Schedule Schedule Schedule (2)
"Sniff! Sniff sniff!"
A sob burst out.
One team had made an outrageous mistake, and a trainee who couldn't forgive her own error finally broke down in tears.
They did mess up, but in my eyes, their performance had the best composition overall.
The mistake happened because they'd packed in so much substance. It might take a long time to perfect, but once they did, they'd probably deliver the most impressive stage among all the Star One trainees.
And with that level of passion—enough to cry out of sheer frustration—the answer's obvious.
The crying girl was the same age as Ki Uyeon, which made her stick in my mind for some reason.
On the flip side, the team that took first in the mid-evaluation was solid across the board. Their safe dance routine led to the highest polish, earning them the top spot.
"You've all seen the mid-evaluation stages from the Star One trainees. What are your thoughts?"
The MC asked me right there on stage, while the trainees huddled together, still reeling from their emotions.
They'd said only the top team would get advice from me, but asking for impressions in this situation was basically giving everyone a shot.
Should I just say they were better than expected to be polite? But honestly, the stages weren't that great.
They were all so green, embarrassingly rough around the edges. Even in a mid-evaluation, some couldn't even memorize their lyrics properly.
"Well, first off, the skill gap was huge, which was disappointing. I get that it's a survival show where some make it and others don't, but when the differences are this stark, even they can tell."
"""
"!!"
Everyone had that look like they expected some cookie-cutter praise, but they snapped to attention, staring at me in shock.
"Why does she do it so well? Why can't I? That kind of buildup makes you lose sight of what's important. You just keep comparing yourself to others and forget the real priorities. Motivation tanks. You think, What's the point of trying when I'll just get cut anyway? Might as well give up."
"Ah..."
"I got that vibe from a few teams, actually. They probably tried to hide it, but deep down, they know. Being honest with yourself is tougher than it sounds."
Now I had cheats to ramp up skills whenever I wanted, but back then, I was just like those trainees who'd lost all drive. I'd chalked it up to my short trainee stint, but that was a wrong assumption. People are people, no matter the world.
Seeing these kids already beaten down by reality, their eyes dull like dead fish—it hit too close. I couldn't just sit quiet.
"Honestly, I planned to say nice things. Sugarcoating feels better for everyone, right? Producers wanted that too. But after meeting you all and seeing the stages up close, I can't just pretend and walk away. So, some tough love."
"Ah!"
The MC looked torn about cutting me off, but after hearing me out, she pulled the mic away completely. She'd clocked that I was serious about helping.
"The top team gets advice today, but sorry—not here. Top spot now doesn't mean you'll hold it in the finale if you slack off thinking this is good enough. You'll lose. Big time. Eleventh place today—11 teams, right? Anyone know why they messed up so much?"
"......"
Silence fell. No one spoke up easily.
"Out of 12 teams, they went for the highest difficulty. That's why the errors, and why they ranked last today. But I think they'll nail it by finals. They bombed hard, got pissed, and now they're burning with revenge. Eyes full of We'll perfect this and crush it."
"!!"
"!!"
Gazes shifted to Team 11.
"What if they'd pulled it off without mistakes?"
Gulp—someone swallowed hard.
I answered my own rhetorical question.
"They'd have taken first. Composition was that good. More exciting than today's safe winner. I'm hyped for their finale over the 'safe' top spot. So, top team and everyone else—what now?"
Change the composition. Practice harder. Don't quit.
"Team 11 wasn't better than first today. Total mess, tons of flubs, worse than the quitters who slacked off. What I want to say is: potential. Last can become first. First can crash. Even quitters now can shine as stars later! Oh, don't get too down if you're first— you've got potential to stay on top too."
But coast on complacency, and first place won't last.
"Wanted to say nice things, but too much tough love. Sorry."
"No, no—this was real advice, blood and guts for the Star One trainees."
The MC jumped in quick, wrapping the shoot. Trainees looked shell-shocked, not approaching during break. But when the Ki Uyeon lookalike shyly asked for an autograph, others gained courage and swarmed.
"You're so cool."
"Even hotter in person!"
"How do you sing that well? Any tips?"
"Your dancing's insane—any academy recs?"
They peppered me with questions till break ended and shooting resumed. I slipped a little tip to the Uyeon-lookalike before leaving.
She'll debut no matter what.
With some industry mileage, I could spot 'em now. This one's gonna blow up. That was her.
If fate crosses paths again, we'll meet.
Planting good karma in entertainment? Worth the effort.
？？？
We powered through shoots nonstop. Three members split for radio, all six for stages. Days blurred by.
The white-haired dark mage prince hype was fading too. Interviews dropped from five a day to zero—they'd milked it dry.
"Rest three days straight."
"Then overseas right after?"
"Yeah. Overseas schedule's packed. Put off too long—gotta grind there too."
"Uwaaaah~!"
"Oh my goooosh~!!!!"
"Noooo~!! This schedule's murder~!"
"We're dying!!"
We were half-dead for real. But Manager Noona was ironclad.
"No dice. Can't delay more. Contracts signed—breach means massive penalties, you know that."
Overseas deals were airtight; compensation was brutal. No mercy for our whining.
"They already bent once. Can't be bigger pains."
"...Fair, but three days is too short."
"Can't we get a week?"
"Lie in bed, close eyes, boom—three days gone. Sniff sniff!"
Pushing overseas back had paid off, but our bodies and minds were wrecked. Three days wouldn't fix it.
No regrets, though. Results were worth it.
TV on? Our faces everywhere. Cooking shows, music, radio, survival, talk, variety, sports—you name it.
Pre- and post-promo? Night and day success.
Hard to stick without a breakout hook. We leaned on mine but hit tons of shows, got recognized.
Next: overseas for fans waiting there.
YouTube helped, but nothing beats live.
That's why we're going. Unite overseas fans like domestic Wings!
"Mini-concert overseas, right?"
Big reason I was pumped: mini-concert! Dreamed of fan-concert sing-alongs since Guessinger. Didn't expect it so soon.
Not huge, but our concert with fans!
Even if just 100, good reaction means bigger next time?
Worried if we'd hit 100 overseas, but Noona said my face alone fills it. No empty seats. Dreaming bigger—drop the 'mini' someday.
"Yep. Prep concert during promo."
"Whoa... insane. Would rather die, but concert talk? Suddenly pumped."
"Concert hype overrides everything..."
Not just me—members perked up at 'concert' despite exhaustion.
Every idol's dream?
"Fan signs, mini-concert, broadcasts... whew, couple months'll fly."
"When's overseas end?"
Taeyang needs me, but how big will he be by then? Video calls show growth spurts—already bummed....
Depression rising. Gotta find a way.