episode_0011

A few minutes before the time, Yoo Seol entered and a moment passed.

Thud-.

Thump-, thump-.

With a grand sound effect, the sense of someone’s popularity began to be heard openly from the entrance.

“Wow-.”

“Who is it? All the participants have come out, right?”

The participants focused their attention on the entrance with excessive reactions to fill their own share.

Thud thud-.

Eventually, all the participants’ gazes gathered… and at the peak of the sound effect…!

Thump-.

“Hello, everyone.”

“….!”

A man revealed himself.

As soon as he revealed himself, the participants dropped their pretense and each turned into a girl, shouting.

“Wow, wow-!!”

“Ha, Han Siwoo-!! Han Siwoo-!!”

“Kyaaaah-!!”

Han Siwoo.

There were many epithets pointing to him.

Beyond Korea, the world’s top artist.

The idol of idols.

And….

Five years ago, he became independent from the top 3 agency YW and raised numerous idols as a genius producer.

“I am Han Siwoo. And… I have been appointed as the main MC and executive producer of my Idol Academy.”

Such a person appeared on Narae. And as an MC and producer.

The reactions of the participants who heard the news were divided into two.

“Wow-!! Amazing-!!”

“Ha, Han Siwoo as the producer…?!”

Those who cheered with disbelief and those who nodded as if they already knew.

‘Those who are nodding their heads here must be from a well-informed company.’

By the way, the participants at Hyungje Planning did not know that Han Siwoo would appear.

‘But still… well, I knew the future.’

Knowing in advance that Han Siwoo would appear, I watched his entrance without much reaction.

And then.

“…Han Siwoo came out, but you don’t seem very surprised?”

“….Excuse me?”

Suddenly, a girl sitting in the 100th seat to my left spoke to me.

“Did you… know in advance?”

“….”

I checked the name tag of the girl in the 100th seat.

[Levi Entertainment, Park Yoojung]

Levi Entertainment… I’ve never heard of it before. Probably a small to medium-sized company.

Still, her face was quite pretty for a trainee.

She seemed innocently pretty, giving off a vibe that would be popular with men in the countryside.

Park Yoojung, with her innocent face, spoke to me.

Slightly flustered, I replied honestly.

“No… I had no idea.”

“Oh… really? I thought you knew in advance because you didn’t seem moved by Han Siwoo’s appearance.”

“…I’m naturally expressionless.”

“I see.”

Park Yoojung smiled understandingly and reached out her hand to me.

“Hehe, since we’re sitting together like this, why don’t we get along? I’m Park Yoojung, 18 years old.”

“…Ha Ye Rin, 19 years old.”

“Oh! Then you’re older? I’ll call you unnie, unnie. Hehe. Nice to meet you.”

Saying that, Park Yoojung, smiling, seemed like a puppy.

…Not in a bad way, but like a real puppy.

I took her outstretched hand with a harmless smile that reminded me of a golden retriever.

“You have such good skin, unnie. It’s so firm, like pottery.”

“….”

Park Yoojung, who seemed naturally friendly, shook my hand without hesitation.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t actively refuse.

Making friends and gaining allies in a place like this, like a battlefield, was essential.

And above all….

‘Her face seems familiar….’

Even though it was vague, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of her being included in the debut group in the future, even though she was sitting in the 100th seat now.

If I become friends with her, I might get some insider information too.

With a nonchalant tone, I spoke to her.

“You’re pretty too, Yoojeong.”

“Oh, unnie! Speak comfortably!”

“Right, Yoojeong, you’re pretty too.”

“Thank you, hehe.”

As Park Yoojeong and I built a simple friendship, other judges besides Han Siwoo were appearing one by one on the stage.

An idol-turned-solo singer, a famous dance trainer who had appeared on TV multiple times, and so on.

Besides Han Siwoo, the judges truly boasted a star-studded lineup.

“Wow-!!”

“Scream-!!”

With each person’s appearance, the participants cheered and screamed sincerely.

As the last judge appeared, the atmosphere heated up.

“All the judges of My Idol Academy have now appeared.”

The main MC, Han Siwoo, took the mic and continued the proceedings.

“Are all of you ready to unfold your dreams?”

“Yes-!!!!!”

“Alright, then let’s start the grading evaluation now-!! Show me your dream!”

“Wow-!!!!”

With Han Siwoo’s shout, thunderous cheers erupted among the participants.

My Idol Academy, which could be the stepping stone to an idol debut.

The grading evaluation that heralded the beginning.

The participants’ hearts swelled with hope towards their dreams, filled with excitement and anticipation.

It felt like everything was going to turn out well in a heartwarming way.

But…

“None of the pitches were right, did you know?”

“It felt like watching a high school talent show.”

“….”

Shortly after the grading evaluation began, the atmosphere rapidly sank as if cold water had been poured over it.

The judges, who were expected to show a bright and gentle atmosphere at first, turned incredibly cold once the grading evaluation started.

Especially Han Siwoo.

“Oh Hyeonhee trainee. You’ve been practicing for a year, is that correct?”

“Um, actually, I’ve been practicing for a year and a half….”

“What exactly have you been practicing all this time?”

“….!”

With a warm appearance and a friendly image, he spat out harsh criticism from the first evaluation.

“…The grade for Taehai Entertainment’s trainee Oh Hyeonhee is F.”

In the end, the first grading evaluation resulted in an F.

As all the participants were shocked, Park Yoojeong whispered to me.

