Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Dance Midterm Evaluation (2)
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I felt like a curse was about to slip out of my mouth. Damn it.
What the hell am I supposed to do about this icy atmosphere? Even notoriously cold Russia would feel warmer than this.
"Ah, fuck! What kind of bullshit is this?!"
I nearly jumped.
For a split second, I thought it had come from my own mouth.
Fortunately, the source was a blonde girl.
"Su-bin, calm down."
"No, Ji-woo unnie! Fuck, how am I supposed to calm down?! We've been grinding away just for next week's dance evaluation! If we fail that, we'll be stuck scraping by in that shitty semi-basement for another six months! Ah, seriously!"
"……."
Far from cooling off, Seol Su-bin only burned hotter with rage, leaving 'Ji-woo' to let out a deep sigh.
"……."
I was the only one sitting there feeling like a criminal, a heavy weight settling on my chest.
I'd guessed things were tough for Kang Chae-rin, seeing her starve herself until even a 2,000-won skewer set from the mart triggered an insufficient funds notice.
But hearing it firsthand, it sounded even worse than I'd imagined.
"No, this doesn't make any sense! One week! Just one fucking week! Even if you brought in a genius, it'd be impossible to sync up in that time. What are we supposed to do now? It's basically telling us to fuck off!"
She nailed it exactly.
I'd wondered why Go Min-cheol had so readily shown me in.
This bastard had planned to screw me over from the start.
'Too scared to get his own hands dirty, so he's using someone else? Ha, every damn move this guy makes is pure asshole.'
Being this much of a prick must be a talent.
How does he come up with these petty schemes? He could use that time to lock in one more schedule for his agency's idols...
'...You're gonna pay for this big time later.'
But that was for later.
First, I had to deal with the mess right in front of me... but how?
"Wait, hold on, Su-bin unnie! I get why you're mad. But if we're pointing fingers... it's not Hyun-ah unnie's fault, right? She must be just as thrown off."
"...Ha, Kang Chae-rin. Whose side are you on right now? Not ours, who've been together for months, but the newbie who just showed up? That hurts. Oh, right, you two know each other? What, childhood friends or something?"
"N-no, that's not... it."
If I just kept watching, even Kang Chae-rin would end up in a tough spot.
This called for stepping up like a man... no, it was my turn to speak.
"Hello. I didn't expect to be greeting you in this kind of mood... I'm Kim Hyun-ah. It seems like I've put you all in a real bind, and I have no excuse no matter how many times I apologize."
"Save the apologies. If you're really sorry, go find the section chief right now and quit as a trainee, or throw a fit and tell him you can't be on our team—do it yourself."
"Hey, Seol Su-bin!"
"Su-bin unnie!"
The other two girls flinched at Seol Su-bin's fiery words.
But strictly speaking, she wasn't wrong.
It was the surest way.
However.
"...It probably won't work."
"Why not?"
"Go Min-cheol hates my guts. Bringing me here today was all intentional."
"What kind of nonsense is that? He hates you but still took you on as a trainee?"
"Yeah, that's how it happened."
Seol Su-bin looked exasperated.
I was just as frustrated.
I couldn't exactly say I'd blackmailed Go Min-cheol into letting me join.
"Ah, my head... my head really hurts. Ah... ."
Seol Su-bin couldn't hold out and slumped into a corner.
Next up was the girl called Ji-woo.
"Whew, the vibe's pretty bad, huh. Anyway, let's start with introductions. The one slumped over there is Seol Su-bin, 21. I'm Han Ji-woo, 22. I'm sort of the temporary leader keeping Luminous together. Chae-rin... well, you two already know each other, so no need."
"Yeah, I'm Kim Hyun-ah."
"Um... how old are you, by any chance?"
"25... ."
"……."
Han Ji-woo squeezed her eyes shut at my answer.
"A bit old for a trainee... Of course, you don't look it appearance-wise. You just give off this much more mature vibe than us."
She hit the nail on the head.
Especially after four years hauling loads in the towers, that aura was bound to cling to me.
"...Not a good thing, huh?"
"Well... Being mature isn't bad per se. But the public wants idols to have that fresh, innocent feel. Like Chae-rin over there."
"Eee-yup! Chae-rin! Fighting!"
Isn't that a little too innocent...?
But damn, her cuteness made me want to pinch her cheeks.
"So cute! So cute! Idols are so cute!"
"...Anyway, that's fine, really. Chae-rin has that unique charm cornered, so having someone more mature like you—no, Hyun-ah unnie—to anchor the team works."
Han Ji-woo took a deep breath before continuing.
"From what you've said, talking to the section chief won't change anything. So we'll have to cram as much as we can in the time left and give it our all."
"...Right."
