The six trainees quickly took their positions.
Blue and yellow lights flashed alternately, illuminating the trainees on stage.
The outfit consisted of a crisp white T-shirt, a black baseball jacket with a large dartboard design on the back, and slightly shiny leather pants. The makeup was done thickly so the stage light wouldn't outshine it.
As it was the first team stage, it was simple, but each person added an extra touch with a belt, bandana, or even a small handkerchief wrapped around their wrist.
Could this be a masterpiece by Moon Yoon-ha, the visual director?
Until she saw it in full effect, Min Si-young was just observing with sharp eyes.
'The stage is what's important? A kid who knows how to cheat is just a fool.'
No matter how hard she tried, Min Si-young couldn't look at Kim Chunyong kindly.
She thought that he, a trainee who wasn't particularly outstanding, got a good response on set just because he caught the PD's eye.
'His vocals were just so-so. The tone was good, but... nothing special.
Min Si-young, who has been in the entertainment industry since a very young age, believes in the realm of hard work and talent.
Rather than just briefly pleasing the camera, she thought it was most important to consider how hard one worked and showcased their talents.
'No matter what the order is, Jae-ha's team will win. Jae-ha is the best.'
This round's ranking did not have much to do with the next stage, which was directly related to their debut, but it did give the trainees the benefit of securing a spot in the pre-released performance video.
Considering that and the broadcast image, the key is to leave the best possible impression.
'I'm a little concerned about Hwa-seong. He selected only the weakest performers from similar ranks to perform on stage, so he's pulled down with them... Still, I guess he'll get MVP. Hmm…'
Min Si-young, no matter how fair she wanted to be, couldn't help but feel more affectionate for the trainees she had watched for so long.
Besides, isn't there that problematic trainee on Ji Hwa-seong's team?
Min Si-young was caught up in her own prejudices before even seeing the stage.
Brrr—
Meanwhile, the motorcycle exhaust roared, a sound she had heard over 500 times.
It was finally beginning.
- Shining city, noisy people
But here it's just you and me
You & I
The one who opens the introduction is Gao Yan, the sub-rapper.
This trainee had very little input and had virtually no understanding of the idol industry, so Min Si-young had a hard time directing him during the recording.
He can't dance, can't sing, and his rap was textbook-basic.
Min Si-young had almost given up, thinking that he would just be a nuisance to Ji Hwa-seong...
'How could he change so much in a week?'
Certainly, it was a much better performance than in the previous ranking evaluation.
Formerly unable to keep up with even one beat, and now matching his moves.
Min Si-young tried to hide her surprise and maintain a blank expression as much as possible.
Gao Yan was ranked 18th, the lowest. The closer one is to the bottom, the faster one falls.
'The longer you stand on stage, the more energy you lose. The real evaluation starts from then.'
But the longer the stage lasts, the more it shines.
Min Si-young's thoughts were continually denied.
Na Ji-hyeok, who was sitting next to her, whispered to her in a small voice.
"This team that Si-young-ssi was directing...."
Were they always this good?
Min Si-young bit her lower lip at Na Ji-hyeok's question.
Really, were they?
- Gun pointed at me
All I get is pouring applause
Ready to Shoot
Fever time with you by my side
Fear only makes us grow
Now his turn, Ji Hwa-seong did a great job rapping, needless to say.
At first, he seemed a little lost, but he was the pure blood trainee of August that she had watched over and over again. There was no way he couldn't do it.
However, Min Si-young knew that who Na Ji-hyeok was talking about was not Ji Hwa-seong.
- This one-way ticket
I will take you to your only goal
I know we're together
The hitchhiker over there sees us
Even though Logan had outstanding producing and singing skills, he, along with Gao Yan, had no basic dancing skills.
- The sound of a heart beating so fast it feels like it's going to burst
I'm the same as you
You & I, it's our first time
But we'll take a step forward
Even Kim Joo-an, who Min Si-young harshly evaluated because he had nothing that caught people's attention...
