Diagnosing Hidden Talents

A chill hung in the air from Suhyeon's reproachful words, and the Muran members' faces stiffened in an instant.

"The trainer said she passed on my message directly last night... Is there really no one here who heard it?"

Muran's leader, Ji-young, stepped forward hesitantly and replied in a tense voice.

"All the members received the message last night."

"Then why are you dressed like this? Are you rebelling because you have a problem with me? Does it bother you that I'm personally producing your debut? Should I just step aside and hand you over to the other trainers?"

The atmosphere turned icy cold at Suhyeon's frosty tone. At that moment, Trainer Lee stepped in.

"Suhyeon, why are you picking on these innocent girls? They're full of energy and easy on the eyes—why get mad? I don't get it."

"No, Teacher Lee. Think about it. This is obviously weird no matter who looks at it. We're not at a swimming pool... Their outfits make no sense. I think we need to have all the members change and come back."

"What's wrong with their outfits? They've got everything on properly from top to bottom—what's the problem?"

At Trainer Lee's question about what the issue was, Suhyeon scanned the Muran members' clothing once more. All six were dressed in matching uniforms: ultra-short shorts that exposed their thighs and sleeveless tank tops that bared their navels. Suhyeon let out a deep sigh at the sight of all that exposed skin.

"Haa. Teacher, I barely slept last night worrying about getting accused of sexual harassment or being called a pervert... But doesn't this look exactly like the company forcing the girls to do something they hate under the excuse of debut prep? It's embarrassing just to look at them—how am I supposed to do a physical exam?"

Trainer Lee and Trainer Park exchanged glances at Suhyeon's words. Then Trainer Park asked curiously,

"Suhyeon, have you ever properly dated a girl? You seem more straight-laced than you look..."

Suhyeon flinched involuntarily at Trainer Park's question.

'Damn it. Hitting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me right where it hurts. If my body had been healthy in my past life, I would've had three wives and four concubines until the day I died... Hoo. All pointless nonsense.'

"...Isn't that kind of question sexual harassment in the workplace?"

"You're hilarious, Suhyeon. You're nothing like the rumors. They wear even skimpier stuff on stage and dance—aren't you overreacting? You're just embarrassed, right?"

"No, that's because it's a stage. This isn't that situation..."

Suddenly, Trainer Lee shouted toward the Muran members.

"Girls!"

- "Yes, Teacher."

"Can you walk around Myeongdong dressed like that?"

- "Of course, Teacher."

- "We could go out right now."

- "I do this all the time in summer."

- "Yeah, cool is best in summer."

- "We could even dance right in the middle of Myeongdong."

"Hear that? That's how young girls dress these days—it's nothing. Suhyeon, you're surprisingly old-fashioned, huh?"

'Haa. I am a 600-year-old man, so yeah, old-fashioned. But even so, this is a bit...'

At that moment, the more shy Erika bravely stepped forward and spoke up.

"Oppa, we didn't come dressed like this because the company forced us. We heard you'd be examining us directly to check our talents and weaknesses, so we all chose to wear this voluntarily to make it more accurate."

Emboldened by Erika's words, Ji-young added,

"Yeah, Oppa. My mom even tried to pack a bikini for me last night when she heard about your diagnosis—I barely talked her out of it."

Suhyeon briefly lost his composure at Ji-young's revelation that she'd almost shown up in a bikini, but he quickly regained it and spoke.

"Aren't you girls worried? What if I use the diagnosis as an excuse to touch and stroke you all over—wouldn't that creep you out?"

Erika countered,

"Oppa, women instinctively know what men are thinking when they look at us and how they feel when they touch our bodies. We're young, but old enough to sense that much. We already know what a good person you are and how much you care for us from experience. Our parents know too, since we talk about you so much. So don't worry—just diagnose our bodies carefully and thoroughly."

"...Are you really Erika? Since when did you switch to this character?"

A moment later, overwhelmed by a carpet-bombing barrage from all eight women, Suhyeon surrendered and agreed to proceed with the diagnosis in their current outfits.

'Why are all the women in this world so battle-hardened? I can't hold out. Hoo. If we're doing this, might as well do it right. Who first... Right. Michael Jordan. You're it.'

"Erika... Come sit here first."

Suhyeon moved to Erika's side, who was sitting with her legs up on an empty chair, and carefully grasped both her ankles with his hands before closing his eyes.

'Last time I treated her ankle, I was before Microcosmic Orbit, so I wasn't sure, but now with neigong, I can check for sure.'

For about ten minutes, Suhyeon concentrated solemnly, carefully examining not just her ankles but her calves, knees, thighs, and various points on her legs.

'Hoo. My hunch was right. She's definitely got the Light Ethereal Body, the top talent prized by sects like Fast Shadow Sect or Empty Empty Sect that specialize in shinbeop. With this kind of talent, even without neigong, her mid-air hang time would be insane.'

