09

    Step Nine

    :: Data Collection Part II ::

    How would he let him know that he had memorized where the cameras were placed and that the table they were currently sitting at was out of the camera's sight? And that the sound wasn't loud enough for the next camera to capture as well?

    Visiting the monitor room that day wasn't a waste at all. He could use the things he remembered in the future.

    And another benefit of visiting the monitor room was that he started to notice something fishy, thinking that he might be included in that plan. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing had yet to be seen.

    Most of the time, feeling like this would be a bad thing... but pretending not to know and not pointing fingers beforehand would also help. He guessed that someone wanted to sabotage this show and was slowly starting to lay traps among the trainees.

    "I think I need to look at you differently now. You're not just a kind-hearted big brother, but also a strict one," It was the first time he had seen this brother retort back painfully, although he had been affected by Lee Sangah's words several times before without any response.

    Jacan smiled. Since he knew that he had an ego that day, he began to adjust anew. Although he maintained his image as he did at the beginning of filming, if it wasn't someone close, they wouldn't know that he had changed and was using his experience to make everything seem natural. This included avoiding situations that could tarnish his reputation.

    Unless he couldn't avoid it... then he would use the cameras to his advantage.

    "This time, that guy probably went to talk about you with his friends for sure," Yeo Unche's face looked tense. This brother had done well throughout his work and he didn't want to see him fail because of a loose-mouthed person.

    "As he wishes, just don’t do it in front of me."

    ...Otherwise, don't say I have not warned him.

    Time for dinner was over. Everyone hurried back to the recreation room once again. Inside, the seating arrangements were still marked according to the classes as before. The trainees who had previously grouped with other classes separated and sat on their own sides. Each group had snacks and healthy drinks from a sponsor arranged neatly for them to choose their preferred flavors.

    "Wow, these snacks!" The trainees’ brains ran swiftly before realizing that this was an advertisement for one of the show's main sponsors. They quickly indulged themselves in choosing drinks, some opened the lids to let the camera see. Of course, they didn’t forget to subtly display the brands of the drinks.

    Mmm... they took the job seriously.

    They let them enjoy snacks and drinks for almost twenty minutes. Then the television screens, which were once dim and silent, displayed the show's logo along with interviews of some trainees who were interviewed before the competition. Jacan didn't have an interview in that segment. He remembered clearly that before reporting to the staff, no one came to interview him.

    "Mostly, they'll interview the trainees who have agencies," Wang Qi whispered softly. Because of his cheerful and easy-going nature, he quickly became close to trainees from various classes. Sometimes, they would chat casually about this and that, and it was through these conversations that he found out that before the filming started, there were interviews with trainees sent by agencies to join the competition beyond the interviews in the audition rounds.

    ‘I think I still have a lot to develop. This show has both trainers and competitors. I think it's going to be fun,’ An Junsa smiled into the camera. His handsome and gentle face in this scene must have captured many fans' hearts.

    "You're so cool, Junsa!" came the murmurs of admiration from the adjacent Class B. The praised one scratched his cheek, blushing, before gesturing his friends to quiet down, making it seem like he was scolding them playfully.

    Well... this kid came from a major agency that was one of the Big Five nationwide. It wouldn't be surprising if he got a bit of promotion.

    After the interview segment, the screen cut to audition clips of ordinary people that switched rapidly, making it hard to tell who was who. Then, it led the audience to an empty studio, the location of the first tape shooting for the class evaluation.

    And next, the doors beside the stage were opened, with Wang Qi hesitating to look left and right, unsure of what to do next. Laughter erupted, and he had to shield behind Jacan’s back to hide his embarrassment because he remembered vividly that there were more embarrassing scenes than this.

    ‘Ai Ya, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead!!!'

     Wang Qi's shocked expression and interjections made many nearly collapse with laughter, believing that the viewers at home must have had similar reactions.

    "Whoops, so embarrassing! Why didn't they cut that out?" The little kid from his class complained, scratching his head against Jacan's back. If he could escape, he probably would have already done it.

    "Why cut it? It's so cute, viewers love this kind of stuff," Jacan reassured.

    "Really, brother?" the younger one stuck out his face.

    "This kind of thing is great. It attracts a lot of mom-fans."

    "Why only mom-fans?!" Wang Qi grumbled, feeling a little sad that he didn't have a cool image like some other trainees. He wanted some fan girls who would swoon over him and call him oppa too.

    Next came images of other trainees gradually entering, accompanied by TV screens behind them showing each person's company logo, or if they didn't have one, it would be the word “unknown”.

    The program heavily favored the group that stood out from the beginning, which was understandable because they needed to promote these people to make the show more interesting.

    Until Jacan, wearing a woven cloak, walked in. The aura of his handsome appearance caught the eyes of the younger ones.

    "Wow, brother Jacan looks so good on screen, he's really handsome. Handsome than on TV. But he looks slightly different in there."

    "Will he get first place in the first voting round?" another asked.

    "Not sure, Junsa is quite outstanding too. Plus, he's a trainee from a big agency. There must be older generation artists supporting him for sure." Not to mention the agency’s loyal fanbase. It’s almost like he could just wait for his debut.

    The murmurs and discussions grew louder. Some began to glance at Class A with various feelings: admiration, envy, and resentment.