- Aim at me, my god
It's time to aim for everyone's heart
Aiming. Aiming
Watch who shoots
Aiming. Aiming
Aimed at your Heart
And Seo Bin, who she doubted in group choreography despite his great singing skills!
'They're… performing pretty well?'
Of course, the team made a few minor mistakes, and there were some members who occasionally were late in their steps.
But they all smiled brightly and sang along to the lyrics "I'll show you myself and aim at the world together". Definitely, they....
If there was an owner of this song called 'Aiming', it would be this team.
Min Si-young was surprised at herself for thinking this and covered her mouth.
'No, this is just their first stage. Min Si-young, wake up!'
And as if to overturn what she thought...
The dance break part came up, and Kim Chunyong came to the front.
Hair fluttering with sweat as his body moves, fingertips straight and unbent.
Ji Hwa-seong, who the judges believed was the best trainee on the team, shined.
At the end, he took a hot turn and threw away the handkerchief wrapped around his wrist.
"...ah."
Jin Dasol, who had been just sitting still and thinking, uncrossed his arms and exclaimed in a small voice.
It was to the point where Min Si-young, who had given him the lowest score, began to doubt herself, wondering if she should reconsider Kim Chunyong.
...an overwhelming appearance.
And Kim Chunyong, standing in the middle, led the last chorus with his signature husky and unique voice.
- Aim at us in the world
It's time to aim for their hearts
Aiming. Aiming
Watch who shoots
Aiming. Aiming
That's for sure.
It's us.
And the moment their stage ends.
Clap clap clap...
"That's great. You're good at it. It goes perfectly with the outfit."
It was none other than Moon Yoon-ha who applauded.
It was obvious what score they would get.
* * *
The members were all panting while trying to high-five each other beside the stage.
"We really did great this time. Honestly, even better than when we practiced. Am I right?"
"Hwa-seong is right. Gao Yan didn't mess up the choreography today. He's definitely born for the stage."
"Wow, I'm still, still nervous. So nervous. No, I'm excited! It was fun."
"Me too. I usually can't do my best when I'm on stage... but today was a little different."
"...well, it wasn't bad."
Now, peers of the same age were getting along well, including Seo Bin and even Kim Joo-an.
I, too, nodded, putting strength into my trembling knees.
I can't even remember how long it's been since I've been sober and on stage with other people. Before, I was always out of it, whether I drank or not.
…If I had come to my senses even just a little back then, would I have felt this way?
While reminiscing about the various stages I had performed on during my time as a malicious member, the other teams' stages followed one after another.
"请多多关照." (Please take good care of me.)
Unlike us, there were no mistakes in Liu Wei's team.
A singing voice that smoothly uses both low and high notes, a dance break center, and a tight group dance centered around Liu Wei.
But Liu Wei, standing in the center of the stage, was terrifyingly expressionless.
If I had to put it into words, he's almost like a robot.
Moreover, since all the previous practices were led by him, it seemed that the other trainees were also influenced by him.
"It was good. It was good...."
"Shouldn't the facial expressions be more diverse?"
"It was good overall."
"Well, even if it's passive, pretty is pretty. But I don't understand why you keep speaking in Chinese. Speak in Korean so I can understand."
"..."
Anyway, there were quite positive reviews, and then it was Jaeha's team's stage.
But honestly....
"Trainee Son Jae-ha. What was the problem?"
Min Si-young, looking pitiful, said it all.
"That is..."
The start seemed bland.
This was because when Jae-ha hyung first selected his teammates, he only selected people with experience as trainees or solid skills, even if they were low-ranking trainees.
One exception to this is Yooc-han hyung, who sang overwhelmingly well compared to other trainees, so his choice was understandable.
But things really started to blow up during the dance break.
"Uh, what? This isn't it."
The team's dance break center member, who had been insisting. "If we just do the same thing, we won't be any different from other teams," suddenly started an improv, causing a disturbance.
"Ugh..."
Even Jae-ha hyung, who always kept a calm smile no matter what, had a distorted expression at that moment.
