Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Declarer Selection (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gaeul had changed in an instant.
It wasn't just her expression. The way she looked at him carried a shadow, and the aura emanating from her body was calm yet aggressive.
It resembled Yoo Ji-tae from long ago.
"......"
The girl lightly bowed her head and walked past Yoo Ji-tae toward the stage. The cadets in the front row glared at Gaeul. 'Ugh. Can't even tell when to butt in and when not to.' A muttering voice reached his ears. But Gaeul showed no particular reaction.
At the foot of the stairs leading to the stage, Gong Ju-hee blocked Gaeul's path.
"Did you see it?"
"......"
"Unlike some people, I practiced for months. What do you think? Was it pretty good?"
Gaeul looked up at Gong Ju-hee with cloudy eyes, saying nothing.
Tsk. Gong Ju-hee clicked her tongue and stepped aside.
"Know your place."
Ignoring Gong Ju-hee's words, Gaeul ascended the stage with slow steps and stood before the microphone.
The administrative officer reviewing profiles, Oh Min-seong, spoke first.
"You've applied for both main declarer and auxiliary declarer positions, correct?"
"...Yes."
"I asked just to confirm, since there's no record from the first round."
He glanced sideways at Yoo Gaeul as he spoke. As he tried to add something with 'Um, and...', Ha Jun-su waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, that's fine. Please start right away with Declarer Statement Number 1."
The administrative officer, Oh Min-seong, furrowed his brow.
Gaeul closed her eyes. Then she exhaled in a very slow rhythm.
Declarer Statement Number 1. "Cataclysm"
New Epoch. Humanity facing the beasts in the era of the Great Cataclysm. And within that, a certain girl who had to lose her family and brothers.
The declaration she cried out to the world.
Now began to flow from Gaeul's mouth.
*
"Thirty-nine nations vanished from the map."
It's true in any field. Once you surpass a certain level, you can gauge your opponent in the smallest moments.
"The origins of humanity written on papyrus were stained with blood, unrecognizable. A new origin dawned for us humans, but we were unprepared for the catastrophe that barged in uninvited."
Only two paragraphs of the declaration had flowed from Yoo Gaeul's mouth. In that instant, Ha Jun-su realized his choice was right.
A sensation was rising. Starting from his toes, it traveled up his spine to settle at his fingertips.
While directing stages, Ha Jun-su had always thought his greed was excessive.
He wanted perfect stages. Ones where just standing there made hearts burn hot, minds sucked in.
But in life, he'd planned such stages only a handful of times. Even those were created by the stage breathing life itself, not just an individual's presence.
Perhaps humans can't convey emotions beyond a certain point to other humans. That was the doubt Ha Jun-su had harbored for so long.
But now.
"Moonlight to sunlight, herbivores to carnivores, workers to capitalists, macroscopically from distant space to the microorganisms crawling between fingers. The weak have always been hunted by the strong, vanishing, and had to learn to devour to survive."
As Yoo Gaeul's declaration continued, Ha Jun-su felt his greed being filled bit by bit.
Yoo Gaeul expressed the sorrow of the lost with a calm so desperate it chilled. It wasn't sobbing tears. It was the voice of one worn smooth, edges gone, burning life into smoke as it flowed out.
How could she express such emotions? He couldn't comprehend.
At first, he'd tried analyzing it. The perfect emotion was there, so he wanted to learn it.
Then, at some point, he snapped to. He'd been so immersed in the declaration that he'd forgotten he was analyzing.
When he returned to reality, PD Ha Jun-su clenched his fist tight.
Yes. This is what it takes.
Only at this level do you qualify to stand before the world's top supers and declare to the entire planet that we'll protect humanity.
As PD Ha Jun-su alone savored an emotional peak, grinding his teeth.
Yoo Gaeul's recitation of Declarer Statement Number 1 reached its end.
"......"
"......"
The opposite reaction from Gong Ju-hee. From judges to onlookers, the stage was silent.
Clap clap clap.
Then, small, cute applause sounded. From the family section, Winter in Bom's arms.
