“Baekya. Your vocal tone, pitch, and range are all so good, nothing is lacking. Let’s just do it like this during the evaluation.”
Well, that’s what you get for doing 3 Kkangs a Day…
Did my voice come out of my nose or my mouth? Baekya had no idea what state of mind he was in during the vocal lesson.
[<Dreaming of Mastering Singing(1)> Complete!]
[Quest reward is being distributed: 1 Star Point]
Come to think of it, I think I saw the status window…
Fortunately, the atmosphere seemed better than when he had done the Courtship Dance. But Baekya was out of it. With the bad ending flickering before his eyes, Baekya had a lot on his mind.
‘Should I switch agencies…’
He might be able to get some information if he asked a trainee who had a friend at another company.
“Hyung, you got complimented, but you’re not happy?”
“Huh? Oh, of course I’m happy.”
Baekya’s expression was dark as he returned to his seat. Jiho misunderstood, thinking that Baekya was disappointed because he hadn’t been able to show his full skills.
Jiho was originally in vocal class C, but the trainer, who had heard rumors about Baekya, suddenly pushed for a joint lesson with class A, and everyone gathered in one place.
His dancing was pretty bad, but his singing was the best, even to Jiho’s ears.
“I think your voice is really good, hyung!”
“Really? Thanks.”
Finally getting a grip, Baekya let out a small laugh. Jiho also smiled brightly, enjoying the hand that was patting him.
“What song are you going to sing for the monthly evaluation?”
The company provided quality training and facilities to the trainees it selected, judging whether they could grow into the image the company envisioned.
In return, trainees under contract had to prove their ability and potential once a month through evaluations.
Based on quantified results, the company decided whether to continue investing in a trainee. If they fell short of expectations or didn’t align with the company’s direction, the exclusive contract would be terminated without mercy.
‘But wasn’t that for trainees who have been here for more than a month…?’
Baekya asked with a puzzled face.
“But am I doing it too? I haven’t even been here for a week.”
“That’s right. Huh? Then why did you tell the teacher earlier that you wanted to?”
That was news to him. When on earth had he had such a conversation with the trainer?
Baekya quickly retraced his memory.
「Baekya. Your vocal tone, pitch, and range are all so good, nothing is lacking. Let’s just do it like this during the evaluation.」
「Yes…」
「Oh, you’re not subject to this evaluation, are you?」
「Yes…」
「Look at this kid. It’s a good thing for you if you don’t have to take the evaluation. Why are you sulking like that?」
Sulking?
Who? Me?
「If you want to participate, there’s no reason why you can’t. I’ll tell the higher-ups.」
In the brief moment he wasn’t paying attention, Baekya had fallen victim to the vocal trainer’s massive misunderstanding.
* * *
The monthly evaluation was about two weeks away. Baekya had been repeating the cycle of school, practice room, and home for nearly a week.
At first, Baekya’s will was crushed by the existence of the already confirmed debut group. But then he heard some unexpected good news from the other trainees.
“They say US Entertainment is coming to this evaluation. And apparently there’s a rumor they’re putting together a new debut team right now. That’s why they’re coming.”
In Korea, there were three major agencies known as the powerhouses of the idol industry. They were ID, US, and HIGHTICK.
They would occasionally gather their trainees for company-versus-company battle evaluations, and that happened to be this monthly evaluation.
The important point here was that, although rare, they would sometimes trade trainees. In that moment, Baekya felt as if triumphant background music were ringing in his ears.
‘I’ll make a strong impression at the monthly evaluation and escape to US.’
A will he had never had before was burning up.
The time was already well past 11 PM. But Baekya was still at the practice room. Even the friend who’d been with him earlier had gone home, leaving him alone in the space. Baekya decided to check his current status.
He currently had 5 star points from completing a series of hidden quests.
<Dreaming of Mastering Singing(2)> and <The Only Way to Live is to Practice(2)> were for completing 10 vocal and choreography practices each, and as a result, he had gained 2 points.
And with one level up in between, another point was added, making for a decent amount.
‘It would be good to do a skill draw once before the monthly evaluation.’
Baekya brought up his skill window.
Lv.4 Baekya (Synchronizing)
Visual: B
Vocal: A
Dance: C
Talent: D
Stress: 48%
Title: Genius Idol (Inactive)
Passive: R
No, wait a minute. His stress level had noticeably increased.
“What’s that?!”
The debut group news was shocking, but wasn’t this a bit much?
Baekya felt it was unfair.
“At this rate, I might die from stress before I even fail to debut…”
He had been so focused on his skills that he had neglected his stress management. Baekya’s gaze, directed at the empty air, was filled with melancholy.
Then, as if to encourage him, the system spoke to him for the first time in a while. Along with that damn emoticon.
