Chapitre 33: Roomies (9)
"Who goes through each round, from now on, is decided by the viewers. Therefore, if you want to pass through, you must appeal to them. And you must do that with a live ten minute video." Producer Jang-Soo explained.
Joon-woo recalled the one-sided support just some of the contestants had gotten. He, Reggie, Ryeo Hyun, Mi Yong, and Jung Hyun-Ok. He recalled the tweets of support, some not.
"What you will be doing in this live, however, will not be decided by you…" Producer Jang-Soo revealed with his deadpan voice. "But by a randomly selected contestant…"
Joon-woo winced at the reveal. He could practically feel Kite's mocking figure dying laughing at Joon-woo's case. Team Ten had made it clear that anyone that wasn't his roommates, Reggie, or Mi Yong hated him. Team Ten had made it clear that Joon-woo was as unlikeable as could be.
Ryeo Hyun peered over Joon-woo's shoulder. "What's got you thinking so hard?" He asked, voice cautious with care.
Joon-woo shrugged, "Other… People…" He said, "They don't like me."
Ryeo Hyun sighed at Joon-woo's words, as if finding some truth in them, Joon-woo thought. "I don't– I'm not sure why you think that, but I'm sure you'll do fine with any attribute, Mr. Genius."
Joon-woo turned to Ryeo Hyun, red, "What do you mean?" He asked, frantic. Genius? Joon-woo, shitty dancer Joon-woo, a genius? "What?"
Ryeo Hyun shrugged, "You can sing well, play instruments, and you improved your dancing like this–" He snapped his fingers. "Recognize yourself more!" He yelled, as he turned to Bo Jaesang.
Joon-woo shook his head, hating the way his skin crawled at compliments. They were unfamiliar in the way Joon-woo didn't ever want to get used to them.
"Staff will come around with a slip of paper for each of you…" Producer Jang-Soo continued. "They'll have a random contestant number and ten random PR video activities. Please fill it out and place it this–" He gestured towards a large, dramatically propped up box with a small slip on stage. ON stage where it would record them putting it in. "Please do well!" Producer Jang-Soo finished, before getting off the stage.
Reggie tapped on Joon-woo's shoulder, signaling that a staff with paper slips was near. In addition to the slip of papers and pens in the staff's hand, was a small paper list. It had rank numbers and names.
It hit Joon-woo then, random? No, they had pre-decided who some contestants would have to choose for. And when the staff approached Joon-woo with a hesitance, he knew his name was on it.
The staff member handed Reggie a slip of paper with a bored, almost annoyed look. And even when Reggie thanked her, she just scoffed. The sight made Joon-woo a bit sad.
But Joon-woo held his annoyance towards the staff in, as she handed him a pre-decided sheet of paper from the bottom of the pile, rather than the top like she had Reggie. Joon-woo thanked the staff, who turned to Joon-woo with a small smile.
Joon-woo huffed, "Why do they treat you like that?" He asked Reggie with crossed arms.
Reggie sadly shrugged, "It's not– all the time. I think it's because my Korean is still being refined?" He explored the thought.
Joon-woo rolled his eyes, "Xenophobia. Of course." He muttered.
"Producer Jang-Soo told me I should get used to it if I want to stay…" Reggie further explained, "That's why I studied real hard on my Korean, if you remember."
Joon-woo wanted to beat up the staff at that. Reggie's Korean, even the beginning wasn't bad, it was understandable. But for the Producer to tell Reggie to get used to it?
"They shouldn't have done that." Joon-woo huffed, "Your Korean was never even bad…"
Reggie leaned his head on Joon-woo's shoulder and hummed, "Thanks Joon-woo-ssi." He said with a red cheek smile. "Who'd you get for the PR thing?"
Oh. Joon-woo had forgotten about that. He unfolded the paper in his hands. "Oh." He huffed.
He had gotten Rank 10, Team Ten leader Du-Ho. The show off rapper that hated Joon-woo's guts. This show was just itching for drama, wasn't it? "I got Du-Ho Sunbae." He said with fake enthusiasm.
Reggie caught onto the fake enthusiasm and chuckled. His blond hair tickled against Joon-woo's neck, "You seem very excited. What are your options?"
Joon-woo hummed as he read them, "Yoga, mukbang, baking, workout, gaming, piano– ehh? Cosplay?" He read, confusion crossing his face. He shook his head, Du-Ho and cosplay?
Reggie sat up at that, removing his head from Joon-woo's shoulder with an excited expression. Joon-woo's shoulder was cold with the wave of air hitting it. "Are you gonna pick that one?"
Joon-woo thought for a moment. By now a few contestants had cast their votes, stepping onto stage and slipping the paper in with 39 harsh pairs of eyes falling upon them.
He thought for a moment, thinking of the bruise on his wrist, Du-Ho's mocking. But then he thought past his spite. Cosplay would bring attention to Du-Ho, and Joon-woo would much more prefer if Du-Ho was kicked to the dust with little to no viewers for his PR live.
He would rather pick something unnoticeable, something basic. He circled 'Yoga', because Joon-woo as Ha-rin had seen that one done a million times before. And he knew viewers like humor, like the new.
"Hm." Joon-woo hummed, standing proudly. He turned to Reggie who still had his blank. "Who do you have?" Joon-woo asked, curiously.
Reggie flashed Joon-woo his paper proudly, "I got Jaesang Hyung!" He stated, "I'm not really sure what to pick for him though…" He sulked.
Joon-woo looked at Reggie's sulking with fond eyes, "He said he hoped for something normal but also eye-catching, if that helps…" He informed, recalling Bo Jaesang's words from just a few minutes before.
"Then maybe 'baking'? Do girls find men baking attractive?" Reggie weighed his options, Joon-woo watched in amusement.
Ha-rin found men that knew how to function in the kitchen cool, mostly because most of the men that she had been surrounded with in her career were as helpless as could be. He thought back to his Ha-rin days, before looking to Reggie.
"I think they would." Joon-woo said, adding the 'I think' to save face.
Reggie nodded, circling the option and standing. "All done then." He said, suddenly giving his hand to Joon-woo. "Let's go submit them–" Reggie hummed.
Joon-woo took Reggie's hand and stood, making sure to unlock hands when they came into stage view. He really, really didn't want to lose this to queer-baiting editing.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone