I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

Bwoong-.

“…….”

“…….”

In the car heading to the Na Ah Ah Set.

It was the same time, the same road, but there was something a little different from usual.

That was….

“Ah…, I’m so nervous….”

“Are you too, honey? I am….”

“I don’t get why we’re nervous when it’s Ye-rin who’s performing, not us.”

It was the fact that my parents were sitting next to me, just like the first time I went to the Na Ah Ah Set.

Quiet Sang-gu oppa, Kang Hyung-man, was getting a bit irritated and shouted at my parents, who were filling the car with sound.

“Can you two be a bit quieter?”

“Ah….”

“Sure….”

At Kang Hyung-man’s small scolding, my parents immediately said “sorry” and whispered to me.

“President Kang is too sensitive….”

“Ye-rin, does President Kang treat you the same? If so, tell Dad right away….”

“…It’s just that Dad and Mom are noisy, so let’s keep it down.”

“…Hehe.”

Only after I turned away did they lower their voices.

And….

“Ye-rin.”

“…Yes?”

Dad asked me a serious question with an unusually serious tone for a long time.

“Do you really want to become an idol?”

“…….”

It had been ages since Dad showed such a serious attitude.

I was a bit confused but soon replied just as seriously.

“Yes, I want to.”

“……So you really want to debut through Na Ah Ah?”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Come on, it’s not like our daughter would ever fail, but what if… what if you end up getting eliminated…?”

“…….”

“If you don’t debut from Na Ah Ah, do you still want to become an idol?”

Dad’s question made me think for a moment.

Of course, the chances of me getting eliminated from Na Ah Ah were extremely low.

But if there was even a one in ten thousand chance of getting cut…

I’d probably feel really disappointed and despairing at first.

And….

The thought of not being on a team with the other participants I’d grown attached to would be really sad.

“I want to continue pursuing being an idol even if I get eliminated from Na Ah Ah.”

“…….”

“But… I will definitely debut from Na Ah Ah. Because I have my friends there. If I don’t debut with Na Ah Ah… it’ll just be really painful.”

Hearing my answer, Dad had a brief uncomfortable look on his face, but then….

Swish-.

“Yeah, our daughter will definitely make it.”

“Your mom and I will cheer you on hard from outside.”

With that, Mom patted my back along with Dad.

The way they spoke and acted was the complete opposite of how they had tried to brashly attach themselves to me the first time they went to the Na Ah Ah Set.

“Dad…, Mom…. Thank you.”

So I thought stupidly that Dad and Mom had changed a bit.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Sure…!”

“Fighting…!”

Not knowing what Dad and Mom were thinking in their heads.

Kiiik.

The car arrived at the Na Ah Ah Set….

“There are so many people.”

I noticed there were more people than usual at the entrance to the set.

Since this was the last filming of Na Ah Ah, it seemed like the other participants’ families had come to cheer them on.

“Fighting! You can do it!”

One participant’s dad shouted encouragement in a loud voice….

“Huh…, my daughter has grown up so much….”

Another participant’s mom cried and hugged her daughter.

And my parents, not wanting to lose, also….

Hoooon…! Ye-rin…! You’re not even an adult yet, but I’m so proud of you for already making a name for yourself…!

“Back in the day, you were my little Ha Ye-rin…, and now look how much you’ve grown….”

“You can do this, okay?”

“Think of your mom and dad when times get tough…! Hoooh….”

“…I understand, so please stop holding onto me.”

They were overacting as usual, hugging me and peppering me with kisses.

I barely escaped from my overly excited parents to stand in front of Kang Hyung-man.

Kang Hyung-man just said something briefly, more concise than usual.

“You did well until now, so finish strong and come back.”

“…….”

I felt a little left out.

I knew Kang Hyung-man was a blunt person.

But on a day like today, wouldn’t it be okay to say a few more words to cheer me on?

I seemed to have become quite comfortable with Kang Hyung-man.

I pouted slightly and mumbled to him.

“What’s this? Is that it, President?”

“Hmm?”

“Other people are being all lively, saying ‘Have a good time,’ but yours is even shorter than usual….”

Only then did Kang Hyung-man let out a small chuckle, patting my head.

“Because I trust you.”

“…!”

And that one sentence was….

