Supported by Go Eun-Seo, Yoon Ah-Rin made her way down from the stage, then stopped when she saw me.

She immediately lowered her head. "I'm... sorry."

Drip, drip.

Thick tears fell steadily to the ground.

At that moment, Song Mi-Hee, who had come down behind Yoon Ah-Rin, hurriedly stepped in and protected her. "Mr. Jung. I'm okay. I'm really okay, so please just let this go this once. Ah-Rin probably acted like that because of the pressure from the audition. These kinds of auditions can really mess with your head."

Song Mi-Hee had gone through ten years as a trainee. Even during trainee life, there were countless auditions and internal competitions just to become part of a girl group. Because of that, she understood better than anyone how much a person's mindset could shake during an audition. That was why she was protecting Yoon Ah-Rin, even after what had almost happened to her.

Of course, I knew all that too. If I counted even before my regression, I couldn't even remember how many auditions I had managed.

"Don't worry." After calming Song Mi-Hee, I looked at Yoon Ah-Rin, who still had her head lowered. Then I said what I had to say. "Get on!"

Caught off guard, Yoon Ah-Rin lifted her head in shock. "W-what...?"

"I said get on. The wheelchair's for Mi-Hee, so there's only one."

I lowered myself in front of her and turned my back, gesturing for her to climb on, just like I had done for Song Mi-Hee when she was hurt. And this was exactly what I intended to do.

Yoon Ah-Rin hesitated, unsure, and asked again. "But why...?"

"What do you mean why? Then are you going to walk? What if your leg gets worse? You might end up never being able to stand on stage again."

After a moment of hesitation, Yoon Ah-Rin slowly wrapped her trembling arms around my neck.

At that moment, I lifted her onto my back and stood up. Because of all the weight control for the competition, she felt so light it was hard to tell whether I was even carrying her.

Then I spoke to Do Ran-Hee, who had been watching anxiously. "Ran-Hee. I've got something to talk about with Ah-Rin, so go ahead first."

"Ah, okay."

Do Ran-Hee led the others back to the waiting room. Only then did I begin walking slowly, carrying Yoon Ah-Rin on my back. We passed by countless staff members and reached the hallway near the waiting room.

Once there was no one around, Yoon Ah-Rin, unable to bear the silence, asked in a trembling voice. "Mr. Jung... Do you hate me?"

"You did something hateful, so of course I do."

Yoon Ah-Rin's voice broke as she began to cry again. "T-then why are you carrying me? Why aren't you scolding me?"

I stopped walking. Through the mirror hanging in the hallway, I looked at Yoon Ah-Rin's face over my shoulder. Her mascara had smudged into dark streaks, her tears and snot had made a mess of her face. And on top of that, she wore an expression filled with self-loathing.

'Just as I thought.'

As expected, Yoon Ah-Rin had lost her sense of reason due to her obsession with success, then came to her senses too late. She was showing the typical pattern of someone like that. Kids like this, if guided properly, still had more than enough chances to turn things around. More than anything, Song Mi-Hee had already chosen to forgive her. So I decided to give her a second chance.

"I told you earlier in the waiting room, didn't I? That even if it wasn't Mi-Hee, I would've carried anyone who got hurt. You're all my kids."

"Even so..."

"If Mi-Hee has already forgiven you and you've reflected on your actions, what's the point of scolding you now? Why? You're not planning to act like this again if something like this happens, are you?"

Yoon Ah-Rin shook her head vigorously. She shook it so hard my whole body swayed. "Never. I'll never do it again. I think I just lost my mind for a moment."

"Good. And Ah-Rin, one piece of advice—no matter what, never do anything that could harm someone else in this industry, even by mistake. If the person you targeted had a sponsor backing them, you could end up going through things you should never have to experience. I don't want my kids going through that."

If, by any chance, the person she had targeted was someone backed by powerful figures, it wouldn't have ended like this. Those with sponsors knew exactly how to use the influence of politicians and conglomerates behind them. And the consequences could be things too horrific to even put into words.

Realizing that I was genuinely concerned for her, Yoon Ah-Rin broke down completely. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jung. I'm really sorry. I'm so, so sorry... sob."

"Alright, alright. And make sure you properly apologize to Mi-Hee."

