06

    Step Six

    :: The Conflict Part I ::

    Even after being warned by Park Insa to write down simple colors, explicitly forbidden from specifying any special shades because it would not only complicate matters but also force the clothing manufacturer to recalibrate their dye settings, some still wanted to test the limits—many, in fact.

    [You rascals!] The senior yelled into his microphone, his voice echoing painfully loud.

    [Didn't I tell you to write simple colors? No extra details. Want to challenge the authority, huh?] His eyebrows twitched as he picked up each paper to tally the votes, increasingly tempted to flick the foreheads of those who wrote them.

    Previously, Park Insa had casually checked the Class E box and found that these stubborn kids hadn't listened to his instructions at all. When he checked the other boxes, it wasn't any better, ranging from basic to advanced shades.

    The easy ones were there, but the irritating ones were more prevalent.

    One paper suggested 'scarab beetle green.' What kind of bug is a scarab, anyway?

    Another went a step further into computer color codes.

    'F5A400'

    What the heck color is that?!

    [I don't know anymore. I'll do as I please. Producer Im has already approved. Accept whatever color this big brother chooses for you!] The trainees wailed, but not earnestly since they weren't serious about the shirt colors anyway. They decided to send a representative to check with the crew if they could instead annoy the show's host.

    And so it turned out... Haha.

    The legendary senior’s final decisions on the class colors were as follows:

    Class A - Yellow

    Class B - Red

    Class C - Green

    Class D - Blue

    Class E - Orange

    Looking at it, it kind of resembled traffic lights.

    ....

    Once Park Insa finished selecting the colors, the crew informed them that they would receive their color-coded warm-up shirts by next week. In the meantime, they were to wear the gray warm-ups provided by the show.

    After changing their clothes, all the trainees were asked to gather at the large dome next to the apartment, which had been transformed into a multifunctional meeting room. For today, it was set up as a relaxation room, complete with water, snacks, and a television in one corner for the trainees to unwind.

    The trainees then scattered to sit with their closest friends for comfort, while some chose to join groups that seemed likely to attract viewer attention if this segment were to be aired.

    The most popular group undoubtedly centered around the five Class A trainees. In Jacan's group, for instance, as many as 42 trainees gathered to chat, partly because Wang Qi and Yeo Unche followed Jacan around like ducklings following their mother. Wherever he went, they were sure to follow, almost like shadows.

    If there were to be a meal preparation session again for lunch, they would need to be in the same group as the show’s chef, no matter what. After all, filling their stomachs was a priority that couldn’t be overlooked!

    "..." Jacan, suddenly popular among the trainees, listened to one invite him to chat and another to play, all clamoring for his attention until he couldn’t keep track of who was speaking…. Uh, my head’s starting to hurt with all this chatter. Don’t all talk at once.

    "It really feels like boarding school when we’re all wearing the same color," Kim Jiseong commented, standing on a chair. If you ignored the various hair colors, he couldn’t tell who was who.

    "When will this episode air? The fans who’ve pinned their favorites might get dizzy from trying to spot us," Jacan said with a laugh, imagining the viewers flipping back and forth trying to identify the trainees in a sea of similar outfits. Just imagining it made his head spin.

    "I bet this is the producer’s plan," Yeo Unche said, looking around for agreement.

    "Are you thinking what I’m thinking, B1?" And it was Wang Qi who jumped in to respond.

    "Definitely, B2. They make us change into these shirts now, even though they had outfits ready” The young man from Mi Ent. gently rubbed his thumb and index finger together, “it’s a waste of the budget. There must be something sneaky going on."

    [And what exactly might be sneaky here?]

    "That’s what I’m wondering," Wang Qi replied, lowering his gaze thoughtfully.

    Wait, that voice sounded familiar...

    "!!!!"

    "Mr. Park!" The group of trainees burst into surprised shouts when the host, who had seemed to vanish, suddenly appeared in the middle of their circle without any warning.

    [Why the surprise? I’ve been sitting here listening for a while now. So, what’s this about the producer having a hidden agenda?] Park Insa teased playfully.

    “Because PD wants the audience to see everyone in the same color tone without any separation before entering the full competition.” It was possible that this kind of slow atmosphere would never happen again.

    [Half right] Park Insa blinked. [Actually, the PD's request is much simpler than that.]

    "Yes?" Was he thinking too much?

    [Do you guys think once the last episode airs, the audience will start to choose their favorite members?]

    "There must be some." Like the ones who stood out since the evaluation round.

    [When the audience has chosen their favorite members, they will only try to look for the ones they like, right?] Park Insa only said this much. Jacan, who had been through a lot, suddenly understood.

    "So you want to reduce the differences as much as possible, and let us try to find a way to keep the audience from changing their minds and liking someone new... right?" Anyone would guess the purpose of the show with just this hint.

    Since the clothes and hair were all similar, those with a strong aura would attract more attention from the audience. Some would definitely lose fans and some would gain fans.

    [Y-yes, that's right. Are you excited?]

    “It’s too cruel,” Wang Qi pretended to fall to the ground, and looked up at the camera with his large, innocent eyes, blinking pitifully. “I’m so small, if you guys stand in front of me, no one will see me already.”

    “This guy is quick on his feet,” Yeo Unche wanted to clap for his roommate. When he realized he was going to be swallowed up, he immediately created airtime for himself.

    “This is the entertainment industry,” whoever was faster got the advantage.

    After Jacan finished speaking, the trainees who had been surrounding him rushed to the camera to find a way to attract attention. For now, they had to avoid being grouped with someone outstanding, otherwise their aura would be overshadowed and they would become mere extras in the show.

