Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Final Group Selection
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The orange fairies were gathered only around Alicia.
'What are those?'
Yeonwoo wondered briefly.
Then he remembered that Alicia was a choreographer.
That meant those were dance fairies.
Fairies that loved music weren't enough—they also had dance fairies?
Though he found it odd at first, Yeonwoo soon accepted it.
Music always came with dance.
It had been that way since ancient times, far beyond anything Yeonwoo could imagine.
Perhaps from the very moment music began.
In that case, all he had to do was watch the orange fairies' reactions.
Truthfully, he didn't even need to watch.
If this guy named Ace was as good at dancing as his name suggested, green and yellow fairies would have spawned constantly.
But the reaction was lukewarm.
Yeonwoo marked an X over the 3 points he'd given and wrote 2 points beside it.
He had no idea why this guy was called Ace.
"Pfft..."
At that moment, a short laugh came from his aunt beside him, and Yeonwoo looked her way.
Meeting his eyes, Jiyeong leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly.
"Guys like that are perfect for Taein."
Taein liked trainees who were like high-quality blank canvases.
Not just because it was easy to paint their own colors on them, but because Taein's style allowed them to adapt to any genre or concept.
"But why bring him? You hate guys like that too, right?"
At his words, Jiyeong glanced at President Go.
"The boss likes him. Solid basics."
"I see."
"So, Yeonwoo, you tell him later. Say Taein passes. Then he won't bring him."
"Okay."
Yeonwoo nodded at his aunt's words. Jiyeong ruffled his hair, then spoke up.
"Alright, that's enough. Turn off the music. Anyone else want to see more?"
When no one spoke, Jiyeong said, "Next."
Trainee number 2 stepped up.
Yeonwoo checked the profile.
'Specialties: choreography and rap...'
Come to think of it, Yeonwoo rarely encountered rap. Maybe a few times on YouTube?
Hip-hop connected to other genres in some ways but had developed independently in many others, making it hard for Yeonwoo to approach alone. Plus, as a kid first hearing it, it just sounded like fast talking, which turned him off a bit.
Of course, now with more knowledge and a broader perspective, his view had changed.
"Rap, huh... Let's hear a rap first, then. Got something prepared?"
"Yes! Just give me a beat, and I'll go."
Yeonwoo watched the equally confident guy intently.
Almost no blue fairies or green ones.
No stars on the profile either, so probably not a standout trainee.
Still, you never know.
Maybe a blue fairy would watch over him.
In the meantime, a beat started playing. Under the most basic rhythm, trainee number 2 began his rap.
"Walking night streets, yo, lights flick, your words too much, quiet click, footsteps slick, problems solved, like a puzzle trick..."
Blue fairies... not many.
Was that rap or those lyrics even good?
It sounded so different from what he'd heard before. Was it the beat making it seem simplistic?
Yeonwoo glanced around at the others.
'Ah, it's bad.'
Seeing the judges holding back laughs, Yeonwoo realized the trainee's rap was terrible.
"Ahem, ahem, stop. Let's see a dance."
At those words, Yeonwoo watched with renewed interest. How would the dance be?
The dance began, and the orange fairies?
'...3 points.'
More orange fairies than the previous guy, but that was it.
"...Hmm, next."
And so the third, fourth, and fifth trainees passed by.
None of Yeonwoo's scores exceeded 4 points.
At this point, he started to wonder.
'Is my standard too strict?'
After a moment's thought, Yeonwoo shook his head.
His current benchmark was the level of Hadass just before debut.
In his eyes, you needed at least that level to succeed.
"Next."
In the meantime, the sixth trainee stepped forward.
'Oh.'
Handsome.
The most handsome guy among all the men Yeonwoo had seen.
Countless green and yellow fairies fluttered around him.
Plenty of star quality and standout commercial appeal.
'Profile...'
Yoon Ha-bin, 17 years old.
Specialty: singing.
Singing... but there weren't many blue fairies compared to the greens and yellows?
"Let's hear a song. Play his prepared MR."
Yoon Ha-bin began to sing. The blue fairies reacted more than the previous two, but it fell short of Yeonwoo's standard.
However...
'Whoa...'
The moment he set the mood and started singing, green and yellow fairies multiplied like crazy.
Even a kid like Yeonwoo could tell.
'Good looks make money!'
After the song, Yoon Ha-bin started dancing.
No orange fairy reaction meant the dance was just average.
But as he danced, even more yellow and green fairies spawned.
What to do with a guy like this?
Yeonwoo pondered, then sneaked a peek at his aunt's profile.
Song and dance both average. But handsome. Center potential. 10 points.
Five stars!
His aunt had given full marks purely on looks, despite the weak song and dance.
