The Audition Trap
Today was the day of the open audition to select Shining’s new CF model. The first round had already been held for pure civilians, and today’s second round brought together those who passed along with celebrity aspirants who already had agencies. It had been quite some time since the news broke that Shining would decide its new CF model through an open audition. After all, casting a complete rookie as the face of a commercial was marketing in itself. What was the slogan again? “A new face for a new vision”? Objectively speaking, hiring a new face had absolutely nothing to do with any “new vision,” but words can always be twisted to fit whatever narrative you want. As expected from a massive corporation, a swarm of reporters had gathered, and they’d neatly packaged the whole thing to make Dream look like some revolutionary, innovative group. Honestly, none of it had anything to do with me. For us, it was enough just to appear in the CF and build up some recognition. As a bonus, it would be even better if Seong Jiyeong’s grandfather’s second son ended up eating dirt.
“I didn’t expect you to be coming along with me.”
“Yeah. Funny how things turned out.”
“So, Yeri. Does that mean you’re not going to cheer for Jiyeong?”
“What are you even saying? Of course I’m cheering for her! Let’s go! Fighting!!”
Damn it. Debuting is seriously hard work.
Inside the van heading to the audition venue, only Seong Jiyeong and I were riding. I’d been kidnapped and shoved into the vehicle at the last second. It happened right before we left. I was in the middle of wishing her good luck when Team Leader Cha suddenly appeared with a camera. At first I thought he just wanted to film her being supported, but then he randomly asked if I’d like to come along and cheer her on in person. What was I supposed to say? Of course I said yes. The next thing I knew, I was being stuffed into the car. It was completely ridiculous. This wasn’t even a live broadcast—how could they handle things so sloppily? When I complained that it was a bit much, he turned the question back on me. Someone had to go along for the filming, so who else would it be if not me? I had no comeback. Anyone could see I was the only possible choice.
The support video was obviously prepared in case Seong Jiyeong actually got selected as the CF model. If she won, footage of her heading to the audition today would be uploaded to fan sites after debut. It would look much better to have someone supporting her from the side rather than her going alone. After all, idols showing teamwork within their group is always a good look.
Unfortunately, none of our other members could pull that off naturally. Tasha and Ji Seoeun had zero social skills and even less broadcasting sense. If they tagged along under the pretense of cheering, they’d just be dead weight. The only one who could have managed it was Yu Hana, but she and Seong Jiyeong had strangely terrible chemistry. Ever since the Great Kimchi War, they’d been endlessly checking each other. I didn’t know the exact reason, but the reality was what it was, so Yu Hana was also out. In the end, the only person left who knew even a little about broadcasting and didn’t have a bad relationship with Seong Jiyeong was me.
“Is that why Yu Hana said that yesterday?”
“What did she say?”
“It was some really weird nonsense. What was it again? ‘Efficiently stepping on someone’?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly.”
But the moment we arrived on site, I immediately understood why Yu Hana had said that. It was because we ran into a very unwelcome face.
“What the—Na Yeri? Don’t tell me you’re here to audition too?”
“Uh, well… you’re… Hovering Device Unit 2?”
“…What are you even saying?”
The now-faint memory of Hovering Device Unit 2. She was still glaring at me with that extremely displeased expression the second we met. I was a bit flustered at first, but when I thought about it, it made sense that she’d be here. Out of the three Hovering Device girls, she had the most chic style. Since she’d once been acknowledged as an ace trainee, her looks weren’t bad either, so the company must have pushed her forward. There was no way a proper agency would let an opportunity like this slip by. This was the kind of event where you had to shout “I’ll take it even if I can’t eat it.”
“You must be really comfortable these days. Spacing out right in front of someone. But are you seriously here for this audition? Well, I guess since you’ve only got your face going for you, you have no choice but to cling to that.”
It felt strangely off. There wasn’t any real damage, but it left me feeling annoyed. What was even funnier was that this absurd situation was exactly one of the things Yu Hana had warned me about yesterday. What had she said again?
“Well, I am a bit like that. But… you? What are you even relying on…”
“…What? You right now…”
According to Yu Hana, the key point was to stare straight at the opponent’s face while saying “What are you even relying on” and twitching the corner of your mouth. Apparently that obnoxious expression is what really pisses them off. At first I didn’t get it, but seeing the opponent’s reaction, I was starting to understand. Provoking someone with words was more fun than I’d expected. But I was still just a beginner. The real expert was standing right next to me.
“Yeri, what’s going on?”
“Oh, you’re… Seong Jiyeong?”
“And who are you?”
“What do you mean, who am I? You don’t know me?”
