NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 35
Chapter 35. The One Who Tries to Reach the Sun (1)
“Did you pack everything?”
“Yeah. It’s enough. I’ll be coming home once every weekend anyway.”
As I put on my shoes, carrying my suitcase, Mom, who had been watching me, grabbed the car keys and said we should get going. Eat well, stay in touch. Nodding at her continued reminders, I loaded my luggage into the trunk of the car parked in front of our house.
“What are you doing? Get in the passenger seat already.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Without thinking, I tried to get into the driver’s seat, and Mom looked at me with an expression as if wondering if her son was so exhausted that he’d lost his mind.
‘Oh, right, I haven’t gotten my driver’s license yet.’
This is why habits are scary. I need to get my license first thing when I get my next leave.
“So, it’s really starting now? Didn’t you rest enough?”
“Three days is plenty of rest. I probably gained 2 kg.”
The three-day break was over. That meant the real, full-scale survival competition was about to begin. I took out my phone and checked the text message I received the day before once more.
**<[Notice] End-of-Month Ranking and Survival Related Information**
**Recipient: Kang Hajin**
**End-of-Month Ranking: 10th (No leaks, no disclosure)**
*** Filming for the survival show is scheduled to begin on the Thursday after the break. Please make sure to review the guidelines below before you arrive.**
*** Any issues arising from not being aware of the guidelines may hold you personally accountable.**
**1. Absolute confidentiality of the filming content (No external leaks)**
**2. All trainees participating in the survival show are required to stay in a dormitory (Bring your belongings when you come on March 1st).**
**Dormitory Address: ## Street, @@ Road, ** District, XX City / Come to the 5th floor upon arrival.**
**3. During the filming period, any behavior that could cause public scandal (e.g., swearing, violence, crime, etc.) is strictly prohibited. Violations may result in expulsion depending on the situation.**
**……>**
Thanks to the quest completion window, I already knew I’d made it into the top 10, but seeing it officially announced felt a bit surreal.
10th place, huh? It’s an unfamiliar ranking, but I did pretty well.
‘Don’t they tell us the other trainees’ rankings?’
Since it’s a survival competition, I thought they’d openly reveal the rankings from the start, but instead, they’re telling us not to disclose it. It seems like they have some plans for this.
I didn’t deliberately ask Ji Suho for specific details about the survival show’s structure. I could have found out if I wanted to, but it’s more convenient to go in without knowing anything. It makes it easier to react and calculate things.
If I’d gathered unnecessary information in advance, I would’ve spent the entire broadcast wondering if I should say this or not, just giving myself a headache. I simply reviewed existing idol survival shows during my break to get a reference and then turned off my phone.
“We’re almost there… Ah. Is it here?”
“Mom, make a right here. Yeah, this looks like the place.”
“Yeah, this must be it. Wow, the dormitory looks nice.”
After driving for a while, the GPS announced that we had arrived at our destination. The place where the car stopped was dominated by a large, imposing building that anyone could tell was brand new.
What’s this? Is this really the dormitory?
‘…Does Miro have that much money?’
It seemed unlikely they’d build a new building just for an upcoming survival show, but the huge Miro logo emblazoned on the entrance suggested otherwise.
Did they find a major investor…? Even as I unloaded my luggage from the trunk, I kept glancing up at the building, still unsure. Mom, who had even thoughtfully picked up the scarf I dropped, patted my shoulder.
“Hajin.”
“Yeah.”
“……”
“Ah, I told you not to worry. If it gets too tough, I’ll just come back home right away―”
“Come back as number one.”
“……”
“If you’re going to do this, do it right. Make sure you debut as the top trainee and succeed so you can give your mom a good life.”
I was speechless. I expected her to tell me to quit anytime it got too hard and come back home. But instead, Mom just smiled the strong smile I loved, pushing me forward into the building.
“Yeah.”
But I didn’t feel bad. Unlike before, it didn’t feel like a burden or a weight on my shoulders.
“I’ll give it a shot.”
Rather, it felt like my cluttered mind had cleared up a bit.
Let’s do this, Kang Hajin. I took a step forward with a deliberately confident stride, hoping to ease Mom’s worries.
* * *
The moment I confidently walked into the building, I couldn’t help but exclaim out loud.
“Miro, are you out of your mind?”
Damn, did I say that too loudly?
I quickly looked around, but fortunately, no one was around. If the outside of the tower looked fancy, the inside was downright extravagant. The central lobby alone, with its fountain and ornamental foliage, was already something else.
‘Whose crazy idea was this?’
Still, thanks to the artificial waterfall at Renes, the shock didn’t last long. I hadn’t heard anything about them building a new headquarters.
Is this really all just throwing money around for no reason (Did Director Son cough up all the money he’d embezzled? That can’t be)? I was lost in thought, staring blankly at the fountain, when the color of the water suddenly changed.
“Wow, they even installed LED lights.”
