WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 71

“Phew, I can finally breathe a little……”

It seemed like the annoying swarm of hate comments had gone to sleep now that it was nighttime, as my headache finally subsided around midnight.

In the end, I couldn’t make it to practice.

I had gone to the practice room, but judging by the way the others reacted, my face must have looked really bad.

Chanyoung had freaked out and sent me back, and even though I had originally intended to stay, I found myself lacking the energy to argue and just went back.

[<Conquer the Stage with Hopscotch> : Successfully play hopscotch ten times in a row, and you'll receive a buff for your desired position for 24 hours!]

Yet another ridiculous item had appeared in the shop.

First hula hooping, and now hopscotch……

I appreciated the buffs, but wasn’t the system making me do the stupidest things to get them?

[<Smart sponge!> : Allows you to perfectly replicate memorized choreography.]

There was also an item that would allow me to digest and execute choreo instantly, as if I had absorbed it into my body.

[<Conquer the Stage with Hopscotch> Purchased]

[<Smart Sponge!> Purchased]

I bought both without a shred of hesitation.

I still had plenty of points to spare.

That Reporter’s Notebook I had been eyeing ever since I first opened the shop was still grayed out, so I couldn’t buy it.

I guess even the system wasn’t letting me peek into the future.

That probably meant this world was already veering off the path I originally knew.

Well, I couldn’t remember there being such a cruel show as <Ultimate Idol> having run in 2021.

“Oh well……”

If I used these items, that meant I wouldn’t have to suffer under Iho’s so-called training regiment.

I had thought of a method.

Honestly, it wasn’t exactly a good plan.

But my instincts were screaming at me.

If I just sat around and did nothing like this, I would end up stagnating in third place at best.

“Since I’m already being hated, might as well see this through to the end.”

I muttered to myself, rolling over onto my side.

Was I scared of dying?

Of course, I was.

But this entire world would cease to exist the moment I died.

Even the system would probably be disappointed if I did, right?

“Would it really let me die?”

I let out a strange laugh.

Ah, yeah, I guess I was never the type to lay down and take it.

Not in the past, the present, nor in the future.

* * *

“Let’s do it five more times.”

“Ugh……”

Everyone collectively held their breath at Iho’s words.

There were only three days left until the competition.

The members, who had already run through the routine seven times in a row, were all desperately waiting for just one sentence from Iho.

It was ‘Let’s take a break.’

“The angles still aren’t right. You’re all putting in too much force.”

“Uhm……but……”

“Kiwoong, you have something to say?”

“No, it’s just that you said that we should put in more force earlier, hyung……”

“Balance is key in everything.”

“……Okay.”

If Kiwoong had a tail, it would have been dragging across the floor right about now.

Iho’s tone was soft, but his attitude was anything but.

He trained with the group like everyone, but the moment he spotted even the slightest misstep, he would immediately stop the music and start correcting them.

In a way, it was like having a private tutor fixing things immediately, but the downside was that we never got to run through the full routine without constant interruptions.

“This isn’t the vibe I was going for.”

And then there was another problem with Iho (or maybe it was just me who thought so).

Right now, our team was practically copy-pasting everything he gave us. From the song choice to the choreography.

On one hand, having Iho who already had a full vision laid out in his head was reassuring.

But on the other hand,

“We need to shift your positioning further inward for this part.”

“But if we do that, Kiwoong won’t be visible at all.”

The moment anyone tried to adjust something, even slightly, he would immediately shut it down.

If anything strayed from the vision in his head, he simply couldn’t tolerate it.

Usually, people with strong pride acted like this. They refused to compromise, and if something didn’t meet their standards, they would push themselves or others even harder.

And I totally hated that.

When I pointed out that Kiwoong wouldn’t be visible, Iho just stared at me.

He just put his hands on his hips and stared at me silently. I seemed to understand why Kiwoong and Saemi, who were younger, always seemed so intimidated.

That wasn’t just a stare, it was silent pressure.

“The overall positioning makes more sense this way though?”

“Hmm…… But if we do it your way, Kiwoong will only get to stand in the center once.”

“Sorry, but this routine wasn’t designed to be a center battle or something.”

Iho’s voice wavered just a bit. That tiny change confirmed that I was getting under his skin.

But I sure as hell wouldn’t just stop there.

I tilted my head slightly, as if telling him to go on.

“A performance is something we build together, right? If everyone wants to be in the center, the balance collapses. That’s why roles are important, especially in a group performance. That’s also why I focused on spacing and movement when choreographing.”

“Aah.”

Oho, so he was trying to talk his way through this?

If one just listened to what he was saying, it sounded pretty convincing.

However, Iho didn’t seem to realize that his words and actions were contradicting themselves.

If roles were so important, then how the hell would he explain why he was standing dead center for both the first and second verse?

