Chapter 202
The moment that video appeared, the person who recognized the child and the man in it buried his face in both hands.
“Ahhh, why’d they have to use that one…!”
It was Seong Won Hyeop, the oldest trainee on Targeting Star.
And the moment everyone saw that reaction, they figured out what this segment was.
‘It’s the cry-your-eyes-out segment before the ranking announcement!’
The alpha and omega of survival shows: the debut ranking announcement.
Before the ranking reveal, the cruel yet stirring, nerve-wracking moment for them all…
It was the family video segment. A broadcast feature designed to remind everyone that ‘the trainees being judged here were once someone’s precious children,’ forcibly commanding them to ‘cry now!’ through the videos.
Sure enough.
– “Our son is definitely meant to be a singer. His voice is strong, and he’s handsome too…”
“…Snff.”
Seong Won Hyeop was already discreetly rubbing beneath his nose, touched yet embarrassed by his young father’s praise in the video.
Then they cut to his family watching from the audience below the stage, followed by a shot of the emotional fan’s face and the cheering slogan banner she held, all displayed on the broadcast feed.
[Our Won Hyeop deserves to be loved]
It was a staged scene drawn straight from a cartoon, and though people resented being forced to cry all of a sudden, their eyes misted over all the same.
‘Wait, PD Joo Cheol Yeong never did this kind of thing before! He was the devil of brutal survival shows! So why is he doing this onTargeting Star…!’
Aside from those already in the know, only one person at the venue had figured out why this tear-jerking segment had appeared.
More than anyone else here, this person had been burned by PD Joo so many times that he understood the man’s behavioral patterns best.
Kim Chunyong.
‘So this was originally meant to screw someone over.’
Liu Wei, who had left the indoor arena right after the “Aiming” performance.
And Director Shin Ki Ho, still sitting in the VIP section.
Liu Wei had originally been scheduled to remain in the audience after completing the debut evaluation performance, waiting alongside everyone for the ranking results.
So by showing these family videos, the intent had been to rub in the idea of ‘Your family isn’t here, so you don’t get any of this, right?’
Of course, there was no way to confirm Director Shin Ki Ho’s expression from up on stage, where he sat far away alongside CEO Do Jae Chan.
But Kim Chunyong could easily imagine that his jaw muscles were clenched tight.
‘Well, he screwed over Joo PD first, so it’s tit for tat.’
Meanwhile, the venue was steadily turning into a sea of tears.
– “Gao Yan definitely has the qualities of a star. He’s inherited our family’s spirit.”
“Mm, Dad is right. Gao Yan will definitely become a star. This is the same principle as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.”
“Gao Yan. Who taught you to say things like that?”
“As I always say, the one who teaches Gao Yan is Gao Yan, Dad.”
People got a brief laugh from seeing that Gao Yan had been exactly the same as a child, but then…
– “That’s right, clever Gao Yan, do what you want to do. We who love you the most will always cheer you on.”
“Bwuh…”
Even Targeting Star’s greatest source of comic relief was no match for the tear-jerking family videos.
Seong Won Hyeop, Gao Yan. Then Tsubasa, Li Ming Shen, and the rest of the Korean trainees.
If there were no childhood videos, they compiled photos into a montage; if even that wasn’t enough, they used recent video call interviews.
And amid this short but intense segment, Kim Chunyong’s family inevitably made their appearance.
“Ah…”
The involuntary sigh was only natural, I barely noticed myself doing it.
At the center of a screen compiled from childhood photos, there was a picture of Kim Chunyong’s entire family gathered in one place, smiling.
Well, saying everyone was smiling wasn’t quite accurate.
Kim Chunyong had his lips jutted out in a petulant pout.
Others might see it as awful timing to show a sulking kid during this emotional segment, but…
“……”
Kim Chunyong, who knew the story behind that photo, had to fight hard to keep his eyes from scrunching shut, softly clicking his tongue.
The day that photo was taken was the day Kim Chunyong first told his family he wanted to be an idol.
“You can’t even sing, you idiot.”
“That’s right. Chunyong can’t sing.”
“Nari. Did Mom say you could call your brother by his name[1], or that you couldn’t?”
“But I’m good at dancing, though!”
“Idols have to be good at singing AND dancing, idiot.”
“Play nice, you two. Otherwise, no ice cream.”
His family had thought young Chunyong’s words were just childish whimsy.
And Chunyong himself was half right about that.
I want to be someone who shines on stage. I want to perform in front of tons of people.
Isn’t that something everyone dreams about at least once as a kid?
But the memory from that time was what ultimately shaped the Kim Chunyong of today.
“…You got street-casted? With a scary-looking face like yours, someone actually scouted you?”
“Tch, isn’t it a scam…? Probably recruiting delinquents.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not a scam. It’s Quince, you know? They have quite a few idol groups there. About three. So even though you two always look down on me, the truth is I’m actually—”
“Kim Chunyong.”
“…Why are you calling me that? Am I in trouble again? Was I being too full of myself?”
“No, you little jerk. Do you actually want to do this?”
“…Huh?”
“You said you wanted to be an idol when you were little too. This business card you brought home, you didn’t bring it just to brag. You brought it because you actually want to go, right?”
“N-no? Obviously I’m just showing off…”
“I know you’ve been saving your allowance to go to a vocal academy for a month.”
“……”
“Looking at me won’t help. I’m not the one who said something. Mom and Dad already knew too.”
“…Man.”
“Be honest. If you are, then I’ll actually have something to say to Mom and Dad.”
‘We should stop making him study and just let him do what he wants.’
Kim Chunyong’s family photo had passed by long ago.
But inside his heart, as always, it was filled with his family’s faces.
‘…How much time did I spend regretting it?’
It was just a stupid vacation.
Clutching that first paycheck, which was barely even a real sum… Why had he been so desperate to show off?
And even after hitting rock bottom, why hadn’t he come to his senses? Why did he go out of his way to hear words he never needed to hear?
Maybe sometimes, he deserved to hear those things.
Why did he spend all that time wondering if he’d ended up alone just to find himself in this situation?
“……”
Kim Chunyong pressed his lips into a firm line and swallowed hard, recalling what he’d been thinking about before this moment arrived.
– X: Why you of all people… that’s kinda philosophical isn’t it? A proposal? Maybe?
– X: Mm~~ I’m technically not supposed to tell you this cuz of company policy
– X: But since I like you I’ll share a teensy bit? As classified info? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– X: Obviously… among the desperately driven candidates at the time! People who absolutely HAD to go back!
It’s because you had the highest chance of failing.
Translation Notes
[1] ↩
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