Just when I thought it was only a fountain show, a light festival started. The lights swayed mysteriously like auroras, sparkling between the water and foliage, as if they were trying to depict stars. Watching the lights dance, I couldn’t help but think…
“This is weirdly annoying.”
For some reason, it was mildly infuriating. And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Beyond the shimmering waves of light, I noticed someone standing on the opposite side, staring at the same thing with a similar expression. I called out to him.
“Lee Doha.”
“…? Oh. Hey.”
“Yeah, hey.”
Lee Doha, who was carrying a duffle bag with a large brand logo on one shoulder, noticed me and waved. Just by his physique, you’d believe he was an athlete. His taste in casual clothes also seemed sporty, as he approached me slowly, dressed in a tracksuit with brand logos on both the top and bottom.
‘Oh, that reminds me.’
Seeing Lee Doha brought something to mind. When I received the quest reward, there was an option to claim a reward involving him. I had marked it as important and set it aside when my mom asked me to fold the laundry before I could properly claim it.
**[System Alarm: There’s nothing more to nag about. I just wish you’d do it on your own.]**
Are you sulking?
Anyway, as I was trying to recall the system window, Lee Doha, who had walked halfway around the fountain with his long legs, arrived in front of me and spoke urgently.
“Did you make it? The special class.”
“Huh?”
“Did you make it into the top 10?”
Is this guy checking out his competition as soon as we meet? He’s surprisingly not very warm-hearted. Still, asking a colleague you haven’t seen in three days if they made it into the top 10? I felt a bit hurt, so I replied curtly.
“I don’t know, man. They said we’re not allowed to reveal that.”
“Ah.”
“Read the guidelines carefully. You don’t want to cause any problems later.”
I shrugged my shoulders and pretended not to know. He scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. Sorry. His quiet and concise apology came as a bonus. It wasn’t really something he needed to apologize for, so I patted his arm, but then…
“Ouch.”
“…?”
“…Never mind. Let’s go upstairs.”
Is this guy made of stone?
Unlike Lee Doha, who didn’t even flinch, I gritted my teeth in pain, having unexpectedly turned into someone who punched a rock with his bare hands.
We’re supposed to be the same age, right? While I absentmindedly massaged my soft arm, we walked toward the elevator.
“Our floor is the 5th, right?”
“Yeah, they told us to come to the 5th floor.”
As we stepped into the elevator together, the lights gradually brightened from the floor up in the previously darkened elevator, creating a mysterious atmosphere. The indicator was mechanical, and the monitor constantly played media art and music videos of Miro’s artists.
…Did Miro hit the jackpot?
But the display of excessive wealth didn’t end there, not by a long shot.
**[5th floor, 5th floor―.]**
“What is this, is this really the right place?”
“Yeah, it’s the 5th floor.”
As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, we were greeted by a dead-end wall. The short hallway in front of the elevator barely allowed three big steps before being blocked by a suspicious dark blue wall of foliage.
“…Did we come to the wrong place?”
Just as I thought that, the previously unnoticed monitor (because it was so dark) embedded in the suspicious dark blue foliage wall lit up, displaying text that was clearly meticulously crafted.
**
〜〚Welcome to Miro Town〛〜**
**Life can sometimes feel like an unsolved maze.**
**Welcome, trainees, who will become Miro’s new wings.**
**Are you ready to escape this maze and reach the sun?**
**If you are ready, please open the door and enter.**
**※Please leave your belongings at your designated spot※**
“They’re really starting this without even fitting us with microphones…?”
“……”
“No script reading, no pre-meeting? They didn’t even do any de-branding, and they’re just starting right away?”
Flustered, I forgot that we were filming (or rather, I hadn’t had the time to realize it), and I muttered to myself. Lee Doha, who was also flustered, reread the monitor’s message carefully before turning to me. Damn, did I say that too realistically?
“Oh, sorry. I was just surprised. But, um―”
“There’s no door here.”
“Huh?”
“There’s no door in this wall.”
As he pressed against the foliage-covered wall (probably just a partition), Lee Doha spoke firmly. The monitor still displayed only the initial message. Lee Doha and I exchanged glances in the air, then simultaneously turned to the only “door” in this space.
“…No way?”
The elevator, which had returned to darkness after we got off. When we pressed the button, the “door” opened, and the light show began again. Following the monitor’s instructions, we first piled our luggage to one side and got into the elevator.
How big is Miro planning to make this thing?
“But we don’t know what floor to go to.”
As soon as we got in, I started looking around the elevator for hidden cameras, while Lee Doha, standing by the control panel, called out to me with a troubled expression. Should we go back to the first floor? As he asked again, I briefly recalled the instructions on the monitor and shook my head, pressing the button in his place.
The topmost button on the panel.
“No, we go up.”
“……”
“It said to reach the sun.”
*Ding*―With a clear and cheerful sound, the elevator began to move again.
There was no script reading, no pre-meeting, no camera director, no PD or writer, and not even a microphone attached. (This was the most shocking part. How do they plan to sync the audio, producers?)
The survival competition had begun!