“But……”

“……”

The moment I showed hesitation, lowering my gaze slightly, Iho lifted his chin even higher.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by that slightly arrogant and snobbish attitude.

I guess it took that level of confidence to barge into a competition full of washed-up idols, being that young still, and still claim first place.

“Do you remember why this round of the competition was created?”

At that, I opened my mouth.

Everyone looked confused.

I mean, Lee Kyubin had gone on and on about it, but while he was talking, everyone else was too busy scheming about how to climb the ranks to actually listen.

“‘Only one person carrying the whole team’, ‘only a few members standing out’, ‘some members barely getting any screen time.’”

“……”

“Even after debuting, some people never really got the chance to shine.”

“……”

“So the goal of this task is to give everyone an equal opportunity at popularity.”

“……”

“……At least, that’s what our Host, Lee Kyubin, said.”

Iho didn’t say anything.

[Eloquence has increased! A well-supported argument has overpowered your opponent!]

Damn right it did.

Well, those were all direct quotes from Lee Kyubin though.

“So, I figured we should distribute the center positions more evenly. What do you think?”

Iho’s expression twisted slightly.

However, since he was a pro, he only frowned slightly in a way that only I would notice.

“Are you saying our current part distribution is unfair then?”

“I never said it was unfair.”

“Then?”

“I meant we should be more mindful of it.”

Iho looked as if he was deep in thought.

The other members just stared, wide-eyed.

They didn’t seem to be too happy about this conflict between me and Iho.

The unmanned cameras were still rolling, capturing every second of our silent standoff.

Ah, my temples were already throbbing.

If getting on the bad side of Haedun’s fans, who was now 4th, was enough to leave me half-dead, could my fragile body even handle the wrath of Iho’s fandom, now that he was overall 1st?

No idea, but if I had to go down, I sure would go down swinging.

“……I completely agree with your point. I’m not against it.”

Iho finally spoke up calmly, seemingly having suppressed his anger.

So he wasn’t as hot-headed as I thought.

“I mean, this is a team competition. So, instead of fighting for center positions, we should focus on synchronization and teamwork. And, honestly, I think the strongest performers should take center stage, because that’s how we can ensure the best quality performance. That’s also what the fans want. Isn’t that right?”

He turned to the others.

They hesitated at first, but then answered, their eyes swimming.

“……Yeah. I mean, not just anyone can be the center…… That’s what makes it valuable.”

“Same.”

Saemi chimed in, and Kiwoong agreed right away.

So they weren’t just following Iho’s lead out of caution. They’ve decided to ride on his popularity so they took his side as if it was natural.

Come on, you idiots. Can’t you see that I’m on your side?

Of course, if they’d rather side with the lofty first place instead of the lowly seventeenth there was nothing I could say against that.

“Hyung, do you want to take the center position?”

It was right at that moment.

Iho looked me straight in the eye as he asked that.

Shit…… I instinctively could feel it.

That line just now would 100% be put at the end of the teaser. I didn’t even need to check, I could practically hear the dramatic music.

“Hmm……”

I let out a small hum as if I was thinking.

Iho’s pupils shook for a moment.

This bastard. He thought he was cornering me.

He probably expected me to panic, scrambling to make excuses like ‘No, no, I didn’t mean it like that!’ which meant handing him the win.

But instead, I stayed completely calm.

He must have been quite shocked about that.

Usually, if one’s opponent kept calm and didn’t even flinch at one's words, what did that usually mean?

It meant……

“Why is it bad for everyone to want to be center?”

That they were still holding a joker card, right?

“……”

“Is that selfish?”

I smiled, tilting my head.

Iho kept his face calm, but I could tell that he was fuming inside.

Rank 1, first in his group.

While he was just the tail of a dragon, this probably was the first time that someone had challenged him so directly and persistently while he was trying to leap to first place.

“I never said it was selfish.”

Iho mimicked my exact phrasing from earlier.

“Then let’s try something new. Right now, Chanyoung and Kiwoong spend all of the first verse in the back. What if we give them a solo moment during the chorus?”

Chanyoung and Kiwoong flinched and turned to look at me.

They looked like ordinary students who had accidentally got caught in a gang fight, so I felt kind of bad. For about three seconds.

“If we do that, we’ll have to redo all of our formations.”

All this guy ever talked about was formations.

If one took it out of his vocabulary, he would have nothing to say anymore.

Hmm…… Alright, guess I’ll stop here.

If I kept pushing, the editing would get really vicious.

Though that last exchange sure was fun.

I was actually a little curious how the producers would cut this.

“……Fine, then.”

“Huh?”

I turned away, but Iho called me back.

“Let’s do a center battle. We’ll compete, then vote and rearrange accordingly.”

I shrugged at Iho’s words.

“Oh, thanks for the ‘permission’?”

As I walked off, I could feel his glare burning into my back.

Iho, that guy, looked pissed. Seriously pissed.

I barely managed to hold back my laughter.

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