Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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As the intro played, Do Won-woo, who had been standing with his back to the stage, spun sharply in time with the beat.
He pulled something out from inside his clothes that he'd hidden there beforehand and held it up in front of the camera.
"What is that?"
"Ah, a test paper?"
Do Won-woo tore the test paper, covered in red marks, straight down the middle.
He then performed by scattering the shredded pieces above his head.
It was the performance that had thrilled so many students when [Classroom Escape] was first revealed.
"Woooah!"
The intense performance drew cheers from the trainees.
A few of the masters, feeling nostalgia for first-gen songs, watched with smiles.
Do Won-woo stepped to the center of the stage with hip-hop moves.
Do Won-woo kept dancing, scratching his throat roughly as he nailed the live vocals.
A-Star's [Classroom Escape].
A song packed with criticism of our country's education system, highlighted by its crisp band sound.
He chose this one because it had the most intense, high-impact sections among first-gen idol stages.
Do Won-woo loosened his school uniform tie and stamped quick steps to the beat.
He threw his school jacket toward the camera, briefly blocking the view, then unleashed a kick right as it cleared.
It was a flashy performance that conveyed massive energy with simple moves.
"Woooah!"
Gasps erupted from the trainee seats, and the masters watched with satisfied eyes.
"Oh, using the camera too? He seemed so mild-mannered when he spoke, but he's got some guts."
"Yeah, his vocals aren't bad either."
The masters' seats were right up front, so their words faintly reached him, but Do Won-woo pressed on with the dance.
With the intro finished, Do Won-woo struck his final pose, staring down the camera. He bowed to the masters, panting heavily.
Unlike the original story's silence, the set buzzed with applause.
The stage wrapped up successfully. He'd shown everything they'd practiced—no regrets.
Now, just the masters' evaluations left.
"Hoo, ha..."
As he steadied his ragged breathing,
"Trainee Do Won-woo?"
In the quiet, Vocal Master Shin Su-yeol grabbed the mic first.
"Truth be told, sitting dead last, I wasn't expecting much. But you weren't bad at all."
He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Not great, but not bad. That counts as holding his own.
"Your breathing, note endings, and high notes are still rough, but your vocalization is solid. Good job."
Right—his desperate vocal practice was finally paying off.
"Thank you."
He flashed the brightest smile he could and waited for the next critique.
Next up was Dance Master Raise.
"Hmm..."
Raise looked deep in thought.
"Well, what to say."
Famous among the masters for his sharp tongue, he had a charisma that dominated with silence alone.
He was the one whose feedback worried Do Won-woo most.
"First off, A-Star's [Classroom Escape] doesn't have super complex choreography. Being first-gen, it naturally has more space between moves compared to modern tracks."
Raise continued in a firm tone.
"But the choreo itself is stylish, so even simple moves pack a punch."
He smiled with his mouth, but his eyes were cold.
"Strategically, it was a smart pick. If I were just an audience member enjoying the show, I'd have loved it."
It sounded like praise, but Raise's words cut deep.
"That said, today's stage let me feel your energy more than your skill."
'...Can't argue with that.'
Compared to other trainees, it wasn't densely packed with dance, making it stable for live vocals.
And with the showy performance focus, it landed big impact without tough choreo.
So even without showing true skill, the stage came off decent.
'That was partly intentional.'
But Raise seemed to see right through his strategy.
"Next time, I'd like a stage that properly shows your skill, not just energy."
In other words, no more tricks—bring it straight up.
"Yes, thank you."
It was his burden to bear. He had gambled on strategy over raw skill.
It might look good to some, but against someone like Raise, it wouldn't fly.
"Still, I liked it. Planning a good strategy is skill too."
As he shrank a bit at Raise's words, Shin Su-yeol gave him a thumbs-up for encouragement.
"Alright, shall we do freestyle?"
With evaluations done, Rap Master Kim I-rae's voice rang out.
'Here it comes.'
For grade evaluations, freestyle time was granted at the masters' request.
A random song plays, and you dance to it—a chance for trainees who'd underwhelmed on main stage or flown under radar to recover.
"Trainee Do Won-woo. You got this, right?"
"Haha, yes."
He said it, but honestly, freestyle was his weak spot.
'I practiced bits here and there, but I'm no good at it...'
It had worried him more than the main stage, actually.
The novel didn't specify what song original Do Won-woo freestyled to, so no help there. This was all on him.
"Play track 27, please."
Music flowed from the speakers. He listened carefully at first.
