The Bitter Taste of a D-Grade
Level Test: D Grade.
As I walked down from the stage, those two letters spun endlessly in my head.
D.
Dee.
D Grade.
This is a downright inhumane result! It makes absolutely no sense!
Just moments ago, when I was absolutely killing that song, nearly a hundred people had turned on their phone lights, and the judges had sat up straight in their seats.
Hand on my heart, looking at it objectively, my performance just now was good enough to slap the faces of most active idols and then some.
On top of that, the judges had looked at me with such deep, soulful eyes, and Park Ji-hyun herself had praised me so highly, saying I was practically ready to sit on the judging panel!
At the very least, shouldn't I have gotten a B?
Yet, reality was a cold, hard D.
Fine, I get that it's because of my dancing.
Even I didn't think I danced that well. Honestly, I think I even messed up the direction of my turn.
But was that really enough of a blunder to completely drag down my overwhelming vocals?
There's definitely some dirty, underhanded manipulation going on by the big-name Idol Clubs.
The deep-seated corruption that exists in every society. This is undoubtedly the tyranny of massive capital trying to keep independent trainees down.
Aigoo, how is a person with no money and no connections supposed to survive in this world?
If I followed my gut, I'd run right back up onto that stage this instant and demand answers.
"Excuse me, but a D Grade is seriously uncalled for!"
I wanted to argue, but it wasn't that simple.
I already had a history of clashing over the first-place seat with that girl from Pohang IC—Jeong... whatever her name was. If I threw a tantrum at the judges now...
My broadcast image would be cemented as the villain of the century.
Forget debuting; I'd be fast-tracked straight to rock bottom.
The moment that realization hit me, goosebumps erupted all over my body.
My blood was still boiling, but I had no choice but to swallow my pride.
It's so unfair.
As I trudged back toward the pyramid stairs, I stole a glance at Park Ji-hyun. She was calmly staring down at her cue sheet, completely ignoring my gaze.
...It's just too damn unfair.
Swallowing my resentment, I was dragging my feet up the stairs toward the first-place seat that was rightfully mine.
"Next up. Trainee Jeong Yu-ah, please step forward!"
From above, the next contestant, Jeong Yu-ah, was making her way down toward the stage.
On the narrow staircase, just as our shoulders were about to brush past each other...
Accompanied by the faint, luxurious scent of perfume, Jeong Yu-ah didn't even break her stride. She simply cast her eyes downward and whispered softly.
"That's why you should've listened to me."
And then, as if nothing had happened, she swept past me like an arrogant queen.
Why, that little... Where does she get the nerve?!
I froze on the stairs, staring at her retreating back in utter disbelief.
Jeong Yu-ah glanced back at me.
Her red lips curled upward, and her eyes crinkled at the corners.
Was she mocking me?
And why has she been speaking to me so casually since earlier?
Hey! Watch your mouth!
Of course, I couldn't actually yell that out, so I had to bottle it up once again.
Fine. Just because she's making my eyes rot with disgust, I'm going to learn how to dance properly if it kills me.
I finally sat down in my seat. For some reason, I suddenly missed my younger brother.
Ah, the heavy, satisfying impact of hitting him.
I turned my gaze back to the stage. Jeong Yu-ah was stepping up.
Alright, let's see just how good you really are.
"Hello. I am Jeong Yu-ah, a youth trainee from Pohang IC."
After her brief introduction...
A girl-crush style song began to play. It sounded like a Korean idol track, but I didn't recognize it. Personally, I preferred foreign music.
The performance began.
The atmosphere in the studio instantly shifted. A quiet tension rippled through the contestants.
Jeong Yu-ah walked slowly across the stage, her gaze locked forward. Her intense eye contact seemed to dominate the entire space.
There wasn't a single trace of nervousness. It wasn't that she was hiding it; she possessed the power to make the audience believe she truly felt none.
As the intro faded, Jeong Yu-ah began to sing.
Her vocals were remarkably polished, carrying a solid emotional depth.
At the same time, her choreography consisted of subtle movements, yet it naturally drew everyone's eyes.
Had she been trained in how to utilize the entire stage?
No matter where she stood, she remained the absolute center of attention. Her vocals didn't waver even during intense choreography, and during the slower segments, her voice carried even more emotion.
It was a flawless control of pace.
She's actually pretty good.
As much as I hated to admit it, I had to acknowledge her skill.
Still, she can't sing as well as me. Yeah, let's call this a very close draw.
Before I knew it, Jeong Yu-ah's performance came to an end.
The studio fell into a hushed, focused silence.
After a brief discussion among the judges, the result was announced: A Grade.
It was frustrating, but it was exactly what I had expected.
As Jeong Yu-ah claimed her A Grade and climbed up to the second-place seat, our eyes locked once again in midair.
A confident stride. Unwavering amber eyes. That incredibly annoying silver bob.
Having secured an overwhelming result, her face practically radiated smug composure.
Refusing to back down, I glared right back at her.
While I was busy shooting daggers at her with my eyes, Jeong Yu-ah's pace slowed down ever so slightly as she neared my seat.
The cool, sharp eyes looking down at me crinkled, and her red-painted lips silently parted.
A smirk.
Her mouth formed a single syllable.
D.
