It was Kim Jinsoo’s first ti attending the pre-recording of a broadcast as an audience mber.
To be more exact, aside from having passed by a broadcasting station building before, he had never actually gone inside one, so he had no idea how audience admission even worked.
‘What the hell, they clearly told us to be here by 5, so why aren’t they letting us in right away!’
The text ssage Jinsoo had received had said he needed to be at the station by 05:00, so just in case, he’d arrived at the station with a bit of extra ti to spare before the scheduled ti.
But even now, over an hour later, he still hadn’t been allowed inside and could only stand in line holding the numbered ticket he’d been given.
‘Ugh··· it’s freezing!’
The cold made his teeth chatter on their own, reminding him of standing early-morning winter guard duty back when he’d been in the army.
When he looked around, he saw that the vast majority of the people around him were won, and every single one of them had co thoroughly prepared against the cold.
Starting from padded jackets so thick they were practically sleeping bags, hand warrs as a basic item, and everyone bundled up with ear muffs as well.
Apparently they’d known in advance that they’d have to wait outdoors like this for a long ti.
‘Is this really worth seeing, going this far?’
By this point, Jinsoo was starting to regret coming to watch the pre-recording.
He had co here with the sole purpose of seeing Lee Sion in person, but he was seriously doubting whether she was worth going through this much trouble for.
Wouldn’t it be a hundred tis better to just roll around on his warm bed at ho, browsing the board on his phone and watching stage videos on YouTube? As he was having that kind of thought:
“She’s here!”
One of the people standing in line suddenly shouted out at the bus approaching from the distance.
‘What’s here?’
At their reaction, Jinsoo thought so celebrity must have appeared and looked over with anticipation, only to see it was just a bus. He grumbled inwardly, wondering why they were making such a fuss.
“They’re getting off! You have to film now!”
Unlike Jinsoo, the people in line were each pulling out their phones or caras that looked like big cannons and started filming the bus.
Jinsoo had no idea what was going on, but since everyone was doing it, he at least took out his phone and turned on the cara too.
And right away, he understood.
He realized why people had brought those big caras that were obviously just going to get confiscated.
“Ayeon!!! Look over here for a second!!”
“Seo Ryujin!!! Do well on your stage today!!!”
“Let’s debut, Yoo Jihae!!!”
Voices bood across the plaza in front of the station, loud enough to bury the sound of cara shutters going click-click.
And to respond to those voices, the people getting off the bus waved at them or made hearts with their hands.
The ones getting off the bus were none other than the contestants of Idol Ground 100.
“Lee Sion!!! Uwaaaaah!!”
“Sion, just one handshake!”
“I’m supporting Real Madrid too because of you!”
And among them, there was one na being shouted especially loudly, and Jinsoo couldn’t help but shout as well.
Of course he did—because right now, Lee Sion was walking right past in front of his eyes.
‘Holy shit! How is she prettier than on TV?’
For several days now, Jinsoo had been working hard to lower his expectations.
After all, seeing soone on TV and seeing them in person couldn’t help but be different, so he wanted to prepare himself in case seeing Lee Sion in real life didn’t match what he’d imagined.
But making a joke out of all those worries, the Lee Sion Jinsoo was seeing now was on the level where the broadcast—no, the cara couldn’t even capture how good she actually looked.
“···?”
“···!”
Sion was waving at the people in line calling her na, chatting with the contestant next to her.
“Why are Ryu Ayeon and Lee Sion together?”
“No way··· are they on the sa team?”
“But they look super close, I’m gonna lose it. Those two are close?”
The one chatting with Sion was Ryu Ayeon, and because it was a combination no one had ever expected, Jinsoo could feel the crowd around him buzzing in shock.
He was just as surprised as they were.
In truth, the fandoms of Lee Sion and Ryu Ayeon did not get along well online.
[From now on this is Lee Sion Gallery]
(a screenshot of Lee Sion being announced as 1st place at the Ranking Ceremony)
「Ryu Ayeon got pushed down to 3rd by Seo Ryujin, right? 」
[New unreleased Lee Sion photos dropped!]
(a Pink Spell gif of Lee Sion)
「Yeah, your fave is just an entertainnt pick, the real idol is Ryu Ayeon」
Lee Sion Gallery and Ryu Ayeon Gallery were in a relationship where they would barge into each other’s boards every chance they got, stir up trouble, and then leave.
It had happened because both of their faves had high buzz and popularity among the Idol Ground 100 contestants, so they kept each other in check.
If so lower-ranked contestant’s fandom heard this, they might be dumbfounded, but from their perspective, this was a fight not over debut, but over the number one spot, so things were fierce between them.
And yet, in ridiculous contrast to that kind of fan war, here were Lee Sion and Ryu Ayeon looking extrely close with each other.
‘I need to get on the board!’
Jinsoo felt an urgent need to hurry up and share this insane information with everyone, along with photos, and show off.
‘So this is why!’
And in that mont, Jinsoo realized it.
He realized why people endured this biting early-morning cold to co watch pre-recordings.