"Haa, unnie, don't feel too bad for us. Chae-rin's right. You're a victim here too. The ones who dumped this unreasonable mess on us are the bad guys. What did we do wrong?"
Wow.
Han Ji-woo, was it? Could a 22-year-old really be this mature?
No wonder she was leading the team.
'But why would someone this sharp sign with Purem Entertainment as a trainee?'
A question popped up, but now wasn't the time.
"Do you know any dance? How far can you go?"
"How far?"
"……."
Han Ji-woo's expression turned odd, sensing something off.
"Uh... I mean, what dances are you confident in? Any specialties? Or basic steps, isolations—how good are you at those...?"
I'm screwed.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
No exaggeration—this was the most awkward question of my life.
Mommy or daddy? That'd be a joke in comparison.
"N-no way, I hope not, but... you're not a total beginner who doesn't even know what dancing is... right?"
Han Ji-woo's gaze burned hotter than ever.
I could feel her desperate plea: Please say no.
"Ah, fuck! Why beat around the bush? Just have her dance once! We'll know right away. Ugh, so frustrating I'm gonna explode. Seriously, I'll play some music, so just dance to it. We'll see if we can work with it seriously."
"No, I... ."
"Shut up and just dance! Please! Right now, it feels like... if you don't blow us away with some insane performance, I might actually kill someone."
"……."
Seeing Seol Su-bin in genuine agony, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.
My lips went dry as dust.
"Alright, music's on. Show us. Just how amazing are you that Go Min-cheol would pull this stunt out of spite?"
No sooner had Seol Su-bin finished than a decent beat filled the practice room.
'Argh, screw it!'
My mind blanked white, but I had no choice—I busted out my version of a dance.
"……."
"……."
"……."
When it ended.
The three girls' stares—I'd never forget them. Even Kang Chae-rin was so shocked she'd lost the power of speech.
"Whoa... we're fucked."
That was Han Ji-woo.
And Seol Su-bin... .
"Hey, let's throw down right here. Fuck! We have to kill this bitch! That's the only way! Fucking hell!! Hey, Kang Chae-rin, let go! Don't stop me! I'm doing this for all of us—gonna check how cold the Han River really is with her!"
"C-calm down, Su-bin unnie! Calm... calm down!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
I was the one who'd driven an idol trainee to spew every curse in the book, too ashamed to even lift my head.
And it didn't end there.
"...Um, Hyun-ah unnie."
"Yeah?"
Han Ji-woo asked so cautiously it was like she feared speaking at all.
"Why aren't you wearing underwear?"
"...What?"
That instant, Seol Su-bin—who'd been roaring like a dinosaur—gawked at me again in disbelief.
"What kind of crazy talk is... ."
"……."
"No way, for real? This girl's going braless right now... ."
"...I noticed earlier—no panty lines. Probably no panties either... ."
Right then.
I seriously wished for a hole to crawl into.
Should've bought some women's underwear ages ago.
Of all days, this had to happen... .
"Haha, hahaha... This is a nightmare. Ah, right. I'm definitely asleep in my shitty semi-basement. Great. Jump from here and I'll wake up. No! I have to wake up!"
"Su-Su-bin unnie! Calm down! This is reality! Jump and you'll shatter your legs! No debut!"
"Fuuuuck, let go! Debut's fucked anyway! How the hell do we debut with a psycho pervert who doesn't know dance from a hole in the ground? How do we even team up?!"
Seeing Seol Su-bin utterly broken, guilt weighed heavy on my shoulders.
I turned hopefully to Han Ji-woo—and froze.
"...Maybe aiming for life insurance payout is more realistic? Plan it so it doesn't look intentional... ."
Big trouble.
I didn't get the words, but danger reeked off them.
That's when Kang Chae-rin, pinning Seol Su-bin in the corner again, yelled urgently.
"Unnie! You should step out for now! Not that Hyun-ah unnie's bad. It's just, uh, right now... ."
"I get it. I'll give you some space."
"Ah, I'll come too, unnie!"
I left with Kang Chae-rin.
Sticking around those two wouldn't help anyone.
"……."
The problem? No clear solution in sight.
I couldn't just run away.
As the one who'd caused this, I had to fix it... damn it, how?
'Squeeze Go Min-cheol again?'
I shook my head.
Call it a gut feeling, but pressuring him more wouldn't change his mind.
He'd die before backing down.
'Haa, this is maddening.'
My head throbbed.
Had I stuck my nose in where it didn't belong?
Or should I have planned more carefully instead of charging in blindly... putting not just Chae-rin but the others in a bind too?
Guilt choked me.
Then Kang Chae-rin put her hand on my shoulder.
"Kyaa! You're really Hyun-ah unnie! Couldn't say it earlier, but seeing you up close like this is just too good! And we're on the same team! Totally jackpot, right?"