Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

「Cursed 'Play ON' Reveals 87 Confirmed Contestants... Can It Make It to the End?

The new idol audition program <Top Play ON> by Producer Cheon Jinmyeong, which has been embroiled in various controversies after more than twenty of its originally planned one hundred contestants withdrew, has revealed its contestant lineup.

WLC's <Top Play ON> came under fire after reports from insiders and netizens revealed that many of its contestants were involved in controversies concerning school violence, private lives, and past behavior. In response, Producer Cheon Jinmyeong previously stated, "We fully recognize the seriousness of the situation and will promptly reorganize the contestant lineup to ensure that the broadcast proceeds without disruption."

The final number of contestants stands at 87. The Play ON production team stated that they had decided to reveal the lineup earlier than scheduled to prevent further controversy over the program's possible cancellation.

However, netizens remain concerned. Criticism continues to mount over the controversies surrounding Producer Cheon Jinmyeong himself and the lack of any proper statement addressing them. Boycott campaigns using hashtags are spreading across social media, while protests and accusations demanding the producer's removal are gaining traction in various online communities.

Reporter Kang Jiseo gangajiisdog@newsonly.co.kr

Related News

- Social Media Already Heating Up! The Reason? Blank Had a Hidden Gem Like This?

- First Place in Profile Voting by an Overwhelming Margin... Turns Out He Was a Victim of Being Completely Edited Out?

- Independent Trainee Dominates Real-Time Trends, Fans Hope His Second Attempt Won't Be His Last

- Former Click Crack Member Lee Ijun Joins 'Play ON'... A Heartbreaking Underdog Story 」

______________

“Hyung, congratulations on taking first place in the profile vote...”

“Congrats on first pla...”

Two voices overlapped in front of Yuseong.

They belonged to Juan and Rubin.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks, both of you.”

The moment he casually thanked them, the two opened their mouths again at the same time.

“I knew that would...”

“Who else but you, hyung...”

They kept stopping as soon as they realized they were speaking simultaneously, causing repeated gaps in the conversation.

The two abruptly turned to look at each other, then looked back at Yuseong.

So... why had these two suddenly appeared together?

Ever since the day of the visual vote, Juan had approached Yuseong and talked to him nonstop whenever they crossed paths.

It was no different when Rubin was around. Perhaps he thought it would be nice if everyone became friends, because he treated Rubin warmly without hesitation and tried to close the distance between them.

For some reason, however, Rubin, who was usually equally friendly toward everyone regardless of who they were, seemed reluctant to reciprocate.

'I suppose they both came to congratulate me after hearing the voting results... and somehow ended up arriving at exactly the same time.'

Anyone watching would think the three of them had become close friends.

Still, it was fine as long as their discomfort or awkwardness didn't become obvious enough for others to notice.

Whatever Rubin thought of Juan, or however things developed between them, was none of Yuseong's concern.

He wasn't so idle that he had time to worry about the finer details of other people's relationships.

“It was frustrating having to turn in our phones, but at least they told us results like these~ And during interviews, they even showed us fans' reactions, though that was mainly to get our reactions on camera.”

Juan started the conversation again. The topic was still the profile vote.

While they had been busy with their various schedules, the profile vote had taken place outside.

Like the internal visual vote, it was a warm-up competition based entirely on appearance. Although it wouldn't affect their actual rankings, it would account for thirty percent of the center selection score.

According to what the writer had told them, the response to certain contestants had been explosive.

One social media post the writer had shown him during his individual interview had been particularly memorable.

「Everyone who talked me out of voting for Soyuseong during Catch One when I kept going back and forth about whether to vote for him, COME OUT RIGHT NOW. Seriously, repay him with one sincere vote. I'm serious.」

The post, which contained only a single photograph, had been reposted thousands of times.

Meanwhile, the short post uploaded immediately before it, saying things like 'I know him, isn't he that guy?', had received only a handful of reactions.

It was interesting.

Wondering whether the reaction had something to do with the skill that had leveled up after the visual vote, he brought up his status window.

[Special Skill: Enchantment Lv. 2

- Seduces others with the beauty of a fox.

Has a 75% chance of captivating anyone who makes eye contact.

Gains the special effect 'Imprint' each time it succeeds. 51,346 points required for activation. Once activated, lasts for up to 24 hours.

Points can be obtained through 'Audience Response.']

'...Then it probably wasn't because of Enchantment.'

Moreover, the newly added 'Imprint' didn't even have a description of its effects, so he had no way of figuring out what it did.

