"Mr.Raj"
I heard a low-pitched voice that was pleasant to listen to.
A man holding a takeaway coffee in his hand.
He is tall and wearing a coat, and the fit is good enough for a model.
"Yes, that's right, but who are you?"
"nice to meet you. My name is Jack Reed. You heard the story through Director Raju, right?"
"Oh, yes. hello."
Manners are basic.
I bowed my head and greeted him politely.
"It's called Raj Morningstar. Please take care of me."
"Please take care of me. Rather, I think I should say that I am asking for your favour."
Director Jack Reed smiled softly.
Because of his image as a genius composer, I had the impression of an artist full of emotion working in a closet, but this is completely different.
Rather, he gave the impression of a successful office worker.
I would say it doesn't even fit the image of a fortune teller.
He was handsome, but his facial features strangely reminded me of a Tibetan fox.
He said.
"You were a little embarrassed, right? They suddenly asked you to come for an audition."
"Yes, a little."
"It's been a while since I've done something like this. It's rare for me to look at someone and think, 'This is the person.'"
"It's an honour."
I added with a smile.
"You have to have the skills to live up to those expectations."
"There is no need to feel burdened. This is a position that looks at potential, not skill."
Director Jack Reed, smiling softly, said as if something had occurred to him.
"By the way, I forgot about the gift."
"A gift?"
"I thought we might run into each other, so I prepared Raj Morningstar's as well."
He handed out coffee in a paper cup.
"Please be kind to me."
"me too."
"Then I'll go in first, so come in slowly. Please wait in the practice room on the first basement floor and we will come down."
Director Reed walked with great strides as if showing off his long legs.
I took the coffee and smiled awkwardly.
Coffee, along with alcohol, was a drink I couldn't drink.
If I use a lot of caffeine, my heart starts pounding like crazy.
But when I opened the lid of the paper cup, I was embarrassed to see what was inside.
…what?
The rising smoke was the scent of cocoa.
Hot cocoa.
It was a drink I often drank.
I thought I must have been caught, but I felt strange when I remembered the fortune teller nickname that Raju had mentioned.
It feels like I'm somehow possessed by a nine-tailed fox.
'what. It's probably just a coincidence.'
While gulping down cocoa, I went to the practice room in the basement.
It was easy to find because there was only one open door.
While waiting for the staff to come down from the practice room, I looked around and let out an exclamation.
Practice room.
It is important to look at what facilities are in place here.
As the saying goes, 'If you see one, you know ten, and the company's efforts are revealed in the practice room.'
Everything here was the latest equipment.
In an environment like this, would you be in the top 1%?
The support for trainees seems to be quite strong, so I feel like it was a good thing I came to the audition.
It would be perfect if the people at the company were nice too.
Around the time I had such expectations, company executives and employees began to arrive one after another.
One of them walked straight towards me.
"Nice to meet you."
He was a middle-aged man with a bald head and glasses, and he was the most impressive person I had ever seen.
"My name is Nero Stark, the CEO of Idol Rising Entertainment. You must have had a hard time getting here. I heard you came from Delhi?"
"yes. I look forward to it."
"is it so? Let's have a good time today."
Representative Stark offered us a seat with a friendly smile.
When we finally sat down, he introduced the people sitting at the judges' table one by one.
Director Jack Reef.
Director Raju Shah.
Rookie development team leader.
Vocal trainer.
Dance trainer.
I tensed for a moment as if they were looking at me as if they were evaluating me, but I soon took a deep breath and relaxed my expression.
"Then, shall we begin?"
The first hurdle is camera testing.
This is the so-called procedure to check whether the camera is properly received.
No matter how handsome or pretty a person is, their appearance on TV and in real life is bound to be different.
The camera test was a procedure to confirm that.
As I made various facial expressions and postures, I suddenly remembered the old days.
Was it when I was in elementary school?
It was around that time when I took a camera test in the third round of the MJ audition.
What were the results?
Then, probably like now...
"Wow, that's great."
Representative Stark said as if he was impressed.
"It looks good in person, but it also looks good on camera. It would be natural if it happened at MJ, which is famous for its rigorous auditions."
As the camera testing proceeded smoothly, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. Despite the nerves and uncertainty, it seemed that I was passing the first hurdle with flying colors.
As the judges observed my performance, I made sure to maintain a confident and engaging presence, knowing that every moment counted towards making a positive impression.
Once the camera testing was completed, it was time for the vocal evaluation