Chapter 29
Chapter 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Team Assembly and the Chronicle Gamble
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Once he figured he'd made everyone sweat enough, Oh Hyun-jin adjusted his mic and called out one trainee's name.
In that manner, Oh Hyun-jin's team gradually filled up.
It was like they'd coordinated in advance—they were cherry-picking trainees who clearly excelled in at least one area, whether vocals, dance, or rap, no matter who was watching.
"The trainee I'll pick is..."
I was mulling over who to choose for my turn, figuring there was no way I'd get picked with that lineup, when—
"B-rank trainee On Raon."
...For real?
I stood there stunned for a moment before snapping out of it at the ritual applause from the other trainees. I stepped forward and took my place next to Ji Yeon-woo from BAEK Music, who had called my name.
"Now, On Raon trainee, please pick the next teammate you'd like."
Who to pick? I hadn't expected to get chosen this quickly, so I was a bit flustered.
The reliably nice Jun-woo hyung? Jing Xiao, who seemed bound to generate buzz? Seo Moon-gyeol, with his perfect looks, personality, and skills?
That's when one trainee shot his hand up like he was begging to be picked.
My eyes widened when I saw who it was.
Incredibly, it was Ban Yo-han—the same guy who'd effortlessly ignored my desperate pleading gaze earlier.
A ripple of laughter spread through the trainees at Ban Yo-han's sudden move.
Jena let out a light chuckle and turned to me.
"What do you say?"
It felt like déjà vu. Pretty sure he'd raised his hand just like that last time when he nominated me as class leader.
This sly fox—got any conscience at all?
"...I'll pick trainee Ban Yo-han."
But passing on him here would mean kicking away free screen time and narrative setup. And that jerk knew it.
Even I had to admit the "fox" nickname suited him perfectly.
As Ban Yo-han strode forward to stand beside me, a notification popped up.
I wondered what Ban Yo-han's personality status was like that even Seo Moon-gyeol from the same agency was worrying about me.
I didn't know the reason, but the other teammates' expressions seemed subtly tense for a split second. No idea why.
Anyway, with Ban Yo-han picked last, our first team was complete.
Our lineup: A-rank Oh Hyun-jin, Kim Se-jong, Ji Yeon-woo; B-rank Ban Yo-han, On Raon; C-rank Han Da-hoon, Song Jung-hwan.
Not quite Avengers-level, but no glaring weak spots, either. Pretty solid, all things considered.
About 40 minutes later, all 14 teams were formed.
In the process, a visuals powerhouse team including Na Yun-jae, Ok Do-yoon, Jing Xiao, and Seo Moon-gyeol drew sighs from the trainees.
'If we face them, we're done for.'
That was the vibe.
And Ban Yo-han had to end up here, of all places. Why him?
"All 14 teams are set. Now, discuss with your teammates which mentor's song to cover. You've got 10 minutes starting now."
Teams scattered to huddle and brainstorm.
Cameras were assigned one per team to capture it all.
Ours was led by Oh Hyun-jin.
"No time to waste—let's decide quick."
"Got it."
"First off, I'd rather skip girl group songs."
"Same."
Girl group tracks were tricky in the first round since they had high vocal ranges and minimal arrangements.
Even in Season 1's boys' division, everyone avoided them.
"I'd love to aim for a Jupiter sunbaenim song. Thoughts?"
"Jupiter sunbaenim's tracks are great."
The others jumped in enthusiastically whenever Oh Hyun-jin spoke.
After watching for a bit, I chimed in.
"Won't it be super competitive, though?"
Jupiter had debuted a few years back and now carried sunbae status—plenty of merit there.
Screw it up, and fans would roast you, but that was true for anything.
Plus, dodging girl idols left male options: Chronicle with potentially outdated 20th-century vibes; Pluto's tricky concepts unfit for competition; and UPon, whose group formations only shone with 10 members.
So Jupiter felt like the safe, popular pick. Obvious it'd be crowded.
Not that all this was stored in my head from nowhere.
While crashing at Grandpa Go Su-jong's, I'd binged Pick Heart Seasons 1 and 2, researching everything.
Naturally learned about the "mentor song cover evaluation" and dug into the mentors' groups.
I wasn't an NPC-level expert on this game world yet, but enough to join the convo.
"Right. Overheard the team with Xiao and Gyeol eyeing it too."
Ban Yo-han, who'd been quietly observing, backed me up.
Mentioning the visuals squad made the weaker-looking Han Da-hoon and Song Jung-hwan flinch.
Perfect opening.
"That's why I've got a proposal."
"...What?"
"Let's do Chronicle sunbaenim."
"Knew you'd say that."
Ban Yo-han muttered under his breath.
I ignored him.
