The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut Chapter 3

“You want to change your song choice?”

 

The bewildered staff member asked back. 

 

As expected, is it too difficult?

 

No, even if it is difficult, I have to change it.

 

Because that is the only hope to clear the Main Quest.

 

The title track of a first-tier boy group that I had originally prepared was something I could absolutely never pull off with my current stats. 

 

During the first regression, I chose it out of an obsession that I had to show off my skills, but not now.

 

“Wouldn’t that be a bit difficult? You need to go up right now…”

 

“Is it really not possible?”

 

I asked, deliberately acting pitiful.

 

The low-ranking staff member, who had no authority, was at a complete loss and grew visibly anxious. 

 

“What are you dawdling for?”

 

Just then, a man approached the staff member, throwing a temper.

 

Confirming the man’s identity, my eyes sparkled.

 

“Ah, PD. Well…”

 

It was Jang Hyuksoo, the main PD of EX-Class K-POP Idol.

 

Jang Hyuksoo was a master of idol survival audition programs, someone who knew better than anyone that making a compelling narrative and characters required hardship, adversity, and a villain.

 

With a single click of his mouse, Jang Hyuksoo could turn someone among the hundred trainees into a hero, and someone else into a villain. 

 

Having experienced him plenty of times, I knew Jang Hyuksoo well, and I was certain. 

 

‘Jang Hyuksoo will grant my request.’

 

After hearing the staff member’s explanation of the situation, Jang Hyuksoo glanced at me and then quickly looked around.

 

‘He’s looking for a camera.’

 

I checked the camera installed for backstage use.

 

Jang Hyuksoo seemed to think for a moment before speaking to the staff member.

 

“If a contestant wants to change it, we should change it for them. What’s so hard about that that you’re hesitating for?” 

 

I smirked inwardly.

 

‘As expected.’

 

Jang Hyuksoo readily granted my request.

 

It probably wasn’t for the sake of the contestant, but for the sake of the broadcast. 

 

Such an unexpected request was great for building narrative and character, regardless of the outcome.

 

Jang Hyuksoo looked me up and down and said.

 

“So what song do you want to change it to?”

 

He was judging whether I had the makings of a hero or not.

 

I smiled brightly and answered clearly.

 

“’Look at me now’ by GirlStory Sunbaenim.”

 

“What?”

 

Hearing my song choice, Jang Hyuksoo asked back in slight surprise.

 

Jang Hyuksoo looked me over again, then patted my shoulder and said.

 

“This should be fun. Do your best.”

 

Half expectation, half dismissal.

 

Looking at Jang Hyuksoo’s words and actions, I could roughly tell what he was thinking.

 

“Yes!”

 

When I answered brightly, Jang Hyuksoo turned his back without any lingering attachment and disappeared.

 

I had a very brief moment of free time until the preparation for the changed song was finished.

 

‘Stat window.’

 

As I muttered inwardly, a translucent stat window appeared before my eyes.

 

[Name: Kim Chowol

 

Age: 20]

 

[Basic Stats

 

Vocal: D+

 

Dance: D-

 

Appearance: B+

 

Charm: C+]

 

Looking at the stat window, I fell into thought for a moment.

 

The most stable choice would be to raise vocal or dance to secure a ‘vocal position’ or ‘dance position’.

 

However, while raising Vocal or Dance might land me in the top 30 for this stage, it would be difficult to break into the top 20.

 

My goal was the top 20.

 

To be more precise, I needed the ‘benefit’ given only to the trainees ranked 1st through 20th.

 

Only with that benefit could I avoid being dragged around by others in the subsequent competitions and proactively lead the stage.

 

What I needed wasn’t to stably secure a top 30 spot, but to secure a top 20 spot even if it meant taking a gamble.

 

I only had one option left.

 

‘Use Stat Growth Ticket.’

 

[You are using the Stat Growth Ticket.]

 

[You can increase one stat by 2 tiers.]

 

[Please select the stat to grow.]

 

‘Select Charm stat.’

 

[You have selected the Charm stat.]

 

[The Charm stat is increasing.]

 

[Charm: C+ 〉 B]

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol, you’re going up now!”

 

“Yes.”

 

I took the first step toward a successful debut.

 

*    *    *

 

A rhythmic bass line flowed out of the speakers.

 

‘GirlStory’s Look at me now? Did they play the wrong song?’ 

 

Realizing which song the current intro belonged to, Kim Junwoo turned his head to look for the main PD.

 

The main PD, Jang Hyuksoo, was watching the stage from backstage with his arms crossed.

 

Holding his microphone, Kim Chowol was preparing for the performance without any hint of panic.

 

‘Is he serious? He’s really going to do Look at me now?’

 

Of course, it wasn’t that his previous song choice was good.

 

He might have submitted the song, practiced it, and decided it wasn’t working out, so he changed it.

 

‘But Look at me now is not it…’

 

Kim Junwoo looked at Kim Chowol with eyes full of disbelief.

 

GirlStory’s ‘Look at me now’ was the third title track of the third-generation girl group GirlStory. 

 

GirlStory’s songs did not have a high level of difficulty in terms of vocals or dance, but they received love from fans for their unique concepts, addictive songs, and choreography. 

 

However, lacking mass appeal, they did not gain much popularity up until their second comeback.

 

From their third title track, GirlStory abandoned the unique concepts that the public might find abstruse. 

 

A mainstream concept.

 

A sophisticated sound and an addictive melody.

 

A point choreography that was easy to follow.

 

All three played an important role in their success, but the final puzzle piece of that success, the ‘kick’, was something else.

 

‘Yoon Mireu played a huge role.’

 

Yoon Mireu, the center of Girl Story, who was evaluated as one of the top three ‘centers’ not just in the 3rd generation, but across all generations.