Not only could you see the celebrities you liked in person, if you were lucky, you could even see them reacting to your words and responding to you. That alone was an incredible experience.
On top of that, just like now, you could see sides of them that would never make it onto broadcast, that you were seeing earlier than everyone else—no, sides other people might never get to see at all. You absolutely had to co for sothing like this.
‘How much do caras like that cost?’
Realizing that the photos that had been posted on the board or on Sionism up to now had been born from the hard work of fans like these, Jinsoo even started feeling interested in caras too.
But that could wait until later; first he needed to get on the board and make a post.
***
“Ryu Completely-Mute-And-Silent, why do you not answer the fans’ cheers?”
“··· Shut up.”
Unlike the last recording, this ti they were moving according to the exact broadcast recording ti, so they were able to encounter the audience who had arrived earlier.
It was a complete shift in the production team’s attitude from how, for Music Count—where they had sung the the song—and during the Group Battle Mission, they had snuck the contestants around through the underground parking lot so their presence wouldn’t be noticed.
“Seeing the people who ca to watch us makes my heart pound···.”
“Seriously. How do senior idols sing in front of thousands like this? Just seeing the people gathered now is enough to make dizzy···.”
“It’s exactly at tis like this that you have to stay calm. Don’t get carried away···.”
When they encountered the people who had co as audience mbers, the youngest line, Shinyu and Yunkyung, got excited and made a fuss, and Lee Gahyeon tried to rein them in.
However,
“Please give your precious vote to our team!”
“Got it!!! Sion!!!”
I couldn’t possibly let a precious promotion opportunity like this slip by.
I raised one hand high and shouted for their precious vote, saying our team’s Lee Gahyeon had been sleeping badly because her recent voting rank was low.
“At least one of you grab Lee Sion! Why is she so hyped up?”
“I’ll catch her, unni.”
“ too.”
Apparently my campaign speech wasn’t to their liking, because Gahyeon clamped a hand over my mouth and ordered the team mbers to grab .
And as if they’d been waiting for that signal, Kim Nayeon and Ryu Ayeon each grabbed one of my arms and started dragging off by force.
“Wait! Who just pretended to grab and secretly pinched my arm!”
“Girls, if you’re going to hit her, do it once we’re inside the station where no one’s around.”
“Can I hit her first?”
“Let’s just think we were six from the start and settle this cleanly···.”
Apparently, “not hitting ” was not one of the options those three were considering.
Even if I tried to run, Kim Nayeon and Ryu Ayeon were both pretty strong, so even for , who had once been the Haan-dong Arm-Wrestling King, shaking off an arm held tight by them wasn’t easy.
In tis like this, there was no helping it.
“Jihe unni!!! Save !!!”
I had to send out an ergency rescue request to our leader, Yoo Jihae.
“Girls, let’s head to the waiting room now.”
“···Okay.”
Thankfully, none of our team mbers were so steeped in Western ways that they had forgotten Korea was the Land of Courtesy in the East; even the ferocious beasts holding let go when our leader and eldest, Jihae, spoke.
Looking regretful, Gahyeon and her minions released .
Once freed, I imdiately hid behind Jihae and stuck out my tongue at them as we moved toward the waiting room.
“Hey, Sluggish Ryujin.”
“What made you late again? Sit down, the stages are starting soon.”
When we arrived at the waiting room, the other contestants were already seated and waiting for the stages to begin.
I greeted Seo Ryujin, who was sitting in the very front row, and she barely acknowledged my greeting before pointing to the seat next to her and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} telling to sit.
“Do you like that much? Enough that you want to keep right beside you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! The production staff assigned these seats, okay?”
“Huh?”
Now that she ntioned it, there were na tags stuck to the chairs.
The chair next to Seo Ryujin had a na tag reading “Lee Sion,” and the chair next to that had one that said “Ryu Ayeon.”
So naturally, it ended up looking like Seo Ryujin and Ryu Ayeon were sitting on either side of .
I tried to think about why they would seat us like this, but nothing in particular ca to mind, so I just sat where they told to and looked at the monitor in the waiting room.
Because it was almost ti for the first stage of the Position Evaluation to begin.
***
“Thank you!”
“No, it’s fine. We Sion fans have to help each other!”
When the male fan who had received a hand warr from her put on a moved expression, Jiyeon felt proud.
‘He ca all the way here to see Sion too, so I have to treat him well!’
Despite being indoors, the venue for this recording was colder than she’d expected.
Because of that, all the audience mbers sitting in the stands were warming their cold hands with hand warrs, but the male fan sitting next to Jiyeon didn’t seem to have one, and was blowing on his hands instead.
If that had been all, Jiyeon might have just felt sorry and left it at that—but then her eyes caught the placard in the man’s arms.
–Congratulations to Overseas Soccer Board Goddess Lee Sion on 1st Place–
It was clearly a first attempt, and pretty crude, but the sincerity of it ca through perfectly.
