Chapter 4
The writer, who had been watching the trainees with interest streaming in, sipped her coffee while listening to Choi Sia's instructions.
'The first chapter has begun.'
A blue-chip stock that large corporations and sponsors, including the headquarters of E&M Group, have invested in with great expectations.
The chairman of KJ Group, who was upset after seeing that an idol survival show hosted by another company was a huge hit nationwide, prepared with fire in his eyes so that idols who debuted through this could garner more attention than others.
Under that pretext, the production team has been squeezing out more devices than ever to filter out talented people.
Among them, the operation that was planted in this level test is the 'Nameless' operation.
'The trainees will know even better how much of a blow it is to not be able to use their own names so early in a survival program like this.'
Considering that each ranking announcement is based on a national vote, it is very important to quickly imprint the name in the viewers' minds from the beginning of the broadcast.
If you start to create buzz early and build up a certain level of awareness, you will have a fandom foundation that can help you rise to higher levels.
But the moment you are assigned to the 'Underground', where you have no name and are only called by a number,.
'You'll naturally realize that since you don't have a name, your screen time will also disappear. You'll even feel anxious that you're falling behind the trainees of the mainstream groups.'
In short, it shakes up the participants' mentality right from the first gate.
A method to find out which trainees can calmly show what they have and prove their potential even in such a sudden situation.
In fact, most of the first-tier trainees have already been identified at the interview stage.
There is a saying that even a rotten tooth is a good tooth, so if they are a trainee at a major entertainment company, their basic foundation will be outstanding.
Based on their experiences with these kinds of stressful tests, such as the end-of-month evaluations, they are more likely to be able to demonstrate their full potential.
But it wouldn't be fun if things just went as expected.
'If there is even one person who suddenly stands out despite these adverse conditions...'
This is a truly dramatic situation.
The writer, who has to somehow explode the viewers' immersion and attention, is in the position of waiting for the protagonist, who will bring about that twist.
"We will conduct the long-awaited level evaluation of
The three trainees who appeared in the center of the set first had very serious expressions on their faces.
"I hope you aren't too nervous."
"Just take a deep breath and drink some water before you begin."
"I hope it goes well."
Since it was natural for them to feel a huge psychological burden, the judges also gave them some considerate words.
But the stage that followed was quite disastrous.
'Well, the paths overlapped, and they bumped into each other; it was chaos.'
Even she, who has no professional knowledge of the details, could see that there were a lot of mistakes.
As expected, the judges, who had been smiling slightly before the music started playing, quickly grew cold.
"Even though it was the first turn, I think you should have shown everything you had to show. In that context, you made too many basic mistakes that a trainee shouldn't make."
"Well, it's inevitable if you get too nervous, but... You're both under the same agency. You must have practiced a lot while preparing this song. But what if you panic and get all tangled up because you can't even communicate on a basic level?"
"I will begin assigning grades."
The writer, who has already monitored survival shows on other broadcasting stations, felt that the judges are not yet 100% critical.
It's probably too early to be harsh on the first stage.
However, the judges, who took the microphone, gave their assessments in a cool-headed tone that was quite direct.
"All VIG Entertainment trainees have been confirmed as Tier 3 and are part of the underground group. Please come forward and receive your numbers."
VIG Entertainment is not a large company, but it is a medium-sized company.
The venue was in an uproar when the artists from the agency that occasionally produced groups that would rise to the top of streaming sites were immediately given underground status.
"What should I do? I'm shaking more than before; I'm going crazy."
"If I make even the slightest mistake, I won't even be able to be called by my name...."
"Isn't it too much from the start?"
It was loud enough to be heard by the writer sitting below the judges.
First of all, it succeeded in arousing the trainees' tension as intended.
'Here, we need to break the ice and have some talented kids come out. If we continue like this, even the kids from the big agencies will ruin the stage, and we won't be able to use comparative editing, and there will be no answer.'
The anxiety that had begun to sprout inside grew stronger as she watched the performances that followed.
