Chapter 17
'590,000 views.' I couldn't take my eyes off the number. To think it had grown this much since the first day.
Before I even clicked the video, the preview of the view count held me captive.
Since I had received 8 points as a bonus, I suspected that people were watching my video more than expected, but...
At the end of the day, it was a 1 minute and 20 second video of an unknown trainee.
It wasn't like I had been on a major broadcast yet; it was just a participant introduction video for a show that only had a teaser out.
Compared to other trainees who used props or pushed catchy catchphrases, my shoot was practically devoid of any obvious charm.
At the time, my stat EXP was terrible, and I was being interfered with by the Choice Window...
(Though I did my best).
Yet, a video I had low expectations for had exploded in views.
Since it earned me extra points through recommendations, it clearly wasn't trending for a bad reason.
'Was it simply luck?'
...I barely managed to pull myself together and clicked the video.
On the first day it was posted, the count was 39,000.
That was a decent number for a fresh upload.
Calculating from the hourly growth rate back then, for it to reach this current number, the momentum had to have stayed consistent for a whole week.
No, it actually had to have accelerated.
'But why? Exactly why?'
I scrolled down to the comment section and fixed my eyes on the "Best Comments" at the top.
The comment that was at the very top on the first day had been pushed down slightly.
Above it was a string of comments filled with laughter, boasting massive amounts of recommendations.
It wasn't mocking or derisive laughter; it was interest, amusement, and a form of affection.
@ChouxCreamBread ‖ I knew this sounded familiar... Green-Green Journey...? I thought it was an original song, so I was thinking, "She's good at composing but trash at lyrics"... I was saying this shit lol. ‖
↳ Crazy, it's true ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What a rearrangement ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ Ah, I thought it was a translation of some pop song ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ No, but how do you sing that "cutie-pie" song like a drama OST?
↳ ? Wait, what's the original song that everyone is reacting like this?? Tell me too ㅠㅠㅠ
↳ (MeTube Link) This is a children's cartoon opening song.
↳ Oh my god ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ This is legendary ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ Who sings a cartoon opening like that? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
@LifeOfAKpopStanIs... ‖ There are so many people looking for the song this trainee sang... This isn't a tragic movie OST; it's the theme song for a children's cartoon called 'Green-Green Journey'... (MeTube Link) ‖
↳ Excuse me...?
↳ What?
↳ Huh?
↳ ?
↳ Stop lying.
↳ The replies ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Everyone being so confused is hilarious.
@AbsolutelyCantHoldBackMango... ‖ A song that's genuinely good only if you don't know Korean. ‖
↳ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ You have to ignore the lyrics...
↳ Give me back the time when I didn't know the truth behind the song.
↳ Now it's just funny every time I hear it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
@ReveLuvReveLuv ‖ Seeing that she even went as far as to rearrange it like this... Girl, you're more serious about the Tong-Tong Bus than I thought? ‖
↳ Nostalgia ON.
↳ The Tong-Tong Bus peak era was definitely when that cartoon came out.
↳ But there are so many masterpieces among the Tong-Tong Bus songs, why this one? ㅋㅋㅋ
Hmm...
The reaction was quite interesting.
It seems choosing this was the right direction after all, much better than that weird horror song.
Even now, as I scroll, the interest in the song I sang is dominant.
I felt relieved, knowing I benefited greatly from the song choice.
However, there was a slight misunderstanding: people thought I had rearranged the song myself.
Well... for something I just sang after missing the first note, the quality was apparently quite high.
If I were a viewer who didn't know I had made a mistake, I might have thought it was originally intended to have that vibe.
As expected, in this game, the ripple effect of a Choice Window is massive.
If I had picked that strange horror game OST back then, I wouldn't have received anywhere near this much interest.
That thought alone was enough to remind me of the importance of every choice.
Then, one comment caught my eye.
@ekrcurotozl ‖ I came here after seeing this on Tweeting ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It was real ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ‖
↳ Singing Green-Green Journey with this much quality is actual madness ㅋㅋ
↳ Me too ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ I came here just in case, and it was legit ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It was a post saying they came here after seeing me mentioned on a famous social media platform.
Below it, there were over 70 replies from people saying they did the same.
I liked all the comments and then opened the SNS app.
I didn't even have to search; a certain post was visible as soon as I entered.
I clicked on the post that was being heavily reposted, and a video attached to a short text enlarged.
The video, which started playing automatically, was a short edit of just the part where I was singing.
@Mym** ‖ This is killing me lol. Among the Hon trainee intro videos, there's a girl singing Green-Green Journey, but with a moody rearrangement... (Video of Trainee Seo Da-na singing | 00:34) ‖ ⟦ ⇅ 8,344 | ♡ 6,976 ⟧
It wasn't just this one; several other similar posts had been uploaded.
