NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 110
“After the competition, you will be divided into the winning and losing groups through the audience votes.”
“And… among the 11 participants in the losing group, the 8 with the lowest vote counts will be eliminated.”
“Thus, 11 from the winning group and 3 from the losing group, a total of 14, will advance to the final gateway for their debut.”
Final.
Hearing that made the participants’ eyes sparkle.
Na Ah Ah, who seemed like she’d never see the end, was now so close to the summit.
And all the remaining participants had the skills to aim for that summit.
From now on, they wouldn’t hesitate to do anything to claim it.
“Now, I know you’re all curious about one thing. You probably want to know who your most important competition will be!”
Gulp.
Hearing the mention of competition, the participants tensed up and listened intently to Han Si-woo.
Because more than anything, who the competition was mattered most in this round.
“Okay, please come in!”
Han Si-woo, enjoying the tense expressions of the participants, gestured to the production team outside the stage.
And what the production team brought was…
“…a lottery?”
It looked like something out of a lottery machine.
Wooong.
When Han Si-woo pressed the power button, wind swirled as the balls inside the transparent container began to fly around.
“There are a total of 22 balls in this container!”
“…!”
“If you open this hole, one ball will come out. And the participant corresponding to the number on the ball…”
“…”
“Will be able to designate their competitor for this round. For example, if ball number 1 comes out, then it would be Ye-rin, who was ranked first at the ranking announcement, designating her competition.”
Gulp.
Why did he have to use me as an example…
Realizing I could be chosen, the participants hurriedly looked away, avoiding making eye contact with me.
Especially the low-ranking contestants were deep in thought.
From their perspective, being pointed at by a high-ranking contestant like me meant certain defeat in the competition.
One of the quickly agitated low-ranking contestants raised their hand to ask courageously.
“Um… Han Si-woo Producer! Can we refuse if we’re designated?”
“Oh, great question. Of course, you can refuse!”
Phew…
The faces of the low-ranking contestants brightened upon hearing Han Si-woo’s confirmation.
But then…
“However, there will be a very ‘deadly penalty’ for those who refuse!”
“…!”
Han Si-woo grinned wickedly as if he was openly stating, “It’s going to be serious.”
And we could all sense this refusal penalty wasn’t going to be good at all.
“Could you maybe tell us what the penalty is…?”
“I won’t disclose what the penalty is. Actually, I said it was deadly, but it might not be a big deal. So feel free to refuse.”
Participants collectively thought the same thing upon hearing Han Si-woo’s words.
‘Liar.’
It seemed better to avoid refusing at all costs.
As I thought that, I contemplated suitable contestants for the competition.
I had previously promised to team up with Lee Hye-jeong and Seo Yoo-jin during the break.
…But it looked like I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.
Choosing those two would turn into a teamwork kill instead of helping them.
‘Excluding close friends… it’d be better to pick the lowest-ranking participants, right?’
I figured all participants would be thinking similarly.
A participant ranked lower than me.
A participant with lesser skills than me.
It would increase my chances of survival to compete with such a participant.
But it seemed as if he had read the thoughts of these contestants…
“…I think everyone here is planning to choose someone with a lower rank than themselves.”
Han Si-woo wiped the expression of a host away and spoke as if giving advice to a junior, his expression becoming serious.
“But I want to ask you all, is surviving this round your goal?”
“Well…”
“No. Your goal is to debut and become an idol loved by the public.”
“…!”
Participants flinched at Han Si-woo’s words.
“Na Ah Ah has also entered the later stages. The opportunities for you to appeal to the public are running low.”
“…”
“If you have a desire to climb higher than where you are now, then… I recommend you choose contestants whom you thought you could never surpass in this round.”
“…”
“Only those who challenge themselves and overcome their limits, can reach greater heights.”
Swish.
As Han Si-woo spoke, his gaze briefly fell on me before returning to his host face, smiling as he shouted.