Yeonwoo figured the others felt the same.
'No need for me to give a high score, then.'
4 points. Song average.
Yeonwoo wrote that and moved on.
As the evaluations continued, trainee number 12 appeared.
Name: Kim Jimin.
Few green or yellow fairies, but three stars on the profile. Specialty: singing.
Plenty of blue fairies, for sure. Yeonwoo watched him with interest.
"M-My name is Kim Jimin! P-Please take care of me!"
The judges silently watched the shy, stuttering boy.
"Shall we hear a song?"
"Yes!"
As he answered, the MR started. The moment the immersed boy let a song flow from his lips amid the backing track.
'Oh.'
Unlike his initial nervous, shrunken demeanor, the chosen song was quite provocative.
It was Cold Night, composed by Yeonwoo and sung by Kim Beomsin.
Did that mean he was that confident?
As Yeonwoo watched with particular interest, the boy closed his eyes, immersed in the track, and began to sing.
Blue fairies sparkled into existence.
Not just fairies—the judges, who had been slouched loosely, straightened up, leaning forward over the table to focus on Kim Jimin's song.
Kim Beomsin's voice was deceptively perfect for Cold Night, but Kim Jimin's had its own rarity.
Great emotional delivery, and above all, he sang flawlessly without a single mistake.
After hearing up to the chorus, Yeonwoo scored him as if there was no need to hear more.
10 points.
Excellent.
His current skill surpassed Hadass at that time, and his potential did too—it wasn't an exaggeration.
Kim Jimin was the first perfect score from Yeonwoo. Trainee after trainee followed.
Yeonwoo's passing line was 7 points, and after Kim Jimin, only two hit 7 or above.
One was Anurak from Thailand—vocal power a bit lacking, but unique voice earned a 7. Saito Riku from Japan, solid basics, got an 8.
After evaluating all 23, the judges began discussing.
"Let's be honest. Anyone want to pass 1 through 5 with a high score?"
No one had liked them much, so silence.
"Good. Starting from 6, then. Honestly, song and dance average, but visuals make me want to give 10 points."
At Jiyeong's words, Nanase, President Go, and Alicia all agreed.
"Yeonwoo?"
"Visuals matter. Song's not terrible, and with practice, he could be a sub-vocal. Seems fine."
"Alright, let's put him on the pass list for now."
Number 6 was essentially unanimous. Kim Jimin followed.
No disagreements there. After that, opinions clashed, making it hard to finalize members.
Yeonwoo wanted Anurak and Saito Riku passed, but President Go and Jiyeong opposed, saying it'd make three vocalists. Nanase wanted two Japanese from today's five finalists, but the other four besides Riku lacked skill, drawing opposition.
Alicia wanted both her picks, but only one spot. President Go was fine either way but pushed for Yeonwoo's Anurak to target Southeast Asia.
"For now, let's list them all."
Jiyeong said that and wrote names on the tablet connected to the TV.
Yoon Ha-bin/Visuals [Confirmed]
Kim Jimin/Singing [Confirmed]
Saito Riku/Singing
Anurak/Singing
Okada Sho/Singing
Namgung Jin/Dance
Choi Yo-han/Dance
"Okay, that's seven. Now, how many to pick."
"Anurak and Namgung Jin for a 4-member group."
"I say Riku and two dancers for 5."
"Do we need two who can dance?"
"I think one good dancer is enough."
"True, but... these two are a shame to cut."
As discussion dragged, the most common view emerged: did they really need two dance specialists?
With consensus, Alicia reluctantly cut the youngest, Choi Yo-han.
"Now 6, but too vocal-heavy? Wish we had a rapper."
"Rap isn't like a hip-hop group—we can teach it."
The talk threatened to drag on again.
Watching quietly, Yeonwoo thought.
'Without Kim Jimin and Yoon Ha-bin... the other four...'
One had a rare voice, the other two solid basics—better than Kim Da-on from Taein.
'Give Anurak the impactful parts, Kim Jimin the highs, others as sub-vocals...'
Yeonwoo looked at Jiyeong and asked.
"Aunt, any member limit? You said no, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Then why not pick all six?"
"All six?"
"Yeah. Yoon Ha-bin aside, they're all handsome with good basics. Can't these six be a team?"
"No reason not to."
Yeonwoo recalled Ellis's words.
She'd said more members were better if visuals held up.
Why?
Multiple fanbases meant more revenue.
In that case, better to debut all six.
"Sounds good..."
"Right? Let's finalize quick."
"Why? These kids sparking inspiration?"
"No, I'm hungry."
Dinner time had long passed.
Missing a meal was unacceptable to Yeonwoo.