Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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When I returned to the waiting room, the next performance was just about to start.
'Ah, this team.'
The next group up was the one with Kwon Hak-jin and Jeong Hee-min. I remembered them getting decent feedback during the mid-evaluation.
The song this team was performing, <Arcadia>, was a magical boy concept track, standout for its dreamy sound and lyrics.
From what I'd heard, they'd changed the concept, but I had no clue how.
With idea machine Jeong Hee-min on the team, I was somewhat looking forward to it...
"Ah, it's starting."
"Let's see."
The intro kicked in, and a hazy music box melody filled the air.
Kwon Hak-jin danced smoothly to the rhythm. Then, as the music box sound twisted into something eerie, he suddenly arched his body backward.
The lighting shifted colors, and Jeong Hee-min, cloaked in black, began to sing.
"A burning ashen sky
My heart staining black
I'll cast a spell on you
And take you to your Arcadia"
They kept the dreamy framework but stripped away the original's bright vibe, flipping it into something dark and ominous. That change stood out immediately.
It definitely felt creepier and more decadent than the original.
"The misfortunes
And tragedies tormenting you
I'll swallow them all for you"
The overall concept came from Jeong Hee-min, with Kwon Hak-jin handling the choreography creation. It was the dream team project scenario.
'Nice. That's solid.'
As the stage wrapped up, applause from the on-site evaluators and excited reactions from the trainees poured in.
"Ah, they were amazing too."
"Right? Are they all just going to take first?"
Every team so far had gone off without a hitch.
'...But the next one's the problem.'
Next up was Yoon Hyun-min's team. Trouble had been brewing from the start.
For reference, in the original story, Do Won-woo was supposed to be the team's villain, not Yoon Hyun-min.
Do Won-woo, with his hopelessly bad singing, develops an inferiority complex toward Lee Hae-won and pulls every dirty trick in the book.
That's when Do Won-woo's downfall really kicks off, starting from the position evaluation battle.
'But...'
Since I switched teams, the usually quiet Yoon Hyun-min had taken over the rampaging villain role.
Poor Lee Hae-won was the only one suffering either way. Victim of the villains in both the original and this altered plot.
'Wonder what kind of stage they'll put on.'
And so the performance began.
It opened with piano, Lee Hae-won seated on a chair, singing the first verse.
"Time flows on
Our promise fades away
All that's left is fleeting wind, I suppose
This fading, sorrowful hope, I suppose"
"Whoa, Hae-won's voice..."
"It's always killer, no matter how many times."
The trainees watching breathlessly let out sighs of admiration. Lee Hae-won's tone had a way of captivating ears.
But as it went on, the waiting room grew tense with anxiety. Because Yoon Hyun-min's part was next.
'Yoon Hyun-min. Has he improved at all?'
Boosting vocals that fast was impossible, but with effort, maybe some progress...
'Nope.'
"In the waning sunset
I call to you"
Yoon Hyun-min's skill was as bad as ever.
Especially right after Lee Hae-won—it felt like heaven to hell.
'...Seriously, it sounds worse than mid-evaluation.'
Maybe the hallway chat hit him hard.
He looked off his game, worse than usual, dragging his already abysmal skills into the gutter.
"My one and only wish
My love that won't fade"
"......?"
I paused.
Wasn't that Lee Hae-won's part originally?
'He stole it after all?'
Lee Hae-won's parts had been sliced up and handed to others.
Yoon Hyun-min probably used his leader pull to force concessions, making Lee Hae-won yield, then claiming credit for redistributing parts.
Obvious without seeing it. He'd probably given some speech about supporting lower-ranked trainees.
Positioning himself as a leader who speaks up for the weak, while framing Lee Hae-won as hogging parts selfishly.
'Doesn't Yoon Hyun-min care how he'll look?'
Forcing tough parts on Kim Tae-in and bullying Lee Hae-won over distribution—if that airs, he'll get roasted...
Ah, maybe he thinks editing will save him. That they'll fix his weak skills too?
'Yoon Hyun-min. No mention in the original, but how did he dodge backlash with that skill?'
The more I thought, the weirder it got.
Maybe Do Won-woo's overwhelming incompetence overshadowed it.
And the final part.
Not even a high note, but Yoon Hyun-min still cracked.
Unfortunately, it hit during a quiet piano fade, making the off-note crystal clear.
"Ah..."
"Oh no..."
In the suffocating silence, trainees just exchanged glances.
"Um... it was still good."
"Yeah, really touching."
The stage ended like that.
Overall, it was passable—except Yoon Hyun-min's flub.
If there was another nitpick, the frequent part swaps made it feel unfinished. Leader Yoon Hyun-min's misstep, no doubt.
