LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 87
Chapter 87
“Here they come.”
People waiting on the way to work whispered among themselves.
By now, everyone knew all the cars the trainees rode in.
No one was unaware of who was in the black compact car that had just slowed down to enter.
It was now an established fact that On Raon was in that car with the Seed trainees.
There were fans who supported On Raon despite the controversies, but since fans of other trainees were gathered here as well, the atmosphere felt slightly cold.
However, that didn’t last long.
“……”
As On Raon stepped out of the car, the surrounding area became quiet in a completely different sense. For a moment, only the sound of three people walking away and distant noises remained.
“Wow….”
“Ha…….”
“Whoa……”
Instead of saying hello, On Raon slightly bowed his head and started moving in a manner that could only be described as unreal. Sighs and exclamations of admiration erupted simultaneously from all around.
The regained charm affected not only On Raon’s fans but also the fans of other trainees, and even those who were neither.
Until now, On Raon’s fans had firmly promoted him as “Warm Raon” due to his name having “On” twice, emphasizing his warm and cheerful image.
However, today, with a cold expression and a melancholic atmosphere, On Raon looked shockingly beautiful, enough to completely cover his previously lively image.
On Raon had every right to be confident and proud of his face.
‘Is he even the same species as me?’
‘Let’s rename him to Cold Raon….’
‘The fallen kingdom beauty is crazy…….’
The narrative cut off by senseless editing was fully reflected in his small face.
[mark Today’s On on his way to work mark]
Preview below
(photo)
On is legendary every day these days
Today, he’s pulling off all kinds of looks: sentimental, fresh, youthful, pitiful, and melancholic
– ㅁㅊ.. Is this really a preview?
– He’s a scam character.. His face is a scam
– So handsome that I dropped my phone as soon as I saw it. Where’s the high-resolution photo?????
– Honestly, I came here to criticize the deceptive pick, but seeing his face, all I can do is admire. So prettyㅋㅋㅋ
– Well, sometimes people have desperate backstories they want to promoteㅇㅇ Just let him debut and promote the country’s image with his beauty
– Everyone, wake upㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ If you debut a trainee with controversies, it’s a long-term loss for the debut group, do you really want to support such a cunning guy??
┗ There will be losses.. The other members will be struggling not to stand next to On….
– OUT with the deceptive pick OUT with the scam pick OUT with the deceptive pick OUT with the scam pick OUT with the deceptive pick OUT with the scam pick OUT with the deceptive pick OUT with the scam pick
– What can you do if he scams with that face… You just have to fall in love with the fallen kingdom prince, defeat the opposing ministers, bring him as a state envoy, and then a few days later, take the final look at his face and down a glass of poison like a victorious emperor……
┗ Wow, I really want to be an emperor after seeing this
┗ Raon, noona can ruin a country for you……
– Mr. Raon, you’re worthy of second place in Pick Heart’s visual ranking. Your face makes me speak politely;
┗ How is this second place??? Are the trainees and staff all blind? Just put him in first place
┗ If you swap first and second place slightly during replays, no one will say anything
– The competition is fierce for the top five visual votes, honestly, it’s just a matter of personal preference, but On’s face is beyond personal taste. Just put him at the top.
– Level of change in stance is insane
No one found On Raon’s change in appearance strange, and no one found it strange that they didn’t find it strange.
As if this was how it was supposed to be.
* * *
The trainees, who had completed the final rehearsal early, began to prepare in earnest for the competition.
The makeup artist’s hand applying makeup to my face was more careful than usual.
The time spent on makeup was the same as usual, so it seemed like there were fewer types of cosmetics applied to my face.
The hair designer, who lifted and parted my bangs with a comb, then put them up and down, said something scary about why I only had one head and finally decided to leave it halfway up.
The trainees, all dressed in group uniforms, waited in the waiting room until the live broadcast started.
Other trainees treated me with an attitude that seemed somewhat awkward but not overly hostile.
It was better than I expected, which made me feel strange.
To pass the time, I asked a staff member for some scrap paper and jotted down ideas related to song restoration or repeatedly wrote the number ‘14227’ that wouldn’t leave my mind.
“Larry?”
Ban Yo-han, who had been staring at me as if observing, casually spoke as he glanced down at what I was writing.
I put down my pen and asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar word.
“What’s that?”
Ban Yo-han scribbled ‘LARRY’ in a scrawled script under ‘14227.’
“They look similar, don’t they?”
Looking closely, it seemed Ban Yo-han was right; the shapes were somewhat similar.
Ban Yo-han added nonchalantly.
“A while ago, there was a similar question on a quiz show called ‘Problematic Men,’ so I looked up all the similar-looking alphabets.”
I later found out that ‘Problematic Men’ was a variety show where celebrities solved quizzes.
“Larry, how old are you?”
Ban Yo-han now spoke to his phone.
As I wondered what on earth he was doing, Ban Yo-han’s phone responded.
– I’m 3 years old in Western age. My birthday is February 27, 2014.
“!”
Come to think of it, in this world, the AI assistant on a certain brand of smartphones was called Larry, not Si×i.