The mont she saw it, Jiyeon imdiately handed him the spare hand warr she had brought, and once she then revealed that she was also a fan of Lee Sion, they quickly beca friendly.
“Oh, so you’re older than , oppa.”
“Yeah, but you look really familiar. Have you been to sothing like this before?”
“Yes! Actually, I’ve been doing idol fangirling for five years!”
“Wow! You’re a pro.”
After exchanging simple introductions, Jiyeon learned that the man nad Jinsoo was four years older than her.
‘He’s probably a Sionism mber, right?’
She was curious how surprised Kim Jinsoo would be if he knew she was Sionism’s owner, but Jiyeon held herself back.
In truth, nothing good ever ca from revealing a fan café owner’s personal info, so she had to be careful.
“I didn’t know audience admission was this strict. I thought we’d just have to hand in our phones at the entrance, but they checked us super thoroughly, you know?”
While Jiyeon was briefly thinking about Sionism, Jinsoo was grumbling to her, complaining that the admission process was way too strict.
The bag checks before today’s Idol Ground 100 recording really had been thorough.
First, at the table in front of the station gate, they had to turn in all electronic devices they’d brought. Second, the staff went down the line and scanned each audience mber with a tal detector.
And finally, they had to pass through a detection scanner installed at the entrance before they were allowed in.
“It’s because this place has a long rap sheet.”
“A rap sheet?”
“In the past, idol fans brought things like ultra-small caras or recorders and leaked stuff, so these days all the pre-recordings check this strictly.”
You might have expected fans to complain about such picky checks, but if they didn’t do this, as soon as the pre-recording ended, stage spoilers would flood the internet, so from the station’s perspective, they had no choice.
“Welco, everyone, to the pre-recording of Idol Ground 100!”
While Jiyeon and Jinsoo were talking about the admission process, before they knew it, the main MC of the program, Jang Junseok, had co up on stage and was announcing the start of the broadcast.
“Wow, Jang Junseok is seriously handso.”
“Right? And he’s such a good host on the show too.”
Seeing Jang Junseok in person, having only ever watched him on TV, Jiyeon and Jinsoo started getting excited.
It wasn’t just them; she could feel the audience mbers around them changing expressions in anticipation, now that the stages were about to start.
“Right here in Sangam-dong today! The stages that the survivors of the Idol Ground 100 survival audition, who have made it this far, will be presenting to you are the Position Evaluation stages!”
“Position Evaluation?”
She thought this was the second mission after the Group Battle Mission, but Jiyeon still didn’t have a clear sense of what kind of stages they would be.
And as if he’d read her mind, when Jang Junseok gestured with his hand, letters began to appear on the screen behind him.
[Vocal & Rap Position]
Candy Pop Heart
00:59 (Almost One)
When I Reach You
Blooming Day
You Know
Breath
Sumr Glow
[Dance Position]
Bang! Bang! Love
Blackout
Fine
Glass Flower
Replay
Run (Right Now)
Hidden Sketch
“The 14 stages you see on the screen now, divided into Vocal & Rap Position and Dance Position, are the stages the contestants will be performing today!”
“Wooooo!!!”
At Jang Junseok’s words, a cheer erupted from the audience.
“Starting now with the first Vocal & Rap Position stage, Candy Pop Heart, a total of 14 performances will be held.”
After pausing, Jang Junseok gestured again, and the screen that had been showing the list of songs now changed to an explanation of how the mission would run.
“Unlike the previous Group Battle Mission, this ti the teams are not competing against each other. After each stage ends, the judges will score the stage, and once all the stages in each position are finished, the 500 of you in the audience will cast your votes.”
Just as he explained, the Position Evaluation this ti was different from the previous Group Battle Mission.
Instead of teams going head-to-head, all seven teams in each position would be competing against each other in an even harsher and more rciless system.
“So after all seven Vocal & Rap Position stages end, we just pick the stage and contestant we liked best and vote for them, right?”
“Yes, and the team that takes 1st place there will get a benefit of 100,000 votes, and for each position, the contestant who ranks 1st will get an additional 50,000 vote benefit.”
“At that point, the 1st-place team or 1st-place contestant is guaranteed to survive, right?”
At Jinsoo’s words, Jiyeon shook her head.
This benefit wasn’t sothing that would just end at helping soone survive.
If it went to a lower-ranked contestant, then sure, it would help them survive, just like Jinsoo said—but if it went to an upper-ranked contestant, especially soone within the top 10, it could flip the rankings completely. That was how enormous this benefit was.
‘The votes of the people here are going to be seriously important.’
She had no way of knowing what criteria they had used to select the audience mbers, but all Jiyeon could do was pray that there would be lots of Lee Sion fans among them.
“Now then, we’ll begin today’s first stage, Candy Pop Heart! It’s show ti!”
Whether he knew anything of Jiyeon’s desperate feelings or not, the main MC, Jang Junseok, shouted the line that had now beco his signature way of announcing the start of a stage.
And at the sa ti, five contestants appeared on stage through the entrance.
The Position Evaluation had begun.
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