Tuesday, June 1st, GK Entertainment. Practice room 8.
Hwang Nari glanced at the clock hanging on the wall opposite the floor-to-ceiling mirror at one end of the practice room and sighed. It was almost 8 pm, she had been seated at this spot since the last group of trainees went in for the audition.
Today was the last day of the in-house audition to select the finalise up for the company's new girl group called "STARLIGHT". So far 4 out of the six slots available were already occupied.
Today's audition was tough since out of the 30 trainees that had signed up for the audition only ten remained. Hwang Nari was among the ten that auditioned for the remaining 2 slots.
She looked away from the clock and glanced at the other trainees seated in small groups. They looked as nervous as she was. There were only two spots left and Nari needed to secure one of those slots.
She took out her phone and launched one of the three RPG games on her phone to take her mind off everything. The wait was killing her, It has been over thirty minutes since the first set of 5 trainees had gone in.
Nari looked up from the door in intervals, hoping that the two available spots will not be taken before she had a chance to audition. Her contract would be expiring in a few weeks and given her age. This was her last chance to debut in a group.
She was not about to lose her only opportunity without even trying. She logged out of the game and stood as they were asked to come out of the room.
They stopped outside the showcase room as the door opened. They watched as a staff led a cheerful trainee out. The trainee was none other than Uri, one of the company's popular trainees.
Uri has been in the company since she was eight years old, she started as a child model under the company before joining the training program from one of the company's in-house auditions held six years ago. She was accepted as a trainee.
Nari wasn't surprised that Uri had been selected to debut in the team. It was widely known that Uri was a very talented vocalist. Everyone's gaze followed Uri and the staff as they got into the Elevator.
'There is only one slot left, I have to get selected', she thought as the elevator doors shut.
The female staff cleared her throat to get their attention, which worked because they all turned back to her.
The staff glanced down at the notepad in her hands and scribbled a few words on the notepad with an ash-coloured stylus pen before looking up at them.
She tipped the gold-rimmed glasses resting on her nose up, "There is only one spot left ladies, let us get going. it is getting late", she said closing the notepad and walking to the showroom door.
Hwang Nari and the rest of the trainees fell in step behind her. She led them up the stage and stepped back to stand by the judge's table with her notepad raised.
Hwang Nari's legs shook as she walked behind the petite trainee dressed in blue shorts and a black tank top. She pinched her tight gently to steady her nerves while breathing deeply.
She like every well-trained K-pop trainee had perfected the act of masking her through feels with a smile. Although she felt extremely nervous, Nari managed to curve her lip into a beautiful toothless smile.
The room was designed like a small showroom, with a wide stage. Below the stage was a long table where the 4 judges were seated.
Behind the judges were rolls of seats reserved for an audience, A few of the company's best vocal coaches and dance trainers occupied the audience seats.
This was the small showcase room where the most brutal quarterly evaluation was held. it was nicknamed the 'death roll room'.
The room was associated with where the debut dreams of most trainees were cut short. Facing the four judges seated below the stage at the long table.
The trainees placed a hand over the other at their lower stomach and bowed deeply, "Hello", They all chorused cheerfully, with a wide smiles.
The Director in charge of the management of Artists, Choi Si-woo, a tall lanky man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a dark blue button-up polo and plain green slacks nodded at them as he picked up the bottle of water beside his notepad.
He opened the cap and took a sip of water, before looking down at the screen of his notepad. He scrolled through the profile of the five trainees on the stage. He paused as his gaze fell on the profile of the girl standing beside the girl in blue shorts.
He frowned as his gaze fell on her age, "twenty-two..." he muttered gazing up to check her name, "Hwang Nari", he muttered sighing.
His frown deepened as read through the teachers' assessment of the Hwang Nari, he once again glanced at her and bit his lips gently.
According to the records, Hwang Nari was an excellent vocalist and dancer however her rapping was manageable at best.
He leaned closer to the Director of management team Three seated beside him and drew his attention to the situation, after conversing between themselves.
They pulled away and once again faced the stage, Choi Si-woo pursed his lips and said, "We already have two vocalists, a rapper and a dancer, let me hear you rap".
Hwang Nari's breath hitched at that instruction, Every trainee had their areas of specialisation and while her vocals and dancing were good, her rap was only decent at best.
She suddenly felt distraught however, she clenched her hands tightly. She blinked a glanced at the evaluators, suddenly feeling like the rug had been pulled under her.
In the end, she could only search within her for some encouragement. The memory of the hours spent practising for over a decade reminded her of how far she was willing to go. She took in a deep breath, shut out the trainees beside her and zeroed her mind.