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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: It Was Your Spot All Along
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After the evaluation wrapped up and I stepped out of the practice room, I tapped the reward claim button floating in front of me.
Just like promised, the rewards came flooding in one by one.
[You've gained experience points.]
[SPECIAL ITEM, 'Performance Amplifier,' acquired. Please check your inventory.]
['HiJae's EverPlanet debut group membership has been confirmed.]
Debut group confirmed. That means I've finally taken my first step.
But a Performance Amplifier? What's that?
Right as I was about to check my inventory, another ding! notification popped up.
[LEVEL UP! 'HiJae's level has risen to 2.]
[You can claim your first LEVEL UP reward. Click!]
Oh, level up at last.
The experience points had been trickling in so slowly that I'd stopped paying attention altogether and nearly forgot it was even possible.
[Please select one of the following rewards.
1) Item random draw x5
2) Skill random draw x1
3) Additional stat points x10]
Whoa, tough choice.
Items might turn out useless, so pass.
But skill draw versus extra stat points...
Truth be told, aside from my basic passive skill, I didn't have any others yet, so I was curious what might be out there.
On the other hand, dumping all those points into looks or charm didn't sound half bad either.
"Hmm..."
I rubbed my chin, mulling it over, and finally decided,
"Screw it. Life's all or nothing anyway."
I went with option 2: 'Skill random draw x1.'
The moment I selected it, poof! A flashy golden roulette wheel appeared out of nowhere.
It started spinning on its own, whirring around.
I watched the wheel go round and round. Each slot had a skill name inscribed on it.
[Let me make you laugh once]
[Sparkle!]
[All eyes on me]
[Dance God Descends]
[Aing♥]
...Hold up. Why do all these skill names look so ridiculous?
I wanted to cancel right then and beg for the stat points instead.
But the merciless system wasn't having any of it.
The wheel, which had been spinning wildly, began to slow to a stop.
And the red arrow landed on...
[Congratulations! You've acquired the active skill 'Sparkle!']
Luckily, it was one of the more normal-sounding ones.
...If it'd landed on something like Aing♥, I might've actually died inside.
I let out a sigh of relief and opened my skill menu to check out my new acquisition.
[Sparkle!
: Even if you hide, you sparkle—what to do! When activated, increases attention by +50% for 30 seconds on stage (Limit: 1 use per day)]
+50% attention for 30 seconds on stage?
I cracked a satisfied smile at the unexpectedly solid effect.
With seven of us performing together, there's a chance I might not stand out during my parts. This skill would come in handy for those moments.
See? Life really is all or nothing.
Any regrets about not picking stat points? Gone.
You always come out of the bathroom feeling like a new man anyway.
"Status window."
I closed the skill menu and pulled up my status screen.
Gotta check it every time I level up.
[Name: HiJae (Seo Il-hyun)
Level: 2 (Sprout) EXP: 05.00%
Title: Rookie Negotiator
Trait: Second Chance at Life
Fame: D
Stamina: 100/100
Passion: 100/100
Strength: D+
Agility: D+
Intelligence: C
Luck: D
Appearance: B
Charm: C
Artistry: C
Distributable Stat Points: 1]
All that dance practice for the evaluation had bumped up my strength and agility.
I allocated my stat point to appearance and closed the window.
For idols, looks are everything, after all.
If you can raise it, you raise appearance.
Evaluation aced, debut group spot secured.
All that's left is practice until debut.
EverPlanet... Thinking about how I only survive by clearing that insane main quest still gives me anxiety.
But hey, it'll work out somehow.
For now, I'll just do everything I can.
Keep the group in line so no one slacks off, tweak the predetermined future a bit...
Worst case? I die. What can you do?
Lost in these thoughts, I headed out of the company building.
I'd worked up an appetite, so I figured I'd grab a burger nearby.
That's when a familiar voice grabbed me by the ankle.
"...HiJae."
It was Yoo Jin-young, but in a tone worlds apart from when he'd picked a fight in the practice room.
I stopped in my tracks and stared at him.
Up close, his eyes were red—he'd clearly just been crying.
Ah, I hate heavy vibes like this.
"Got something to say to me?"
I'd considered ignoring him, but better to wrap this up quick.
When I asked flatly, he worked his chapped lips with a weary expression.
Not that it stirred any pity in me.
Remembering what he'd said to me on my first practice day, I crossed my arms and took a step.
"No words? I'm out."
"...Wait!"
Ah, why drag it out like this? We both know you're just gonna throw a tantrum anyway.
I scowled and turned back to him.
He glanced between me and the ground, then let out a deep sigh.
Hesitating, he finally spoke.
"Congrats."
"...Huh?"
What? Congrats out of nowhere?
I'd braced for stuff like "Why the hell did you beat me to the debut group, you bastard?" or venom-laced curses, so this was the last thing I expected.
"Congrats on getting back into the debut group."
"...Uh, yeah. Thanks."
Did he hit his head or something? What's with him?
Should I recommend my doctor...?
Oblivious to my thoughts, he sniffled and continued.
"And about the harsh stuff I said last time—no, even before you lost your memory, I'd always been rough with you. I'm sorry for all of it. I had to say that."
Guess he'd always treated the original HiJae that way too.
That must be why my body tensed up the first time I saw him.
No wonder the kid felt uncomfortable around you with talk like that.
"Whatever. I don't remember anyway, so no big deal."
"...Jealousy."
"What?"
