GIJS

Chapter 146 The Reward

After all the preliminary performances were over, there was another break.

The 7IN members were still unable to shake off the aftereffects of Velocé's performance.

"Ugh, those seniors were something else."

"Yeah, the Velocé hyungs were incredible."

"Yeah. Gunja, you were watching with your mouth wide open too."

"I almost dislocated my jaw."

"All the friends from other countries looked like their minds were blown too."

"...Well, I felt quite proud."

"Let's become like that too."

"Of course, we should definitely become like that. But for now, I just hope we don't end up as slaves..."

Saying this, Ji Hyun-su cautiously scanned the area. During the short break, the idols were greeting each other and having brief conversations.

7IN wanted to greet Velocé, but the American Guardians had already surrounded them. It seemed like the Guardians had become huge fans of Velocé.

"Those guys, they did the same to us after our performance..."

"Yeah, it feels like betrayal."

While Velocé was holding an unexpected fan meeting, the Chinese-Japanese teams, including Teibo and SHINO, had gathered in one place, clearly discussing something important.

Seeing the interpreter with them, it was evident they had something urgent to discuss.

"What are those guys talking about?"

"I don't know, can't tell from here."

As Ji Hyun-su looked suspiciously at the Chinese-Japanese team, a member of SHINO made eye contact with him. The Japanese member, smiling warmly, walked over to Ji Hyun-su and greeted him in a mix of short English and Korean.

"Chillin! You were amazing!"

"Ah... um, thank you. Arigatou."

"Yay! Kawaii—!!"

"Ahahaha, I'm so embarrassed..."

"We're friends. We want to be friends!"

"Uh, yeah. Let's be close. Tomodachi."

"Hi! Tomodachi!"

Afterward, several SHINO members approached 7IN. The Japanese idols were all excessively enthusiastic and animated, which made Ji Hyun-su suspicious.

"Doesn't this seem a bit weird?"

"What do you mean?"

"It seems too over the top... it feels awkward."

"Really? Maybe you're just interpreting it negatively."

"Well, maybe, but..."

"Haha, let's not be overly suspicious."

Though Ji Hyun-su was doubtful, Gunja laughed heartily, reassuring him.

"Sure, their tone might be odd, but there's no malice."

"Is that so..."

"We're all comrades running towards the same dream."

"By that logic... Joo Ha-sung was also a comrade running towards the same dream."

Ji Hyun-su's rebuttal made Gunja's lips close tightly. Not all idols have good character. There were cases like Joo Ha-sung and Park Young-jae, after all.

However, Gunja didn't want to give up faith in humanity because of a few cases. For every bad person, there must be dozens or hundreds of good ones.

Seeing Gunja's slightly darkened expression, Ji Hyun-su tried to comfort him.

"Yeah, we can't doubt everyone. Besides, doubting won't change the situation."

Gunja nodded at Ji Hyun-su's words. The die had been cast. Soon, voting would begin, and everyone's identities would be revealed.

After a while, MC Jeong Hae-jin took the microphone once more.

"From now on, all idol members should go to the polling booths on the right and fill out their evaluation forms. Please record your rankings from 1st to 7th, as you see fit. We also ask for brief comments on each team's performance."

The Japanese idols, who performed first, went to the polling booths first. Since they had to rank from 1st to 7th and provide comments, the process took quite a while. Yuchan and Ji Hyun-su looked anxious.

"This is taking a long time..."

"...Do you think it's okay?"

"That's what I'm worried about. What if we end up as slaves?"

"...Huh, slaves..."

At that moment, Pael approached them. Unlike Ji Hyun-su and Yuchan, Pael had a relaxed expression.

"What are you so worried about? You did well on stage."

"...I'm worried about becoming a slave..."

"Don't worry. They have eyes too; they wouldn't give you the lowest rank after that performance. Besides, SHINO and Akira were friendly with you guys earlier."

"Do you think we'll be okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. And if we become slaves, we can just start a peasant revolt."

"Peasant revolt?"

Pael's casual attitude helped the two regain their composure. Until the results were announced, all 7IN members looked quite calm.

It would be okay. They had performed well.

Even though there was friction with the Chinese team Teibo, the Japanese friends were friendly.

There was no problem. Even if not a king or noble, they wouldn't end up as slaves.

Until MC Jeong Hae-jin revealed the results, all 7IN members thought so.

"We will now reveal the first identities decided through the preliminary performance of [Dynasty]!"

[King: Velocé] [Noble: SHINO, Teibo] [Commoner: QUAN, Akira] [Slave: Guardians, 7IN]

"—!?"

* * *

After the results were revealed, the studio was in a state of shock and horror.

"WHAT—!?"

"What the FXX—."

The American Guardians seemed very angry, but the result wasn't surprising.

No matter how good their performance was, the Guardians had almost no qualities expected of an idol.

However, 7IN being categorized as slaves was an unexpected result. The senior team Velocé could hardly believe it and questioned MC Jeong Hae-jin.