 

Yoon Mireu was the protagonist of Look at me now and the key driving force behind its success.

 

‘What on earth was Kim Chowol thinking, picking this song?’

 

If he put on even a slightly sloppy performance, he would be battered by fans asking if he was mocking female idols.

 

“Seeing you casually passing by on campus again.”

 

Right then, Kim Chowol let out the first line.

 

‘He didn’t lower the key?’

 

A good choice.

 

‘Look at me now’ is a girl group song, but the key is not high.

 

Because it was made during a time when the members’ live singing was unstable, the song was produced in a way that highlighted their vocal tones.

 

If he had lowered the key because he lacked confidence in singing live, the song would have definitely turned out strange. 

 

“I think about it again today, won’t you look at me this time.” 

 

A sophisticated synth sound layered over the bass line, and a bright yet somewhat dreamy melody followed.

 

Kim Chowol placed one hand behind his back and stepped diagonally.

 

As he tilted his head slightly, his hair swept to one side.

 

For some reason, one couldn’t take their eyes off the white forehead visible through his pitch-black hair.

 

While blankly staring at the forehead, shifting the gaze slightly downward revealed Kim Chowol’s deep, clear eyes. 

 

‘S-Since when was he looking at me?’

 

Kim Chowol smiled softly at Kim Junwoo, who was standing with his mouth agape in fluster, before turning his gaze away.

 

“Watching you pass by, I casually turn around and wipe my tears. You’ll never know for the rest of your life. That I like you.”

 

Kim Chowol, with his eyebrows drooping, spun around in a circle.

 

The fleeting expression on Kim Chowol’s face looked so sad that Kim Junwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him.

 

‘Come to think of it, Yoon Mireu was famous for using her facial expressions well.’

 

Kim Junwoo calmly evaluated Kim Chowol’s performance.

 

While it wasn’t to the extent of his voice cracking, seeing how the pitch wavered slightly here and there, his vocals weren’t outstanding. 

 

The dance didn’t have any major mistakes either, but compared to the boy group members where idols who danced like professional dancers popped up left and right, it was on the average side. 

 

“Gather your courage. You can do it. Steel your heart and speak to you.”

 

The chorus and killing part of Look at me now that instantly made Yoon Mi-reu a global star.

 

“Look at me now. Right now.”

 

Kim Chowol raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

 

And as he swept his index finger beneath his eyes, he took a long sweep over the judges. 

 

“I’ll tell you today. Right now.” 

 

This time, raising his left hand and sweeping it under his eye, Kim Chowol winked at the camera.

 

‘A trainee who hasn’t even debuted yet is turning on the charm like this?’

 

Kim Junwoo barely managed to calm the corners of his mouth that were twitching upward without him realizing.

 

Glancing to his side, he saw that the other judges were also completely immersed in Kim Chowol’s stage.

 

“So please answer me today. I’ll be waiting for you right here where I always look at you.”

 

A faint sense of anticipation hidden beneath a shy expression was visible.

 

It was a stage with a distinct beginning, middle, and end, as if watching a short film.

 

“Hah, haah… Thank you.”

 

The judges, snapping out of their daze belatedly, picked up their microphones.

 

“We enjoyed the performance, Trainee Kim Chowol.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Kim Chowol said with a bright smile.

 

Was it because of the lingering afterglow of the stage? 

 

Seeing Kim Chowol’s brightly smiling face, his heart oddly pounded.

 

“First… was there a reason you changed your song choice?”

 

“I changed it because I wanted to show 100% of my skills. I felt the previous song didn’t quite suit me…”

 

They could have nitpicked and asked if he wanted to debut as a female idol instead of a male idol, but the judges said nothing.

 

Because, just as Kim Chowol had said, he had shown 100%—no, 120% of his skills through his Look at me now performance.

 

“You know your pitch wavered in the middle, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And the dance… there were no major mistakes, but there were parts where you missed the beat.”

 

“Yes, I know. I will practice harder.”

 

“It didn’t feel like the stage of someone who has been a trainee for five whole years. There were many basic mistakes. You know that yourself, right?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“However…”

 

Kim Junwoo hesitated for a moment before speaking.

 

“How should I put this… Should I say the performance was fun? I was so immersed in it that even I was surprised. It was a very charming performance.”

 

Kim Chowol, perhaps a little surprised, widened his eyes, and soon smiled purely without a single flaw as he spoke.

 

“Thank you!”

 

Seeing Kim Chowol’s smile, Kim Junwoo inwardly marveled.

 

It wasn’t that he sang exceptionally well or danced incredibly well.

 

‘Looking only at vocals and dance, 60th place? 50th place if I’m generous? But…’

 

For idols who captivate the public’s eyes, there is something hard to explain in words beyond just vocal and dance skills.

 

We call it charm, or by another name, star quality.

 

An idol overflowing with charm and star quality, as if they were born to be an idol.

 

‘A natural-born idol.’

 

Kim Junwoo shook his head back and forth.

 

That was going too far.

 

Kim Chowol was still just a fledgling who hadn’t even debuted yet.

 

An idol’s charm and star quality are difficult to evaluate, so they are evaluation criteria not often handled in idol survival audition programs.

 

‘But EX-Class K-POP Idol is different.’

 

The judge holding the microphone spoke.

 

“Then, we will begin the stat evaluation.”

 

The large screen next to the judges’ seats changed.

 

On the first stage of ‘EX-Class K-POP Idol,’ the stat evaluation stage, four capabilities necessary for an idol, including vocals and dance, are evaluated.

 

[Name: Kim Chowol

 

Age: 20]

 

[Basic Stats

 

Vocal: ―

 

Dance: ―

 

Appearance: ―

 

Charm: ―]

 

A display that looked as though Kim Chowol’s status window had been copy-pasted filled the massive screen.