'A participant who stands out....'

Regardless of the fact that he finished filming with the Icorpo contestants with a smile, CheongRyu was skeptical about their long-term success.

The contestants who had the highest ratings on the show were doing very well with the power of the survival entertainment show; however, the fierce competition they will have when they debut in the music industry is another story.

'It may seem like they're doing well in the show's competition.'

After all, there were many cases where they were eliminated from the agency's internal competition and were overwhelmed by the survival program.

CheongRyu was going to decide which dish he chooses to eat, but a name came to mind and slipped from his lips.

"Park MoonDae?"

"Oh, the one with the chicken feet?"

Although he heard the youngest member of the group laugh, CheongRyu didn't laugh.

"All his answers to his questionnaire coincided with the ones I chose."

"Wow! Really? That's amazing ... Will he have a personality similar to yours, hyung?"

"...Yes, to a certain extent."

"Uh, really?"

CheongRyu ignored his surprised dongsaeng and felt a bit disappointed.

'It would be nice to have someone like him in my team.'

It was clear that Park MoonDae thought the poll was stupid. He seemed to have somehow taken a neutral response by paying attention to the broadcast of the program.

"Well, if he has a personality similar to hyung's, then ... I guess he must have a very cold heart."

"You mean he's realistic?"

"Y-yes, that's right."

Someone "realistic" is the type of person who does not immerse himself in the circumstances of others and does not believe in wishful thinking. That objective personality is more suited to a businessman than a celebrity.

In general, aspiring idols, especially talented little boys, possessed all the strengths and weaknesses of the artistic and sports fields.

In short, trainees used to be less cold, whether viewed in a good or bad way.

However, the reality they faced was an adult society dominated by the logic of capitalism.

"Well, it would be great if someone like hyung becomes their leader."

"You think so? Thank you."

Although it seems hard to believe, CheongRyu agreed with his dongsaeng.

'It's better that a person who always thinks with a cool head sets the mood and actions of the group from him.'

Just like him, who was in charge of leading VTIC.

In that sense, Park MoonDae was a pretty good candidate for Icorpo's next debut group.

'But if he pushes the rock to the top, he will at some point roll down.'

And due to his personality, since he was older, he had no choice but to lead the team on his own, even if his teammates were younger than him. But CheongRyu could guarantee that he would pull it off successfully because it was something he had experienced himself.

'It would be easier to work with him.'

That would be good for both his group and his company.

However, since VTIC re-signed with their agency and received some activities to do, there was no need to pay attention to the next male idol group.

After all, MoonDae still has to compete in order to debut. CheongRyu had enough having followed the recommendation given by his consciousness.

'I'll contact him if I don't change my mind.'

After a brief conclusion, CheongRyu drew a line on one of the boxes on his schedule to remind him that he had already finished the scheduled activity and diverted his mind to other matters.

He had a very busy schedule.

* * *

It hadn't been long since the ranking ceremony began on the set.

The format was the same, but the number of people would decrease significantly.

This time, only twenty people could continue on the show. This created a great tension between the participants.

And there was still one factor that would cause a change in the small number of people.

"The leaders of the two candidate teams for the first place of the Third Team Battle, please stand up!"

It was the profit factor for the winning team. The winning team will be able to choose one of its members to advance unconditionally to the next round and not be eliminated.

My team had already picked Gold 1 to receive the buff. I had already mentioned it in an interview before the shoot.

"Our "Moon Rabbit" team has chosen the contestant ... Ha IlJoon."

After Keun SeJin finished speaking, it was CheongWoo's turn to mention his candidate, but he was silent for a long time.

He seemed to have some problem.

"Team Husky, please introduce the member you have chosen."

I felt a hint of excitement at the MC's urgent demand, which alerted me.

Ryu CheongWoo spoke slowly.

"Our team had chosen Choi WonGil."

"...!"

Wow, they wanted him to stay until the end.

'Like me, that boy has planned everything?'

To be honest, we didn't know if we would get the benefit or not. Perhaps because of that hesitation, Choi WonGil boldly gave up the 50% chance of getting the benefit if his team won and transferred agencies.

