Translator: Dreamscribe
“A week is definitely a short time.”
One week.
Indeed, when it came to changing something, it could feel like a short amount of time.
“But you all want to become idols, right? Then you should be able to show change even within that week.”
However, Hye-ryeong thought that for an idol, 'one week' was a long time.
“...”
Young girls stared down at the floor with their heads bowed deeply at Hye-ryeong’s words.
They were the trainees who had received a D grade among the participants of Idol Ground 100.
‘Even if it seems harsh, there’s no choice.’
Watching them like that, Hye-ryeong herself felt bitter, but what she had said was not an exaggeration.
At the end of the year, when the major awards ceremonies piled up, idols were often given not even two or three days of practice time, let alone a week.
Since they couldn’t show the same performance at every ceremony, preparing a changed performance in a short amount of time was one of the essential qualities idols needed to have.
‘This is why a leader is so important.’
So far, Hye-ryeong had evaluated a total of four classes, from Class A to Class D, and she could clearly feel the difference a leader made.
In the case of Class A, interestingly enough, two leaders coexisted.
‘Ryu A-yeon’ and ‘Seo Ryu-jin’.
The two figures, whom the Class A members called “Double Ryu” had an outstanding presence.
Ryu A-yeon led the Class A members from the center with overwhelming presence and skill without saying a word, and Seo Ryu-jin supported the rest of the team from behind, attentively caring for each member and improving the team’s overall ability, an ideal structure.
Hye-ryeong even thought that those two wouldn’t lose to active idols.
‘They’re good. It really feels like combining talented members creates stronger synergy.’
‘At this rate, on performance day, Class A might be the only ones standing out.’
It wasn’t just Hye-ryeong, the other judges, Lee Jung-yoon and Ahn Sung-ho, had nothing but praise for the performance Class A had shown.
However, unlike Class A, the other classes felt like they had lost their shine because of their leaders.
For example, Class B, which was not much less skilled than Class A, had a performance where only a few stood out.
Only Park So-yoon, the leader, and about three or four members at the front of the formation caught attention.
Seeing that, Hye-ryeong almost frowned unintentionally out of frustration.
‘Should I just let it go since this is a survival show? But...’
She knew as well.
No matter how good the intentions and purposes of this program were, at its core, it was a “survival program”.
So it wasn’t wrong for the participants to seize opportunities to stand out on their own.
In fact, in such a program, not doing so would be foolish.
But even so, the reason Hye-ryeong felt uneasy was because of one thing.
‘Because idols don’t perform alone.’
In idol groups, popularity disparities among members were a common occurrence.
However, when that disparity turned into a complete “concentration” from that moment on, idol groups start to lose their shine.
Even G.G, the group Hye-ryeong was part of, had gone through that.
At some point, Hye-ryeong’s popularity started to stand out especially in G.G, and the members who had once been close gradually drifted apart. Eventually, they stopped talking to each other outside of broadcasts.
And the popularity of G.G, which they thought would last forever, began to decline from that moment and soon led to their disbandment.
On the other hand, when Hye-ryeong looked at the groups that were still well-maintained, she could find a common trait.
‘Even if individual popularity varies, on stage everyone shines, and the group looks better together than alone.’
Having realized this too late, Hye-ryeong only hoped that the current participants wouldn’t make the same mistake she did.
“Class D is done, and now only Class F is left?”
“But I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of rank shifting. Mostly, people are going down from making mistakes, or a few who had higher-level skills to begin with are moving up.”
While Hye-ryeong was momentarily reminiscing, even Class D’s evaluation was already wrapping up.
Choreographer Lee Jung-yoon and producer Ahn Sung-ho, excluding Hye-ryeong, both showed clear disappointment at the performances of participants who didn’t exceed expectations.
“Class F had a similar vibe during training too.”
“Wasn’t Lee Ga-hyun the leader of Class F? If she still is, I’m not expecting much.”
Now, for the final performance of the mid evaluation, Class F, the atmosphere was filled with more concern than anticipation.
‘This could be a chance.’
