Musician in the Audition (3)
Kim Naeun stumbled into the waiting room after her performance, looking unsteady on her feet.
“……”
The moment she entered, sharp gazes pierced her from every corner of the room. More suspicion than congratulations, more jealousy than welcome—the existing contestants clearly weren't thrilled. Naeun froze by the door, at a loss under the stinging stares. Her eyes darted around, trembling as she searched for an empty seat.
Tap, tap.
I patted the empty spot on the sofa next to me with my palm. Instantly, every eye in the waiting room locked onto us.
“……Ah.”
Our eyes met, and she approached with a squeak of her shoes, unable to hide her panic.
“Um, excuse me… coming through…!”
Naeun sat down next to me oh-so-carefully, barely perching on the edge of the cushion. She kept sneaking glances at me like a puppy who'd made a mess and was gauging the damage. I slowly turned my gaze from the screen to her.
“Long time no see, Naeun.”
My voice made her shoulders jump visibly. She clapped both hands over her mouth, eyes widening in disbelief.
“Y-you know my name?! You remember me?!”
“I don't forget names after hearing them once.”
“Whoa…… that's insane. I'm seriously touched, sunbae-nim! I mean, contestant-nim!”
“Call me whatever's comfy. We're in the same boat anyway.”
“I couldn't possibly! I watched your stage from here earlier, and it gave me chills…! I never dreamed you'd cover a Velvet Night song like that!”
Naeun's teary face brightened in a flash, and she started chattering away, eyes sparkling. The prickly stares around us? Already forgotten.
“But… sunbae-nim.”
She leaned in, lowering her voice.
“That judge, Terry Oh, who picked me. Do you think he really saw potential in me? Or was it just luck…?”
Her voice dripped with zero confidence. I looked at her steadily, then dropped a single word.
“Luck played a part, yeah.”
“Ah…… figured as much.”
Her head drooped limply. But I wasn't done.
“Pros call luck a skill too, Naeun.”
She looked up.
“Turning luck into opportunity is talent. Turning that into results is grit. Who taught you to mix vibrato into those high notes?”
“Huh? Oh… that? It just kinda came out naturally while I was singing…”
“That's your talent.”
“……Me?!”
Her squeal echoed through the waiting room just as the MC strode in. The buzz died down with his arrival.
“Congratulations to our 41 surviving contestants. But the celebration ends here.”
A businesslike smile tugged at the MC's lips.
“Time to reveal the Round 2 main stage mission: team evaluations.”
Team evaluations. The highlight of survival shows—and the ugliest source of division.
“Teams of at least 2, up to 5. You'll form them yourselves. Once done, the judges will assign a common theme. You've got time now—mingle and build your teams!”
The waiting room turned into a battlefield the second he finished.
“Hey, vocal major, right? Team up with me?”
“I can do dance lives! Need one more?”
Handshakes everywhere, contestants checking numbers like business cards. And as expected, the most attention swarmed my sofa.
“Jiyeong-ssi! I'm top of my practical music program… Team spot open?”
“With you, it's an auto-pass. Hear my voice?”
They flocked like clouds, pegging me as the victory bus. I waved them off curtly.
“Sorry, still thinking.”
After a few rejections, they clicked their tongues and scattered. Naeun fidgeted beside me, tugging my sleeve.
“S-sunbae-nim… you really wanna team with me? Even if it's minimum two, you're you… Teaming with a super-pass side dish like me—won't you lose out?”
“I'll decide if it's a loss. And Naeun.”
I nodded toward the chaotic center.
“Right now, just watch the flow. Everyone starts frantic, picking image over skill. That's when the real gems get left in the corners.”
My gaze fixed on the far corner, ignored by the crowd: Participant #14. The guy I'd watched closely on the monitor—the one Park Jinwoo super-passed, the singer-songwriter type.
He hugged his battered acoustic guitar case, staring blankly at the floor. No one approached. They were avoiding him.
Country vibe.
His Round 1 genre was too niche. Not mainstream, clashing hard with K-pop or ballads. For harmony-focused teams, #14 was a landmine.
“Sunbae-nim, staring at #14? He sang that super old-school song…”
“Not old-school. Classic.”
