The next morning, in the cafeteria, Yoo-chan hyung saw my sunken eyes and laughed while holding his stomach and patting my back.
"Oh, aha, my stomach hurts. Hah... so, did all your roommates end up calling you hyung?"
"Except one."
"Who is it?"
"Ryota. No, he kept calling me 'Aniki.' I don't know why he does that...."
"Haha! Wow, your room looks really fun! You won't ever get bored there."
"Okay, okay. Just tell me what your room was like, hyung."
At my grumbling. Yoo-chan hyung rolled his eyes as if he was thinking about something unpleasant, then put his arm around my shoulder and spoke in a small voice.
It seemed like he was starting to become aware of the camera hanging in the hallway.
"Well, it was a bit... gruesome."
"...gruesome?"
I thought of the people who were rooming with Yoo-chan hyung.
Gong Min-ho, Ahn Jin-woo, and Han Sang-woo.
Han Sang-woo was probably 16th or 17th.
One AG trainee, two from different agencies. They weren't all that noisy.
But 'gruesome'? Where did that come from?
"Well, well... we talked nicely at first, y'know? But after midnight, when the cameras turned off, they all turned their backs and went to sleep. I wish we'd talked more."
"Ahh...."
Yoo-chan hyung was unfamiliar with the life of an idol trainee.
Idol trainees inevitably have different sensibilities than ordinary people.
This was because, in a limited environment, they were always surrounded by similar types of people.
You're already sensitive in this survival environment, so you probably don't want to waste your time on someone you don't feel the need to get closer to.
But to Yoo-chan hyung, who had been living a good life outside, that seemed very strange.
It's obvious, but I used to be like that too.
The current survival-oriented sociability is something I acquired while drinking with my manager during my time as a malicious member.
"Ah, Rex! My favorite! Random! Game! Ah, you might not know it! Drink while you learn! Random! Game! Drink! Drink drinkkkkkkkk!"
...I'm not sure if I should thank that damn manager or tell him to meet me in hell.
"Chunyong, why are you clenching your fist? Are you angry?"
"Oh, no! That's not it... um."
Instead of telling my hyung straightforwardly, I gave him a hint.
"From now on, when the camera turns off, you just sleep."
"Huh? Is there a reason why you have to do that?"
"Because...."
From now on, you may not be able to sleep even if you want to.
* * *
9AM after eating and doing some light makeup.
All 18 trainees gathered in the dance practice room on the first floor, following the production crew's instructions.
"Oh, Chunyong hyung. Can I sit next to you? Is there a seat available?"
Logan, who was the first of the multinational roommates to call Kim Chunyong "hyung." naturally went up to him.
He approached so carefully and kindly that he seemed like a large dog wagging its tail .
"No, there isn't. You can sit down."
"Oh, cheers. Gosh. Chunyong hyung, did you eat all of this? This didn't really taste that good."
"Uh... Logan. If you're not going to eat that, just give it to me from now on."
Kim Chunyong snatched the chocolate bar from Logan's hand and spoke in a small voice.
"And don't say things like that out loud."
"Huh? Why? This really tastes bad."
"This is sponsored."
"...Gosh."
The British man, well-informed about capitalism, sat down next to Kim Chunyong with an embarrassed expression, rubbing the back of his head.
Bang Yoo-chan, who had already taken a seat on Chunyong's other side, spoke to Logan with a curious expression.
"Oh, you're Logan? Hi. I'm Bang Yoo-chan."
"Wow. Hi, Yoo-chan. Are you older than Chunyong hyung?"
"Me? I'm older than Chunyong. I'm twenty-two."
"Then you're Yoo-chan hyung. I'll call you Yoo-chan hyung."
Bang Yoo-chan looked at Kim Chunyong with eyes filled with admiration as he watched Logan, who had called him "hyung."
"You really taught him diligently. Logan's calling me hyung too?"
"Where do you think all my dark circles came from?"
"Dark circles? Where'd they come from, Chunyong hyung?!"