Is there a worse signal than a frown on stage?
"That..."
Jin Dasol remained in shocked silence, unable to continue speaking. Moon Yoon-ha took the microphone from him instead.
"Why are you acting so individualistically on stage, as if you haven't even practiced? It's so unpleasant, a nuisance. I told you it was teamwork, but you don't listen... And why can't your teammates support you? You didn't practice for just a day or two, right?"
The atmosphere in Jae-ha's team suddenly sank.
Moreover, since our team and Liu Wei's team had received quite good reviews, the aftershock was huge.
The peak of the competition came when all the trainees went up on stage and checked the results on the electronic board.
[1st place: Team Ji Hwa-seong / MVP: Ji Hwa-seong
2nd Place: Team Liu Wei / MVP: Liu Wei
3rd Place: Team Son Jae-ha / MVP: Son Jae-ha]
If it was expected, great, but if not, then it's not.
As expected, all the AG purebloods took home the MVP position…
The unexpected part was...
"Guys, you did a great job. I know you tried hard."
…that Jae-ha hyung's team came in last.
"Hnghh..."
"Don't cry, Ryota. It's just the first ranking. Yeah."
Jae-ha hyung patted Ryota's shoulder and offered words of comfort as the latter burst into tears, knowing that his already low ranking would drop even further.
His own expression wasn't good either.
Although he still holds the top spot, he fell from 1st place to 3rd place in the overall rankings due to this performance.
It makes sense, because once you fall, you feel like you're going to keep falling.
Of course, it's obvious that Jae-ha hyung will debut steadily… but still.
"Oh, I got first place thanks to the help of my teammates. Starting from the next stage, we'll be performing in front of an audience, so I'll work even harder to show you a good performance."
"Yes, trainee Ji Hwa-seong . Congratulations!"
Could it be because of the misfortune of the hyung he trusted and followed?
Ji Hwa-seong, who rose to first place in the overall rankings thanks to today's performance, didn't look very happy during the interview.
Even if you do a good performance, some people don't laugh, and even if you do a bad performance, some people go up.
This was survival.
That's what it was like to have to pull someone down in order to go up.
* * *
But the first thing Ji Hwa-seong said to me when he came down from the stage and entered the waiting room was something I had not expected.
"Chunyong hyung should have won the MVP."
…Was it because of me or Jae-ha hyung that his expression wasn't good?
"Oh.. uh..."
I gaped in surprise. The cameras scattered throughout the waiting room kept me from saying anything further, but I knew exactly what Ji Hwa-seong wanted to say.
'I wanted to receive the MVP award fairly with my own skills, rather than just receiving it through my agency.'
What nonsense.
I quickly came to my senses and instead of trying to appease Ji Hwa-seong or make a sad expression, I put my arm around his neck and spoke loudly in a cheerful voice.
"Hey! Why are you giving me all this praise? Are you bragging about how well you did? Huh? Are you teasing your hyung?"
"No, are you saying again, I said the right thing—"
"Guys. Ji Hwa-seong is acting cool again. Knock some sense into him!"
"I got it! Another taste of revolution for Stalin, now a dictator!"
"Okay. Just leave it to me."
"Aghhhhhhhh!"
Logan and Gao Yan rushed in and tickled Ji Hwa-seong, and while the ticklish Ji Hwa-seong struggled, I pulled the guy's ear and whispered softly.
"Don't be ridiculous. This is the right thing. Don't feel guilty, just go see Jae-ha hyung later."
"—!"
Ji Hwa-seong's eyes widened at my words. But I pretended to have said nothing, and joined in tickling Ji Hwa-seong's side.
"Ah-hak, wait! Wait! Chunyong hyung! Aak!"
"Don't think I'll save you by just calling out to me!"
Survival.
Some people die, some people live.
Well, that's true. After all, I also debuted through that process.
But now, I've only done two stages, one of which was quite impactful. It's too early to be feeling down and depressed.
Above all, the most important thing for an aspiring idol is not the evaluation of seniors in the industry.
…but the public eye.