I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

Tap, tap.

As the broadcast began, the sound of footsteps echoed alongside a darkened screen.

The protagonist was Han Si-woo.

Well, Na Ah Ah’s production team must have had a tough time recruiting the top-tier celebrity Han Si-woo.

From their perspective, they’ve got to reap the rewards, so they have no choice but to showcase him everywhere.

[Han Si-woo: With K-pop’s status rising, the admiration for idols is also increasing.]

[Han Si-woo: It’s already an old tale that being an idol is among the top dreams chosen by elementary students.]

With Han Si-woo’s words, a recent ranking chart of future dreams chosen by elementary students appears.

For the past ten years, idols have always been in the top five.

[Han Si-woo: But can everyone become an idol just because they want to?]

Bang!

As Han Si-woo’s figure is revealed, the background music shifts to something dark.

[Han Si-woo: As the number of idol trainees continues to rise… Only 0.1% of them debut successfully and make it their profession.]

[Han Si-woo: The 100 participants coming up are merely trainees… Until the viewers make their choices, that is.]

Woo-oo!

With Han Si-woo’s gesture, a gigantic set is unveiled.

A massive pyramid-shaped set is prepared, ranging from 1st place to 100th place.

[Han Si-woo: Only six trainees chosen by you, the viewers, will debut as idols.]

[Han Si-woo: Who among this talented group of 100 trainees will ultimately debut?]

[Han Si-woo: If you’re curious, stay tuned! If you want to support them, vote! Now starting… my Idol Academia!]

-We are dreaming!-The moment you see us.

As Han Si-woo finishes his last remark and the theme song plays, the opening of Na Ah Ah Episode 1 comes to a close.

And immediately, a mid-ad break appears.

[Nobelpia’s new author Bad Ending is Good’s “Don’t worry, I’m just a regular bandit,” please show us your love….]

“…….”

“…….”

Even during the ad, we were too nervous to take our eyes off the screen.

At that moment….

“Ji-woo, what are you doing?”

“Oh, just checking the viewers’ real-time reactions.”

Lee Ji-woo was fiddling with her laptop, pulling up a screen.

“This is Na Ah Ah’s real-time streaming comment section. We can check the overall viewer reactions with this.”

“Really?”

At Ji-woo’s words, Soo-hyun, Kang Hyung-man, and I all moved closer to see the screen.

The comment section was flying upwards at an incredible speed.

-ㄷㄱㄷㄱㄷㄱㄷㄱ

-Wow, Han Si-woo is handsome.

-So when are the kids coming out?

-It seems like this time the vibe is good, so is that why so many people are watching?

-Look at the speed the chat is moving up.

“Wow….”

Seeing the chat reactions, Kang Soo-hyun let out a small gasp.

“I heard Na Ah Ah is very popular this time, and it seems that’s true. People are flocking in!”

If the usually stoic Kang Soo-hyun is saying this, it must mean there’s substantial interest in Na Ah Ah this time.

And among the soaring comments were….

-When is that black-haired kid coming out?

-When is Ha Ye-rin coming out?

-Wake me up when Ha Ye-rin appears.

There were many comments calling for me.

“Wow—! Ye-rin is already getting a lot of popularity!”

“…Yeah. Hmm….”

“…Why? You seem worried?”

“I feel like there’s nothing being shown, and the hype is growing unnecessarily….”

“Oh….”

What if we fail to meet the viewers’ expectations and they turn away?

I was still consumed by that concern.

Noticing my anxiety, Kang Soo-hyun gave me a serious expression and comforted me.

“Ye-rin, of course, reactions like that can be burdensome, but the most important thing in an audition program is the initial buzz.”

“Soo-hyun….”

“Those comments will surely empower you, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Soo-hyun’s comforting words always give me strength.

Thanks to her, I felt a bit more at ease and decided to watch Na Ah Ah more calmly.

Just in time, the ad ended, and Na Ah Ah resumed.

[Selecting Seats.]

[What seats will the trainees choose?]

Seat selection.