"Logan, you gave me those."
Amidst the people in their late teens and early twenties chatting away in the cafeteria, someone appeared at the front door with a rustling sound.
"Trainees, did you enjoy your meal? Here's your MC, Choi Ga-on, back again!"
As the prompter said, "All trainees applaud and cheer," the trainees, who were now getting used to the broadcast, jumped up from their seats and cheered loudly for Choi Ga-on.
"Oh, shush. You don't have to do this!"
Choi Ga-on, who was naturally acting cute, cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"I'm here to tell you about the piece you'll be performing today. Are you all curious?"
"Yes!"
The prompter constantly asked the trainees for reactions. The world of broadcasting was so profound.
"Your group song is the one that will become the signature song of this survival show 'Aiming'!"
Aiming.
Meaning 'aim' in Korean.
An original song that Do Jae-chan enlisted with the help of AG's A&R team to solidify the concept of 〈Targeting Star〉.
'This is a really great concept...'
As the trainees thought simultaneously, Jin Dasol and his crew members appeared on the screen in front of the practice room.
Then, the exhaust sound of a motorcycle starting up blared, and they began to move their bodies in unison to the beat of electronic pop with a hint of metal.
- Shining city, noisy people
But here it's just you and me
You & I
Among them, Jin Dasol's dance steps in the middle looked very simple and light.
However, trainees who had even a little bit of dance experience could tell how much care was put into controlling the tempo of each of his movements.
- Aim at us in the world
It's time to aim for everyone's heart
Aiming. Aiming
Watch who shoots
Aiming. Aiming
There was a powerful highlight, followed by a dance break featuring high-difficulty moves.
The song unfolds without giving a moment to breathe.
'That's... the first song I'll ever sing.'
The trainees slowly opened their mouths and were completely captivated by the song.
And soon a question arose.
"Did you all enjoy it? I was so surprised by how good the song was! I want to sing it too. I think Targeting Star will be a huge hit. I should've debuted with this song!"
Choi Ga-on was high-energy and made a lot of noise for the broadcast.
But he seemed to be somewhat sincere.
Because there was a strange envy in his eyes.
"Well, anyway... I know one question you're all wondering. You're thinking about this right now, right?"
Why…
"Why are only 6 people doing it, not 18?"
Yes. That was the question that was lingering in the trainees' minds.
There are a total of 18 trainees. However, Jin Dasol's crew that appeared on screen had only 6 people.
Since there were many stage configurations where 6 people cooperated, it was definitely a choreography that would be difficult for 18 people to follow.
Choi Ga-on smiled brightly and spoke.
"The reason is that the 18 of you will be divided into 3 teams and compete!"
"Wh-what? The group song is split into three teams...?"
In response to someone's wonder, Choi Ga-on held up the number 6 with his slender fingers.
"Therewill be six people debuting through 〈Targeting Star〉. And for six male idols, the most important thing is teamwork. How perfect can a performance be in a week? How well can they communicate and cooperate? That's the core of this competition."
Choi Ga-on, who spoke quickly, took a breath and continued.
"So, you guys can't just form whatever team you want! If it were that easy, you wouldn't be targeted stars. Our smart production team all have their own ideas."
The lead producer was strutting his stuff beyond the camera. It seemed like he wanted to gild his face with a script like that.
"Okay, you all probably remember your initial rankings. They're on that huge electronic board. But you don't know how your mentors scored them, do you?"
Choi Ga-on smiled wickedly.
"Right now! Revealing it here!"
"...Ugh."
A loud groan erupted among the trainees.
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the cameramen began to close up on the shocked faces of the trainees.
On the screen where Jin Dasol and his crew were dancing earlier, the names of the trainees were posted along with the scores given by each mentor.
"Now, the three people with the highest scores will take turns selecting five members to perform the group song with them."
Finally, Choi Ga-on clapped his hands and finished with a refreshing voice.
"Okay, team forming begins!"