09. Label (2)
The last week of June, a sunny weekend, a large practice room rarely filled with people.
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho patted his sore shoulder and sat down on the chair prepared in advance. Tension filled the air as the camera setup was finished.
'Oh my, look at the atmosphere.'
Although there were only male trainees, there were over forty of them in number. All of them were so tense that it was hard to breathe.
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho, who was looking around, intentionally lightened the mood.
"Everyone's here? Let's relax and work hard."
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho checked the situation after refreshing the air. He would not have come to a place like this normally, but he came because the employees begged him so much.
And soon after, the reason the employees asked him to come here came into the practice room.
"Hello. It's been a while. Team Leader Lee Ki-ho."
"Oh my, that's right. Please take care of me today. Siljang-nim Son Dong-young... No, I guess I should call you CEO now."
"Haha, this is awkward. Just call me like you always do."
The man who greeted him with a friendly smile was Son Dong-young, the former executive manager of Planet and currently the CEO of a new label.
The reason he was so busy was only one. To see if there were any trainees that could be brought to the label.
He couldn't just bring anyone and had to go through many discussions in meetings.
'That guy is actually kind of hard to deal with.'
He didn't want to let other employees take care of Son Dong-young and end up stealing all the good trainees.
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho adjusted his clothes and sat down in the prepared seat. Son Dong-young sat down next to him. Soon after, an employee who had finished preparing raised his hand to signal the start.
"We'll start with individual missions, starting with Class B."
They had to hurry up and finish the monthly evaluation that took two days in one day. Even so, the trainer's harsh criticism was a bonus.
"The part that was pointed out last time is causing trouble again. Did you really practice?"
"Don't you take care of yourself? You weigh the same as last month. Do you want to look like a pig on camera?"
"Why don't you just pack your bags and go home? I don't think you have any talent."
He's very tongue-in-cheek.
In particular, he made it clear that trainees who showed no progress or regressed even a little would be kicked out right away in front of the other kids.
'Today, a few of them will be mentally broken.'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho clicked his tongue softly. He wondered if they should push kids with dreams this hard, but he also felt that it couldn't be helped since idols aren't something that can be achieved easily.
When he sees things like this, he thinks that he himself isn't a very good person. He just didn't show it.
"It's a shame. But since you did a good job, let's try a little harder~"
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho carefully chose his words and evaluated them, chasing away the sleepiness.
Everyone did well, but their skills weren't as good as expected. The only interesting thing he saw was trainee Kim Jung-hyun's ballad cover.
While he was just killing time without much interest, a trainee who caught his eye greeted him.
"Please take care of me."
The new trainee this month, Yoo Young.
According to his memory, the audition went well, and the trainer's evaluation wasn't bad either.
'Yoo Young? Something unique? Oh, there's one thing. When he dances, he dances as if he knows how to look attractive and look good on camera. That's a matter of experience. He seems like someone who's been in the industry for about 10 years.'
'Honestly, Yoo Young doesn't sing incredibly well, but he has a sense. Should I say he's fun to teach? No matter what I ask him to do, he does it well.'
'He said he's in the dance position? At first, I thought he was a rapper. There are many dancers who choose to rap because they can't sing. So I didn't expect much, but I was surprised.'
If Yoo Young had known this, he would have applauded it as an accurate evaluation, but Team Leader Lee Ki-ho was rather indifferent. With a pitiful backstory, overflowing talent and skills, and perfect looks. Isn't his life artificially like the main character?
'Anyway, it's helpful to raise a trainee who knows a lot of things.'
That's also when he is good at it... Anyway, Team Leader Lee Ki-ho focused on the song flowing out of the speaker, hoping for a huge hit.
- I will invite you
Goosebumps came up from the clean first verse. Naturally connected syncopated beats and obsessively precise body control.
'This is the real deal.'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho let out a pleasant laugh without realizing it. It had only been a month since the public audition, but his movements had noticeably changed.
The most surprising thing was that, just as the trainer had evaluated him, he seemed to know 'how to make himself look attractive'.
He is a trainee, so he probably had little stage experience, but this made him wonder....
'Is he really talented?'
Yoo Young stood out enough for Team Leader Lee Ki-ho to evaluate him like that.
It was because Han Ah-won's standards were high in the first place, but Yoo Young's physical ability was not low. Even if he went to the debut group, he would easily get a spot in the dance position.
"....."
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho, who had his eyes twitching, glanced at CEO Son Dong-young. It was still unclear what he was thinking, but his face showed cracks.
"Trainee Yoo Young, what should I say, is charming."
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho, who calmly said his evaluation while using formal language, perhaps because it was an official setting, smiled with satisfaction. Yoo Young smiled brightly and bowed.
"...Thank you."
After Team Leader Lee Ki-ho finished speaking, the trainers' evaluations continued. There were some harsh comments, but the reactions were positive.
The last one to finish the evaluation was CEO Son Dong-young.
"Do you have a favorite celebrity?"
"Yes?"
"Oh, I'm sorry for suddenly saying this. Let me correct it. Do you like Han A-won from Planet?"
Yoo Young's body shook slightly. Team Leader Lee Ki-ho observed Yoo Young and watched the situation, while CEO Son Dong-young leaned forward.
"Somehow, your movements are very similar to Han A-won's."
"Ah... Yes, sir, I like him."
"I thought so. There are many trainees who study and imitate their favorite idols, so I asked."
CEO Son Dong-young laughed refreshingly. It seemed as if all his curiosity had been satisfied.
Before he knew it, he was smiling his signature dry smile.
'Haha, it's fun.'
Team Leader Lee Ki-ho smiled refreshingly as he recalled the schedule he would attend in a little while.
He had a gut feeling that the trainee evaluation meeting might be long.
