Save a Failed Idol's Life

Can I go first?

Yi-jun raised his hand confidently.

Okay, then lets start with Yi-jun and go around this way.

Yi-jun was on the left end, so the order was Yi-jun, Kyunghwa, Seon-woo, Seong-won, and me.

I was the last one. I did my best to decorate it, but I hid the shabby result under my palm.

I was confident in plating.

But plating and design were separate areas, as if to prove it. When I compared the examples they showed me and mine, I was ashamed to say that this was the same kind of thing.

Please look at it quickly, I think its really good!

Yi-juns work, which he proudly presented, was

Dont you think its a good idea to stick as much as you can?

Except for a part of the center, almost 50% of the total area was covered with red stickers.

Why did you put a ribbon on top?

He had plastered it with stickers, so the transparent red plastic ribbon had no point.

I just tried to stick one because everyone else did.

The maker seemed to have great pride, but from an objective point of view

Its ugly.

I didnt want it if I had to wear it.

The staff who saw Yi-juns top loader whispered to each other and wrote something in a small notebook.

Were scoring right now. The final score will be announced after the last presentation.

Then Seon-woo asked with a shocked expression as if he didnt know.

Are you ranking this too?

One of the staff answered naturally.

Yes. There will be a small prize for the winner.

Whatever it was I didnt want it. I wouldnt get it anyway. I calmly waited for Kyunghwas turn, winning mentally.

Next, please explain your work, Kyunghwa.

Kyunghwa cautiously held out his work in front of the camera.

I Everyone said that brown or warm yellow suits me well, so I matched it with similar colors. And I just put the turtle in because it was cute.

Was it because Yi-juns work was so shocking? Kyunghwas work was not much different from what the fans with good hand skills made.

Brown deer, yellow teddy bear, gingerbread man cookie and other small elements were balanced, and the turtle was appropriately popping out but not awkwardly fitting.

Wow Kyunghwa, you have good hand skills?

The staff admired it as they passed it around, and Kyunghwa lowered his hand as if he was embarrassed.

Thats not it. Yi-juns work is so shocking that it looks a little better.

After Kyunghwas humble remark, the scoring was over and it was Seon-woos turn.

Can I just be the last one and not show you?

As soon as Seon-woo said that, there was a sound of sucking and holding back laughter from the shooting team.

No, I I think I did so badly

He had seen something that was good enough to sell for money, so he was crushed.

No, there must be someone worse than you. Just show me.

I poked Seon-woos hand to boost his confidence, but he hesitated and groaned before showing me his work.

It was really bad.

His work, which mainly used purple and pink, was a mess.

Um

Kyunghwa, who was watching from the side, stabbed him with a blunt dagger without malice.

Is this your taste?

Seon-woo shook his head as if startled.

No? I have eyes too!

I burst into laughter at Seon-woos ticklish reaction.

If Yi-juns work was something that you would know was good if you put a lot of it, then

Seon-woos work was something that would ask you to pay more money if you used a few more stickers.

It was so empty that it made me wonder if there was any point in decorating this frame.

Okay, Seon-woo has finished grading. Next, please show us your work, Seong-won!

Following the staffs instructions, Seong-won obediently showed his work.

Wow

Wow

Yi-jun, who checked Seong-wons work, exclaimed as if he had no choice but to admit it.

You did well. Its really neat.

If Kyunghwas work was cute and pretty with a lot of decorations, Seong-wons work was neat.

He used the masking tape that the staff gave him as a material to make it look like a polaroid, and arranged the small stickers appropriately.

He also put his initials on the bottom with round stickers, so it didnt look boring.

This would be a split between Kyunghwa and Seong-won depending on the staffs taste, right?

I prepared to show my work last.

Ill just participate for the sake of it.

It looked so shabby when I held it out. I thought I had pursued harmony in my own way.

But when I put it out, it was just blue and sky blue stickers stuck along the line.

No, its not bad!

Seon-woo hurriedly comforted me, but it didnt help at all. People cant be good at everything. Anyway, my hand skills were only exceptionally good in cooking.

I corrected my writing with effort because I had to write a lot, but other things that required skill were mediocre.

Its okay. I did my best.

I didnt slack off. It would have been nice if I could have given him a more beautiful and cool work.

But this was my best.

***

Ugh, Im tired.

As soon as the filming team left, Yi-jun put his hand into his shirt and scratched his stomach, but he stopped when he realized the camera.

The final result of the top decoration contest was Kyunghwas victory. Seong-won was second, I was third. Seon-woo was fourth. Yi-jun was disqualified.

Yi-jun protested vehemently, but the world of competition was cold.

Kyunghwa got the right to make one more top decoration as a prize.

Is this a prize?

Kyunghwa asked incredulously, but only got a cheeky answer.

