The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 58

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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 (58)
Seven sports events in an Idol Survival Audition Program….
Wait, can chess even be considered a sport?
Since Go and e-sports have been adopted as official events in the Olympics and Asian Games, I suppose you could broadly categorize them as sports.
I could almost hear the inner thoughts of the trainees.
‘I thought the exact same thing when I first saw this.’
MC began a detailed explanation to quell the confusion.
“Trainees, you will each be assigned to one of the seven events you see displayed and will participate in practice matches against other trainees.”
Which event you’d be assigned was entirely random.
Thanks to dozens of regressions, I’d experienced all seven events.
‘The event that got the best reaction was….’
Baseball, the national sport? Or archery, the Olympic darling?
No, neither. The event that truly got the best reaction was actually….
“The rewards for Sub Quests are items and traits!”
My train of thought was cut short by MC’s resonant voice.
‘Focus, focus.’
It was all information I already knew, but the cameras were rolling.
Through this Sub Quest, I could obtain items like the ‘Trait Removal Potion’ I’d received as a reward for winning the Guild War, or traits like Yoo Sung’s ‘Worst Teamwork’ or my own ‘Thief’s Appearance’.
“For team events, rewards will be given to the final team remaining in tournament format, and for individual events, rewards will be given to 1st and 2nd place!”
Several sharp-eyed trainees listening to MC’s explanation had their eyes gleam.
Individual events might be fine, but team events could create fairness issues.
‘The number next to each event name indicates how many people are needed to form a team.’
According to MC’s explanation, the more people in any event, the more advantageous it is.
Since most were beginners, having just one or two skilled players made victory highly likely.
But Jang Hyuk-soo wasn’t the type to overlook such unfairness.
“Please note that the fewer people awarded items and traits per event, the better the rewards you’ll receive!”
Additionally, for team events, rewards vary by tier based on individual contribution.
In other words, the more people on a team, the more internal competition you face, making it doubly troublesome.
‘Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.’
I wasn’t particularly athletic, so my chances of earning rewards in any event weren’t especially high.
That said, it’s not like any event would do….
“Then we’ll determine the events in ten minutes!”
A short break was given before the events were assigned.
Several trainees stood and left to use the Bathroom or get water.
Many trainees gathered with friends to chat.
Okada, who’d been sitting in the back, carefully sat down beside me.
“Which event do you want to do?”
“Hm?”
“I’m comfortable with volleyball….”
Right, she’d mentioned playing volleyball until Middle School.
But Okada let out a heavy sigh, her expression growing dejected.
“…I’m not really sure.”
Okada struggled with team events.
I understood.
It wasn’t easy to cooperate with someone you weren’t close to and couldn’t communicate with.
“What about you?”
I wanted to team up with Okada if possible, but unfortunately the events were determined 100% randomly.
“As for me….”
Honestly, winning or losing in this sub-quest wasn’t what mattered.
Items and traits?
They’d be nice to have, sure.
But honestly, they wouldn’t be a huge help for my debut.
Of course, there was one item I coveted… but since I didn’t particularly need it right now, there was no reason to be greedy about it.
Anyway, should I finish the conversation I couldn’t complete earlier because of MC?
The event with the best public reaction, that is.
“Chess.”
Because in chess, you wear formal attire.
* * *
Of course, not everything goes according to my wishes.
[Kim Chowol―Baseball B Team]
Hmm….
I wanted chess, but I ended up with baseball.
I smacked my lips in disappointment and walked toward where the Baseball B Team was gathered.
“Hae-soo, you’re on the Baseball B Team too?”
“Yes. Are you also on the Baseball B Team, Chowol?”
When I headed toward the Baseball B Team, I spotted Kang Hae-soo staring blankly into space.
“Yeah. At least it’s fortunate to have someone I know.”
Of course, all the faces were familiar, but in this round, all the trainees I considered relatively close had ended up on different teams.
Yoo Sung was doing badminton, Seo Ijae was doing relay, and Okada was doing volleyball.
And the chess I wanted to do… Han Theo ended up doing it.
‘It’s a bit disappointing, but baseball isn’t bad either.’
In the second sub-quest, what “uniform” you wore was more important than rewards like items and traits.
The uniforms to be worn during this sub-quest were all sponsored with refined designs and excellent quality.
“The mock match will be held tomorrow morning, so today you’ll have free time to practice!”
“Yes!”
Baseball would be held at the Small Sports Field near the Building Rear Entrance.
Since baseball was a team event, we’d probably just assign positions and do some basic batting practice and catch.
The pitcher would do pitching drills….
‘It would be nice if someone with good athletic ability took on the pitcher role.’
There’s a saying that baseball is all about the pitcher, and the pitcher’s role is crucial.
Since we’re all amateurs, we can easily secure victory if we just have one person who knows how to throw a ball.
“Hae-soo.”
“….”
Recalling Kang Hae-soo’s remarkable athletic prowess, I called out to him.
But Kang Hae-soo seemed oblivious to my voice, staring blankly into empty space.