I stood.
“Naeun, you think he only does country?”
“Well, that's all he showed…”
“Nah. He just hasn't found clothes that fit his voice.”
#14 got a super-pass from sharp-tongued Park Jinwoo. No way he'd waste it on zero talent. He'd seen the sincerity and basics in that voice.
I approached slowly. My shadow fell on his feet, and he looked up lazily.
“……Han Jiyeong-ssi?”
Confusion in his eyes. Why was Korea's top singer approaching a loser like him?
I crossed my legs and stood before him.
“#14.”
“……Yes.”
“Retuned your guitar after stage?”
He blinked at the random question.
“Uh… no. Just left it.”
“Scratch an E chord for me.”
Dazed, he pulled out the guitar and strummed. Zing—ring— Rough but resonant. Well-maintained.
I smiled faintly and called Naeun over.
“Naeun, say hi. Our third member's here.”
“Eeeee?!”
“……What?!”
Their screams overlapped.
“What's your name?”
“……Han Doyun.”
“Doyun-ssi, no country from today. I'll show you what really suits you.”
The waiting room chaos settled as the 41 survivors gathered in the massive main studio. Dazzling moving lights whipped overhead, and the giant LED screen upfront updated team rosters in real-time.
“All teams for Round 2 team missions are set!”
The MC's voice filled the space. Tense music pulsed through the speakers, spiking heart rates.
The screen lit up with 10 teams.
“10 teams battling it out. Check the lineups!”
Round 2 Team Mission Matchups
Group A (5 members): Practical music majors & vocal trainers—high-note powerhouses.
Group B (4 members): Agency trainee performers.
Group C (5 members): R&B/soul vocal emotion squad.
Group D (4 members): Indie busker individualists.
Group E (4 members): Musical theater volume bombers.
Group F (5 members): Rock band power vocalists.
Group G (3 members): Han Jiyeong, Kim Naeun, Han Doyun.
Group H (3 members): Hip-hop rappers + vocals crossover.
Group I (5 members): Pop-optimized trendsetters.
Group J (3 members): Traditional + opera experimentals.
Our team's names popped up, sparking blatant whispers.
“Whoa, check Han Jiyeong's squad.”
“Super-pass trainee and outdated country singer? She's carrying solo, right?”
“Or overconfident. Thinks she can solo-carry.”
The MC smiled on.
“Lineups alone scream fireworks. Now, the mission theme!”
Mission Theme: Reinterpreting Eras
“……Reinterpreting eras? They want us arranging too?”
“Round 2 and already this brutal?”
Groans and gripes erupted.
“This is producer hunting, not singers! Reinterpret classics in days? Impossible.”
“Mismatched teams + arranging? Stage disaster waiting.”
Then Park Jinwoo's voice boomed like he'd volunteered.
“Anyone griping, rip your number off and leave.”
His sharp eyes swept the contestants.
“Legends don't just spoon from ready meals. Design your own stage to fit your voice. Can't clear this wall, what music you talking?”
Pure Park Jinwoo—blunt as ever. Contestants bit lips but eyes hardened.
“……Fine, let's do it. Same rules for all.”
“We've got teammates—brainstorm and make it work.”
The MC continued.
“You'll get 90s–early 2000s hits, randomly drawn per team. Group A, step up!”
Draws brought sighs and cheers. Some despaired at tough picks; others high-fived perfect fits.
Finally, us.
“Group G! Come on up.”
I strolled onstage casually, dipped into the box, and drew a paper. A faint smile curved my lips as I unfolded it.
The MC took it, eyes bulging.
“Oh…… unexpected pick. But top-tier difficulty!”
He flashed it to camera.
Group G Assigned Song: Kang Soyoung - Invitation (1998)
“……!”
Audience and judges buzzed. Iconic 90s sexy, dreamy dance track.
“Worst combo, worst song.”
Someone snickered. Han Doyun paled instantly.
“J-Jiyeong-ssi…… I can't do songs like this.”
Naeun fidgeted too.
“Sunbae-nim, harder than Velvet Night. What now?”
“Don't worry.”
Plan already set in my head.