Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
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"Hello."
As soon as we entered the room, we saw Kwon Hak-jin sitting on the bed, unpacking his bags.
"Oh, hey!"
Kwon Hak-jin waved at us happily. In his hand was a hippo plush toy that looked like it had just been pulled from his bag.
The cute doll flapped around with each wave, a comical contrast to his muscular build.
"You're Won-woo and Hae-won, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Kwon Hak-jin. We'll be roommates from now on, so let's get along."
Kwon Hak-jin. In the story, he was the third most popular character after Lee Hae-won and Han I-jae, ultimately debuting in third place.
Early on, he got minimal screen time as a trainee from a small agency, suffering what fans called "unfair editing," but he won over viewers with his genuine effort in every mission.
He was also known for his exceptional body control, thanks to his background in Korean traditional dance.
'No wonder his dance skills during the evaluation were on another level.'
Kwon Hak-jin grinned welcomingly.
"I heard you two are both eighteen, right?"
"Yeah."
"Cool, then I'm your hyung, so feel free to speak casually."
Kwon Hak-jin was twenty in the story, two years older than us.
"I already saved spots for you on the beds. Won-woo's here, and Hae-won's over there."
"Thanks."
With that, we unpacked at our assigned spots.
It could have been awkward at first, but their conversation melted away any tension like snow in the sun.
"I was totally shocked watching you play guitar earlier, Hae-won."
"Nah, come on. Your dancing was insane too, hyung."
Meanwhile, I sat there silent, like my mouth was glued shut.
'They can chat so freely right off the bat. Classic E types.'
According to the setting, Lee Hae-won was ENFP, and Kwon Hak-jin was ENFJ.
Both were outgoing and sociable, but while Lee Hae-won was like a loyal puppy who warmed up to people easily, Kwon Hak-jin had a calmer, more magnetic charisma.
That's why he ended up as the group's leader after debut.
'Kwon Hak-jin really is a well-rounded character.'
He seemed cheerful like Lee Hae-won on the surface, but he had a dark backstory.
Growing up in an orphanage, he'd been adopted and sent back multiple times, leaving him with deep trauma about being abandoned.
He had an obsession with always staying upbeat to avoid rejection.
'At a glance, he seems like someone who grew up loved and carefree...'
As I quietly observed, Kwon Hak-jin spoke up first.
"Won-woo, you're quieter than I expected. You seemed so energetic on stage earlier. Shy around new people?"
"Ah, yeah."
He must have noticed I wasn't joining in and felt bad about it.
'This guy's personality is top-notch. Like the class president who looks out for the quiet kid.'
Yeah, that explained why he became leader.
As we chatted, the door opened, and the last trainee walked in.
All three of us turned our heads, and there stood Na Jae-hyun with his tacky floral suitcase.
"...Hello."
Na Jae-hyun dragged the suitcase indifferently across the floor.
'Now I get why his profile tag says 'fourth-dimensional.'
"I'm Na Jae-hyun."
"Yeah, we know. Great job in the evaluation. You sing really well."
"...Thanks."
After greetings, Na Jae-hyun opened his suitcase and started unpacking.
We pretended not to stare but sneaked glances. Odd items began spilling out one by one.
"What's that?"
"Looks like... a rock?"
Lee Hae-won and Kwon Hak-jin showed interest, and Na Jae-hyun answered flatly.
"My pet rock, Greenie."
He placed a green stone on the bed frame.
"Greenie?"
"Yeah. I've been raising it since I was seven."
"For real? Where'd you find it?"
"In front of a construction site near my house..."
We were speechless.
The green rock was weird enough, but his T-shirt stole the show.
It read: 'I'm the kind of person who eats taiyaki head-first.'
"Where do they even sell shirts like that?"
Na Jae-hyun, thinking Kwon Hak-jin was genuinely curious, politely shared the online shop name.
"How much?"
"Around 49,900 won, I think?"
"You paid 49,900 won for that?"
Na Jae-hyun nodded.
Soon, he proudly showed off his red floral suitcase.
It looked outdated at first glance, but he explained how each detail was intentional retro design that oozed charm.
"What do you think?"
His listless eyes suddenly sparkled with anticipation.
"Whoa, that's cool."
"Totally. It's got style. Full of personality, our Jae-hyun."