'In the end, Lee Hae-won had to give up his parts because he took the tough bridge no one else could?'
Just a sigh escaped me.
I'll comfort him when he gets back. Surviving that mess to finish the nightmare group project? Lee Hae-won deserves applause.
Time passed, and Lee Hae-won and his team returned to the waiting room.
"We're back."
"Woo! Great job, everyone."
They all looked relieved, except Yoon Hyun-min, face dark. Probably sulking over the final mistake, openly frowning.
His eyes met mine, then darted away. Seemed he harbored some grudge toward me now too.
'Making enemies everywhere—doesn't that get exhausting?'
Not my problem anyway.
I decided to check on Lee Hae-won first.
"Good work."
"Heh heh... no big deal."
"You were the coolest."
His lips curved up at my words, pleased.
'Not many stages left now.'
Next was the vocal duo: Lee Hyo-seop and Lee Won-jun.
Honestly, a worrisome team. Ranks 59 and 60. They had no real choice—scraps of song and position at the end.
'No idea how it'll go.'
During mid-evaluation, Lee Hyo-seop said he wasn't ready and skipped the stage. Some practice issue, I guess.
First real look for many, including me. Lots of trainees seemed curious too.
Wonder what they'll show.
'The original mentioned Lee Hyo-seop killing it...'
The change? His original partner swapped for Lee Won-jun.
Lee Won-jun should've dropped in prelims, not hit 60th. Got screentime as a villain through me, weirdly surviving.
'Wonder what butterfly effect this variable brings.'
The stage started.
For context, the original song <Dual Personality> had an intriguing title.
Title track for a duo unit, infamous as an earworm. Melody and lyrics fine, but the cringy chuunibyou concept stirred controversy.
Basically, members wear white and black masks, acting out split personalities via performance and choreo.
White mask for good, black for evil.
Needing acting chops that screamed "high stamina," no one picked it till last—landing on 59th and 60th.
'Hope they nail it...'
Never spoken to Lee Hyo-seop, but rereading the novel built some internal fondness.
More than that, he was my favorite character. The only one who clawed from the bottom on pure grit.
"Whoa, here they come!"
"Why am I shaking?"
Lights up, Lee Hyo-seop descended on a lift, white mask on.
Half his face masked, he acted in agony.
"Who the hell am I?
I don't know what's me
Who's there? Who? Speak!"
Classic Lee Hyo-seop. Selling that cringy line.
You could see the killer instinct that got him from rock bottom to debut contention. That fire would've succeeded anywhere.
Then, Lee Won-jun rose slowly from his knees below the lift.
Curious what acting he'd bring...
Huh?
What did he just say?
"W-Wait..."
My shocked voice slipped out loud.
The watching trainees froze too.
"What was that?"
"'I am your baby'?"
"No, evil, not baby."
Lee Won-jun's pronunciation turned "your evil" into "your baby." Disaster.
Trainees at the monitors had zero reaction. Evaluators probably the same—no need to guess their faces.
White-masked Lee Hyo-seop reached out, bending forward—then Lee Won-jun burst out for the split-personality bit.
"She's mine
I can't give her up"
'Haa... what a mess.'
Total catastrophe.
Lee Hyo-seop was decent, but Lee Won-jun's acting? Like a chuunibyou with a black flame dragon on his hand.
Every time Lee Won-jun appeared, it played like comedy theater.
'...Only pitying Lee Hyo-seop now.'
His original 60th-place partner had solid skills, propping him up for a standout stage.
This way? Eye-catching for all the wrong reasons.
'Can already see the mockery coming.'
For Lee Won-jun, of course.
"Just leave her
No, she's mine
Stop, it's just your greed"
Lee Won-jun's fan placard in the audience looked frozen solid.
Shocked by his flop acting, probably.
'Lee Won-jun, please...'
If I'd made that black history, I'd bite my tongue and quit for real.
Lee Hyo-seop nailed the so-called saint part with a full-bodied high note.
Camera cut to Lee Won-jun kneeling before him, agonizing.
Story ends with good triumphing, evil personality vanishing. But Lee Won-jun's acting was so atrocious...
'Why does he look electrocuted?'
"Ah..."
Music ended; they both looked up at the ceiling in ending pose.
"......"
"......"
Silence blanketed the waiting room.
'My tangling with Lee Won-jun keeping him at 60th... this butterfly effect?'
Not my fault, but guilt washed over me anyway.
If I hadn't called him to the hall that day, no black history for him, and Lee Hyo-seop could've shone with his original partner...
'What do I do.'
As I hung my head, my eyes met Won Ji-an's. He just silently patted my back.