NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 105
Seeing the production team’s apology statement, Lee Ji-woo exclaimed with admiration.
“Wow… they’re actually apologizing… I never thought I’d see the day!”
Naturally, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
Of course, it was surprising to see Na Ah Ah and the production team, who had always been so stiff and treated trainees like parts, actually admit they were wrong and apologize.
But was it really that impressive?
“Teacher, is it really that surprising that Na Ah Ah’s production team apologized?”
When I asked, Lee Ji-woo nodded and replied.
“Of course! Everyone knows how stiff those guys are in this industry, right?”
Lee Ji-woo’s expression while explaining was a bit heated.
It seemed Lee Ji-woo also held some negative feelings towards Na Ah Ah’s production team.
“They know how desperate the trainees are, yet they keep using them, stirring up controversies, and when they’re criticized, they create another controversy to cover it up, taking in trainees from small agencies to back them up… Totally trash…”
“…I didn’t know you felt that way about Na Ah Ah’s production team too.”
“Ah… Back when I was an instructor at a dance academy, one of my students had a rough time with Na Ah Ah’s production team. The controversy back then was huge, but they just went silent.”
Lee Ji-woo clicked her tongue and continued.
“This time, they messed with SAV, so they probably realized they messed up and hurriedly apologized. Ugh… such cowardly tactics. Oh, but I heard the girl they messed with is a friend of our Ye-rin?”
And at that moment, realizing I was concerned about Seo Yoo-jin, she playfully patted my head.
“Yes, we got a bit closer last time.”
“Then that’s a relief. By the looks of this apology statement, they’ll probably give her a ton of screen time in the broadcast.”
After saying that, Lee Ji-woo stuffed a donut into my mouth.
… I was already pretty sick of sweets, but there were still plenty of snacks piled up in the corner of the monitoring room.
So, as Lee Ji-woo and I pleasantly munched on snacks, we tuned into Na Ah Ah episode 7.
To mention, the second ranking announcement where I placed 2nd and Yoo Seol placed 1st had already aired in episode 6, so Na Ah Ah episode 7 jumped right into team selection.
‘I remember Yoo-jin got rejected by all her teammates here…’
How would the Na Ah Ah production team edit this part?
I leaned in, tense, focusing on the screen.
And the approach they chose was…
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I, I’ll go with participant Kim Se-hee ranked 10th.]
[Han Si-woo: Participant Kim Se-hee! Received a nomination from participant Seo Yoo-jin! Will you accept?]
[Tension-filled moment.]
[Kim Se-hee (Hi-low): … I’ll have to refuse.]
… That was unexpectedly direct.
I thought the Na Ah Ah production team would cut this part out entirely, but they aired it just as it was.
‘Wouldn’t they get a ton of backlash for this…?’
I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
It seemed the team selection game had a malicious intention to completely isolate Seo Yoo-jin.
There was no way the viewers wouldn’t catch on…
To see the actual viewer reactions, I opened the live streaming comment section for Na Ah Ah…
– Wow, these bastards are trying to ruin our Yoo-jin. What the hell?!
– What kind of crap are these old folks pulling on a 1st-year high school student?
– Did they lose their minds after apologizing? Damn, should I file a national petition for child abuse?
Seo Yoo-jin was being utterly bombarded by public outcry.
The fans, who had already been furious with the witch hunting against Yoo-jin, poured their pent-up frustrations onto the production team.
But then came the bombshell.
[Q: Why did you refuse Seo Yoo-jin’s nomination?]
[Kim Se-hee (Hi-low): Well, how should I put it…? (Yoo-jin’s) childlike style? It really… (wasn’t for me). And above all, I wanted to do well in this competition, and (with Yoo-jin), I don’t think we could put on a good performance.]
“…”
“…”
After hearing Kim Se-hee’s interview about refusing Yoo-jin’s nomination, Lee Ji-woo and I simultaneously caught a whiff of something familiar and fell silent.
This was… a scent that had become a little too familiar… the smell of devil’s editing.
“… No way?”
As we observed the next scene and viewer reactions, we accurately understood the Na Ah Ah production team’s intentions.
[Q: In that case, do you have a team you’d like to join?]
[Kim Se-hee (Hi-low): (As long as it’s not Yoo-jin’s team) I’m okay with any team.]
– What the hell is that bitch saying?!
– We don’t like you either, screw off!
– Who do you think you are, talking down to Yoo-jin?
– What are you saying, coming from a tiny agency trying to diss SAV’s Yoo-jin?
– Seriously, watching her makes me want to murder her.
