READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Ban Yohan, Oh Hyunjin, Ji Yeonwoo, Park Soohyun, and Ma Taewon.
These five were the only ones left.
Jena, as if she had anticipated this situation, proceeded smoothly.
“All the grades have been announced, yet there are still five trainees who haven’t been assigned a grade. What could this mean?”
The trainees, wide-eyed, looked at Jena as if this was something unprecedented in previous seasons.
“Alright then, for the remaining trainees, please reveal your cards to show your grades!”
Following the staff’s cue, the remaining trainees opened their cards wide.
[?]
“What?”
“A question mark?”
Instead of grades from A to F, the cards of the remaining trainees had question marks written on them.
Even the trainees seemed clueless about what this meant, blinking in confusion.
After maintaining a deliberately enigmatic smile for a moment, Jena spoke.
“Four of these trainees have been chosen by our mentors to be the centers of each grade from A to D.”
There were five people left, but only four centers. So, what about the remaining one?
“And the other one is the trainee deemed the most lacking among the 100, receiving an F grade.”
Her shocking words were met with murmurs of cruelty from the other trainees.
I felt the same way. Whoever got an F here must have seriously pissed off the PD.
Among the trainees with question marks, Park Soohyun, who had once debuted with a group called ‘Whistler,’ and Ma Taewon, who had appeared on another audition survival program, turned noticeably pale.
I wondered if this had always been the case, so I asked the person next to me.
“Did they choose the centers like this in the previous season, too?”
“No. I remember they had a separate selection among the A-grade trainees.”
Since this was the third season of the program, it seemed like they were doing this for attention because interest was waning.
Jena, who had briefly shown a look of pity, quickly regained her professional demeanor and asked, Oh Hyunjin.
“Hyunjin, do you think you can be the center?”
“I always aimed for an A grade during practice. As for being the center… there are others in the A grade who are better than me, but among the trainees here now, I think I’m the best.”
Wow, what confidence.
Well, considering the remaining trainees were ones who didn’t stand out during mentor evaluations, had only two months of practice, or looked doomed from their expressions, it made sense for him to speak like that.
“Then let’s hear from Yohan too.”
“I think the process is as important as the result, so I’d like to thank Raon for helping me practice day and night during our time together.”
Another famous quote, ‘Age is no barrier to pursuing a dream,’ was followed by ‘The process is as important as the result.’
It’s a humble and moving statement, worthy of a self-help book. But!
[Your persistence exasperates Ban Yohan. Ban Yohan’s favorability +0, current favorability +19]
The system never lied about that bastard’s true feelings.
He was inwardly disgusted but smiled and thanked me outwardly.
Look at him using my name to dodge a difficult situation.
You deceitful brat. From now on, I’ll definitely take you by the neck—or rather, the hand—to the practice room.
The remaining three trainees also completed their interviews.
My legs were starting to ache.
“If you look closely at the cards you received, you’ll see a sticker on the bottom right corner that you can peel off.”
At Jena’s words, the trainees examined their cards.
“When Jena finishes speaking, please peel them off at the same time. All at once, properly.”
The production team gave the instruction.
Jena took a quick breath and spoke with emphasis.
“Now, let’s reveal the centers of each grade and the lowest-ranking trainee for the signal song evaluation.”
With the sound of adhesives peeling, the trainees’ grades were revealed.
Some trainees closed their eyes tightly, unable to check the contents.
To summarize, Ma Taewon was the D-grade center, Ji Yeonwoo the C-grade center, Ban Yohan the B-grade center, Oh Hyunjin the A-grade center, and Park Soohyun the F-grade.
“Trainee Park Soohyun had high expectations since he already debuted once, but his lack of practice was too evident in the evaluation video. This program offers a second chance, a rare opportunity that won’t come again, so we selected him, thinking he should have tried harder.”
Park Soohyun apologized for his disappointing performance and promised to work harder, eventually bursting into tears.
The PD was probably thrilled.
During Ban Yohan’s interview, a camera blatantly focused on me.
It seemed like they wanted to capture my expression hardening as I watched Ban Yohan, whom I helped, succeed.
But come on. He’s an NPC, and I’m a player. I don’t get jealous of game characters.
Finally, the mentors gave a few words to the trainees lined up from A to D grades.
The centers of each grade stood at the very front, while the F-grade was excluded.
Did the PD enjoy getting cursed at? Were they trying to gain immortality through the criticism received during the show?
While I was thinking such thoughts, Muk Hyesung, who had been the most stern and critical of his trainees’ conduct, spoke up after Ju An.