“Because I believe in you, who has always done well until now.”

“…….”

Although short, it comforted and reassured me more than any sweet talk.

“I got word from the production team. They’re inviting company officials and family members to next week’s live broadcast.”

“Ah….”

“I’ve never seen your stage up close until now, but I’ll finally get to see it then.”

Kang Hyung-man would watch my stage in person.

That was both nerve-wracking and thrilling.

“Do your best…, I’ll see you next week. No matter what the outcome is…, I believe in you.”

“Thank you…, President.”

With those words, I felt him gently pat my head.

As I lowered my head, Sang-gu oppa approached me and gave me a word of encouragement.

“Since you usually do well…, you’ll do well this time too. Fighting.”

“Thank you, oppa.”

I gave Sang-gu oppa a slight nod and bowed to everyone.

“Then, I’ll be off. See you next week!”

“Okay, go and come back.”

“Our daughter, fighting.”

Thus, with that, I finished saying goodbye to Kang Hyung-man, Sang-gu oppa, and my parents, and stepped inside with the heart of a soldier heading into battle.

And….

“…Oh.”

“……”

I locked eyes with Lee Hye-jeong coming from the opposite direction.

“Hye-jeong un….”

I was about to greet Lee Hye-jeong with a friendly wave when I stopped.

I recalled how she didn’t get her screen time properly assigned in yesterday’s broadcast.

Lee Hye-jeong wouldn’t know that the reason she had less screen time yesterday was due to friction between Shin PD and me.

‘Should I just tell her the truth?’

Looking at the slightly troubled expression on Lee Hye-jeong’s face, I couldn’t help but feel lost in thought.

But, as if to make my worries irrelevant….

“Ye-rin!”

Lee Hye-jeong approached me with a bright smile as soon as she saw me.

“I watched yesterday’s broadcast. You looked beautiful.”

“Ah….”

As she started to talk about the broadcast first, I could only stutter for a moment.

And as I was about to speak with a slightly subdued tone….

“Unnie…, about yesterday’s broadcast…”

“Don’t worry.”

Lee Hye-jeong interrupted me with a bright smile.

And she replied with a voice full of persistence.

“I haven’t given up yet. There’s still the final left.”

“…….”

“So let’s cheer for each other, okay?”

The expression on Lee Hye-jeong’s face didn’t seem like someone who had given up on their debut at all.

‘I shouldn’t mess this up.’

So, I also followed suit and managed to pull the corners of my mouth up.

And….

“Yes, unnie, let’s do our best until the end.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Holding hands with Lee Hye-jeong, we entered together.

I could feel her hand was trembling a bit.

After unpacking my things at the dorm and changing into training clothes, we gathered at the filming site.

It was the familiar set that had the pyramid seating.

As I stood in the middle with Lee Hye-jeong waiting for the ranking announcement, my friendly contestants gathered around me.

“Unnie.”

“Yoo-jin.”

“I’m here too.”

“Right, Yoo-jung.”

The first ones to come up to me were Seo Yoo-jin and Park Yoo-jung.

“Unnie…, you created an Instagram account but haven’t accepted my follow request….”

“Yoo-jin…, um. There’s a reason, and I’ll explain next time.”

“Hehe….”

Seo Yoo-jin wrapped her arms around me as if she was upset that I hadn’t accepted her request.

To console her, I gently scratched her chin.

This was a type of physical affection that Seo Yoo-jin liked.

Meanwhile, Park Yoo-jung, who was watching us, stuck to my other arm and whispered.

“But unnie…. Is it just me, or does the atmosphere feel a bit off for the final?”

“…I guess so.”

I replied to Park Yoo-jung and looked around.

As Park Yoo-jung said, the atmosphere among the contestants was much heavier and colder than before.

It felt like the early morning air before an exam, reminiscent of taking the Suneung in my previous life.

While trying to observe the atmosphere a bit more, I turned my head this way and that….

“Ah.”

I made eye contact with Yoo Seol.

Swish.

The moment she locked eyes with me, she gave me a light greeting.

Compared to the past when she’d ignore me and treated me coldly, this was a huge improvement….

“…….”

But perhaps because it was the final, I could see that there was unmistakable anxiety in Yoo Seol’s eyes.

