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Translator: uly
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: What Does It Take to Get a Rep for Being Good?
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I stared blankly at the guy who had picked a fight with me.
Come to think of it, the clothes he was wearing were pretty high-end.
Still just a trainee, but draped in luxury brands that anyone would recognize... Looked like he came from a well-off family.
"What're you staring at like that?"
"You."
"What?"
"Well, you started talking to me first, so of course I'm staring at you."
If he's gonna act childish, I'll match his energy.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, right?
But his expression turned super weird after hearing my response.
Like he'd just encountered something totally bizarre.
Whatever. I'm not the Ha Jae you knew.
"...Looks like you really did lose your memory. Even lost your balls in the process."
"If it was fake, would I be putting up with this? You think I'm crazy?"
Looks like Ha Jae really didn't like this guy.
Ever since running into him, his body had felt stiff, like a scared little mouse.
Did this jerk bully him or something?
No way to know, but it gave me a bad vibe.
Hey, Ha Jae. Don't worry. Big bro's got this.
I deliberately amped up my relaxed vibe toward the guy.
"Anyway, if you don't have anything else to say, let's both get back to our own stuff. I'm busy."
"..."
Maybe my words hit his pride, 'cause he started trembling with anger.
"Couldn't even string a sentence together before, and now you're back talking smack... Who do you think you are?"
"I was just answering. What's so smack about that? Hilarious. You my teacher or something?"
"Ha Jae, you're seriously nuts. You don't know who I am?"
"Nope."
I only learned my own name a few days ago.
He let out a hollow laugh at my answer.
Then he shoved my shoulder pretty aggressively and said,
"If your head's fucked, just bow out gracefully. Why stick around and embarrass yourself?"
Ugh, annoying.
This pointless back-and-forth, and the other trainees sneaking glances from behind—they were starting to grate too.
I hate drawing attention like this, so I decided to wrap it up quick.
"Wanna bet?"
"Huh?"
"Let's bet. On whether I crash and burn or you do."
"..."
"You're here for the evaluation too, right? We'll see who makes debut lineup."
"...Don't act tough, Ha Jae."
"Why? Scared?"
I lifted the corner of my left lip and stared him down. His face flushed red then pale in seconds.
Oh ho. He gonna swing?
Right then, one of the fidgety trainees watching from the side stepped up and held him back.
"Jin-young hyung, cut it out."
"Ah, but that asshole..."
"Anyway, we won't see his face in a few days."
Fair point.
No matter who makes it, we won't cross paths much after.
The guy glared at me, grinding his teeth, then spun around.
"You'll see."
"Yeah, yeah."
Most guys who say "you'll see" aren't that scary.
See, huh... What do I gotta do to get a rep for being good?
I shoved the guy out of my mind and dove back into practice.
From here on, I couldn't waste a single second.
That way, I'd flatten that punk's nose.
[Competitive spirit is blazing! Stamina and passion recovery speed +10% for one day.]
I grinned at the notification popping up.
Looks like the system had my back too.
* * *
After practicing for hours, I finally headed back to the dorm when it was pitch black outside.
Checked my status window—stamina and passion were almost tapped out.
Hadn't even locked in a song yet, and I'd gone this hard? Maybe overdid it.
But it'd been years since I'd practiced this seriously, so I needed time to warm up.
Dragged my exhausted body to the dorm and opened the door. A delicious smell hit me.
Park Soo-rim cooking something tasty again? Honestly, I was hyped.
In the living room, two faces I hadn't seen this morning were lounging on the couch watching TV.
The second I crossed the threshold, one jumped up and charged me.
Hugged me tight—tight enough to make me choke.
"Jae! I was worried!"
"Yeah, got it. I get it, but let's talk without the hug."
"Oh, sorry. You hate hugs, right, Jae?"
He grinned sheepishly and stepped back.
Then the other one sauntered over with a big smile.
"Oh, Jae. You look more intact than I thought."
I took a good look at their faces and barely held back a deep sigh.
Realized why I knew them, and couldn't help sighing inwardly.