***
After the individual mission,
Son Dong-young, who had scanned the special notes written on the evaluation sheet, looked closely at the name of a trainee.
[Yoo Young: 18 years old, Class A, Dance position aspirant, entered through an open audition.]
A trainee who was surprisingly similar to Han A-won. Even if others didn't know, Son Dong-young, who had been Planet's manager for a long time, could tell. Yoo Young resembled Han A-won's style, as well as his small gestures and unique habits. It was as if they were the same person.
'They look completely different.'
Han A-won, with his sharp eyes and cold impression, and Yoo Young, who made the word innocent come to mind at a glance, were essentially different types of handsome men.
"Let's start the team mission evaluation."
CEO Son Dong-young came to his senses at the voice of the employee. His mind cleared up when he remembered that he was working. He checked the kids who could be brought to the label, turned his pen, and glanced at Team Leader Lee Ki-ho.
'There are a lot of good kids... Well, I guess that's why they kept that rascal here for some reason.'
Even though it is said that it is easier to move trainees than other agencies, labels are strictly separate entities. There is no agency that would rashly give away kids with good skills and a good pace enough to make it into the debut group.
There aren't many kids who are good but reluctantly give it up because it's hard to use, and it's hard to tell how much they'll have to fight for it at the meeting that would follow. He's already at a loss.
"Next, Team 4 of Class A, come out."
.....Hmm?
At that moment, Yoo Young's gaze passed by so quickly that it seemed like an illusion. It was clear that he was looking this way, but it was so short that it was hard to be sure.
'I heard it was the first month-end evaluation, so he must have been nervous.'
CEO Son Dong-young, who brushed it off lightly, waited until the lights went out.
Thump thump. Soon after, a beat so strong that it shook the stage flowed through the speakers.
- This is it, advice for you
At the same time, the stage began. Starting with Yoo Young's gesture, the sound went down and the precise diction was directly inserted into the ears.
- The lights that flash at night
- (GRRR) I'm hitting you as it is
As the groovy melody rings out, the bass is laid down steadily. Yoo Young, who was matching with Lee A-ram, falls back.
- It is you who are tied to me
- Admit it, and follow me
- I'll show you my everything
The original song's unique, intense choreography was swept over. The team members were appropriately placed in a cleanly revised line, so each member's strengths stood out.
'Wait a minute. This is different from the original part. Did the trainees change it themselves?'
CEO Son Dong-young frowned as he held up the paper with the parts written on it.
It was because it was rare for them to deviate from the parts given by their agency. The reason was simple. That was the safest. If they changed the part for no reason and received harsh criticism, it would be worse than not changing it at all.
'What are you thinking?'
CEO Son Dong-young tilted his head. At the same time, Choi Min-woo and Kim Jung-hyun exchanged lyrics and movements and flicked their shoulders.
- Du Du Da Da Da
- Breaking expectations, here
- I'll show you. Black light
Along with Kim Jung-hyun's vocals in the center, high-difficulty movements poured out. At that moment, CEO Son Dong-young realized.
'These guys chose competition rather than harmony with their teammates.'
Now, the four teams are prioritizing individuals over the overall perfection of the stage. They are not creating synergy among team members but are pushing this disharmony with only their skills.
- No more looking back
- There's no going back
The trainees change places roughly. The surprising thing is that even with such reckless behavior, the stage didn't get dirty.
CEO Son Dong-young took them apart one by one. There wasn't a single part that didn't fit, and if done well, it would draw more attention than the original part.
Yes, really, 'if done well.'
A husky voice mixed with the beat. The sound harmonized with each beat of Yoo Young's rap. The eyes gradually focused on him.
- Oh, I know that you are hesitating
- but you can't get me out You know
- This is advice for you
CEO Son Dong-young sighed without realizing it at the heightened music and choreography.
'This... was precisely calculated based on the trainees' individual styles and parts.'
In a word, it's a gamble.
When you can properly show off your skills, you create a strong presence, but if not, you get buried in the surroundings. It was a different way of distributing parts from the agency that tried to minimize risk.
- A signal sent only to you
- A signal sent only to you
- I'll pretend not to know, so come to me quickly
And here's another one. The sweet, beautiful voice scratches upward as if it's longing for something. It felt desperate because of the outstanding expressiveness, as if he had practiced so much.
'Lee A-ram? He doesn't have a high-pitched part, but his presence doesn't die down.'
A few months ago, it was written on the evaluation that he was eliminated from the debut group, but it wasn't as bad as he thought. He has a clean, beautiful voice, a trendy face, and a decent style.
His skills are still lacking, but if he polishes them well, he seems like he'll explode with potential soon.
'I think Won-i would have been quite fond of him.'
All of the Planet guys had at least one strange side, but Han A-won enjoyed discovering promising kids and making them sing songs he wrote.
'Han A-won himself didn't seem to realize it, though.'
It was a terrible level of obsession, and because of that, the members of Planet were not against Han A-won producing other groups.
- Du Du Da Da Da
- Breaking expectations, here
- I'll show you. Black light
Kim Jung-hyun's high notes in the chorus were impressive, but Lee A-ram's bridge was already engraved in the minds of others.
'Why did Lime drop that guy from the debut group?'
CEO Son Dong-young slapped his armrest with satisfaction. Looking around, he could feel that eyes were on Yoo Young and Lee A-ram.
- I won't look back anymore
- I can't go back now
The team members who took turns began to gather around Kim Jung-hyun. The team members who twisted their arms strangely as if rewinding a tape stopped all movements when Kim Jung-hyun closed his eyes.
Kim Jung-hyun definitely did well. He could fit in the main position no matter where he went. However, what should I say....
'Yoo Young... Yoo Young.'
For some reason, an uneasy feeling hit the back of his head.
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