Chapter 8

Splash!

"These kids just keep causing trouble nonstop!" Im Heewoo coughed out the tea he had just sipped as soon as he heard Kim Jiseong's accusation.

The middle-aged man promptly left the monitoring room and headed straight to the cafeteria before any fight could break out. Although he wanted to create buzz for the show, having incidents back-to-back in one day was too much!

"What are you saying? If you're going to accuse someone, have evidence first," Lee Sangah stood up, denying the allegations with a voice that trembled slightly as more people began to pay attention to his table.

"Evidence? Then should we check the CCTV footage?" If the young man hadn't had a stomachache and gone to the restroom, no one would have noticed his little friend forgotten in the restroom, which had a 'Cleaning in Progress' sign placed at the front.

When he was helped out, he said he went to the restroom but couldn't open the door when he tried to leave. Initially, he thought the door was faulty, but when he called for help, he heard laughter from outside, which he remembered was Lee Sangah's, who had verbally clashed with him a couple of times before.

It wasn't just Jacan who had been a target of his negative attitude; he himself had been subjected to his harsh words since the first episode of the shoot.

Seeing his roommate in trouble, Jacan quickly positioned himself next to the little kid in case he needed help. Meanwhile, he told Yeo Unche to run and get the staff for help. The other trainees also began to crowd closer, not to help but to pay attention.

Wang Qi, seeing his older brother come over, almost pouted, wanting to complain about being bullied, but he managed to remain stern just in time.

"There's a camera in front of the restroom," the youngster with the man bun stepped forward to stand by Kim Jiseong.

"There's a camera, so what? I said I didn't do it," Lee Sangah stubbornly denied. "Oh, this must be your plan, right? You're trying to frame me." The young man shifted his gaze to see Jacan standing on the side and immediately became angry.

"Stop it, what are you arguing about?" Im Heewoo sighed in relief, glad to have arrived before these guys resorted to physical violence without thinking.

"PD," the trainees, eager for a bit of drama, bowed their heads in greeting to the ultimate authority on the show, before quickly dispersing back to their seats without needing an adult to tell them to leave.

Yeo Unche, pale-faced, followed the PD who had emerged from the staff level, half-walking, half-running. He hadn't even managed to run after the team as instructed when he encountered Im Heewoo, whose severe expression made him too intimidated to speak. He just turned and followed the other back to the cafeteria.

"You four, go talk in the monitoring room," the head producer said, frowning as he glanced at the trainees who had created issues even though the shooting had just started.

"Uh, he's not involved," Wang Qi was about to defend Jacan so he wouldn't have to suffer too, but he was stopped.

"Everyone involved goes. Didn't he just mention me?" the mixed-race young man smiled, his mood obviously not as pleasant as his expression suggested, as he gestured for Yeo Unche to stay quiet for now.

"Once the others have finished eating, head straight to the meeting room. There will be an announcement about the afternoon's mission. Don't dawdle," the PD announced the schedule and then led the four to the monitoring room to examine the truth of the matter.

In the Monitoring Room

"Let's hear it then, start from you," the middle-aged PD pointed at Lee Sangah first.

"I was just eating when these two started accusing me of locking Wang Qi in the bathroom."

"Did you really do that?" Im Heewoo sat down at his station and started pulling up the CCTV feed from the bathroom nearest the cafeteria.

"No, I didn’t. I just saw that the bathroom door was broken, so I placed a 'Cleaning in Progress' sign there. I didn’t know someone was inside."

"That's not true. You're lying," Kim Jiseong scowled, visibly upset.

"I'm not lying. If you don’t believe me, just wait for the evidence from the CCTV. Besides, he came out without a scratch, so what’s he complaining about? Ridiculous."

"You!" Wang Qi was about to explode, but Jacan quickly grabbed him to prevent any escalation.

"Alright, got the footage," Im Heewoo found the desired camera and played back the incident.

Initially, it was as Wang Qi had said. He went to the bathroom and couldn't open the door because the lock was accidentally jammed.

"See, I told you I didn't do it," Lee Sangah smiled smugly.

