<h4>Chapter 26: Premiere</h4>


    I was jolted awake from my sleep by Lee Jin-Sung''s booming voice. It was clear from his excitement that there was a shift in the rankings.


    “He is freaking loud...” I said. My frown deepened as I cracked open my eyes, just in time to see Lee Jin-Sung burst energetically into our room through the door that had been left ajar.


    “Ah... darn it. I am going to kill you, bastard,” cursed Goh Yoo-Joon. Roused from his slumber by themotion, he scowled and rose to a sitting position. I then shot Lee Jin-Sung a re as he continued his raucous celebration, ignoring my clear desire to remain undisturbed.


    "Ah, hyung! Look at this! We''ve climbed up to second ce! And we''ve got the mostments, see?"


    “...Second ce?”


    “Street Center has gone down in rankings, and we have finally moved up, you know?” Lee Jin-Sung then shoved his phone in Goh Yoo-Joon''s face. Still with a look full of annoyance, Goh Yoo-Joon nced at Lee Jin-Sung before snatching the phone away.


    “What is this... It''s not even a big lead, just a two percent difference. Why wake someone up when we could still be overtaken?”


    <i>‘Ah, what is this? Just two percent?’</i>


    I slightly lifted my head, then lowered it again, and closed my eyes. A mere two percent difference could easily change in thirty minutes. However, Lee Jin-Sung persistently shook Goh Yoo-Joon awake, and when Goh Yoo-Joon ignored him, he switched his target to me.


    “No, hyung. It was really hard getting up here. If you look at the number of votes andments, you won’t be able to sleep so peacefully!”


    “...You really make a big deal out of everything.”


    In the end, I sat up. It was obvious that he would keep shaking until I showed him a reaction. "Alright, you exhausting man, how many votes are we talking about?"


    "I didn’t expect us to have amassed such a fanbase!"


    I looked at the phone screen while listening to Lee Jin-Sung''s hopeful voice. Chronos had somehow risen to second ce from around fourth or so. After reluctantly checking the number of votes, I couldn’t help but feel shocked, just as Lee Jin-Sung had said.


    “Twenty-six thousand votes?” I eximed.


    “...What?” Goh Yoo-Joon sat up in shock as he heard this. Lee Jin-Sung then chuckled with a touch of smugness.


    “See! I told you it''s not a number to be taken lightly!”


    When the vote count was that high, a mere two percent gap wasn’t easily bridged. Lee Jin-Sung was right. We had managed not only to overtake but also solidify our standing.


    I tapped on the Chronos icon, and thement section with messages for Chronos unfolded before us.


    - I became a fan after watching your performance. Rooting for you guys!


    - These guys’ fans are really hyping them up on social media, and it’s fucking annoying.


    - The impact is seriously amazing.


    - I’m voting here and also doing live voting!


    - Chronos’s fans! Let’s do our best! Let’s make our boys reach first ce!


    - I am voting after seeing them on social media. They are great for a rookie group!


    - The only group I know here is them.


    - I watched thest livestream. They were memorable even though they performed first. The opening was truly amazing.


    - They showed that order doesn’t matter, just do well.


    Although there were some hatements, the majority were supportive. Judging by the number of votes, it seemed that Chronos had a considerable number of fans, not just a few quietly supporting in the audience.


    - The <i>sigh </i>guyand the one who sang the first verse are the two aces. Iughed so much at the introduction video but immediately became attentive once they started.


    - The immersion was insane as soon as he sighed. I felt like I was being dragged to the monitor.


    - Didn’t think of the <i>Red Riding Hood </i>at all. FOR REAL!!! Iughed so hard at the introduction video, but as soon as they started performing, I was drooling.


    The ones who received the most positive reactions were undoubtedly Goh Yoo-Joon, also known as <i>Sigh Guy,</i> and me. As the one taking center stage from the chorus onward, Lee Jin-Sung also received his share of recognition, and Joo Han''s arrangement skills did not go unnoticed either. His ability to weave together a deep, lyrical tune with narrative, rap interludes, and dance breaks garnered him severalmendations.


    But still, the reactions to Park Yoon-Chan were...


    “Hmm...”


    “What? We didn’t drop to third ce again, did we?” asked Jin-Sung.