He had also heard that the name Soyuseong had appeared in the real-time trending topics.

That meant many people had been mentioning him simultaneously, beyond just that one post.

...Right, then it probably wasn't Enchantment, but-

[Soyuseong (28)

Vocals B+

Rap C

Dance A+

Appearance A+

Charm 80

Reputation A]

Perhaps it was thanks to his Appearance stat gaining a plus.

Thinking back carefully about when the stat had increased, he recalled that it had probably been right after the profile photo shoot.

...Ah, was that why that guy fell under Enchantment?

He remembered the man whose behavior had changed by about 175 degrees toward Yuseong alone, even though his general conduct remained the same.

Kim Hwanyeong, who could now quietly complete their shared schedules without needing instructions.

Although his habit of eating in their room and leaving the mess behind remained unchanged.

In any case, having to put up with even that would soon come to an end.

The grade reevaluation was coming up,

And even if Hwanyeong maintained his A grade, they had been told that roommates would be reassigned...

How wonderful it would be if he could get a room to himself like Iseong.

Of the fourteen A-grade trainees, only three, including Iseong, had been given private rooms.

Naturally, he had no idea what the criteria were for receiving one.

It wasn't as though they had applied for them in advance.

Whatever the case, it was unlikely that he would suddenly be moved into a private room now. All he could do was desperately wish to move to another room as soon as possible.

Come to think of it, weren't the signal song fancams and cover song videos going to be uploaded soon as well?

There are more and more things to worry about.

Yuseong pressed his fingers firmly against his aching eyelids.

“Ah, I laughed so hard when I saw someone say they thought another person had wiped their entire Instagram feed because they were shaving their head to go into the military, only to find out that wasn't the reason~ It actually made me want to try it someday. Delete my entire feed, shave my head, and upload only a picture of my shaved head. I'm adding that to my bucket list!”

Even as Juan continued rambling in an amused voice, Rubin expressed his disbelief from beside him, saying it was the first time he'd ever seen someone put something like that on their bucket list.

[Seo Juan (21) / A]

[Vocals B

Rap A

Dance A

Appearance A

Reputation B+

Special Skill: Encyclopedic Knowledge Lv. 2

- Turns everything into knowledge.

Has an 89.7% chance of giving the correct answer to any question.]

Juan, whose abilities were solid across the board without a single ambiguous stat, had placed third in the profile vote.

If Yuseong remembered correctly, Iseong had placed second, while Rubin had taken thirty-third.

As soon as the results were announced, Rubin had complained to Yuseong that it was a shame he wasn't very photogenic.

He had probably meant it as a playful joke, but he did seem a little disappointed.

Even while listening to Yuseong and Juan's conversation, he kept pressing his interlaced fingers together and repeatedly lowering his gaze.

It wasn't even such a low ranking... Yuseong subtly changed the subject.

“...Come to think of it, isn't another audition program starting too?”

“Ah, that's right! Was it 'All Time Idol'? I'm really curious how that one will turn out! You know, all their previous seasons were successful, and...”

Rubin's voice trailed off.

And they hadn't had any controversies.

Among the trainees, concerns had been quietly circulating that the controversy surrounding their producer might cause the program to be overlooked due to low viewer interest.

Just like now.

Unfortunately, their schedule overlapped with another audition program, and Play ON was even the later entrant.

Judging by the current voting results alone, it seemed there was no need to worry too much.

But that was only because they didn't yet know how strong the competition's fan support would be.

Yuseong nodded slowly.

“Still, the people who want to support us will support us, so don't worry too much.”

As long as I debut, that's enough.

He didn't bother saying the last part aloud.

Having relatively less fan support didn't necessarily mean they couldn't debut, so what was there to worry about?

It was a thought only Yuseong, whose sole objective was debuting, could have.

________________

- Don't worry too much.

He had looked so relaxed when he said it.

Sitting in a corner seat of the D-grade section in the spacious auditorium, Rubin replayed that expression in his mind again and again.

Revealing the profile voting results hadn't been the only event scheduled for today.

Every part of the schedule had passed in a flash, and now all the trainees had finished their second evaluations for grade reassignment.

In his hand was a small pin badge covered with gray paper.

If he tore away the paper along the perforated line, his new grade would be revealed.

'Hyung will probably stay in A, right...?'

From his seat, he couldn't see the A-grade section where Yuseong was sitting, even if he craned his neck.

He drew his lips inward and chewed on them.

