Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
57. On stage (1) [1]
Today, whether the dream Dokgo Miro had since she was young would be achieved was being decided.
A few hours before the Playlist’s last shooting started.
The Playlist’s winner would be decided through this last broadcast, and would be certain to debut through the nation’s leading entertainment company.
Dokgo Miro, who was training alone in the waiting room, thought about that fact and braced herself.
‘I have to challenge it, thinking of it as the last opportunity…!’
There were many cases where the last survivors, who got into the audition program final round, were usually guaranteed to debut according to their popularity, even if they didn’t win.
But Playlist participant were different.
Because all of them were ‘Players’.
Playlist was the audition program that gathered the public attention and received many positive reviews, but just like before, there was no small number of people with negative opinions.
Their opinion was that when the news that the number of Players was still insufficient compared to the otherworld and Enemies that occur came out, can such a program be really held?
So the viewer opinion boards and articles related to Playlist were plastered with malicious comments and trolls.
There were many people, who thought it was kind of a gamble whether the Players participating in the Playlist would debut in the entertainment industry.
There was only one company that was willing to put up with the risks and debut a Player, and that company had only one position prepared.
But there were three Players remaining.
Last time Dokgo Miro took the first place in the viewer voting, but the one picked as the most famous candidate for a victor was Yeo Raehun.
‘I know how much Raehun oppa likes the stage and singing, how well he sings. Even so, I can’t give up.’
Idol standing on the stage.
She had to sacrifice a lot of things for this dream.
Her family, who supported Dokgo Miro’s dream, was very considerate of her, but she had to endure harassment at school to hold onto that dream.
While holding onto that dream, she had to push away her sole friend in the elementary school to protect her.
‘Just a little longer.’
There were still many things she couldn’t tell Han Yi.
Even though she knew very well how strange it looked when she pushed away Han Yi without any proper explanation, and then kept hovering around.
She wanted to push Han Yi away until she achieved her dream that she was holding onto to a degree, and at that point tell her about everything.
‘… So won’t it be okay if I speak when I achieve my dream to some degree?’
If Playlist shooting is confirmed, if she gets through the Playlist preliminaries, and into the finals, if she is one of the last three people.
Through such a process, the criteria changed to the ‘if I win Playlist and debut’.
Even though the debut was just the beginning, she didn’t have the confidence to confess everything to her friend, if she didn’t achieve her dream to this degree at least.
‘But, even if I really win here, will I be able to tell Han Yi about the events at that time?’
When Dokgo Miro doubted herself like this, she heard a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
She only heard the sound of knocking, but Dokgo Miro sensed a camera outside.
The basis for this judgment was the faint machine sound, the footsteps of the staff in charge of filming Dokgo Miro, etc.
Dokgo Miro looked into the mirror, quickly fixed her hair, and adjusted her voice.
“… Yes! Please come in.”
When the door opened, Yeom Junyeol, wearing clothes completely assembled from sponsorship, and Yeo Raehun, wearing a monk robe, appeared.
Yeom Junyeol was so handsome he looked like an MC of an award ceremony from a painting, and Yeo Raehun was wearing monk robes he usually wore as if the costume matching the concept of his new song was still being fitted.
Behind them the staff took position in the distance, as they wanted to shoot a natural exchange between participants before the shooting.
When Dokgo Miro stiffened a bit with a camera in front of her.
“Then I’ll talk with Miro for a moment.”
After Yeom Junyeol said that to the staff, the waiting room door quietly closed.
In the waiting room were only three people, Dokgo Miro, Yeom Junyeol and Yeo Raehun.
“Miro-ah, did you check today’s script?”
“Uh… Yes! Then do You perhaps want to talk about the scene where we talk with the audience?”
“Talking about that scene, it can be changed a bit.”
Yeom Junyeol spoke with a somewhat awkward face.
“Because the last cheering squad members are all personally invited by the last survivors. It seems that the writers-nim want to shoot a scene of the cheering squad and participants conversing.”
The cheering squad they personally invited.
In the instant she recalled the 1st year class 0’s children she invited.
‘I didn’t call them with such an intention…’
If the 1st year class 0’s children, who devised the Eungwang School busking video, that became the driving force for Dokgo Miro, who was considered to be in the 1st position to be eliminated, to come this far, come out, they would become the hot topic.
As there were many famous people, if they interviewed them, it was clear it would be even more so.