What? D? Dee? Did she just mouth "D Grade" at me?
As my jaw dropped in sheer disbelief, Jeong Yu-ah flashed a sly grin, elegantly tossed her silver hair, and walked back to her seat.
I had been completely clowned! It was a blatant provocation! As if bribing the referees wasn't enough, she had just pulled off a mocking goal celebration right in front of my face.
My fists trembled with rage. Should I just grab her by that silver hair, throw a punch, and quit this whole show?
But the aftermath of doing that would be...
Right.
Let's think of Leona Messi, who always endured and overcame no matter how many dirty tackles and backtackles she faced on the pitch.
In, out, in, out.
I think I'm starting to calm down a bit.
Oh my gosh, look at her biting her lip and holding back tears... She's so cute.
Sitting in her seat, that was exactly what Jeong Yu-ah was thinking.
In truth, Jeong Yu-ah hadn't originally intended to provoke Han Se-ah.
When she first saw her occupying the first-place seat, she had merely thought of her as a "cute and fragile-looking girl."
But the moment she heard Han Se-ah sing during the level test, her perspective had completely shifted.
A clear rival who, with her vocals alone, captured the attention of a hundred people and completely enchanted even me.
At the same time, she was a genius with a monstrous vocal talent that was equal to, or perhaps even greater than, her own.
Seeing such a person get a D Grade, biting her lip in sheer frustration... it had ignited a strange mixture of competitive desire and playfulness inside her.
And so, she had acted on impulse and provoked her.
I'm really looking forward to what comes next, Han Se-ah.
Resting her chin on her hand, Jeong Yu-ah stole another glance up toward the first-place seat and smiled to herself.
Before the heat in the studio could even cool down, MC Park Ji-hyun picked up her microphone to announce the next contestant.
A moment later, the number for the third-place seat was called.
It was Seol I-an.
Seol I-an didn't show a hint of emotion as she walked toward the stage. Her ascent, her posture, her gaze toward the camera—everything was absolutely seamless.
Ri Cheon-hee, the vocal trainer, raised her microphone with a welcoming look.
"Oh, you're from Ulsan IC, just like me? It's nice to see a familiar face. Whenever you're ready, please begin your performance."
The dance began alongside a fast-tempo, hip-hop-style track.
If Jeong Yu-ah's style was about dominating the entire stage, Seol I-an was the exact opposite, focusing entirely on the execution of each individual movement.
Her movements were incredibly fast and precise. In the faster segments, her dance lines actually became even sharper.
The sheer accuracy of how she directed her body's energy was astounding.
Every single gesture fell perfectly into place, as if sliced with a scalpel.
"Is she a robot? How are her movements that precise?" "Just how much did she practice..."
The watching trainees began to murmur in awe.
However, when the tempo slowed down, a slight flaw briefly revealed itself.
Soon, the dance ended, and dance trainer Ahn Ji-hwa picked up her microphone.
"Trainee Seol I-an. Your dance is completely flawless. The direction of your power, the angles, the speed... technically speaking, there is absolutely nothing to criticize."
Trainer Ahn Ji-hwa continued with a gentle smile.
"However, while it is mechanically perfect, it's not a dance that brings joy to the viewer. I wish we could see a bit more of Seol I-an the person in your movements."
"In that case, can we hear you sing?" "Yes."
The music began to play once more.
This time, the genre was a minimalist ballad.
A minimalist ballad, with barely any accompaniment other than a gentle piano melody, filled the studio.
It was a far cry from the beautiful, sweet tone or the highly difficult, flashy techniques that Han Se-ah had displayed.
Her vocal range wasn't exceptionally wide, nor did her natural tone particularly captivate the ears.
To put it coldly, it was exactly the level where people among the big club youth academies would say, "Yeah, she can sing decently."
Her statement in the pre-interview, where she admitted that singing was her weakness, was indeed true.
Yet, there was not a single error, as if her performance had been manufactured by a machine. Despite having just finished an intense hip-hop dance, her pitch and breathing remained incredibly stable.
It was like a lullaby sung by a meticulously crafted doll.
Vocal trainer Ri Cheon-hee, who had been chewing gum with a bored expression, picked up her microphone.
"Trainee Seol I-an. You know it yourself, right? In terms of technique and vocal range, you can't quite be called a great singer yet."
Seol I-an bowed her head slightly at those words.
"However."
"To not have your pitch waver even a tiny bit after dancing so intensely just now? That is purely the result of practice. I can clearly see how relentlessly you dug into this single song to cover up your weaknesses. You worked incredibly hard."
Kim Na-ju, the rap trainer, also nodded her head to the beat, seemingly in agreement.
After a brief deliberation, the judges reached their decision.
Finally, MC and judge Park Ji-hyun raised her microphone with a smile.
"Trainee Seol I-an. Your practice and your obsession with perfection truly shone on stage. Your grade is..."
Park Ji-hyun set down her cue sheet and spoke.
"You receive an A Grade."
The highest possible report card: an A Grade.
While envious gasps erupted throughout the studio, Seol I-an didn't show a hint of emotion, simply bowing politely at a ninety-degree angle, just as calmly as when she had first stepped onto the stage.
Only me... I'm the only one... who didn't get an A...
Han Se-ah was simply left to suffer in the agony of that realization.