The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 30

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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 (30)
Fortunately, I regained my composure quickly.
Having filmed EX-Grade K-POP Idols countless times before, I’d grown accustomed to moments where my mental fortitude was tested—this was nothing new.
[The concept is absolutely relentless]
[I’m into it though? If you don’t like it, just don’t watch lol]
[It’s got just the right amount of otaku charm for me]
As the camera zoomed out, a hundred trainees came into view.
The theme song for the EX-Grade K-POP Idol filmed separately in the studio began—the Hunt the Stage stage performance.
I opened my eyes wide, eager to see how different it was from the Music Day stage.
By watching the stage, I could roughly figure out who the Female PD had favored.
Han Theo and Yoo Sung appeared frequently thanks to their outstanding visuals.
Seo Ijae, who came from a failed idol group, was also captured briefly—just two seconds—for early buzz.
And me….
‘Three seconds…?’
My screen time was almost identical to the Music Day stage.
I could roughly guess what Jang Hyuk-soo was thinking about me.
‘He seems usable enough, so I’ll give him decent screen time, but if the buzz falls short of expectations, it’s straight to the cutting room floor… probably.’
The Production Presentation had received a good response, so I’d been holding onto some hope.
Apparently, I hadn’t done enough to move Jang Hyuk-soo’s heart.
‘It’s still early… let me wait a bit longer.’
I unconsciously picked at the cuticles around my fingernails as I pondered.
[“Hello, to all the non-awakened ordinary citizens across the nation!”]
After the theme song stage ended, the MC’s familiar face filled the screen.
[Non-awakened ordinary citizens lmao]
[I’m not a fan anymore, I’m just a regular person now]
The chat was split between those finding it awkward and those finding it hilarious.
[“Haven’t you all experienced a gate suddenly bursting open right before your eyes? While people were dying and getting injured, you had no way to help, scrambling desperately to escape from the pouring monsters!”]
The MC on screen rattled off an absurd situation and premise without a hint of shame.
[Yeah, right]
[The MC really commits to the bit lol]
[It was cringe at first, but now I can only laugh]
If the concept had been executed half-heartedly, it would have felt awkward for both performer and audience, but the EX-Grade K-POP Idol had transcended the concept entirely—it had been consumed by it.
By the time the final episode aired, everyone would have moved past initial discomfort and into complete immersion and fervent enthusiasm.
[“A hundred awakened individuals and prospective hunters have gathered here to address the struggles of non-awakened ordinary citizens! Now, let’s meet them!”]
The screen changed, and a preview of the stat evaluation stage began.
[“Beep— This trainee hasn’t mastered the basics.”
“I have nothing to say. Too perfect.”
“Beep— Why is an Entertainment Agency trainee here?”
“That was an exceptionally captivating performance.”
“Wait. The evaluation isn’t finished yet.”]
Serious-faced trainees and judges’ faces flashed past in rapid succession.
Somewhere in the middle, Yoo Sung and my stage evaluation was included as well.
[Ah, I’m looking forward to this]
[That kimchi stew I always ate… I missed it]
The viewer reactions weren’t bad either.
The concept was a bit unique, but the program structure and direction followed the standard formula for K-POP Idol Survival Programs.
[“First trainee, please come up!”]
After the intro ended, the stage began.
Han Theo’s stage, which was filmed around the thirteenth or so during actual shooting, would likely air in episode two.
“I hope they don’t cut it entirely….”
I heard someone muttering from behind.
I didn’t know who it was, but they seemed so nervous they’d forgotten the camera was even filming.
With a hundred trainees, it was impossible to show every single one’s stage.
Only trainees who passed Jang Hyuk-soo’s first-round criteria could be broadcast.
‘But even if they pass the first round… if they don’t meet the viewers’ standards, it’s useless.’
I scanned the incoming chat messages with a serious expression.
[Hey, that center just now wasn’t bad]
[There were a lot of ugly ones in the profile, but they seem better than expected]
[No, if you lack looks, shouldn’t you at least be good at singing?]
[Something feels off about all of them]
The first episode’s opening showed trainees who were decent enough to watch, but somehow felt mediocre.
The trainees who appeared on broadcast quietly cheered to themselves, then despaired when they saw the viewers’ cold reactions.
They tried to hide their emotions, but being young and inexperienced, it all showed on their faces.
‘Lee Jae will probably appear in the next episode if nothing unexpected happens…. Wait? That’s Hiro.’
On the screen, I saw Okada with a tense expression walking up onto the stage.
Okada’s stat evaluation stage had been completely cut from most episodes.
Jang Hyuk-soo preferred stages where trainees clearly failed over ambiguously decent ones.
He could use failed trainees as sacrifices to generate buzz, and if a trainee’s skills improved dramatically later, it would make for a good growth narrative.
‘But Okada’s stage was so seriously botched that it was hard to use….’
While the stat evaluation stage video was uploaded separately to YouTube, no one paid attention to a foreign trainee’s failed stage that didn’t even make it into broadcast.
In any case, the fact that Okada’s stage wasn’t completely cut meant something was different from previous episodes.
[Japanese?]
[She’s kind of cute, my type haha]
[But isn’t her Korean really bad?]
Nervous Okada struggled even with her self-introduction in Korean.
[“Ah, hello, hel-lo… From Japan, my name is Okada Hiro, I… am.”
“Japan?”
“A Japanese friend showed up.”]
The atmosphere wasn’t bad just from the self-introduction.
But Jang Hyuk-soo, intending to use Okada properly, made the atmosphere seem far more serious through direction and editing than it actually was.
[Ah, it’s… hard to even listen to. She’s really not good.]
