Chapter 15
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 15
Chapter Title First Round Song Selection
As soon as the firstround rules were fully revealed, the trainees stood on their tiptoes, straining to see the panel.
Since the competition songs hadnt been introduced yet, it had everyones full attention.
Then, well reveal the songs for the first round that everyones been waiting for.
Choi Sia peeled off the sticker from the far left.
A familiar group name and song appeared.
Whoa.
Its BoLu seniors!
Isnt that song super famous?
BoLu, the group called the frontrunner of fourthgeneration boy idols.
Their selftitled track from their first full album was a song every idol trainee had danced to at least once.
Some trainees were thrilled to see a familiar song, while others tilted their heads slightly.
I wasnt exactly thrilled either.
Its highly recognizable and the choreography is familiar, but the original artists color is so strong.
In short, if you couldnt capture the original flavor well, youd be on a oneway train to disaster.
Famous songs draw more attention from the audience, raising expectations accordingly.
The moment you failed to meet those standards, youd get harsher critiques than others.
Still, it was a good song, so Id put it on hold for now.
The following songs were in a similar vein.
It seemed the production team hadnt thrown in any plot twists for the first team event.
The competition songs matched what I remembered, which was actually a relief.
Id worried that the shows early hype might lead to bold changes, but they must have decided it was too soon for risks.
That meant sticking to the original plan would be safe.
Karis, any song you want to do?
Kang Siyoon, whod been staring at the eight songs, casually asked for my opinion.
I could just state my preference right away...
But it might be more interesting to hear from my roommates first.
I shrugged and turned the question back on them.
Nothings caught my eye yet. Id like to hear Siyoon and Yubins thoughts first.
Uh...
Heo Yubin froze, his mouth opening and closing like a buffering video.
Id expected it from his overthetop reactions with each song reveal.
I, uh, Ill go with whatever you guys want, brothers! HHonestly, I think theyre all good songs...
Hmm, so thats how Yubin feels. To be honest... in terms of recognition, this ones the best, but Ive practiced a different one a lot personally. I could pick up the dance pretty quickly.
Which song?
Kang Siyoon scratched his head and chuckled.
Its a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but people always said I looked like one of the Perishy Boys seniors. So I looked up his videos and fell in love with this song, practiced it alone a ton.
So Siyoons recommending that one?
I can nail the choreography and formations at a killer speed, Your Highness Karis.
Perishy Boys that song.
I fought back a grin and cheered inwardly.
This made things much easier.
Now well begin song selection and team formation. Well go in order starting from Cell 1, so please take your seats and wait.
Another bout of tedious waiting began.
With 96 people racing together from the start, it was unavoidable.
Our Cell 31 was second to last, so we had an even longer wait.
Heo Yubin was on the verge of dozing off, head nodding.
Yubin. Falling asleep here would be bad.
Huh! SSorry!
Here, tissue. Wipe the drool from your mouth first.
Each cell moved outside the auditorium when their turn came, heading to the waiting room for their chosen song.
If the room was full, theyd bump another cell out or get booted themselves.
I calculated the odds as the auditorium emptied.
Our average rank is 1.3, really high. If our pick is full, the odds of us getting kicked are low compared to others. And other cells know that too.
In other words, theyd act strategically, not just on the songs.
Midtier averages would play it safe over risks.
Cells with leeway like ours would go for highcompetition tracks.
Cell 30, please proceed.
Finally, our turn was next.
Kang Siyoon, whod been watching everything ramrod straight, asked.
Karis, youre cool with that one too?
Siyoon, I was going to recommend that Perishy Boys track even if you hadnt said it.
No joke, for real?
Doesnt the overall image of Perishy Boys seniors match ours? You even said you resemble one of them. Physically, were better suited for a conceptual track than something feminine.
Kang Siyoons face was hilariously shockedphotoworthy.
You saying conceptual feels so weird.
Does it? I thought itd feel natural since its an English word.
A Estonian speaking fluent Korean and dissecting Kpop seniors songs in depth is weird from the start.
Whether it felt off or not, I continued.