I couldn’t even remember when we filmed this… but to the viewers, this is the first corner.

Our first impression would be decided here and now.

[Hello-! We are from Tai Hai Entertainment!]

[Yoon Se-ah (Tai Hai): Sisters, where should we sit?]

[Go Mi-hyun (Tai Hai): Right? Why on earth are we first?]

[Buckle up for the brutal survival to begin!]

[How will the Tai Hai trainees rank?]

The first order participants definitely received a decent amount of screen time.

‘Where did they sit again?’

I couldn’t even remember where Tai Hai was seated, but they still got plenty of footage with solo interviews.

The Tai Hai trainees were pretty good-looking compared to their skills, garnering favorable viewer reactions.

-Hey, they’re pretty.

-They’re actually kind of hot?

-When is JJ’s Yoo Seol coming out?

As positively staged as the seat selection proceeded….

[Hello! We are from Rahiti Entertainment….]

Following Tai Hai, Rahiti, Hazel, and other small agencies came forward one after another.

Up until this point, there hadn’t been anyone particularly eye-catching among the participants.

The viewers likely felt the same, as the speed of comments started dwindling.

Yawn…

-What a parade with no food at a renowned feast.

-Why are only nobodies showing up?

But at that moment….

[SAV Entertainment]

-…!

-SAV…?

When the name SAV Entertainment appeared on the scoreboard, the atmosphere shifted.

The only trainee from Na Ah Ah’s SAV, Seo Yoo-jin, was about to appear.

[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): Wow, you’ve all come already. Hello~.]

[Ah, hello…!]

[Nervous participants upon the entrance of the third-largest agency, SAV’s Seo Yoo-jin…!]

With her usual confident smile, Seo Yoo-jin sat down at the 2nd seat.

As the camera zoomed in on her, reactions from surrounding participants started erupting.

[Jeong I-hyun (Hazel): I felt it as soon as I saw her… Wow, SAV is different…]

[Q: Why did you choose to sit in the second seat?]

[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I thought I barely lacked the skills to sit in the first seat, so I chose the second seat!]

Seo Yoo-jin’s confident demeanor and SAV’s background, along with her significant screentime, drew favorable reactions from the viewers.

-Wow.

-As expected, SAV.

-So pretty, really.

-I think I’ll vote for her.

After that, Na Ah Ah began showcasing other major participants, almost as if saving them for this moment.

Following Seo Yoo-jin, another A Rank-like Na Han-na made her mark on the viewers with her unique character….

[Na Han-na (Solrn): Hi… I’m Na Han-na from Solrn Entertainment….]

[Q: What are you thinking right now?]

[Na Han-na (Solrn): I’m sleepy….]

Hahaha!

-Wow, she’s pretty too.

-Her half-closed eyes are cute, right?

-Hey? I saw her in a short somewhere.

Park Yoo-jung, sitting in the 100th seat, also garnered some good impressions.

[Q: Why are you sitting in the 100th seat?]

[Park Yoo-jung (Ratum): I feel I’m lacking. I will show you my growth!]

-Good meaning, but she looks kinda rough.

-Haha, totally looks like a Golden Retriever.

And now the highly anticipated Lee Hye-jeong.

[Lee Hye-jeong (Kidship): Ah, hello! Nice to meet you!]

-…!

-Hey, isn’t she K-Star’s girl?

-Yeah, I heard she would be here.

-Wow, is she actually here?

When she, who had previously shown good performances in audition programs, appeared, the comment section stirred.

It seemed like the broadcast kept asking about how she got involved as if they wanted to keep the interest going.

[Q: How did you decide to participate?]

[Lee Hye-jeong (Kidship): …My dream was to be an idol. To fulfill that dream….]

But….

[Next participant!]

…Lee Hye-jeong’s screentime ended there.

Although she had the background of being top 7 from K-Star and had exceptional vocal talent….

It was as if there was some witches’ plot, as she didn’t appear on TV anymore.

-What? Is that all for Lee Hye-jeong?

-Hey, she’s coming from Big Gami next.