    “Why don’t you do it too?” For this blue-eyed older brother, if he just winked, the girls would clutch their chests.

    “You have to do it at the right time,” Jacan smiled at his roommate, before giving him a useful piece of advice that could be applied in this colorful vortex.

    “If you do it now, you’ll be seen as hungry for attention. You have to wait for the right time and opportunity, then you’ll get satisfactory results. But you can’t delay it either, or you’ll be overtaken.” His lips were still smiling, but his eyes were chilling.

    “…” The young man felt a chill down his spine when he realized that the smile the other person was showing meant that he was starting to get serious.

    During the break before lunch, the trainees tried their best to present themselves in front of the camera. Even though they pretended not to care, whenever the camera captured them, they would either pretend to practice dancing diligently or turn around to laugh and have fun with the trainees nearby, creating a cheerful and easy-going image for the audience.

    “…” Jacan shook his head after watching them.

    Sigh, kids were always kids.

    If they were to act so obviously out of character, the audience would just ignore them. It was true that the audience usually liked good-looking people, but if it was too unnatural, they could tell that they were acting. Nowadays, people prefer authenticity. Anything that was too unnatural was often seen as insincere and pretentious.

    “If doing what they’re doing is bad, then what do you think I should do?” Yeo Unche stuck to Jacan like glue, unwilling to leave. His intuition told him that it was better to stay close to this older brother than to be with those camera-crazy people over there.

    Although he was currently in Class B, the show had only just started filming two episodes. There were still many opportunities for him to kick himself up to Class A one day. However, it wasn’t as if Class A would just sit idly by and let him take their place. Therefore, whenever there was an opportunity, he was ready to give it his all.

    “Just be as natural as possible.”

    “In a situation like this, it’s hard to be relaxed even if you try.” The more he saw the camera, the more his body became alert.

    “You’re good at it. You don’t seem nervous at all.” Ever since the first day of filming.

    “You’ll get used to it. If you can’t do it, then just look at Wang Qi as an example.” Jacan pointed to the youngest member of the room, who was running around and playing with his classmates from other classes. “Don’t think too much about it. Just do what you want to do.” As long as you stood out and didn’t look awkward, that’s enough.

    “Wang Qi is too energetic.” Earlier, he had pretended to look sad and adorable, so the others had gone to comfort him and fawn over him because they wanted airtime too. After a while, he ran around and played like a tireless child.

    “He’s an important part of the show.” Compared to someone who was just sitting around waiting for airtime to come to them, mom-fans would usually choose a cheerful young man who was full of energy. Moreover, this type of fan was very supportive of their artists.

    “Then is it okay for you to not do anything like this?” He had been sitting still ever since he finished changing his clothes.

    “I’m already doing it.” Jacan raised an eyebrow.

    “Doing?...” He had been sitting there doing nothing since just now.

    “Sitting here looking handsome and waiting for the camera to come and film me.” He lifted his chin slightly, showing off his full confidence.

    “…”

    POOF

    “Hahaha, your face is so funny.” Jacan couldn’t hold back his laughter and started shaking. Just now, after he finished speaking, Yeo Unche’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open as if he were looking at a monster.

    “Are you messing with me?” The young man came to his senses when he saw his closest brother in the show laughing and realized that he had been tricked by the older man.

    “Yes, I saw that you were looking so serious. Actually, in a variety show like this, if you don’t keep the character you created, then you have to be yourself as much as possible if you’re confident that your true self is good enough.”

    “That’s hard to think about.” Yeo Unche lowered his head and looked at the floor, his voice tinged with sadness. “I think I’m like a gloomy person.” The reason he applied for the show was because he liked to sing. He wanted to have the opportunity to do what he loved in front of the audience on a music show.

    “It’s up to you to decide. Some people can keep the character they set up until it becomes a part of their life.” Like him, who once had to wear a mask on stage for more than 5 years.

    “I don’t think I can do that, my mental health will be ruined.” If he had to act like someone else to please the fans.

    “It’s good that you think that way. Being yourself is the best. Then attract fans with your talent and effort.”

    “Yes.” The young man nodded. After thinking it through, he stopped frowning and went to get some snacks and tea. He sat down and ate with his brother, not caring about the camera at all.

    It was true that Jacan himself wanted more airtime so that he could increase the number of his fans while the show was airing. However, too much of anything could sometimes be a double-edged sword. Getting too much airtime could trigger someone’s hatred. Instead of gaining fans, he would gain anti-fans instead.

    Even when he was J and no one had seen his real face, there were still some people who didn’t like him and found all sorts of things to say to make him lose confidence.

    Sigh, if they didn’t like someone, they could just look at someone else. But they still chose to think of things to say and find ways to get to him to hurt him… He didn’t understand why they would sacrifice their time to do something that was useless and only gave them temporary satisfaction. What was worse was that if they were caught, they would have a bad record.

    If you don’t like someone, just deal with it yourself. Pick up the remote and change the channel or block them on social media so that you won’t see them. Is it so fun to see someone get hurt? He had never said anything bad to them.

    Jacan shook the negative thoughts out of his head and looked at the trainees who were starting to run out of energy to entertain the audience through the camera. Some of them started looking for snacks to eat, while others found a corner to nap because they were running out of battery, like the troublemaker of the show who was hiding behind the sofa he was sitting on.

    ‘I’m just sharing my airtime with others. It’s not that I’m afraid that I’ll look bad when I’m sleeping.’

    Let’s just try to believe it.