LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 10
Chapter 10. A Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (1)
On a day like any other, Park Gun from Miro Entertainment’s 3rd-year Content Team 1 heard a rumor circulating in the office, causing him to spit out the coffee he had been drinking.
“Zhuge Liang?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
The old-timers were excited about the arrival of a newbie. It would have been interesting even if it was just a regular rookie, but this one was the hot topic, tangled with all sorts of famous people.
“Manager Kim, Team Leader Ji, and even Seo Taeil came by to persuade him and left.”
“A modern-day ‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.’”
Once a rumor gains momentum, it starts generating all sorts of unfounded tales with increasing speed.
“Is he really that amazing?”
“They say he was originally a Renes trainee.”
“Isn’t he the one Jang Seoyun personally trained?”
“No, I heard Team Leader Ji scouted him.”
“What’s this about him fighting with Taeil while guiding at Utopia?”
Marketing Team’s Jung got excited and made a fuss.
“You know, that thing where Taeil was comforting some guy the other day.”
“Oh, so that was him?”
“They fought? Wasn’t he just getting scolded?”
“No, they had a huge fight. That’s why he refused to sign the trainee contract and stormed out.”
“Wow, he’s got some guts.”
Park Gun was inadvertently impressed by the thrilling tale of a hero. Wow, Seo Taeil has some serious presence. And someone fought him?
“Oh, look. There he is, over there.”
“Who? That guy? Right now?”
“Wow, that mask is something.”
The lively chatter died down as the subject of the rumors appeared. Everyone pretended not to look while sneaking glances at the rumored trainee.
Kang Hajin, knowing full well where those glances were directed, thought to himself.
‘Ha. Damn.’
Starting off with a bang, aren’t we?
If you’re an idol trainee, you have to get used to attention and gossip. Many trainees dream of becoming idols precisely because they enjoy that kind of attention. Negative comments are better than none, and the term ‘anti-fan’ exists for a reason, but…
‘This is just hype.’
Such attention would only be toxic for a trainee who just joined, not even part of a debut group.
“Really? He seems more ordinary than I expected.”
See? They’re already starting to score me.
Human psychology is funny that way. Even though someone else’s success doesn’t harm you, when you hear that someone is great, you can’t help but look at them with a bit of envy. Since there’s no cost to judging, why not?
It was likely just the temporary effect of being the new guy, which would settle down over time. However, my problem was that I didn’t have time. I had to debut within three months, and if I got on the bad side of the staff, everything would go up in smoke.
I immediately turned and walked toward the employees who were still looking at me with curious eyes. I made direct eye contact with a few surprised employees, offering them a friendly smile.
“Hello. I’m Kang Hajin, and I’ll be starting as a trainee today.”
“Oh, hello.”
“Um, since it’s my first time here… I was told to go to Practice Room 3, but I don’t know where that is.”
I flashed a bashful smile, and one of the employees who had been sizing me up with folded arms turned toward me, loosening his posture.
“Oh, you can go this way.”
“I’ll show you. I was just about to head in.”
As expected, the employee, now more relaxed, volunteered to guide me, even offering an unsolicited favor. “Want me to buy you a drink? You thirsty?”
I politely declined and followed behind, hearing the employees immediately start a new round of evaluations about me.
“Wow, he’s got a good personality.”
“How do you know? It’s your first time seeing him.”
“Do you know how many people are stuck-up these days? He’s a breath of fresh air.”
The effect of being a ‘friendly and approachable newbie’ was impressive in shattering their excessively high expectations and inflated rumors!
[System Alert: ‘Many people’ feel curiosity and affection towards you.]
[System Alert: ‘Mass Affection’ is being converted into cash for the Skill System. (Cash Conversion in Progress…)]
The sound of money piling up was deeply satisfying. The fact that the new skill I created last night was immediately applicable made me feel quite proud.
‘Right. Microtransactions are the answer, after all.’
This ‘Cash Skill’ was a new ability I developed after suffering from severe penalties last time. Though called a skill, it was more like a system in itself.
[System Alert: Skill
[System Alert: Affection received from people is converted into cash, which can be used as currency for creating and executing skills.]
[System Alert: 600 cash has been accumulated. (Balance: 1,000 cash)]
‘600 is decent enough.’
Of course, the price I paid for creating this skill was having my mental fortitude severely reduced, leaving me acting like a spoiled brat for half a day…
‘Mom…’
‘Why are you craving your mom’s love today? What’s wrong?’
‘Mommy…’
To my mom, it might have been a sudden bout of childishness from her 20-year-old son, but to me, it was nothing more than a disgraceful act from a 29-year-old (+a). Just thinking about it made me cringe.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m just a bit nervous.”
“Oh. Many people feel that way at first.”
I decided to bury my embarrassing memories and focus on the present. As I strolled through the corridors to clear my thoughts, I observed the clean-looking building. Just like Renes, which looked like a Greek temple, this place also seemed to match its name. With so many hallways and practice rooms, it felt like I could easily get lost if I wasn’t careful.
“Isn’t the building a bit confusing?”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking that, as the employee leading me chuckled awkwardly. I was about to nod in agreement when…
“See you later.”
“Ah, seriously, won’t you listen to me!”
Someone hurriedly exited an office and bumped into us. Why is his face so small? As soon as I saw the dark-haired, stoic face that looked impossible to emulate with dye, I couldn’t help but let out an impressed “Oh.” That face seemed destined for idolhood from birth, almost as if Miro had kidnapped him the moment he was born.