"Watch till the end," the PD cautioned, not to interrupt.

Bang, bang, bang.

‘Help, I'm stuck in the bathroom. Somebody help me, please.’

"!!!!" Lee Sangah's eyes widened in shock, apparently forgetting that modern CCTV systems could record audio as well.

‘Ha, ha, ha,’ Lee Sangah mocked from outside the door, not offering to help. Seeing a janitor approaching, he kicked the cleaning sign in front of the door and then walked away laughing without looking back.

"..." If the CCTV couldn't record audio, everything might have seemed as the accused claimed. But with irrefutable evidence available, the one accused of bullying couldn't offer any excuses, merely clenching his lips, wanting to explain but not knowing where to start.

"You deliberately didn't help me," Wang Qi glared at his fellow cast member, biting his teeth. "What have I ever done to you, huh?” You didn't just refrain from helping, you mocked me as well.

"..." There was no response from Lee Sangah, who was looking down, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"It’s probably too late to ask if you have anything to say now. Sigh... The show has only been on for two days," Im Heewoo wanted to facepalm. Was this kid just xenophobic or did he have some past trauma with foreign trainees from his agency?

Regardless, such behavior shouldn't spill over into the filming!

"I don't know if there's a pre-existing issue between you two, but this is my show. I won't allow disruptions, direct or indirect. Do you understand? As a punishment, I'm reducing your airtime by three episodes, starting with the first one."

"!! No, that can't be," Lee Sangah protested loudly.

"When you did it, did you think of the consequences, or were you just enjoying the moment? This is a major production; you're not the only one here. Unprofessional behavior will have its consequences," the elder admonished.

"The entertainment world doesn't revolve around you. Don't think you can act unnoticed. Just the complaints made against you today are enough for netizens to start digging."

"Well, that's..."

"After the third episode, there will be the first voting elimination. You know what reduced airtime means for you," Lee Sangah turned pale, realizing the gravity of his actions.

"I apologize. Please, give me a chance to make it right. Wang Qi, I'm sorry. I was blinded by bias. I truly am sorry."

"..." Wang Qi's expression was grim. While he was angry at being ignored during his ordeal, another feeling was emerging—sympathy. The show had just started, and already he faced airtime cuts.

"So... can we not take it any further? Could you reduce the penalty?" the young man asked tentatively.

"Are you sure about that?" PD Im assessed the foreign trainee with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, the show has just started, and I... I wasn't harmed. I'm okay, thankfully Kim Jiseong came to open the door before anything worse happened," Wang Qi stumbled through his explanation, unable to handle the pressure from the senior producer.

"I'll plead on his behalf as well," Kim Jiseong, having heard Lee Sangah's penalty, thought it too harsh and added his voice to the plea.

"Are you sure you want the punishment reduced? What if I increase the punishment for the two of you instead? Don't forget, you're in Class A. If you disappear just like that, you might drop to another class," the older man raised his eyebrows playfully, testing their reactions.

Young people of this age were usually naive about the world and sensitive to injustice. Seeing a fellow contestant in trouble might soften their hearts easily, thinking that the person who bullied them would reflect on their actions after today.

Some might actually reflect, but others...

Let's see what happened to these kids if they trusted others too much.

While the room was caught in a tense silence, Jacan was the only one not focusing on the immediate events. The young man scanned the room, memorizing the position of each CCTV camera with precision.

"What if I ask for a reduction in the punishment for this kid with that one?"

"What?" Im Heewoo turned to meet Jacan's piercing blue eyes.

"It seems some staff member has prepared cigarettes to sell to the trainees. And if they sell, they probably know the spots where there are no cameras for convenience," Jacan did not suggest which camera he saw this evidence from. Just say it in a smooth voice, as if talking about the weather.

"Are you serious?" The middle-aged man scanned the monitors around the room, unsure which camera could have captured the scene Jacan was referring to. With so many cameras in the show, some staff might not even know where all the hidden ones were. They only knew as much as Im Heewoo wished to reveal.

"I don't talk about things lightly in situations like this," Jacan said, standing eye to eye with Im Heewoo, straightforwardly.

