I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

The practice room became eerily quiet.

The sound of everyone catching their breath seemed especially loud.

“……”

The judges did not speak right away.

They glanced down at their evaluation sheets once, then looked back at me.

That brief silence felt several times longer.

“Wow.”

The one who broke the silence was dance trainer Katin.

“Have you ever trained at another agency?”

I caught my breath and shook my head.

“No, Nix Entertainment is my first.”

Katin’s eyebrows rose.

“Really? To be honest, I still don’t recognize Code 20’s face.”

He looked at the trainer sitting beside him.

“But to improve this much in such a short time…”

The other trainer nodded.

“Starting from zero, to get this far in two days…”

‘Got them.’

Exactly the point I had been aiming for.

The biggest advantage of going first was that there was nothing to compare you against.

If someone as polished as I-yul or Joo-han had gone first, they wouldn’t have been this surprised. And the farther the evaluation went, the more tired the judges would become.

My extremely low, perhaps nonexistent, expectations, combined with my position in the lineup, had created a positive impression beyond my actual skill level.

“Of course, your actual skill level is still lacking.”

Song In-hyuk adjusted his glasses.

“Yes.”

“Your breathing became unstable toward the end, and your movements are stiff overall.”

“…Yes.”

I nodded at the accurate criticism.

“But.”

Song In-hyuk looked at me again.

“You have considerable potential for improvement.”

At that moment, several trainees raised their heads.

‘He really knows how to lift someone up and then drop them.’

“Usually–”

Song In-hyuk tapped the desk with his finger.

“It’s difficult enough just to memorize all of that in two days.”

“Exactly!”

Katin immediately chimed in.

“No, seriously, how on earth did you memorize the entire choreography?”

It was the question I had been waiting for.

“I’ve never learned how to dance.”

I paused briefly to catch my breath.

“I gave up on dancing well.”

The judges all looked at me simultaneously.

“Instead.”

I raised the corners of my mouth slightly.

“I made up my mind that I wouldn’t make a single mistake.”

Katin burst out laughing.

“That’s a good approach.”

“At least that was something I could accomplish through practice.”

The judges exchanged glances.

Scratch, scratch

The sound of pens moving across the evaluation sheets could be heard.

“Did you do all of that by yourself?”

This was another question I had been waiting for.

I hesitated for just a moment before answering.

“…There were trainees who helped me.”

The writer’s eyes immediately sparkled.

“Who?”

“Code 1 and Code 3.”

At that moment, I-yul’s and Han Sang-yoon’s gazes simultaneously turned toward me.

“Code 3.”

I looked at Kang I-yul first.

“Even though his arm was injured, he kept teaching me every movement one by one. And Code 1…”

This time, I looked toward Han Sang-yoon.

“…nim taught me how to control the dynamics. Thanks to him, I was able to make it all the way to the end.”

The judges’ brief laughter softened the atmosphere.

“I’m looking forward to those two trainees as well.”

“In a way, they’re competitors, but this is heartwarming.”

This would be juicy information for the writers and PDs as well.

The story of first place and last place worked regardless of genre.

“We’ll look forward to seeing more from you.”

“Thank you!”

I bowed and returned to my spot.

Eyes followed me. Envy, wariness, and even very blatant hostility.

“How much did you practice?”

Han Sang-yoon lightly tapped my shoulder.

“You looked like a completely different person.”

‘Sang-yoon, I practiced exactly 100 more hours after you taught me.’

“I worked hard.”

“You were beyond the level where just working hard would be enough, though.”

His eyes were serious even though he smiled.

“Still… it feels rewarding to have taught you.”

“You did well.”

Those words somehow gave me strength.

On the other hand, I-yul, standing beside him, said nothing. He simply stared at me.

“But if a new trainee is this good, it’s going to raise expectations for the other trainees, isn’t it?”

Sighs erupted around the room.

The evaluations that followed were, quite literally, a ‘total disaster.’ They would memorize the dance and forget the lyrics, or sing well and completely butcher the choreography.

