Translator: Dreamscribe
I once watched a documentary about domesticated animals.
One of the scenes showed a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, and the look in its eyes, resigned and sorrowful, left a strong impression on me.
And now,
‘I'm screwed!’
I wonder if my eyes look just like that now.
“Trainees from UI Entertainment... Well, I did watch the performace. But are you sure you're all from the same entertainment agency?”
“Huh?”
“When you danced, there was no coordination at all. I mean, you're still trainees, so I won't expect precise angles or eye-line control, but shouldn't there at least be some sense of unity in performing the same choreography?”
“...Yes.”
At the words of the judge, who was said to be a famous choreographer, the participants lowered their heads as if trying to dig into the floor.
Just moments ago, their faces had seemed so full of energy during their performance, but now they had the expressions of patients who had just received a terminal diagnosis.
“I also watched the performace. But aside from participant number 24, Jo Yoo-jin, the other two of you know you messed up your vocal parts, right?”
“Yes....”
“To be honest, I’m really disappointed. You guys aren’t here for a karaoke session with your friends, are you? Because that’s exactly what it looked like.”
Even Hye-ryeong, a member of G.G who had always shown an angelic image on variety shows, was now delivering brutally sharp critiques that seemed to stab the participants like a knife.
Just watching made me feel like I was the one being scolded.
‘This is like the Division Commander-level spiritual pressure.’
It reminded me of when the Division Commander comes to inspect the barracks and clicks his tongue at the poor management.
“Participant Jo Yoo-jin gets Grade B, the other two get Grade D.”
“...Thank you.”
Seeing the participants step down from the stage barely holding back tears and managing to thank the judges despite the cold grade evaluations, it was enough to drive me insane.
‘Wait! Wasn’t that actually good?’
From my perspective as an ordinary person, the performance the participants just gave looked quite decent.
They danced well, sang decently, and even smiled brightly throughout... and yet this kind of performace got harsh criticism?
‘I was too naive about this!’
Suddenly, my aunt’s words came to mind.
‘You’re preparing your dance or song for the opening ceremony, right? If you really can’t do it, go to a dance academy and take at least 2–3 days of lessons.’
She had urged me to practice after I decided to participate in the program, clearly worried.
‘Aunt, it’s not that I can’t do it. I just haven’t done it yet. If I do, I’ll be good.’
But I had ignored that sincere advice.
Truthfully, it’s not like I hadn’t prepared at all, but now that I was actually here, what I’d prepared felt like child’s play.
Anxiety, uneasiness, tension.
It reminded me of middle school, when the teacher would check homework starting from the front-row students and yell at the ones who hadn’t done it.
The participants were going out in number order, and my number was 100.
The last performace was my turn.
***
“Hello. We’re trainees from Logic Entertainment. My name is Seo Ryu-jin.”
“Oh, Logic. That’s a well-known agency. I’m looking forward to it.”
The participants continued to take the stage without delay.
Most of them formed teams with fellow trainees from the same agency, so there were three or four people per performace, and before I knew it, over half of the participants had already performed.
There were even five trainees currently on stage from Logic Entertainment.
“We’ve prepared A-tempo sunbaes’ ‘Be Your Man’.”
“Be Your Man? That’s not an easy one. Who picked the song?”
“I did.”
“Are you confident?”
“Yes!”
“Alright. I’m looking forward to it.”
When the participant named Seo Ryu-jin replied confidently, Hye-ryeong’s lips curled up slightly.
‘Interesting.’
It wasn’t a sneer, but a smile born out of genuine curiosity.
In fact, when she was first offered a spot as a judge on the program ‘Idol Ground 100’, Hye-ryeong had initially refused.
Having gone through a long trainee period and debuting only after much struggle, and continuing to survive in the entertainment industry to this day, she knew all too well how desperate trainees could be. That’s why she didn’t feel confident judging them.
