Chapter 7 - 7

Chapter 7

I looked at Kang Si-yoon, who was bowing to the judges.

'He went to the finals with me, and his stats were also good.'

It wasn't my intention, but I felt like we became quite close while waiting.

And even when considering our abilities, we are close enough that it wouldn't be a problem to become friends.

I had a small wish that he would come to this area.

"Can we start now? "

"Yes!"

After finishing his brief self-introduction, Kang Si-yoon took a deep breath and then adjusted the microphone.

Since he was a trainee who appeared almost at the end, the judges also had a look of anticipation in their eyes.

To be honest, since he's a guy with B singing ability and A- dancing ability, it was obvious that the chances of him ruining the stage were extremely low.

"... !"

I probably had a similar look on my face as the judges.

Kang Si-yoon's pitch, which was fine in the beginning, was slightly off in the latter half of the chorus.

Even the dancer seemed startled by the mistake, and his dancing style shook violently.

In an unexpected situation, the abnormal status displayed at the bottom of Kang Si-yoon's status window blinked red.

Status: Atrophy (Active)

The probability of making mistakes increases significantly, and confidence decreases significantly.

'So that's how abnormal conditions manifest.'

My abnormal condition, 'being from another world', seemed to be something I was born with.

Because I possessed the body of Karis von Walden, my abilities were naturally adjusted downward.

However, Kang Si-yoon's abnormal condition, which was suddenly activated, was having a direct impact on the stage.

Kang Si-yoon somehow managed to keep his mentality and continue performing, but his eyes couldn't shake off the look of anxiety.

'Atrophy. Does this mean that you are literally under pressure, which lowers your confidence and makes you more likely to make mistakes? '

There is currently no way to know what caused this condition.

I didn't think about it hastily and just watched as Kang Si-yoon gasped for breath and shouted, "Thank you!"

There will always be another opportunity to get additional information about the status window later.

"What do you think? "

"Hmm?"

As the judges were putting their heads together and discussing, someone behind me whispered softly.

Looking back, a trainee with impressively thick eyebrows smiled brightly.

This is Park Se-han, who is from the same agency as Song Hyeong-bin.

"I wonder what grade Mr. Karis thinks that guy will get."

"Hmm. I think my standards and the standards set by the judges may be quite different."

"I'm just asking for your opinion. Don't take it too seriously."

I don't really know why this question is suddenly being asked....

First of all, since Park Se-han was clearly captured on camera talking to me, I absolutely had to respond.

I answered after thinking about the words in my head for a moment.

"When I think about the trainees who have been in the underground ranks so far, and the trainees who have been in Tier 2, which is the lowest rank in the mainstream, I expect that friend Si-yoon will be able to get to this point."

"Oh, that's unexpected. Even though he messed up and made mistakes in dancing, "

"Some of the trainees assigned to Tier 2 also made mistakes. If we look at it apart from that, friend Si-yoon's skills are quite highly regarded."

"Hoo."

Park Se-han looked quite interested.

And the moment Kang Si-yoon really received Tier 2, he slapped me on the back and gave me a thumbs up.

"You have a keen eye, don't you, Mr. Karis? "

"I don't think it's worth making such a fuss about."

"No, no. Honestly, I thought it was definitely underground. I guess we need to hear opinions from various people."

I bowed my head slightly at his compliment.

Then, for a moment, I recalled old memories.

'Park Se-han, Park Se-han....'

The results came quickly.

Since this guy's future is already set, I think it's okay to just cut him off at the right time.

Meanwhile, Kang Si-yoon sat down next to me, exhausted.

"Ha.... I was so nervous."

"Still, I'm glad you joined the mainstream."

"Hahaha, to be honest, I thought I was screwed. Oh, I thought I wouldn't even be able to use my name from the beginning. I guess I just got there by chin-up."

I checked Kang Si-yoon's status window again.

The abnormal status 'Atrophy' was returned to inactive, but Kang Si-yoon still exuded an uneasy aura.

I hesitated for a moment about how to say it, then decided to go with something that would subtly boost his confidence.

"You may think so, but in the end, it was the judges who gave you this grade. That's how much they thought you had potential. Don't worry too much, just show that you're improving in the future rather than dwelling on your past mistakes."

"... Karis."

"Hmm?"

"That's a damned correct opinion."

Kang Si-yoon, who had been lowering his head slightly, raised the corners of his lips and let out a laugh.

"Thank you; my head feels a little cooler. Thank you."

"I only told the truth."

"The more I listen to it, the more I feel like I'm getting addicted to this way of speaking, man."

