The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut Chapter 20

“…I’m back.”

 

While we were resting, drinking water and chatting about this and that, Yoo Sung returned to the practice room. 

 

I gave him a light wave.

 

“You’re back?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Feeling any better?”

 

“….”

 

“I guess not.”

 

I let out a small chuckle at Yoo Sung’s honest reaction.

 

“But you’re still going to practice with us, right?”

 

Without a word, Yoo Sung looked at me, Okada, and Seo Yijae in turn.

 

Originally, whether it was an individual or team evaluation, Yoo Sung always practiced alone.

 

Was he going to say he’d practice by himself this time, too?

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Yoo Sung nodded, avoiding my eyes as if he felt a bit embarrassed.

 

I smiled faintly and thought to myself.

 

‘Look at him… acting like a good kid.’

 

I stood up abruptly and slung an arm over Yoo Sung’s shoulder.

 

“Before we practice, come to the vending machine with me for a bit.” 

 

“Vending machine?”

 

“We ran out of water. Yijae Hyung needs to rest a bit more, too.” 

 

I said, gesturing with my chin toward Seo Yijae.

 

Seo Yijae was slumped over, looking like his stamina hadn’t fully recovered yet.

 

Yoo Sung followed me obediently.

 

“Where did you go?”

 

“Just… in front of the dorms.”

 

“It’s a good place for a walk.”

 

Step, step.

 

In the empty hallway, the sound of mine and Yoo Sung’s footsteps echoed.

 

In the distance, a dark red vending machine began to come into view.

 

I rolled my eyes to scan our surroundings and finally brought up the words I had been wanting to say since this afternoon.

 

“You’re the center.” 

 

Yoo Sung whipped his head toward me.

 

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

 

Yoo Sung furrowed his brows.

 

I paid no mind to his reaction and kept my eyes forward as I spoke.

 

“I said, you’re the center.” 

 

“I mean, what are you talking about—”

 

Before we knew it, we arrived at the vending machine.

 

When I pointed with my chin toward the camera positioned above the machine, Yoo Sung clamped his mouth shut.

 

There were so many cameras installed that it was difficult to find a spot without one.

 

However, thanks to dozens of regressions, I roughly knew where the cameras were and where they weren’t.

 

Yoo Sung glanced at me with a dissatisfied expression, looking like he had a lot to say, but I ultimately gave him no opportunity to speak.

 

“Now, let’s hurry back to practice.”

 

I said, handing Yoo Sung a bottle of cold water.

 

*    *    *

 

We practiced hard.

 

Except for the center, Joo Gilhyung, we spent most of our days in the practice room, and in the blink of an eye, the intermediate evaluation was right in front of us.

 

“I have… nothing to say about this guild.”

 

The vocal trainer said with a wide smile.

 

“You’re just too good.”

 

Of course, those words weren’t directed at us. 

 

She was speaking after watching the performance of Han Theo and the 2nd place trainee, who had gone right before us.

 

“The vocal teacher is right! I thought I was watching a rookie boy group’s stage, not a trainees’ stage! You all did so well!”

 

The dance trainer spoke with an excited expression. 

 

Kim Junwoo also gave a subtle smile and nodded.

 

“Good job. Um… Trainee Han Theo?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The center position suits you well.”

 

Coming from Kim Junwoo, the center of the original Starlight, his words carried even more weight.

 

As the judges’ praise for Han Theo’s guild continued, Joo Gilhyung’s expression grew darker and darker.

 

The other guild members looked a bit nervous, but they seemed confident thanks to their hard practice.

 

“Shall we see the next guild’s stage?”

 

“Yes.”

 

We each took our positions.

 

The judges looked surprised when they saw Joo Gilhyung standing in the middle.

 

“Is the center… Trainee Joo Gilhyung?”

 

“That is correct.”

 

“Hmm… yes, well. Understood. Please begin the stage immediately.”

 

The judges exchanged meaningful glances.

 

Everyone must have assumed that Yoo Sung would be the center.

