Chapter 24: Do You Want to Be Special? (2)
24. Do You Want to Be Special? (2)
Why bring up the monthly evaluation right before the survival show? The reason was obvious.
"This time, we'll be watching the monthly evaluation too."
"Aww—"
"But this evaluation will be a bit special."
As Ji Soo-ho signaled with his eyes, the staff member accompanying him pasted a large sheet onto the wall behind them. Neatly designed, the chart listed the trainees' names divided into different groups.
"The top 10 in this month's evaluation will start as the 'Special Class' in the survival show beginning in March."
Special Class. The moment that word—essentially Miro's caste system—was mentioned, the atmosphere in the practice room shifted. The previously buoyant air turned icy in an instant. The exchanged glances grew sharp.
"Of course, we won't use the term 'Special Class' on the broadcast, but the meaning—and the benefits—are exactly what you're thinking. The Special Class will get their names in the titles first and have an advantage in parts distribution for the title track."
"......"
"They'll also get preferential treatment in posters and other promotions. Of course, the Special Class lineup might change once the show starts, but first impressions matter."
And first impressions were everything. Seo Tae-hyun, who was already getting pushed hard early on, at least had pre-existing recognition as a former idol. But the rest of us were complete unknowns to the public—raw civilians who'd never been exposed before.
For us to gain fans and popularity, exposure was non-negotiable. Selling our faces was the only way. Hell, even I was already getting mentions online thanks to that damn Cat's Gratitude incident.
As if reading my thoughts, a new quest flickered into view.
[Single Quest 03.]
["Do You Want to Be Special?"]
[Objective: The trainers still show little interest in you, a rookie trainee. Stand out in the monthly evaluation and secure a spot in the top 10!]
[Success Reward: Clue for regression tracking & Comrade Recruitment]
[Failure Penalty: 40% increased chance of 5th regression, 15% increased chance of survival show elimination]
'Is this balance broken or what?'
Alright, let's take stock of my current specs.
Name: Kang Hajin.
Age: Twenty. (Actually twenty-nine pretending to be twenty.)
Notable traits: Lived 2n years as a salaryman before becoming a one-month rookie at Miro.
'Ranking top 10 among guys who've been grinding for years? Easy, right?'
Damn System. I wish it would stop threatening me with regression. Though I guess that's why I'm stuck in this mess in the first place.
I mentally ran through the trainees' numbers and the skills I'd observed over the past few days, trying to gauge my chances.
"Normally, we'd let you form teams freely, but since this affects the survival show, we've assigned teams to better assess individual skills. Check your placements."
"Yes, sir!"
"Practice will focus on the monthly evaluation teams for now. Any questions?"
"No, sir—!"
"Good. Then I'll leave you to it. Check your teams and start practicing. Fighting! Let's do this, kids!"
"Yes! Thank you!"
Ji Soo-ho's sincere encouragement was met with loud responses from all corners. He definitely seemed well-respected within Miro. The moment he and the staff left, the trainees stampeded toward the notice board like a herd.
"I hope we're in the same team."
"Not sure. We might be split up."
Watching them scramble, I moved at a leisurely pace. Seo Tae-hyun, who'd been walking slowly beside me, paused when he noticed my lack of urgency.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we were together?"
I shook my head. 'No way.'
'Our positions are worlds apart.'
With the department head gone, Seo Tae-hyun was practically a lock for debut. Even if he suddenly dressed as a demon and screamed death metal about hating idol life, fans would still cheer for his transformation.
And me?
'Even if they call me Miro's Zhuge Liang, I'm still just a one-month rookie.'
I hadn't even properly sung a full song in front of the trainers yet. No way they'd pair me with Tae-hyun.
"Ah! I'm screwed."
"Whoa, we're together."
"Hmm... I'm with him."
The trainees checking their teams had all kinds of reactions. If this were the survival show, cameras would've zoomed in to capture every dramatic shot. Watching them express themselves so honestly—still unaware of 'broadcast mode'—I clicked my tongue.
"Hyung! We're together!"
Tall enough to see over the crowd, Joo Eun-chan called out to Seo Tae-hyun as he emerged from the throng. Tae-hyun, who'd briefly looked disappointed at being separated from me, brightened upon hearing they were teamed up.
"Really? Ah, thank goodness. At least we've practiced together a lot."
"Exactly. Having at least one familiar hyung..."
"One? What, am I the only one? Who else is in our team?"
Eun-chan's relieved tone—he was notoriously shy—made Tae-hyun suddenly anxious, and the two hurried toward the notice board.
I wasn't in any rush. Even if I went now, I probably wouldn't get a good look. As I waited my turn, Dan Ha-ru shuffled over with a face like he was about to cry.
"What's up with you?"
