Chapter 17: Representative Interview (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Representative Interview (1)
The kids' preparations for school ended with each of them receiving a slice of steaming hot toast.
As they scrambled through the chaotic entryway, somehow managing to find their shoes while deftly guarding their bread, I called out my farewell.
“Watch out for cars, watch out for your faces, don't do anything stupid, and show them you're diligent.”
Kang Gi-yeon muttered with a pout.
“Seriously, even my parents don't nag as much as you do, Hyung.”
Is that so? I wouldn't know, since I never really got to hear my parents nag.
“So? Are you saying you’re not going to watch out for cars, not take care of your face, and will do something stupid, Mr. Kang Gi-yeon?”
Having missed his chance to talk back, Kang Gi-yeon grumbled, asking why I had to take it that way.
I patted the shoulder of the kid who was likely exhausted from having to head to school at the crack of dawn.
“Gi-yeon.”
“What.”
“It’s not like I’m telling you to go study hard.”
“……”
“Just don’t do anything stupid and come back safe. Got it?”
I gave him a kind smile. Kang Gi-yeon shuddered at my display of "affection."
With my wishes for a healthy and uneventful day, the three high schoolers left the dorm. It was a boisterous morning.
“So, you’re the one who toasted the bread?”
Choi Je-ho, who had woken up at 8:00 AM sharp—his usual wake-up time—asked.
I placed a slightly cooled piece of toast on a plate and replied.
“Yeah. I made extra while I was doing the kids' portions. Want some?”
“Sure.”
Park Ju-woo, who didn't need to go to school since he’d already passed his GED, was already busily eating his rationed toast.
Come to think of it, Lee Cheong-hyeon had muttered, “I’m so jealous of Ju-woo Hyung…” as he walked out the door.
“High schoolers. It’s the best time of their lives.”
“You talk like you graduated ten years ago or something.”
How did you know?
Even though it wasn't by my own will, I ignored Choi Je-ho’s comment, fearing a penalty for leaking secrets related to my regression.
As I sat there nibbling on my toast and cautiously reading the room, Park Ju-woo unexpectedly joined the conversation.
“……Hyung, what were you planning to do after graduating high school?”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d never been a trainee before…….”
I was planning to go to college.
That college I was supposed to go to but ended up missing.
This kid, Park Ju-woo—he’d been called the "hidden king of reading the room" back during Spark, and his skill at hitting where it hurts was truly an art form. Thanks to him, I felt like I was going to burst into tears mid-toast.
The system had put me in a real bind. I couldn't exactly say I’d gone before, but somehow couldn't go in this life.
Choi Je-ho and Park Ju-woo, unaware of the deep emotional wound they’d inflicted, just stared at me blankly.
If the system was going to force me to lie, it should at least provide some sample answers.
For someone like me, who has no talent for making things up or lying, this situation was cruel.
After a moment of thought, I chose the most roundabout answer possible.
“I debated whether to go or not, but in the end, I didn't.”
“……Why?”
“I couldn't pay the tuition.”
Of all things, why did I have to be regressed after the registration deadline?
I chewed my toast vigorously, venting my aimless frustration, but the expressions on the faces of the two sitting across from me were strange.
They looked as if they had asked something they shouldn't have.
“Why are your faces like th—”
Ah.
Don't tell me they think I couldn't pay because my family is broke?
I debated for about three seconds whether to correct this misunderstanding, then gave up.
The money I had right now was borrowed from my older sister anyway, so it wasn't exactly wrong.
Even if I had regressed before the deadline, quit UA, and put all my money into tuition, I would have had to attend school while being homeless, since my original family home was gone.
The moment I returned to the past with nothing but my body, my degree became Schrödinger’s diploma.
I thought of the diploma that had left me and the entire fortune I’d painstakingly saved while grinding away at Hanpyeong Industry. Did you really have to take it all to be satisfied……?
Of course, I didn't have the confidence to explain all these twists and turns to them while maintaining secrecy. Nor did I have the obligation.
‘I’ll just tell myself I’m arming myself with an underdog mentality.’
As I made that bitter resolution, Choi Je-ho spoke up, acting more considerate than he ever had in his life.
“Uh…… hang in there.”
Encouragement from Choi Je-ho?
Of all people, that Choi Je-ho was encouraging someone else when there weren't even any cameras around.
This was a rare sight that even Department Head Nam’s daughter, a die-hard Choi Je-ho fan, probably hadn't seen. The world truly was full of surprises.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Hidden Task’ completed.
▷ Content: Have a private conversation with a colleague
▷ Reward: Experience Points (10)
▷ Cumulative Experience: 10
▷ Cumulative Points: 0
+
That wasn't all. As if encouraging a harmonious trainee life, the hidden task had been completed on its own.
I was busy enough building my competencies, and now I had to foster friendships too.
No matter how important communication is in an organization, it felt like my workload was doubling while my experience points were barely moving.
The high schoolers returned one by one in the afternoon.
Their destination, of course, was the practice room.
I handed a handkerchief to Lee Cheong-hyeon, who had just finished washing his hands, and asked.
“Did you get home safely? Is your face intact?”
“Of course. I returned without a single scratch!”
“You’ve got the right attitude. Excellent.”
“Hyung, aren't you a bit too obsessed with the safety of our faces?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon made a silly remark.
It seemed he didn't realize just how many commercials he was destined to film with that face of his.
To repay UA for the investment they were putting into me, I felt I should take out insurance for each member's face before we debuted.
“But when do you practice if you’re going to school?”
