Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 19

The chicken fight, of course, ended in victory for our class.

It was absurd, but Ban Yohan’s strategy worked exceedingly well.

We even selected an MVP for the chicken fight.

Jing Xiao, who single-handedly took down seven people, was the hero.

One of those seven kills included my assist.

Even thinking about it again, it’s ridiculous that such a strategy worked.

It seemed the prize award ceremony would be filmed separately later.

Seeing them measuring our foot sizes, it looked like they were sponsoring us with sneakers.

And finally, my stamina reached 22.

Of course, there was no sudden burst of tiger-like energy from my body.

There was just a single pop-up notification.

[Tip! The higher your stamina, the slower your fatigue accumulates.]

I had roughly expected such an effect.

Maybe now I could worry a bit less about the fatigue that accumulated with every little thing.

After a while, following the staff’s guidance, the trainees scattered and sat by their respective classes.

It was finally time for the grade announcement.

“I’m nervous…”

Amid a tense atmosphere, the mentors walked in.

Each mentor was holding a card.

It seemed the production team had briefed them, as their expressions were all stern.

Even Ju An and Seok Suyeoung, who usually had good-natured smiles, maintained a serious expression.

Muk Hyesung? He looked so usual that it wasn’t particularly nerve-wracking.

He had a face that seemed indifferent but appeared condescending from a viewer’s perspective.

Oh, I don’t actually think he’s annoying.

Really.

“What if I get an F?”

Kim Junwoo, who had been quite vocal during the chicken fight, started chanting the F-word again.

Nagase Ritsu clasped his hands and mumbled something.

Jing Xiao, who had been excited about being the MVP just moments ago, now looked utterly detached from the world.

Only Ban Yohan, who had never visibly tensed up or shown emotional discomfort during training, quietly asked in his usual voice.

“Do you think you can get an A?”

Damn. I didn’t think he’d remember that.

“Sorry. That was just bravado.”

Ban Yohan, who heard my words, gave a thin smile and turned his gaze towards the staff who asked for our attention.

“I figured as much.”

Before I could respond, the staff began explaining.

“When your name is called, come forward, open your card to check your grade, and then return to your seat.”

“Yes!”

“Keep your grade to yourself. We’ll film the grade reveal separately later. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

“Great. Also, after checking your grade, try to manage your expression as much as possible, okay? Poker face, you know?”

The staff member, having said everything they needed, handed over the floor to Muk Hyesung.

Muk Hyesung, nodding in acknowledgment, began to speak.

“We will now start the grade announcements for the signal song.”

In the same room where we had fiercely fought in a chicken fight just 30 minutes ago, the air turned chilly as trainees went up one by one to receive their report cards and returned.

“Trainee Go Minhyung.”

In the auditorium, only the calm voices of the mentors calling names and the footsteps of trainees going up and returning echoed quietly.

As instructed by the production team, everyone managed their expressions.

Of course, some trainees couldn’t fully control their facial muscles, and it showed.

Especially Kim Junwoo, who had been trembling, relaxed visibly after checking his grade.

Even Jing Xiao’s face wasn’t dark, suggesting he hadn’t received an F.

After waiting a bit longer, it was my turn.

“Trainee On Raon.”

“Yes.”

Like the ones before me, I discreetly opened the card Muk Hyesung handed me to check its contents.

[Trainee On Raon: B]

Seeing the letter B, I quickly suppressed the smile that had started to form. Thankfully, I had my back to the others.

The camera beside me captured this moment in detail. Muk Hyesung, seeing my expression, spoke blandly.

“You did well.”

“Thank you.”

Returning to my seat, I tried to compose my expression while waiting for the other trainees to finish checking their grades.

It wasn’t an A, but it wasn’t a C, D, or F either. I was quite satisfied.

After about 10 minutes, the grade verification was complete, ending with our class which had the most people.

A staff member, confirming our class was done, picked up a microphone and instructed us to line up by class in front of where he was standing.

“We will take a 10-minute break. Trainees, please listen to the brief explanation and then you may use the restroom.”

We received a detailed explanation from the staff about what to do during the upcoming grade reveal filming.

Even after the explanation, few people talked with those next to them.

Everyone went to the restroom quietly, seemingly deep in thought.

“Filming will begin!”

Jena had appeared at some point and stood in front of us, with the mentors lined up on either side of her.

With a smile, Jena began speaking in a clear voice.

“Hello, Pick Your Heart trainees. You all worked very hard practicing for the past three days. I hope you all received the grades you expected or hoped for.”

Trainees, each holding their grade cards, smiled awkwardly.

Jena continued with a gentle smile.

“I think it was very difficult for you to master a song perfectly in just three days. It wasn’t an easy song to sing and dance to at the same time, was it?”

“Yes!”

“Unfortunately, not everyone did well. Now, the important thing is that the parts for the signal song stage are determined by the grade written on the card you are holding.”