Only then did the magic break over the entire stage. A slight stir arose. Some clapped lightly, others murmured.
Gaeul, having finished her declaration, stood blankly in place. No tension or relief on her face.
Gaeul only looked at Ha Jun-su.
At that point, Yoo Ji-tae opened his ears.
-Wow. She's really good.
The evaluation from the selection officer in the left seat.
-Diction, vocalization, all good. Expression... how to say. Unfamiliar, but uniquely good.
-Right?
-Man, it's so captivating. Look, goosebumps on my arms.
Yoo Ji-tae viewed them with Scales Eye.
Good/Bad readings: From the left, Great Good, Extreme Good, Extreme Bad.
Only the administrative officer showed intense antipathy.
-But. There's something lacking.
-What?
-Eyes drawn to her face, so the content gets overshadowed.
-Yeah?
-Can't exactly make her ugly makeup either. Hmm.
Unexpectedly, Ha Jun-su, who felt the greatest favor, listened calmly. Then the administrative officer interjected.
-I don't think so at all.
-Pardon?
Ha Jun-su raised his voice for the first time.
-What are you saying?
The administrative officer replied with a displeased expression.
-It's not popularly appealing. Didn't you see the family section? No admiration or silence.
-Those people are just spectators.
-PD Ha. Aren't they the audience we're targeting? The general public's gaze is most important. How can we ignore that?
-No, I'm not saying ignore it.
Opinions clashed.
In the meantime, the applicants looked dejected. Even among applicants, levels differed. The range of expressed emotions varied. Gaeul, continuing her declaration, seemed like a soldier who'd endured a decade of war.
Thus, Gong Ju-hee's face brimmed with venom. From the far applicant seats, she bit her nails, glaring murderously at Gaeul.
Yet administrative officer Oh Min-seong persisted stubbornly.
Ha Jun-su, bickering, sighed with a hardened face.
-Judge, what score did you give Cadet Gaeul?
-4.5.
-9.8 to Cadet Gong Ju-hee, though.
-Hers appeals more to the public.
-......
-Hm. Then, what score did you give, selection officer?
-Pardon? Ah, yes. 8.1 from me. Face broke immersion once. Still, my highest score.
Yoo Gaeul's total: 21.5
8.1 / 9 / 4.5
Gong Ju-hee's: 22.7
6.8 / 6.1 / 9.8
Then Ha Jun-su broke the silence.
-Judge. Haah...
He side-eyed the administrative officer with irritation.
-If I'd known our opinions would differ this much, I'd have refused when the administrative office said they'd send someone.
-Pardon?
-Or do you have some private connection with Cadet Gong Ju-hee?
-What? How dare you say such nonsense...!
-......
-That's offensive. I'm the administrative office proxy. To me, who gives my all to shaping Lair's face, such baseless words!
Ha Jun-su exhaled like a sigh.
-Then let's compare directly.
-Direct comparison?
-We'll have them stand together.
-F-Fine! What's there to fear?
New cadet declarations consist of three acts.
Act 1. Auxiliary Declarer 1's "Cataclysm"
Act 2. Auxiliary Declarer 2's "History of Engagements"
Act 3. Main Declarer's "Future of the World"
Act 3 receives the most spotlight. Four times longer than Acts 1 and 2. If 1 and 2 are tragic pasts, 3 delivers hope inescapably.
Afterward, declarations from cadets 7 through 9 followed. All decent, with ritualistic applause, but nothing noteworthy.
Thus, 1st, 2nd, 3rd places were set.
Normally, these three would form the main declarer and two auxiliaries.
-Cadet Gong Ju-hee, please come to the stage.
At the staff's words, Gong Ju-hee ascended with a relaxed expression. She stood side by side with Yoo Gaeul.
At the judging panel's decision to compare them, Gong Ju-hee couldn't manage her expression.
Blind Oh Min-seong insisted, but Gong Ju-hee already sensed her defeat.
As the declarations proceeded, her face grew increasingly fierce.
The comparison made the result clear. In emotional depth, Gong Ju-hee couldn't match half of Yoo Gaeul's.
