Summer Sea

There was no need to worry needlessly. I only had one Mana Stone Fragment left anyway, and there were still six days until the deadline. I forced myself to calm down and got off at the station, which had arrived before I knew it.

Should I head home? Checking the time as that thought crossed my mind, it was already 10 a.m. If I went straight home now, I'd inevitably have to head out for lunch in less than thirty minutes.

...Maybe kill some time at the park and grab lunch there? Looking up at the sky, the weather was fantastic. On a day like this, lounging in the park and soaking up some sun didn't sound half bad. Grinning to myself, I immediately headed toward the park.

After that, I plopped down on an empty bench in the deserted park and searched for info on Lee Hyunju.

Nothing much. The articles about her were all about the apology. It looked like slashing fares right away was out of the question. Clicking my tongue, I closed the browser and launched the Manager App.

...Let's see here.

Thanks to practicing together in the park every day, Lee Eunha and Shin Ye-eun's stats had risen a bit. It seemed that even aside from raising stats with experience points, personal practice could boost them sufficiently. But the gains were so minimal that investing experience points myself was far more efficient.

Eunha has 582 experience points saved up, and Ye-eun has 319, huh. The experience gain boost from Cheer Up, Everyone's Idol! was impressive—Eunha's amount was incomparable to Ye-eun's.

...It'd be nice if another Cheer Up, Everyone's Idol! popped up. But chasing an uncertain one by pulling Random Item Boxes would be wildly inefficient. Better to use that Vital Energy to raise Ye-eun's stats instead.

For now, Eunha's dance and gaze control are low, so let's bump all her stats to at least 50. With that in mind, I raised her dance, gaze control, charisma, leadership, and composure above 50. It cost 170 experience points, but with how much I had, it barely made a dent.

"That leaves 412... Hmm, voice maybe?" There were idols who'd made it big with a unique or standout voice, after all. Eunha had real potential there.

I hit yes on the prompt and poured in experience points until I couldn't anymore.

Now Ye-eun's turn. Having thriftily spent experience points to boost Eunha's stats, I moved on to Ye-eun.

...Ye-eun's overall balance is solid. In other words, anything would work. Like an uncut gem?

Eunha's handling voice, and Jihyun's the leader... so dance it is? She had a real knack for it anyway. With that, I invested in dance.

"Hmm, that's it, huh." From 61 to 67, and I was out of experience points.

"...Not quite enough. Annoying." After a moment's thought, I boldly used 150 Vital Energy to push it to 70. It looked nice and even now.

"Wonder how it'll turn out." I was a little excited.

"Huh? Oppa!" Just as I finished boosting Eunha and Ye-eun's stats, a familiar voice called out from in front of me. I casually closed the Manager App as naturally as possible and looked up.

"Why are you out already?" It was Jang Jihyun. I glanced around for Eunha and Ye-eun, but it seemed they weren't here yet—just Jihyun.

"To practice, duh! What about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you, oppa?"

"My timing was awkward, so I came early. Eunha and Ye-eun?"

"They're both coming at 1."

She said, starting to stretch.

"You're dedicated."

"Gotta be! If we're doing this, might as well go for number one, right?" Watching her shout that energetically brought a faint smile to my lips.

If only I could boost Jihyun's stats too... The thought flickered briefly, but I shook my head. In my eyes, Jihyun was a natural entertainer. She didn't need the Manager App—she had the talent to rise on her own. She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was perfect in every way, after all. Her quirky mindset was just part of her charm. For guys, anyway.

"I'm gonna dance now—watch me, okay?" She handed me her tablet. I nodded and hit play on the video.

Music started, and the singer on screen began dancing. Jihyun had picked IU's U-Go-Girl this time.

"What clothes to wear today, how to style my hair? How 'bout this? How 'bout that? Don't worry, don't worry."

Even though it was an old song, Jihyun danced to it like it was brand new. And since she was dancing right in front of me, it felt intensely like IU herself was performing for me.

"From now on, be honest! From now on, be confident! Show your heart!"

She shone when all three were together, but solo like this was captivating too.

"Sometimes sweet! Sometimes intense!"

And she wasn't just dancing—she was singing along without tiring at all. The opposite of Ye-eun's weaker stamina.

Speaking of, I should boost Ye-eun's stamina too. Watching her, I felt like there was a lot to learn from Jihyun.

"How was it?" The song ended before I knew it, and she panted, asking me.

"No real mistakes... But why pick such an old track?"

She pulled a water bottle from her bag and answered, "Saw other audition shows making 'em do old songs a lot. Practicing ahead."

Gulping it down, she looked like she stepped out of a photoshoot. Beauties make anything picturesque, huh.