Thanks to him, things got ambiguous.

This is because they had already told the production team about casting him before filming, but when WonGil signed with his new agency, not all the crew members had confirmed it.

Because of that, the production team was embarrassed and urgently made a meeting motion, giving the MC a signal.

The MC carefully read the board with instructions from the staff and continued.

"An unexpected situation has occurred. Usually, when a voluntary withdrawal occurs, the participant's benefits disappear. However, considering that this happened due to the "Casting Call" event, we will give the "Husky" team an additional three minutes of discussion."

"Alright.."

CheongWoo bowed down and joined his teammates.

I clicked my tongue.

'...We already lost.'

You didn't have to look at this to know that his team was the winner.

'If they didn't give the benefit even though the beneficiary had withdrawn, then the image of the program would be affected.'

The production team wasn't stupid, they knew that wouldn't suit them.

Ultimately, that means Gold 1 will have to survive the tie on his own.

'Our hope that we will be victorious is over.'

Seeing Gold 1's face that was pretending not to be nervous, it seemed that he too was feeling chills and anxiety.

And indeed, the first place did not go to the "Moon Rabbit" team.

"Congratulations! The winning team is ... Husky!"

"Thank you very much."

But the funny situation was not over.

"According to the discussion the team had, the contestant who will receive the unconditional benefit of survival is Cha YooJin!"

Those crazy people gave YooJin the benefit.

'It can be one of two options.'

Either they didn't come to an agreement or they found YooJin ridiculous and hateful.

Well, that was his business. On the other hand, my team had a sad atmosphere for taking second place.

"It's a bit disappointing."

"T-that's true."

"Hey, don't think like that! I will be judged fairly!"

Gold 1 said it lightheartedly, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was cursing the Husky team guys in his mind.

'I already did it.'

Thus ended the announcement of first place in the Team Battle and began the Ranking Ceremony.

"18th place goes to ... Contestant Kwon HeeSeung!"

As if the atmosphere of curiosity and pity had been removed from the "Casting Call" event, the air grew tense every time the rankings were announced.

"T-thank you very much..."

Hearing that he had taken 18th place, Gold 2 sat down on her new ranking with a relieved look.

'He's passed too.'

I didn't know that he would make it to the final stage, but that lifted our spirits.

As such, the rankings were announced up to 10th place without any unexpected changes. It seems that there are people who deserve to stay together to debut.

What is surprising is that Lee Sejin has risen slightly in rank.

"11th place went to ... Contestant Lee Sejin ~ A! Congratulations!"

It was a good ranking for someone who had a serious falling out with his team. Perhaps he received more support due to WonGil being listed to the public as a villain by the show's editors.

Beside me, Keun SeJin cheered at Lee Sejin's call.

"Oh, I feel so envious."

SeJin muttered weakly, as if he was worried about having some lower ranking.

"..."

Isn't that too misleading?

It was obvious that SeJin would not be eliminated, he must be looking forward to being called up a little later to receive a better ranking.

He was so aware of the cameras and mikes around us that he already seemed to be on a professional level.

"Congratulations~"

At the podium, the MC continued to announce the rankings with a moderate amount of frustration.

Most of the popular participants were called by their names and took to the podium. The name "Park MoonDae" was soon called.

"Thank you very much."

I ended up sitting in sixth place, a slight drop from the position I got in the previous ceremony.

'My ranking went down just as I expected.'

It's not that my number of votes has decreased, it's just that my votes have not grown as much as peak inflation.

The reason for the inflation was simple.

Since buying shares to upvote a contestant means spending money, fans try to limit their purchases. But in case there is any situation where fans are more aware that many people will sell my shares for me to get downvotes, more votes will eagerly buy to prevent me from being removed from the show.

And this trend was bound to grow stronger as the participants seemed desperate.

'If you're scared, you'll have to scream louder.'

On the other hand, the production team has adopted an incredible way of squeezing their wallets.

However, compared to the other top-ranked contestants in terms of amount of footage, personality, or story, I didn't have any particular circumstances for which I was criticized negatively in these last few weeks.

'It is unavoidable.'

