Chapter 14
Chapter 14
After the most frantic yet hopeful discussion of the past two days, I approached Seon A-hyun during a short break.
"Are you tired?"
"Oh, n-no..."
Seon A-hyun shook his head, his face tight with tension. He seemed to realize his own condition wasn't great and looked nervous, as if expecting a scolding.
Is this the right way to approach him? I tried to open the conversation as gently as possible.
"Then, are you worried about the feedback from the choreography check earlier?"
An immediate apology followed.
"I-I-I'm sorry... I, I'll work harder..."
What a total glass cannon. It was truly a sight to behold.
"You don't need to apologize to me. And I'm telling you this so you don't misunderstand."
I tried to find a soft way to convey that the choreographer just had a personality problem and used personal attacks as a form of "motivation."
"The dance trainer didn't say those things because he actually thinks I'm better than you. He probably said it just to provoke you."
To create a more relaxed atmosphere, I sat down near him as I continued.
"He likely felt it was a waste because he knows you can do better. He’s just the type of person who speaks harshly."
"..."
Seon A-hyun couldn't bring himself to respond, perhaps because he couldn't stomach the lie of saying, "No, you're better." Even you think my logic sounds plausible, right?
"D-Do you really... think I can d-do well?"
"Hmm?"
Was he asking me?
I doubted he had calculated that I wouldn't possibly answer with, "The choreographer is the choreographer, but I don't think so."
I crossed my arms and replied calmly.
"Why would I bother lying?"
"...!"
Seon A-hyun gulped, then asked again with a voice tinged with anticipation.
"T-T-Then... how can I, d-do well...?"
"...Are you asking for my opinion?"
"Y-Yes!"
Seon A-hyun nodded vigorously.
You're asking for advice from a total newbie who started his career through an audition?
Suppressing my internal sigh, I offered a standard piece of advice based on Seon A-hyun's status window.
"In my opinion, you think too much about useless things."
Seon A-hyun looked shocked.
"U-U-Useless...?"
"I'm not saying your thoughts are worthless. I mean you're overthinking things you don't even need to consider. How about trying to empty your head?"
I added a more specific example.
"Just think, 'I'm going to nail this.' That's it."
"..."
Seon A-hyun fell into deep thought. It was a rather contradictory reaction for someone who had just been told to stop thinking.
Regardless, his response immediately afterward was positive.
"O-Okay. I'll... I'll try."
Determination was visible on his face, so it didn't seem like empty words.
But wait, he was burning with more passion than I expected. His shoulders even tensed up.
He was even muttering something under his breath... It sounded like he was repeating, "I'm going to nail this."
"..."
Hmm, was I always this talented at giving advice?
Just as doubt began to creep in, a system pop-up appeared.
['That sounds right (C)' has been activated!]
- Target: Seon A-hyun
- Effect: Trait activated due to successful persuasion.
So that was it. That measly 35% chance must have triggered.
I didn't know it could be used this way... but given the nature of this program, it seemed quite useful. Assuming I could beat the 35% odds, of course.
I opened Seon A-hyun's status window to check the exact changes.
[Name: Seon A-hyun]
Vocal: B- (A)
Dance: A (EX)
Appearance: A+ (S+)
Star Quality: B (A+)
Trait: Perseverance (A)
!Status Effect: Low Self-Esteem (Deactivated)
The status effect was deactivated?
The pop-up earlier mentioned a trait being activated; was this the result?
I checked the trait.
[Perseverance (A): One's mindset is of one's own making. Burns through focus to suppress negative states.]
- When activated, cancels out one status effect (Highest Priority).
Isn't this trait totally broken?
If I had this trait, I would have deactivated the 'Death if Not Passing' status effect and quit this audition ages ago.
I was so annoyed my brain stopped working for a moment.
It wasn't until some time had passed and vocal practice resumed that I was able to calmly process the situation.
Anyway, does this mean Seon A-hyun can now use his skills exactly as shown in the status window?
Just then, Mudie praised Seon A-hyun's voice.
"A-hyun, that sound just now was perfect!"
"T-Thank you...!"
Even to my ears, it sounded better than during practice. He would likely start producing sounds that matched his B- stat.
Hmm.
It was a good thing that Seon A-hyun had pulled himself together, as it raised the quality of the stage. However, I couldn't let him stand out too much on his own.
Even if our positions don't overlap, it'll be a problem if he hogs all the buzz.
I needed to create some screen time where I could appeal to the audience myself.
I needed something that contributed to the quality of the stage while allowing me to hog all the impact.
"So, horror? If you guys pull it off well, I think that direction would be great. How are you planning to do it?"
As the other team members excitedly rambled about the arrangement in response to Mudie's question, I raised my hand.
"I have an idea for the arrangement of my part. May I speak?"
"Oh, Moon-dae~ Where?"
"This part."
I pointed my finger at the lyric sheet.
"The bridge."
I saw Choi Won-gil, who was standing next to me, drop his jaw.
Thanks for the part, Won-gil. I'll put it to good use.