“Hae-soo?”
“….”
“Hey, Kang Hae-soo!”
“Huh? D-did you call for me?”
“Is something wrong? Your expression looks terrible.”
I regarded the startled Kang Hae-soo with a worried gaze.
Despite the mild weather, beads of sweat rolled down Kang Hae-soo’s face.
“…I’m fine. Please don’t worry about it.”
Kang Hae-soo spoke with an embarrassed smile.
I wanted to press further, but it felt improper, so I let it go.
‘Come to think of it… I haven’t seen Kang Hae-soo perform much in the second sub-quest.’
My memories were hazy since I lacked the bandwidth to pay attention to others, but even in team events, he seemed to fade into the background.
If he’d shown any remarkable performance, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember it.
‘It’s strange that I don’t even know what sport he played.’
His past as an athlete was an exceptionally unique and compelling background.
What sport he played, why he quit, and what drove him to pursue becoming an idol.
Everything connected to form a single narrative, and narratives create characters.
‘If he’d revealed his athletic history to the production team, Jang Hyuk-soo would definitely have tried to use it….’
But the broadcast never once mentioned that Kang Hae-soo had been an athlete.
As if he’d intentionally hidden it.
‘Wait, then how do I know about it?’
I felt certain I’d overheard someone mention it in passing….
‘Kang Hae-soo? That guy used to be an athlete. I did the same sport as him, and he was so damn good that everyone knew about him.’
Someone’s voice echoed through my mind.
‘But then there was some slump or the yips or whatever… anyway, he quit with some bullshit excuse. Damn it. He should’ve just kept training. Getting all worked up about becoming an idol out of nowhere….’
‘What’s so unreasonable about the excuse? He could’ve genuinely quit because of a slump or the yips.’
‘Come on, are we stupid? Anyone who knows anything knows he swept every competition before he retired. A slump? Please….’
Who was it?
Whose voice was that?
I racked my brain trying to recall, but the face remained indistinct and unremarkable.
‘How do you know so much about it?’
‘Me?’
Another trainee who’d been quietly listening beside me asked.
Someone whose face was obscured as if painted over with ink let out a scoff and answered.
‘I quit sports because of that guy.’
This could become a problem.
* * *
Over thirty trainees crowded the Sports Field.
In each corner, four teams in total gathered in circles within their designated areas to determine positions.
I scanned the faces of the eight trainees belonging to our Baseball B Team and pondered.
‘Let me think through this carefully again.’
First, I don’t know what sport Kang Hae-soo played.
Kang Hae-soo had hidden not just what sport he played, but the very fact that he played any sport at all.
His athletic talent combined with his reluctance to give his all stemmed from concealing that athletic background.
‘If I say nothing and let it slide, he’ll probably coast through this time too.’
Honestly… it doesn’t matter.
I feel sorry for the sincere trainees, but receiving good compensation doesn’t guarantee debut.
He’s not slacking off out of laziness—he has his reasons for taking it easy. Who could really fault him for that?
“Should we decide positions first?”
One trainee carefully broke the awkward silence.
“Sure. We need to establish positions before we can actually practice.”
“Who wants to be the pitcher? The pitcher is the most important position in baseball….”
The trainees began exchanging nervous glances.
The pitcher was the most critical position in baseball—excel and you could even aim for MVP, but fail and you’d face the harshest criticism.
‘I’m not too keen on pitching either.’
I’d tried it a few times, but the results were never particularly good.
No matter how unimportant this sub-quest might be, I didn’t want to become a scapegoat.
“Who wants to pitch…? Multiple people can do it, not just one.”
The trainee who’d brought up positions spoke with pleading eyes.
But no one stepped forward.
As we stood in blank silence, already hitting a snag at the position-selection stage.
“Excuse me.”
Someone approached and spoke to us.
“Who….”
“Ah, I’m Jo Min-jae from Baseball D Team.”
Jo Min-jae smiled meaningfully as he spoke.
What business did Baseball D Team have with us….
Our teammates tilted their heads in confusion, eyeing Jo Min-jae warily.
“Sorry to interrupt. But I think we need to come to an understanding beforehand.”
“An understanding?”
“It’s about Kang Hae-soo. Kang Hae-soo.”
Jo Min-jae pulled up one corner of his mouth as he mentioned Kang Hae-soo.
Kang Hae-soo stared back at Jo Min-jae, clearly confused about why he was suddenly being singled out.
“Why Hae-soo?”
“Well, he’s a former athlete, so I’m saying he should take it easy.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not an official match anyway, just child’s play.”
“What are you talking about…?”
The other trainees furrowed their brows, seemingly unable to comprehend Jo Min-jae’s words.
But Kang Hae-soo and I froze in place, rendered speechless.
“Did Kang Hae-soo not mention it? Kang Hae-soo, the left-handed pitcher from Haemun High School. He was quite famous on our side.”
So it was you.
The one who spread those rumors about Kang Hae-soo.

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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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