It would be crazy to do something controversial. It's not me who controls the editing level, but the production team.

'It would be a waste if they didn't show my 'Casting Call.''

It was a little disappointing, but it was something out of my hands. It will be difficult for the editors to focus on my desperation as I was up against the leader of the popular VTIC group.

"Congratulations~"

"Oh, thanks."

Keun SeJin, who after moving up the ranking from him ended up taking seventh place, congratulated me with a smile and asked for a high five. It was a very standard reaction from a fellow participant.

'Thinking about all the support and interest he received because of the fabricated scandal, I think he will debut.'

Except for the downvotes during the school violence controversy, Keun SeJin had more additional votes than me.

I had already hoped that he would receive a lot of support votes. I helped him by making his situation better, but I didn't think that would affect me.

'I thought he would be easy prey...'

At the time, we were on the same team, so I couldn't stand by and do nothing to avoid getting eliminated. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a sickness in my stomach, I must be resentful. I clicked my tongue and concentrated on what the MC was saying.

The first place was Cha YooJin.

"Wow!!"

YooJin smiled excitedly and received the first place badge, but suddenly changed his attitude and earnestly expressed his feelings and gratitude.

"Since coming here ... I learn a lot and think a lot. I will work harder and make stronger and fresher appearance in the future. Thank you so much for the first place."

His grammar is still strange, but he said it with such a serious voice that he had never shown before. That could again cause synergy in viewers

'That's the reason why he got the first place.'

Although he didn't seem to be aiming to win, he actually wanted to and could do it since he was the only boy who possessed the best skills among all of us.

"That was Cha YooJin, who ranked first thanks to the support of the shareholders! Once again, congratulations~"

To moderate applause, YooJin climbed up to sit on top of the podium.

It only remained to discover who would be the last two participants who would survive the elimination. Gold 1 had not yet been on the podium.

'That's why we had chosen him to receive the benefit.'

The situation became hopeful when they nominated four candidates, among which two could occupy positions 19 and 20. The face of Gold 1 appeared on the screen, he had a 50% chance of occupying one of those places.

The name of Gold 1, Ha IlJoon ...

"I will announce the last contestant who will advance to the final stage of "Idol Corporation - Reincorporated!" 20th belongs to Seo TaeMoon!"

... He was not called.

Just as we didn't get first place in the Team Battle, the odds betrayed Gold 1 again.

The result we got with that 50% was the loss of a friendly rival.

"I will return with pride for having come this far. Many thanks to the shareholders who supported me!"

Gold 1, whose real name is Ha IlJoon, had been ranked 21st.

"Hyung!!"

"Hey, don't forget to call me!"

As soon as the MC's closing statements were over, the contestants who left the show due to being eliminated had a longer time to say their goodbyes than before. Since we've been together for several months, I'm sure everyone will have at least two or three close friends.

I reached out to Gold 1 after Gold 2 and Seon AhHyun cried over his elimination.

The cameras were still rolling and it was quite heavy having a conversation when the two of them were immersed in their emotions.

I shook his hand moderately.

"MoonDae~"

However, Gold 1 hugged me. It seems that he had a lot of emotions built up inside of him.

'I can't get away.'

I was embarrassed that Gold 1 calmly spoke to me. It seems like he's holding back his regret.

"I think you are going to debut. Cheer up."

For me, someone who has transmigrated into the body of "Park MoonDae" a few months ago, another aspiring idol's words of blessing give me complicated feelings.

I don't know whether to believe him.

'Oh, no.'

Instead of sighing, I returned the compliment.

"You too."

"Eh?"

"I think you will also debut soon."

Gold 1, Ha IlJoon, released the hug and smiled at me.

"Really? I am ready to do very well."

I don't know. Will it be possible to achieve good results with an ambiguous final ranking of being in 21st place?

But I just nodded.

Even though I knew the cameras were recording us, to my surprise, I hadn't told him that with the intention of ending the conversation properly.

"Thank you very much."

"I am very grateful!"

Throughout the entire show, 57 contestants had been eliminated and only 20 remained. Now all we had to do was meet in the final.