Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 17

In the quiet atmosphere, when I suddenly stood up alone, the trainees’ gazes turned toward me.

“Everyone, may I say a few words as the class president for the last time?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. The thing is, I’ve been struggling a bit these past few days. I think you all know why.”

Although my words were somewhat presumptuous, I didn’t bring this up to boast about myself.

The trainees seemed to sense that as well, listening to me quietly without any signs of discomfort.

Right. If you chose me as the class president, you should at least listen to what I have to say.

“I didn’t do it expecting any great reward, but please promise me one thing.”

I truly did not expect any reward.

Would I have gone through all this trouble just for that small compensation?

It wouldn’t even be worth it in the first place.

What I truly want is…

“Don’t give up halfway. At least, I hope you won’t give up or stop until the music ends.”

These were the words of someone who had once given up on a dream.

“We worked hard on our practice, didn’t we? If we keep at it, we can all stand on stage together.”

When I repeated the important parts in simple English, the foreign trainees, who seemed confused, smiled as they understood my words.

It wasn’t that the sudden quest was completed early or anything.

Until last night, progress had been displayed in numerical terms, but now it was marked as [??/32] as if it didn’t want to give any certainty before the results were out.

However, after putting in this much effort, I thought that even if I couldn’t get a solo spotlight, I could at least stand on stage.

Although reality is a place where effort alone cannot overcome everything, this was inside a game. As a player characters thrown into this situation, I still had some hope for positive development in this game.

‘…Am I too immersed?’

As I thought about that, someone burst into laughter.

“On Raon, why are you trying to set the mood?”

“Being serious doesn’t suit you at all!”

“Exactly!”

Ah, seriously, these NPC bastards!

“Why are you guys like this when I tried to say something thoughtful?! This is why you shouldn’t take in black-haired animals.”

“I have brown hair.”

“I’m blonde.”

“Aagh.”

The older hyungs laughed while patting my shoulder or back.

They had smiling faces.

A message popped up indicating the trainees’ favorability had increased, but I turned it off right away because I didn’t want to see it.

“Let’s start with a fighting cheer.”

At someone’s suggestion, more than thirty trainees got up and gathered their hands together.

“Hyesung’s class, fighting!”

“Fighting!”

The atmosphere eased considerably.

Kim Junwoo, saying he would perform worse if he was the first to perform, was the first to stand up.

Cheers and encouraging applause poured behind Kim Junwoo.

“I’m Kim Junwoo from West Music. Please take care of me.”

Like that, one by one… They turned on the camera with trembling faces, introduced themselves with their agency and name, and showcased their practiced dance and song.

A trainee smiled faintly, satisfied as they returned to their seat.

Another trainee hung their head low, seemingly regretful about a major mistake in the middle.

A trainee watched the back of the one who went ahead with an unreadable expression.

The responses of the trainees who finished their recording varied.

Someone held the hand of a friend who shed quiet, hot tears and said,

“It’s okay, you did well.”

That was all one could say to a comrade returning from a solitary battle with neither victory nor defeat.

* * *

A spacious meeting room in front of a white screen.

Lee Changyeon of the seven-year boy group Jupiter, who had just entered, greeted Jenna, a 20-year veteran solo singer who used to be in a girl group and was sitting at the front.

“Oh, Jenna noona. Hello. You came early.”

“Hello, Changyeon. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the kids since this morning.”

“Uh… You haven’t seen the kids practice, right?”

“No. Today will be my first time.”

“Expectation… hmm, how should I put it?”

“Should I not have any?”

In response to Jenna’s words, Lee Changyeon awkwardly laughed, saying she should see for herself.

Shortly after, Han Ji-hee of the nine-year girl group Rosetta and Muk Hye-sung of the 20-year boy group Chronicle entered one after another.

A moment later, a nine-year girl group member, Rosetta’s Han Jihui, and a 20-year boy group member, Chronicle’s Muk Hyesung, entered one after another. Soon after, a 5-year girl group member, Serendipity’s Seok Suyeong, and a 4-year boy group member, Pluto’s Ju An, came in together and took their seats.

The common thing among the gathered Pick Heart mentors was that they were versatile idols proficient in both singing and dancing.

In the case of Ju An, who was in charge of the rap position trainees, he could also rap.

Since they were all active idols, they could understand and teach the trainees better.

Except for Jenna, who hadn’t seen the trainees’ conditions, the mentors who had watched over them joked around with a hint of complaint.

Their laughter wasn’t entirely cheerful.

“Today is worrisome, worrisome.”

“There are quite a few worrying kids…”

“You think so too?”

“Yeah. Many kids rap on our side. They struggle too much with singing. Some even completely gave up on singing despite being told not to….”

Ju An trailed off, the mention of ‘giving up’ making Muk Hyesung and Jenna, who had enough seniority to use the phrase ‘back in my day,’ frown.

Han Jihui chuckled lightly and asked Muk Hyesung,

“But I heard the atmosphere in your class was quite good. The kids almost go around worshiping you, senior. What did you do?”