Since she hadn’t appeared, the viewers’ interest waned right there.

I suspected the production team had downgraded her to B Rank from the start, but actually witnessing her lack of screentime was disheartening.

‘Did Lee Hye-jeong debut in her past life?’

The only Na Ah Ah debut team I knew was Yoo Seol.

I had no idea whether Lee Hye-jeong had debuted or not.

But….

‘If the K-star’s 7th place made it to the debut team, I would have heard something about it at least….’

Sadly, I had never heard such a story.

More than likely, the possibility leaned towards her not debuting.

‘What a bummer….’

I watched the broadcast with a bitter taste and cold eyes.

In the meantime, the seats were filling up, and I was still nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Ye-rin. When are you coming out?”

Seeing I hadn’t appeared yet, Ji-woo nervously swallowed.

“I’m second from the last, so I’ll be on soon.”

“Wait, second from last means….”

Then it happened.

[Song I-hyun (Dakona): I’ll sit at Seat 83.]

Finally, the third to last order ended.

“Wait, so Ye-rin’s about to come out?”

The only seats left were the 1st and 99th.

[The remaining participants are two. Who will take the 1st seat?]

The broadcast highlighted the sparkling 1st seat through captions.

-Wow, only 2 left now.

-Hey, isn’t it funny they’re both left?

-When is Yoo Seol coming out?

-Ah, Ha Ye-rin, hurry up. I’ve waited all this time to see you.

The viewers were also speculating about who the two remaining participants were, revealing their anticipation.

At that moment….

Boom!

[Brotherhood Planning]

The name of Brotherhood Planning appeared on the scoreboard….

[Brotherhood Planning? Hahaha—!]

The participants burst into laughter at the sight of the company name.

[Kim I-seo (Rahiti): We laughed so much when we first saw the company name.]

[Nishimura Yui (Tai Hai): Kyodai Planning? Hahaha, even thinking about it makes me laugh.]

This was significant enough for the production team to conduct separate reaction interviews.

However….

Clack.

Suddenly, the screen transitioned to slow motion, and the laughter faded away.

Clack.

Woo-oo!

With the clear sound of footsteps, a heavy background music began playing.

And within the fogged screen, my entire silhouette was captured as well.

“Hey, Ye-rin. Is that you?”

“…I think that’s probably me?”

The editing quality was entirely different from when other participants appeared.

It felt like the atmosphere and music signified the arrival of a final boss from a movie.

[Kim I-seo (Rahiti): At first, we laughed. Yes, until that person showed up.]

Concluding with a climactic interview.

Clack.

-Don’t tell me? That person?

-The black-haired one?

-Ye-rin?

-If it’s Brotherhood Planning, then it’s definitely her.

At the moment when all the synergy aligned and commenters were about to explode with anticipation, the owner of the footsteps revealed her figure.

[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): …Hello.]

…It was me.

The camera captured my face, which was colder and more tense than usual, for three seconds, with the shocked reactions of the other participants blurred in the background.

At that instant, the comments section paused for about two seconds, as if time had stopped….

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Wow, dammit.

-Insane.

-Damn, wow.

They began flooding in with overwhelming power.

And then, straight into an advertisement.

[Bad Ending is Good? No, now it’s Happy Ending is Good! Please show your love for the MZ martial arts “Don’t worry, I’m just a regular bandit.”….]

Even after the ad, the comments poured in like a torrential flood, reminiscent of a chaotic battlefield.

-Damn, get that ad out of here.

-Wow, she’s really pretty.

-No way, she’s prettier than on YouTube.

-Just be my girlfriend already.

-Damn, I’m heading to vote right now.

-No, sis, you’re completely stunning.

-Insane, so insane.

“…….”

“…….”

Right now in the monitoring room, others were alternating between watching my entrance and the comments, staring blankly.

-Ye-rin, damn, I love you.

-Wow, I’m really dying.

-Just debut already.

-So where do we vote, you jerks?

At that moment, I felt like I had already started cultivating countless fans even before my first performance.

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