As both artists from well-known agencies and trainees who had been marked for the first team in advance showed disappointing performances, the proportion of trainees heading to the underground rather than the mainstream has increased.
She wasn't the only one clutching her head and biting her fingernails.
The other production staff members were also having urgent conversations with each other due to the series of performances that were worse than expected.
At that time, a change in atmosphere was urgently needed.
"The next trainee will come in."
The writer caught sight of a new figure slowly walking from the bottom of the stage and then sat up straight.
Because she felt that a refreshing and reversal protagonist would appear.
* * *
'Senior, you also have a dissatisfied expression.'
Baek Chae-hyun, who has been an idol for 15 years, stared blankly at Choi Sia, who was sitting next to her.
She had some kind of friendship with Choi Sia, whom she had met many times through competition programs or programs that invited talented singers.
Also, she had figured out a lot of the facial expressions she habitually made, so she could sense that she was really upset right now.
That was understandable.
Because the trainees who have appeared so far have shown performances that are far below expectations.
Even Baek Chae-hyun, who has a lot of connections in the entertainment industry, has heard of many people from entertainment agencies who made mistakes in strange areas.
Was it because the pressure of starting off in such a disadvantageous position was so strong?
Not only Choi Sia but also the other seniors next to her showed signs of fatigue, turning their arms and necks.
Baek Chae-hyun looked through the papers containing the participants' information and looked for someone who would show something different.
She found a profile that seemed a bit odd.
'Are my eyes weird? '
Baek Chae-hyeon rubbed her eyes for a moment.
Her eyes may be tired from looking at so many trainees' profiles.
No matter what, she wondered if it made sense to look at the photo wrong.
So she pulled herself together and checked the profile again.
'... Really. They really look so similar.'
It was just as she first saw it.
Because of the great internal shock, Baek Chae-hyun did not have time to properly enjoy the level-test stages that followed.
She just kept checking the trainee's photo a hundred times.
Just when she feels like slapping herself in the face and yelling at herself to come to her senses.
"The next trainee will come in."
It was the turn of an individual trainee.
It was even more interesting because the trainees were mostly from entertainment agencies, and the ratio of individual trainees was extremely low.
"What, a foreigner?"
"He didn't bleach his hair, did he?"
"He is really tall. The vibe is nice, isn't it?"
As soon as the individual trainee moved to the center of the stage, exclamations of surprise erupted from both sides.
Baek Chae-hyun also panicked for a moment and fumbled with the microphone, buffering a little.
That's the trainee.
The trainee whose profile Baek Chae-hyun had been checking like she was possessed by something was now standing before her eyes.
At first glance, it looks like he's just a bleached blonde, but if you look closely, he's a foreigner who was born with those visuals.
Tall and with skin that is not just white but as white as jade.
Although his appearance was not something that could be easily seen in everyday life, something more than that was stirring Baek Chae-hyun's heart in a complicated way.
'It's the same! He looks exactly like Ashley! '
Baek Chae-hyun preferred to stay at home after work-related schedules were over.
So, as expected of a homebody, she likes watching comics and playing games.
One of her favorite webtoons,
In particular, the crown prince of a neighboring country who appears in the manga, 'Ashley Stahartz', has maintained the undisputed number one spot as the most beloved character.
This character was often described as being smart, charismatic, and, above all, really crazy-looking.
Baek Chae-hyun looked at the trainee who had come to the center of the stage, forgetting to even breathe.
Ashley Staharz's swaying blonde hair.
Black eyes as cold and strong as obsidian.
Broad shoulders and a superior physique.
Skin so clean that not a single blemish can be seen.
It was like her favorite character was walking around in real 6D!
'He's handsome. He's so handsome. No, how can a real person have such a noble aura? Does that make sense? '
Baek Chae-hyun felt like banging her head on the desk.
The first rule for judges is to remain cool-headed.