Just like the saying, “like fighting fire with fire,”…
Witch hunting gets countered by witch hunting.
The Na Ah Ah production team crafted a new target to take the heat off themselves.
“Wow… seriously… those bastards… changing? Pfft, yeah, right.”
Eventually unable to contain herself, Lee Ji-woo unleashed a tirade against the Na Ah Ah production team, and I found myself marveling at their cunning tricks I never expected.
“Wow… truly extraordinary in a different sense…”
I was in awe of how people could be so malicious and cunning…
Even as I marveled, victims kept popping up one after another.
[… I’m sorry. I’ll have to decline.]
[… I refuse.]
[I’m, I’m going to refuse.]
[… I’m sorry.]
[Cold rejections continued.]
[Other participants looking sadly at Seo Yoo-jin.]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): sniff… sniff…]
[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): sniffle, whimper… sob…]
And eventually, Seo Yoo-jin was weeping…
The production team had inserted cold background music as participants rejected Yoo-jin’s nomination, emphasizing the harsh atmosphere even more.
With everyone turning their backs on her, that only made Yoo-jin’s tears all the more heartbreaking.
Thanks to that, Yoo-jin received even more support and comfort from her fans….
– Ah, tears… Yoo-jin is crying…
– Yoo-jin is the one being wronged, so why is she the one crying…?
– Ah, I just want to rush over to wipe her tears away…
The participants who rejected Yoo-jin’s nomination were…
[Q: Why did you refuse Seo Yoo-jin’s nomination?]
[Well… it’s just… we didn’t want to work with her… (at all)….]
[Once someone’s dead, they’re dead. I want to live too.]
[To be honest, I don’t really like Seo Yoo-jin (personally).]
… They were slammed by harsh comments from viewers along with the production team’s malicious editing.
– Is this not too much? They’re all older than Yoo-jin, yet they want to treat a 17-year-old like this?
– Wow, I’ll be watching you bastards closely to see how you all do.
– What the hell is that bitch saying right now?
– Shouldn’t they just be thankful when the boys pick them?
– What did Yoo-jin ever do to you guys?
Just like when Seo Yoo-jin was attacked by Yoo Seol’s fandom in the previous broadcast… the participants who rejected Yoo-jin were getting hammered by Yoo-jin’s fandom.
Of course, among the comments, some viewers grasped the hidden motives and defended them…
– It’s the production team’s fault for creating a garbage game format, why are you blaming them?
– Those guys also have the right to refuse Yoo-jin’s nomination. This is a competition for debut after all.
– Isn’t this another malicious editing from the production team?
… But in front of Yoo-jin’s fandom, which was filled with rage like a tsunami, those comments were but a mere drop in the bucket.
I looked at the participants who had refused Yoo-jin’s nomination with a bit of sympathy.
Of course, I couldn’t say they did well by aiding in isolating her while seemingly playing dumb, but…
‘That atmosphere at the time was unavoidable.’
At that moment, Yoo-jin was in a complete spiral downward, and very few were defending her among the viewing audience.
From their perspective, it would have been a tough decision to receive Yoo-jin’s nomination and join her team.
Most of them ended up apologizing to Yoo-jin later for declining her nomination.
In my eyes, none of them truly disliked Yoo-jin enough to refuse her.
But the Na Ah Ah production team made them into villains who bullied Yoo-jin.
I found myself scratching my head in disbelief and asked Lee Ji-woo.
“Wait… so Yoo-jin was a victim of devil’s editing, and now it’s okay for them to use devil’s editing on other girls?”
“… Well, Yoo-jin’s with SAV, and the others are from small agencies. They probably thought they could cover for themselves since they weren’t dealing with SAV.”
“No… that’s just… too much.”
Just then, as I continued watching the show with pity in my eyes, a participant suddenly surged onto the screen like a tidal wave from Yoo-jin’s fandom, monopolizing the broadcast.
And that participant was…
[Han Si-woo: Please begin the nomination for Ha Ye-rin!]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): I… uh…]
[Ha Ye-rin seems to be deep in thought!]
[Many participants are hoping to join Ha Ye-rin’s team…!]
[What will her choice be?]
[Tension-filled music.]
[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): … I’ll nominate Seo Yoo-jin!]
[……!!!]
[The shocked expressions of the participants and trainers.]
… and that was me.
– Huh?
– Huh?
– Um, what?
– Uh, excuse me?
– Is this allowed?
– Is Ye-rin acting up again?
– Ye-rin!
– What just happened?
As I nominated Yoo-jin on air, the viewer reactions flipped in disbelief.