"...None of the hyungs I'm close to are in my team."
"Guess we got split up too, huh?"
"Yeah. You're in Team A. I'm in Team C..."
Dan Ha-ru, the youngest trainee who constantly had to read his seniors' moods, puffed out his cheeks in frustration.
'Though he'll still kill it despite the whining.'
Having practiced with him a few times, I knew his skills well enough not to worry.
"Who's in your team?"
"Si-woo hyung... Yuki hyung, Min-wook hyung, Tae-won hyung, and Kyoungho hyung."
"That's brutal."
"Ugh. What do I do?"
Jung Si-woo from the elite Special Class, two of Han Seong-woo's lackeys from the regular class, plus two fence-sitting pushovers. The perfect combo to crush Dan Ha-ru.
'Speaking of which, who the hell am I teamed with?'
The growing unease made me want to check sooner. It wasn't like I was a teenager on a field trip—I didn't need friends. But having deadweight would be a problem. My whole future was riding on this eval.
Tap tap.
"...?"
Someone tapped my shoulder. Turning, I saw Lee Do-ha—that bear-like guy. Why was he clinging to me like this?
"Uh, Do-ha. If this is about earlier, let me check my team first—"
"We're in the same team."
"Huh?"
"We got placed together."
Do-ha pointed at the notice board. With the crowd thinning, the chart was now visible.
<■ February Monthly Evaluation Team Assignments>
—Team A
Kang Hajin (Vocal)
Gong Seok (Vocal)
Lee Do-ha (Rap)
Kim Won-ho (Dance)
Yoon Tae-hee (Dance)
—Team B
Seo Tae-hyun (Vocal)
Joo Eun-chan (Vocal)
Lee Yu-geon (Dance & Rap)
Jayden (Rap)
Park Jae-young (Dance)
—Team C
Jung Si-woo (Vocal)
Dan Ha-ru (Vocal)
Yuki (Vocal)
Kim Min-wook (Dance)
Yoon Tae-won (Dance)
Shin Kyoungho (Rap)
—Team D
.......
'These teams are brutal.'
Each group had a clear concept. Ji Soo-ho knew what he was doing.
Take Team B, for example.
"Still, they'd do better with a dance track, right?"
"With Yu-geon there... Dance is where we both shine anyway."
Lee Yu-geon, their main dancer, had made a name for himself in street battles before joining the company. Add Seo Tae-hyun, who could carry a live broadcast on charisma alone, and Joo Eun-chan, whose control and expressiveness made him a performance center—clearly, they were going for dance synergy.
Team C was no slouch either.
"Ah. Si-woo hyung's vocals are insane... We're doomed."
Jung Si-woo looked like he belonged in Rene Entertainment—a textbook visual with a top-three art school vocal pedigree.
"Can't sleep on Ha-ru either. He's the only one who's beaten Si-woo hyung in vocals during evals."
Dan Ha-ru, who'd somehow survived puberty with his angelic voice intact, had been the regular class's main vocal.
'Team C is basically those two duking it out.'
This wasn't just a battle of the strongest in the lore.
'...But why does our team feel so mediocre?'
On paper, our team was the most balanced. But compared to the others' extreme specialization, that balance just made us seem... average.
'In this industry, blending in is a death sentence.'
No matter how well-rounded you were, being an extreme specialist was better. At least then you could stand out. A jack-of-all-trades would just get trampled into oblivion.
'This is a pretty rough combo.'
As I eyed my teammates warily, Do-ha approached again. Right, this guy was another question mark—the only Special Class member in our team.
"The others are waiting for us."
"Ah, yeah. Let's go."
'Still better than the rest, I guess.'
I glanced at the three remaining trainees waiting for us—none of whom inspired confidence—and sighed inwardly.
'Kim Won-ho, Gong Seok, Yoon Tae-hee. All regular class, all short training periods.'
Not a single one took advanced-level classes. They'd grouped the best together for the survival show and dumped the leftovers here.
In other words, this was practically a throwaway team.
'I'm a one-month rookie with unproven skills, so fine. But why is he here?'
I tilted my head, once again puzzled by Do-ha's presence—the sole Special Class member in this lineup. He must've felt my gaze but just silently headed toward the gathering spot.
"Haha, hello."
"Hello, hyungs."
"This is our first time together like this!"
"Right. Our positions are neatly divided too, which is good."
"And we have Do-ha, so we don't have to worry about arrangements!"
Starting with Yoon Tae-hee's cheerful voice, the hopeless trio (I didn't mean it maliciously, but what else could I call them?) laid out some optimistic prospects. Their forced enthusiasm was painfully obvious—even they knew this team was shaky.
'Is this really okay...?'
A foreboding feeling bloomed in my mind.
And by now, I should've known—these hunches were rarely wrong.