Episode 6
All the trainers took their seats at the judging table, and the ranking evaluation began.
“We’re at the back of the line.”
The broadcasting staff from SU Entertainment seemed very excited.
Anyway, the order didn’t matter. I’m going to do the best anyway.
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.
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“The trainees should perform better with this level of experience. But it seems like they’re holding back.”
“Did the company really say it’s okay to perform like this? I don’t look okay, do I?”
“It looks cheap.”
“I need to practice again.”
“We will announce the grade for trainee Gogildong.”
Gogildong’s profile appeared on the screen, and a CG stamp with a “D” was displayed.
“Gogildong’s grade is D. Please step down from the stage.”
Hearing the trainers’ harsh comments, Do Yuda muttered.
“Wow, the judging is tough. Almost done with the evaluations, but there are only 4 S grades.”
“Yeah.”
It seemed like all the trainers were idols, so they evaluated even more strictly.
“Since all the trainers are idols, I thought they would evaluate more leniently.”
“Me too! My happiness circuit is shattered.”
I heard murmuring from another seat.
Hey, what if you’ve got the mic on? What if you say that?
Amidst witnessing the scene where the devil’s editing free source was being created, the person next to me suddenly stood up.
‘It’s a surprise.’
It was the guy sitting in first place.
Seeing the staff gesturing below, he seemed to be heading down to the stage for the grading evaluation.
‘Blonde?’
The back of his head was yellow. It seemed too smooth to be bleached, and there were no spots. Do Yuda noticed that I was looking at the guy’s back of the head and whispered to me, holding his mic very close.
“It is said that this is the son born from a love affair between the eldest son of the Sanghwa Group and the youngest daughter of a British conglomerate. He is mixed race, his hair is yellow and his eyelashes are really long. His sister just has brown hair.”
“Oh?”
“He’s really handsome. He won’t even be overshadowed standing next to you, hyung.”
Something bothered me. Not because he was too good-looking, but because he was born in such a special environment. I felt a little sorry for this Hwayoung.
“But I’m curious why someone like you is on this program.”
“I came to Korea because I admire senior Yoo-tae.”
I almost choked on the water I was drinking and almost spit it out.
“Ah…”
“……”
He came to Korea because he admires someone who is already dead. It wasn’t a happy story. The atmosphere in the studio quickly subsided, and an awkward atmosphere formed, except for me.
‘Ask why he likes him. I’m curious. Quickly.’
“I see. I understand…”
Ha, this crazy guy. You’re not going to ask that?
My frustration was unbearable, but the trainers continued to divert the topic and proceed with the questioning.
“Wow, even the clothes you’re wearing are luxury, right? How much does it all cost?”
F-ck, the dance trainer, asked blatantly.
Hwayoung, who seemed to misunderstand the intention of the question, tilted his head and replied nonchalantly.
“I don’t know. I don’t buy my clothes.”
“Wow…”
It meant that there was a separate person who shopped for him. Regardless of the arrogant tone, the content was shocking, so no one criticized Hwayoung for it.
“Now, can we start the stage?”
“Yes, yes. Please start.”
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.
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‘Singing is excellent, dancing is above average’
I thought he would perform terribly on stage, but his skills were better than I expected. Perhaps because he’s my fan. Trainers and trainees cheered and applauded.
‘He didn’t look awkward performing alone. It’s possible because his singing skills are excellent.’
Solo stages quickly raise the difficulty level. When you have to handle all parts alone, you can’t avoid your weaknesses and it’s not easy to highlight your strengths.
‘If his vocals were inexperienced but his dancing was excellent, he would have looked awkward.’
“I thought trainee Nicholas would excel in dance because of his flashy appearance, but his vocals are really good.”
“I thought he would be evaluated with songs from Stars or Prism since he admires senior Yootae, but I was surprised it was a different singer’s song.”
“Yeah, I was expecting songs from our group!”
Jay joked.
‘He’s a clever one.’
Prism boasts the highest difficulty level among existing idol songs. If you dare to perform it at the trainee level, it will be a failed stage immortalized on the internet for the rest of your life.
Moreover, if one of the original artists is sitting in the trainer’s seat, you need to show something different from the original or a perfect stage to receive praise. But we hadn’t reached that level yet.
“It is true that he is a singer I admire, but I have no intention of restricting all my potential to that.”
