translation by mourningmoor
As the third round of <Survival, Music Genius> garnered widespread attention and became a hot topic, I remained calm amidst the chaos.
First of all, I couldn’t solely focus on preparing for the competition.
By the end of October, I had to work on my first full-length album.
Although I had received songs from PD Pyo and a few renowned composers, there was still a significant amount of work I needed to do myself.
Out of the songs I had been working on, three had been approved by the A&R team. The fourth song, which I was working on with Jaewon, was nearing completion. If I could finish two more songs, I would fulfill the half of the quota I had promised to PD Pyo.
On the day I received the third-round mission, I had a brief meeting with the members, but after that, I didn’t make much progress.
At least, not on the surface.
Based on the first day’s meeting, I had drafted an arrangement plan and had outlined the overall structure, leaving it aside for the time being.
I planned to use the time dilation magic on the last day to complete the mission.
In the meantime, minor schedules like CF shoots and photoshoots kept piling up. As a result, I could only discuss the competition mission with the team members while in the car or during breaks, gradually adding ideas.
It was Wednesday evening, four days before the competition.
After finishing the afternoon practice, I stopped by the studio before dinner.
As I looked at the desk, I furrowed my brows.
A memory from long ago resurfaced.
Since I had to receive reports on all major matters across the continent, the security of the Grand Mage’s room at the top of the Magic Tower was extremely tight. Advanced magic created multiple layers of restricted access, and even that wasn’t enough—skilled mages stood guard.
But even that wasn’t enough for me to trust completely. Out of habit, I memorized the exact placement and angles of every item in the room. If even the slightest thing was out of place, I would suspect that someone had entered my room and tampered with confidential documents, and I would investigate.
That habit remained even now, in Kang Ichan’s body.
I remembered the exact order and angles of the items on the desk.
Occasionally, Jaewon would come into the studio, eat the jelly on the desk, or open the fridge to grab a Big House, but that was the extent of what I allowed.
Even PD Pyo couldn’t touch my belongings in my studio without permission, and this was the minimum rule that everyone who entered my studio had to follow.
But someone had broken that rule.
“Someone messed with the desk.”
The arrangement of my work materials was slightly disturbed.
Since I worked on the songs on my laptop, which was double-password protected, they probably couldn’t access it.
In fact, when I cast a “Search” spell to inspect the room, no traces were found on the laptop.
The intruder had only gone through the stack of documents on the desk.
“What were they looking for?”
As I rummaged through the desk, I tilted one eyebrow again.
“The draft arrangement for the competition mission?”
The draft arrangement for the third-round mission, which I had created after discussing it with the members, had fallen into someone else’s hands.
“So, this is how it’s going to be, huh?”
It wouldn’t be hard to figure out who it was. I could easily track the intruder by expanding the tracking spell using the traces left in the room.
But I chose not to.
I didn’t want to get emotionally tangled up by going that far.
After checking the traces, I found that the intruder had flipped through all five pages of the draft, one by one.
However, they hadn’t stayed long.
“Did they take pictures?”
Just then, someone knocked on the studio door.
It was Roa and Siu.
“Ichan-ah.”
“Hyung-nim.”
Siu entered first, and Roa, after glancing outside, carefully closed the door.
“What’s going on?”
Their behavior seemed suspicious.
They exchanged glances and nodded, then Roa spoke up.
“I have a friend at Mega Entertainment.”
“And?”
“We were chatting just now, and something came up.”
He showed me his phone.
It was a group chat with idols of the same age who attended the same school as Roa. They were bragging about their agencies, especially those from the big four companies.
“Look here. This guy, Giwoo, is a member of RTR from Mega Entertainment. What he said caught my attention.”
Giwoo:
But seriously, Taei sunbaenim’s third round is going to kill it. I saw what he’s preparing, and it’s amazing. The string quartet intro is just mind-blowing.
A string quartet intro. That sounded familiar.
Giwoo:
The whole song is divided into four parts, following the traditional narrative structure. Each part is led by a different string instrument—starting with the cello, then viola, violin, and finally the double bass for the grand finale. I got chills.
This also sounded familiar.
“Hyung-nim. This is exactly what we discussed during our meeting. Look here too.”
Giwoo:
There are three mission songs, and seven people will arrange each song differently. Those who picked the same song should be nervous. The performance is killer too. I caught a glimpse of it—barefoot, with a modern dance foundation. The ideas are just too good. It’s the best.
It was slightly amusing.
