episode_0020

As the tension between me and Yu Seol continued to escalate, Han Siwoo took the microphone again to continue the proceedings.

“With this, I will conclude the evaluation of my Idol Academy. Well done, trainees.”

“….”

Despite Han Siwoo’s words of praise, there was little response from the participants.

Everyone was exhausted from the long hours of filming, and most of the participants were disappointed with their low grades.

Seemingly aware of the participants’ feelings, Han Siwoo raised the corners of his mouth and spoke.

“My Idol Academy operates on a strict meritocracy system. Those with lower grades will receive less favorable treatment compared to those with higher grades.”

“….”

Many participants’ faces darkened at his words. Most of them were in the E, D, or F grades.

They clenched their fists and bit their lips, clearly affected by their low grades.

As the low-grade participants were filled with despair, at that moment…

“However, everyone. Your grades are not yet finalized.”

“….!”

Han Siwoo continued with his story.

“Until the theme song filming in a week, you will practice dancing and singing through customized classes. A-grade participants will be in the A-class, B-grade participants in the B-class, and so on.”

“….”

I couldn’t help but feel flustered at Han Siwoo’s words.

If only Yu Seol and I received A-grades… Does that mean the A-class will only have the two of us…?

‘That’s a bit daunting…’

However, my concerns were alleviated by his next words.

“Furthermore, there will be continuous class changes based on your performance. Show improvement, and you may be promoted; show a decline, and you may be demoted.”

It seemed like the grades were given too harshly.

Even if the evaluation was strict, having only two A-grades out of a hundred seemed too low.

It was undoubtedly a deliberate move by the NAEA production team to demand harsh evaluations for dramatic effect.

“Depending on your performance… It’s not impossible for an F-grade trainee to become an A-grade.”

Han Siwoo’s words were like adding fuel to the low-grade participants’ competitive spirit.

“From now on, true competition begins. If you want to debut through my Idol Academy… If you want your name to be known… Prove it with your dreams and passion.”

“….”

No one responded or nodded, but the eyes of all 100 participants were alive.

Would soldiers look like this before going into battle?

In that moment, I realized once again.

No one came here lightly. Everyone had a lot at stake.

‘She must be…’

My eyes reflexively turned towards Yu Seol.

She was smiling brightly, as if looking forward to the future. But she must have a lot on the line as well.

And that meant…

I had to give my all to surpass Yu Seol.

Of course, I couldn’t just focus on beating Yu Seol.

Tingling.

In that moment, I locked eyes with SAV Seo Yujin, who was glaring at me.

Although she didn’t receive an A-grade, her stage presence was undoubtedly outstanding.

And the other B-grade participants… They showcased impressive skills as well.

Could I really suppress them with just my skills?

…No.

The relationship between the B-grade girls and me could easily be reversed at any moment.

Pushing down from above, striking from below… The thought made it hard to breathe.

Yet…

My heart was pounding with excitement.

Surely, everyone here felt the same.

Despite appearing as gentle girls on the outside, they were likely filled with longing and passion inside.

And in the next moment, I was certain of that.

“Alright, shall we all shout the slogan together one last time? One, two….”

“Show me your dream!!!!!”

With Han Siwoo’s signal, the slogan shouted by everyone contained a fierce amount of evil and malice.

This place was a battlefield.

Dreams and passion,

And….

Cruelty and cunning tactics filled the battlefield.

**

“Cut! Great job, everyone! That’s a wrap for today’s shoot! Now, let’s head back to the dorms~”

With one final shout of Nara’s slogan, today’s filming came to an end.

“Alright, trainees, please line up according to your grades.”

Han Siwoo’s words about different treatment based on grades seemed to hold some weight.

As the clapping of congratulations rang out after the shoot, our discrimination began.

“Um…, where do the F-rank go….”

“Yes, F-rank, please come over here!”

“E-rank, this way~”

The participants hesitated before finding their respective grades.

Having to part ways with Park Yoojung, whom I had grown quite close to during the evaluation, was bittersweet.

“Unnie-!! Let’s meet again next time!! I’ll be in the A-class soon-!”

“Y-yeah.”

Although we promised to see each other again… Park Yoojung’s grade was E.

We might not meet again.

