NOVEL WEB Chapter 140
Chapter 140. Desty, Daisuki
On an afternoon when the sun had lost its intense heat and a cool evening breeze had begun to blow.
Through a prior drawing of lots, the first team to go on stage was the one led by Seo Taehyun.
The team name was “Daisuki.”
The name combined *Diving* and *Desty* to mean “diving into the arms of Desty.” Joo Eunchan had come up with the name.
And “he,” Seo Taehyun, added yet another meaning to this rather fitting team name.
– *Desty!! Daisuki♡*
With perfect pronunciation of *Daisuki* (ダイスキー) learned from Yuki, the Japanese member of the team, they all chanted the team name together. Their bright, lively expressions and gestures were so sweet that they were practically biteable(!).
This was possible because Seo Taehyun, Yuki, and Park Jaeyoung, who had already exuded plenty of charm with the *Candy Crush* team last time, were on the same team.
– *Da… Dai, Daisuki!*
However, the large black panther (Joo Eunchan) and the eagle (Kim Wonho), who were caught between these tiny little creatures, were visibly suffering.
– “Aaaah! Kim Wonho, you’re so cute!!!!!”
– “Eunchan! My not-so-little baby big cat!!!!!!!”
…But the Desties loved it, so let’s move on.
Anyway, back to the stage.
“……”
“……”
A cold tension sharply penetrated the stage.
Joo Eunchan, looking more serious than ever, lowered his thick eyelashes and bit his finger, deep in thought.
Across from him, Kim Wonho stiffly stood, tense, staring at Joo Eunchan.
Next to the two who stood facing each other, Seo Taehyun, Park Jaeyoung, and Yuki stood in a row, clasping their hands tightly together.
Everyone on stage, with desperate puppy-like eyes, eagerly awaited Joo Eunchan’s response.
“Okay, Trainee Eunchan. It’s time to give your answer now.”
Choi Yeonwoo, who had been watching the whole scene with great interest, began the countdown.
After continuing to scrutinize Wonho closely, Eunchan finally raised the microphone.
“Answer.”
“Yes, what’s the answer?”
“Um… It seems like the wristband has been changed to something else.”
As Joo Eunchan cautiously answered, Choi Yeonwoo, who had been wearing a meaningful expression, burst into a bright smile and shouted.
“The wristband has changed… Correct!”
“Aaah! Success!”
“Eunchan!!!!”
“Hyung! I believed in you!!”
As soon as the correct answer was announced, Joo Eunchan’s proud smile was captured on the broadcast screen, and the rest of the team rushed over to him, enveloping him in a big hug.
The sight of them getting along so well triggered cheers among the Desties. Choi Yeonwoo deliberately waited for the cheers to die down a bit before delivering his final comment.
“Yes, Daisuki team. By successfully completing the Desty mission, you’ve earned all the special effects, stage LED, and stage lighting for today. Congratulations!”
“Thank you!”
Indeed.
All the happenings on the stage were part of the ‘Stage Production Acquisition Mission’ that Park Woong had foreshadowed.
Based on a survey conducted before the guerrilla concert, each trainee was given a personal mission and a team mission.
– *You have three chances for the team mission. For the personal mission, success is achieved if the majority of the members pass.*
– *However, unlike the definite outcome of the personal mission, the success of the team mission is judged solely by the Desties.*
– *Therefore, you must carefully decide which items to stake on which mission.*
Since the missions were only revealed on stage, the key was how to allocate the three items to each mission.
The Daisuki team had one more member than the other teams, so they bet the stage lighting on what they considered the most crucial team mission and allocated the remaining two to personal missions.
The Daisuki team’s team mission, which had stage lighting on the line, was a “Relay Aegyo.”
Seo Taehyun sacrificed the mental state of Kim Wonho and Joo Eunchan, securing the stage lighting with a burst of cuteness.
“Seeing them, I can’t even imagine what our mission will be.”
“Right? It does seem like they took a lot of the trainees’ personalities into consideration.”
As I sat in the waiting room, watching the broadcast screen, I started speculating about the Desty missions with Jung Siwoo.
“What did they do earlier?”
“Yuki gave a speed quiz in Japanese, and the members answered it. They succeeded in that one.”
“Wonho’s mission was… ice cream guessing?”
“Yeah, he loves ice cream. But he got confused between BiXbig and BbamX and failed.”
“It’s not easy to mix those two up…. Did Wonho get really nervous?”
Jung Siwoo tilted his head, as if he still couldn’t understand how anyone could confuse BiBiX and BarBbaX.
Incidentally, those two were Jung Siwoo’s favorite ice creams.
That was something I learned after being on the same team twice.
In any case, it seemed the Desty missions were all somewhat like this.
Known for his lack of observational skills(…), Joo Eunchan had to find the differences by spotting the subtle changes made to his teammates while his eyes were closed.
Surprisingly(…!), Joo Eunchan answered correctly, so the mission wasn’t conducted, but Seo Taehyun’s mission was “Find the Camera Quickly.”
He had to find the camera with the red light on among several cameras and make eye contact within three seconds. To be honest, it seemed like a mission he would have succeeded in without even trying.
“Why on earth hasn’t Seo Taehyun debuted yet?”
“…I don’t know how to answer that.”
“No, seriously, don’t you get curious about it when you see him?”
I’m dying of curiosity.
Why on earth hasn’t he made it?