Hoping Yoon Ah-Rin would cherish this second chance, I opened the door to the waiting room.

Click.

As soon as the door opened, Song Mi-Hee, who had been anxiously waiting, came toward us, awkwardly maneuvering a wheelchair.

***

Doctor Kim Soo-Myung and Doctor Jeon Soo-Min, who had just arrived in the waiting room, checked the condition of Yoon Ah-Rin and Song Mi-Hee's ankles. The I.O.A members, Do Ran-Hee, Chief Lee Dong-Min, and Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo all gathered, waiting for the diagnosis.

Then Jeon Soo-Min examined Yoon Ah-Rin's ankle and shook her head. "Ah-Rin won't be able to go on stage. She needs to be sent to the hospital immediately. And Mi-Hee doesn't need to go to the hospital, but she absolutely shouldn't perform any intense choreography."

In the end, Yoon Ah-Rin couldn't even step onto the Part 2 stage and was out. Holding back her tears, she turned to the managers and fellow participants in the waiting room and bowed.

"Thank you... for taking care of me all this time. And... I'm sorry."

Song Mi-Hee stepped forward and held Yoon Ah-Rin's hand tightly. "You did well, Ah-Rin. Get your ankle treated and let's meet again later, okay? Opportunities always come, so don't ever get discouraged."

Yoon Ah-Rin lifted her tear-filled eyes. "Thank you, unnie. And I'm sorry. I... wasn't in my right mind earlier."

"I know. Who here hasn't been like that at some point? I've had moments like that too."

Fortunately, the two of them were able to reconcile, holding hands in forgiveness. After that, Yoon Ah-Rin apologized to me once more before being carried out on a stretcher brought in from the emergency vehicle.

Click.

The waiting room door closed. There were less than five minutes left until Part 2 of Project I.O.A began.

I raised my voice toward the girls, who were still standing there in a daze. "The competition isn't over yet, so everyone, focus!"

"Yes, sir!"

Only then did they quickly begin checking their outfits. In that brief moment, I immediately called PD Ji Yung-Sik.

"Ah-Rin has just been sent to the hospital."

-Understood. Oh, and Once Again, Idol! dropped to 8.9% in viewership ratings, while we've climbed to 10.9%.

"I expected something like this, but a two percent gap?"

-Yes. Just like you said, since Yoo Se-Na didn't perform live in Part 1, disappointed viewers are tuning out.

Then, Ji Yung-Sik's voice turned uneasy.

-Huh?

"What is it?"

-Uh... there's a rumor spreading right now. They're saying Yoo Se-Na will perform live in Part 2.

'Yoo Se-Na... doing a live performance despite having Ménière's disease?'

I couldn't believe it, so I checked Everyday first.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: July 7, 2023]

-02:00 p.m.: Yoo Se-Na diagnosed with Ménière's disease.

Everyday still showed that Yoo Se-Na wouldn't discover her illness until two years later. This meant she hadn't even found out about it yet, and of course hadn't started any treatment. In other words, there was no way she could perform 'Sunny Days' live—a song that required over four and a half minutes of intense dancing.

'So how on earth is she supposed to perform live?'

I couldn't make sense of it. Then a thought flashed through my mind.

'No way... Could it be a pre-recording?'

In the broadcasting world, there were occasional cases where something was presented as a live broadcast when it was actually pre-recorded. It was essentially deceiving the viewers, but some PDs did it without batting an eye. And if it was PD Choi Go-Bong, he was exactly the type to do something like that.

With that possibility in mind, I spoke to Ji Yung-Sik. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ji. It seems Yoo Se-Na's condition really is bad, but the footage will probably still air."

-What? How?

"They might claim it's live but actually air a pre-recorded segment. If they edit it like a music video, they can cover it up with direction."

-That's true... If it's PD Choi, he'd absolutely do that. This rumor was probably leaked by him too.

Leaking rumors during a broadcast was also something Choi Go-Bong frequently did.

"I apologize. I assumed there was no way Yoo Se-Na could perform in her condition."

Then Ji Yung-Sik laughed.

-Come on, it's fine. If you could predict everything, you wouldn't be human. You'd be a god.

'Not human, but a god...'

Well, he wasn't entirely wrong. I was just a regressor, after all. Still, this was a mistake I could make up for.

