episode_0007

“Well then, now that we’ve cleared up any misunderstandings and finished greetings, shall we talk about training?”

“Ah, yes.”

Vocal trainer Kang Soo-hyun, with an expressionless face, immediately brought up the topic of work.

“You mentioned that you’ll be appearing on ‘NAA’ in a month, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm….”

Kang Soo-hyun glanced at my face once and nodded, then asked me, “How long have you been a trainee?”

“Uh… I haven’t gone through a trainee period specifically….”

“…What?”

“I just signed with the company recently.”

“….?”

And then, she seemed surprised by my answer, lost in thought.

It seemed like dance trainer Lee Ji-woo was equally surprised, as she exclaimed loudly, “What?! You haven’t gone through a trainee period? And yet you’re going to ‘NAA’ in a month?”

“Well… that’s right.”

“…Wow.”

As I answered, a brief sigh and silence followed.

“….”

“….”

Clap!

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, dance trainer Lee Ji-woo clapped her hands once and spoke in a cheerful voice, trying to hide her confusion.

“W-Well, then we should work hard from now on…! Haha…!”

“….”

“First, Ye-rin, could you show us a brief dance or sing in front of us…? We need to test before starting the lesson….”

Even though Lee Ji-woo seemed to be trying hard to hide her confusion….

“….”

Kang Soo-hyun still couldn’t close her open mouth.

And the confusion on her face soon turned into resignation.

“….Yes, if you have something prepared, please show us.”

“Okay, I’ve been practicing a song I saw on YouTube these past few days….”

“YouTube… yes, go ahead.”

Well… it must be daunting to send a complete newbie like me to an audition program in a month.

I could understand her feelings.

But….

“Yes, then I’ll play the music.”

Whatever she said or felt, I hadn’t given up yet.

To prove this, I played the song I had been practicing while watching YouTube for the past few days and adjusted my posture.

**

Kang Soo-hyun, who had worked as a vocal trainer at JJ Entertainment, one of the top 3 entertainment agencies in South Korea, for 5 years, had seen many idol trainees during that time.

Many children gather in the entertainment industry, idolizing idols.

Among the children who start their trainee life, there is not a single one who does not dream of their shining future.

But….

‘This industry is harder than any other.’

What children admire and dream of is only the bright side of being an idol.

They do not know well about the difficult process they have to endure to become an idol.

Especially, children with overwhelming looks like Ha Ye-rin.

As someone who was at JJ, Kang Soo-hyun had seen many beautiful children, not as much as Ha Ye-rin, but enough to be comparable.

Those children do not think they will fail.

‘Being an idol is not just about having a pretty face.’

In this saturated market, looks are just one condition.

Dance, singing, acting skills, talent, and character are essential.

Even if they meet all of these, they may still fail due to bad luck.

The idol market is nothing short of a pyramid hell.

Success in this place is only possible for those who constantly hone their skills and prepare tirelessly.

But….

‘You haven’t even gone through a trainee period, and you’re going to ‘NAA’?’

No matter how much you ignore this industry, this is going too far.

Well… Ha Ye-rin’s exceptional looks may attract attention.

But the public is cruel.

The moment Ha Ye-rin’s lack of skills is exposed… the disappointed public will throw stones at her more fiercely than ever.

‘…I’m worried.’

And it seemed like she wasn’t the only one worrying about this.

“I… Suhyun…”

It had only been a few hours since they met, but between the dancers, Lee Jiwu and Suhyun had developed a deep bond, embracing each other among the dancers.

She erased the bright expression she had in front of Hayerin and whispered to Suhyun with a dark face.

“Is this… really okay? We haven’t practiced separately, and we’re going on a broadcast in a month…”

“…That’s true.”

“Plus, the production team there is known for their ridiculous editing! Going out with poor skills and getting beaten up for it, isn’t that going to hurt that young friend…”

Indeed… Participants who were only pretty faces and lacked skills were perfect prey for a witch hunt.

To prevent such a mishap, the CEO of the agency hired two trainers here, but…

“A month is too short… It’s too late.”

No… In fact, Hayerin was not only late to debut, but also late to become an idol.

Most kids start practicing in elementary school, so if you start practicing at 19, when will you debut?

“Teacher… I’m too tired… I want to give up…”

The reason why Suhyun quit her job as a vocal trainer at JJ.

It was because she didn’t want to see kids struggling anymore.

The sight of starry-eyed kids hitting reality and starting to fill with resignation and helplessness was too hard to watch.

If she hadn’t come to see the ad because she needed a job urgently, she wouldn’t have set foot in this industry anymore.

That’s why she decided to evaluate Hayerin’s skills, which would undoubtedly be her last student, coldly.

If she felt that her basic skills were lacking, she would definitely tell Hayerin to give up on the path of becoming an idol.

“Yes, then I’ll play the music.”

Finally, Hayerin played the song on her smartphone…

♪♩♬-!

As the recent idol title track MR played, Hayerin adjusted her posture.

“Hmm…?”

“Oh…”

Seeing that, Suhyun and Jiwu were both surprised.

“It seems like she’s going to do a performance format with both dance and song.”

“…That’s true.”

Dancing and singing at the same time.

It wasn’t just a matter of combining the strength of two skills.

“It’s even harder than doing each separately.”

