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Chapter 33: Survival Entertainment Show - Unit (1)

"Regardless, act as if you\'re unaware of these issues. Jin-Sung, stop obsessing over the official homepage rankings and take a break from social media for a while."

"Got it."

"You know there are two more rounds left, right? You have to take care of your mental health."

If our manager had visited our dorm less frequently, managing our mental health would have been easier. Hmm... As our popularity increased, so did the nagging from our manager.

Casually nodding, we sprawled out on the couch to rewatch episode two of Pick We Up. We observed the cast members\' reactions to “Moon Sea” and saw details we weren\'t aware of during our practice video for “Moon Sea”. While the practice video was cute and amusing, the comments on “Moon Sea” were quite fierce.

Some cast members were glaring at the screen, while others simply enjoyed and admired the performance. Overall, there was a sense of satisfaction in how the show revolved around a generally strong favorite to win and the cast members who kept them in check. I was actually feeling pretty good. Above all, this “Moon Sea” clip looked much cooler than the one uploaded on the official homepage.

"Let\'s at least see the reactions to the \'Moon Sea\' clip."

Despite Lee Jin-Sung\'s whining, our manager strongly opposed it. "Don’t. There are people who intentionally use your full name to swear at you, just to hurt you. They even use words related to you to ensure it comes up in searches."

At that point, Joo-Han complained, "But we need to see the reactions to prepare for the next stage."

"The reactions are generally good. Don\'t even think about looking out of curiosity," the manager replied.

Despite our manager’s firm response, Joo-Han tried to argue. However, without taking my eyes off the television, I said, “The responses were overwhelmingly positive. We received a lot of praise for the opening and closing sequences, particularly for Goh Yoo-Joon and myself. There were a few remarks about the distribution of parts, but aside from that, everything looked favorable.”

“...Did you watch the comment section?” asked our manager.

“Yes, I checked it when the video was uploaded on the official homepage. The reactions were really good, but it’s a bit hard to read right now,” I responded.

“...”

“I know some fans are not happy with how the parts are distributed, but I think it is fine for this competition.”

After I spoke, our manager looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. He looked so bewildered that I had to speak again.

"The others shouldn’t read through the comments. It didn’t bother me, so I just overlooked the negative ones and focused on constructive feedback."

“Don’t you all get any ideas,” the manager warned sternly, addressing the others. "Don’t assume you’ll be \'okay\' just because Suh Hyun-Woo could handle it."

Joo-Han looked more concerned as he asked, "Are the comments that severe? Should I not read them at all costs to stay focused?"

I gave him a solemn nod. “If you want to do well in the next competition, don’t read them. Seriously.”

The recent comments were harsh and filled with brilliantly creative, unfiltered curses. Nowadays, people didn\'t just mindlessly curse; they dug deep with their words, making them challenging to endure with just an ordinary mindset. However, I had read many dark comments on my disciples and had become somewhat indifferent to trivial things after experiencing many incidents.

The manager let out a deep sigh. “Anyway, that’s how things are going now. There are even articles about it, so it seems like UNET is trying to come up with a solution.”

“Wow, is it serious enough to affect the competition?”

“Anyway, if the verbal attacks intensify and cause problems for other groups, it will be a loss for the fans as well.”

After emphasizing once again that we should not worry about online comments and should just relax, the manager left the dorm. Joo-Han seemed quite curious about the situation, but he immediately put those thoughts aside, focusing on the upcoming competition. Since our members were quite timid, none of them dared to open their social media.

Three days later, we received a call informing us that the shooting schedule had been moved up.

***

Arriving at the UNET broadcasting station, we felt less confident than before. After all, it had been a while, and there were more staff than usual.

"Chronos has arrived."

"Hello!"

Upon arrival, we exchanged greetings with the crew and offered another bow to the camera that followed us. However, the studio was abuzz with an unusual sense of activity. As we made our entrance, looking around in curiosity, the show’s producer started to direct us to different locations.

"Joo-Han, please go to Room C. Yoo-Joon, Room B. Jin-Sung, Room F. Yoon-Chan, Room A. Hyun-Woo, Room D."

We were swiftly ushered into rooms marked with letters, with no time to ask about their significance.

Alone in a room, I felt engulfed in awkwardness with only a camera for company.

“What’s going on?” I asked awkwardly.

Unsurprisingly, no answer came, amplifying the awkward silence. To keep myself busy, I switched the television on and off and tampered with the camera. Just as I was running out of distractions, the door creaked open and a face looked in.

"Huh?"

"...Oh, hello."

Startled by the interruption, I stumbled back and let out an awkward greeting to the figure stepping inside.

“Wow? Hello! You’re from Chronos... Hyun-Woo, right?”

“Ah... Yes.”

The man eagerly grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. He was Woo Ji-Hyuk, the leader of High Tension, and he looked very extroverted with high energy.

“You are Ji-Hyuk, right?”

“Yes, that\'s right! But why is Mr. Hyun-Woo here?”

He should just call me Hyun-Woo... Anyway, his vivacity overwhelmed my reserved nature, and I struggled to find words to reply to him. Observing him up close, I could see that he was even more dynamic than I thought.

"Someone just told me to come here. I\'m not sure of the reasons myself."