[Don’t worry! You can lower your stress level with star points! v(°∇^*)⌒☆]
[30% decrease per 1 point used]
“I see~ Star points~”
He had to do a draw and lower his stress. They were hard to earn, but ridiculously easy to spend.
‘Why don’t you just hold a funeral for me while you’re at it!’
With tears in his eyes, Baekya decided to use his points to decrease his stress level. Because stress was fatal for a sunfish.
▶ 2 points used
“My precious points…”
That left him with 3 Star Points. The gacha odds were already trash, and now he only had one real chance left.
‘Haa… I don’t even feel like practicing anymore. I should just go home.’
Baekya turned off the lights and left the practice room. But it was so late that all the lights in the hallway were also off. It was so dark that it wouldn’t have been strange for a ghost to appear.
‘H-hello, there’s a trainee who hasn’t gone home yet…!’
Baekya swallowed nervously and clenched his trembling hands. His steps automatically quickened.
‘The elevator. Quickly, the elevator.’
Heading straight for the elevator, Baekya repeatedly pressed the up button. But for some reason, the elevator showed no signs of coming down from the 4th floor.
The other one was under inspection.
It was unlikely that it was really under inspection at this hour. It seemed that after a certain time, all but one of them automatically powered down.
‘But why the 4th floor of all places!’
Baekya, true to his sunfish passive, was also a coward.
Ever since ancient times, four had been the number of death. Chewing on his lip in anxiety, Baekya finally decided to take the emergency stairs. Since the vocal practice rooms were on basement level one, if he just shut his eyes and ran up, he could manage.
With that resolve, he headed for the emergency exit… but today, even the emergency light color looked strange.
‘Was it always this color?’
A stick figure, somewhere between green and orange, was looking down at Baekya.
“B-bunshinsaba bunshinsaba…”
Kim Yookyung said this was a spell to ward off ghosts, right?
Baekya chanted the spell in his mind and opened Pandora’s box. But as soon as he opened the door, a bright light poured out. A sensor light was on.
Baekya’s soul had already left the company and was at the crosswalk in front of his house, but his body was still standing in front of the emergency exit, not having moved a single step. That meant there was someone else here.
“Haa… Hng…”
An obscene sound, tangled with a panting breath, hit Baekya’s eardrums.
‘C-c-c-crazy!’
Baekya couldn’t contain his shock.
It wasn’t a naked spectacle, but still—this late at night! In a secluded place! And trainees of all people, stuck together like that—it was a clear violation of contract terms. Not just at ID, but everywhere: trainee dating was the number one strictly forbidden rule.
But with his own life hanging by a thread, where did he have the time to worry about others? Baekya decided to quietly run away while he could still manage the situation.
‘Your honor, I saw nothing.’
Baekya creaked as he turned around.
But they say you can’t live comfortably after sinning. His clothes caught on the door handle, and his startled reaction ruined everything.
“Eek!”
“Kyaaah!”
“What the hell are you?!”
A male trainee he’d never seen before rushed over and grabbed Baekya by the collar, his expression vicious.
“Did you see?!”
“Wh-wh-what? A cockroach suddenly appeared…”
Just deny everything.
Cold sweat streamed down his back, but Baekya forced the corners of his mouth up with all his strength. It felt a little wrong, but what choice did he have? The guy looked ready to kill him if he admitted it.
Just the grip on his collar told him everything. And it was true that what he saw was a pair of cockroaches.
In the meantime, the female trainee must have run away, because only Baekya and the man were in the emergency exit.
“I haven’t seen you before. A new trainee? It’s very late.”
“I-I was practicing and lost track of time. When I came out, all the elevators were stopped. But why are you here…?”
A 100% innocent face. Baekya was using his face without even realizing it.
Still, the man hadn’t completely dropped his suspicion. His hand was still gripping Baekya’s collar, and Baekya knew he was being doubted.
‘If I don’t want to get dragged into this, I have to end it here.’
Just then, an unfamiliar voice came from above.
“Harang hyung, are you there?”
A relief pitcher had appeared. More than one person, as several footsteps echoed out of sync.
Soon, two suns appeared. The hair color of the heads that poked out over the railing was flashy. Dazzling.
“We have to go to the dorm, ah, sorry. Were you talking?”
“Huh? From the cafeteria earlier!”
They were familiar faces. The debut team trainees. One of them, especially, Baekya recognized.
As the two newcomers looked between Baekya and Harang in confusion, the pressure slowly eased. The suspicion in Harang’s eyes remained, but he had no choice but to let go.
“It’s nothing. I dropped something on the stairs, but it’s fine if you haven’t seen it. Excuse me.”
He gave Baekya a slight bow and was already halfway up the stairs.
He quickly rejoined the trainees who had come to get him. The two, unaware of the full situation, exchanged awkward greetings and left.
But one question lingered.
“…Was there someone like that in the group?”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t remember a face like that in the group.
—
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Harang really gave me a bad impression at first