Feeling a bit melancholic, I made my way to the A-class area.

“…Oh.”

Yoo Seol was already there before me, in the A-class area.

‘…Great.’

It was uncomfortable being alone with her… Why did I declare her as my rival earlier?

‘…I’ll show a better side next time.’

As I thought about the words I had said to her, my face flushed with embarrassment.

…It’s suffocating. What should we talk about when we’re alone?

‘M, MBTI…! Should I talk about MBTI? Kids these days like that kind of thing…! But what was my MBTI again…?’

I vaguely remembered doing it before, but it didn’t come to mind easily.

Thinking about asking about blood types instead, I approached Yoo Seol.

But….

“Excuse me….”

Swish-.

“….?”

Before I could start a conversation, Yoo Seol raised her hand as if to block me.

“Next time.”

“….Yes?”

“You look tired. Let’s talk next time, okay?”

“….”

Yoo Seol’s tired smile was different from her bright smile in front of the camera.

“….Okay.”

It was difficult to continue the conversation when she was already saying that.

“Alright, now that everyone is lined up according to their grades, let’s head to the dorms.”

With only the two of us in the A-class, we moved to the dorms in awkward silence.

The dorm, located about a 15-minute walk from the set, was surprisingly large.

I heard that the resort, which was failing, was acquired by the broadcasting station to use as the Nara Academy dorm and was renovated.

‘It’s much bigger than I expected.’

Despite being a failing resort, the exterior was quite grand.

Was it because our program was called My Idol Academy?

The dorm, decorated with white and pink paint, gave off a fairy-tale campus vibe.

As I admired the exterior of the dorm and walked inside, something unexpected happened.

“Wow-!!”

“It’s so pretty-!!”

“What about the rooms?!”

Suddenly, the lead group burst into exaggerated reactions.

I had a feeling that the cameras were about to start rolling again, and I was right.

As we entered the dorm, dozens of cameras were waiting for us, just like on set.

‘Why are there so many cameras in the dorm….’

And soon enough, I found out the reason.

“Alright, we will now divide into groups based on your grades! F, D, E grades on the 1st floor, B, C grades on the 2nd floor, and lastly, A grades on the 3rd floor.”

“Ah….”

The varying levels of rooms based on grades. And all of this was to capture the reactions of the trainees.

The quality of the F-grade room that I actually saw passing by was truly jaw-dropping.

“W-what is this…?”

The F-grade trainees showed incredibly realistic reactions upon seeing their rooms, forgetting that they were being filmed.

Sighs and irritation.

Among them, there were those who frowned.

But it was understandable….

‘Military camp…?’

The F-grade rooms truly reminded one of a military training camp.

Of course, I had never been to the military in my past life since I was an orphan. I only knew about it from watching military variety programs.

From the beds and lockers to the blankets and sleeping bags underneath….

Although the wallpaper was light-colored to give it a somewhat girly feel, no matter how you looked at it, this was just a military training camp.

“…How many people can fit in this room?”

In response to a cautious question from an F-grade trainee, the production team replied with a bright smile.

“Yes~ A total of 20 people can fit in this room.”

“…20?! Twenty people?!”

“Unless there is a change in grade, F-grade trainees will stay here for a week.”

At that, the F-grade trainees looked crestfallen. At the same time…, they steeled their resolve.

This was the same for trainees in other grades.

Even the E and D grades…, while better than the F-grade, couldn’t be considered good rooms.

“Now, this is a C-grade room!”

At least the C-grade rooms were decent.

“C-grade trainees will share a room with four people.”

A room of a reasonable size with simple interior design. And a quite comfortable-looking bunk bed.

Most of the C-grade trainees seemed satisfied, showing content reactions in front of the camera.

And I was surprised by the B-grade rooms.

“B-grade rooms are for two people.”

“…Wow.”

The spacious size of the room was visibly different from the C-grade rooms.

Neat beds with a carpet on the floor and a small desk next to it.

There was even a small living room area with a sofa in the middle, making it seem like a small house.

‘…This is much better than my own home in my past life.’

I thought the B-grade rooms would be just average, but they were much better than expected.

The B-grade trainees would all be greatly satisfied….

“I-I can’t share a room with anyone.”