It would be easy to match the pitch and rhythm of the song while doing an intense dance.

But for a beginner like Hayerin to do both dance and song at the same time?

“Her enthusiasm is good, but… we’ll see.”

With Suhyun’s expectations for Hayerin diminishing, the time came for Hayerin to start her performance.

“……Huh?”

First of all, Suhyun could tell at a glance that Hayerin had no experience as a trainee.

There were no repetitive habits or routines typical of trainees in her voice or movements.

But…

“Huh?”

Watching Hayerin’s performance, Suhyun’s eyes widened again, finding energy.

And the same was true for Jiwu.

Jiwu watched Hayerin’s performance with her mouth slightly open, covering it with her hand.

“Phew… Yes, it’s over.”

“……”

“……”

After Hayerin’s short performance ended, the two couldn’t easily speak to each other.

**

The month passed quickly.

During that time, I alternated between school and work, practicing dance and song under the guidance of the two trainers.

Most of the participants on NaA had been long-time trainees preparing for idols since they were young.

I thought that the only way to bridge the gap with them was through practice, so I worked hard, even cutting down on sleep.

And that continued until tonight, the night before NaA’s first shoot.

Clap!

“Alright! Yerin, that’s it for today!”

“Phew… Phew…”

As the final dance move of the song to be presented in NAAA came to an end, dance trainer Lee Jiwoo cut off the music with cheerful applause.

Wiping the sweat dripping from my chin, I asked her, “Teacher, did I make any mistakes?”

“Ah~ You were perfect until the last beat,” she replied with a smile.

Lee Jiwoo had a warm and caring personality, but when it came to dancing, she was a perfectionist. If she said it was perfect, then it truly was.

But feeling anxious about the first shoot tomorrow, I reached out to play the music again.

“Thank goodness… Then one more time…”

“Wait.”

Lee Jiwoo stopped me from playing the music again, laughing as she said, “Yerin, do you know what time it is right now?”

“Huh? Oh… It’s already…,” I realized it was past 11:30, well over my usual practice time.

“We have to go to the broadcasting station early tomorrow, right? It’s our first shoot, so we should get some rest.”

“But… I still feel like I’m lacking a lot.”

As I expressed my concerns, Lee Jiwoo patted my shoulder and said, “Ah~ What are you talking about, Yerin?”

“…Jiwoo Teacher.”

“I’ve seen how hard you’ve practiced for the past month. You’ve done enough to do well. Right, Soohyun Teacher?”

At Lee Jiwoo’s words, Kang Soohyun, who had been sitting in the corner of the practice room, stood up. Even though she had finished my vocal lesson earlier, she stayed to watch over my practice.

Approaching us, she maintained her characteristic poker face and spoke in a cold tone, “Honestly, it’s not enough.”

“…Excuse me?!”

“You can’t catch up with those who have been practicing tirelessly for years with just one month of practice. Honestly, Yerin is still lacking a lot.”

“…I see.”

“Oh, no…! Yerin, that’s not…! Soohyun Teacher…! If you say that to someone auditioning tomorrow…!”

Although Lee Jiwoo seemed flustered by Kang Soohyun’s cold words, I nodded slowly, understanding.

Unlike the optimistic Lee Jiwoo, Kang Soohyun was a rational and realistic person.

‘The pitch is off, do it again.’

‘You should have belted out the high notes here.’

‘Again.’

‘One more time, again.’

She objectively assessed my skills and pointed out my weaknesses.

Thanks to her feedback, I could be sure of one thing.

‘I’m still lacking.’

So, to show results in NAAA, I needed to push myself even more…

It was at that moment when I was pushing myself harder.

Thump.

“Still, you’re doing well.”

“…Excuse me?”

Kang Soohyun held my hand and said, “Yerin, you’re doing well enough.”

“…?”

“You’re still lacking now, but… you’ll soon show a better side of yourself. And I guarantee that…”

Just like when she told me I was lacking before.

With a face devoid of expression but filled with sincerity, Kang Soohyun continued, “If you keep going like this, you can become a great idol.”

“…?”

“So let’s work hard in NAAA and continue like this in the future.”

“Soohyun Teacher.”

Feeling her genuine support, her words hit me deeply.

Of course, tears didn’t fall from my eyes, but they welled up elsewhere.

“Sob… Yes, Yerin. It will definitely work out.”

“Jiwoo Teacher, why are you crying?”

Lee Jiwoo, who was naturally teary-eyed, hugged both me and Kang Soohyun, sobbing.

“Sob… We’ve gotten close over the past month, so it’s sad to part like this… Yerin, I’ll always support you while you’re in NAAA. Soohyun Teacher, let’s keep in touch even if you find another job… Hoo…”

“Yes, Jiwoo Teacher.”

As the realization of parting sunk in, even the usually expressionless Kang Soohyun’s eyes turned red.

Of course, I wasn’t that emotional.

“No, it’s not like we’re breaking up forever, we can still keep in touch, so why cry…?”

…Maybe it’s because I was a man in my past life that I often don’t understand women’s tears.

Still… their feelings were not lost on me.

Hug-.

“Thank you for everything, teachers.”

“…Sure.”

“Yerin-! Waaaah-!!”

Even just thinking about the two teachers who helped me sweat for a month, I was determined to show meaningful results at Nara.

With that in mind, I tightly embraced the two teachers.