02. Regressor (2)
Let's see, the timeline is....
I took out paper and pen naturally, just like I had been using the space before. Then I started organizing Yoo Young's memories in chronological order.
Parents' death (it was an accident, but I don't remember the details, so I don't know)
Dropping out (for idols? ⇒ I think it's the time I'm currently possessed)
Trainee life (Agency I went through ⇒ Lime, Geo, KS... etc.)
Group activities (Reason for failure ⇒ Bad concept, members' derailment or accidents, various scandals, agency... What? It's not all his fault)
Regression (At first it was a car accident, then he met the system and started to regress. Gradually the number of regresses increased. It seems he was dependent on it)
After writing this far, I crossed my arms and stared at the paper. Why is a child's life so pitiful?
His parents passed away in an accident, and he has been cut off from his relatives for a long time. He seems to have managed to get by with the house and small amount of money he inherited from his parents, but since he had no guardian to take care of him, he must have had a hard time in the beginning.
'He seems to have talent, considering that he easily got into agencies and debuted easily....'
I understand why the system said that this guy's talent is the hand of minus, not Midas. No matter how hard he tries, bad luck keeps piling up.
Even though he went back and corrected his mistakes, changed members, and made new plans, he failed miserably. It was as if the entire universe was conspiring against his success. In short...
"...What an unlucky guy."
That's exactly what it felt like. I quickly gathered my thoughts and sighed. The past was the past, and now I have to decide what to do next.
'He hasn't been able to go beyond 5 years since the return, so let's assume the time limit is roughly around that.'
The agency is, of course, Han Awon's... So, I guess I should go to Lime Entertainment, the large agency I originally belonged to.
Lime Entertainment is a planning company that grew into a large-scale company after Planet rose to stardom and then went on to produce successive junior groups.
If you ask if Lime is a good agency, well, I'm not sure, but since I've been there for a long time, I have the advantage of being well-versed in the internal affairs. It's also time to send out rookies.
'More than anything, Yoo Young's face... is Lime Entertainment's.'
Each agency has its own preferred type, and Yoo Young was clearly the Lime Entertainment style.
Pretty drooping eyes, long eyelashes, white skin, delicate facial features, and an innocent vibe. Given Lime Entertainment's obsession with appearance, Yoo Young couldn't be left out.
"The audition is fun, but what happens after that is the problem."
As I uncrossed my arms and straightened my posture, something flashed before my eyes. It was a sudden system notification.
[SYSTEM: Loading...]
[SYSTEM: Update Completed]
[SYSTEM: Update contents
Would you like to confirm?]
[SYSTEM: Yes / No]
What else has been updated? It's making people anxious.
I wanted to press NO, but... I scrunched up my face and pressed YES. And for a moment, I was speechless.
[Check the subject's profile]
- Yoo Young (Han Awon)
- Target designation goal: Top Idol 1st team in 'Dance Position'
- Traits: Regressor, Hand of Minus, Kingmaker
- Status: ---
Wow...... You're emphasizing the dance position right now?
"Crazy, I was a rap member!"
I'm not bad at dancing because I have experience, but it's not something I can show off. But among kids who can fly and crawl, a position that's not even my specialty is a first-team member?! Even if my body is Yoo Young's, is idols a joke? Why are you telling me this now?
"Ahh... I can't even hit you once."
I ruffled my hair and twirled the pen with my fingers. Yoo Young's skills weren't bad based on these memories. However, he's currently in the state of a trainee who's not an idol or anything, which means he has to start over from the beginning. It's hard to make a mark in the dance position right away.
'Then song selection is important.'
For limited stages like auditions, song selection and arrangement were more important than you might think. Even if your skills are the same, if you choose a song that suits you, your skills will be somewhat inflated. Why, isn't there a saying that song selection is also a skill?
I turned over the paper and wrote down a list of songs that I could present at the audition.
'A song where the dance stands out more than the vocals. But it's okay if the vocals aren't audible.'
'Let's leave out famous songs. Especially the designated songs that are often used in auditions, unless they're as skilled as veterans, the judges will get tired of hearing them and hate them. Ah. And the latest songs, pass.'
'Leave out all the flashy stuff. Even if the applicant pretends to be deadly, he's just an ordinary person who puts on a show."
As I listed the reasons one by one, the audition songs were quickly decided. I also organized the expected lineup in case there were any additional songs requested.
"Oh my, it's already time...."
After checking my watch, I put the paper and pen back in their places, then picked up my phone.
It was 1 a.m. when I opened my eyes and checked the article, and the sun was already high in the sky. I had a lot of work to do to raise the applicants after a long time.
'Should I start by organizing the photos... Huh?'
As soon as I opened my phone's photo album, I was shocked. What should I say? It was abnormally lifeless. I even checked everything in the cloud, but I couldn't find a single photo that could be used as information, let alone a selfie of Yoo Young.
'No way.....'
Just in case, I checked the phone history and contacts. No SNS, only spam in recent calls and text messages, only 2 contacts? And only his parents.
I don't think it was this bleak originally. Did his previous life get erased when I possessed him?
"...There shouldn't be any issues with privacy."
I tried to put off thinking about Yoo Young and grabbed my phone. When I went to the Lime Entertainment homepage, the audition date popped up.
'The Seoul audition schedule is in two weeks.'