“Initially, our class had the trainees with the most basic deficiencies. Their condition was serious. However, through diligent practice, most have now acquired the minimum skills to perform on stage, and as a mentor, I’m very proud of this. Since this is just the beginning, I hope they don’t get complacent and continue to improve. I will also do my best to help you all.”
It’s the first time I’ve seen him give such a long and positive speech. Our trainees looked at Muk Hyesung with faces full of emotion.
Muk Hyesung, seemingly burdened, averted his gaze, looking away from us.
“With that, we conclude the signal song evaluation grade reveal. Once again, great job, trainees.”
As soon as Jena’s closing remarks ended, a system window popped up.
[Sudden Quest
[Passing Trainees 31/32]
Seeing this, I suddenly felt regret. It was such a waste. Damn you, Lee Yoojin.
[Penalty for Failure: Wisdom -10]
Goodbye, my precious wisdom 10.
[Additionally, you received Wisdom +20, +10 favorability with Hyesung’s trainees and mentors, and some experience points as a consolation for failure.]
Huh?
[Level Up!]
[You have stat points available for distribution.]
Huh?
[Tip! There’s a reason they say you learn more from failure.]
Only after seeing this message did I fully grasp the situation.
And then I felt like I had been completely played by the system.
The rewards for success were nothing special, the penalties were vague question marks, and the difficulty was extreme.
Although I almost succeeded, it was a quest designed to fail.
In other words, accepting it in the first place was odd—such a quest.
When I first read the sudden quest description, I was slightly bothered by the fact that, unlike the main quest where it mentioned ‘penalty upon failure,’ it only said ‘upon failure’ here.
I dismissed it, thinking it wasn’t a significant difference.
Had I rejected the quest from the start, I wouldn’t have known about this reward and would have missed out.
It felt like the system was testing me as if toying with me, I was half-annoyed, half-pleased by the good reward.
Honestly, the latter feeling was stronger.
Haha, what a spineless jerk.
* * *
“Wow, it’s already time to leave.”
“Yohan, congratulations on becoming the B-grade center.”
“Thanks. So when is Junwoo hyung treating us to meat?”
Kim Junwoo, with a face that said ‘I regret saying that,’ replied.
“…You didn’t forget?”
“I haven’t forgotten anything since I was eight.”
“Lie more convincingly.”
“He sounds quite believable, though.”
“Agreed.”
“True that.”
“Catch him. He’s a Korean.”
Chatting away, we dragged our suitcases down to the first floor.
When all the trainees gathered, a staff member in the lobby explained the upcoming schedule.
Over the next three days, they would film individual PR videos sequentially, rehearse for the Heart Attack music show in four days, record for the music show the next day, and then have a mini fan meeting in Sangam, dressed in costumes.
I received my phone, which was taken on the first day, and asked the staff a question.
“Uh… my phone broke right before filming, so all my contacts and past notifications are gone.”
“Oh, really? Just a moment. You’re On Raon, right? Is your number the same?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll resend the materials by today.”
“Thank you.”
I also asked about my PR video shoot schedule.
“Checking the records, it seems you and some other trainees already filmed yours a month ago.”
It was an unexpected answer.
Although it was good that I had one less thing to do, I feared what kind of self-promotion ‘On Raon,’ who boldly wrote 100th place as his expected rank, had done in his PR video.
But there was something more urgent than that right now.
“Can’t I stay here at the dorm until the next shoot…? Haha, of course not. I feel attached to this place and don’t want to leave.”
The staff, looking at me strangely, said that if I liked it here so much, I should wait until the second round of dorm life, then walked away.
No, you see, I don’t have a place to stay tonight.
Until a week ago, I was a gaming addict who spent 95% of my daily activities on my fingers and wrists. How did I end up like this?
“This is a game world, but no one would believe me.”
…I wanted to shout.
But whispering it softly was the best I could do.
Maybe this was how the barber felt when he couldn’t say the king’s ears were like a donkey’s.
Trainees left the dorm one by one, getting into cars that came to pick them up.
“Raon, see you at the rehearsal.”
“Yeah, take care.”
After some time, I suddenly realized that everyone had left, even the production crew, and I was the only one left.
A cleaner found me and asked,
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“Oh, I am. It’s just so cold I don’t want to go out.”
“Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Half-mechanically, I turned on the map app and started walking toward the nearest bus stop.
“……”
This is bad.
Where am I going to sleep tonight?
[1] Here’s a summary of the story: https://returntobusan.com/2022/08/17/korean-idiom-the-kings-ear-the-donkeys-ear/