"We will move to the trainees' dormitory and continue filming! Please board the bus!"
I grabbed Yoo-chan hyung's shoulder just as he was about to sit somewhere alone and made him sit next to me.
"Hyung, sit with me."
"Really? Okay, let's do that!"
In the early days of 〈Targeting Star〉, Yoo-chan hyung would often be seen alone, unfamiliar with the camera, and would often receive negative responses like, "No-good-chan is such a loser lol."
Actually, Yoo-chan hyung is more social than anyone here, so there's no need for him to hear that.
"Hyung, make a V. V."
"Oh, Chunyong. You're being proactive, haven't you? Alright. V-"
A large tour bus departed to the outskirts of Seoul, and Yoo-chan and I were getting to know each other in front of the camera.
The large TV hanging at the front of the bus turned on with a pop.
- "Trainees, are you having fun while heading to the dorm?"
The person who appeared beyond the screen was the host, Choi Ga-on seonbae.
It seemed like a pre-recorded video, as Senior Choi Ga-on, who was dressed differently there than today, clapped his hands and giggled.
- "The reason I appeared like this... those who know will know, and those who don't will not, right? Why on earth did I appear?"
"...Is it because of the room assignments?"
When I heard Yoo-chan hyung muttering, I quickly bent down and whispered to him.
"Yoo-chan hyung, that was all caught on camera."
"H-Huh…?"
As Yoo-chan hyung bit his knuckles with a flustered look, Choi Ga-on on the screen started talking again as if he had been waiting for that.
- "Yes, I'm here because of your room assignments! Woohoo, clap clap!"
The trainees' innocent clapping echoed throughout the bus.
Yeah. Filming a show is fucking annoying and hard.
Wanting to debut isn't the same as wanting to film 24 hours a day.
- "Everyone wants a nice room, right? Even your room numbers will be affected by your ranks!"
"...I don't understand. Just speak the human language."
An aggressive remark erupted from someone who wasn't Korean. But Choi Ga-on, on screen, paid no attention.
- "There are five rooms in total in the dorm. You will be randomly assigned based on the number you draw after getting off the bus. However, if a room is full, the trainees with lower rankings will be forced to leave!"
It was harsh.
It's sad enough being low-ranked, but not being able to choose your own room? Even after experiencing it twice, I still haven't quite adapted to the survival game ecosystem where rank is everything.
Of course, I have nothing to say since I threw myself into that damned ecosystem again.
Even if it doesn't work out, I have to do it.
"Everyone, come down and we'll do a scene where you draw a raffle ticket. Please check your makeup yourself."
The bus stopped after about 20 minutes, and the youngest writer, still with a gloomy face, handed out a lottery ticket to each of us.
"Trainee Kim Chunyong, you're number 4."
Ignoring the youngest writer's feeble reply, I raised my head and took in the lodging in front of me.
〈Targeting Star〉's dormitory was a renovated youth training center on the outskirts of Seoul.
This place was more like a comprehensive idol training center, with a hallway-style room on the second floor, as well as a vocal room, dance practice room, and personal interview room below.
Viewers called it an idol canning factory, but the production team did not falter.
Well, in the end, it's the same whether it's a cannery or an idol training center.
"Trainee Kim Chunyong, you may go in now."
Soon, I started looking through the rooms on the second floor, dragging my carrier.
Some of these rooms may already be occupied, while others may be empty.
The trainees who entered before me were Liu Wei in 2nd place, Seo Bin in 13th place, and Lee Logan in 7th place.
Honestly, I don't care who my roommates are.
"Liu Wei. Don't you have anything to say to Chunyong?"
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Something bad happened to Chunyong, right? So, he needs help...."
"Don't touch me."
A cold, downcast face, a look of contempt.
"I have nothing to say to a guy who struggles over something like that."
...a former member of Arrows who openly hated me even though we had been active together for a long time.
Liu Wei, the only Chinese contestant among the top three in the first competition of 〈Targeting Star〉, passed the AG Global private audition and trained for just over two years.
Liu Wei, the main dancer of Arrows, debuted with me, but left the group two years later to move to a Chinese agency.
My malicious behaviour had overshadowed that news, but in reality, Liu Wei was no pushover either.
After all, it was no different from providing an excuse for our team to collapse.
And since Liu Wei's escape to China had nothing to do with my actions, it made me feel even more uneasy.
...There's no guarantee it won't happen again this time.
Well, I feel a bit awkward saying this as I was once on par with him in the past.
"Huu..."
I stood in front of Room 203 and sighed deeply, feeling a little nervous.
'I still feel a bit awkward about seeing Liu Wei's face, so if it were anyone else... no, if it were me, then let's leave out all of our members....'
I slowly reached for the doorknob while muttering to myself.
"...huh?"
The doorknob, which I'd just grabbed, turned on its own.
"Wow, welcome, Mate!"
And a face I had never expected to see welcomed me with open arms.
* * *
So what the heck.
What is this situation?
I sighed quietly at my roommates, who sat there blankly while the cameras rolled, and tried to lead the situation naturally.
"Uh, so, should we all introduce ourselves? My name is Kim Chunyong, and I'm 20 years old...."
"I'll go next."
The guy who cut me off jumped up from the bunk bed and shouted.
Bang!