‘He’s skillful. No signs of flattery.’
“Your vocals and dance were stable and good. The balance was so good that the stage didn’t feel empty even when you were alone. Well done.”
“Thank you.”
Even while expressing gratitude, he didn’t bow. He’s showing his nationality.
“We will announce the grade for trainee Nicholas Hwayoung Lee.”
Nicholas Hwayoung’s profile appeared on the screen, and a CG stamp with an “S” was displayed.
“The grade for trainee Nicholas Hwayoung Lee is S. Please step down from the stage.”
“Hyung, we have to go down.”
Do Yuda waved his arm. I didn’t realize it because I was focused on the screen, but it seemed to be our turn.
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“Dung!”
As we stepped onto the stage, the SU Entertainment logo appeared on the screen, just like when we first entered.
“Hello. We are SU Entertainment trainees.”
“Do Yuda.”
“Han Seung beom.”
“Wow, you’re really handsome. Trainee Han Seung beom, can you turn to the right for a moment?”
Jay said, holding the microphone.
‘As expected.’
With a face like that, you naturally need to be photographed from different angles.
“Wow…”
As my face appeared prominently on the screen, gasps echoed from all around.
“To the right?”
I didn’t understand why they were asking me to do this, but since they asked, I blinked a few times and turned to the side. A true handsome man shouldn’t be aware of his own good looks.
“Wow… Look at that nose.”
“Are these the people who become celebrities?”
Expressions of admiration erupted once again.
Turning my head to the angle where my jawline would be most beautiful for the camera, I smiled shyly before bursting into laughter as if embarrassed. The laughter was refreshing, and my eyes completely closed, forming a perfect curve with my eyelashes.
Do Yuda stood beside me with a relieved expression. That’s fake. It seemed like he was trying to keep up the act even as we spoke.
Oh, what kind of facial expression is that when working with colleagues?
“You’re so handsome that it’s unbelievable. No, it’s beyond belief.”
Jay chuckled, rubbing his neck.
“Mr. Jay, you really like him, don’t you? It seems like he’s already your favorite.”
“Yeah. He’s currently my number one, haha.”
He said he felt burdened because I looked too scary in my past life, but now he likes it.
I clenched my fist tightly.
“I think I like it more now than in Season 3.”
Everyone in the studio burst into laughter. Survive IDOL Season 3 was a girl group project.
‘Sweet talking. Keep it up, kiddo.’
There was a potential for this to continue without editing.
“You’ve taken over SU Entertainment after just one day of joining.”
“Who’s this cheeky fellow?”
Looking beside me, Do Yuda was sweating profusely.
“It’s not taking over, but I think I did well in the evaluation. It’s a big deal these days. And I don’t have much experience, so I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to.”
I chuckled and put my hand on Do Yuda’s shoulder. Do Yuda quickly put his hand on my back to find his way and laughed along.
“Let’s do well, Yuda.”
“Uh, yes!”
The surprised guy stood up in his place.
“We’ll look forward to it.”
“Please give us the music.”
Taang!
Wee-oo-wee-oo!
To increase the concentration, additional gunshot and siren sound effects were played.
The chaotic evaluation scene was immediately organized, and the trainers adjusted their posture.
I closed my eyes and opened them slowly.
Whether in the past or now, the only thought in my head when performing on stage was:
Destroy them all.
– Uh-oh! uh-oh!
(Grrr!) I smell something suspicious
Feeling the threat. Can’t stand it (kill it!)
Exploding stress, uncontrollable adrenaline!
Holding my breath and hiding my claws (hiding!)
I don’t even know if I’m trapped
I’m a gangsta. (Grrr!) the ruler of this area
It was a completely live performance without any AR laid down, but Do Yuda performed the intense choreography with me without any hesitation. There wasn’t a single person on this stage who couldn’t perform live.
As we flawlessly executed the tightly choreographed dance and sang, the production team became noisy. It seemed like they were checking if the AR audio was playing correctly.
– This is a match between you and me
Existence without victory, only defeat.
Do Yuda placed his right hand on my left shoulder and stood facing me. It was the buildup for the upcoming dance break.
Because we closed the gap, the trainers didn’t notice, but Do Yuda made a slight mistake in his hand movement.
‘Get it together. Just like during practice.’
I met his eyes and nodded slightly. Do Yuda’s face, which had looked a bit absent-minded, regained composure.