"No time, so five quick reasons why Chronicle sunbaenim is perfect."
One: Their comeback last year was killer—topped music shows multiple times.
Two: Unless producers want flops, it'll likely be offered, and the suits are competition-proof OP gear.
Three: Choreo isn't brutally hard but has that classy Chronicle flair.
Four: Bridge-to-highlight nails vocals too.
Five: (Favor-dispenser) King God General Chronicle's Muk seonsaengnim will coach us—what more do you need?
Han Da-hoon and Kim Se-jong flipped at reason two; Song Jung-hwan at three; Ji Yeon-woo at four.
Ban Yo-han wasn't opposing anyway.
Only Oh Hyun-jin remained, poorly hiding his dissatisfaction as things veered off-course.
"One minute left!"
Jena announced just in time.
Decision time.
"Everyone decided?"
While trainees huddled, staff hustled mentor-group placards to one wall.
Like a race? Jena explained the rules.
"One rep per team. Stand with feet together, bunny-hop to your chosen artist's placard."
Low injury risk unless you flop. Not bad.
Might look silly, but viewers love kids staying safe.
Han Da-hoon volunteered confidently, claiming he was good at this.
"Ready... go!"
Non-racers cheered wildly for their reps to snag the song.
"Wooo!"
"Jing Xiao! Jing Xiao!"
Jing Xiao bunny-hopped like a zombie, claiming Jupiter first.
MVP chicken-fight energy intact.
Reminded me of a scarecrow chasing a walking castle.
Others followed; Jupiter closed quickest.
Han Da-hoon nabbed third overall for Chronicle, earning our cheers.
Last straggler weakly hopped to Rosetta, ending selections.
Jena glanced at her cue card.
"Time to reveal the songs. On one-two-three, first-arrivers peel the sticker."
They love these sticker peels on shows.
"One, two, three!"
Seven stickers dropped.
"What? Which one?"
"TOXIC!"
Chronicle's sticker revealed my target: 'TOXIC'.
Why I predicted it: Audience skews young, so post-2012 hiatus tracks likely. Of four titles then, 'TOXIC' fit best—strong charts, stage-ready.
Others were fan songs or dance-light.
Confident guess, but relief hit anyway. Wrong pick could've tanked team vibes from jump.
"That's all 14 teams and songs for the mentor cover evaluation!"
Staff behind Jena mimed applause overhead.
Trainees echoed with cheers.
Back to the dorm's bland breakfast, then to the original auditorium for real practice.
Our team sat in a circle with lyric sheets (parts roughly divided) and pens from staff, plus one issued tablet PC in the middle.
"Leader first?"
"Sure. Anyone want it?"
Kim Se-jong, the eldest, volunteered—leader set quick.
Center was the hot potato. Huge impact in these shows, though PDs could edit it to nothing.
Everyone cared, so I played along.
"Stage video first."
Kim Se-jong fired up the tablet.
Chronicle's 'TOXIC' oozed mature leisure with subtle sexiness—a dance track.
Sexy concept reminded me 'On Raon' was underage.
Whatever—this industry never cared.
Good thing lyrics and choreo weren't overt; I'd interpret smartly.
Video ended; prompts for choreo/song mastery failed. Both.
When does my Intelligence rise? When do I get memorize-freebie munchkin status?
Post-video, Ji Yeon-woo hinted.
"Killing part doesn't suit midgets for center."
"You don't know that."
Grumpy Oh Hyun-jin bristled back. Han Da-hoon and I nodded agreement.
Hey, I'm a teen physically but mentally the eldest here—eldest! In my world, you'd call me hyung.
"One by one, killing part song and choreo? Capture the vibe, then vote for center."
Solid suggestion; all agreed.
The infamous killing part? Muk Hye-seong's, of course.
Wrap hands around a throat like choking, slide down—eyes screaming "mine" key.
Solo practice awkward; needed a partner.
Oh Hyun-jin eyed me.
"Practiced this for company monthly evals. You partnered then, Raon—again?"
About to nod when Ban Yo-han beamed in.
"Mind if I do it? Not gunning for center—inexperienced—but wanna try this."
"Oh, yeah. Perfect—thanks."
"My pleasure."
Ban Yo-han glanced my way. What? Camera's rolling.
I ended up last in line.
Oh Hyun-jin strongest contender, natch.
High schooler Han Da-hoon too babyish; Song Jung-hwan vibe mismatch; Ji Yeon-woo, Kim Se-jong plain.
Oh Hyun-jin nailed it slickly, impressively.
Company monthly eval experience, so expected.
But it's about feel over practice.
My turn. Stood, faced Ban Yo-han, closed eyes for mind control.
'The guy in front is a total punk-ass dealer... Grab and smash him now or my blood pressure kills me...'