"If that's the case, I need to see the evidence first," the head producer squinted, not out of disbelief but needing to see it with his own eyes before making a decision. "If it's as you say, I am willing to reduce Lee Sangah's punishment from a three-episode airtime reduction to two episodes by 70%, and no further negotiation."

"What do you guys think?" Jacan turned to ask the three young men who had been speechless since the elder brother of the show had fearlessly negotiated.

"Ah, yes, thank you so much, PD," Wang Qi and Kim Jiseong regained their composure first and quickly bowed deeply in gratitude. Then, Lee Sangah followed suit, flustered.

"Thank you, everyone, so much."

"Alright, everyone out, wait outside the room. When it's done, you can go back with this guy," the middle-aged man did not want the other three kids to witness any inappropriate behavior from the staff. One knowing witness was enough.

The three trainees quickly shuffled out of the room, afraid that the senior producer might change his mind about the punishment.

The door clicked shut

"Phew, I thought I was doomed," Kim Jiseong said, wiping his neck to cool off. Inside the monitoring room, his heart had almost dropped to his stomach.

"..." Wang Qi.

"..." Lee Sangah.

"What?" Why are you looking at me with those puppy eyes?

"Why are you so nice?" the young man with a man bun pouted. This guy really saved him. He was almost punished too.

Yes, you're too kind," Lee Sangah admitted guiltily, crying a river. "I'm sorry for being biased and acting childishly."

"Have you had bad experiences with foreigners before?" Wang Qi pursed his lips briefly before attempting to find a rationale before accusing without reason like before.

"...My mom's new boyfriend was a foreigner. At first, they were good together. I didn't mind because I usually stayed at the training camp and seldom went home. But one day, Mom called me and said she was conned into taking a loan for an investment by him. He left her with the debt while he fled back to his country with the money. When I went to the police, I found out he was illegally in the country. Part of why I joined this show was to debut and earn money to pay off my mom's debt," he confessed, his face lower than ever, fearful of seeing pity or scorn.

"Did they catch that scumbag yet?" Wang Qi gripped Lee Sangah's shoulder tightly, not realizing the other had faced such brutality.

"Was it an illegal loan?" Kim Jiseong asked.

"Uh, yes. And about that guy, the local police said reporting him would just end there, and we'd have to file for extradition. My mom didn't want the hassle, so we didn't press charges," the Class C trainee explained, his heart aching as he spoke. His mother worked tirelessly for every win, and even he had to work part-time to support himself until a small agency scouted him, giving him a shot at hope.

But who would have thought that the door of opportunity would close right from the first class assessment? He got Class C and had no idea how long it would take to climb to a pre-debut position.

Why did everything have to be so hard?

After being lectured by the senior producer, he realized that he didn't hate the foreigners in the show, but it was fear manifesting as aggression.

...afraid of being defeated

"I'm sorry, no need to absolve me. I was biased. It's fair to be punished. Thanks for forgiving me," he said, acknowledging his wrongdoing.

"And who would have thought that the janitor you saw would decide to walk the other way?" the young man recalled the CCTV footage where Lee Sangah, seeing the janitor approaching, intentionally placed a cleaning sign there.

If the other person had come around the corner and seen it, they would have had to put it back in place and found him locked in the bathroom. But just one turn away, the person supposed to come turned back instead, making Kim Jiseong the white knight who came to the rescue.

"I'm sorry..." That was all Lee Sangah could truly say at the time.

"Let's take it as a lesson, okay? We are still young and have time to improve," Kim Jiseong, the oldest of the three, tried to console the others who looked stressed.

It was true they were young. The average age of the trainees on the show was between 15 to 20 years old, except for Jacan who was an outlier at 23. So, it wasn’t unusual for these legally minor contestants to have a narrow worldview.

"I will try to be a better person," Lee Sangah said, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. The pressure from the start of the show until now suddenly lifted.

"Me too," Wang Qi, seeing his fellow contestants crying, thought about his own reckless actions. He had forgotten that they were being watched by cameras from every angle. If there was a problem, they should report it to the staff to sort it out off-camera. Making a scene in front of the many cameras would cause more damage than resolving it discreetly.