    “No, it’s not that. Did you show this to Yoon-Chan?”


    “Oh...”


    Showing signs of difort, Jin-Sung then said, “Yoon-Chan hyung seemed to have seen it already when he went for his early morning workout.”


    “That’s a problem.”


    In the video, Park Yoon-Chan struggled with the choreography until the end.


    - Everything was impable except for the weak link.


    - I was admiring every detail until I saw the member on the side. That snapped me back to reality. He should practice much more.


    I had been a trainer for a long time. However, even Lee Jin-Sung and I struggled with this song, so we didn’t expect Park Yoon-Chan to perfectly handle it in such a short time. We were actually content as he did much better than expected... However, the public''s opinion of Park Yoon-Chan was harsher than we thought.


    “What can we do? All we can do is practice harder. How is Yoon-Chan doing?” I asked.


    “He seems fine, but Yoon-Chan is the type to care about these things.”


    That was true. Could someone who tended to worry and was naturally timid really be unaffected by this?


    <i>‘I should discuss this with Joo-Han hyung.’</i>


    It was not right to hide Park Yoon-Chan''scking ability by putting him on the side. We needed toe up with something that highlighted Park Yoon-Chan’s strengths for the next stage.


    While Lee Jin-Sung and I were sitting on the couch, swinging our legs and talking, the manager entered through the front door. “What is going on? You guys are already awake before Ie to wake you up.”


    “I don’t want to see your face first thing in the morning.”


    “Fine, think that way if you want, but make sure you wake up this early from now on.” Our manager put the lunch boxes on the table and sat down at the corner of the couch. After that, he picked up the remote and turned on the television.


    “What time does <i>Pick We Up</i> start?”


    “It’s still a while away. I think it’s around 9 PM or 9:20 PM?”


    “9 PM.”


    The manager set a reminder for the show and immediately went to wake up the other members. Soon, I could hear the loud voices of Goh Yoo-Joon and Joo-Han.


    Lee Jin-Sung sighed. “Why did hee today? It’s our day off from practice.”


    “It seems like we will be here until showtime.”


    Lee Jin-Sung sighed again at my words and went to his room.


    Today marked the eagerly awaited premiere of <i>Pick We Up</i>. Our diligent promotional efforts had stirred up considerable anticipation for the premiere. As a result, we were assured of substantial screen time, and with the current buzz around our group, it looked like we would be prominently featured in the program.


    However, this stirred a blend of excitement and anxiety regarding how our portrayal would unfold in the editing, which promised to emphasize the fun moments.


    In the afternoon, our manager received a call from thepany and left the dorm. I then borrowed Lee Jin-Sung’sptop to check the reactions to <i>Pick We Up</i>. I knew about the reactions from the viewers and fans over the past few days through Lee Jin-Sung, but I was curious if UNET had published any articles for promotion or leaked any information about the nextpetition that we weren’t aware of. These things were usually well-hidden, but sometimes, you could surprisinglye across this information while searching on social media.


    It wasmon for seasoned fans or anonymous insiders to post their predictions about what the next challenge might entail. While not all such spective posts were reliable, it was surprising how often some of them turned out to be urate.


    I was searching on BlueBird[1] for <i>Pick We Up </i>when I noticed something. “Oh.”


    There were countless animated images (GIFs) with the<i> Pick We Up</i> hashtag. Some of our fans posted pictures of us to promote our group or encourage voting.


    The stage video of “Moon Sea” that our manager showed us didn’t look this good under the dark lighting, but it seemed like this fan had edited it before posting.


    At first, it was a bit surprising to see fans picking up on unnoticed details, but gradually, I couldn’t help but smile. After all, no one could be stingy withpliments.


    Sunny @SUNNY_C · 7AM


    I would like to cautiously predict the nextpetition. It seems to be going in a simr direction as <i>Pick Me Up</i>. There might be a unit stage soon, but I don’t think that will be next. Like in <i>Rapstar</i> or <i>Pick Me Up</i>, I’m guessing there’s about a ny-nine percent chance it will be a random keywordpetition.


    <i>‘Random keyword? What is a random keywordpetition?’</i>


    I opened UTube and searched for “<i>Pick Me Up</i> random keywords.” Then, several clips from UNET’s official channel appeared.