"I was jealous."
"..."
"You came in way later than me, but you're better than me... So yeah. Jealousy."
Jealousy doesn't quite cover how much of an ass you were, I wanted to say, but I held back.
"I really wanted to debut. I thought I could at least compete with you, but... no dice. This is it for me. My dad's threatening that if I don't make it this time, I'm done... So, it was your spot originally... You're the one who deserves it. That's just how it is. Me, I just..."
Uh, oh. Kid's crying.
I blinked rapidly at the tears plopping onto his composed face.
This is awkward. Suddenly pinning me down to apologize, mumbling nonsense that doesn't add up, bursting into tears...
But on the flip side, as the older one here, I got where he was coming from.
I'd been there myself.
My trainee days at TL Entertainment, grinding for five years.
Daily lessons, brutal evaluations every week, rankings posted like a pecking order—joy, despair, jealousy, resolve, more despair...
In that blood-soaked competition, friends dropped out one by one.
I endured on the single dream of standing on stage. I'd finally clawed into the debut group, thought debut was within reach.
'...Il-hyun-ah, sorry. They want someone else in the debut group from up top.'
It all crumbled overnight.
The day I got the boot notice, I holed up in my room and sobbed quietly.
Everything felt pointless.
My golden youth, sacrificed for a dream snatched away right in front of me—by some punk who joined later, no less.
'You fucking idiot. Why'd you practice so hard? Debut's for that actor Park's well-connected son anyway.'
'...'
'What about your mom? All that support for her singer son, wasted...'
'And this fucker.'
That's when I snapped and beat the shit out of the guy mouthing off at me.
No agency would touch me after that, and I had to cough up a fortune in settlement, but...
In that moment, inferiority toward myself, rage at him, despair at my shattered dream—all those negative emotions exploded at once.
Having been through that, I understood what this kid was feeling now. Even empathized a little.
Of course, old me would've just zeroed in on him being trash and piled on the damage.
But I'm over petty crap like that now.
What should I tell him? As someone with more life under his belt.
After a moment's thought, I spoke slowly.
"Truth is, whatever your situation, what you said to me was straight-up rude. You know that, right?"
"...Yeah."
"But coming out here to apologize? That's a good attitude. Would've been better if you hadn't needed to apologize in the first place."
"..."
"Anyway, apology accepted. And... you did good. Looked solid back there. So don't beat yourself up. You worked hard, didn't you?"
"...Yeah."
"That's what matters. All that time you poured your soul into this? It'll be a huge asset later in life. Even if you really quit training here."
Words my past self might've needed to hear.
Ironically, I was saying them to this kid.
The same one who'd hurled abuse at me.
He nodded quietly, wiping his tears.
"...Thanks."
"No biggie. Advice is free."
He gave a small chuckle, lips quirking up.
Crying one second, smiling the next—you'll sprout horns on your ass.
"Hope it works out for you. And the debut crew too."
"Yeah. You too."
I patted his shoulder once more and started walking.
Then something clicked in my head.
Hold on. His name...
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Your name's Yoo Jin-young, right?"
"Yeah."
Thought so.
"You quitting training now?"
"...Probably. Dad said this is it."
"Kneel, beg, whatever—give it another shot."
"...What?"
"There'll be a chance."
This guy put up solid results in M-box's idol survival show 'BOY-WANTED' around this time.
Destined for success anyway, but my nudge might make the wait a bit less hellish.
"See ya later."
With that final kindness, I left the company.
Starving. Big Mac time.
* * *
After that sticky convo with Yoo Jin-young, I grabbed a Big Mac meal and headed back to the dorm.
My steps felt light climbing the fourth-floor stairs.
Finally the real deal dorm, huh.
Gotta get used to this fourth-floor villa.
At least a year or two here minimum.
Big Mac meal in my mouth, I punched in the door code and opened up.
Pop—! Boom—!
"What the—!"
"Congrats, HiJae!"
A shower of colorful confetti exploded over me.
Thud. My Big Mac meal hit the floor.
Dumbfounded, I stared at the crew in front of me.
Park Soo-rim, Han Tae-hee, Lee Jae-oh, Teddy, Kim Kwang-myeong, Go Eun-young, and manager hyung.
"Heard your debut spot's locked in again. Congrats, Jae-ya."
"HiJae. Not bad, huh? Surviving that trash evaluation twice."
"Congrats. Knew you had it."
"Jae! Best roommate ever!"
"If Yoo Jin-young made it, you'd be eating dust in a storm..."
"Ah, hyung's at it again. Congrats, Jae hyung. You shredded the stage, right?"
They hit me with congrats one after another.
"Hey, blow out the candles. Arms hurt."
Grumbling, Kim Kwang-myeong shoved a fresh cream cake with lit candles my way.
I glanced at them, then chuckled and puffed out the flames.
Cheers erupted again like thunder.
"...Thanks, everyone."
Honestly, it hit me right in the feels.
Maybe 'cause it's been ages since I got a welcome like this, or 'cause it's what I'd always wanted.
Either way, didn't matter. I was happy.
"Tomorrow we start real prep again, full throttle. Rest up tonight, Jae."
"Yeah, hyung."
I took the cake with a big grin.
Even when Teddy later smeared it in my face, even with hell march training tomorrow.
[A good feeling tells you something great is coming. Luck +1]
Even so, that moment? Pure joy.
Where I belong.
My place.
Yeah, felt like I'd finally found my way back to it.