Her once gentle voice turned a bit stern.

“Now, we will reveal the results of the signal song grade evaluations for 100 trainees.”

The trainees, having been briefed by the staff, clapped. It wasn’t loud.

As the applause died down, Jena spoke.

“Trainees with D grades. Please step forward.”

About half of our class stepped forward.

Five trainees from other classes also came forward. In total, there were 21.

Jing Xiao, who struggled with dancing and Korean lyrics pronunciation, and shared the same room, was also a D grade.

Jena approached Jing Xiao, who was standing in line and asked.

“Trainee Jing Xiao from Hyesung class, despite barely avoiding an F and getting a D grade, you look quite happy. Can you share your thoughts?”

“Uh… I still have a lot to improve. I practiced hard with the guys, but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to be on stage because I didn’t do well. I’m just happy to be able to perform on stage now.”

Jing Xiao smiled faintly as he spoke.

People from all around commented on his good looks.

If this gets broadcast, you are sure to get 15 seconds of fan-capturing footage regardless of your skills.

Jena also interviewed another trainee from Jihui’s class, who looked about to cry from disappointment before moving on.

“Trainees with C grades. Please step forward.”

Twenty trainees stepped forward. Most of the remaining trainees from our class, including Kim Junwoo, moved forward.

They generally looked satisfied.

After interviewing trainees from Changyeon and Suyeong’s classes, the next call was made.

“Trainees with B grades. Please step forward.”

There were 18 B-grade trainees in total, including myself and two others from our class.

Now, the only trainees left in our class were Ban Yohan and Lee Yoojin.

Ban Yohan stood with an unreadable expression, as usual.

Lee Yoojin… you should have practiced properly, man…

The outcome of the sudden quest seemed already apparent.

I was ready to part with the 10 wisdom points I had nurtured.

After interviewing a trainee from Changyeon’s class, Jena spoke to me.

“Trainee On Raon, I heard you told trainee Ban Yohan that you would both get A grades while practicing. But now you alone have received a B grade, and Ban Yohan’s grade hasn’t been revealed yet. How do you feel about this result?”

“Yes, I am satisfied. Since it is a grade, I received after doing my best, I decided to think of B in B grade as standing for ‘Best’.”

At my calm, self-victorious statement, the trainees and mentors burst into laughter.

“Ahaha, isn’t that thinking too optimistically? If B is for Best, then what about A?”

“Ace!”

“Oh, that makes sense. I’m curious about the C grade too.”

“Of course, I think of C as for chicken.”

“And D?”

D? What starts with D?

I couldn’t stop now, so I racked my brain and then met eyes with Nagase Ritsu.

– I understand three phrases that Ritsu hyung says in Japanese.

– Three phrases?

– Yes. “Arigato”,” gomen”, “daijoubu”. They mean thank you, sorry, and it’s okay. Ritsu hyung says them a lot.

An interview from the night before flashed through my mind. D….. Da…

“Daijoubu!”

“Pu hahaha, and finally F?”

“Fighting!”

“Ah, I love stuff like this.”

I felt like my words were bypassing my brain towards the end.

Jena, genuinely pleased with my nonsense, wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and raised her thumb, boosting my favorability by 5 points.

Muk Hyesung should learn from God Jena’s generosity.

[Muk Hyesung dislikes silly jokes. Muk Hyesung’s favorability -0 Current favorability +3]

Ha…

“Now, only A grade and F grade remain.”

There were still over forty trainees left.

It didn’t seem likely they would give A grades to over 20 trainees, so there must be more F grades in other classes.

“A grade, please step forward.”

There were 15 A-grade trainees in total, with Han Jihui’s class having the most at seven. Seo Moongyeol was also an A.

My gaze naturally shifted towards Ban Yohan. However, Ban Yohan didn’t move.

“?”

Is he an F?

I wasn’t sure if he deserved an A, but based on the evaluation footage, his dance and singing skills were definitely not F-level.

Even Jing Xiao got a D.

Moreover, Oh Hyunjin was also left. The one from a major entertainment company. The one with a starting favorability of -36.

The trainees began to stir, sensing something was off.

Jena, undeterred, continued her interviews.

Following Jena’s stern words, the F grades were revealed.

There were 26 F grades in total, with Ju An’s class making up 12 of them.

‘I remember Ju An’s class had 19 members.’

Even if they gathered the worst performers and the rappers who struggled with singing, what was going on?

Ju An looked visibly troubled.

There were no F grades in Jihui’s class, while Changyeon’s and Suyeong’s classes had the rest.

Lee Yoojin was, predictably, an F—the only one from our class.

Jing Xiao, with his good looks, managed to avoid an F, but Yoojin’s issue was more about effort than skill.

Still, even after that, Ban Yo-han and Oh Hyunjin, along with three others, remained.

Ban Yohan, as usual, had an unreadable expression, while the other four looked a bit anxious.

‘What are they? Is there some Z grade or something?’