Suhyeon released Erika's legs and opened his eyes.

"Erika, have you ever played basketball before?"

"No. It's rare for girls to play basketball."

"True... You're short, so even with talent, becoming a pro baller would be a stretch."

"Is my talent for basketball?"

"Not exactly. Yours is something very special. Listen up, Erika. Starting right now, you're Muran's main dancer for the debut track. I'll teach you a training method perfect for you soon—practice it like your life depends on it until debut. I'll adjust the choreography based on how diligently you train. Got it?"

"Yes. Got it."

"Alright, Ji-young, you're next."

As Ji-young sat, Suhyeon brought his hand to her neck and thought,

'Can this wounded canary sing beautifully again...'

"Ji-young, tilt your head back as far as you can."

"Yes, Oppa."

Suhyeon gently stroked her neck to locate her vocal cords precisely. Soon, centering on the thyroid cartilage, he cupped both sides softly with his hands and closed his eyes.

'Hmm. Hard to grasp like this. Guess I need to infuse neigong directly into the vocal cords to check properly.'

"Ji-young, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might hurt a bit from now on. It'll be quick, so bear with it."

"Oka~y."

Suhyeon carefully channeled neigong into both sides of her vocal cord membrane.

"Ack. Aack. Ack..."

"Almost done. Just a bit more."

'Where is it? What's the problem... Hm? This?'

"Ji-young! Say 'ah~'."

"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~"

"OK. Done."

The moment Suhyeon removed his hands from her neck, Ji-young asked urgently,

"Oppa, is there something wrong with my vocal cords?"

"Yeah. There's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bit of an issue."

Vocal trainer Lee Jin-hee, who had been listening, interjected.

"No way. That can't be. No problems during vocal practice, and she gets regular checkups at the ENT... I've never heard of Ji-young having vocal cord nodules."

"No, it's not nodules—more like a vocal cord polyp. A tiny blister-like thing. And it's in a bad spot, hard to spot with an endoscope. It's on the back of the vocal cord membrane, biased toward the false cords inside, so normal exams miss it. Plus, no pain so far, so even harder to detect."

Ji-young chimed in from the side.

"I've never had any pain, and singing's been fine."

"Yeah, it's not severe enough for symptoms. If you weren't a singer, just a regular person, no treatment needed."

"Then how did you know, Oppa?"

"Your voice is usually clear and pure. But sometimes, on certain days, it sounds even clearer than usual. So subtle only someone with sensitive ears like me would notice... I'd just think, 'Ji-young's in great condition today,' and move on."

Suhyeon organized his thoughts and continued.

"Then recently, I realized: on good days and bad days, the vibration of your vocal cords differs ever so slightly. It's not about condition—everyone has a unique vocal signature like a fingerprint, but yours shifts subtly. So I intuited something was wrong with your vocal cords. I'm no expert, but I suspect osmosis causes varying stress on the cords."

"Then... can it be treated?"

"Of course. It went untreated because no one knew. At this stage, a week cures it. No singing or vocalizing starting today. Minimize talking... Come to Oppa once a day for treatment. No need for hospital. After, your voice will be even clearer."

"Thank you, Oppa."

"You're main vocal for the debut track, so take care."

Soon after, Suhyeon finished diagnosing the other members with no major issues, assigning Mi-young as sub-dancer, Soo-jung as sub-vocal, and Yu-ri as main rapper.

Suhyeon looked at the last Muran member, So-hee, staring at him intently with bright eyes, and thought,

'Hoo. Ji-young's voice is good, but we desperately need someone for high notes... Not sure if So-hee can do it. She has potential from what I've heard, but a fatal flaw... Need a proper diagnosis first.'

"So-hee, turn around."

"Yes. Why?"

"Gonna check your back first."

As So-hee turned, Suhyeon placed both hands on her back and thought,

'It'd be great if So-hee became Muran's secret weapon...'

Time passed, and after diagnosing all Muran members and teaching each their tailored training methods, Suhyeon gathered them all and said,

"Now, homework for everyone. Essential for understanding the debut concept. First question: Anyone who doesn't know Gulliver's Travels, raise your hand and speak up."

"..."

"So everyone knows Gulliver's Travels? Homework: Read it cover to cover by Wednesday lunch, write a one-page A4 reflection. Not the kids' picture book version—the adult translation. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Got it?"

- "Yes, Oppa."

A moment later, utterly drained and fighting to stay upright, Suhyeon headed to the cafeteria for lunch when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

Suhyeon muttered softly after hanging up.

"What grand scheme did this guy cook up overnight to drag me to Namyangju... Hyung, messing with me won't be that easy. I hate losing by nature."

With a face full of confidence, Suhyeon walked toward the cafeteria. And two days swiftly passed.