*
Idol Inc. Season 3 was currently setting the internet ablaze, fueled by mockery and criticism that it was bound to fail.
At this point, only the participants' profiles and the first stage had been revealed. The production presentation hadn't even happened yet, but a notice recruiting audience members for the first team battle had already appeared on the Tnet website.
It was due to filming schedules, but thanks to the overwhelming buzz, the competition for the audience spots was quite fierce.
And here, someone had proudly come to watch the filming after beating the odds (27:1)!
I won't get caught, right?
On second thought, she didn't look very proud.
Gulping, she hid a small, portable telephoto lens and a camera in her backpack, concealed under a cardigan she had used as a smoke screen.
There was a reason she had gone to the trouble of sneaking a camera into the filming.
The moment she saw the first stage of Aju-sa, "Shining Star," she had a gut feeling.
This might actually work!
This atmosphere... Sure, people are bashing it now, but once the broadcast starts, all that hate could turn into interest. As long as the kids are decent!
If that happened, the value of the photos she took now would skyrocket!
It was a gamble. But the thought that high-risk stocks are always a gamble dominated her mind. Furthermore...
...If there's someone really good, it would be nice to settle down as their fansite master from the early days.
Since her (former) idol was currently making a disgusting appearance on the social affairs pages and killing all her affection, she also wanted to use this opportunity to rebrand her account and start fresh.
So, she had to take as many photos as possible today. There was no telling which participant would blow up on which stage.
She waited calmly for the filming to begin.
The MC, a former public broadcast announcer turned actor, came onto the stage, gave a few words of caution, and then the filming started.
"This stage features a showdown between two teams covering songs by senior idols from the same agency. A massive benefit awaits the winning team. You'll have to check the broadcast to find out what that benefit is!"
The audience had agreed to a non-disclosure agreement regarding spoilers until the airing.
Still, since there were plenty of people who would talk online anyway, it seemed they were trying to keep everything except the performances under wraps as much as possible.
"Idol Inc. Season 3, the long-awaited first team battle begins now! Shine Your Star!"
After the voting method was announced and the stage setup was checked, the first performance began immediately.
The first match was between two teams covering songs by idols from QuZ Agency, known for producing popular idols.
A bit boring.
It wasn't bad, but it was inevitable that they generally fell short of the original songs.
Even as she snapped a few shots in secret, she didn't have high expectations. What mattered were the teams with participants who were being mentioned online.
After the second team match passed uneventfully, a team worth watching finally appeared.
It was the match featuring Cha Yu-jin, who had received the most screen time during the "Shining Star" stage.
"Whoa, Cha Yu-jin!"
"These kids are good~"
As it was a team with many familiar participants, there was a noticeable difference in the cheers during their entrance. Some people were already holding up placards.
Above all, they performed well.
Wow, they're actually really good.
Their skills were at a level where one could believe they had already debuted, and the arrangement was excellent.
They had taken an old song, which was consumed like a retro meme on the internet for its excessive sexy concept, and reinterpreted it in a sophisticated and cute way.
Moreover, not only Cha Yu-jin but also the participant in charge of rapping from the same agency stood out.
Those two are definitely going to make it.
She diligently captured data, focusing on the two of them, while skillfully dodging the gaze of the security guards roaming around.
The next team competing against them also had many well-known participants, making it interesting in a different way.
This will probably be the final segment of the broadcast, right?
She thought with some excitement, yet felt a bit disappointed.
She expected everything from the next team onward to be quite dull.
Since more than half of the participants worth watching had been concentrated in the previous match, she expected the rest to be mediocre.
And sure enough, the next stage was not very interesting.
Perhaps because the team was made up of members who hadn't been chosen, only one team was evaluated using an absolute grading system. Honestly, she could see why they hadn't been picked.
It was the worst performance so far.
"What is this?"
"My legs hurt."
In the back, some people were already starting to sneak out.
They were bored and their legs ached, so they didn't want to bother watching the remaining stages.
Amidst that distracted atmosphere, the MC shouted.
"The first team battle is heating up! This next turn... features participants covering a song from LeTi, the agency of the global sensation and recent Grand Prize winners, VTIC!"
The MC didn't even mention 'Malang Dalkom.'
It meant it was bait for the audience.
But the effect was incredible.
"VTIC?"
The audience began to buzz.
VTIC was currently the hottest boy group.
At the mention of covering a song by a group that had sold 1.2 million copies in the first week and was undeniably a Grand Prize-winning idol, even those who were about to leave paused.
In that atmosphere of slightly restored expectation, the MC shouted cheerfully.
"Then, here is the first team to take the stage, October 31!"
It was a team name that brought to mind an ice cream parlor.
It wasn't a name that stuck in the ear immediately, either.
Since it was common for participants to have poor personal taste, everyone let the team name slide without much thought.
Never mind that, which VTIC song did they cover?
"The song the participants covered is... Ah, these ladies debuted as flower fairies, didn't they? It's 'Into the New World' by the national girl group, 'Malang Dalkom'!"
"...!?"
The crowd was stunned.