'...Don't know the title, but I've heard it.'
This was the kind of nostalgic hit from "songs you've heard at least once" playlists.
Super famous, so he knew the beat roughly.
"Hoo..."
He steadied his breath.
'Can I pull this off?'
Tension was inevitable.
Unlike the prepped main stage, freestyle exposed raw skill.
Trainees' and masters' expressions started registering.
'If I bomb here, all my efforts go poof.'
Unlike a test, you couldn't skip unknowns. Face it head-on.
"Do Won-woo, fighting!"
Lee Hae-won cheered from afar.
'Yeah, let's do this.'
Dance thrives on momentum, after all.
Turn it up!
As the music hit, he used the full stage, clapping to rile up the trainees.
It was a relatable spot for most, so sympathy cheers poured in.
'To dodge a solemn disaster over my skill, humor's the way.'
Best strategy right now.
'But not too clownish—keep some image.'
He clapped light steps to stage left, heading for MC Baek Do-ha's side.
To the beat, he mirrored the point choreo from Baek Do-ha's title track beside him.
With pleading eyes begging to join, Baek Do-ha hesitated then matched him.
The contestant seats erupted, masters laughed and cheered in unison.
"Whoa, epic."
"Gotta respect that confidence."
The one exception forcing a smile: Raise.
As if saying, Strategy over skill again?
'What can I do? Gotta survive.'
Better to please the crowd than bomb with one critic.
'Keep it fun, but authentic...'
Back to center, he squeezed out every freestyle move he'd drilled.
The seemingly endless song finally stopped.
"Thank you."
He bowed, hot applause raining down.
'No clue how I even did that. Blank slate.'
Back then, he'd always faked sick to skip talent shows at retreats or trips.
No dodging now. Skip, and he'd die in three years as planned.
So thrash around to inch toward debut.
'Can't believe this is me.'
A total noob at dance and song, gunning for debut.
"Trainee Do Won-woo."
"Yes."
As he quietly fixed his clothes post-freestyle, Shin Su-yeol chuckled amusedly.
"You're so articulate and mature normally, but dancing flips a switch. Nice contrast charm."
'Contrast charm?'
Not aiming for that—just went all-in like work.
Did it land that way?
"What'd you think, Raise? Our friend Do Won-woo's freestyle?"
Raise's eyes stayed hard, lips barely curled.
"Good. He's got guts, knows how to shine."
Raise clearly hated not seeing real dance, but with everyone else pleased, he held back.
"What grade?"
"B's doable."
"A's a stretch, honestly."
Masters huddled for grade talk.
Shin pushed B, clearly liking him.
'C's better, no?'
Stats or current level screamed C.
'High grade isn't always good. Match skill for the story arc.'
B now would just mean comparisons in training later.
Re-evals coming via signal song tests—up or down. B to A short-term seemed impossible.
'Start C, climb to B. Perfect.'
Protagonist did that in novel too. Same route best.
"Didn't see proper dance, so C fits."
Raise glared, pushing C.
'Yes, C please.'
But Shin kept at B.
"Potential's there. In B class with strong kids, he'll grow."
"And he's got star quality."
"Hmm..."
Raise hummed.
'Don't back down.'
Raise soured openly.
"Even with potential, still C."
Deliberations dragged.
"So, ... grade?"
"Aw, but it's a shame."
"Can't be helped."
Voices faded, inaudible.
"We've decided."
Masters returned from huddle.
'B or C?'
Absurd—him rooting for C, who always chased A's.
"Trainee Do Won-woo's grade is."
Pre-announcement, Raise's face darkened oddly.
'No way B?'
Heart raced unusually.
"Trainee Do Won-woo's grade is."
Raise spoke slowly.
"...C grade."
Almost cheered.
"Thank you."
Seeing his brightened face, Raise asked surprised.
"Happy with C?"
"No, I'll work harder to climb."
"Right? Hope for higher next time. Good work."
"Thank you."
Whew. Nearly dragged to pointless B class.
Quietly celebrating inside, heading back—
'Hm?'
Locked eyes with Han I-jae from top #1 seat, looking down.
Imagination? Kept meeting his gaze oddly.
Han I-jae eyed his C satisfaction pitifully.
'...Can't blame him.'
He returned to his seat.
As expected.
'Check this later.'
Closing the system window, the next trainee was called.
"Trainee Lee Hae-won."
True to the original story, Lee Hae-won followed right after him.
Time for the protagonist's stage.