“Now, with that, I wish all the participants good luck, and I’ll start drawing the balls!”
Wooong.
As the power was switched on, the wind swept in, and the balls started dancing around again.
Thus began the fate of the drawing.
“Uh, I’ll go with Ye-hee-soo as my opponent.”
“Ye-hee-soo has chosen Kim Min-jeong! Will you accept?”
“…I’ll accept.”
In the early part of the drawing.
Coincidentally or not, up until the fourth drawing, only balls from low-ranking participants in the 20s came out.
And it seemed the high-ranking participants had been inspired by Han Si-woo’s words, each choosing contestants ranked higher than themselves.
Of course, nobody among the 20s chose anyone within the top 10.
It felt like a calm before the storm, until it suddenly happened.
“The next number is… 8! Contestant Park Yoo-jung from the 8th place!”
When I heard Park Yoo-jung’s name, I turned my focus toward her.
Who would she choose?
‘I have a feeling Yoo-jung’s personality is bold enough to make a strong choice.’
And as I had guessed, Park Yoo-jung was indeed looking at participants ranked above her.
In fact…
“…?”
Her gaze landed on me and didn’t waver.
‘No way…?’
Yoo-jung, why are you looking at me?
I felt flustered as I suspected she might really be aiming for me.
Park Yoo-jung smiled lightly and said…
“I’ll choose Seo Yoo-jin as my opponent.”
“…!”
She pointed at Seo Yoo-jin, who was currently ranked 5th.
Whispers.
Park Yoo-jung from 8th place has nominated Seo Yoo-jin from 5th place.
As the elite began to clash for the first time, the venue erupted in a stir.
The focus switched to Seo Yoo-jin, who was now being watched by everyone….
“Ah, um…”
Seo Yoo-jin looked flustered, not sure how to react to Park Yoo-jung’s nomination.
She seemed to dislike the prospect of competing against Park Yoo-jung immensely.
‘…I’ve been curious about it for a while, what’s going on between the two?’
Since the first team competition, the relationship between Seo Yoo-jin and Park Yoo-jung had been strange.
Seo Yoo-jin was visibly intimidated and deferential towards Park Yoo-jung.
In any case, after much anxious deliberation, Seo Yoo-jin finally spoke.
“…I’ll accept.”
She eventually agreed.
It seemed she couldn’t afford to refuse, considering the penalty.
“Yes! She accepted! This means 5th place Seo Yoo-jin and 8th place Park Yoo-jung will compete together!”
“Woooh!”
The mood elevated as Seo Yoo-jin accepted the nomination.
The participants seemed genuinely intrigued by the idea of competitors from the high ranks clashing.
And those glances then turned…
Swish.
…towards me.
It appeared they were curious about who I would be competing against.
From their perspective, they would hope I went up against another high-ranking contestant.
But sorry to disappoint! I had no intention of fulfilling their expectations.
Han Si-woo had just pushed for competition against better contestants, but I was already ranked first.
Moreover, I had secured an overwhelmingly high vote count and my debut was practically guaranteed, with high chances of winning.
What incentive did I have to compete against another high-ranking contestant?
Facing another top contestant would do more harm than good.
Thus, I pondered who among the remaining low-ranking participants I would pick.
Wooong.
Once more, the machine operated.
Thud.
“Here comes a ball. The number is…”
Han Si-woo checked the number with a smirk and grabbed the microphone.
“2.”
“…”
“It’s 2.”
Swish.
As the number was announced, all gazes converged in one direction.
Under the weight of every camera and participant’s stare, Yoo Seol stood up, showing an inscrutable, calm smile.
Without a second thought…
“I’ll choose Ha Ye-rin as my opponent.”
“…!!!!”
…She pointed at me.
Whispers.
“Wow, no way…!”
“Insane!!”
“Unbelievable-!”
Participants brimming with excitement didn’t hide their exhilaration at getting the scene they wanted.
