isn’t Kim Jun-woo’s vocal a bit overwhelming?”
┗ “Yeah, it doesn’t suit an idol. Even during Rewind, it honestly wasn’t great.”
┗ “I thought it was perfect this time though? What’s so overwhelming about it?”
┗ “It just doesn’t fit.”
┗ “Just admit you don’t like him.”
– “Xiao is blatantly incompetent, but it’s funny how his good looks keep people from talking about his lack of skills.”
┗ “Not talking? He’s been criticized plenty, and he’s working on it.”
┗ “Still, Xiao has improved a lot.”
┗ “The real incompetent one is Choi Tae-woo… Xiao manages to contribute, but Tae-woo is a negative contributor.”
– “It’s a bit much to promote Seung-hyuk for his love of fans when he’s only visited the official fan café eight times in three years, don’t you think?”
┗ “Seung-hyuk, eight times is way too little.”
– “Ban Yo-han seems popular for no reason. I don’t get it.”
┗ “I don’t watch the show regularly, but unlike Seo Moon-gyeol, who is excellent on stage despite his lack of screen time, I don’t get why Ban Yo-han ranks so high… Is it just because of his looks and the title of perfect SAT scorer and top Seoul University student?”
┗ “He has no substance? He was the B-grade center for ‘Heart Attack’ just two months into his training. If it were someone else, they’d already have a whole backstory.”
┗ “He’s been praised for every performance, and if you watch his Rewind fancam, you can see how much he’s improved. How can you say he has no substance?”
┗ “It’s not that he lacks substance, it’s just that he doesn’t get enough screen time. The part about him being a perfect SAT scorer and top Seoul University student is such a hot topic that it’s weird the producers never used it.”
┗ “Agreeing with the comment above. Don’t use Moon-gyeol to bring down Yo-han.”
┗ “222 I’m already crying because he’s my top pick now. Just kill me already.”
┗ “3333 Everything is so frustrating, I feel like I’m going crazy. Save me…”
It was a mess.
* * *
At that moment, at Seed Entertainment.
After waiting nearby until the ranking ceremony ended and confirming that none of the company’s trainees were eliminated, Gwak Sang-hyun returned to the office.
“Oh, you’re back? Did all the kids make it?”
“Yes. Both of them are going to the live broadcast. What if one of them, either Gyeol or Yo-han, actually debuts?”
Ban Ga-eul had expected that PD Jo In-soo would blatantly discriminate against Seed trainees through broadcast time and editing when he sent them to Pick Heart.
What he didn’t expect was that the two of them would perform exceptionally well despite such harsh conditions.
‘They should have just gained some recognition and been eliminated by now….’
No one could be certain, but if they had been given fair screen time and narratives, they might have easily secured a stable debut position.
Recently, Ban Ga-eul and other Seed staff had been secretly contemplating this.
Thus, every time the rankings were revealed, they felt a mix of pride and astonishment.
If, as Gwak Sang-hyun said, one of them actually debuted….
“What do you mean ‘what if’? If they debut, they debut.”
Ban Ga-eul cheerfully ignored the tangled plan.
“Realistically, it might be better if Gyeol debuts, but what about Yo-han?”
“It’s all about having a good family.”
It was a brazen statement from the head of a small company with fewer than ten employees.
‘At least he pays better than the industry average.’
Gwak Sang-hyun, who had joined late, pitied Ban Yo-han a little and changed the subject.
“Are these the trainees you were introduced to?”
Several profiles were scattered on Ban Ga-eul’s desk.
“Yeah. Take a look too. See if there’s anyone good. We really need to decide soon.”