‘Okay.’
I hadn’t expected to perform this well on our first real stage. Despite missing some details in the choreography, seamlessly continuing the song pleased me greatly.
– 1, 2, 3. Fight!
Woo-woo-woong.
To transition the mood, Do Yuda pushed my shoulder to the beat of the bass effect. As if in zero gravity, he slowly leaned his upper body backward. All melodies disappeared, and only the beat continued.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Following the beat, Do Yuda pulled my elbows forcefully backward, swiping through the air above me. I added pops to my body in sync with his movement.
‘Ugh, d-mn.’
Bending back to my limits, my relatively underdeveloped muscles compared to my past life made it a bit challenging. Gritting my teeth, I endured and seamlessly moved on to the next step.
Dung. Kugugugung. Thak! Dung. Kugugugung. Thak!
Breaking the monotony of the beat, I inserted fast choreography, dividing the rhythm, while adding a static and groovy movement to the silence, enhanced by the quiet finger snap sound effect.
– Hey!
After the powerful dance break, the melody line resumed, and Do Yuda’s part began again.
– Only scars will remain
But we won’t be able to stop
Following his lead, I swiftly turned my back leg and knelt on one knee, raising one corner of my mouth and extending my right hand toward the camera. The main camera was capturing my face directly.
– I’m addicted
As Do Yuda took a step back, I performed a flashy dance move, and he followed with a slight delay, performing only the finishing move simultaneously. Then, while Do Yuda sang with a relatively stable voice, I doubled up on the ending.
As if we had become each other’s shadows.
Thump!
Again, to the beat, Do Yuda’s hand came up to my neck.
Thump thump thump thump!
In sync with the fast rhythm, I pretended to resist Do Yuda’s wrist, as if forcefully pulling it away from my neck.
– This is a match between you and me
Proving my worth without mercy
There was a reason I incorporated difficult choreography for myself while letting Do Yuda provide the highlights in the dance.
‘Provide strength, but also conserve relatively good stamina.’
Most trainees avoided the high-note adlibs in their seniors’ songs, but I couldn’t tolerate such weak performances.
– Tear it apart! Swallow it whole!
Do Yuda’s clean and straight high notes echoed through the studio.
‘His strength lies not only in his vocal range, but also in the stable and powerful tone that comes from proper breathing…’
“….”
“….”
Overwhelming the scene, Jay, who had been watching the trainees’ performances with a bored expression, was now staring at us with wide eyes. The entire studio fell silent for a moment, unable to speak.
– We’re wolves,
We don’t calculate. To survive.
As we finished the ending whispering part, cheers erupted.
“Wow!”
“That was legendary!”
“Amazing! This is top-tier!”
Jay, having roughly organized the never-ending applause, took the microphone.
“After seeing a performance like this, what more can I say? There’s simply nothing to criticize. The dance break in the middle was like something out of a trance.”
“It’s really rare for good-looking guys to have such skills.”
“Yeah, it’s truly exceptional.”
“What about the song? Did you guys write it yourselves?”
“Yes.”
“Seung beom-hyung composed and choreographed the song himself! I also helped with the lyrics!”
Do Yuda replied cheerfully.
“You compose too? That’s insane.”
“Seung beom performs like a pro, and Do Yuda’s vocal range is so wide, yet stable even during live performances. I was genuinely surprised.”
“As expected from the big leagues. The CEO of SU Entertainment must be really proud.”
“Well done. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of stages you’ll show us in the future.”
Amidst the continuous praise, Do Yuda smiled widely and stuck close to me.
This guy forgot to greet properly. I grabbed his shoulder and pressed down, and we greeted together.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you!”
“Now, let’s announce the ratings…”
“Just a moment. I have something to say.”
In the warm atmosphere as the evaluation was about to conclude, Frick, who was sitting at the far end, spoke up.
“Two months… So you guys are taking the opportunities away from trainees who have been in this longer. Is it just me who feels a bit bitter? There are many trainees here who have worked harder for longer.”
It was Frick, a member of the 6-year-old idol group Overture.
“But from my perspective, it seems like you came out with an attitude like, ‘I have a good face, so I’ll debut somehow.’ It’s like being casual about being an idol, isn’t it?”
“….”
Wow! After all these years, receiving criticism from a junior based on seniority.