    With a total of 99 people, the program couldn't possibly capture everyone. Otherwise, it would take too much time. Some were rushed, some were skipped. Some ended up sitting on the sidelines.

    Then came the introduction of the judges and class performances, which repeated the same loop. Some showcased their talents fully, while others were skipped over. Then it was the final segment of the show, a special 2-minute episode for premium app subscribers.

    In this special segment, the trainees took their time to choose stickers. Some grabbed Class A stickers without much thought, while others hesitated and deliberated. It took some time for them to finally stick the stickers, to the point the footage had to be sped up to fit the allotted time slot. And the last person the program chose to cut to was Jacan.

    The image showed him confidently picking up the Class A sticker without hesitation. However, instead of sticking it on immediately like others, he placed it between his palms then raised his clasped hands to his forehead, muttering words that had never been heard before. It wasn’t until the subtitles revealed the meaning of his words that some in the room couldn’t help but choke on their drinks with laughter.

    "Why did you ruin your image, big brother?" Wang Qi looked at his older brother with disbelieving eyes. From beginning to end, this older brother of his had been nothing but handsome. But as soon as he entered the special segment, he turned into a complete comedian.

    "I didn't think they'd cut it in," Jacan pretended not to know, even though it was part of the plan from the beginning.

    "What language is that, brother? You have to rely on sacred things?" Kim Jiseong teased.

    "It’s the language of country T. Seems like they have a lot of sacred things there. See? That's why I got Class A just like I asked for," Jacan boasted overly, in a manner that was clearly fake, prompting laughter from those who were intentionally listening.

    "Do we have to do it like this?" someone mimicked raising their hand to their forehead.

    "No, it should be like this," another said, placing their hand at chest level and bowing their head. "I've seen it on TV. It's a culture where they do this when they meet."

    The first tape had ended, but the trainees seemed to have a lot to talk about and exchange opinions. From being in their classes, they began to mix according to their familiarity. Like Jacan's group, which included Yeo Unche, Wang Qi, Lee Sangah, and Kim Jiseong, who sat picking up snacks while guessing the trends in social media about who would be popular. While it was just speculation, everyone seemed to converge towards Jacan, smiling and changing the subject smoothly. Just as Kim Jiseong brought up another topic.

    "When the theme song audition is over, it'll be super relaxing. No more late-night rehearsals."

    "In that case, we should hurry up and relax," Jacan raised his browns.

    "What relax? This should be a time for fun," Kim Jiseong placed a water bottle in the middle of the circle and spun it until the bottle pointed at someone, then burst out laughing. "Let's play truth or dare instead. Whoever the bottle points to gets to choose whether to ask a question to anyone in the group. If they don't answer, they have to finish their drink." The young man rubbed his hands, glancing at his fellow contestants with anticipation, then held up the sponsored drink from the show's sponsor and poured it into a glass until it was full.

    "This looks like fun, I want to play too!" Wang Qi raised his hand.

    Jacan didn't object. After all, it wasn't a gambling game, and the show couldn't possibly have anything predetermined.

    "Alright, let's get started then," Kim Jiseong said, looking at each participant in the game one by one. When no one withdrew, he reached out to spin the bottle again, and the first person who could pose a question was Jacan.

    "Who would you ask, big brother?" Kim Jiseong was enthusiastic, not expecting his older brother to have a question first.

    "Let me ask Wang Qi," the mixed-race young man looked around and then chose the youngest brother.

    "Here we go, I'm ready to drink," the cheeky kid teased, pretending he wouldn't answer the question.

    "Don't worry, it's not a difficult question. Which finger do you like the most on your own hand?" The unexpected question from the older brother made many look at him with confusion.

    "I asked, so answer!" Jacan urged.

    "Uh, well, the pinky finger," Wang Qi lowered his gaze to his own hand for a moment before folding all his fingers, leaving only the pinky. "It's small like me."

    "Small?" Kim Jiseong raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

    "Small in stature. But the rest isn't small," Wang Qi looked at the older man resolutely. In that regard, he wasn't small. He just hadn't grown yet!

    "Okay, you like the pinky. I'm out of questions, so should I spin the bottle again?" Jacan asked.

    "Huh? Is that all you're going to ask?" Kim Jiseong wanted to use this game to dissolve the tension between the group members, but why wasn't it working out as intended?

    "Um, just this," the young man nodded, confirming his answer. But he didn't reveal the background of this seemingly simple question, where it came from.

    Wang Qi liked the pinky. Generally, people who liked this finger tended to have overflowing energy, be cheerful, outgoing, get along well with others, prefer teamwork activities over individual ones, and be kind and helpful to others.

    From the incident with Lee Sangah, Jacan had been secretly observing those around him all the time, but it wasn't enough to know if the deep-seated personalities of each person made them truly compatible or if they were just keeping each other for future benefits.

    The young man had trouble sleeping for several nights. Just as Kim Jiseong proposed a truth or dare game, he had the opportunity to try a simple psychological test, to assess those surrounding him at the moment.

    And it seemed that today the goddess of luck was on his side when the bottle spun towards him again.

    "Yeo Unche, what do you like to eat?"

    "Kim Jiseong, which finger do you like on your own hand?"

    "Lee Sangah, what's your favorite color?"

    As the hand went up, he gathered information from everyone to complete the circle.

    'What silly questions!' x all