-Not bad, sure! I still prefer Cadet Gong Ju-hee.
But administrative officer Oh Min-seong wouldn't yield. Now even staff and family audience felt awkward.
Ha Jun-su, who'd held back, set down his profile.
Thud. Paper hit the table.
"When the administrative office said they'd send someone, I wondered who. Turns out it's an ignorant fool."
Ha Jun-su laughed hollowly.
Immediately after, a bombshell erupted from his mouth.
"Judge, stand up."
"......?"
As bewilderment crossed Oh Min-seong's face, Ha Jun-su growled on.
"Didn't understand? I'll say it again. Get out. Right now—!"
The irritated shout echoed through the audition hall.
Oh Min-seong glared as he rose. Like it or not, this was PD territory. No immediate defiance possible.
Insulted to his face, he shot a fearsome glare at Ha Jun-su and Yoo Gaeul before leaving.
Silence blanketed the audition hall instantly.
'What?' 'What's going on?' 'Judges fighting?' 'What about the audition?' Whispers spread like wind.
Ha Jun-su spoke into the mic.
-Ah. All applicants, good work. Without separate notice, results here. Cadet Yoo Gaeul selected as main declarer. Applause, please.
Applause wasn't loud.
But no suspicious glances like before. They'd realized through comparison with top candidate Gong Ju-hee that Yoo Gaeul's declaration was leagues above.
Then who for auxiliary declarer.
If Gong Ju-hee takes one spot?
Who the other?
As cadets listened intently.
-Ah, as planning chief producer, I have high expectations for this main declarer. Thus, from the main declarer's view, select an additional auxiliary.
Unheard words poured from PD Ha Jun-su's mouth.
-Cadet Yoo Gaeul. Come sit here?
Applicants, guardians, staff—all eyes widened at Ha Jun-su's fingertip.
His finger pointed to Oh Min-seong's empty seat.
Right now.
Gaeul shifted from waiting applicant to selector.
"......"
Even the adjacent selection officer was flustered by the unilateral decision.
Gaeul sat with a calm expression.
"I understand the sudden situation surprises you."
"......"
"But Cadet Gaeul's declaration atmosphere differs so much from planned. Much better, of course. So rather than us deciding auxiliaries unilaterally, as main declarer, your input would be good."
"......Yes."
"Ignore the current 1st, 2nd, 3rd for now. Choose freely."
Still dazed gaze. Unreleased immersion. Gaeul nodded lightly. Then swept her eyes lowly over the applicants.
Applicants finally grasped reality. Most had poured effort into this audition. Gazes that eyed Gaeul flipped. They shot up or sent pitiful looks.
Pick me.
-I... have to select someone, right.
Her sunken voice flowed into the mic.
-Yes. Choose an auxiliary fitting the cadet. When I and the officer finalize, we'll heavily reflect Cadet Gaeul's opinion.
A crooked smile tugged at Gaeul's lips as she blankly eyed applicants. It precisely mirrored past Yoo Ji-tae's expression—discerning reality, judging human utility.
'Auxiliary fitting me...' Murmuring, Gaeul slowly opened her mouth.
-Everyone, disqualified.
"Why's she like that?"
Yoo Ji-tae called Bom to ask.
He knew Gaeul's state was off. But more serious than thought.
Of all people, that Yoo Gaeul.
Her showing such reaction before a crowd was unexpected even for him.
-...Ajusshi.
Bom hesitated over the phone before asking.
-Did you ever tell Gaeul about that pitiful friend from back then?
"...Yeah."
Aaah... came her voice.
"Why."
-...Gold tribe can immerse excessively in felt emotions.
Immerse?
-Normal humans feel emotions and empathize, stopping there? Hatchlings too, generally. But Gold tribe's empathy depth differs.
"Depth?"
-They empathize so deeply with approaching emotions. As if becoming that person.
Then Yoo Ji-tae got it.
Why she became an idol each regression. And why last regression's malice wrecked her utterly.
-Gaeul's over-immersed now.
-Then, what she's immersed in now is probably...
Past Yoo Ji-tae.
She's no chick now.
Pure elite stock.