The two nice guys praised him, and Na Jae-hyun beamed.
Then their eyes turned to me.
'...What?'
Were they waiting for my take?
"Uh, um..."
I hated lying, but with cameras everywhere, the pressure got to me, and I forced it out.
"Super. Cool. Maybe. I'll get. One too."
Hitting rock bottom with that line, I had no choice.
"Won-woo, all unpacked?"
"Yeah..."
The mental toll of that unnatural reply hit hard, and I flopped onto my bed.
Lying flat, I spotted the green rock on the opposite bed frame.
'...I just wanna go home.'
After unpacking at the dorm and a short break, filming resumed.
The trainees, now in grade-specific training uniforms, gathered at the set. It was time for the signal song reveal ahead of the next mission.
"Hello, everyone. Great to see you again. I'm your MC, Baek Do-ha."
Baek Do-ha appeared amid cheers and took the podium by the screen.
"You've all received your grades from the evaluation. These will determine the performance teams for the signal song stage."
The host explained the signal song stage.
"The signal song relay stage has teams performing parts sequentially—A, B, C, D, and F teams each handling their assigned sections."
The screen lit up.
"But not everyone gets equal screen time."
It displayed each team's footage allocation as shapes and numbers.
A - 1:32
B - 1:00
C - 0:42
D - 0:30
F - 0:12
Sighs mixed with reactions rippled through the room at the brutally uneven shares.
"F gets 12 seconds..."
"That's barely enough to even show up on screen, right?"
Suddenly, I understood why Do Won-woo turned bitter in the original story.
If all you get is 12 seconds of face time, anyone would hate the world.
But what could you do? If that's your skill level, accept it.
At least climbing to C grade meant more footage.
'As long as I don't botch the upcoming re-evaluation, I won't end up with just 12 seconds like in the original.'
"Now, let's reveal the signal song."
As the host spoke, the song's logo appeared on screen.
<Birds Fly>
Familiar to me from the novel, but the trainees buzzed with excitement at this first look.
The screen shifted to the performance video.
― In a hidden world
Where darkness blocks the light
Can't see an inch ahead
Like trapped in an endless tunnel
Baek Do-ha appeared as the choreography demonstrator, drawing wild cheers.
He shyly covered his mouth and smiled amid the reaction.
― An unknown door opens
A new world right before me
Time to know my name
Now say my name
True to his No. 1 debut rank, Baek Do-ha nailed the dance.
Not a single hitch in the whirlwind of moves.
'But that's because it's Baek Do-ha. If I tried...'
Powerful yet graceful choreography emphasizing clean lines.
Overall, it looked brutally tough.
― Endless waiting
A game I've never won
Breaking the limits set by the world
Like a bird breaking free from struggle
The song was no easier.
It might seem simple, but singing it revealed the fiendish difficulty.
The novel mentioned its high difficulty, and seeing it now, I had no clue how to tackle it.
― I fly up, up, up,
After the killing part, a group dance break hit, and the video ended with the outro.
"So, what did you think of the signal song?"
Cheers erupted mechanically from the trainees.
I had to react too, but my mouth wouldn't move. Imagining matching that dance and song with my skills blackened my vision.
'At this level, I'd be grateful just to hold my grade, let alone promote.'
I'd been fired up, but the video crushed any illusions with cold reality.
"That's insanely hard!"
Lee Hae-won grumbled beside me. I nodded.
"Won-woo, you think you can do it?"
"I'll manage."
The question was doing it well.
"If we grind non-stop, maybe? Pull all-nighters, break our bodies..."
As we talked, I spotted Han I-jae in the front row mimicking the moves.
True to his canon A-grade and A-team center status, he already stood out.
'So my best bet now is just to grind like hell...'
In the story, Do Won-woo's efforts went unnoticed, but now the contrived rejection was gone.
Hard work might snag an extra shot or catch a master's eye.
'Let's do this.'
At that resolve, the host's voice rang out.
"Now, please welcome the masters who'll teach the signal song."
The first master to appear was Vocal Master Shin Su-yeol.
Shin Su-yeol surveyed the top trainees by grade for the teaching session.
"Hmm, where should we start?"
Spotting me, he nodded decisively.
"Let's go with C-grade first."
His gaze locked on one spot.
"C-grade trainee Do Won-woo? Could you sing one line of the killing part?"