Its a good thing that I can give one more gift to the fans^^.

Kyunghwa had to make one more in front of everyone who was watching.

After the noisy goods review and the top cover contest, he realized that there was not much time left until the release of the song.

Only a week left.

He was not happy or excited to see the fans laughing, chatting, and fluttering over the prize draw post on the official account.

Am I feeling pressured?

He started the project thinking that he would break even at worst, but now he felt the risk of failure was immense.

He still had no feeling of trust or reliance on the back.

He wanted to protect and support him by his side so that he could lean on him with ease. It might sound ridiculous that he changed in a few months.

How nice it would have been if he had such colleagues in his childhood. Maybe it was already foreseen since the moment he felt envy for Cheon Ise.

Stop thinking nonsense and focus.

There was no way out but to push forward as the comeback was imminent. He made up his mind and blinked his eyes, and the day of the song release came.

Usually, they would have a showcase on the day of the song release, but

We didnt have that.

Theyre ready to dump us if we fail.

Even though he had been active in entertainment for a while, the company didnt seem to care enough to support him.

[Time left until the test ends (contract expires): 5 days]

The countdown of fate began.

Come on, everyone, get ready. Were starting the live soon.

The manager cleared the furniture and TV and set up a camera in the living room that looked like a makeshift studio, nagging.

The manager seemed to be more spirited than usual, maybe because it was the day of the song release.

I hope it goes well, too. Do you think I want to go to another team after working with you for five years?

In other words, he meant that he wouldnt have to switch to another team if their performance was good.

It was no use complaining now, but they all understood that he was cheering for them in his own way.

Cant we shout our slogan for the first time in a long time?

Just before the live started. Seon-woo, who changed into a concept outfit, suggested with a slightly nervous expression.

What was our slogan

Yi-jun asked with a stupid expression, and Kyunghwa and Seong-won sighed and spat out at the same time.

Exposition, Rise. Climax! Right.

Exposition, Rise. Climax.

Ah, Yi-jun exclaimed and excused himself.

No, its been over three years since we did it.

Thats true. We havent done it for a while.

I also didnt know that we had a slogan.

Lets do it now for the first time in a long time!

Seon-woo smiled with a bright expression, though he seemed a bit shy.

Its not bad to do it.

Seong-won joined in and Seon-woo stretched out his arm and held out the back of his hand.

Hurry! Ise hyung, too!

He reluctantly stacked his hand on top of it, and five right hands piled up like a tower.

I felt embarrassed. I was not a kid, but I felt like I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole for doing something like this.

Come on, you start the chant.

Kyunghwa urged me, looking at me as if asking what I was doing.

Me?

Who else? Youre the leader, arent you?

I hesitated for a moment and then shouted

Exposition, Rise

Then four strong voices overlapped and echoed loudly.

Climax!

Climax.

Climax~!

Climax!

I felt awkward and ashamed for no reason. But I wasnt entirely unhappy, and that was the problem.

As soon as the chant was over, it was time for the live broadcast to open.

As soon as the entrance time came, the number of viewers soared. I could see it going up by hundreds every second.

Everyone was surprised by the unexpected hot response, and Kyunghwa took the lead.

Hello, Rise fans! Were so happy to see you again with this spoiler live after such a long time.

Were releasing our song in an hour and were so nervous Oh, you feel the same, Rise?

I guess so. We had a lot of incidents and accidents this time, and we really worked hard. We want to repay you with a good result, so we all tried our best.

Oh Yi-jun, the king of the world, seemed to have less playful tension than usual today.

The fans also caught that, and cheered that Yi-jun looked more serious than usual.

[- Yi-juns voice is so serious, its killing me]

[- Sweeeeeeeeet voice]

Weve prepared a simple summary of the keywords of our comeback song. Youll have fun finding out what they mean when the music video is released later.

Kyunghwa calmly brought out the panel that the agency had prepared and placed it in front of the camera.

[- Isnt Ise a bit nervous than usual?]

[- I think hes just quiet because its not his turn to talk]

I didnt realize that my expression was a bit stiff, thinking that it would be a disaster if I failed.

I had to pull myself together. I advised myself and opened my mouth.

Well, shall we reveal the first keyword with a simple image game?

As I naturally took over the progress baton, the chat that was anxious also quieted down.

[- I guess its just my mood]

I clenched my teeth and continued the live until 5:55. It was time to end it already.

Well then, Rise, we hope you enjoy our comeback that weve prepared with our best effort!

See you next time on the music show!

It felt like 10 hours had passed since the live ended.

In the silence, Seon-woo turned on the TV.

We all looked at the screen without a word, and an old musical movie was playing.

No one changed the channel, and an hour passed in silence.

6:57.

6:58.

6:59.

7:00.

It was time to check the results.

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