“If you just say ‘me,’ am I supposed to know who that is? Yeri, do you know this person?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
“Let’s not stand around outside. Hurry up and go in.”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”
“Hey, hey, wait—do you seriously not know me? How can you not remember a trainee who practiced at the same company…”
Seong Jiyeong treated Hovering Device Unit 2 like a complete stranger, and from the girl’s reaction, it seemed to hit her much harder than anything I’d said. It was a critical hit.
“But you really don’t remember her?”
“Who? That weird woman from earlier? Should I know her?”
What was even more ridiculous was that Seong Jiyeong genuinely didn’t remember Hovering Device Unit 2. This girl really lived in her own world. Six months wasn’t exactly a short time, yet she couldn’t even remember the face of a trainee she trained with every day? It meant the girl had never been on her radar from the start. Seeing how furious Hovering Device Unit 2 looked, I felt like I’d learned a new technique from Seong Jiyeong. Pretending not to know someone at all was apparently more infuriating. Memo, memo.
“Whoa. There are so many people. Everyone looks so nervous it’s making me nervous too.”
“Really? It’s a bit surprising to hear that from someone who doesn’t seem like they’d ever get nervous.”
“If I were the one doing it, I probably wouldn’t be nervous. But just watching is harder than I thought.”
The open audition waiting room was bustling with people coming and going, and the organizers didn’t seem to mind. They were probably planning to use the heated atmosphere to generate more publicity. Of course, it was precisely because security was so lax that I was able to sit here like this.
“Oh, that over there…”
“It looks like a portable climbing wall. They must be setting it up now.”
While talking with Seong Jiyeong, I spotted an enormous piece of equipment being installed outside the audition hall. It was a portable climbing wall. I’d known they were going to test climbing during the audition, but I hadn’t realized it would be installed today.
“It seems like something changed suddenly, doesn’t it?”
“You think so too?”
“Otherwise they wouldn’t be installing it so last-minute. That probably means…”
“Someone dropped in via parachute?”
“That must be it, right? At least someone from Dream’s direct line.”
“Yeah. If that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t be pushing forward so recklessly. Dream isn’t some corner store, after all.”
If they were going to test climbing ability during the audition, they should have given advance notice. That way people could at least practice beforehand. This wasn’t some entertainment-focused audition where surprise was the point. It would be much easier to film the CF if the applicants’ skills were even slightly improved. I’d thought it was strange when there was no prior contact, but it looked like the decision had been made entirely on the day of the event.
“The fact that they’re going this far…”
A strange feeling suddenly came over me. A suddenly changed judging criterion, the abrupt appearance of someone from Dream’s direct line, and an actress whose hobby was supposedly climbing. Was I the only one who found this suspicious? Ah, this was exactly when we needed Yu Hana.
“There definitely seems to be a problem. Maybe there’s already a predetermined candidate.”
“You think so too?”
“Yes. It doesn’t seem like it came from the very top. More like someone in the middle pushing for the person they want.”
“If it had come straight from the top, they wouldn’t bother with all this hassle. So the most suspicious person would be the one who suddenly showed up and ordered them to install the portable climbing wall, right?”
“There he is. It’s probably that guy.”
Seong Jiyeong seemed to be thinking along the same lines and quickly scanned the area. She accurately pinpointed a man sitting in one corner. When I looked where she pointed, I saw a young man dressed head to toe in expensive clothes, watching the climbing wall with a satisfied expression. My gut told me he was the culprit. According to our calculations, he definitely held a high position. This had gotten more annoying than I expected.
If that actress had already been chosen as the CF lead, it would be a bit troublesome. This was the first event where Seong Jiyeong had shown genuine interest, yet she might get eliminated for reasons other than skill. But I couldn’t think of any way to fix it. No matter how bad my mood was, I couldn’t just smash the guy’s head in over something like this. And even if I could, the bus had already left the station. The CF protagonist would be decided right here, today.
“Will you be okay?”
“Mm… I wasn’t okay at first, but now that I’ve seen it, I think I’ll be fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So Yeri, you can just watch from here.”
Seong Jiyeong, who should have been more worked up than me, actually looked surprisingly calm. It seemed like she had something in mind.
“Ah, it looks like it’s about to start.”
“Yeah. Good luck. Don’t get nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. Why would I get nervous over something like this?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Right on cue, the gathering signal came, and the candidates gathered in one spot. They were heading outside, so it looked like they’d be using the climbing wall first. And our Seong Jiyeong walked forward with absolute elegance, leading the way toward the climbing wall. Her attitude made it clear she couldn’t care less about whatever schemes were hiding behind this audition. Well, there was no way someone like Seong Jiyeong would get nervous over something this minor. She was the kind of woman who could teleport straight into a hail of dozens of rifle barrels and crack a whip. Since she was walking out so confidently, I figured I could just sit back and watch.