"Jae, even so, how could you forget us too? Hyung's hurt."
"Yeah. All our memories and moments—just gone?"
"Memories and moments are the same thing here, Teddy."
"Why?"
"'Cause... they're the same deal."
"Ah."
The exotic-looking guy who resembled a tiger was Teddy.
Dropped out of EverPlanet with zero warning during their peak activity period.
Said the grueling schedule wore him down mentally and physically, filed a lawsuit to nullify his exclusive contract, and bolted back to his home country overnight.
He ended up doing pretty well as a dancer there, from what I recalled.
After that, more foreign idols building careers here, ditching contracts unilaterally, and heading home became a social issue.
"Don't be sad, Jae. The CEO said if you're sick, you suffer big time."
"Why teach a kid stuff like that?"
"The CEO didn't teach me. I just learned it."
"That's not something you learn, Teddy."
"Got it, Tae-hee hyung."
And the ridiculously handsome guy who could slap most actors' cheeks was Han Tae-hee.
Among EverPlanet's members—plagued by scandals and dropouts—he was the final boss.
'Sponsorships, drugs... guy did it all.'
By the time EverPlanet was in full decline and members went solo.
Han Tae-hee, thriving as an actor, got busted at a drug party.
Bigwigs from politics and business were there, all caught inhaling and popping pills. The scandal blew up gate-level huge.
Then the investigation revealed he'd been in an improper sponsorship deal with one of them. No wonder he hit rock bottom.
At this point, enlightenment was the only option.
But drugs? That's a hard no.
I watched the two chattering away and started crunching numbers in my head.
Odds of clearing the main quest with these guys: Han Tae-hee skips the drugs and sponsorship... Kim Kwang-myeong avoids dating rumors... Lee Jae-oh doesn't hit fans... Teddy doesn't bail... Ko Eun-young skips the power trips... leader dodges personality controversies...
Yeah, no hope.
Dating rumors looked tame compared to the rest.
Might as well be a terminal life—don't know when, but death's coming.
...Whatever. It'll work out.
I was basically enlightened now.
Then Park Soo-rim's voice came from the kitchen.
"Kids, dinner's ready."
I bolted to the kitchen at the sound.
Complicated stuff later. Eat first.
I was starving.
* * *
After a tasty meal, I sat in the living room with everyone except Kim Kwang-myeong, munching on apples Lee Jae-oh had peeled.
Kim Kwang-myeong had skipped dinner and stayed holed up in the master bedroom for some reason.
Whatever, not my problem.
Man, Lee Jae-oh—ex-fencer? His knife skills with that paring knife were no joke.
Even rusty, a blade guy stays sharp.
Then Han Tae-hee, chewing away, spoke up.
"But honestly, it's unfair. Even with amnesia, telling him to get out of debut group like that? Doesn't make sense."
Ko Eun-young nodded in agreement and added,
"I think it's bullshit too. And Jae hyung's fall? Company barely let him sleep, just drilled practice into him."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They kept him way longer than us most days. Said he wasn't ready yet. Looked fine to us."
"Yeah... I see..."
From what I gathered, Ha Jae's accident wasn't 100% his fault.
And they cut him from debut group just like that?
Smells fishy.
I've been screwed by company schemes enough to smell it a mile away.
My gut said it wasn't just about the memory loss.
Gotta dig deeper.
Then Han Tae-hee flipped channels and spoke up.
"Anyway, they doing that thing again this eval?"
"That thing?"
"You know, the extra thing they did during our eval."
"Oh yeah. Probably."
"What's that?"
"You don't remember? It's like..."
What came out of Han Tae-hee's mouth was gold-tier info. Would've panicked without it.
I listened closely. Gotta prep for that.
"Anyway, you pick a song yet?"
"Yeah, got some in mind."
"What?"
To Park Soo-rim's question, I named the ones I'd thought of.
A soulful breakup ballad by a female singer, and a dance track from a decent boy group.
Ko Eun-young tilted her head.
"Aren't those songs kinda tough? I can't even nail that one."
