Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, the day of grade re-evaluation had arrived.
The trainees arrived at the filming set and took seats in the waiting area while looking around.
The waiting area was just a few steps away from the test stage. That meant they could watch the other trainees' performances while waiting for their turn.
'I wonder if everyone's nervous.'
Even if they weren't showing it outright, the tension was clear on their faces.
After all, with the re-evaluation, some would rise in rank while others would fall.
"Hello."
"Hey, kids~"
Shortly after the trainees sat down, the masters entered.
Unlike the nervous trainees, the masters appeared relatively relaxed.
"Do you know what day it is today? It's the day your final grades are decided."
Shin Su-yeol said from his seat among the masters.
"I hope it's a time where you can show everything you've worked for without regrets."
And with that, the grade evaluation began.
The first F-grade trainee was called.
"Hello!"
A young participant who looked about middle school age bowed deeply.
As the youngest here, everyone watched with encouraging eyes.
"I hope they do well."
But against those hopes, right after the verse part began, his voice cracked.
He couldn't handle the high note, and the sound tore apart.
"Ah..."
The evaluation ended in a solemn atmosphere.
"No grade change."
Most of the F-grade trainees received the same result afterward.
Among them, one who barely managed to promote to D-grade was Hyeon Si-woo.
"Trainee Hyeon Si-woo. D-grade."
"Thank you..."
'He was one of the main members too.'
I hadn't had a chance to mingle with the other main members since I was stuck in C-class, but here I was seeing him like this. I watched him walk back with curious eyes.
Hyeon Si-woo. A character with a miraculous story of starting at F-grade and debuting at 7th place in the survival show finale. He was described as a growth character alongside the protagonist.
'But his expression is definitely dark.'
Even after rising to D-grade, Hyeon Si-woo didn't look particularly happy.
And for good reason—he was an 8-year trainee. In fact, he had the longest tenure among us.
'D-grade after 8 years... yeah, that wouldn't feel good.'
Hyeon Si-woo gave off an atmosphere like someone in the late stages of depression.
I could understand it to some extent. He had a tragic backstory.
After 8 years as a trainee, he finally makes it into the debut lineup, only to suffer a sudden car accident that requires long-term rehab, forcing him to withdraw voluntarily.
Then, watching the team he left explode in popularity post-debut worsens his depression.
He had no choice but to witness his parents' house go from owned to rented just to cover his rehab costs.
That's why he gave that tearful interview about wanting to debut for his family's sake...
'Maybe he hasn't recovered fully yet.'
Hyeon Si-woo returned to the waiting area with his head down and face flushed red.
The D-grade trainees congratulated him, and he finally managed a smile, but it was obviously forced.
'Considering his backstory of being insanely good at dance in the past, it's no wonder he's disappointed.'
So far, things weren't deviating much from the original story.
And if it followed the novel's progression, the next one to be called at this timing would be...
"Trainee Do Won-woo."
My name was called, and the surrounding trainees patted my back in encouragement.
I did some last stretches before entering the evaluation area.
Master Shin Su-yeol asked,
"How are you feeling? Confident?"
Confident?
Honestly, up until a few days ago, I wasn't sure.
But today was different.
"I'm confident."
The masters reacted with an "Oh" at my bolder-than-ever tone.
"Alright, then. Let's see what you've prepared."
The masters didn't have high expectations as they watched Do Won-woo in front of them.
They knew he was hardworking, but they thought it was impossible to improve that much in such a short time.
― ♩♪♫~
The intro began, and Do Won-woo slowly moved his arms to the melody.
'...Huh?'
Raise, who had been leaning back with a bored expression, changed his look.
'What happened?'
Even someone who didn't know dance could tell Do Won-woo was completely different from before.
The guy who used to chop up the intro choreography was now flowing through the moves seamlessly, like water.
― In a hidden world
Where darkness blocks the light
Can't see an inch ahead
Like trapped in an endless tunnel
During the first verse, Shin Su-yeol showed a satisfied expression.
Compared to other trainees whose voices shook obviously while dancing in the live performance, his was relatively stable.
― An unknown door opens
A new world right before me
Time to know me now
Now say my name
In the section where the beat sped up, Do Won-woo stepped through one by one.
It was choreography that required chaining split moves continuously, so it was bound to be tough. He'd always messed up here and gotten tons of criticism...
'He's doing it well?'
Gasp escaped from the waiting area as he smoothly nailed the following moves.
A flash of surprise crossed Raise's sharp gaze.
― Endless waiting
A game I've never won
Breaking the limits set by the world
Like a bird emerging from struggle
He might not look insanely good at dance or vocals, but at least he gave off a stable impression.
For visuals, just being stable was half the battle won.
― I fly up, up, up,
He even nailed the killing part in the rising high notes without a hitch.
Repeated practice had improved his high note completion. It still felt a bit strained, of course.
But this was more than enough.
The test ended, and as I stood there catching my breath, my mind was a whirlwind.
I'd pushed beyond my current level to show something better, so it wasn't without strain.
But seeing the masters' reactions, it seemed worth it.
"Won-woo, you improved so suddenly?"
"Yeah. What kind of magic did you use?"
"...Thank you."
I greeted them with a bright smile.
Half practice, half system effects.
But I couldn't say that, so I looked toward the waiting area.
"The hyungs and friends in my class helped me a lot."
One of the C-grade trainees looked at me and gave a thumbs up.
"Oh, and Jae-hyun, who shares the room with me, taught me some practice methods too."