“Oh, Eunchan.”
“…Hello.”
Wow, what a voice.
He must have cried out when he was born,
“Hello, I’m destined to be an idol at Miro.”
The boy, who looked like he was born for this, quickly bowed his head and walked away as soon as he noticed us.
Maybe because of his long legs, he disappeared after taking only a few steps. I absentmindedly watched him go, but then the office door he had come from opened again.
“Good grief, just leaving like that, what am I supposed to do―”
“Oh my, Haru!”
“…Oh, uh. Hello, haha.”
Oh, he sparkles.
With large, slightly teary eyes that could only be described as sparkling, he awkwardly smiled at us as soon as he noticed us.
“Did the Director call you in?”
“Yes, I was practicing… for a bit. Uh, did you happen to see Eunchan-hyung?”
“He just headed that way. Is something wrong?”
“No, no. I’ll be going now!”
The sparkly one (I couldn’t think of any other way to refer to him) dashed away like a rabbit being chased by a hunter. After seeing two handsome faces in such a short span, I felt a bit embarrassed for trying to avoid the Greek gods of Renes, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.
‘Did he just say Director?’
I peeked through the semi-transparent glass door, and there he was—an all too familiar, unattractive face. It was the same man I had seen before, the Director. My neck tingled as my instincts kicked in. There was definitely something going on.
‘Maybe I should gather some information.’
“Wow, they’re all really good-looking.”
“Oh, Haru? Isn’t he cute? His name’s Dan Haru; it’s unique, right?”
“Haru… Dan Haru.”
His name alone stood out, as if he was destined to be entangled in something complicated. Since it’s my first day, I’ll take it slow and see what I can find out. I mentally noted the location of the Director’s office as I followed the employee.
* * *
“Everyone’s been told, right? We’ll be practicing together starting today.”
“I’m Kang Hajin. Please take care of me.”
The sound of lifeless applause filled the spacious practice room. The dance trainer who had introduced me then declared a 30-minute break, saying the newcomer had arrived, and left the practice room with the employee who had brought me.
It was annoying how obvious it was that they were planning to slack off and have coffee. Wow, tossing the newbie aside like this on his first day? Seriously?
“…”
“…”
Still trying to gauge the atmosphere, I hesitated to speak up first. Just then, the oldest-looking trainee (who was clearly an adult) opened his mouth.
“Come on, what are you waiting for? Let’s gather around and introduce ourselves. Hajin, you sit over here.”
He naturally took charge, clearly the leader. The scattered group immediately focused on his words.
He seems to have some authority. I quietly guessed the hierarchy within the practice room and obediently sat where the
leader suggested.
“We’re sorry we’re late!”
“We apologize.”
“…Ah.”
The atmosphere that had barely settled was shattered as Sparkly and the Miro boy (I hadn’t asked his name yet) burst into the practice room. As the two quickly joined the circle, the formation wavered.
A slight, very slight crack appeared on the leader’s previously kind smile. Huh?
“Oh, Eunchan and Haru, come over and sit down. We’re taking a short break because we have a new friend today.”
“Yes.”
“Yes!”
Did I see that wrong? As I tried to get a better look at his expression, the leader’s face once again displayed a friendly and kind smile. I thought I might have imagined it and was about to turn my attention back to Sparkly when…
“Still, let’s be punctual. This is a group activity, and we shouldn’t inconvenience others.”
The one sentence spoken with a smile caused the atmosphere to quickly turn cold. At that moment, I understood where this guy stood within the practice room.
All eyes suddenly turned to Sparkly and the Miro boy. With tense expressions, they repeatedly apologized. Despite that, the strangely cold atmosphere remained.
Oh, interesting.
“Sorry, it’s a bit chaotic on your first day, huh? I’ll introduce myself first. I’m Han Sungwoo, 22 years old. Since I’m the oldest among the group, I’m the leader of Class B. If you have any questions, you can ask me. Let’s get along.”
As expected, as soon as the self-proclaimed leader finished speaking, the others quickly clapped. “Wow, Sungwoo-hyung, you’re so cool! Our leader is handsome!” they cheered.
‘Well, my real interest lies elsewhere, though.’
Sparkly, who had been awkwardly averting his gaze, made eye contact with me again. As I pretended to know nothing and met his gaze, he hesitated slightly, recognizing me from earlier in the hallway.
“…I’m Joo Eunchan, 18 years old.”
That voice is still unreal.
When it was his turn, Miro Boy introduced himself with a voice that could only be described as a perfect low tone. I looked him over, scrutinizing his features to see if I had met him in a past life, but he didn’t seem familiar. How did someone like him not debut? Life really is unpredictable. He must have noticed my stare because he shot me a cold look with his indifferent eyes.
‘Did I look too much?’
I quickly switched to my social smile, gently smiling at him. He averted his gaze first, giving me a subtle sense of victory, but I didn’t let it show since I’m a professional. Soon, it was Sparkly’s turn to speak.
“Hello, I’m Dan Haru… 17 years old.”
“I heard about you from someone at the company. Dan Haru. Your name is unique, so I remember it.”
“Huh? Oh… Yes. Uh, we met earlier, didn’t we?”
“Oh, earlier? Where did you meet?”
Before the wary Sparkly could respond, I spoke to him in a friendly tone, causing Han Sungwoo to look at me with curiosity and ask. At that, Sparkly noticeably flinched and glanced at me. Watching his overly shaky, large eyes, I became certain.
Look at this. I knew there was something up with this kid.