However, it wasn’t Dokgo Miro’s goal, and she didn’t call the children for that.
Dokgo Miro made a troubled face.
“I wanted to hear Miro’s opinion.”
As if Yeom Junyeol read Dokgo Miro’s thoughts, he spoke like that.
Yeo Raehun also added a word.
“The monks-nim and donators-nim from Naejang Tample, who have a debt of gratitude for me, came. I asked and They said they have no problems with interviews. But even so, Miro doesn’t do it, so wouldn’t it be a bit too much if I asked them to do it?”
The fact that Yeom Junyeol and Yeo Raehun were considerate towards her, put Dokgo Miro’s mind at ease.
If Dokgo Miro was the only one, who said she wouldn’t do it, the atmosphere would be subtle, but if Yeo Raehun also expresses disapproval, and Yeom Junyeol says he respects the two’s opinion, it would be easy to refuse.
“I’ll ask the kids.”
“Okay. Later, please tell me and Raehun hyung first.”
“Thank You!”
“There is nothing to thank for, but well.”
When they wished each other fighting spirit, and were about to leave the waiting room.
“Are your friends, who we saw on the baseball stadium when we went to sing an anthem, coming?”
“… Yes, so I heard.”
Yeo Raehun, who abruptly threw a question, smiled and said:
“Then can I also go to greet them?”
* * *
When I left Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion, the classes and club activities were over.
As the days became short, the sunset time already passed, and the school site was illuminated by the artificial lights.
I barely managed to keep the promise about going to see Playlist filming together with class children, but the plan to go beforehand to buy children snacks and to make cheering items together failed.
‘Getting out itself was hard.’
Tigers, including Eun-ho, completely disapproved of me going out.
Just an appeal that as I made that promise before and was absent from school for three days, so I wanted to reassure our class children and teacher-nim, was insufficient.
If Hwang Jiho didn’t say he was going to accompany me, I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep the promise.
“Hahahaha! Even if you look at me with such eyes, I’m going to keep watching you. Don’t overtax yourself today.”
What kind of eyes was I making, that he was making such a sound?
Listening to the sound of Hwang Jiho laughing, I headed to the promised location.
When Hwang Jiho laughing abruptly halted, I saw the class children huddling together behind the building wall.
“… What are you guys doing?”
“Uisin-ah, hello! Do You feel okay? But please lower Your voice for a moment!”
“We missed the timing to come out… what should we do?”
“Shh!”
With Sawol Seeum in the lead, the class children shared a conversation, lowering their voices the best they could.
Majority of the children looked flustered, and more than intentionally lowering their voices, it felt like a dying voice of ‘I didn’t expect anything like this’.
I didn’t know what was happening right now, but as our class children asked me to lower my voice, I decided to shut my mouth and observe the situation.
Kwon Lena covered her mouth with one hand and pointed at the other side with another.
I saw two someones standing in the distance.
‘Uh, this is…!’
One of them was my Playable Character, who I recognized immediately.
It was our class vice homeroom teacher, who consciously kept his eyes half-closed, and his long hair loosely tied.
It was Yong Jegeon.
“Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim, there was something I wanted to talk with You about for a long time. But as teacher Yong Jegeon-nim looked like a busy Person, I didn’t have a chance to talk…”
“Okay, speak.”
The one standing in front of him was Yeon Garam, who belonged to the 2nd year class 0.
Yeon Garam was holding an envelope in her hands.
Sunset time, quiet Eungwang School’s campus.
Attractive looking darling of the Yong tribe and the ace of the Theater club of the most prestigious highschool in Korea were looking at each other.
It seemed like a scene from a romance manhwa.
Though on the one side was the Yong, who would seriously break the atmosphere if he made his ecstatic expression, and on the other side was a person who belonged to the 2nd year class 0, which was overflowing with the most powerful rascals in Eungwang School.
“What should we do…! We can’t watch it, can we?”
“It doesn’t seem right.”
The faces of class children changed between pale to red, as they didn’t know what to think of it.
At that moment, Yeon Garam stretched out the paper envelope towards Yong Jegeon.
“Heuk.”
“Can we just — not watch the next scene and go?”
“To begin with, Teach Yong-nim decided to come to the broadcasting station with us today. We can’t avoid it and go…”
Yong Jegeon opened his slitted eyes a little and looked down at the envelope.
Before accepting the envelope, Yong Jegeon first asked.
“… What is it?”