"--Keuhup!"
Of course, he hit his head on the ceiling, but he didn't care and immediately jumped up again with a proud shout.
"My name is Gao Yan. I'm a 19-year-old Korean man from Hong Kong. The person I respect is Gao Yan."
"Oh goodness…"
I was a little taken aback by that cheerful self-introduction, but still cautiously asked back.
"...Didn't you just say your name is Gao Yan?"
"That's right. I only respect myself. Because there's no man cooler than me."
Gao Yan, a private trainee from Hong Kong.
Thick eyebrows, sharp features, a strange way of speaking, and an overflowing confidence that comes from who knows where.
"So, all the people who will debut with me have ended up in this room. As expected."
I don't know the details because we've never performed on stage together, but as far as I know, he withdrew from 〈Targeting Star〉 and became a famous influencer with 15 million followers.
"I want to win first place on Targeting Star and show the world how cool I am. Ranking 18th is just a stepping stone."
At the time, I was too busy taking care of myself to pay attention, but that's the kind of personality he had.
That's why he has 15 million followers.
For reference, I had 300,000 followers, 90% of whom were antis who came to swear at me.
"Me next! Me!"
Perhaps inspired by Gao Yan's fantastic self-introduction, the guy sitting across from me also jumped up from his seat.
He could have done it sitting down, why do they keep bouncing up like that?
The boy with a skinny body and bandages all over his joints spoke in a soft, almost hushed tone.
"I'm Ishikawa Ryot . I came here because I admire Korean idols. I really want to debut."
Ishikawa Ryota, who started dreaming of becoming an idol after reading a K-pop related manga.
I once teamed up with this guy. He was lacking in basic dancing skills, but I remember he was a pretty good singer.
Ryota... I think he returned to Japan after being eliminated from 〈Targeting Star〉 and joined a Japanese project group.
"Hmm, Ryota. What rank are you in?"
Gao Yan asked Ryota with an arrogant face.
"I came in 15th place. I was so nervous I couldn't dance properly."
In response to Ryota's answer, Gao Yan held out his left hand and spoke firmly.
"You're better than me. I think Ryota will debut with me."
"Thank you, Gao Yan. Let's build a great group together. I dream of our group's future every day!"
Neither of them will debut.
Perhaps because the conversation between the two people was beyond common sense, the third one rolled his eyes and then belatedly opened his mouth.
The person who opened the door first for me while I was hesitating.
A tall, Korean-British man with imaginative puppy ears fluttering under his hair.
"Oh, Holy. Um, I'm Logan. Logan Lee. I'm from Liverpool, England, and, uh, I'm 19 years old, the same as Gao Yan in Korean age."
Logan Lee.
A talented trainee who already possesses top-notch producing skills, and after 〈Targeting Star〉, competed in a famous British audition pro gram and confidently won first place.
The reason Logan didn't debut in 〈Targeting Star〉 wasn't because he was eliminated.
"...I'm finally back in England, but it was such a great experience... To all the fans who supported me, thank you so much."
It was because he left in the middle of filming.
"I'm an only child, oh, what's that in Korean? Anyway, that's it. It's so much fun meeting new flatmates. Let's have fun!"
Why did the person who was liked so much leave with such a sad face?
"Anyhow...."
I laughed in frustration and blurted out some meaningful words.
"So, there are four people in this room right now, and they are all of different nationalities. Right?"
"Wow. That's right. Korean, Hong Kong people, Japanese, and British!"
"It would have been nice if all four of us were Hong Kongers. But I'm the only Hong Konger here, so there's nothing I can do."
"No one else has come to our room. I guess we're already complete."
That's what I'm saying.
Why don't higher-ranking people come to our room and push us away?
- "Rock, paper, scissors!"
- "Ah!"
- "I'm in third place, so I guess... Yes. Sorry. I'll use this room!"
In another room, someone was jumping out and whining to the camera, playing rock-paper-scissors, and causing chaos.
No, you never know. If you wait a bit, the roommates might change. Maybe Yoo-chan hyung will suddenly open the door and come in.
There's no way I'd be the only Korean in a room of such confusion and chaos.
...right?
- "All trainees' accommodations have been assigned. Trainees, please pack your bags, rest, and then gather at the first-floor cafeteria by 7:00 AM tomorrow."
But the small speaker hanging in the corner of the room mercilessly crushed even my smallest hopes.
"Wow! Now we're real roommates! Take care, Mates!"
"I know...."
Still, instead of despairing at Logan's excited voice. I quickly made up my mind.
Now that it's come to this, I'm determined to create the best broadcast possible with these international friends, no matter what.
Camera exposure was crucial for my survival debut. I couldn't just give that up.
And the first thing I did after making up my mind like that without even sleeping was...
"Gao Yan, Ryota. Logan, listen for a moment."
"Huh? Is something wrong?"
"In Korea, people call people older than them 'hyung.'"
It was a simple reorganization of titles.
"Hyun... Oh, Sorry. What?"
"No, that's fine. Just follow along. When you call me, say 'hyung.' 'Chunyong hyung.'"
"Chunyong... aniki."
[*아니키* (a-ni-ki) - Basically the Japanese version of 'hyung']
"No, call me 'hyung'."
This is a country of confucianism, kiddos.