“…Honestly, it doesn’t seem like it deserves an F.”

That’s right.

Even from an objective perspective, the stage was lacking, but it wasn’t deserving of an F.

But…

“…It feels like they’re evaluating more harshly because it’s the first stage.”

The first stage is an important moment that sets the direction for the evaluations to come.

Therefore, the judges were warning that they would evaluate more critically to ensure the evaluations ahead were not lenient.

“Next, Taehai’s trainee Kim Heesun, please come out.”

“….”

Perhaps because a trainee from the same company received an F, the other Taehai trainees froze on stage.

“…F.”

“…D.”

“…E.”

Two Fs, one D, and one E.

It was a truly dismal report card for Taehai, which wasn’t even a small company.

“…Sigh.”

Eventually, one of the Taehai trainees who had been holding back tears showed emotion, and the atmosphere sank even further.

Sensing this shift, Han Siwoo, who had finished the Taehai grading evaluation, took the mic and spoke.

“It seems like the participants are misunderstanding due to the name of the program… We are selecting idol groups to debut immediately after the program ends.”

“….”

“So, we have no choice but to evaluate objectively and rigorously. Do you all understand what I’m saying?”

“….Yes.”

The sound of ants crawling could be heard from the 100 participants.

“…The evaluations you’ve received can change, so I hope to see everyone grow. Let’s continue with the grading evaluation. Next, Rahiti Entertainment, please come out.”

“….Okay.”

Taeha and Rahiti were similar in scale and skill as trainees. Naturally, they received similar evaluations and grades.

Especially when a long-term trainee who had been practicing for over 10 years appeared, it was impressive.

“Participant Idami… You’ve been a trainee for over 10 years?”

“…Yes, I started when I was 10 years old and have been doing it for 12 years now.”

“12 years… 12 years… sigh…”

Han Siwoo, as if in distress, tapped his pen and said, “Honestly, your hard work shows. Your pitch, rhythm, everything is flawless. In terms of completeness, you are the best among all participants so far.”

“T-Thank you…”

“However.”

Boom-.

If this were a broadcast, there would probably be a sound effect like that.

Whether he was aware of it or not, Han Siwoo paused after his luck and then continued speaking.

“There’s something about Idami… She doesn’t have that eye-catching factor. She’s just average… I guess you could say she lacks uniqueness.”

“….”

“No matter how well she sings or dances, she doesn’t stand out.”

Although Han Siwoo beat around the bush, the point was this.

She lacked talent as an idol.

“Ah, I will… work harder in the future…”

Understanding what Han Siwoo was saying, Idami, the long-term trainee, stuttered as she barely managed to respond.

Seeing her struggling, Han Siwoo hardened his expression and concluded the evaluation.

“…Yes, thank you for your hard work. Rahiti Entertainment’s Idami trainee’s grade is C.”

A C grade.

Although it was the highest grade among all participants so far… no one envied her.

She had spent 12 years to achieve a C grade.

“…With this, we will conclude the evaluation of Rahiti Entertainment’s grades. Next…”

As the second group of Tahiti Entertainment trainees left with a crestfallen look… the storm began.

**

“Levi Entertainment’s Park Yoojung trainee’s grade is E.”

Park Yoojung, who participated alone from Levi Entertainment, finished her solo stage and received an E grade.

Being the second to last in the lineup, it couldn’t be considered a good evaluation…

“Yes, thank you! I will work harder!”

Park Yoojung came down from the stage with a confident smile as if everything was fine.

“…Are you okay?”

As Park Yoojung returned, I asked her out of courtesy.

To which she replied with a smile, “I made a lot of mistakes, that’s why. It’s okay! I’ll work harder next time to show a better stage!”

“….”

I nodded in agreement at her seemingly unaffected attitude.

In reality, her stage wasn’t bad at all.

If she hadn’t stumbled and fallen in the middle, she could have received a much higher grade.

‘Considering she probably got a fair amount of camera time for falling on stage, it wasn’t that bad for her… Wait a minute.’

Could it be that she fell on purpose…?

Looking back now, the falling scene seemed a bit unnatural. As if it was intentional.

I watched Park Yoojung, who was smiling brightly from the 100th seat, with suspicious eyes, but soon shook my head.

‘…No way.’

That innocent-looking girl wouldn’t have planned such a cunning act.

I decided to stop unnecessary thoughts and focus on the next stage.

Which was…

“Next, SAV Entertainment’s Seo Yujin trainee, please come out.”

…other than Yuseol, it was the stage of Seo Yujin, another trainee from one of the top 3 agencies.

“Finally, SAV…”

Rustling sounds filled the air as her name was called, and the surrounding area began to buzz with anticipation.

Seo Yujin didn’t seem to mind the attention as she confidently stood up with a dignified expression.

And…

Thud-.

She glanced at Yuseol in the front row once…

Swoosh-.

‘…Even me?’

Turning my head, I glanced at her once before descending from the stage.

…Her gaze truly conveyed her abundant intentions.

“Why is she already scrutinizing me when Yu Seol and I haven’t even performed on stage together yet….”

To blatantly glare at the camera like that…. It seemed like Seo Yujin lacked the talent to hide her emotions.

“Perhaps her acting skills would be lower than mine if I were to check her status window.”

That was the moment I thought so.

Ping-!

Suddenly, a new status window appeared before my eyes, different from what I had seen before.

“….!”

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.