"Seven people?"
"Wow... that's overboard."
"We're doomed..."
The participants looked like they would have cursed immediately if not for the microphones.
"That's correct. Only seven people."
"The uniformed large-member structure of Seasons 1 and 2."
"Since Season 3 is starting with the ambition to be the greatest season yet, the number of members is likewise different."
"And to match that, the members must be different too, right?"
"Not bound to a team where you merely digest that team's concept—only seven members capable of imprinting their own concept upon the group will survive and debut."
"An even fiercer Season 3."
"Now, let me introduce the trainers who will bring out your individuality!"
At the MC's call, six trainers came up one after another.
***
The tier evaluation began after the trainer introductions.
The logo of an entertainment company appeared on the screen attached to the front of the set, and a trainee who had been waiting in the back came up on stage.
"Hello! I'm trainee Gu Eunhui from KGC Ent!"
After exchanging light conversation with the trainers who served as judges, the trainee began her stage.
All the trainees watched the stage intently.
They also reacted enthusiastically to get even one more shot on camera.
"Wow, she's good?"
"Insane..."
I, too, reacted along with everyone else to get even one more shot.
"Uwaa~"
After the stage ended.
"We enjoyed your performance~"
The judges conferred and assigned a tier to the trainee.
"Trainee Gu Eunhui..."
And the tier announcement.
The trainer in charge of the announcement dragged out her words.
"..."
Part of the reason for dragging it out was for entertainment.
But the bigger reason was that in the brief gap created by the delay, the cameras had to capture the expressions of all the contestants and judges.
"...You're Tier 2."
And the reactions of the trainees that followed.
"Wow... that's Tier 2?"
"Didn't she deserve Tier 1?"
"Uwaa~"
But as time passed.
It was already 3 a.m., more than thirteen hours since filming began.
Most of the trainees had unfocused eyes and were all nodding off, drowsy.
At this rate, judging by the number of people left, it seemed like it would only end around morning.
Next to me, Naeun unni, with sunken eyes, looked at me, still wide awake, and spoke.
"Dohui, aren't you sleepy...?"
"It's more or less bearable."
I have to hold out until I get my tier evaluated, after all.
Compared to the zero-sleep training I did in the military in my past life, this is somewhat better, I suppose.
More than that, the judges are truly impressive.
They must be having a harder time than the trainees, constantly talking and evaluating.
Seeing them keep holding out, money really is the best after all.
How much did they pay them to cast them?
The trainees who were still dozing.
The writer shouted toward the dozing trainees.
"Everyone, do you think they'll only broadcast you dozing off like that? Hurry up and sit up straight! You have to at least hold your face up if you want even one more shot!"
I grabbed the cheek of Seoyun unni, whose head was drooping.
"Huh...?"
"They said we'll definitely get on camera if we react now."
"Oh..."
I looked at the stage in front of me and started reacting again.
But since I'd tried every reaction imaginable since daytime, no more reactions came to mind.
I'll just do what I did at the very beginning again.
"Uwaa~"
Time passed like that until 5 a.m.
It was our turn.
***
"Trainees Bae Jinhui, An Eunseo..."
"...are Tier 3. And trainee Yeon Bojeong..."
"...is Tier 2."
The assessed contestants bowed their heads and went down below the stage.
The judges looked at the departing contestants and made a comment each.
"Still, they show promise."
"Definitely a major agency..."
On the other hand, Go Yunjeong, the dance trainer famous for her harsh remarks, was thinking the opposite.
*If that's the best a major agency can do, isn't it rather disappointing compared to expectations?*
Only one person with the star quality she pursued had appeared so far.
Sua, the vocal trainer and famous singer sitting next to her, stretched her stiff body and spoke to her.
"Ah~ we're almost done now."
"Right. Only the Big 3 agency kids and the Topist kids are left."
*Well. Still, at least one should come out of the Big 3 and Topist.*
Go Yunjeong turned the page and looked at the Topist trainee section.
Other than that I Dohui was fifteen years old, there were no notable facts written.
Meanwhile, the Topist trainees came up on stage.
Go Yunjeong grabbed the mic and spoke.
"First, please introduce yourselves."
"""Hello! We're Topist trainees!"""
"I Dohui!" "Gim Seoyun!" "Gim Naeun~"
They all had outstanding looks.
Especially the trainee named I Dohui commanded attention.
Despite being fifteen years old, she was tall and had a visual that promised even more growth.
She seemed to be the prettiest among the kids seen today.
*So she's Topist's visual center. If her skills are even half as good as her visuals, that'd be great.*
"We'll start the stage right away."
The accompaniment flowed out.
*Ah. This song.*
An electronic dance hip-hop track that had been a moderate hit around the 70s on the Billboard charts.
It was a song occasionally used as an audition piece.
However, its overall difficulty for vocals, rap, and dance was quite high, making it hard to showcase all three at once.