As I desperately tried to stop Kang Si-yoon from imitating my speech in a strange voice, the level test was already over.

"Cut! Thank you all for your hard work! "

"Trainees, please come out this way, and we will move to the dormitory building! "

It was also a task for the 96 trainees to leave the set one by one.

In fact, the time it took to get to the accommodations was shorter than the time it took to gather in front of the bus.

Everyone was extremely tired from the continuous filming, but it was still too early to rest.

"Let's gather in the auditorium and check our room numbers."

Because we have to meet our assigned roommate right away.

I stood in front of a large panel, dragging a light carrier.

We pushed and pushed each other to see the room number first, wanting to go into the room and lie down as early as possible.

I didn't want to get caught up in that kind of physical fight, so I deliberately waited leisurely behind and checked my name.

[Karis von Walden: Cell 31]

A system where three people share one room.

I ended up in a room near the end of the cell.

I was hoping, as expected, that I would be assigned to a different room than in my previous life. I thought it could be because my rank and character were different from my previous life, but I think it wasn't completely random, and there must have been a separate standard for assignment.

I could see who my roommates were here, but most of the participants had already gone upstairs, so I hurried my steps.

'I don't know about anything else, but I just want someone who is neat and tidy.'

Last time during , I was anxious from the very first roommate.

Unlike me, who needs to organize and tidy up to find peace of mind, there were only people who made things messy without much care.

As I arrived at cell 31, hoping for nothing but safety, a very familiar voice was heard.

"Why are you so late? I was waiting for you."

"... Is this really the real situation? "

"Hahaha! No, you didn't check on your roommate downstairs? "

Kang Si-yoon burst into laughter as he watched me let go of the luggage from my grasp.

As soon as we got off the bus, he ran to the auditorium and checked the room, so he had already unpacked his luggage.

I didn't expect much, and I just wanted to find an average roommate.

Suddenly, I ended up sharing a room with the guy I first spoke to in the body of Karis von Walden.

'Is this what they mean by a twist of fate?'

Of the three beds lined up side by side, only the middle one was empty.

As I was unpacking my few bags, I suddenly wondered where the owner of the window seat was.

"Come to think of it, where is our other roommate? He must have entered the room before me."

"You just passed by so naturally."

"Just...passed by? "

I asked Kang Si-yoon for his answer.

Then he just shrugged his shoulders with a meaningful smile.

I immediately turned around and looked around, and I saw the figure that I had mistaken for luggage when I first entered the cell.

The mysterious object covering itself with a white blanket flinched as if it sensed my gaze.

'From the beginning, this program was structured so that if there was no screen time, nothing would be done, and it would just get cut off. Does it make sense to hide under the blanket from the first meeting with the roommates? '

I don't know exactly what the situation was, but I had no intention of wasting this precious time.

I walked forward briskly and tried to throw off the blanket.

"I do not know."

"This is what they say, if they don't know."

I couldn't even picture what kind of trainee he was.

I was a little anxious for a moment because I thought maybe one of the troll characters I encountered the last time I appeared on .

"Hee, eek."

As I lifted the covers from under the dark blanket, a very young and innocent face greeted me.

Bangs that are long enough to almost cover the eyes.

A slender body type that stands out at a glance compared to my large build.

There is a number [55] attached to the chest.

In other words, it means that he is an underground-level trainee.

As soon as my gaze met his, the underground trainee bent down even lower with his eyes filled with fear.

"He, he, he, hello...."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Karis von Walden."

"I, I know your name...."

Trainee number 55, who heard my self-introduction, pursed his lips and slowly raised his head.

But then he looked at my face again and started sobbing in a crawling voice.

"I, I'm scared."

"Oh?"

For a moment, I thought I misheard.

This is the first time in my life that I've heard someone say that I am scary.

I turned my head towards Kang Si-yoon, who was watching this whole situation with interest.

"I feel like this needs some explanation."

"Oh my, where should I start with this? "

Kang Si-yoon got up from the bed and crouched down next to me.

Then he looked at the underground trainee as if he felt sorry for him.

"When I first met him, he was mentally shaken. I think it was a big psychological blow to him not being able to use his name as he went underground. That's why he felt a little unfamiliar when he saw me."

"This is more than just a strange reaction."

"He was even more shocked when I told him that you were our last roommate. He said you looked so scary."

"Do I… really look scary? "

When I asked with a voice full of doubt, trainee number 55 nodded vigorously.

I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed.

'I just hoped it would be smooth sailing.'

It seemed like there would be a lot of questions to ask before the production team called us.

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