Acting out in the entertainment industry is tantamount to career suicide.

Creak...

The three young men jolted up, immediately standing straight as the door to the monitoring room opened, revealing their older brother with blue eyes.

"How is it going, Brother Jacan?" Wang Qi approached the young man first.

"Nothing much now. Lee Sangah's punishment will be as the PD informed. While you’re on reduced airtime, keep practicing and try to regain popularity in episode three," Jacan said, choosing not to share the details of his conversation with the big producer but rather the outcome of the negotiation.

"You’re amazing, bro. I thought we were going to be cut off without even a hair left," Kim Jiseong looked at the older man with eyes sparkling as if seeing a hero from a popular sci-fi movie.

"How did you do it? And the thing about staff selling cigarettes to trainees, is it true?" Wang Qi barely contained his excitement. Behind-the-scenes stories of such a major show were known to few.

"Shh! Keep it down. About that staff member, I've promised the PD I won’t tell anyone. You guys also pretend you don’t know anything. If you blab, I won’t be able to help you if you get eliminated next time," Jacan warned.

"Oops! I’ll zip my mouth shut," Wang Qi gestured, sealing his lips.

"I won't speak either," Lee Sangah nodded, aware of the gravity of the information he knew. "And... thank you very much for standing up for someone like me." His face showed deep remorse as Jacan observed him intently for a moment before quietly exhaling, unseen. It seemed this young man had indeed gained an unforgettable experience.

"Next time, think before you act, even if you dislike someone. Consider the consequences for yourself first and don't be guided by emotions," Jacan advised, unable to resist giving a few words of caution upon seeing the other's contrite expression.

"Yes, I'll remember that."

"It's nearly afternoon. Shall we go back and continue with our lunch? There probably isn't anyone at the cafeteria by now," Kim Jiseong suggested.

"Yeah, an army marches on its stomach. We might need the energy for another headache-inducing activity this afternoon," Jacan agreed. After standing for a moment with no one moving, he finally smiled reassuringly and took the lead. The three young men slowly followed like wolf cubs trailing their pack leader.

…..

They had spent twenty minutes in the monitoring room, plus another ten minutes while Jacan helped the senior producer identify a staff member who had violated the rules. By the time they reached the dining hall, no other trainees were left, allowing them to eat their midday meal in peace, without worrying about anyone asking about the recent events.

Lee Sangah took this moment to apologize again and recounted his family story, which was the root cause of his biased attitude toward foreigners.

After hearing the whole story, Jacan lectured him once more. It's okay to be patriotic, but you must not generalize, he emphasized. Always be thoughtful and considerate of the consequences, and look at society more broadly. With such an attitude, he might someday be exploited by someone as a stepping stone.

“…..” Lee Sangah fell silent, his face downcast, as every word from his elder brother deeply affected him.

As the clock struck one pm, the four of them proceeded to the internal meeting room amidst the gaze of ninety-five other trainees who looked on in unison.

"It looks like we'll be sitting by class," spotting class signs around the room.

"I'll head to Class C first," Lee Sangah bowed his head to say goodbye, then was suddenly embraced by Wang Qi, who whispered something in his ear, causing a stir among the watching trainees curious about their close demeanor, so different from the near brawl at the cafeteria earlier. They could only suspect, no one dared to ask directly.

Following the young man from Class C, Jacan then walked over to Class A, where Eiji and An Junsa were already waiting.

"Have they started announcing anything yet?" asked the young man of mixed heritage as he looked around the large meeting room that comfortably accommodated ninety-nine people without crowding.

"Not yet. The staff only told us to sit according to the classes we've been assessed," and then no one else came in.

"I wonder if Senior Park Insa has calmed down by now," recalling the harsh criticism before heading back to his room earlier.

"Whether he's calm or not, we'll soon find out. He's a professional and still has to carry on with the show," in the entertainment industry, sometimes you couldn’t just act on your feelings. Even if you were furious with a coworker, you had to pretend nothing happened when you were on camera.