While listening to the other judges express their concern about Class F, Hye-ryeong partially agreed, but at the same time, there were also aspects she looked forward to.
Certainly, when she had gone to give training, Class F had shown a completely disorganized performance. However, that was precisely why it also had the greatest potential for improvement.
When someone who was already good made a mistake, it stood out more and drew criticism, but when someone who wasn’t good did well even just once, they were praised. That was the reality.
Since Class F was composed of the trainees with the lowest skill levels to begin with, it meant there was the most room for improvement within the short practice period of one week.
“Class F participants, please come in.”
Soon the short break ended, and the Class F members entered the auditorium for their mid evaluation.
“Huh? Wasn’t Ga-hyun the leader of this class originally?”
“We talked it over as a class and selected a new leader.”
“Really?”
The Class F members who had entered immediately formed their stage formation on the stage set up in the auditorium. Seeing this, choreographer Lee Jung-yoon asked a question.
Because the formation was quite different from the one she had seen before, she asked why, and one of the Class F participants answered that the leader had changed.
‘Na-yeon stepped up?’
Jung-yoon already knew the participant who answered.
Kim Na-yeon from Zero One Entertainment.
In the past, she had been one of the trainees that Jung-yoon had personally trained.
Jung-yoon knew well that Na-yeon’s true skill level was high, even among the trainees.
But she also knew very well that Na-yeon became extremely nervous every time she stood on stage. Even during the previous entrance ceremony performance, Na-yeon had trembled with nerves, and watching that had made Jung-yoon feel frustrated and upset with pity.
However, no matter how familiar or affectionate she was toward a trainee, she had to remain objective as a judge.
‘There are quite a few kids like Na-yeon.’
Surprisingly, many trainees couldn’t demonstrate their real abilities in actual performances, unlike during practice.
On the other hand, there were also trainees who were just average during practice but shone the moment they stepped on stage. The interesting part was that the latter had a higher chance of debuting.
That’s why Jung-yoon had even considered advising Na-yeon to give up becoming an idol if she couldn’t overcome the pressure of real performances.
But today, upon seeing Na-yeon say she had been newly elected as the leader of Class F, she suddenly started to feel hopeful.
The fact that someone as timid as Na-yeon had stepped up to take on a role like leader surely meant something had changed.
If she could just break out of her shell, Na-yeon was a skilled trainee who would never fall behind even the participants in Class A.
“But isn’t the center Si-on, not Na-yeon?”
“Yes, we judged that it would be best for the performance.”
“Hm…”
However, one thing still weighed on her mind, the fact that the center was Lee Si-on, not Na-yeon.
‘In terms of visuals, she’s definitely center material. When someone with such a striking appearance isn’t at center, the audience’s focus drops sharply.’
The sight of Si-on standing at the center of the Class F formation looked not only fitting but perfect, even in Jung-yoon’s eyes.
But what she was concerned about was Si-on’s skills.
If Si-on, who didn’t even have the basics down yet, was placed at the center purely for her looks, it could end up being a disaster.
Since the center was the most visible position on stage, any lack of skill would be fully exposed. At the very least, she had to have enough skill not to stand out for the wrong reasons.
“I’ll watch the performance first.”
“Yes!”
It seemed that Jung-yoon wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy about Si-on being placed at center.
Hye-ryeong, who had recently given positive evaluations about Lee Si-on, was also sitting next to her with a slightly anxious expression as she looked toward the stage.
***
“Unnie, I survived thanks to you.”
“You followed along well.”
Ryu-jin smiled as if it were nothing in response to Park Jin-joo, her fellow Class A participant sitting next to her, who expressed her gratitude.
‘Practice doesn’t lie.’
In truth, even though she said that, Ryu-jin was feeling a great sense of pride at the moment.
Among the four trainees from her agency, Logic Entertainment, who participated in this program, she was the only one who received an A grade to begin with.
Even among the high-flying, top-tier participants in Class A, Ryu-jin was clearly showing why she was a strong candidate for the final seven members.