If she felt anxious, other contestants were feeling even more so.

Even….

‘Han-na too….’

The usually sleepy-eyed Na Han-na was now wide awake, looking tense.

In fact, I even noticed a contestant right next to me who looked different than usual.

“Unnie, I have something to say….”

“Hm? Go ahead, Yoo-jung.”

Park Yoo-jung hesitated but called out to me, so I turned my gaze back to her.

And facing me, Park Yoo-jung said….

“I really want to be on the same team with you in the final.”

“…….”

She wasn’t wearing her usual playful expression; instead, her face was expressionless.

I was surprised at how upfront she was about wanting to be on the same team for the first time, but soon understood her feelings.

‘Because it’s the final, even Yoo-jung is feeling the pressure.’

Park Yoo-jung was someone I had gotten really close to during Na Ah Ah, plus she had strong vocal and dance skills and balanced well, definitely one of the members I wanted to debut with.

Also, since she had such great social skills, the team with Park Yoo-jung always had a good atmosphere.

So I also wanted to be on the same team for the final stage if possible.

Just as I was nodding in agreement and getting ready to respond to her at that moment….

“Okay, Yoo-jung. If possible, let’s be on the same team this time….”

“Alright, we’ll start filming now! All contestants, please get ready. And… cue!”

One of the production team members called out, signaling the start of filming.

Thanks to that, my voice was drowned out, so I leaned in and whispered to Park Yoo-jung one more time.

“I want to be on your team too, Yoo-jung. Let’s team up.”

“…Yes, for sure.”

Then, as soon as I finished my conversation with Park Yoo-jung, Han Si-woo appeared on stage.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Han Si-woo, here to announce the start of the Na Ah Ah final week!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Participants gave polite applause for Han Si-woo, who was now quite familiar.

Seeing the gathering of applause, Han Si-woo smiled and began his formal opening remarks.

As his opening remarks concluded….

“Now, the moment all contestants have been waiting for has come.”

“……!”

“It’s time for the ranking announcement.”

He proclaimed the long-awaited start of the ranking announcement.

“This ranking announcement is the last chance to know your rankings before deciding the final debut team. Its importance is hard to express in words.”

“…….”

Everyone, including me, swallowed hard at Han Si-woo’s words.

As he said, this ranking announcement was incredibly significant.

‘It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the debut team will largely be determined through this ranking announcement.’

It wasn’t just about debuting, either.

Through this ranking announcement, I could also see who was closest to winning.

‘Last time’s ranking announcement, I was 1st with a 260,000 vote lead over Yoo Seol.’

But in the last competition’s one-on-one match, Yoo Seol had narrowly beaten me.

I didn’t think that a gap of 260,000 – quite a bit – could be turned around all at once, but Yoo Seol would surely have lost fewer votes this time.

I wondered just how much my votes compared to Yoo Seol now.

Could it possibly be a level where it could be reversed? …Or had she already surpassed me?

Also, what about the rankings of the other participants?

What about Na Han-na? Seo Yoo-jin?

What about Park Yoo-jung, who was barely hanging on to debut rights?

…And Lee Hye-jeong? Had her rank dropped since last time?

With those thoughts racing through my mind before the ranking announcement, I felt a surge of uncertainty and tension boiling up inside me.

It seemed to be the same for the other participants, as everyone was focused solely on Han Si-woo’s mouth.

With everyone’s attention on him, Han Si-woo flipped a page of his script.

“This ranking announcement will…, first, announce the eliminated contestants.”

Sorry to say, but I wasn’t curious about the eliminated.

What I was concerned about was solely the rankings of the survivors.

“Next, the announcement of the rankings for survivors…”

“…….”

Feeling that everyone was waiting for his next words, Han Si-woo paused for a moment.

And the moment his lips opened again….

“…!”

I saw it.

The mischievous, sinister smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.

“…I’m not going to announce them.”

“…….”

“…….”

His words made the atmosphere in the room go cold like ice.

In that tense moment, Han Si-woo raised the microphone and shouted again.

“I’ll say it once more. At this ranking announcement right before the final, I will not be revealing the rankings of the survivors.”

“……Ah.”

“…What does that mean.”

It was then that the contestants, including me, started coming back to our senses and murmuring among ourselves.

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