translation by mourningmoor
<King of the Jungle> aired on Saturday, one day before <Survival, Music Genius>, which aired on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, when the whole family gathered, Inyoung, a college student, didn’t have to sweat to secure her spot in front of the living room TV. Her mom, a long-time fan of <King of the Jungle>, had already claimed the channel.
“You said the group you like is also appearing, right?”
At her mom’s question, Inyoung nodded.
“Yeah.”
“From the preview, it seems like they adapted really well.”
“Of course. L.I.T is good at everything.”
Because they’re my idols.
Then, her brother, with a displeased expression, picked up a piece of fruit and finally blurted out.
“Good at everything? Idols are all the same.”
“No, they’re not! L.I.T is completely different from other idols.”
“Hey, the only ones who are completely different are ARCHE. You have to reach that level to…”
“What are you talking about? When our boys reach that level, they’ll be way better than ARCHE!”
As the siblings bickered, their mom raised a finger to her lips.
“Be quiet. Don’t disturb my jungle time.”
Thanks to that, her brother’s mouth shut tight.
Inyoung, sticking her tongue out at her brother when her mom wasn’t looking, picked up an apple and focused on the TV screen.
The L.I.T members had just entered the airport.
* * *
From bowing at a 90-degree angle as they entered the airport to getting motion sickness from the turbulence on the small plane.
The live comment section was going wild.
OMGㅠㅠ Jaewon seems to be motion sick.
LOLㅋㅋㅋ Our leader. Isn’t it so caring how he’s patting the motion-sick maknae on the back? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Abe Mama (T.N. a term of endearment for the leader). After gathering in a corner of the airport and shouting ‘Fighting!’, L.I.T officially set foot in the jungle, and the comment section went even crazier.
Wow. My heart is pounding right now. Our boys survived there, right?
At least they came back alive ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I just hope they’re not hurt.
It’s their hiatus period, so there’s no way to know.
It’s not a hiatus. Ichan is appearing on <Survival, Music Genius> tomorrow, right?
Is that confirmed? On Universe, they say it’s true, but there’s been no official announcement yet.
It’s 100%. 100%.
The company said he’s appearing.
The company said? There’s been no official announcement yet.
The L.I.T members, following the chief into the jungle, had expressions full of tension. Except for Kang Ichan, of course.
With his default expression of calmness, no tension could be felt from Ichan at all.
As if the jungle he was entering for the first time was just his backyard, Ichan walked comfortably, with Hanjoon sticking close behind him.
LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋ Our puppy master stuck right next to him.
What’s this?ㅋ Is Joondaeng completely scared?
Then, Hanjoon’s personal interview clip played.
―I’m not scared of anything else, but I’m really scared of bugs. But the moment we entered the jungle, all I could see were bugs. They were buzzing around, their wings flapping, and then a spider the size of a fist came down on a thread…
The subtitle <Kiribashi Abe Mama Island’s Representative Scaredy-Cat> appeared below the interview clip.
―There was a moth this big flapping around, and Ichan just calmly swatted it away with his hand. At that moment, I felt so relieved and moved… After that, I just followed our leader around.
Next, clips of Hanjoon freaking out over bugs were cross-edited.
The members’ reactions, looking at him in disbelief, added to the fun.
―Wow. Jun hyung. I’m embarrassed for you. Why are you like this?
Jaewon, who had been scolding Hanjoon, screamed and ran all the way to the sea before he could finish his sentence. Lee Hanwoo laughed heartily at the sight.
―Hanjoon is scared of bugs, and Jaewon is scared of lizards?
Then, Lee Hanwoo picked up the small lizard that had chased Jaewon to the sea and placed it on his palm. Roa, who was watching curiously, reached out his finger.
―Can I touch it?
―Sure.
Unlike Jaewon, Roa naturally took the lizard and spent a long time enjoying himself with it.
The moment with the highest viewership was when Ichan caught a snake with his bare hands and threw it far away.
OMG ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Ichan.
Wow. Heart-fluttering. I’m not a L.I.T fan, but I think I just became one.
Leader Kang really threw that snake without changing his expression at all.
Wait. What did I just see? Was that not Lee Hanwoo? Was that really a guest? Did the PD faint?
PD-nimㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ fainted.
Next, scenes of Siu swimming in the sea and fishing with a spear, and Roa climbing a tree were shown. Jaewon built a sturdy house with impressive skill, and Hanjoon lit a fire big enough for a campfire.
The broadcast ended with a mukbang.
Especially Hanjoon, who ate heartily, dominated the camera.
Ahㅠㅠㅠ The mermaid prince was as beautiful as I imagined.
No wonder Roa’s like a squirrel. Why are you so good at climbing trees? When you came down with a coconut, I thought of a squirrel holding a walnut.
Me too, me too. Totally a squirrel. Baby squirrel. So cute ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Roa is just lovable no matter what he does.