 

So, they were likely shocked to see Joo Gilhyung—whose name they could barely remember—taking the center spot.

 

I checked Joo Gilhyung’s reaction.

 

His face was deathly pale, and his fingertips were trembling.

 

Since he had been spitting out all sorts of things in front of the cameras, I thought he had some guts, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

 

We sat in a circle around Joo Gilhyung.

 

The intro of Starlight flowed from the speakers.

 

Starlight was a fast-tempo ballad pop song that added an emotional melody to a lighthearted, upbeat beat. 

 

Over an intro that began with a piano melody, the center’s voice was carefully layered, signaling the start of the song. 

 

Joo Gilhyung, who had been looking down, slowly raised his head and reached one hand upward.

 

I and the rest of the guild members surrounding Joo Gilhyung slowly stood up.

 

Joo Gilhyung sang the first line of the song.

 

“A star ris, ing in the night sky.”

 

His pitch wavered from the very start.

 

As the judges’ expressions turned grim, the color drained even further from Joo Gilhyung’s face.

 

Since we had anticipated this situation to some extent, we didn’t pay it any mind and continued to dance.

 

“Shining bright, just like my heart reaching out to you.” 

 

“light, light, star light.”

 

The formation changed.

 

Seo Yijae came forward, and the rest of the guild members retreated back in a V-shape.

 

Seo Yijae, who took on the sub-vocal role, sang.

 

“The moment I dreamed of every night, is finally approaching me.”

 

“This heart that’s pounding, I can no longer hide it.”

 

The part after Seo Yijae was originally the center’s part, but since Okada had as few parts as I did, Okada ended up singing it.

 

Thanks to my copycat trait, Okada’s pronunciation was not an issue for this stage.

 

Because they had practiced hard, Okada and Seo Yijae were able to finish their parts without mistakes.

 

Next was the pre-chorus, the part assigned to Yoo Sung.

 

“One step, two steps toward you, the closer I get, the more nervous I feel.”

 

Yoo Sung stepped forward one step, then two, according to the lyrics.

 

The moment Yoo Sung began to sing, the judges’ expressions brightened up. 

 

From his tone that caught the ear perfectly to his stable vocalization and impressive facial acting.

 

“I’ll show you my everything.”

 

Yoo Sung sang while looking toward the judges.

 

The corners of the vocal trainer’s mouth, who especially liked Yoo Sung, twitched.

 

‘His skill is enough to make anyone smile automatically.’

 

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t envious.

 

However, the sense of pride was currently greater than the envy.

 

Finally, it was the chorus, the highlight of the song and Joo Gilhyung’s part as center.

 

Before anyone knew it, Joo Gilhyung’s face had turned pale as death. 

 

He seemed to have lost his nerve, likely intimidated by Yoo Sung’s perfect skill.

 

‘Then why didn’t you just yield the center to Yoo Sung in the first place?’ 

 

I snorted inwardly.

 

In the chorus, the energy built up so far had to be exploded all at once.

 

Yoo Sung moved back, and Joo Gilhyung came forward while singing.

 

“light, light, star… uh, uh!”

 

As he came forward, Joo Gilhyung tripped over his feet and flubbed the lyrics.

 

The other guild members, including myself, thought, ‘Here it comes,’ and tried to continue the stage.

 

However, we could no longer proceed with the performance.

 

“Trainee Joo Gilhyung? Please continue.”

 

“Ah, I…”

 

“Can’t you see your teammates are waiting?”

 

Having made a mistake, Joo Gilhyung stood still, staring blankly at the judges.

 

Eventually, the music coming from the speakers stopped as well.

 

“Ha, what is this….”

 

The vocal trainer pressed a hand to her forehead, seemingly dumbfounded by the situation.

 

“Are you going to act like this in front of fans after you debut?”

 

“I-I’m sorry….”

 

“Trainee Joo Gilhyung, didn’t you make a mistake during the stat evaluation stage as well? I believe you were eliminated in the first wave during the theme song evaluation, correct?”