Zing-
The production team also turned their cameras toward the excitement, all smiles.
“…”
Only I remained… expressionless.
Yoo Seol is nearly guaranteed a debut, just like me.
If she’s rational, she shouldn’t take the gamble of picking me.
But I already knew in my gut that she’d choose me.
Yoo Seol aimed not just for her debut, but for the championship.
The only way she could narrow that overwhelming gap of 260,000 votes was through challenging me.
In any case, Yoo Seol did as expected, and it all came down to my choice.
…I was planning to refuse.
Of course, I was anxious about what the penalty could be.
But…
‘No matter how severe the penalty is… competing against Yoo Seol would be riskier.’
Even though I had a substantial lead in vote count, Yoo Seol’s overall stats were far superior to mine.
She had significantly more stage experience…
Honestly, I had stumbled into this first place due to luck. If I battled Yoo Seol, I would likely be far behind in skill.
If it came down to just her and me on stage, the public would find out about this fact.
‘Then I’d actually be at risk of a reversal.’
I gave it one last rational thought.
What choice should I make to win in Na Ah Ah?
…No matter how I thought about it, the safest way to win would be to reject Yoo Seol’s nomination here.
So I steeled my expression and picked up the microphone to convey my refusal.
“……I—”
Just then, everyone’s eyes widened in anticipation of my answer.
“Alright, that concludes the team selection! Participants, please gather with your competitors!”
After the team selection was over, at Han Si-woo’s command, I walked over to my upcoming competition partner.
And I asked.
“Sister, why did you pick me?”
“……”
With an emotionless face, Yoo Seol replied.
“I’m going to take you down and win Na Ah Ah.”
“……”
Yoo Seol, as expected, responded exactly how I thought she would and then asked me back.
“Then why didn’t you refuse my pick?”
“……”
That’s right.
I ultimately didn’t refuse Yoo Seol’s nomination.
‘…I’ll accept it.’
‘With this, contestant Ha Ye-rin from 1st place and contestant Yoo Seol from 2nd place will compete together!’
‘Wooahhhh—!!!!!’
The reason I didn’t refuse Yoo Seol’s pick was that just as I reached for the microphone to refuse, a sudden thought struck me.
Why did I even want to win in Na Ah Ah in the first place?
Initially, I agreed to join Na Ah Ah because of my parents, and I thought I would remain an inconspicuous participant.
But the reason I’m putting in this much effort into Na Ah Ah now, the reason I want to win so badly is…
‘Because I can’t forget the performance by Yoo Seol.’
At that moment, I saw a level of stage presence that was completely different from mine… overwhelmingly magnificent.
Driven by a deep sense of defeat…
At the same time, I felt an enormous urge to surpass her.
I wanted to be the one to overcome that individual, a feeling I had never experienced in my life.
“I’ll take you down and win.”
“……”
Winning without defeating Yoo Seol is meaningless.
I’d surpass Yoo Seol this time and proudly claim the crown.
That was my intention.
“Yeah, looks like we were on the same page this time.”
“…Do well, sister.”
“…Do well, my foot. I told you, we’re competitors.”
Swish.
Yoo Seol, saying this with a defiant gaze, looked up at me.
“In this round… I’ll thoroughly trample you.”
“……”
I found myself gazing at Yoo Seol, who was significantly shorter than me.
Thud.
“…!”
I gently placed my hand on her head and patted it.
“Looks like we’re thinking the same thing again.”
“……”
“In this round… I’ll thoroughly trample you.”
Unlike Yoo Seol, who looked at me with eyes full of enmity, I wore a face as cute as I could manage.
This was sure to hurt her pride even more.
“Ha.”
Yoo Seol smacked my hand away, her gaze burning with defiance.
I held my ground, eyes wide open, refusing to look away from her.
This 4th contest of Na Ah Ah, one that would etch itself deeply in my memory and bring closure to the rivalry between Yoo Seol and me, began like this— with an intense psychological battle.