"MC... I mean, Butler, is this tally accurate?"

"Yes, it is."

"Really? Are you sure Chillin is in the slave rank? Are you certain?"

"...Yes."

Jeong Hae-jin also seemed to have a lot to say but restrained himself, delivering only the facts.

"This is the accurate result after three verifications."

Everyone was either covering their mouths or holding their heads in disbelief.

But the 7IN members knew. Many among them had ranked 7IN at the bottom. That's why 7IN fell to the slave rank.

"This doesn't make sense."

Velocé's leader Pael kept repeating the same words, glaring at the Chinese-Japanese team. He looked as if he knew the full story behind the incident.

"This way... Hah."

Of course, the most shocked were the 7IN members.

They hadn't been complacent. However, they never thought their performance would warrant becoming slaves.

But the result was contrary to their expectations.

"...It's really creepy."

MC Jeong Hae-jin continued coldly.

"Through the evaluation, the first identities have been decided. The identities are effective from this moment."

"..."

"Now, please move to your respective quarters according to your ranks."

Kings would go to the king's quarters, and slaves to the slave's dormitory.

All teams, having had their identities decided, moved towards their designated spaces. Even then, the 7IN members seemed unable to accept reality.

"...W-We're slaves..."

"Wow, this is really... wow."

"This doesn't make sense. Did we perform so poorly?"

"..."

At that moment, Pael, heading towards the king's quarters, quickly ran over to 7IN.

"Hey, straighten your shoulders and chest."

"Hyung..."

"Are you really slaves now? You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's the Chinese and Japanese who should be ashamed."

Even though 7IN had become slaves, Pael seemed even angrier.

"I must have been too naive. Those guys must have conspired earlier. Since you did well, they all ranked you 7th to keep you in check. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense."

"..."

"This is ridiculous."

Pael's words made Gunja nod in understanding.

He had also been naive. Although he saw the Chinese and Japanese idols gathered, he didn't expect such a scheme.

"Anyway, stand tall. Cheer up. I told you earlier, right? If things go wrong, we can start a peasant revolt..."

"But, hyungs are kings. Where would you find a king encouraging a peasant revolt?"

"So what? We won't lose. Just turn everything upside down. Got it?"

Soon, the staff intervened and guided Pael to the king's quarters. From what he heard, it seemed kings and slaves were not even allowed to talk directly.

After being escorted down for a while, they arrived at the slave quarters.

"...Wow..."

"We have to stay here?"

The actual slave quarters were even more eerie and confined than seen on screen. The metal bed frames were all rusted, the cabinets barely opened, and the practice mirrors were so dusty that only silhouettes were visible.

"Look at this. Doesn't it look like ancient stuff?"

"It doesn't seem like antiques... It's just made to look like that."

"Wow, it's really over the top..."

The members all seemed angry. But Gunja was anxious. From the moment he descended the spiral stairs, his heart began to race.

"Gunja, are you okay?"

"...Uh, yeah. Don't worry."

He tried to appear calm by wiping his cold sweat, but in reality, he wasn't okay.

The slave quarters were a claustrophobic and gloomy space. Gunja had a fear of such environments. It would have been somewhat better if there had been even a single window, but this dreadful dormitory had no light coming through.

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay...

Gunja tried to comfort himself.

'I'm no longer a Joseon person. The days of being locked in a torture chamber are all in the past. I can't keep suffocating every time I enter a dark, confined space.'

But his body couldn't keep up with his mind. Instead of adapting over time, his anxiety grew stronger.

Gunja, who usually fell asleep promptly at 10 PM, found it difficult to sleep even when his head was on the pillow.

"...Ugh..."

'It's suffocating. I think I hear Uncle's voice from afar!'

Despite closing his eyes to try to sleep, his Uncle's face kept appearing in the darkness.

"!"

Startled, he opened his eyes only to hear his Uncle's voice in his ears.

'You wretched kid, singing and dancing again...!'

He wanted to say something, but his body felt paralyzed as if he were being pressed down. His breath was being cut off with a gasp.

For a moment, the scenery of the torture chamber and the slave quarters overlapped. At the same time, dozens and hundreds of blue status windows appeared, making Gunja's vision blur.

[·········.] [···············.] [······.]

A multitude of status windows composed of unknown symbols. Perhaps they reflected his chaotic mental state. But even if he understood the cause, he couldn't deal with it.

It felt like he was about to return to that hellish place. The scene in the torture chamber became clearer and began to cover the space.

No, this cannot be!

Bang—.

Suddenly, the sound of a bipa playing from next to the cabinet filled the room. It was Nayeun's bipa, a spiritual item he received from the Nauri.

The sound snapped Gunja back to his senses, and he clenched his teeth.

The status windows had already multiplied to thousands, covering his vision. It was an overwhelming proliferation, almost like a rampage, but now Gunja realized what he needed to do.

The 'reward' he received before was likely meant for moments like this.