She could offer warm words or encouragement to the trainees participating in the program, but giving cold, hard evaluations hurt her heart.
-Hye-ryeong-nim, when you think back on your own trainee days, do you feel like criticism helped more, or praise?
However, Hye-ryeong eventually gave in to the persuasion of Kim Mi-young, the main PD of the program.
-What idol trainees need most is realistic advice from a successful senior who has walked that path before them. I don’t want this program to be just a hit- I want it to be a turning point that gives hope to trainees.
Because of this, Hye-ryeong gritted her teeth and evaluated the participants’ performaces with a coldness that was perhaps a bit excessive.
‘The participants' level is more disappointing than I expected.’
Perhaps it was because Hye-ryeong herself had been part of SY, one of the Big 3 agencies in Korea, so her standards were high, but so far, none of the participants' skills had impressed her.
The only ones who sparked a bit of hope were the current trainees from Logic Entertainment.
‘Choosing a song by A-tempo means they’re confident.’
While Logic couldn’t be compared to her own agency SY, it was still considered a prestigious idol agency in its own right.
Since the trainees came from such a place, she thought they’d be more skilled than the earlier participants. And the fact that they had boldly chosen a song by a boy group like A-tempo made her expectations rise even more.
In truth, for a female to cover a boy group’s performance was a highly challenging task, even for professionals.
The signature of boy groups was their intense and precisely synchronized choreography, which was more a matter of performance shaped by gender differences than just dance skill alone.
Just as women appeared captivating with soft and fluid choreography, men were attractive when performing powerful and intense moves.
That’s why, if a woman covered a boy group’s song poorly, the performace could easily become a complete failure, neither here nor there.
For this reason, Hye-ryeong couldn’t help but be curious about how Logic’s trainees had prepared for such an important turning point as the entrance ceremony performace, choosing a boy group’s song.
Tap.
What remains at the end of your day
Familiar footsteps walking alone.
Your silent smiling back
Keeps shaking my heart
‘A ballad?’
Hye-ryeong was surprised when she heard the song’s soft introduction.
A-tempo’s 'Be Your Man', the original song, was known for its intense intro starting with a powerful synthesizer, but Logic’s trainees had rearranged it into a soft, medium-tempo ballad.
Thanks to this, the song gave off the vibe of a fluttering girl’s heart, unlike the original, and the choreography had also changed to fit, filled with gentle, swaying movements.
All the days I pretended not to know
I can’t hide it anymore
My heart keeps running
Toward you
‘They even changed the lyrics? And they did a decent job too.’
What impressed Hye-ryeong even more was that they hadn’t just used the original lyrics out of so-called “respect” for the original.
If you’re going to rearrange the entire mood of the song, then changing the lyrics to match is the right approach.
I’ll be your girl, by your side
Someone you can always lean on
Even if I cry, even if it hurts, it’s okay
As long as you smile
I’ll be your girl
When Logic’s trainees finally finished their performace, a brief silence filled the studio.
And then,
Clap, clap, clap.
Starting with the judges, even the participants seated in the back began clapping.
“Ha... Did your agency rearrange and choreograph this for you?”
Judge Ahn Sung-ho, who had been harshly criticizing the performace setups of other participants until now.
But now, his face was beaming as if he had discovered a gem.
“No. We rearranged and choreographed it ourselves.”
“No way. Sure, there were some slightly rough parts, but this was really well done. Especially how you preserved the feel of the original song’s highlight part, it was fantastic.”
“Thank you!”
Following Ahn Sung-ho’s praise, choreographer Lee Jung-yoon also complimented them, saying the choreography perfectly highlighted their strengths and matched the mood of the rearranged song.
And then,
“Participant Seo Ryu-jin?”
“Yes!”
“You’re going to debut. The other trainees did well too, but you stood out as the one leading the performace from the center. I’ll give you Grade A.”
“Thank you!!!”
