episode_0017

My dance stat is 99.

But even with such an incredible stat, I, who was just an ordinary person, couldn’t show a performance with intricate details in just one month.

So, what I chose instead was “<24 Hours is Not Enough."

"<24 Hours is Not Enough" had dance moves that weren't that difficult. With a dance stat of 99, I could cover it sufficiently in just one month.

If I had enough expressiveness, I could show maximum destructive power with minimal efficiency, so it was a perfect fit for me.

And…

Since it was such a unique song, I thought I could showcase my character and get the right amount of screen time.

"Sigh… That's all."

"…."

"…."

After I finished the stage and looked ahead, the judges were unable to continue their words with blank expressions.

It wasn't a particularly surprising reaction.

Even Jiwoo, who taught me dance for the past month, often made such expressions.

"Uh… um… that…"

Breaking the long silence, the vocal trainer was the first to pick up the microphone.

"Yerin, your training period was only one month?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I-I can't believe…"

"Just a moment."

When the vocal trainer tried to deny my words as if forgetting she was a broadcaster, the dance trainer interrupted and spoke in her place.

"…I could feel it. Yerin, you haven't been learning dance for long."

"What?! What are you talking about…? How could you say that after watching the stage just now…?"

"To be precise, it's not that you can't dance, but the mature feeling doesn't come through at all."

The mature feeling doesn't come through.

That was the sound of Jiwoo hammering it into me.

When I first heard that sound, I thought it meant my dance skills still had a long way to go.

But that wasn't it.

"Just as there are bad habits in vocals, there are bad habits in dance. But… Yerin's dance doesn't have any of that. It didn't feel superficial… If I were to explain it…"

Jiwoo said this after watching my dance.

"…Your dance skills are too clean."

Clean. Smooth.

"Whether it's details or emotions… Your body line looks too clean… Almost enviable…"

Because the dance was too clean, the emotions were conveyed directly.

It felt so vivid that it was like dancing together.

The dance trainer said this in amazement, then suddenly raised her eyebrows and said,

"…Since you haven't been learning dance for long, it was difficult to show difficult techniques. I'm curious to see what kind of stage you'll put on after learning dance properly. I really want to teach you."

The dance trainer seemed very eager to teach me.

The other judges' comments were similar.

"I was watching with my mouth wide open. Wow… the immersion was real…"

"You have a definite sense of center. There's an overwhelming something that focuses the stage."

"Maybe because the practice period was short, there was definitely a fresh taste."

The excessive praise made me feel embarrassed.

The one who was most embarrassed was me.

'Is this for real…'

To get good results in Yena, you have to show a good performance at the beginning.

So, I worked hard and prepared for the first stage.

But…

'This is way too good of a review than I expected…'

If you get too good reviews at the beginning, you'll be at a disadvantage in later stages.

So, I hoped the compliments would stop here.

But is it fortunate that the only remaining judge is Hansiwoo?

Throughout the shoot, he maintained a cold expression and continued with harsh criticism.

He should be able to tone down this storm of compliments.

"…Then I will be the last one to evaluate."

Han Siwoo lifted the microphone with his usual… no, even colder than usual expression.

"Ye-rin, you mentioned that the practice period is one month. If this is the quality of the stage after one month of practice…."

And then, as I hoped for, came the sharp criticism…

"One could say it is a truly genius talent."

…Huh?

"Indeed, in Ye-rin's dancing and singing, there seems to be a lack of finesse. This can be resolved through consistent practice."

Han Siwoo, who had previously thrown many trainees into the pit of despair with his harsh evaluations, was now…

"I am curious to see how much Ye-rin will grow in the future. I will always support and watch over her."

Instead of adding insult to injury, he was throwing gasoline on the fire.

"Now, after a brief discussion among the judges, we will assign a grade to trainee Ha Ye-rin."

Although they said they would discuss, once the atmosphere was heated, anyone could predict my grade.

The judges pretended to discuss briefly before immediately picking up the microphone and saying,

"The grade for Ha Ye-rin from Brother Entertainment is an A."

Brother Entertainment's Ha Ye-rin, A.

I was the protagonist who received the honor of being the first to receive an A in the grade evaluation.

And then…

"You have met the conditions for a special attribute-!"

"You have acquired the special attribute 'Heavenly Demon.'"

"Special Attribute: Heavenly Demon – You are the heretic of the entertainment industry, the heavenly demon of the idol world, the devil of talent sent from the heavens. When you appear, everyone else is just ordinary. Please subdue the lax entertainment industry and cover the Republic of Korea in your name with your fanatics."

"Special Attribute Effect: Demon's Resurgence, Ten Thousand Demons Prostrate – Fandom creation speed +30%"

…Something tremendous had appeared again.

