Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Dance Midterm Evaluation (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A touch of tension.
And a flutter of excitement.
We arrived at Purem Entertainment.
Go Min-cheol, looking like half his face had vanished overnight, was waiting for me.
"Ugh."
The moment he saw me, he let out that sound.
It must have been quite the shock from yesterday's memories.
"Good morning, Section Chief."
"Ha..."
There were eyes on us, so I switched to polite speech.
Go Min-cheol closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
His stomach must be churning.
"...Whatever. Just get in the elevator."
"Yes, sir."
As we rode up in the elevator.
Only then did Go Min-cheol start explaining the rules trainees had to follow.
"First and foremost, trainees cannot question or refuse the agency's instructions unless there's a damn good reason."
"So, basically, just shut up and do as you're told?"
"...Second, trainees promise strict adherence to schedules, thorough self-management, and proper respect toward the agency."
"This is insanely strict only on trainees, huh? You told a girl you just met to suck your dick."
"Hey! You can't just say that so casually! What if someone hears?!"
"Oh no, don't yell like that, Section Chief. It scares me. What did I even say?"
"You, you..."
Right on cue, the elevator doors opened.
Go Min-cheol's mouth flapped open and shut a few times like he had something stuck in his throat, then he let out a heavy sigh.
"Whatever. Get out. I'll introduce you to the team you're joining today."
"A team?"
"Ha, what, you thought you'd debut solo?"
Go Min-cheol looked at me like I was pathetic.
"You naive little girl who knows nothing about the world. In this day and age, who debuts alone? Even aspiring actors are the same. Hardly anyone starts straight as a lead actor anymore. Know why? The previous generations have already gobbled up all the spots. Even the new rising stars get in through connections with those old-timers."
I nodded.
I got what he meant.
Yeah, the actors in recent dramas... they were all people I'd seen even when I was seven.
'No wonder success rates in this industry are hellish.'
The successful ones were holding their ground firmly.
Of course, that wasn't a bad thing.
It was effort and skill in itself.
'Protecting loot from the tower and making it out was tough enough.'
Let alone against monsters—defending your position against fellow humans had to be ten times harder.
That meant there were a lot of amazing people in the world.
'That's why everyone aims for group debuts instead of solo these days—to boost their odds even a tiny bit.'
No matter how talented you were.
If no one recognized it, it was worthless.
Even the bestsellers flooding bookstores were like that.
They got no attention at launch, but word-of-mouth turned them into hits. I'd seen it happen so many times.
Life really did hinge on luck.
'No wonder they say luck is seven parts, skill three.'
"Here we are. You've got dance lessons this morning. Why don't you watch for a bit?"
"Sure."
Dance lessons, huh...
I was curious anyway.
What kind of training did idol trainees even get?
"Huh?"
"What? Spot someone you like?"
"...No."
I reacted instinctively when I entered the practice room.
But I quickly denied it to Go Min-cheol's question.
'That was close.'
Kang Chae-rin—the very reason I'd ended up here—was in the middle of her lesson.
"Hey, Kang Chae-rin! You messing with me right now?! I've told you a million times, you need core control for power in your moves! Huh? If you're just gonna flop around like a damn squid, forget idols. Go shake your ass at a club instead, you bitch!"
Good lord.
Was he yelling at her that harshly?
And the dance instructor wasn't even a woman.
This guy was screaming at Kang Chae-rin with near-sexual harassment mixed in, like he was just venting stress.
"...I'm sorry. I'll fix it."
"Fuck, how many times have I heard that bullshit? I wake up every night from nightmares because of you, you bitch!"
This was crossing the line.
Sure, as someone seriously learning, I thought strong feedback was necessary to some extent.
Good was good, after all.
People who called out mistakes firmly produced way better results than those who didn't.
But this? It just looked like bullying.
"Here! Put your strength here!"
"Eek!"
Smack!
He was outright slapping her thighs and ass between moves.
'Is this guy insane?'
I seriously considered charging out there.
And for good reason.
Anyone could see this wasn't teaching—it was him satisfying his filthy urges.
"Oh? Section Chief Go."
"Ah, Teacher Han Nam-do, working hard bright and early. This one's giving you hell."
"Ha, what can you do? I just grit my teeth and push through. People like us have to sacrifice for good results."
I nearly puked listening to them.
They were patting each other on the back like crazy.