"Yeah, maybe an easier dance? Not super hard, but lots of little moves..."
I shrugged at Park Soo-rim.
"What, it'll work out."
"Jae must've lost his balls with his memory."
"..."
Watching Han Tae-hee cackle, I felt like I had to tear the stage apart.
Of course I was gonna, but now I wanted to shred it harder.
I bit hard into the rabbit-shaped apple and steeled myself again.
A bit later, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
That's when Kim Kwang-myeong burst out of his room and charged me.
"Hey, Ha Jae."
"Why you always talking down to me? I'm supposed to be your hyung."
Been meaning to ask since yesterday.
In a Confucian country, this rude mouth won't fly.
He said it like it was obvious.
"We were same grade anyway."
"...Me?"
"You transferred in late, so same year as me. Decided to just be buds. Forgot that too?"
"Why'd I transfer late?"
"'Cause you lived in the States... Weird explaining this to you."
Ha Jae, international kid?
Didn't know details, but it explained the casual talk a bit.
Still, no more. I don't remember.
"Dunno. Don't remember. Call me hyung from now on—proper hierarchy."
"...Fuck. How'm I supposed to switch overnight? Hey, whatever. Pick a song yet?"
"What, you gonna do with that info?"
"Goddamn. Answer when someone's asking."
Kim Kwang-myeong scowled and threw a fit.
Heh. I raised one eyebrow, stared, then nodded.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"You gonna do with that info?"
"Ah, seriously!"
Annoying, but kinda cute too.
Still a kid.
I told him the songs I'd picked. He hmmed thoughtfully, then shook his head.
"Dance track's solid. Vocal one's a bad call though. Typical Ha Jae."
"Why? Perfect for showing skills."
"Too old-school. Not a classics fest. And since when you got skills to show?"
"..."
Ugh, wanna deck him?
"Hey, whatever. Just do this."
As I internally debated, he tossed me a USB like he was doing charity.
What's this?
"What's it for?"
"You'll see."
"...Not some hate message, right?"
"No. Want me to plug it in now?"
I eyed him and the USB suspiciously.
Sketchy. What is it?
Gotta brush, but curiosity won.
Powered on the shared PC, plugged in the USB.
One audio file inside.
WMA—probably from a composing program.
Kim Kwang-myeong made it himself?
Makes sense—he blows up as a hip-hop producer later...
Half-doubting, I slipped on headphones and hit play.
And,
"...!"
This. This is it.
Finished listening, forgot my original picks entirely.
Yanked off headphones, ran to Kim Kwang-myeong.
He was lying on the top bunk in the master, prepping for bed.
"Hey, Kwang-myeong."
"No thanks needed. Didn't give it for you."
"Seriously grateful. I'll use it well."
"Told you, whatever. Just pissed at the higher-ups' bullshit."
He waved me off lazily.
His ears were beet red.
Cute little shit.
"Hey, Ha Jae."
"Hyung."
"Fuck. Can't we stick to how it was? Feels weird."
"Nope."
"Ugh... Anyway, keep other kids from seeing anyone new in the dorm. Especially Yoo Jin-young—no way."
"Don't worry."
Was gonna anyway.
Got a great gift—time to show 'em.
The all-new Ha Jae.
After that, I threw myself into practice like a maniac.
Songs locked in, nothing holding me back.
Skills leveled up fast.
[Passive skill 'Vocal' has risen to Beginner 7. Adds emotion and resonance to your singing.]
[Passive skill 'Dance' has risen to Beginner 5. Your dance lines sharpen.]
[Passive skill 'Performance' has risen to Beginner 3. Adds flair to your performance.]
Rising this quick? Kinda disorienting.
Probably that growth speed trait.
Plus, dance practice boosted strength and muscle stats.
Not bad for me.
The higher skills climbed, the more I practiced.
My old pro-level skills were shaking off the rust, coming back online.
Before I knew it, I'd forgotten this was do-or-die.
Just lost in the practice itself.
Time flew by like that.
[Until Debut Qualification Ability Evaluation: D-0]
I'd reached the first crossroads deciding my fate.