“It’s not that much.”

Jenna smiled faintly at Muk Hyesung’s words.

“You’re not denying it.”

“I also expect the most from your class, senior. Who was it again? Anyway, there was one who particularly lifted the mood. If that atmosphere is maintained, it should be fine.”

“It’s not bad. You can see for yourself.”

As the production crew signaled for them to proceed, the mentors wrapped up their conversation and began the evaluation in earnest.

“Ok, Doyun is good. I should say his dancing seems relaxed, comfortable.”

“Oh dear, Taewon, what will you do if you stop in the middle?”

“Who is this? Kirishima Sora? He looks a bit like a Korean trainee now.”

“Yoonjae. He sings cleanly, but his dancing is lacking.”

“Jing Xiao… Honestly, his dancing is hard to watch, but he tries so hard with a smile that I want to pick him. He’s cute.”

The evaluations of dozens of trainees passed quickly.

Knowing how hard they practiced when their class trainees made mistakes, the mentors naturally expressed regret.

When a trainee missed a dance move and panicked, silly antics would draw laughter from their pursed lips.

The noticeable ones were the trainees from Hyesung’s class.

Despite being a group of less skilled trainees stigmatized with the disgraceful nickname “inferior class,” their overall momentum wasn’t bad.

Moreover,

“Come to think of it, the kids in Hyesung’s class never stop in the middle. Whether they do well or poorly, they go on until the song ends.”

“They have the basics down.”

“They must know it themselves. They were put in Hye-sung’s class because they were the worst. But still, it’s touching that they don’t give up.”

“Admirable, admirable.”

Despite growing weary, the mentors carefully and thoroughly evaluated the trainees, occasionally massaging their stiff necks.

Having experienced previous seasons, they were well aware that a lot could change based on this one evaluation.

– Hello, I’m On Raon, an independent trainee. Please take care of me!

On Raon’s video was the 71st to be played.

Seeing On Raon in the bright yellow training suit, just like the other trainees from Hyesung’s class, the mentors quickly blinked as if they had an epiphany.

“Oh, it’s that peculiar kid.”

“Right. It’s him.”

“I’m looking forward to this.”

The mentors watched On Raon’s evaluation video with pleased expressions.

Although he clearly had low stats in stamina, strength, agility, and inexperience, On Raon’s individual flair made it hard to notice.

The dance showed no signs of hesitation, evidence of thorough practice.

His voice, heavily mixed with panting due to low stamina, subtly carried the unique charm of Heart Attack, making it surprisingly captivating.

Except for the high-pitched highlight, which he barely managed due to his stats deficiency, his singing was naturally pleasing.

One mentor thought it wasn’t a significant issue.

Most male trainees couldn’t even reach the notes of Heart Attack’s high range.

Numerous shortcomings, and an innate talent that boldly overshadowed those shortcomings.

Finally, the music stopped.

On Raon, who looked about three times more exhausted than the other trainees, ended the video with a beaming smile, saying, “Thank you!”

“Well done. I can’t explain it well, but he just looks like an idol.”

Ju An was the first to comment.

Although the standard for “well done” might have been slightly lowered after seeing so many underperforming trainees, it wasn’t an incorrect assessment.

Deep in thought, Jenna spoke up.

“Raon is the type you notice when he’s in front of you, but don’t remember well once he’s gone.”

“You don’t remember?”

“Yeah. It’s strange. When I’m watching him, I think, ‘Oh, this kid has a nice vibe,’ but shortly after, I can’t recall his face or expressions at all.”

Han Ji-hee chimed in.

“I kind of get what you’re saying. But at the moment, he has a lot of charm. He naturally adds his own color to everything. It makes you want to see him try different songs and dances.”

“Exactly.”

“But? For some reason, he quickly fades from memory. Why is that?”

Nodding in agreement with Jenna and Han Jiuhe, Seok Sooyoung widened her eyes.

“Oh, I feel the same. He did my song, ‘Hello World,’ during the last mentor evaluation, right? His voice was so captivating that I thought he would succeed. But I completely forgot about him until I saw this today and remembered thinking about that. Right, there was a kid like that.”

“Exactly. It’s like he’s… a fleeting dream.”

“Yeah. Normally, dreams feel vivid while you’re having them, but the memory fades quickly after you wake up.”

“He is supposed to leave a lasting impression, this isn’t good.”

“What could be the problem?..”

The mentors, unaware of the system’s active interference, pondered On Raon’s issue.

Meanwhile, Muk Hyesung watched On Raon approaching to stop the stationary camera.

‘… He resembles him.’

Every time he saw the smiling On Raon in the practice room, he thought there was no resemblance at all.

Now, seeing him with a relatively expressionless face, he realized On Raon resembled someone in his memories.

While Muk Hyesung was rarely lost in thought, the mentors carried on their discussion smoothly.

It wasn’t the first or second time Muk Hyesung had remained silent.

His silence was as deep-rooted as his name suggested.

“Then, it’s decided?”

“Yes. On Raon’s trainee grade is….”