So usually auditions were divided—dance-focused, vocal-focused, etc.—but...
You guys can do this?
The intro, packed with dance from the start, began.
The synchronized group dance of the three was as sharp as knives.
Their dance lines were all refreshingly clean.
Firm abs visible between their outfits.
They were bodies trained over a long period to dance.
She liked all three from the start.
The song's intro.
Gim Seoyun burst out from the back and delivered the lyrics.
\- I went to the club on my own \-
\- choose one's own friends and compose one's own songs \-
A clear tone.
A stable lead even while dancing.
It was a clean vocalization only possible with a solid core.
*She must be the main vocal.*
And then Gim Naeun's vocals continued.
\- I'm not interested in the rules of the scene. \-
\- Music only Music only someone else's nonsense \-
\- If you can't accept it, that's it \-
*She's... good too?*
Gim Naeun also had solid vocals.
If Gim Seoyun's tone was clear, Gim Naeun's tone was more resonant.
Vocal skills where it was hard to tell who was better.
*How will I Dohui be?*
Finally, when their singing ended and the rap part began, I Dohui stepped to the center.
\- The guy I believed in, far away \-
\- simplicity, clarity, personality \-
\- I believed your mind, even if it's a small bowl \-
\- now I knew is what it looked like. \-
First, her clean English pronunciation, like a native speaker, stuck firmly in the ears.
And the rhythm felt through her clean sense of tempo.
*These kids could have just debuted already?*
.
.
""" I'm not interested in the rules of the scene. """
After the stage ended, the judges gathered and began deliberation.
"They're good."
"Yes, we could give them all Tier 1."
"But I want to hear her vocal once."
"Yes, I wanted to try that too. Since I couldn't hear her vocal."
Judge Sua grabbed the mic and looked at I Dohui as she spoke.
"Trainee I Dohui, can you sing a song?"
"Yes!"
I Dohui answered boldly, loosened her neck, and began to sing.
\- things that i couldn't say- \-
*Huh? She's pretty good?*
\- would i have felt sorry fo myself then?
*Her breathing is natural too.*
\- remembering my mom's song. i know. \-
It was a vocal performance that, while her tone was uncertain, showed solid fundamentals.
\- now i'm tring to make it clearer \-
"Yes, I'll stop here."
Sua cut off I Dohui's song and began conferring with the judges again.
"Let's give her Tier 2."
"It's a shame her tone is rough."
"But she's good at rap and dance... we could give her Tier 1."
"Right, you can feel she worked hard on her fundamentals. They're incredibly solid."
"Then should we just make them all Tier 1?"
"Yes, let's go with that."
Sua grabbed the mic and spoke.
"Now then, Topist Entertainment trainees I Dohui, Gim Seoyun, Gim Naeun..."
"...for Tier 1—it's all three of you."
The three trainees hugged each other.
In the midst of that, Sua spoke.
"Trainee I Dohui. Do you know your tone is a bit lacking?"
I Dohui answered with a slightly sullen expression.
"Yes, I know."
"Of course, tone is mostly innate, but it can definitely be fixed. Even I changed through constant effort. Trainee I Dohui, work hard so that next time you'll be Tier 1 without any room for doubt."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Just as the three contestants finished greeting and were about to leave the stage.
"Wait a moment! Contestants, don't go down and wait for a moment!"
The main writer below the stage shouted.
And a staff member who came up on stage handed a paper to Go Yunjeong.
It was a document with I Dohui's photo attached.
There was a post-it note covering the special notes section.
\- Special notes will be revealed after the fact to ensure a fair evaluation! ^.^ \-
"What is this?"
"What is it?"
The judges, curious in this unprecedented situation, got up from their seats and approached Go Yunjeong to look at the document.
When Go Yunjeong removed the post-it, densely written special notes.
"Huh?"
"What is this?"
"Is this for real?"
Go Yunjeong lifted the mic and looked at the production crew as she spoke.
"PD-nim, is this real?"
After receiving a confirming circle signal from the production crew, the judges let out hollow laughs.
"This is real?"
"Ha... I have no words. Damn."
"Wow... I'm speechless, really..."
Go Yunjeong grabbed the mic again and looked at I Dohui as she spoke.
"Trainee I Dohui is really... there's a lot in your special notes section?"
"Ion Sweat commercial model, lead in the 'I Remember' music video... and... my goodness..."
"Nine overall grand prizes at the Korean Student Music Association Piano Concours and ten overall grand prizes at major piano concours? I'm going crazy, really. Haha."
The set became rowdy at Go Yunjeong's words.
Even the trainees who had been dozing woke up from the commotion and asked people around them what was going on.
And in this situation, I Dohui was smiling brightly, looking pleased.
*And she's pretty on top of that, really.*
Go Yunjeong held back a burst of hollow laughter and spoke.
"Trainee I Dohui, why on earth are you becoming an idol?"