Just then, the door opened again, and a small exclamation was heard. “Oh, hello.”

I turned around to see Yoo On-Sae entering awkwardly, and I took a subtle deep breath. He was the youngest member of Ash Black and my first apprentice. What was going on today? Members from unrelated groups were entering the room one after the other.

I then exchanged greetings with Yoo On-Sae, trying to act calm. Soon after, two members from Street Center walked in. From their expressions, it seemed they knew something we didn’t.

We exchanged light greetings, and they looked around at the other cast members.

“We are lacking one person here.”

“Um, excuse me, do you know what\'s going on?”

As the members of Street Center were about to explain with smiles on their faces, the door opened once more, and the room was instantly filled with the smell of cigarette smoke. Yoo On-Sae had been asking about the situation, and Woo Ji-Hyuk had been smiling broadly. But at this moment, both of them stiffened and looked toward the door.

“What the heck... Hello.” As the newcomer greeted us, the members of Street Center relaxed their expressions and bowed their heads, smiling.

“Hello, Jin-Wook. Please take a seat.”

It was Kim Jin-Wook from Air Senior. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down in an empty chair. Now, Street Center stood in the middle, while the rest of us were seated, creating a scene as if Street Center were the hosts.

The duo grinned and pulled out a cue card. “This time, we, Street Center, will be leading the program! It’s unexpected, but since everyone is here, let’s make the announcement. The theme of this competition is \'Unit!’”

"As the winner of the last round, we have the privilege to select members from other groups for collaboration. And you all..." They gestured around the room. "...are those chosen members."

‘Huh? A unit stage? With these members?’

Not just me, but everyone else seemed to be wondering what this was all about.

If we arranged the unit like this, what about scores? The distribution of parts? In a situation where groups were competing against each other, was it possible to collaborate with other groups?

"So, how are the scores reflected?" Woo Ji-Hyuk asked. The Street Center duo then glanced at the cue card and smiled.

"Individual scores will only be assigned to the winning team members."

"Here, the individual scores are calculated based on audience and viewer votes, as well as team member votes. Then, the winning team members cast votes for other members, excluding themselves, and the number of votes will determine their ranks."

This method seemed purposefully designed to dampen the inter-fandom conflicts. With scores only allotted to the winning team, predicting which team would come out on top was a shot in the dark, meaning that a group\'s overall performance in their designated teams was crucial.

However, with team member votes factored in, the competition promised to be fair but brutal—a contest where selfishness could not thrive.

"From today onward, we\'ll function as a team for the next two weeks. Let\'s support each other, everyone."

The Street Center duo finished explaining and sat down. Following that, I looked around at the members of Team D. The members of Street Center who chose us weren\'t particularly standout. According to the competition format, it would have been normal to choose members with less prominence than themselves, but there were two individuals here who performed well in the previous performances.

There was me, who had consistently held the role of center, and Woo Ji-Hyuk, who had masterfully structured High Tension\'s strategy for the second broadcast. The other two weren’t bad either. Yoo On-Sae was usually adored for his charm, and Kim Jin-Wook\'s deep voice earned him a growing fanbase.

"Wow, what should I say about the team composition... Did you intentionally arrange it this way? It\'s going to be really hard to compete."

Woo Ji-Hyuk\'s sarcastic remark about the team composition highlighted the crux of the issue. It seemed that Street Center had planned, perhaps aiming to place their popular members in a group that would otherwise seem weaker.

I spoke indifferently, "If Chronos wants to win, this team has to rank first."

As soon as I said this, they all looked at me. If this team emerged victorious, I stood a chance to claim the top rank. My confidence in outshining the others was evident.

From Street Center\'s standpoint, they likely believed in their chances of securing votes, so they took a somewhat risky gamble with their choices. By placing all their bets—threats—on Team D, the internal competition within our team could propel Street Center to the top rank. Though the probability was slim, it wasn’t impossible.

Woo Ji-Hyuk looked straight at me, annoyingly lifting the corners of his eyes. "Right. Let\'s rank first."

Right... if this team ranked first, either I or Woo Ji-Hyuk would get a high score.

“Well... it seems like our strategy has been completely exposed, but shall we start with the self-introductions first?” one of the Street Center duos said, looking around. The team was an eclectic mix: myself, naturally reserved; Woo Ji-Hyuk, exuding a complex aura; and Kim Jin-Wook, the unmistakable rebel. Hence, the tinge of unease in the Street Center duo\'s voice was evident.

A moment of awkward silence followed.

"I am Cha Woo-Jeong from Street Center."

"I\'m Shin Ha-Yoon, the youngest member of Street Center. I was sad that we didn\'t have time to talk, but I\'m glad we have this opportunity now. I am looking forward to being on stage with you guys."

The Street Center duos tried to break the ice, so I just let my guard down and greeted them.

"I\'m Suh Hyun-Woo from Chronos. I am also looking forward to the day of the competition."

The two members of Street Center looked at me as if I was their savior. Although the silence started because of me and Woo Ji-Hyuk, we were going to be together for the next two weeks. Thus, it was time to lighten the mood and cooperate with the team.

"I\'m Woo Ji-Hyuk, the leader of High Tension."

After my introduction, Woo Ji-Hyuk also smiled and introduced himself. Thus, our team\'s initial gathering commenced.