No matter how I looked at it, Seo Taehyun wasn’t someone who should’ve been buried in that harsh idol landscape.
‘Next time I enter the subconscious space, should I check out his past timeline again?’
What if this guy is another ticking time bomb with some enormous blunder I don’t know about?
By this point, it seemed unlikely that I’d prevent Seo Taehyun from debuting, and I didn’t particularly want to, either.
If he was indeed a ticking time bomb, I would carefully cut the fuse and throw the bomb into the sea (meaning the bomb, not Taehyun) from now on, while watching Taehyun on the monitor.
– *Thank you! We really prepared hard for this stage today, so please watch it closely and enjoy it!*
Still, as the leader, Seo Taehyun wrapped up the lead remarks quite smartly.
While a brief stage introduction and pre-interview were being conducted, the production team was setting up for the Daisuki team’s stage in the background.
All that was left was to wrap up the interview smoothly and successfully complete the stage.
It was at that moment.
“……?”
“What was that?”
It wasn’t clear because it was a broadcast, but it seemed like someone among the audience shouted something very loudly.
It happened just as Kim Wonho’s interview was underway, and as his solo shot appeared on the screen, his expression distorted instantly, and the camera quickly switched to a full shot.
“What happened? What’s going on, PD?”
“Ah…. We’re checking on that right now.”
Sensing something unusual, I asked the PD in charge of filming us, but even they seemed flustered and unaware of what was happening on stage.
‘Thirteen. Come out.’
[System Alert: I knew it, I’ve already been there.]
[System Alert: (◉_<)☆]
…Is this a timekeeper or just a versatile AI assistant?
Right after the cheat sheet, our Thirteen, who had even equipped itself with an autonomous broadcasting system, quickly reported the situation on stage.
[System Alert: Hmm…. It seems like someone in the audience dislikes Wonho.]
‘What did they say? Just tell me that.’
[System Alert: Well…. They shouted ‘Get Kim Wonho off the stage….’]
The moment I heard that, my expression stiffened terribly, even though I knew the cameras were rolling.
I could hardly contain my anger because I knew all too well that this was a phrase used by antis to mock and criticize Kim Wonho, who had ranked high in the latest elimination round.
‘…Was the person alone?’
[System Alert: Ah. No, it seems like they came with a group.]
[System Alert: They were whispering to each other and decided the one who lost rock-paper-scissors would shout it.]
[System Alert: The person who shouted has been dragged out by security, but the rest are pretending not to know them and are still there….]
Thirteen, who had been relaying the situation, sighed deeply(=3) in what seemed like frustration.
Watching Kim Wonho on the monitor, who composed himself as if nothing had happened and prepared for the stage, I, too, forced the tension out of my furrowed brow.
Then, concealing a sense of frustration, I asked Thirteen one more thing.
‘Thirteen.’
[System Alert: Yes?]
‘…Whose fans are they? Those people.’
It wasn’t in Seoul, nor even near Seoul. The odds that they were random troublemakers passing by were slim. They must’ve come
to see someone.
As I waited for Thirteen’s answer, I felt an instinctive sense of foreboding pressing on the back of my neck.
Hesitating for a moment, Thirteen finally confessed the answer as if confessing a crime.
[System Alert: They were holding a slogan… for the Chosen Regressor.]
‘…I see.’
[System Alert: But! They might have just received it at a giveaway event…. Or maybe they were just holding it as a distraction!]
[System Alert: Or, or they could’ve just been troublemaking trolls who’ve always had bad intentions.]
Thirteen fumbled around, desperately trying to come up with other reasons, but both Thirteen and I knew it was all wishful thinking.
Even if those people weren’t actually my fans, they were still fans of someone here.
And I was well aware that there were quite a few of my actual fans who harbored ill feelings toward Kim Wonho.
“……”
So, these feelings are indeed complicated.
Among the members with debut rights, Kim Wonho had the weakest position and fanbase, which, to some, became a reason to attack him.
If all those attackers were nothing more than bundles of inferiority who found no meaning or joy in life other than criticizing celebrities, I would simply cover my ears and close my eyes….
But among them were people who lived normal lives and received good evaluations in society, precious fans who were indispensable to certain celebrities, and sometimes even those who lived alongside me as my friends and acquaintances.
My fans who supported me and at the same time became anti-fans who publicly criticized and insulted my precious younger brother.
Their actions were clearly wrong, both morally and ethically.
However, it was also evident that their actions stemmed from a reckless bravado, born from a cowardly sense of security in belonging to a group of like-minded individuals.
But…
‘If I were to meet those people as my fans somewhere, should I be grateful to them?’
No, maybe I already had been grateful.
They could have been the owners of some of the comments I occasionally saw in monitoring reactions.
They might have been one of the countless names who willingly chipped in their allowance for my subway support advertisement a while ago.
“Hey, the stage is starting.”
At Jung Siwoo’s words, I turned my attention back to the monitor.
Unfortunately, Kim Wonho was starting in the center, standing in the middle of the stage, ready to pose.
‘…What must he be feeling right now?’
Since I couldn’t check the state of Kim Wonho’s mind because the recruitment notification still hadn’t appeared, I had no way of knowing.
Performing on stage in front of people who weren’t thrilled to see him.
Cautiously, I clasped my hands together and prayed earnestly for Kim Wonho.
‘Please… Let him perform without regrets, just as he practiced.’
I hoped that his mental state wasn’t too shaken.
With worry and concern, the Daisuki team’s stage began.