-Anyway, we should assume it's going to be a video from here on.

"I think that's best."

Then Ji Yung-Sik asked cautiously.

-How's Mi-Hee's ankle? She was supposed to perform 'Sunny Days' in the one-on-one battle today, right? If she does well, we could set up a senior-versus-junior narrative.

If possible, I wanted that too. A rivalry with Yoo Se-Na would be a great opportunity to raise Song Mi-Hee's profile. However, if she overdid it and ended up unable to perform next week, then everything we did today would be meaningless.

"If she pushes herself, she might have to give up next week's performance. I think we'll have to accept a score penalty and have her sing 'Sunny Days' without choreography today."

-Then it can't be helped. Let's both do our best with the time we have left.

"Yes."

After hanging up, I checked the rumor article to get a clearer picture.

[Once Again, Idol! Part 2. Yoo Se-Na performing live for the first time in 5 years? (Star One Today, Park Jung-Bong)]

(Comments)

-Finally Yoo Se-Na is coming on!

-This is crazy. It was boring without performances earlier.

-They're doing one-on-one battles in Part 2.

-They only introduced 10 out of 30 contestants so far. What about the rest?

-Didn't you watch? Only 10 today. They're splitting them into winner and loser brackets through 1v1 battles.

-Then what about the other 20?

-They'll release 4 per day on the KNET homepage starting tomorrow.

-The remaining 20 will have their 1v1 battle videos next Friday and Saturday.

-Whatever. I'm just here for Yoo Se-Na's performance.

-Shine fan club, assemble!

...

Star One Today was a tabloid that dealt exclusively in celebrity and sports gossip. And Park Jung-Bong was the poster face of that kind of rumor-driven journalism.

Still, since about 90% of it was based on reality, I had to assume that even if it wasn't truly live, some kind of footage would be aired. And because Yoo Se-Na's influence was so massive, the ripple effect of the rumor had already reached our waiting room.

"Yoo Se-Na is performing live?"

"Is Se-Na unnie going to recreate that legendary stage today?"

"Then what about Mi-Hee? Her competition song is Yoo Se-Na's biggest hit, 'Sunny Days,' isn't it? Wouldn't that make it a direct showdown?"

Everyone looked uneasy at the thought of Yoo Se-Na's appearance.

I immediately stepped in to steady the atmosphere. "We just need to focus on what we do. And we're ahead in viewership ratings by 2%, so don't worry."

Once I saw the staff calm down a bit, I walked over to Song Mi-Hee. It would be a huge burden to have the original singer suddenly show up and perform the same song she had chosen for her one-on-one battle.

"Mi-Hee. You'll be singing without choreography today, so keep that in mind."

But unexpectedly, Song Mi-Hee answered with confidence. "Mr. Jung. My ankle feels a lot better. I can do the stage. No, I want to do it."

"No. This week's competition isn't everything, so don't push yourself."

Song Mi-Hee looked like she wanted to argue, but eventually closed her mouth. "...Okay."

Then, to make up for my earlier mistake, I immediately called Reporter Jang Moon-Ki.

-Hello~ Chief Jung~ What is it? Hm? You already got a scoop for me?

"Yes."

-For real? What is it?

"I wanted to let you know that Yoo Se-Na isn't in any condition to dance right now."

-What do you mean? I heard she's doing a live performance at the end of the audition today.

"There's a high chance that 'live' performance is actually pre-recorded."

-Oh really~? So PD Choi is deceiving the viewers?

"You could say that. Though it's probably not Yoo Se-Na's decision."

-I know. Even top stars are basically under star PDs in that industry. But is there any way to confirm that?

"There's an FD at KNET named Park In-Hyuk. He tends to... talk a bit too much."

Even before my regression, FD Park In-Hyuk used to mingle with reporters and leak information all the time. If it was Jang Moon-Ki, he might be able to get something out of him.

-Okay, got it. I'll check it out and write the article.

That wasn't exactly what I wanted.

'Why is he being so proper?'

I wanted the usual manipulation and sensationalism from Jang Moon-Ki.

"You're not seriously planning to verify the facts before publishing, are you? You're a tabloid reporter."

Jang Moon-Ki burst into laughter.

-So you've figured me out now. Alright, alright. I'll poke at it a bit and push the article out first. Hahaha.