Having lived as a trainee since childhood, Ryu-jin was confident not only in her skills but also in leading others. She was displaying all the qualities a leader should possess, earning the complete trust of her fellow Class A participants.
Thanks to that, while another well-known figure in Class A, Ryu A-yeon, mostly kept to herself outside of practice, Ryu-jin was always surrounded by other participants seeking her help.
‘I gave up the center to Ryu A-yeon, but I’m definitely going to take first place.’
Every trainee who knew Seo Ryu-jin cited her relentless effort as her greatest strength.
A fighting spirit so intense it could almost be frightening.
And meticulous effort that matched that fighting spirit.
Those were the words that defined who Seo Ryu-jin was.
Although she had stepped back for the sake of the team, thinking it would be better for Ryu A-yeon to take the center position, she had no intention of yielding until the very end.
Everything she had aimed for so far, she had achieved it all without exception.
‘Come to think of it, that girl was in Class F, right?’
The mid evaluation, held ahead of the upcoming live stage of Music Count' scheduled for next week.
Having finished their performance first, the Class A participants were now seated in a corner of the auditorium, watching the other classes perform.
Ryu-jin was also keeping an eye on other participants who might become her rivals, but honestly, up to this point, she had been somewhat disappointed by the underwhelming performances.
However, as Class F's turn approached, Ryu-jin unconsciously adjusted her posture and focused.
Lee Si-on.
The participant who had oddly caught Ryu-jin’s attention even before the program began belonged to that class.
‘Her skills were a mess, but…’
Back in the waiting room, the way Lee Si-on had looked at her, with an expression that seemed almost condescending, to the point of being rude, had annoyed Ryu-jin.
Fueled by pride, Ryu-jin had prepared for the entrance ceremony stage with everything she had.
But when she finally saw Lee Si-on’s performance, it was truly disastrous.
After that, Ryu-jin naturally lost interest, deciding she wasn’t even worth considering as a competitor.
Yet strangely, as Class F’s stage time arrived, she found herself watching again.
“I’ll just watch the performance first.”
“Yes!”
And then Class F’s performance began.
‘Center…?’
Seeing Lee Si-on standing at the very front of the formation, Ryu-jin was shocked.
Even if it was just Class F, with the skill level Ryu-jin knew Lee Si-on had, putting her in the center made no sense.
At least, not by any reasonable standard.
However.
I've been waiting for this moment (Oh yeah)
The light I’ve been hiding
Now it’s time to show it
You can't avoid my eyes
'...Why is she doing well?!'
Class F’s performance completely defied Ryu-jin’s expectations.
They were more in sync and incredibly stable than Class D, which presented their stage earlier, no, than any class except Class A.
And furthermore.
Maybe it feels like a dream
But I’ve made it real
Now it’s my turn
Make everyone remember me
The sight of Lee Si-on at center left Ryu-jin stunned.
During the entrance ceremony, Si-on couldn’t even keep rhythm, let alone connect her choreography.
But what she was showing now, even with slight exaggeration, could easily pass as an A-grade performance: composed and flawless.
And what was even more surprising.
Pick me now, pick me wow
The name that will make your heart flutter
Among countless stars
Choose me- now!
She was even singing stably.
‘Was she hiding her skills? …No. The way she moved back then, that was someone who hadn’t learned anything at all.’
As someone who had devoted herself more than anyone to practice, Ryu-jin could say with certainty.
The Lee Si-on she saw during the entrance ceremony hadn’t been hiding her skill, she had had no foundation whatsoever.
Which made the current scene all the more unbelievable and incomprehensible.
There’s only one chance
“It’s me now, this is the moment!”
Seeing Si-on smiling brightly as she sang the highlight of the song alone, Ryu-jin felt goosebumps rise across her body.
“…Idol…”
It was still too early to say her skills were perfect.
Ryu-jin’s eyes could still see weak points here and there in the dance and vocals.
But those minor flaws didn’t matter.
The way Lee Si-on sang and danced while leading Class F at this moment, it was exactly the image of an idol that Ryu-jin had dreamed of a long time ago.