“Is his name Larry because his birthday is February 27, 2014?”
“Yeah. Cute, right?”
“You really find everything cute.”
But calling it 14227 all the time was too long and weird, so I figured, why not just call it Larry.
Wouldn’t it act cute if it had a cute name?
[Of all names, why that ridiculous one…….]
“Larry, be quiet.”
### Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer, Chapter 87
“Yes, I understand.”
This time, it was my phone, with a peach logo on the back, that answered.
Somehow, it felt like it was “Larry” who answered instead of an AI, making me feel good.
And you were always an idiot, you fool.
“Why are you picking a fight with Larry for no reason?”
“Picking fights is inherently without reason.”
At my words, Ban Yo-han laughed, making a sound like air escaping.
Usually, he would chuckle at every little thing, but today, it felt like it was the first time seeing him laugh. Was this guy nervous about the live broadcast?
Lately, there hadn’t been many notifications about increased likability, so I wasn’t sure.
Then, Kim Jun-woo spoke.
“You are really handsome.”
“I know.”
I answered like an answering machine.
Of course, I didn’t respond so indifferently from the start. But the problem was that Kim Jun-woo had already said that about thirty times.
When he says it every minute, it’s only natural for my response to become monotonous.
“But you look good today too, hyung.”
“…Really?”
Kim Jun-woo, who had been repeating the same words like a broken doll, turned his head and said something different for the first time.
“I don’t lie about faces.”
Only then did Kim Jun-woo’s expression soften.
At that moment, a staff member entered the waiting room.
“We’ll be moving soon! Please double-check the instructions you were given, and if there’s any issue, let us know immediately! We’ll move in five minutes!”
The trainees each got up from their seats.
The live broadcast was about to start.
Kim Jun-woo, who had finished drinking the water left in his water bottle, called me, Ban Yo-han, Jing Xiao, and Nagase Ritsu, and then spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“Guys.”
He had a determined expression.
“I’ll buy you guys meat after this ends.”
Hearing that, we all laughed together.
* * *
9 PM.
Whether at the scene or not, everyone awaited the start of the final broadcast of Pick Heart 3 with a gut-wrenching feeling.
The trainees waiting backstage mostly felt the same way.
– Is this a cinema? It’s past 9, why are there still commercials?
– Let’s debut Do-yoon and Xiao♥♥♥
– It’s happeningㅠ
The tedious commercials ended, and the broadcast finally began.
First, an edited video of the 21 trainees entering the studio on the first day of shooting was shown.
With filters making it feel like an old memory, the trainees talked about their dreams.
After the touching video that made the representatives even more emotional, the broadcast explained the voting method, and the 21 trainees were already on stage.
The trainees stood in a formation that looked like a heart from above.
A fan holding a slogan with “On Raon” written in big letters right in front of On Raon had to bite their molars to avoid screaming.
‘Wow, seriously…’
They were so happy seeing his face that they almost swore, but barely held back.
When the broadcast screen returned to the scene, and the intro of Heart Attack played, the audience cheered in time.
The trainees, wearing group uniforms in a school uniform style, danced the Heart Attack choreography that they had practiced for a long time to the music.
Looking into your eyes
When you call my name
Compared to March, it was clear to anyone that they had improved.
I aim for your heart
Heart a-ttae-ttae-tack!
As the lyrics said, On Raon properly attacked the viewers’ hearts.
He was just handsome, then fresh, then sentimental, then desperate, then passionate…
He completely stole their hearts.
Meaning they loved him to death.
– On Raon finds the camera well. Oh, his face is truly the best
– Chan-bin, let’s get first placeㅠㅜㅜㅜ
– Jun-woo, let’s debut as our filial son at ninth place, please
– Heart Attack is such a masterpieceㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Thus, the first group stage of the final competition ended.
The trainees moved backstage right after the stage ended to prepare hurriedly for the next performance.
In their place, Jena went up on stage to continue the hosting.
“It feels like just yesterday when we first saw the 100 trainees, but it’s already the last day.”
With a sincere tone that evoked emotions, Jena glanced at her cue cards and continued.
“Before we start the final competition in earnest, we will reveal the number of votes each of the 21 trainees received so far in the online pre-vote.”
Before people could even react, a chart sorted by debut and elimination zones appeared on the screen.
Both the audience and viewers were astonished.
Not only were the trainees listed by the grades they received during Heart Attack practice instead of their names, but also the vote difference below the top tier was small enough to be overturned by the live broadcast vote.
– Are they crazy to reveal this now?
– The small vote difference is terrifying;
– No one will vote for their second favorite after seeing this, right?
– And there’s another expert evaluation, huh… Damn those experts…
– B grades are 4th, 9th, and 15th, so the remaining B grades must be Ban Yo-han, On Raon, and Lee Seung-hyuk, right?
Following this, the debut group name was revealed immediately.
“The debut group name for this season is… Breaker!”
A logo inspired by ‘Breaker’ appeared on the screen.
– Upon -> Yours -> Breaker???
– What’s the context of this name, seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋ..
– The name is really lame..
– It sounds like it’s just asking to be broken upㅠㅠ