The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (29)
“Are you busy, PD?”
In the dim office, someone flicked on the lights and stepped inside.
Jang Hyuk-soo, the main PD of the EX-Grade K-POP Idol group, furrowed his brow while keeping his eyes closed against the chair’s backrest.
“Turn it off. The light’s blinding.”
“Oh, my apologies….”
The Female PD quickly switched off the lights and crept cautiously toward Jang Hyuk-soo’s side.
After exhaling a heavy sigh, Jang Hyuk-soo clicked the mouse repeatedly and powered on his computer.
“How’s the editing coming along?”
“Not well.”
“Ah… would you like me to help? I can gather all the junior staff.”
“Don’t bother. Why are you acting like a rookie? You know I handle the critical editing points for the opening episodes myself.”
“Still….”
Despite his success as a main PD, Jang Hyuk-soo’s perfectionist tendencies drove him to shoulder important work alone.
Particularly for the opening episodes—the first and second—which determined the program’s success, it was hardly an exaggeration to say Jang Hyuk-soo edited them almost entirely by himself.
“Are there any promising trainees?”
The Female PD handed Jang Hyuk-soo an iced Americano she’d purchased from the Franchise Cafe in Front of Office Building and asked.
Jang Hyuk-soo irritably chewed the straw while glaring at the monitor.
“There are a few decent ones, but it’s not enough. Han Theo has decent looks and skills, but his character is ambiguous. The only one worth salvaging is really Yoo Sung….”
“Really?”
The Female PD, who had been quietly listening to Jang Hyuk-soo, asked with sudden surprise.
Noticing the Female PD’s strange reaction, Jang Hyuk-soo furrowed his brow and asked.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no… it’s not a problem. It’s just that… what’s his name… Kim Chowol? I was wondering if you weren’t considering him.”
“Kim Chowol?”
Jang Hyuk-soo narrowed his eyes in thought.
“Ah, the trainee who said he’d change his song selection right before the stat evaluation stage?”
“Yes, his performance that day turned out decent, and you seemed quite pleased with him. He was the first to step forward when forming the Guild.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Jang Hyuk-soo replied indifferently.
Of course, Jang Hyuk-soo hadn’t forgotten about Kim Chowol.
But Kim Chowol was, how to put it… by Jang Hyuk-soo’s standards, somewhat….
“Bland, isn’t he?”
“Bland?”
The Female PD’s eyes widened as she repeated the word, and Jang Hyuk-soo nodded in response.
“He performed well at the stat evaluation stage. But considering his time as a trainee, it wasn’t that impressive.”
Jang Hyuk-soo clicked the mouse rapidly and quickly reviewed the sections featuring Kim Chowol.
“From the stat evaluation stage through the theme song evaluation and the first round of competition… his appearance, skills, and character are all decent, but nothing particularly striking stands out.”
“That may be true, but….”
The Female PD closed her mouth firmly in the face of Jang Hyuk-soo’s resolute attitude.
Jang Hyuk-soo seemed to have something he wanted to say, but he didn’t press further.
The Female PD would understand as well.
In Survival Programs, it’s harder to keep someone ambiguous than someone outright villainous.
‘If someone’s stupid enough to provide plenty of delicious material to edit, I could use that too, but….’
Whether Kim Chowol was clever or simply that way by nature, he never said or did anything problematic enough to cause issues.
“Okada’s better than Kim Chowol.”
As Jang Hyuk-soo scrolled backward through the footage, he paused at the Theme Song Evaluation Stage section.
Okada’s face filled the screen, dancing with a fierce expression as if her body might shatter.
Gone was the image of Okada from the Stats Evaluation Stage, where she had faltered and nearly wept.
“She said she couldn’t speak Korean during the photo meeting and struggled to adapt in Korea? I’m not sure about her character yet, but the narrative is pretty solid.”
The Female PD nodded at Jang Hyuk-soo’s words.
“That’s true. Having a foreign member is advantageous for overseas expansion too. But PD, do you know who Okada is close with?”
“…I do.”
Jang Hyuk-soo paused briefly before answering with a somewhat troubled expression.
“She’s close with Kim Chowol. I’m not sure how they became close, but.”
“When I checked, Kim Chowol is really fluent in Japanese? It seems he teaches her all sorts of things.”
“Hmm….”
Jang Hyuk-soo clicked the mouse to check the section where Kim Chowol and Okada were together.
In a way, everyone except him was a competitor, yet the sight of Kim Chowol teaching her various things without hesitation and Okada nodding with bright eyes made quite a compelling image.
‘Just when I think it’s ambiguous, he hands me such useful material to work with.’
Jang Hyuk-soo tapped his fingers on the office desk, thinking.
As his deliberation stretched on.
The Female PD sitting beside him, reviewing the recorded footage, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise.
“Huh?”
“What now.”
“Oh, no. You know that camera installed in the Practice Room?”
“What about it?”
Jang Hyuk-soo had installed small cameras in all the Practice Rooms to capture trainees who stayed up practicing until dawn.
He hadn’t informed the trainees about them separately, knowing that if the cameras were placed visibly, some trainees might feel self-conscious and practice despite not wanting to.