His goal had been A.

Wasn't there a saying that you should dream big so that even the broken pieces would be big?

But after receiving a D, which fell far short of that goal, he had lowered his target to C.

Anything higher felt undeserved.

- You think getting an A is unrealistic? I don't know about that. You're good, aren't you? I think you'd be fine if you were just a little less nervous.

When Rubin had confessed those thoughts to Yuseong after they finished filming their cover song, he had received a lukewarm response.

Yuseong had sounded as though he genuinely couldn't understand what Rubin was talking about.

- Still, wouldn't it be nice to get one at least once? Try wishing upon a star or something. Who knows? Maybe it'll come true.

- Hyung, I'm being serious right now!

- I'm serious too.

And yet he made jokes that Rubin couldn't even understand.

- What a shame. It's a wish I can't grant for you.

Well, of course. How could he possibly grant it?

Rubin had jokingly pestered him to peel off his own grade and give it to him instead.

“All right, then, starting now- please tear the paper off your badges!”

As soon as the host gave the signal, ripping sounds erupted from every direction.

Rubin carefully began peeling the paper away from the edge.

A line slanting toward the left came into view.

Hoping that it might be a B, he tore the rest away in one swift motion.

“...Ah...”

...It was a D.

A tingling sensation lingered in his fingertips.

That's strange. I thought I sang well this time.

I did... what hyung advised me to do.

As Rubin saw it, he had two major problems.

The first was that whenever his skills were being evaluated, he became so excessively nervous that his voice wouldn't come out properly.

The second was his habit of hiding his natural singing style.

The cause of the latter was his agency.

The company had scouted him because he admired rock bands and sang in a similar style, yet later forced him to change to suit the image they wanted.

It wasn't particularly difficult, but the process itself had been poisonous to Rubin.

The agency's trainers had repeatedly subjected him to criticism that was closer to condemnation than constructive feedback.

Whenever they evaluated him, they badgered and gaslit him as though they were determined to destroy his self-esteem.

They told him that every trainee in South Korea had to endure the same thing.

They said he needed to get used to it early so that he could handle whatever malicious comments he might receive later.

And because he'd believed them without question, he'd ended up like this.

When Yuseong heard about these circumstances, he sincerely comforted Rubin and encouraged him.

He also gave him special training to ease his nervousness and taught him ways to control his mindset so that he could enjoy singing more, helping him regain his confidence.

Ultimately, thanks to those efforts, their cover song had turned out even better than expected.

But here... it seemed things hadn't gone the same way.

He supposed he'd been frightened from the very beginning because he was so conscious of the people watching to evaluate him.

Was that why he had trembled so much?

Had he made mistakes?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what his performance had been like.

The more he tried to recall it, the more the memories faded and disappeared.

Whatever. At least I didn't drop any lower.

Trying to comfort himself, he forced the corners of his mouth upward into a smile.

Soon, following the instructions, the trainees moved in an orderly fashion to their seats according to their new grades.

Some had made mistakes and dropped to lower grades, while others had miraculously jumped several levels.

Rubin's eyes searched only for those whose grades had risen, even by a single level.

From B to A, from C to B, from E to B...

The more he watched them, the more he felt an unpleasant anxiety bubbling up from deep inside him, but he couldn't stop searching.

Eventually, through the gaps between the empty seats, he spotted Yuseong still sitting in the A-grade section. The moment he saw him, that emotion burst with a sharp jolt and reverberated through his mind.

Juan and Iseong were seated beside him, and Hwanyeong, who had dropped to C, was there as well. But Rubin could see only Yuseong.

He stood out as though a white outline had been drawn around his entire figure.

Why? Why was that?

“- The method for selecting the center is simple. Each A-grade trainee will come out individually and appeal to you with the signal song. As for the rest of you, use the remote controls placed in front of you to press 'Like' during the performance of whichever operator you prefer! Just make sure to press it before their performance ends.”

His thoughts continued even after they moved to the stage.

“You can press 'Like' only once per contestant, and you have exactly two votes in total, so please cast your votes carefully!”

The host standing at the center of the stage finished explaining and stepped down.

The competition to select the center had begun.

The final number of confirmed A-grade trainees was ten.

The sound of remote controls being pressed was loudest during Iseong's performance, which came third, and Juan's, which came fifth.

Some people had probably used up both their votes by then.

Rubin cast his first vote for a trainee named 'Lee Ijun,' who had risen to A grade this time.