"Who?"
"Trainee Na Jae-hyun over there."
All eyes turned to one spot.
"Huh?"
Na Jae-hyun's eyes widened as he pointed to himself. He clearly hadn't expected his name to be called.
Shin Su-yeol looked at us warmly and asked,
"Really? What method did your friend Jae-hyun teach you?"
"Um... Jae-hyun said running on the treadmill while singing increases lung capacity. So I went to the gym every morning to practice."
At my answer, the masters huddled together whispering.
"We have treadmills here?"
"Yeah, there's a gym in the center."
"So he went all the way there to sing on the treadmill? Impressive."
Such comments followed, leaving only Raise's evaluation.
"Hm."
Raise paused before speaking.
Honestly, I was a bit anxious. Would I get harsh criticism again?
Some people hold grudges forever once you're on their bad side.
"You did well."
But Raise's words were unexpected praise.
"Thank you."
I bowed.
After getting torn apart endlessly, I finally got praise from Raise.
"Gotta acknowledge what's good. Trainee Do Won-woo, I don't know how you did it, but your dance skills improved insanely. Your lines are clean, and you nailed the parts you always messed up in practice. Well done."
'Phew...'
The masters held a brief meeting before returning to their seats.
Time for the grade announcement.
"Trainee Do Won-woo's grade is..."
I figured there'd be a change. Maybe up to B-grade?
"B-grade. Congratulations."
'Just as expected.'
"Thank you."
I clasped hands in thanks and returned to my seat.
Finally, I could peel off the demotion candidate badge on my T-shirt.
"Won-woo, congrats!"
"I knew you could do it."
"Good job, our Won-woo!"
The moment I sat, trainees swarmed me with congratulations. They shook me so much I got dizzy.
Looking back, had anyone in my life ever celebrated my improved grades like it was their own? Even I had taken it for granted...
'This feels kinda weird.'
Amid the trainees, Lee Hae-won approached with a bright smile.
"Congrats, Won-woo."
But the warm atmosphere didn't last. The next name was called, and the air grew heavy again.
"Trainee Lee Hae-won. Please come forward."
His name called right after mine, tension etched on Lee Hae-won's face.
"Good luck."
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
Lee Hae-won stood and glanced back at me with a small smile.
Unlike his usual goofy grin, he looked serious now.
Standing before the masters, he steadied his breath. No words, but his stiff face screamed nerves.
'...Please.'
Before I knew it, I was rooting for his promotion like it was my own.
In the original, the protagonist promotes to B-grade without issue.
But with my misfortune transferred, things might deviate. He could mess up and get demoted like last time.
'Please, promote. Lee Hae-won.'
The intro started. Lee Hae-won finished it and sang the first line.
'...He's good.'
My immediate thought. As expected from the confident vocalist, the verse drew people in.
"Wow."
"His tone is straight-up cheating."
The other trainees reacted the same, murmuring softly.
'His dance isn't bad either.'
True to his growth character setting, Lee Hae-won's dance had improved leaps and bounds.
Not pro level yet, but powerful and refreshing, matching the clear sound perfectly.
"He's doing well, right?"
"Oh, this guy's improved a ton too."
The masters and trainees watching showed positive reactions.
'No upsets if it stays like this.'
Still anxious, I watched till the end.
But against my worries, Lee Hae-won nailed the killing part's high note and choreo flawlessly.
"Trainee Lee Hae-won, that was excellent."
The masters praised him.
"No lyric mistakes this time?"
"Ah, yes...!"
"Vocals go without saying, but your dance improved so much from the start."
"Thank you!"
Lee Hae-won bowed with the happiest smile, bending at the waist.
"Trainee Lee Hae-won. B-grade."
As expected. Promoting to B-grade like in the novel.
Did my transferred misfortune not affect him today?
'Ahh...'
I let out a relieved breath inside.
That meant Lee Hae-won overcame the misfortune narrative on his own merits.
Good for him. I'd been worried he'd suffer trapped in that plotline.
As I stood to congratulate him, thinking how fortunate—
'...?'
My body froze for a moment.
So it transferred again?
'What, this isn't hot potato.'
Dazed in disbelief, Lee Hae-won approached for a high-five. I clapped hands reflexively and sat down.
"We're both B-grade now."
"Huh? Oh... yeah."
"You were right. If you can do it, I can too. Anyway, I'm so glad we promoted together. Right?"
His excited reaction beside me left me too distracted to respond properly.
'Han I-jae... you okay?'
I glanced at Han I-jae. Oblivious, he stared straight ahead casually.
Our eyes met, and his expression turned subtly odd.
'What're you looking at?'
That's what it seemed to say.
I quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.
'Whatever.'
Truth be told, whether Han I-jae or Lee Hae-won, it wasn't my duty to worry. But this misfortune narrative hopping around like hot potato was headache-inducing.
'Not my fault, no reason for guilt.'
Lee Hae-won was one thing, but Han I-jae? No way.
Why would I care about a born talent cheat?
'Like a beggar worrying about a rich guy.'
But as his turn approached, my mind grew uneasy. If it continued, his fate would change too.
"Trainee Han I-jae."
Called, Han I-jae stood expressionlessly. Not a hint of tension.
An attitude only possible with supreme pride in one's skills. He seemed utterly confident. The other trainees agreed.
"He'll do great."
"I-jae just needs to do his usual."
Among them, only I worried about Han I-jae's re-evaluation.