Honestly, it could be ethically problematic, but Jang Hyuk-soo didn’t care at all.
‘If I can capture even one good scene, getting criticized is nothing.’
‘If given the choice between getting criticized for making an entertaining program or not getting criticized while making a boring one, every PD would choose to make an entertaining program and take the criticism.’
However, Jang Hyuk-soo hadn’t held high expectations when installing the cameras.
‘Hardly anyone was actually practicing.’
The schedule for EX-Grade K-POP Idol Survival Programs, including those for EX-grade K-POP, was grueling enough to exhaust even a healthy adult man.
After classes and individual practice that stretched from morning to night, everyone without exception returned to the Dormitory and collapsed into sleep without even properly washing.
There were occasionally trainees who stayed up practicing until dawn, but most of them quit after a day or two out of exhaustion.
“This is Kim Chowol’s nighttime voluntary practice section… I think you should check it once?”
At the Female PD’s words, Jang Hyuk-soo straightened up from where he’d been leaning back in his chair.
―Click, click.
Jang Hyuk-soo’s eyes widened progressively as he clicked the mouse.
* * *
I postponed using my trait selection right for later.
There was still some time before the second round of the competition.
Of course, if a situation arose where I needed it, I would use it then.
‘I won’t need it right now.’
I was currently in the Auditorium on the first floor of the Dormitory.
A hundred trainees huddled together in the Auditorium sat in order of their rankings, their eyes fixed on the massive Screen on the Podium.
Shortly after, the MC in casual clothing climbed onto the Podium.
“Thank you for your patience!”
The MC spoke to the trainees with a bright smile.
“We will now watch EX-Grade K-POP Idol episodes 1 and 2 together!”
At the MC’s words, the trainees gathered in the Auditorium swallowed hard.
Today was the momentous day when EX-Grade K-POP Idol episode 1 would air.
The first broadcast was given special programming, airing episodes 1 and 2 together.
“Your reactions as trainees today will be filmed separately and uploaded to our Official YouTube Channel, so please keep that in mind! Now, let’s enjoy the show!”
The moment the MC finished speaking, an advertisement began playing on the Screen.
The trainees, who had been staring at the Screen with tense expressions, suddenly gasped in surprise.
“Huh.”
“What is that?”
“Isn’t that a chat window?”
Beside the broadcast image showing the advertisement, chat messages were scrolling up at rapid speed.
[Finally]
[I thought my neck would break from waiting]
[Got beer and chicken ready lol let’s go]
It was raw, unfiltered viewer reactions.
The trainees looked around uncertainly, wondering if this was a broadcast accident, but the MC simply smiled.
Only then did the trainees realize this wasn’t an accident but an intentional production choice.
‘Ruthless.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
They were showing the viewers’ raw reactions directly to the trainees, then filming the trainees’ reactions to upload on YouTube.
It was the kind of idea that would make even the devil weep.
‘I need to manage my expression carefully.’
Dozens of cameras were constantly rolling to capture every subtle change in our faces.
I feigned appropriate surprise and focused on the Screen.
There was no need to pretend to be nervous.
I was genuinely nervous.
‘Who will the Female PD pick this round?’
Han Theo and Yoo Sung were almost certain, at least.
I glanced at Yoo Sung and Okada in the back.
Both of them seemed quite nervous, their anxious gazes fixed on the Screen.
‘It doesn’t matter which one of them becomes the Female PD’s pick. As long as one of them gets chosen….’
There’s no need to worry too much.
I reassured myself and focused on the Screen.
Before long, the advertisement ended and the broadcast began.
[It’s finally starting!]
[Focus, focus]
[I’ve been waiting for this day]
The screen went black, and a loud crash and bang erupted from the speakers.
It wasn’t music—it was the sound of something shattering and collapsing, like what you’d hear in the opening of a disaster film.
[Huh? What is this?]
[An explosion? I hear sirens too]
[Is this a broadcast accident…?]
Like the viewers, the trainees looked around in bewilderment.
The sounds of things breaking, crumbling, and falling mixed with heavy gunfire and sharp screams of people, building the tension.
Amid the chaos of all these sounds, a familiar yet strange, crisp tone rang out.
[―Ding.]
Then a translucent window appeared across the Screen.
[Congratulations! You have awakened.]
[Check your grade right now!]
The translucent window filling the screen gradually shrank, and a figure’s back came into view.
I knew who that person was.
‘Our center, Han Theo.’
The protagonist of the opening was none other than the center of the EX-grade K-POP Idol’s theme song.
Han Theo raised his hand and lightly touched the translucent window.
[Measuring your grade.]
[Congratulations! Your grade is EX-grade.]
[As an Awakened One, please work for the peace of the world!]
The screen changed, showing Han Theo staring straight ahead with a solemn expression.
[―Boom, boom, boom….]
The familiar prelude flowed out as trainees began appearing behind Han Theo.
A noticeable comment appeared in the chat window that had been filled with question marks.
[What is this? The anti-magic resistance is weak]
Same here.
I unconsciously replied to the chat while discreetly scratching the back of my neck.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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