 

Joo Gilhyung couldn’t answer the vocal trainer’s reprimand and hung his head low.

 

“If you make mistakes during every important stage, how on earth do you plan to be an idol?” 

 

“That….”

 

“The center.” 

 

Joo Gilhyung opened his mouth to say something, but Kim Junwoo cut him off.

 

“You’re the center. Trainee Joo Gilhyung.”

 

“Yes….”

 

“I’m sure Trainee Joo Gilhyung took the center position because he wanted to….”

 

“T-that’s!”

 

Joo Gilhyung whipped his head toward Yoo Sung with an indignant look.

 

However, there was nothing Joo Gilhyung could say here.

 

Both Yoo Sung and Joo Gilhyung had wanted to be the center, and Yoo Sung had yielded the center to Joo Gilhyung. 

 

It was a clear, undeniable fact captured on camera.

 

“Is that not true?” 

 

“No… that is correct.” 

 

“The center for Starlight is a bit different from centers for other songs.”

 

Tap, tap….

 

Kim Junwoo continued, tapping the application documents with his pen.

 

“It means you need to have more responsibility… and do better than a center for any other song.”

 

“….”

 

“But Trainee Joo Gilhyung… well, do you think you can be the center?”

 

“I-I can do it!”

 

“I don’t think you can.”

 

The corners of Kim Junwoo’s mouth curled up slightly.

 

His mouth looked like it was smiling, but his eyes were not.

 

“I think it would be good to reconsider Trainee Joo Gilhyung being the center of Starlight. This is my opinion as the center of Starlight.”

 

Joo Gilhyung hung his head low again.

 

He had phrased it like a suggestion, but in reality, there was no other choice. 

 

With a judge and the original artist speaking like that, even Joo Gilhyung couldn’t remain stubborn.

 

‘I knew it would turn out like this.’ 

 

Joo Gilhyung’s skill wasn’t bad, but he got very nervous and often made mistakes at crucial moments.

 

Since he had barely practiced, I thought there was a high probability he would make a mistake during the intermediate evaluation and get lectured by the judges.

 

Kim Junwoo doesn’t overlook mistakes.

 

He’s strict about mistakes, and since Starlight is a meaningful song to Kim Junwoo, he wouldn’t be able to just let it pass even more so. 

 

“You’re going to change the center, right?”

 

At the vocal trainer’s question, Joo Gilhyung nodded reluctantly, like someone being forced to eat bitter herbs.

 

“Yes….”

 

Following Kim Junwoo’s harsh words, the vocal trainer drove the point home.

 

Everything was proceeding according to my plan.

 

“Then… is there anyone who wants to be the center?”

 

At the vocal trainer’s question, the gazes of myself, Okada, and Seo Yijae all turned toward Yoo Sung.

 

“Uh….”

 

Yoo Sung couldn’t say anything, perhaps because he was a bit nervous.

 

The judges, having grasped the situation, said with a smile.

 

“Trainee Yoo Sung? Trainee Yoo Sung would be good. You can do well, right?”

 

“Ah, yes!”

 

“Even if the position changes, Trainee Yoo Sung will do well. He memorizes dances very quickly.”

 

The vocal trainer and the dance trainer went back and forth, praising Yoo Sung.

 

Yoo Sung smiled awkwardly, seemingly unaccustomed to the pouring praise.

 

While the other judges were showering him with compliments, only Kim Junwoo remained silent, watching me intently.

 

‘Huh? Why is he looking at me?’

 

At Kim Junwoo’s meaningful gaze, anxiety began to crawl up from deep within my chest.

 

That look in Kim Junwoo’s eyes was somewhat familiar… Where had I seen it before? 

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Ah.

 

I belatedly remembered where I had seen that look in Kim Junwoo’s eyes.

 

“Are you not interested in being the center, Trainee Kim Chowol?”

 

The look in Kim Junwoo’s eyes was exactly the same as the look in Okada’s eyes when he was being stubborn about wanting me to be the center.