In the group chat Roa was in, they were talking about how those who picked the same song should be nervous, as if they were warning me. Roa pointed at the message with his finger.
“String quartet, narrative structure, instrument order. Even the modern dance-based performance and going barefoot.”
Roa, who was usually gentle, now had a cold anger in his eyes.
For Roa, being an idol was about being an artist, a performer. He took great pride in showcasing his polished performances on stage as a form of art.
And he worked hard every day to protect that pride.
For someone like Roa, this situation was deeply unpleasant.
For an artist, stealing ideas was akin to selling one’s conscience.
“It’s exactly the same, down to the last detail. They have no conscience.”
Yeah, it’s laughably identical, from start to finish.
“It could just be a coincidence. People’s ideas can overlap.”
I spoke as if it wasn’t a big deal, but Roa, with a flushed face, shook his head.
“It’s not a coincidence. This can’t just be a coincidence.”
Then he quickly looked at Siu, urging him to speak.
Siu swallowed dryly and began.
“I think I saw something.”
* * *
The final episode of <King of the Jungle> aired.
In the midst of heavy rain, Kim Junmo went missing.
A search team led by Lee Hanwoo was formed, and the fully prepared team reviewed the precautions before setting out.
A typhoon was approaching, one of the cast members was missing, and it seemed like a life-or-death situation.
But viewers, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, burst into laughter.
Roa, who had put a pot on his head like a hat and secured it with a rope, and Jaewon, who had made a rain cover out of palm leaves, looked incredibly cute.
Aren’t these two just too adorable? How can they be so lovable?
Even viewers who didn’t know L.I.T. started calling Jaewon and Roa “maknae” and found them endearing.
They’re idol singers, right? Last time I saw Jaewon, he was really good at singing.
Yes, yes. Our Jaewon is L.I.T.’s main vocalist.
I thought Ichan was the main vocalist after watching <Survival, Music Genius>, but Jaewon is the main vocalist? Wow. How good is he then?
Later, search for L.I.T. on NewTube and watch our boys’ vocal practice videos. They’re practice bugs who stay up all night practicing.
Later, when they entered the jungle, the scene of them taking out their light sticks was broadcasted.
—They’re crazy good at this.
—Right. Our CEO said he ignored the design and focused solely on the brightness when making the light sticks.
A faint smile appeared on Lee Hanwoo’s face, which had been tense. From then on, L.I.T.’s witty remarks and adorable actions seemed to ease the tension.
The broadcast then moved into the worst moment of the Kiribati episode.
Kim Junmo’s voice was heard, and at the same time, Lee Hanwoo got injured. After a brief discussion, the members perfectly executed their roles.
Wow. I thought he was skinny and weak, but he’s all muscle. Look at him carrying Lee Hanwoo while running.
Do they even have a rope? Their preparedness is insane. I’ve watched every episode of the jungle series, and I’ve never seen cast members like this.
The way they tied themselves together to avoid getting separated, divided into teams to move efficiently, and remained calm in a crisis left a strong impression on the viewers.
And the scene where they rescued Kim Junmo from the swamp hit the highest viewership rating of the episode.
Ichan-ahㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Don’t do anything dangerousㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㅠㅠㅠ My heart almost stopped when he jumped onto the log.
The Filaments were in an uproar.
From lighting accidents to fire incidents, Ichan had faced dangerous moments more than once, but seeing him jump into the swamp to save his teammate made their hearts drop.
But it was only for a moment.
As if defying gravity, Ichan moved effortlessly and rescued Kim Junmo with such ease.
Of course, Roa and Jaewon helped, but there was no doubt that Ichan was the main hero.
Everyone was amazed, and they fell in love with their idol’s coolness.
This is insane. There’s no one else like them ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Kim Junmo, you better treat L.I.T. well from now on. They’re your lifesavers.
Wow. I just became a fan. I’m a guy in my late 20s, and I’ve fallen for L.I.T. If there are any L.I.T. fan club members here, please tell me how to join.
Oh my god. Kang Ichan is a monster. Last week he tore up the stage on <Survival, Music Genius>, and now he’s tearing up the jungle.
Our oppa has the third round tomorrow. Please vote for him. (bows)(bows)
L.I.T.’s fandom was growing steadily, just as Ichan had planned.
And so, as <King of the Jungle: Kiribati Edition> ended, the viewers’ attention seamlessly shifted to the next day’s broadcast of <Survival, Music Genius>.