But before being a judge, she was a human, and it was not easy for her to shake off this feeling of her favorite character being alive and breathing.
It took her a few deep breaths before she finally came to her senses.
But Baek Chae-hyun's producing brain couldn't escape his visuals.
If you want to become a top idol in Korea, you need to have visuals that stand out from others.
The seniors who helped make today's K-pop mature were like that, and so were the idols who were active at the same time as Baek Chae-hyun.
Baek Chae-hyun had seen, with her own eyes, many celebrities who were said to be quite handsome.
She had never felt like she had to kneel before anyone as she did today.
For a moment, silence fell over the studio as they watched the trainee exude a noble aura.
Choi Sia quickly grabbed the microphone and took charge of the event.
"Hello. You are an individual trainee, Karis?"
"That's right."
"Your name is very unique... May I ask where you come from?"
"I come from Estonia, a Nordic country."
"E, Estonia?"
This is a country that most people who aren't interested in world geography have never heard of before.
Baek Chae-hyun is not that familiar with the globe, so she doesn't know exactly which side of the globe he is from, but she did know that it is from a place that is very far from Korea.
Next to her, dance expert mentor Bae Kang-woo whispered softly.
"When did K-pop take over Northern Europe?"
"I know, right."
"No, that aside. Anyone who sees it would feel cognitive dissonance seeing a foreigner from a faraway country speaking Korean so fluently."
It was only after hearing his words that she realized it belatedly.
That trainee with the beautiful blonde hair speaks Korean perfectly, with no problem hearing it at all.
At the moment when she wondered if such a twist could happen, Karis nodded and began introducing himself.
It was a strange greeting where the right leg was slightly moved back, but Baek Chae-hyun didn't feel any discomfort at all.
Rather, it was familiar.
'Wow, it's like a noble greeting from a webtoon! '
By this point, it was clear that her brain wasn't thinking normally.
Everything that Karis von Walden did seemed to overlap with Ashley's.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Karis von Walden. I am a trainee from Estonia. I am twenty years old this year."
"Estonia is really far from Korea, so how did you come up with the idea of becoming an idol?"
"I usually enjoy experiencing various cultures, so I often listen to songs from other countries. I loved the K-pop I listened to when I was young, so I wanted to become an idol from then on."
"Do you remember the title of the song you first heard back then? I'm just curious―"
"It was a song by Pure Seniors."
As the interview progressed, Baek Chae-hyun felt like she was entering an increasingly unknown space.
She is starting to understand why people say cognitive dissonance is likely.
It was really hard to get used to the name of Pure, a senior group that Baek Chae-hyun was familiar with, coming from a trainee from an unfamiliar country, Europe.
Choi Sia, who was communicating directly, also smiled slightly incredulously.
"I feel like I ask too many questions, but I really wanted to ask you this. Did you study Korean on your own? I was surprised because your word choice and pronunciation were almost Korean."
"I've been learning Korean on my own for the past 10 years. They say that the easiest way to learn conversation is to practice speaking and listening while watching books or videos. So I watched a lot of dramas and read a lot of comics and books. I especially like fantasy and romance."
"Fantasy and romance."
As soon as the words fantasy and romance came out, Baek Chae-hyun almost let out a loud scream.
The person who looks exactly like the protagonist of the romance fantasy novel she had been thinking about in her head is mentioning that genre.
Perhaps it was because of the influence of those comics and books, but somehow it felt like he had the strange tone of speech of a noble.
Baek Chae-hyun felt like the level of cognitive dissonance had gone up a notch compared to before.
She's thinking maybe she is going crazy.
'This is the moment when I feel ashamed of myself for wondering if there could be a bigger twist than this.'
He was probably the first European trainee to appear in idol survival show history.
Although he is a foreigner, his Korean language skills are close to perfect.
The way he speaks is somewhat stiff and yet funny.
As if the PD had signaled that the interview was sufficient, Choi Sia's smile disappeared from her face.
"Then, shall we take a look at the stage you have prepared?"
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