And all of them were spreading further through reposts (Retweets).
The first post I saw actually had the lowest number of reposts.
Without me knowing, I had gained a significant amount of fame on social media.
Moreover, I saw many posts that started gaining traction late, which was likely thanks to raising my stat EXP in the meantime.
As I increased my Charm and Affection stats, people began to view me more favorably.
In short, the public was looking at me through a "likability filter."
Because of that, it seemed some people had only recently recognized my existence.
For me, the more people interested in me, the better, so it was a good thing regardless.
I liked those posts that showed interest in me.
⟦ ♥ 6,977 ⟧
Seeing the heart count go up by one made me feel a sense of pride, and the corners of my mouth curled into a smile.
The first broadcast hasn't even started yet, but this level of interest is a very good sign.
Everything needs a good start.
Rather than a growth narrative of recovering from a bad image, it's safest to maintain a good image from start to finish.
Nodding at the positive reactions to my video, I looked up the videos of other trainees.
The view counts of the trainees who already had recognition were on a completely different level compared to mine.
Won Chaeseo, the overall 1st place in the first mission, was already nearing 1 million views.
I heard she was popular during other auditions, but I could definitely feel the depth of her fanbase.
It was almost at a level of breaking the balance.
In fact, the comments on Won Chaeseo's Self PR video were even scolding the company.
‖ Even so, why would you put Won Chaeseo in a debut survival show? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Shouldn't she be confirmed, and then they pick the rest?? ‖ ‖ No, Won Chaeseo is basically a confirmed debut member... ‖ ‖ Is this a debut survival or a 'Beat Won Chaeseo' survival? ‖
Well... the public opinion was more or less like that.
No explanation needed.
But there was one thing that puzzled me.
Why didn't such a skilled and popular girl debut before?
In my memory, Won Chaeseo was not a member who debuted.
That's why I didn't know her.
If I had to pick the most impressive performance among today's stages, I would definitely pick Won Chaeseo's.
She currently has the most overwhelming skill among the trainees, and her overall performance was just great.
The public recognized that skill, and watching her today, she seemed to genuinely enjoy the act of dancing and singing.
She can sing, she can dance, she has talent, and she has the visuals... she is literally the textbook definition of an idol.
She's a "cheat character" on par with the future debut members.
But why would a girl like that...?
Unless she dropped out midway, I can't imagine her failing to make the debut lineup.
That was definitely a point of curiosity.
'Hmm... anyway, it's not important right now.'
Thinking that I didn't need to worry about it, I turned off her video.
After browsing a few more PR videos, I exited MeTube entirely.
At this point, I started to worry a bit: did I raise the expectations too high?
Since public opinion can flip at any time, I need to stay sharp.
And I have to do my best at every moment.
Before that, I'll have to use my brain well.
Anyway, with a start that felt quite smooth, I thought I'd sleep well tonight.
* * *
Practice Room 3, where several cameras were gathered.
The entire 'Won Chaeseo Team,' including myself, was gathered and sitting together.
"Have you chosen the songs?" "I've narrowed down some candidates. I wanted to talk about them with you guys." "Aww, look at her!" "How precious!"
The 11th and 15th place trainees on either side of Won Chaeseo patted her as she answered my question.
I also nodded, agreeing with her excellent approach.
After all, it was a benefit she earned through her own effort, so no one would complain if she indulged a bit.
Yet, her decision to compromise and increase the team's unity was extremely wise.
If she chose a song that only she excelled at, her individual ranking might be guaranteed, but it would be hard for the team to aim for the top.
That would make it look like she was only trying to survive alone, which wouldn't be a good situation for Won Chaeseo either.
Furthermore, if the leader dominates alone, the entire team becomes significantly disadvantaged, including Won Chaeseo herself.
Because...
"The team must rank within the Top 4. I need to pick something we can all do well, not just me."
Just as Won Chaeseo said, the team itself must rank within the top 4.
That was due to the competition rules of the second mission.
The most important rule this time: there are no eliminations for the Top 4 teams.
In other words, out of the 10 members in the bottom two teams, a staggering 6 people will be eliminated.
In addition, the 1st place trainee within the 1st place team receives a benefit...
I couldn't miss out on that.
Even though the leaders had an advantage, if they ignored teamwork just for their own sake?
They could end up in danger of elimination themselves.
Thus, the leaders couldn't just do whatever they wanted.
I could say it's just a survival show and move on, but...
Won Chaeseo didn't seem to be that cold of a person.
"Right! No one in our team should be eliminated." "Let's all move up together!"
I kept nodding among the trainees who had found their energy at Won Chaeseo's words.
Now, let's get to the main point.
Let's see what songs Won Chaeseo brought.
I took the three sets of lyric sheets she handed out and looked at the list of the three candidate songs.
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