Now that was more like it.

'PD Choi Go-Bong. Director Hong Ah-Yoon. Let's see how well you dodge this.'

***

Inside KNET's sub-control room, Choi Go-Bong, who was directing Once Again, Idol!, glanced to the side. Director Hong Ah-Yoon from HK Entertainment was smiling as she watched the rising viewership ratings.

Thanks to her flooding portal sites with articles using her massive financial backing, the Part 2 viewership ratings had already climbed back up to 9.9% just ten minutes after starting.

Seeing Hong Ah-Yoon's effort, Choi Go-Bong's earlier frustration had eased a bit. Besides, Son Hyung-Tae—the president of their parent company, CK Entertainment—had instructed him to work with her on everything, so he had no choice but to hold back his anger.

"Director Hong. Ahem. I might've been a bit harsh earlier. Thanks to you, the viewership ratings are climbing fast."

Hong Ah-Yoon smiled sweetly. "Oh, not at all. I was the one being presumptuous. But let's work together from now on. We actually make a pretty good team, don't we?"

One leaked tabloid rumors, and the other spread them far and wide with money. In a way, the two of them made a perfect pair.

"I guess... that's true."

"And my father is also trying to block any disciplinary action against you, Mr. Choi, so don't worry too much. What can't money solve? Money is power, after all."

After being threatened by Assemblyman Go Joon-Taek, Hong Ah-Yoon had ultimately called Chairman Hong Moon-Ki to resolve the situation.

"Thank you."

At that moment, the viewership ratings graph on the monitor froze at 9.9%.

"Huh? What's going on?"

As Hong Ah-Yoon tilted her head in confusion, AD Gong Yung-Eun shouted, "Mr. Choi! A rebuttal article just went up on Weekly Star, and the comments are blowing up!"

"A rebuttal article?"

"One second, I'll put it up."

[No live performance from Yoo Se-Na today. (Weekly Star, Jang Moon-Ki)]

-According to a reliable internal source at KNET, there will be no live stage today.

"How the hell did he find out?"

Choi Go-Bong couldn't understand it at all. Only a handful of people knew that Yoo Se-Na wasn't in good condition. She wasn't capable of dancing through an entire performance, so they had her dance in short bursts—sometimes 10 seconds, sometimes 30. Then they stitched the footage together to create a convincing version of 'Sunny Days' like producing a music video.

And now that was about to be exposed.

Just then, Hong Ah-Yoon quickly spoke up. "Mr. Choi! It doesn't say anything except that there's no live stage. They're just spreading rumors too."

Realizing there were other staff in the control room, Choi Go-Bong quickly shut his mouth. "...Right."

"And I'll flood the media with more articles to bury that one, so don't worry."

Hong Ah-Yoon had already spent over 3 billion won just to get Yoo Se-Na onto Once Again, Idol!. If it came out that Yoo Se-Na couldn't perform live, that money would effectively go to waste. So they had to bury Jang Moon-Ki's article with others.

Still, seeing that Jang Moon-Ki had written the piece, it was obvious where the source came from. It had to be Jung Yoon-Ho. And that made her intensely curious.

'Jung Yoon-Ho... how did you even figure out it was pre-recorded?'

It was downright uncanny.

***

I was in the Project I.O.A waiting room. We were thirty minutes into Part 2.

Unlike Part 1, which had mostly been introductions, the rival program Once Again, Idol! had begun its first round with a one-on-one battle between Seven Dolls' Kim Reina and Golden Road's Jang Eun-Yung.

As top idols went head-to-head, their viewership ratings climbed slightly to 10.9%. Meanwhile, Project I.O.A was holding at 11.5%.

Then, after overhearing the staff, Song Mi-Hee approached me.

"Mr. Jung. I'm really feeling much better now. Please let me perform properly. If Yoo Se-Na's 'Sunny Days' goes up against Song Mi-Hee's 'Sunny Days,' it'll help create buzz too. Right?"

Song Mi-Hee wasn't wrong. But if her condition worsened because of it, everything would be for nothing. I was about to tell her that she mattered more than the ratings, and that I couldn't allow it.

Just then, Song Mi-Hee clenched her fists and started persuading me with something I hadn't expected at all.

'This kid... she's got something.'