“I didn’t expect you to dance without singing at all.”

“So during filming, you’re just going to dance and not sing at all?”

Some skipped the entire second verse, while others simply stood there blankly, unable to do anything. Perhaps feeling sorry for them, even the judges repeatedly mouthed, ‘Just do it.’ and ‘Keep going.’

“You threw away all the choreography details, and you couldn’t even start the song…”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? You’re the one who won’t debut.”

Every word had a blade buried in it.

Eventually, trainees began bursting into tears.

“Code 13, why are you crying? What are you going to accomplish by crying right now?”

“Ah, I’m not.”

In the end, Song In-hyuk couldn’t bear to watch anymore and picked up the microphone.

“Kids.”

You could tell from his voice alone that he was desperately holding back his anger.

“Code 20, who has only been a trainee for a week, memorized everything to the point of risking his life, so what the hell are you doing?”

‘Something… this feels like sitting on a bed of nails.’

“Filming has started.”

Song In-hyuk’s voice dropped even lower.

“Don’t you think you’re lacking any sense of urgency just because this is an in-house survival show?”

The trainees’ faces grew pale in real time.

“Get a grip. Aren’t you scared that the kid who is Code 20 right now might receive a number ahead of you?”

It was even more intimidating because he didn’t raise his voice.

Vocal trainer Park Jae-hoon, sitting beside him, hurriedly stepped in with a smile.

“C-CEO. Let’s stop here for now. The kids were probably nervous because it was their first evaluation, and we still have to film. Right, PD-nim?”

But the PD in charge chuckled.

“Why? It’s provocative and good.”

Park Jae-hoon froze.

“There’ll be plenty of material to use for the commentary.”

As expected.

He really was a man addicted to dopamine.

Kang Se-jun quickly changed the atmosphere.

“Of course, the process of achieving the dream of debuting isn’t easy. Then, next, we’ll proceed with the evaluation of Code 10.”

“Yes!”

The booming response of Code 10, Choi Un-jo, echoed through the practice room.

“Code 10 trainee, are you nervous?”

“Soy sauce?”

At Choi Un-jo’s completely unrelated answer, the MC and even the judges burst out laughing.

“Nervous. Nervous.”

“Ah, ‘nervous’? No, I’m not nervous!”

Even during IMPACTOR, I could tell that was a talent.

“Then, let’s begin!”

His mischievous expression instantly became serious.

“Don’t you think Un-jo looks like a completely different person when he’s like that?”

Because his entire impression changed dramatically whenever he stopped smiling, there had been many testimonies from fans who had fallen for him through his stage performances, saying it took them quite a while to adjust.

What surprised me even more than his clean dancing was his unexpectedly stable singing.

But…

 

♪ Make a new history

♪ Beyond this door…

 

Suddenly, his mouth stopped.

‘Don’t tell me he forgot the lyrics?’

 

“……Yeah, we go up now, break the code–”

While everyone held their breath, Choi Un-jo casually turned the bridge into a rap.

“……!”

The boldness of it made even the judges flinch and laugh.

“Code 10 trainee, what was going through your mind when you forgot the lyrics?”

“Hmm, it was just a total disaster. That was it.”

I glanced over and saw Han Sang-yoon holding his forehead.

“Where did you even learn words like that……”

This was fascinating too. Even after debuting, Han Sang-yoon would be the member responsible for keeping Choi Un-jo’s mouth in check.

“Forgetting the lyrics was a critical mistake, but handling it naturally is also a skill, so overall, that was excellent.”

“Judge-nim, totally thank you!”

Han Sang-yoon held his forehead again.

The next person was Code 4, Go Jae-seong.

“Jae-seong…”

Katin smiled.

“He must have prepared well.”

The song began, and Go Jae-seong started the intro at the perfect time.

‘It’s not like he was untalented.’

Exclamations from Go Jae-seong’s lackeys could be heard nearby.

“Look how precise his movements are.”