I sighed deeply and tapped my phone lightly on the desk. In the meantime, I need to organize the necessary documents and create the audio and photos to submit for the audition.
Arrangement... I guess. I'll check the choreography to match that.
Let's put aside the identity of the system for now. The most important thing is to go back to how it was. If that's the only way to go back to my body, I have to achieve my goal no matter what, even if the system is unlucky. And to achieve my goal of becoming a first-tier idol.
'I must think I've really died this week.'
Right now, practice is the only answer.
***
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho of the New Development Headquarters, who was looking through the documents with a bored look on his face, sighed deeply and took a sip of water.
It's been two weeks since the lighting accident. This terrible accident, which was caused by the broadcasting station's mistake, left a big scar on Lime Entertainment.
Public opinion was hitting them from all sides; many big projects were postponed, and the next rookie debut plan was also stopped, but it wasn't that chaotic here.
The blame for the incident was on the broadcasting station, so the criticism against Lime Entertainment decreased, but the situation was still bad. It was a miracle that the open audition was held as scheduled.
'The new department is better, but the public relations, management, and planning departments are all torn apart and dying.'
The problem is that the aftereffects have reached here. Even now, the employees are almost in a state of death. If someone saw them, they'd think they were in a coma.
"There's still a little left, so let's do our best~"
Despite the office workers' inner feelings, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho smiled and clapped. Thanks to his humor that came from his experience, the tense atmosphere eased a little.
"... Coffee is here!"
The youngest, who had come back from running errands while sweating profusely, handed out coffee to the judges. If it weren't for this, they probably would've fainted from exhaustion. They drank the coffee like blood transfusion, accumulating fatigue from the continuous overtime work.
"Number 27, please enter!"
The youngest called the next person in line bravely according to the judges' signal.
The door opened, and the next applicant came in.
'Oh......?'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho raised his head and let out a small exclamation.
"Number 27, please introduce yourself in front of the camera."
"I'm Yoo Young. I'm 18 years old and 185cm tall. I'm applying for a dance position."
He slowly examined Yoo Young.
Not to mention his neat features; his pale double eyelids and long eyelashes seemed to create innocence. He exudes a strange aura even without makeup, which is exactly what an idol looks like.
'He's qualified just by his visuals? No matter where he's placed, he'll look like a picture.'
If he had seen him on the street, it was a face that the casting team would have run to and hung on to. Team Leader Lee Ki-ho straightened his posture.
"Nice to meet you. Then, let's first look at what you've prepared."
Following the judges' indifferent voices, the pre-submitted song rang out from the speaker. At that moment, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho's eyebrows narrowed.
'...... The song selection is a bit disappointing.'
'Pierna', chosen by number 27, is a song from Planet's 4th mini album. It's a song that hasn't been promoted as much as the title song, but it's a song that's been performed a few times.
The song features intense group dances where the members move in a cross-over manner, making it difficult to fill the stage alone.
'I guess he'll pass, but there's a lot to work on.'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho gave up his expectations and stared at the applicant in front of him.
Yoo Young raised his hand amidst the guitar that was resonating like a bang.
-My breathing is getting faster. Baby, did I make you.
The atmosphere changed in an instant as he split the beat and bounced his shoulders. The refreshing song sounded heavy, and a deep melody came in.
Yoo Young crossed his arms and turned his legs to the beat.
-A mirage rippling through the faint fog
-A sweet scent, an ecstatic touch
Yoo Young smiled as he accurately identified the movements. At the same time, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho caught the strange sense of incongruity that had been going on since earlier.
'He had twisted the original song.'
Just now, each member's movements changed according to their respective parts, but thanks to the arranged song and revised choreography, the flow was adjusted so that it was not interrupted.
The choreography was not changed significantly. Rather, the choreography itself was similar to the original song. But Yoo Young continued dancing smoothly on his own.
'The position was dancing, right?'
I understand why you brought this song with such confidence.
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho, who had been tapping his pen to the beat, smiled. This was a feat that was possible only when you were 'in a state of understanding' rather than just 'following' the choreography.
-The emotions that had been melting came alive
-The heart burst as if it had been stabbed with thorns
The choreography was so intense that it felt like there was no room to breathe. Team Leader Lee Ki-ho glanced around.
'The staff's reactions were not bad either.'
The entertainment company staff had seen countless idols and trainees. There was no way they wouldn't notice the lack of physicality or technique in the trainees.
So, in order to make them pay attention despite their shortcomings, they had to have an appealing point.
...That's potential, or stage presence, or, in other words, 'talent'.
And Yoo Young was showing off both of those things amazingly well.
"...That's all."
After the music ended, Yoo Young took a deep breath. His flushed face lit up. Anyone could tell that he had done well.
'It's been a while since a good person came in.'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho bowed his head, feeling happy that he had found a worthy candidate. Before he knew it, the audition room was filled with pleasant tension.
Yoo Young stood quietly, waiting for the judges to speak. He was impeccably polite. He was good-looking, tall, and had decent skills, and he was even polite.
'But there's one thing that bothers me.'
After some time, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho turned his pen and asked a question.
"I have a question."
"Yes."
"Do you have anyone around you who does music? I don't think you've ever been to an academy."
As the judges' eyes were drawn to the somewhat unexpected question, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho smiled with the corners of his eyes folded.
"Who arranged this?"
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