“Now for our final contestant! An irresistible charm unlike anything seen in any universe! Play ON's representative nine-tailed fox, who appeared like a comet, Soyuseong!”

As the host, who had been conducting the event with the lively energy of a DJ in a club, called Yuseong's name, cheers of “Hyung, you're amazing!” and “You're the best!!” poured out from the audience.

Perhaps amused by the long introduction, or perhaps embarrassed, Yuseong stood in the center of the stage with an indistinct smile.

- There are no limits

At this very moment

The entire venue was literally flooded with the sounds of people pressing 'Like.'

From the very beginning, the sound of votes being registered was louder than the backing track, making it difficult to hear Yuseong's voice.

It seemed everyone had been saving their final vote.

Had they been saving it for him?

Everyone acknowledged that Yuseong possessed the perfect combination of skill, star quality, and character.

With his outstanding beauty and overflowing charm that made it difficult to look away, he never grew arrogant. Instead, he devoted himself to practice even at the expense of sleep and possessed a kind personality that knew how to help others.

He had simply been unlucky until now. He was a model of the perfect idol, lacking nothing.

Rubin lowered his eyes, resting his finger on the 'Like' button.

He had intended to give Yuseong his vote from the beginning, but he couldn't press it as easily as he wanted.

If that man, that hyung, had any obstacle standing in his way, it would probably be his age.

There was also the fact that he was a powerless independent trainee rather than one of the producer's picks, so it wouldn't be surprising if he got caught up in some scheme and was eliminated at any moment.

Of course, Yuseong himself probably understood those things better than anyone.

Hadn't he already tasted the bitterness of elimination before?

And hadn't he given up being a trainee because his agency went bankrupt, making debut seem impossible?

Although Yuseong had never said so himself, that was how Rubin had interpreted the reason for his long absence.

And yet, even so...

- I'll show you, all the way to the end

So that I can reach you

The sight of him working so hard, refusing to waste the second chance he'd been given, was infuriating.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Infuriating.

It wasn't that he disliked him, but looking at him made him uncomfortable.

Then why?

When he dug into the reason, he realized it was because his pride was being wounded.

His already battered pride and self-esteem were being scratched raw.

Couldn't he just be a little less good? He'd still do well even if he didn't try so hard.

Couldn't he hold back a little and let the younger trainees get some higher scores?

At that moment, he realized.

'...Am I jealous of him?'

The inexplicable frustration that had been tormenting him endlessly was suddenly defined by a single word.

The reason he had treated Yuseong so warmly all this time was because he was someone who deserved the highest evaluation even from an objective perspective.

Even if Yuseong wasn't one of the producer's picks, Rubin had thought that sticking close to him would improve his own image as well.

Running around from person to person like an opportunist would look bad, so he had carefully tested the waters before settling on Yuseong.

It had been an excellent choice, but the more time he spent with him, the more strange emotions swirled inside him.

Whenever he saw Yuseong maintaining his confidence no matter the circumstances, he sometimes found himself irritated.

Especially when Yuseong had performed <Chicken Stock Soup> more perfectly than Rubin, who had sung it for years, making the song his own in a single attempt.

That had been jealousy.

He felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest.

Jealousy was ultimately a form of admiration, and admiration was founded on acknowledgment.

- Go far- No limit!

Someone so impressive that he couldn't help being jealous.

Under the stage lights, Yuseong stretched one arm high into the air and smiled brightly.

It was an enchanting smile that left Rubin with no choice but to stare as though bewitched.

With a small laugh, he pressed the button firmly.

The sound of one more vote joined the others, and a yellow light flashed above Rubin's head.

“Profile vote, thirty percent! Number of likes, forty percent! Mentor scores, thirty percent! The contestant who came in first after combining all these scores, the center of the signal song <NO Limit>, is-”

The host raised his voice and called out the center's name.

“Soyuseong!”

_______________

“Hey, Junseong.”

“Yes, Producer.”

“I told you to bring in someone decent enough to fill the spot. When the hell did I tell you to bring in someone good?”

Smack!

The papers that had struck Pyo Junseong's head scattered and fluttered to the floor.

“I'm sorry.”

“What are you going to do about this? Because of you, I'm about to have to pay back every penny I took!”

“...I'm sorry.”

“Ugh... You fucking useless idiot. Hey, forget it.”

A voice full of irritation echoed through the darkened space.

“Cut that bastard.”

“Pardon?”

“Soyuseong, that bastard. I'm telling you to take responsibility and cut him.”