“What?”
Yeom Garam smiled faintly, as she spoke.
“It’s an application to change a name.”
Silence fell among our class children.
All children here were imaging numerous things, but application to change a name wouldn’t be among them.
As if Yong Jegeon also found it absurd, he didn’t react right away.
Leaving us like that, Yeon Garam kept talking.
“Don’t You think that ‘Jegal’ in teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim’s name and ‘Jegeon’ part in Yong Jegeon are too similar? If You say it quickly, there is almost no difference. Jin people often change names, so how about changing it in the morning?”
“Hahaha, hahahahaha!”
The geezer, who was listening, finally loudly exploded.
Yeon Garam actively presented the advantages of changing the name with the sound of laughter in the background.
As if Yong Jegeon found the child, who could say such a thing to him, amazing, he opened his slitted eyes a bit wider than usual, and observed her.
At that moment, Jegal Jaegeol, with Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol sticking to him on the both sides, appeared.
GeunChan&WangChan’s duo looked at Yong Jegeon, and scowled.
“Ack, it didn’t end yet!”
“We should have bought more time!”
I guess they pulled a trick to prevent Jegal Jaegeol from seeing that change of name recommendation.
Jegal Jaegeol stared at the two people’s behavior and Yeon Garam, and then asked.
“Teacher Yong Jegeon-nim? What is the matter with Garam-yi?”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Ah, someone stop that fucker from laughing.”
“I’ll do it. Please stop laughing.” [2]
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Jegal Jaegeol, who soon became aware of the full story, scolded Yeon Garam and GeunChan&WangChan, and apologized to Yong Jegeon.
Even though it was ridiculous, Yong Jegeon smiled and said it was okay, as if he wasn’t angry.
“As expected, you will see all sorts of things if you live long. Because there are many fun things in the world.”
“… teacher Yong Jegeon-nim, I truly apologize.”
“It’s okay. The story topics increased. Ah, I’ll tell you in advance. I like this name, so I won’t change it. How about teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim?”
“… How about what?”
“Your disciples hate that my and your names are similar. Do you have no plans on changing it?”
Yong Jegeon stretched out the envelope he received from Yeon Garam towards Jegal Jaegeol.
The 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards, who listened to Jegal Jaegeol scolding and acted depressed, lifted their heads right away and refuted.
“What about our teach Jegal-nim’s name?!”
“The only thing we don’t like are all the names that are similar to teach Jegal-nim!”
“Please stop it! You still didn’t reflect, huh!”
“Hahahahaha!
The atmosphere before the shooting became a mess.
The incidents continued even after we arrived at the broadcasting station.
*~*~*
[1] On stage — For ‘stage’ I’ll reuse the note from chapter 247, ‘Stage will have similar analogical meanings as in English, like ‘the setting/the background of the story’ or the space one is active in. The homonyms of ‘stage’ are as follows: ‘wide belt of fog’, ‘someone stupid and lowly (literally referring to a character from Chinese novels ‘Outlaws of the Marsh’ and ‘The Plum in the Golden Vase/The Golden Lotus’)’, ‘in tujeon*, a situation where there are no cards to play because all cards are ten or twenty’, ‘water current’, ‘not receiving a price or pay’, ‘in farming, cultivating a fruit tree without putting a fruit bag’’. Now.
‘On’ is interesting. Similarly how under was in a possessive relationship with the stage, so is ‘On‘. 위 (wi) means top, being above something, but it also can mean being ‘on something’, ‘being early’, ‘superior’ or ‘the surface of something’. Homonyms include ‘rank/position’ and ‘stomach’.
[2] “I’ll do it. Please stop laughing.” — Mok Uram’s sentence.
Translator’s note with thanks!: I mean… we have to give it to Yong Jegeon, he took it with grace? x.x And Hwang-ho at least had a good laugh.
But we have reached another 50! And this is the first note officially written in our 3rd year! That means that I can officially say that we were able to fully pay for the domain and hosting thanks to your generous support! Considering that the last half a year was a bit of financial fight for me, not having to worry about covering those bills was an enormous relief, and I cannot thank you enough for it. Now, to our next goal — paying editors for their hard work off we go!
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I do those 50 chapters thank you notes because stories live through their readers, and I’m able to work on the translation of this novel only thanks to the community you had built. Everything you have read so far was thanks to you, and I — from the abyssal depths of my heart — thank you. <3
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