    Upon clicking one of the videos, I saw a trainee pulling out a piece of paper with a keyword written on it from a paper box. He looked perplexed as he turned to his group.


    The phrase "Random Keyword Competition" resonated with veterans of survival shows, so there wasn''t any need for further exnation. Just as I was about to look it up on a search engine, Goh Yoo-Joon plopped down opposite me after his dental hygiene routine, his eyes still puffy from sleep.


    “What are you up to?” Yoo-Joon asked.


    “Hey, do you know what a Random Keyword Competition is?”


    “Random Keyword Competition? That’s probably something on<i> Rapstar</i>.”


    Goh Yoo-Joon moved ufortably close to me and looked at theptop screen. “Isn''t it <i>Pick Me Up</i>? I have never seen this episode before.”


    “I was searching because I heard the nextpetition might be a Random Keyword Competition.”


    “Oh, there’s a performance video here.” Goh Yoo-Joon immediately started watching a performance video of the <i>Pick Me Up</i> cast.


    “Why are you searching so hard? It’s literally just performing on stage ording to a random keyword. During <i>Rapstar</i>, they had to create a rap ording to the keyword, but these people are performing songs rted to the keyword,” said Goh Yoo-Joon.


    <i>‘Ah, so that’s what it was.’ </i>The group on screen was performing a bright song ording to the theme—flower. If that was the case, we should be able to do fairly well with Joo-Han here. As long as we didn’t get a tricky, toxic keyword...


    “Hyun-Woo, you might be right. It could be a Random Keyword Competition. They did it around episode five in <i>Pick Me Up</i>. It was a poprpetition during <i>Rapstar</i>, so it might appear.”


    Even though nothing was confirmed yet, I was almost certain that the nextpetition would be a Random Keyword Competition.


    ***


    At 9 PM, all the members and the manager congregated in the living room to view the premiere of <i>Pick We Up</i>. The manager divided his focus between the broadcast and the online reactions on his phone. The episode opened with the scene of auditions, presenting us with performances by groups we had not yet seen.


    “Man, if we hadn’t brought the Cha-Cha, we’d have missed the pre-release spot,” the manager said, patting his chest in relief.


    While the audition videos of certain groups weren’t pre-released, this was primarily because theycked the necessary impact for promotional purposes. Every performance showcased its own merit, with none being easily dismissible. Particrly notable were the performances of Ash ck, featuring my former student Yoo On-Sae, and Street Center, both of which disyed impressive intensity. In other words, it meant that we were the only group that could be made fun of.


    Lastly, our <i>Red Riding Hood Cha-Cha </i>appeared. Compared to the previous group, it was certainly an impactful entrance in many ways.


    “Ah! Crazy! I can’t watch this episode again. What is that?”


    “Hyung, can you be quiet for a bit? It’s almost my turn!”


    “Oops, I flubbed that move again...”


    Goh Yoo-Joon covered his face, writhing in secondhand embarrassment, while Lee Jin-Sung and Park Yoon-Chan scrutinized the Cha-Cha performance intently. As expected, Joo-Han and our manager were busy sifting through real-time audience feedback.


    It was really embarrassing to watch at first, but as we moved to the second verse, the members’ skills started to shine. Close-up shots, particrly of my face, captured us dancing with genuine dedication. It was somewhat pathetic.


    The show proceeded to introduce the participating six groups and showcase scenes of the trainees gathering together. When Air Senior and we were about to have a confrontation over “Goblin,” the episode ended.


    There were no scenes that deviated from our expectations. If anything caught us off guard, it was the audition part turning out to be much funnier than anticipated. The subtitles, sound effects, and judges’ments perfectly portrayed us as aedic group. I could clearly see how much attention “Moon Sea” would receive in the uing episodes.


    “Wow. Air Senior is really getting a lot of hate,” our managermented as he observed. Air Senior’s song choice at the end of the show sparked considerable bacsh, especially from those aware that “Goblin” was YMM’s only im to fame.


    Air Senior faced criticism for their decision, and the burgeoning public sentiment seemed to disapprove of their conduct, particrly when they disregarded the veteran artist Reina. As a result, their poprity plummeted right from episode one, a sentiment that could critically affect their journey ahead.


    1. <i>Twitter</i>. ?