“I’m jealous. You can tell at a glance he’s debut material.”

I watched Go Jae-seong’s dancing closely.

His arms and legs moved flamboyantly. Each movement connected naturally in time with the beat. 

But I smiled faintly.

‘On the surface, it’s perfect. But…’

I could see what he had missed.

And then there was his final lyric mistake. He brushed past it as if nothing had happened, but he couldn’t fool my ears.

“You prepared well.”

“Thank you!”

Finally, it was Code 3, Kang I-yul’s turn.

Honestly, I could barely hear Go Jae-seong’s evaluation.

I was only paying attention to I-yul’s injured arm.

No matter how perfectly he performed the choreography, the cast on his arm could only be a disadvantage.

“Code 3 trainee, please come forward.”

“Yes!”

Kang I-yul walked forward.

And then…

“What?”

“Are you all healed?”

He removed his half-cast.

I shot to my feet without realizing it.

‘What are you doing?’

Kang I-yul silently rotated his arm.

His brow immediately furrowed.

It was obvious that it still hurt.

‘You’re not even fully healed, and you’re taking off the cast to dance?’

I barely regained my composure and sat back down, but I still couldn’t believe it.

The judges and MC also hesitated at I-yul’s sudden action.

“Code 3 trainee, you don’t have to push yourself. The cast should be put back on…”

“I’m fine.”

‘Fine my ass……!’

I grabbed my head.

It even made me wonder if his claim that he had never been sick after debuting had been a lie…

But I-yul lightly stretched his wrist and ankle and immediately began the evaluation.

 

***

 

Boom!

I watched I-yul’s stage without even being able to breathe properly.

Whenever he extended his injured arm, my own shoulder flinched involuntarily.

His voice trembled for a moment, perhaps from the pain, but his expression didn’t break.

‘Just a little.’

‘Just a little more.’

I clenched both hands so tightly that my fingertips went numb.

Every single movement felt like a quest where he was risking his life.

 

♪ Open this door

♪ The only code

♪ Boy’s code

 

The moment he extended his arm for the final movement…

‘He did it!’

Even if a goal were scored in the World Cup, I probably couldn’t cheer this loudly.

My throat grew hot.

I felt like I would burst into tears at the slightest touch.

The tension left my entire body.

‘I-yul was the one dancing, so why am I the one who hurts all over…….’

The dance trainer spoke with emotion in his voice.

“I got a little choked up.”

The practice room fell silent.

“A trainee who wants to stand on stage this badly deserves to stand in a good position.”

“Is your arm really okay?”

Song In-hyuk let out a sigh.

“Yes, it’s almost completely healed. And… I didn’t want to have any regrets.”

Far in the distance, I saw the writer saying, ‘That’s it!’

“You did well.”

“Thank you!”

The remaining two were Han Sang-yoon and Joo-han.

Neither disappointed everyone’s expectations.

Especially Joo-han. That guy really seemed like he had been born to be an idol.

Han Sang-yoon was also solidly skilled, but Joo-han was on another level.

‘That’s the kind of guy who becomes a celebrity…’

That ‘kind of guy’ was Joo-han.

There was a reason he had been the center before my regression.

Seeing him in person, his skill and presence were even more overwhelming than I remembered.

‘That’s why I-yul was so stressed.’

Since they were the same age, they were particularly often compared to each other.

Still, thanks to the final two, the midterm evaluation ended with satisfied smiles from the judges.

“The midterm evaluation is finally over. You’ve all worked hard! After discussing among themselves, the judges will announce the final positions.”

Only after quite some time had passed did the judges return to the practice room.

“Then, first, I’ll call out the trainees assigned to Code C.”

Nine code numbers were called.

Fortunately, mine wasn’t among them.

‘……I’m safe.’

“Next is the Code B group.”

Five more code numbers were called.

I instinctively realized that it was almost time for my code number to be called.

But just as I took a step forward, I heard a number.

“Lastly, Code 4.”

It wasn’t my number.