[Didn’t you train as a trainee in Korea? If you can’t speak Korean, how are you planning to be an idol in Korea?]
[Go back and learn Korean properly first.]
Viewer reactions to Okada’s stage flooded the chat window.
‘She was bad enough to deserve criticism….’
Still, wasn’t that a bit too harsh?
She might just not be great at Korean.
Let’s wait and see when the theme song evaluation and first-round stage air later.
‘I wonder if Hiro’s mental state is okay.’
I found myself reflexively countering each disparaging comment about Okada in the chat, when suddenly I grew worried about her seeing the flood of malicious comments.
‘Is she crying right now…?’
If she cried in this situation, Jang Hyuk-soo would be cheering with both hands raised.
Giving Jang Hyuk-soo such juicy material to edit was a double-edged sword.
If he was thinking about using it with her debut in mind, he’d edit it favorably, but if not….
‘…Huh?’
I was slightly surprised as I glanced back at Okada sitting behind me.
I had expected her to be surrounded by dark clouds, but contrary to my expectations, she didn’t look particularly upset.
Of course, she didn’t look happy either.
Okada was resting her chin on her knee with a somewhat bored, expressionless face, rolling her eyes around.
And then our eyes met as I was glancing back.
‘What? Why is she smiling?’
When our eyes met, Okada broke into a bright smile.
Flustered, I couldn’t hide my uncomfortable expression and quickly turned my head away.
She’s getting cursed out by tens of thousands of people across the entire nation right now, and she’s smiling? Wait, could it be….
‘Did she not understand because most of the chat is in Korean?’
Her Korean speaking and listening had improved a lot, but reading and writing still had a long way to go.
For the first time, I was grateful that Okada couldn’t read Korean.
‘Okada seems to have passed Jang Hyuk-soo’s first criteria anyway, so that’s fine. When will my stage air….’
Based on my experience so far, there was a high probability it would air in the middle-to-late portion of episode one.
I anxiously checked the clock hanging on the auditorium wall.
[“Alright, next trainee, please come out!”]
Was this finally my stage?
I was staring intently at the screen with a nervous expression when suddenly the image changed, and black text appeared on a white background.
[LMH Entertainment]
Upon seeing the black text, I let out an involuntary groan.
The screen showed the startled murmuring of the trainees and the judges’ expressions in turn, then a subtitle appeared at the bottom.
[Continuing to Episode 2 after the commercial break]
The moment I saw the subtitle I’d been dreading, my heart began to pound.
My stage didn’t air, and episode one had ended.
Considering my ranking, skill, and the character and stage I’d shown so far, I thought I’d appear in the middle-to-late portion of episode one at the latest….
‘Could it be a complete cut…?’
Even as I thought it couldn’t possibly be true, my mind raced through the worst-case scenario.
If I really had been completely cut, what could have gone wrong?
Was it a mistake to raise my Charm stat instead of Vocal or Dance during the stat evaluation stage?
Should I have simply focused on securing the main vocal and main dance positions?
But at the time, there was no other choice besides raising my Charm stat.
The judges’ reactions weren’t even bad either… Maybe the real problem was that I didn’t completely botch the stage.
Should I have just failed spectacularly and then shown growth from the next stage onward?
‘Damn it, what’s the point of thinking about this now?’
The teaser for episode two began, designed to stir the viewers’ anticipation.
[“LMH? LMH is appearing?”
“Why are trainees from one of the Big Three agencies…? Wouldn’t they have plenty of other places recruiting them?”
“Didn’t you say a lot of trainees recently quit after their debut group was confirmed…? Must be them.”
“Wow, they’re all so handsome. Can we expect great skills too?”]
Five trainees, including Yoo Sung, took the stage amid the other trainees’ wariness and the judges’ high expectations.
[? Wait, are they really from LMH?]
[Crazy, why is LMH here?]
[But seriously, the atmosphere is completely different lol]
[The rumors about Yoo Sung being from LMH were true]
[I’m excited lol The Big Three agency trainees must be something special, right?]
The viewers began to build anticipation as the LMH trainees displayed an atmosphere distinctly different from the others.
But soon, footage of the LMH trainees making mistakes on stage and the judges’ serious expressions flashed by in rapid succession.
[“The public doesn’t know how hard you’ve practiced. They don’t care either.”
“I’m giving all five of you a ―beep―.”]
Following the judges’ harsh criticism, the chat began flooding with messages anticipating the next episode.
[Huh? What’s happening?]
[Isn’t this devil’s editing? There’s no way LMH trainees would make such basic mistakes]
[Jang Hyuk-soo, this bastard is stirring the pot again to drag innocent trainees down lol]
[Ah, I wasn’t going to watch episode two because episode one was so boring, but now I have to]
I stared blankly at the episode two teaser, half-resigned to my fate.
‘Fine, complete cuts happen all the time anyway. Let’s just look forward to the theme song evaluation.’
Just as I thought the teaser had ended, the screen changed.
The screen now showed not a bright, flashy stage, but a dark Backstage.
[Aren’t you showing ads? Why is the teaser this long?]
[Show us what happened with LMH already!]
[Ah, I’m not going anywhere, I’ll watch episode two, just hurry up]
[But why suddenly the Backstage?]
[Uh, someone’s standing there—who is it?]
A trainee stood quietly in the Backstage, gazing blankly into empty space as if lost in thought.
‘Huh…?’
A trainee grabbed hold of one of the staff members and began speaking urgently.
[“I’m sorry. I…”]
It seemed they were deliberately withholding what they were saying to build anticipation.
The staff member listening to them flinched in surprise and asked the trainee to repeat themselves.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.
I knew exactly what that staff member was about to say.
[“You want to change your song selection?”]
My heart began pounding frantically once more.

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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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