I was just trying to become an idol, but suddenly my special attribute is a Heavenly Demon… Isn't it too out of place?

In my past life, I had read a few martial arts novels.

A Heavenly Demon is a supreme being that overwhelms the protagonist with overwhelming power, emitting the aura of a final boss.

But why am I a Heavenly Demon…

And then, I realized why I was given this attribute only after turning around and meeting the eyes of the other participants.

The first thing that caught my eye was Seo Yujin, who was in second place.

She was staring blankly at the stage, but as soon as our eyes met…

"Yi-ik…!"

She glared at me with a resentful expression.

She was truly consistent.

And now, her expression even seemed cute to me.

Compared to the emotions reflected in the eyes of the other participants, the most prominent one was…

Helplessness.

Most of the participants here had been trainees for several years and still received low grades like E, D, or F on average.

But I, who had practiced for only one month, received an A… How must they feel?

Especially the trainee who had practiced for 10 years and received a C, her expression was priceless.

The sense of futility and self-loathing towards herself for the past 10 years of effort.

Her face, which encompassed all of these emotions, was truly distressing.

…I had broken her spirit.

"…I'm sorry."

In reality, it wasn't really my fault, but I apologized to her in my heart.

If it weren't for the status window, I wouldn't have been able to show this level of performance.

Although I had worked hard for the past month, my efforts were like a drop in the bucket compared to the ten years.

Somehow, I felt a sense of guilt for devaluing her efforts…

"This concludes the evaluation of trainee Ha Ye-rin from the sibling project. Please return to your seat."

"…Yes, thank you."

As I made my way back to my seat, I could feel the complex gazes of others directed towards me.

It was somewhat intimidating, but I resolved to toughen up my heart.

In order to debut, I knew I had to continue stepping on their hearts.

One of them had to be eliminated to make room for me to step in.

'Pull yourself together.'

Even I had put a lot on the line to be here.

There was no room for sympathy towards others.

**

"Unnie! You were amazing! Absolutely the best!"

Unlike other participants who seemed to be holding back or feeling intimidated, Park Yoo-jung in the 100th seat next to me looked at me with the same eyes as before.

"…Really? Thank you."

"Unnie, you only practiced for a month, right? Wow…, amazing. Unnie, you must be a genius."

There was a hint of flattery in Park Yoo-jung's words.

It's natural for a close companion to match the mood of the person they're with.

It seemed like Park Yoo-jung was trying to be that companion.

But still…, I didn't push Park Yoo-jung away. It's good to have at least one close friend.

And….

'She seems really kind.'

Park Yoo-jung didn't seem like a bad person.

"Next up is the evaluation for trainee Lee Hye-jung from Kidship."

Oh, by the way, the evaluation was still going smoothly. It was almost coming to an end now.

As the evaluation progressed, more skilled and unique participants emerged.

Of course….

"…It's a B."

Getting an A wasn't easy.

"She sang really well, but ended up with a B."

"That's true…."

The participant who just received the evaluation had ranked 7th in the K-Star audition program a few years ago.

But due to lacking dance skills and other requirements, she ended up with a B.

Other talented participants also received Bs for one reason or another.

In the end, I was the only one who had received an A so far.

Park Yoo-jung whispered to me with a bright smile.

"Are you sure you're the only one getting an A?"

I quietly nodded at her words.

"No, there's almost certainly one more person."

"A certain person? Wh…, Ah…."

Park Yoo-jung was about to ask me who that was but stopped herself.

There was still one asymmetrical force left up there.

And that asymmetrical force was….

"Next up, we have trainee Yu Seol from JJ Entertainment."

The last order was placed as if she were the protagonist.

The stage buzzed once again when her name was called.

The attention and gazes were similar to when my name was called.

Swoosh-.

But she descended from the 1st seat with a smile that didn't seem burdened by such attention.

Thud-.

It may sound like an exaggeration, but there was a sense of grace as she descended the stairs from the 1st seat.

It was understandable.

Yu Seol.

Even I, who had no interest in idols, knew that she was destined for great success.

'In my past life, the winner was Yu Seol.'

Rumor had it that she had won by an overwhelming margin.

Curious about what kind of stage she would present…, I couldn't help but look at her.

But….

'…Huh?'

As she completely stepped onto the stage after descending the stairs, she suddenly turned around and looked at me.

At first, I didn't think she was looking at me.

But her eyes were directly on the 99th seat where I was sitting, and we even made eye contact.

Grin.

'…Is she smiling?'

As soon as our eyes met, she smiled like she was genuinely enjoying something.

And that sight….

Woong.

…was being captured by the cameras outside the stage.

At that moment, I had no idea what was going on… and why she was smiling at me. I couldn't understand at all.