“Seong-bin Hyung and Gi-yeon attend just enough to meet the minimum required days. Arts high schools are somewhat flexible with schedules.”
“Then what about you?”
“My school has no mercy. But my school is close, and Gi-yeon’s is far, so when you factor in commute times, it’s about the same.”
Sure enough, Kang Gi-yeon was stretching nearby with a look of great regret.
“I’m worried you won't have enough time to sleep.”
Kang Gi-yeon replied.
“You practice until late every night too, Hyung.”
“I’m mostly done with my growth spurt, so I’m fine.”
“Well, me too…… they say some people keep growing even in the military.”
That’s those people; you won't.
Kang Gi-yeon’s height hadn't changed since he debuted. This was a fact Kang Gi-yeon himself had revealed.
‘Did I have a growth spurt? Sparklers…… we agreed not to talk about our height.’
‘Isn't Kang Gyeon looking a bit too sincerely bitter? It’s hilarious.’
‘It’s been the same since my junior or senior year of high school…….’
‘Gi-yeon, you’re not crying, right?’
In other words, now was Kang Gi-yeon’s last chance for a final spurt.
In such a critical period, if he missed the golden time and stayed awake day and night, things wouldn't end well.
I used to wonder why he was the only one who didn't grow while the other members did.
With this much sleep deprivation, it was actually natural that he wasn't growing. Especially considering a diet of mostly bread and salads. I had no idea where the protein had gone.
‘I should try to secure some sleep time for the kids if possible…… and if not, I’ll just have to make them drink milk in the morning.’
Was it always this complicated to debut an idol?
I wasn't sure, but there was no denying that being able to do something was much better than being able to do nothing.
That night, I was only able to return to the dorm after buying two cartons of low-fat milk with Kang Gi-yeon while braving the early spring breeze.
‘Maybe I should have applied to be a manager instead of an idol.’
It was a night full of regret.
And that regret would soon come into full bloom.
For a while, my schedule was quite stable.
My daily routine lately was……
7:00 Wake up and make toast for the high schoolers (+ give Kang Gi-yeon his low-fat milk)
8:00 Eat breakfast and get ready for practice
9:00–24:00 Practice and etc.
00:00–00:30 Reflect on the day’s clumsiness while showering
00:30– Worry about the future, establish Spark revival plans, etc.
……It was very monotonous. I occasionally made French toast, and they seemed to enjoy it.
Preparing for the next monthly evaluation was also going smoothly.
Thanks to my rising vocal proficiency, I was able to intuitively sense what was lacking when I sang.
By combining the problems I identified with a reverse-engineered version of the training routes the members must have taken, I could roughly predict the feedback I’d receive at the next evaluation.
All that was left was to choose a song that would most clearly demonstrate that I’d improved based on the feedback, and that part was also neatly resolved.
This was because Jeong Seong-bin, Spark’s human karaoke book, had picked out twenty songs for me in a single day after hearing my criteria.
He’d felt so bad about me making toast a few times that I’d just thrown the idea out there.
“The number of songs is smaller than last time?”
“It’s a pain to listen to every single one. I narrowed it down based on your taste from the last list and the song you sang at the monthly evaluation…… would you prefer more candidates?”
“No. You’re a genius.”
And so, the evaluation prep was proceeding at full speed.
Now, I just needed to upgrade my dancing from a runaway train to a steam locomotive.
For the record, my goal for dancing was simply not to derail.
“You really have no talent for dancing.”
“A person is always at their most incompetent one month after joining a company.”
“What kind of analogy is that?”
Just as I vowed to avoid derailing, Choi Je-ho lifted my elbow. It seemed the angle was off again.
Sure enough, the criticism from Choi Je-ho came immediately.
“You can see the angle is wrong if you look in the mirror. Haven't you memorized it yet?”
If my body were capable of that kind of parallel processing, I wouldn't be struggling like this.
I missed Kang Gi-yeon, who was strict but at least taught me with a more human perspective than Choi Je-ho.
“You need to be able to do at least one cover dance so you have something to say during the interview.”
“Interview?”
“Our company does individual interviews at the beginning of the month. With the Representative, the manager, and the management team.”
My friend. Shouldn't you have told me about something like that sooner?
A representative interview sounded absolutely dreadful. Was there anything more unproductive than an interview with a person in power?
Right on cue, the system glowed brightly between me and Choi Je-ho, displaying a new task.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘New Task’ assigned.
▷ Content: Conduct the first Representative Interview
▷ Reward: Experience Points (10)
+
If I shifted my focus while talking to someone, I might get a reputation for seeing things.
I quickly read only the key points and looked back at Choi Je-ho.
“What do you usually talk about there?”
“Nothing much. Just whether being a trainee is manageable, if you’re doing well lately, stuff like that.”
That’s incredibly important, you brat.
Don't you know how exhausting company life becomes once you’re labeled as someone who can't adapt to the organization?
‘Then again, he’s not the type to worry about things like that.’
I recalled my last interview with Department Head Nam.
He’d spent the whole time talking about how I was working hard to praise Assistant Manager Kim to the higher-ups, how he was dying from the pressure of it all, and finally, asking me to hurry up and finish that banner his kid had asked for. It had been a one-man talk show.
I sincerely hoped that the Representative of UA had no expectations of me.
Furthermore, I desperately hoped that even if he had a child who was an idol fan, he wasn't the type of thoughtless person who brought that into the workplace.
As if Choi Je-ho’s words were foreshadowing, a few days later, individual interview times were announced to the trainees.