“……”

Turning around at the dialogue that seemed like it came from a rich girl in a comic book, I inevitably saw SAV’s Seo Yujin.

Seo Yujin looked teary-eyed at the B-grade room and then….

Glared.

…She was a person who clearly showed what she was thinking.

But by now, I was starting to get used to it.

I casually ignored her gaze and turned my head in the other direction.

As expected, the other B-grade participants were cheering in excitement in their rooms.

“Now, the last one remaining is the A-grade room.”

By this point, it was impossible not to have high expectations for the A-grade room.

The production team seemed confident as they looked at me and Yu Seol and smiled mischievously.

We climbed the stairs to the floor where the A-grade rooms were located….

“Now, the A-grade rooms are naturally for one person each. First, this is contestant Ha Ye-rin’s room. If you’re ready, please enter.”

Click~ Clack~

The most excited production team member opened the door with a flourish.

“…Wow.”

With inflated expectations, I entered the room and couldn’t help but be amazed.

A slightly larger room compared to the B-grade room. And I would be using it alone. In the center, there was a wide sofa and a TV, and in one corner, there was a desk with a sophisticated atmosphere.

But the biggest difference from the other rooms was the presence of a terrace.

As the production team opened the glass terrace with a smile, a refreshing breeze flowed in.

In the meantime, I went to the bed and pressed down on the mattress.

Squish.

“Is it comfortable?”

“Uh… yes…. It’s really comfortable.”

The plush and firm feel of the mattress clearly indicated that it was a high-quality one. As I marveled at the mattress’s performance, the production team pushed the camera closer and asked.

“Alright, now it’s time for contestant Ha Ye-rin. You’ve seen rooms from F grade to A grade, so how do you feel about becoming the owner of this room?”

“Um… well, that’s…”

When asked how I felt, of course, I had to say it was good. No other answer came to mind, so I just said what I was thinking.

“…It’s really nice.”

“…And?”

“And…? Oh, the bed is really soft and comfortable…?”

The faces of the production team instantly fell.

…Was this not the right answer?

In my confusion, I turned my head and saw my reflection in the mirror, realizing why the production team looked disappointed.

My expression was too cold… I couldn’t distinguish whether I was feeling good or bad.

“…I apologize for my lack of reaction.”

Silently apologizing to the disappointed production team, they awkwardly left the room.

“Well, then we will guide trainee Yu Seol’s room! You have free time until 7 am tomorrow morning, so rest well and have a good night!”

Thud.

“…Free time, huh.”

Although the production team mentioned free time, there was a sense of awkwardness in their words.

Humming to myself, I began to unpack my belongings that the production team had prepared in advance.

After a quick shower, I changed into white pajamas and dolphin shorts, lying down on the bed.

I couldn’t just sleep in my underwear like at home, so it was a bit uncomfortable…

Soft.

But the bed was so comfortable that I slowly felt my fatigue melting away.

“Come to think of it, when was the last time I had a room all to myself…?”

Since I was an orphan in my past life, I had always been alone since becoming an adult.

This life was the complete opposite, as I had never had a room to myself before.

Our house had three rooms, one was the master bedroom, one was my dad’s computer room, and the other was my mom’s dressing room.

“It’s been almost 19 years since I had a room to myself…”

It didn’t feel too bad to sleep alone after a long time.

Lying on the bed, I slowly closed my eyes and reflected on the day.

I woke up early this morning and came to the set… completed the grade evaluation… met various people.

Just like the judges evaluated my grade, if I were to evaluate my day, what score would I give?

…It didn’t seem too bad.

I received a better grade evaluation than I expected, and I even found someone I wanted to catch up with…

“Yu Seol.”

Thinking of her, I remembered how she had put up a wall between us earlier.

“She said let’s talk next time since she’s tired today… maybe there will be a chance to talk tomorrow…”

Lost in thoughts of her, I shook my head.

“…Enough of unnecessary thoughts, let’s just go to bed early tonight.”

I needed to rest quickly to recover my strength and do my best tomorrow.

Thinking that I wished tomorrow would be just like today, I closed my eyes.

And…

“Ye-rin, are you daydreaming?”

The next day, my hopes were immediately shattered.