Hanjoon, why are you so goodㅋㅋㅋㅋ Showing off a mukbang right after promotions ended, but it had to be in the jungle. At least give him half a crab. Are you ignoring our puppy?
LOLㅋㅋㅋ Leader Kang told Joondaeng, ‘Hyung, let’s be a bit more conscious of the camera,’ and it’s so funny.
I like that our boys don’t care about the camera.
Yeah, it really seems like that. At first, they seem a bit conscious, but at some point, they forget. Look at Jaewon now. His face is covered in soot, but he’s too busy eating shrimp to notice.
They’re pretty on stage, but their everyday selves are great too.
Inyoung was also busy praising L.I.T while keeping up with the live comments.
She had been worried about screen time with Kim Seokhwa and Kim Hyunsoo also appearing, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Of course, the camera couldn’t just pass by our oppas.
Just as she was about to leave a comment, her mom suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, Inyoung. Is Ichan the same age as you?”
Surprised, Inyoung stopped typing on her phone and looked up.
Ichan? Wow, we’ve gotten that close already?
“Yeah. Leader Kang and Siu are the same age as me, and Hanjoon is a year older.”
Inyoung, who even explained Jaewon and Roa’s ages, observed her mom’s expression curiously.
Her mom’s face, carefully watching the preview for next week, had an expression Inyoung knew well.
The sparkle in her eyes and the flushed cheeks.
It was the expression of someone who had just fallen into the fandom.
“Oh my, these kids are so cute. How are they so bright? And they’re so sincere.”
With just one episode, L.I.T had captured even Inyoung’s mom’s heart.
Feeling proud, Inyoung posted her thoughts on Universe.
Our shining stars, national idols aren’t far away ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Today, my mom lit up the light bulb. Long live L.I.T. Long live Filaments.
* * *
The day after <King of the Jungle> aired, <Survival, Music Genius> was broadcast, and the fan communities went wild again.
They were all excited, saying it was definitely Ichan’s voice.
When all the judges praised him as a “promising talent” and said he “broke the stereotypes of idols,” the fans were over the moon.
But for One Tier, T.I.ONE’s fandom, it wasn’t such good news. Their idol had shown a much worse performance than usual on a program he had deliberately joined.
So, the fan communities were busy defending and hyping up Taei’s skills.
They vented their frustration, asking why their oppas were always being compared to L.I.T. If anyone dared to say that L.I.T’s Kang Ichan was good or talented, they were immediately labeled as Filaments and told to leave.
The atmosphere in the fan communities was naturally getting hostile.
And in reality, some One Tier members were seriously considering leaving the fandom.
Things were getting interesting.
I put my phone in my pocket after glancing at it. My cheek was tingling.
“What?”
Without turning my head, I asked, and Go Dajin quickly straightened up, pretending to be innocent.
“Speak. Don’t hesitate.”
Then, Go Dajin, who had turned to look at me again, reluctantly opened his mouth.
“C-Can you listen to it just once?”
We were on our way to the M&E Center for the 2nd round of <Survival, Music Genius>.
“I worked on it until this morning, but there’s a part that feels a bit awkward.”
I wondered if I should help him.
The original plan was to eliminate him in the 1st round.
If Taei hadn’t provoked me, I would have done that.
But because he insulted Blade Entertainment and PD Pyo, I changed my mind.
A shabby agency’s weird trainee is better than a shabby active idol.
I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.
So, I used Go Dajin, and he performed better than I expected.
Maybe this guy has a special musical talent.
“Let me see.”
I decided to listen once and then decide.
It wouldn’t be right to block a talented guy’s path just because of my own will.
Of course, if I keep exposing him to the media, I’ll have to bear the risks that come with it.
“T-Thank you, Ichan-nim.”
Go Dajin, bowing his head, took out his laptop and handed it to me.
The song he chose was Dinaple’s . He had rearranged the cheerful, funky EDM song into a semi-ballad with a melancholic vibe.
It was a pretty good attempt. The intention to preserve the original while painting a different picture was commendable.
“Not bad.”
Then, I activated <Aesthetic Sense> and slightly tweaked the sheet music.
“If you change this part and this part like this.”
Go Dajin’s mouth dropped open.
“The feeling changes a bit, right? Since it’s the instrumental part, it won’t affect the vocal sections, but it’ll give the song a more sophisticated vibe.”
“T-Thank you.”
Go Dajin, who was examining the sheet music in amazement, made a slight pout.
“But isn’t this cheating? Since I got help from you, Ichan-nim.”
Didn’t I help you in the 1st round, did I? You even happily drank the coffee I gave you.
“Don’t like it? Then forget it.”
When I tried to take the laptop back, Go Dajin quickly shook his head and hid it.
“No. No. I like it.”
I gave Go Dajin a small smile and patted his back.
“Do your best to survive until the 3rd round.”