That was just how the entertainment industry was.

[Sneeze, it's like someone's calling me.] Before he could finish, came the host.

"Senior Park Insa," all the trainees called out almost in unison to the middle-aged man.

[As I've mentioned, this afternoon we'll have an important announcement.] The young host walked out followed by a team of four, heading towards the stage at the center of the room.

[Everyone remembers that our show is a survival to find the top five idols, right?]

"..." It was rare for Park Insa to show such seriousness, so the trainees listened intently, tensing up, some starting to guess what might happen next.

[Since this is a music show, shouldn't we have a theme song?]

!!!!

As expected!

Suddenly

As the question that required no answer ended, the lights in the entire room went out. Then a spotlight flashed on, revealing Park Insa standing illuminated in the center of it.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

The tip of his leather shoes tapped the floor five times before the figure in the center looked up, revealing an aura of professionalism that captivated everyone's attention.

Who is it that you're calling for?

Could it be someone like me?

The song invigorates the spirit, the lights dazzling,

Through weary days and nights, just turn to me.

Park Insa shook off his playful senior persona, which he sometimes likened to an uncle, revealing a serious expression and a fiery youthful gaze as if leaping into flames. His movements were fluid, unimpeded by the age he often complained about, still strong and graceful.

Come closer, take a closer look.

No matter right or wrong, it's you who decides,

Even if it's hard, just choose me,

Pick me Pick me bebe,

Star fight!

Let's Go!!

Go Go Go Go Go Go Go!!

…

[If you're not sure who to choose, just pick me.] Park Insa winked captivatingly after spinning to finish the last steps of the theme song, following the tradition of survival show theme songs that usually include the camera zooming in on the outstanding trainees as a selling point in the future.

Whew, woooh, wheetwheew

Cheers and whistles erupted as the performance by this veteran ended. Though it's an upbeat R&B track, this elder host used his decades of experience to perfectly convey youthful vigor in his own unique way.

Even the teenage dancers in the background couldn’t outshine Park Insa, a member of the veteran group Ford.

[Ouch, my bones!] Park Insa jested, pretending to thump on the back of his waist a few times.

[How do you like our show's theme song?]

"Absolutely amazing!!"

[If you loved it, get ready for the next challenge.] The seasoned host gestures towards a screen at the back showing a massive stage set up that twirls magnificently, with a smaller stage in the center, clearly reserved for the chosen few.

[Speaking of the theme song, we can't miss out on shooting a promotional music video featuring our contestants on social media for the first time before officially opening the voting system.]

"Music video, that's awesome! We're actually going to shoot an MV!" Wang Qi clasped his hands, trembling with excitement.

"We need to think of cool poses for the camera at the end of the MV," Kim Jiseong pulled out a compact mirror, checking his face, sending winks, blowing kisses, forming mini hearts, and many more unique poses.

The trainees buzzed with excitement, discussing the theme song and their first music video, seeing it as a crucial opportunity not to be missed.

If they caught the fans' eyes, even if they're in Class E, they might just revive their chances to debut based on voting results.

[But wait,] Park Insa said with a smile that wasn’t quite gentle, [despite how grand and magnificent this stage looks, it can only accommodate 45 people.] That meant more than half of the participants wouldn’t have the chance to be part of this music video at all.

“….” Silence fell, so heavy that no one dared even breathe loudly. Although they'd been filming for two days, today was the first time they learned just how cruel this illusionary world can be.

The show designed activities to foster camaraderie among the trainees, aiming for harmony over the three-month period. Yet, barely a day passed before they faced a task that forced them to leave many of their peers behind.

"You might not stand on the stage, but you can stand around it," Park Insa clarified later, revealing a truth that made many want to get back at him, disregarding his seniority.

"I was shocked, the first MV should include everyone, right? That's how every show does it," Yeo Unche, from Class B, complained under his breath, nearly crying from the pressure.

[Ah, the elevated center spot there is reserved only for the top five scorers of this round. And there will be one person who will get 30% of the airtime in the MV, just by themselves... that's the center position.]