'At this point, Purem's CEO is a genius for gathering all these scumbags in one place.'
How was there not a single decent person here?
You could almost call that a talent in itself.
"By the way, who's the girl next to you? Already dyed her hair red... Tsk tsk, this won't be easy. Might need to start with personality training."
"Oh, exactly. New trainee, Kim Hyun-ah. She's got such a nasty attitude. Even with the contract saying trainees must cooperate fully, she's totally uncooperative."
"Aw, must be tough, Section Chief."
"It is. But who else but you understands, Teacher Han? Haha. Like you said, we sacrifice and work hard for the results. Let's tough it out a bit more."
"Who else could understand your struggles and pain?"
"..."
Could they just stop?
I wanted to smack the backs of their heads right in front of everyone.
They were more repulsive than any tower monster.
As a porter, I'd always hung back.
Never once wanted to charge forward.
If these guys were monsters, I'd have grabbed my emergency axe and cleaved their skulls already.
"Oh, unnie Hyun-ah."
It was then.
I wished she'd play dumb this once.
But innocent Kang Chae-rin spotted me and called out.
"Ho ho, you two know each other?"
Go Min-cheol's eyes gleamed unpleasantly, like he'd found tasty prey.
Ha, this was why I'd hoped not to run into Kang Chae-rin today...
"What? You know Chae-rin? Then I don't even need to check your level. You know what dancing is?"
"No."
"Hah, look at this bitch's eyes and attitude. Hey, what student talks to a teacher like that? Huh? She's hopeless from one to ten. Gotta teach her from scratch."
Go Min-cheol was thrilled at Han Nam-do's words.
"Oh, I trust you, Teacher. You're already busy teaching the others this week."
"No problem. Like I said, someone's gotta do it."
This fucking sucked.
A case I'd run into often as a porter.
Bluntly, not that impressive, but always hyping themselves up like they were hot shit.
I hated these types the most.
Because of them, I'd faced near-death in the tower how many times?
'And this is just the tip of the iceberg.'
How many villains were hiding in Purem Entertainment?
Was this South Korea's hellgate?
Clap clap!
Then Go Min-cheol clapped to gather everyone in the practice room.
Three members total, excluding Han Nam-do.
Kang Chae-rin and two other girls I didn't know.
Both had the striking looks you'd expect from idol trainees.
"Alright, everyone, attention."
"A-attention!"
Even now, look at Kang Chae-rin snapping to military posture.
How much had they drilled that lively girl...?
"From today, Kim Hyun-ah's joining your 'Luminous' group."
"Yes?"
The blonde with the sharp features reacted like lightning.
Face screaming disbelief.
Go Min-cheol scowled at her.
"Hey, Seol Su-bin! Who said you could interrupt me? Wait till I'm done to ask questions!"
"...Sorry."
Seol Su-bin had some fire in her too.
She chewed her lip openly at Go Min-cheol's words while glaring at me.
'This is unfair.'
Everyone could see Go Min-cheol was the asshole, yet she was mad at me?
Go Min-cheol smirked smugly.
"I didn't want to add a member so suddenly either. But Hyun-ah here threw such a fit."
When did I?
"Normally, taking trainees at this stage is impossible."
What the hell?
Purem's trainee recruitment ad clearly said 'always accepting'?
"Whatever. Tough luck for you all. But including our new Hyun-ah, I expect good results in next week's first dance midterm eval."
What?
I was stunned by the unexpected words from Go Min-cheol's mouth.
First dance midterm evaluation?
"Wait, Section Chief. There's only a week left till the dance midterm. Adding a new member now and prepping? That's not fair."
The last girl, who'd been quietly watching, raised her hand in protest.
Looking seriously pissed.
"Can't help it. What power do I have? Orders from above. And don't whine about this. If you debut for real, you'll face way worse. If you complain now, how'll you handle real crises? Huh? True idols overcome stuff like this. Got it?"
"..."
To Go Min-cheol's slick bullshit.
The most mature-looking girl among them bit her lip a few more times.
Just like Seol Su-bin beside her.
"That's all from me. But know this—if you fail this dance midterm, the next eval's in six months."
Go Min-cheol fanned the flames, then smirked at me.
"Well, if the new member's some overwhelming genius, you'll manage. Right?"
"..."
Go Min-cheol left with a satisfied grin.
Han Nam-do had slipped out too.
Somehow, it was just me and the Luminous members left in the room.