With Hye-ryeong’s final compliment, Logic’s trainees left the stage with an impressive record, one receiving Grade A, and the rest all receiving Grade B.
After the performance by the trainees from Logic, participants from agencies with a certain level of status started to appear one by one, and the evaluation standards of the judges grew increasingly strict and demanding.
‘Your pitch is really unstable. Did you not learn proper breathing techniques? Or did you just not practice?’
‘You know participant number 55 ruined the entire choreography alone, right? If this were a monthly evaluation at your agency, you’d be out.’
‘Don’t attempt rearrangements unless you’re absolutely confident. I’m honestly scared the original artists might hear this.’
Though there were a few participants who still managed to shine, most had to step down after receiving harsh evaluations, blocked by the now significantly higher wall.
“Hello. I’m participant number 99, Ryu A-yeon, a trainee from TSP.”
“TSP? Wait, I think I’ve seen her before?”
“Hye-ryeong ssi, aren’t you being too indifferent just because it’s a rival agency? Ryu A-yeon is famous. She’s TSP’s prized trainee.”
“Really?”
And thus, the entrance ceremony performace had reached number 99.
When participant number 99, Ryu A-yeon, descended from the golden chair at the top of the 13th floor, not only the other trainees but also the judges were stirred.
“You must be a famous participant. What performace have you prepared?”
However, since Hye-ryeong actually didn’t know who Ryu A-yeon was, worry came before expectation.
‘But she's still a trainee, isn't this giving her too much expectation?’
Compared to other participants, the unusually high level of attention could be advantageous in the competition, but if she failed to meet those expectations.
Hye-ryeong knew better than anyone how quickly that attention could turn into a blade.
“I prepared senior Leeon’s ‘Pop Star.’”
“Pop Star?”
However, Hye-ryeong was startled when Ryu A-yeon boldly raised the bar with her song selection, rendering her earlier worries meaningless.
‘Out of all of Leeon sunbae’s songs, Pop Star is nearly impossible even for active idols, let alone trainees....’
Leeon.
A legendary solo female singer representing South Korea, active from the mid-2000s when idol groups dominated the scene all the way to the present.
The song Pop Star, chosen by Ryu A-yeon, was a track Leeon had ambitiously released in an attempt to break into the American market.
Though it didn’t perform well commercially, within industry circles, it was known as a song ahead of its time and infamous for its insane difficulty, something only a singer like Leeon could pull off.
Tap.
As if she didn’t care about everyone’s concerns and worries, Ryu A-yeon calmly walked to the center of the stage, brought her hands together, lowered her head, and began to prepare.
Soon, the music started.
This is the fantasy I made
Play the beat by my rules
In the pouring flashes
Look at the dazzling me, yeah
As Ryu A-yeon began her performace, Hye-ryeong found herself unable to close her slightly parted mouth.
‘No way... A trainee dominated the stage all by herself?’
Because the original song had been made for the solo artist Leeon, the performace could easily feel empty unless filled with exceptional movement and performance.
But right now, Ryu A-yeon’s performace felt so complete, it was hard to believe she was performing alone.
I’m a pop star (pop star)
The world calls me louder
Shining over the moonlight like glitter
I never stop
Especially while executing the high-level choreography required to create such a full performace, Ryu A-yeon’s unwavering vocals brought the entire studio to a standstill.
Pop star (pop star)
A drama sparkling like a star
It’s all my stage
Watch me now, I’m your pop star
Tap.
Even after flawlessly pulling off the final part of the song, Ryu A-yeon, though surely exhausted, simply held her ending pose and took a deep breath, trying to hide her heavy breathing.
And from the judges to the trainees and even the staff on set, everyone was silent as they watched.
This was a phenomenal performace.
Both judges and participants could tell.
That Ryu A-yeon had already surpassed the level of a trainee.
At this moment, there was only one person having a different thought while watching Ryu A-yeon’s performace.
‘Just kill me instead.’
And that was none other than the next performer- Lee Si-on.