Anyway, its a solid strategic choice. The dance might be tricky, but with you, Siyoon, no worries. The vocal range isnt too high, so itll be easy for Yubin. Plus, its not super recent, and from a group with less hardcore fandom than BoLu seniors.
Less chance of direct comparisons, right?
Exactly.
As I laid out my thoughts, a system window popped up.
Skill Master of Eloquence C activated. Slightly increases chance of persuading listeners.
My last passive skill, which hadnt triggered on stage.
As the name implied, it favored my words in discussions.
Kang Siyoon was already leaning toward the track, but it hadnt been finalized, so my eloquence gave it the final push.
I thought I was being too hasty, but hearing you out, Karis, it really seems good.
Im fine with anything, brothers. The dance... Im not super confident. But Ill work hard!
Then its decided?
Both roommates nodded.
Our high ranks probably boosted their confidenceno fear of getting booted.
When staff finally called Cell 31, we strode confidently to the waiting room with the tracks picket.
Just before opening the door, Heo Yubin huddled and pressed his ear against it.
...Brothers, no sounds from inside.
Of course. Theyll all pretend no ones there.
Sometimes Siyoon brother is so brutally realistic.
I patted Heo Yubins slim shoulder.
Lets check if anyones inside.
KKaris brother! Im so nervous, what do I do?
If youre that shaky, just stick behind me.
I said it casually, but I was a bit tense too.
I remembered the full flow of Idol Training Simulation.
But no one knew what variables might pop up this time.
As I recall, top 13 trainees went to BoLu... No way Song Hyeongbin is in here when I open the door.
Even with SSS looks, matching Song Hyeongbin in the first team event was a huge risk.
If opponents, his skill gap was unbeatable now.
If teammates, our cell might get overshadowed.
Praying for decent opponents, I opened the door.
...
...?
No ones here?
The waiting room was packed with cameras.
They wanted to catch reactions live.
No need to fake surprise for screen time.
It was genuinely empty.
I checked behind the door and flung open the curtains, suspecting hidden cams.
Just dustno sign of life.
This is real? No ones here?
Even coolheaded Kang Siyoon looked dazed, asking the camera crew.
Heo Yubin? His eyes were lost in space.
I weighed the situation in my head.
Its an appealing track. Why did no one pick it?
...Maybe they thought the opposite.
Strong concept might not fit their cells image.
Perishy Boys were tall with dynamic dances, so mismatches would pass.
But this means... one cell spot left. Stragglers from elsewhere will come here.
Lowerrank cells could end up with us.
So, which color for us?
Red?
Reds good!
We sat side by side in the red team seats, holding our breath for what came next.
I braced for another long wait.
But the next for our track arrived shockingly fast.
Oh, knew youd be here! See, I told you!
Hyung, youre the man!
Amazing!
Cell 32 followed us, picking the track.
And beaming at me was none other than Park Sehan.
At level tests, during cell practiceshe kept chatting me up, and now the same song.
...Why does it feel like Im being stalked?
Park Sehan dragged his roommates straight to red seats.
His beaming smile screamed pure joy.
No one here yet? Man, everyones blind.
We were shocked too when we came in. Totally empty.
Hahaha, I bet! Anyway, were teammates nowintroductions first?
Park Sehan took charge instantly, gesturing to his roommates.
A trainee with striking reddyed hair bowed deeply.
Hello, Tier 2 trainee Oh Taeyoung. Main position rap, age nineteen. Nice to meet you!
HHello.
Next, a roundglasses trainee stood for a deep bow.
From his speech and nametag, one of the few foreign trainees in Idol Training Simulation.
Im Hashimoto Ken from Japan! Call me Ken, itd be great. Nineteen years old, uh. Position main dancer!
Japanese, as expected.
The name rang a bell digging through memories...
Hm. Not crystal clear, but he made finals with me.
No shared stage, but I recalled his name from rankings.
Both seemed solid additionsgood so far.
Awake agency trainee Park Sehan. Twenty years old, main vocal. Nice to meet you all! Lets do great.
He was the issue.
Not lacking skill or a troll.
Just a guy about to blow up in scandal news soonthats why Id kept distance.
Shaking his hand, I recalled the first rounds hidden benefit twist.
Need to shake him off clean before round two.