Chapter 12
After checking the final grade evaluation, the trainees went straight to the interview room next to the presentation room and were bombarded with questions from the production team.
'It's been a while since I've seen you this close, but you're really handsome.'
The writer, who was organizing the script, clicked her tongue inwardly as she watched Karis von Walden sit down in the interview room chair.
In terms of order, it was Karis who was called in the second half, and she had already interviewed many trainees before that, but there was no one who was handsome enough to make her stick out her tongue like this.
Karis wiped the sweat from his forehead, and even that simple movement looked elegant.
The writer came to her senses and chose a question.
"Looking back on the last level test or practice session, I remember there were a lot of comments saying that the dancing was disappointing. Today, you showed a great performance, but how did you practice?"
"Actually, I did very little myself. Thanks to the judges who pointed out my shortcomings, I was able to find my direction, and my roommates helped me a lot with my lack of knowledge about dance."
"Roommates?"
"I was always busy memorizing the choreography while dancing, so I didn't pay attention to other parts, but my roommate Siyoon frie... Siyoon gave me many tips, so I was really grateful. Also,
Karis von Walden slowly raised the corners of his lips and smiled faintly.
"I always spent a lot of time practicing alone, but I was very happy to be able to work hard with great roommates. And I feel even more proud that the fruits of that effort have led to the great achievement of Tier 1."
"Aha."
The writer nodded unconsciously as she listened to the fluent Korean being spoken.
It was a moment when the cognitive dissonance she felt when she first saw him came back to her.
If you look closely at his word choice and sentences,.
'He only speaks thoroughly with sentences that are appropriate for his situation. He doesn't express his feelings beyond that or intentionally extend his speech to gain more space like other kids do.'
In short, it means that patchwork, which can be seen as the flower of survival audition programs, is impossible.
A patchwork technique that involves cutting and pasting together trainees' speeches to create a provocative trailer or scene.
Like Karis von Walden, he has a firm tone, and when he explains certain situations so clearly, it is impossible to connect them with the interviews of other trainees.
Still, the writer looked into it a little more, just in case.
"Was there anything difficult? For example, the session division, or the stage today?"
"There was nothing difficult. I thought that just being able to perform on stage in front of someone was an honorable position."
"There was an eyewitness account from one of the judges that you practiced until late at night."
"I knew very well that I was lacking in dancing, so I invested my personal time so as not to be a nuisance to my friends who were practicing together. I remember that I ran into judge Bae Kang-woo by chance, and he helped me in many ways."
Somehow, not a single complaint of hardship came out of this twenty-year-old boy's mouth.
If there was any mention of discomfort during the practice process or stage performance, it would be useful later.
The writer scratched her head and quickly crossed out Karis' name.
'Based on the narrative and appearance, it was clear that there would be a fandom from the beginning, so I wanted to somehow squeeze in a reaction to sell it... . If this happens, I'll have to broadcast this interview as is.'
There wasn't any part that was worth editing, and it doesn't make sense that a trainee who was confirmed as Tier 1 didn't have any individual cuts aired at all.
Finally, the writer declared surrender in her heart.
"I'll end the interview here for today. Thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you. See you next time."
"Ah, ah... yes."
Karis bowed politely and left until the end.
The writer sighed as she looked at his back.
'If you're handsome, you should at least be a little arrogant. If you're too perfect, it's hard.'
* * *
To this extent, it is successful.
Of course, I never imagined that I would get to Tier 1.
Even though I added some details to the dance through the newly unlocked proficiency feature, I thought it would be difficult to completely satisfy the high standards of the judges.
It seems like I was lucky enough to overlap somehow.
'That doesn't mean I'll avoid Tier 1, though.'
I thought as I caressed my newly issued silver training suit.
When I first tried out
But now, it didn't feel real that I had come this far as a crown prince in a game that wasn't even my own.
[You have completed the hidden link quest,
[One lucky draw coin will be awarded as a reward.]
[Your hard work has paid off, possessor-nim. Congratulations.]
Similar to the level test, it seems that there was a hidden quest in the final grade evaluation as well.
I looked at the pop-up saying that I had been given one more lucky draw coin and thought about the weight that had been lifted from my shoulders.
'I must be even more careful, as I am not yet someone who can be said to have overwhelming power in Tier 1.'
It's obviously a good thing to get a high grade from the beginning.
The amount will naturally increase, and the attention of the surrounding trainees will also increase.
But as interest grows, so will the restraint.
In particular, it is not a war of nerves between the trainees, but a war of nerves with the production staff.
The production team, with the goal of somehow attracting attention, will try to effectively cook up trainees belonging to Tier 1.
This is something that even those who are participating in
It was the same during the individual interview earlier. Although it wasn't direct, there were questions here and there that were intended to lead to specific statements.
'Rather, thanks to the tone of this crown prince, I was able to get through it relatively easily.'
An aristocratic speech style that specializes in creating formal and rigid sentence structures.
Even if they will intentionally try to patch things up, they won't be able to easily cut out my statements, because they are so easily identified.
Additionally, the story mainly focuses on highlighting the relationship with roommates, effectively laying the foundation for a growth narrative.
Oh, I said roommate, so I remembered.
"Hyungs! I finally got my name back!"
"Oh, Yubin! Finally!"
Heo Yu-bin proudly returned to Cell 31, holding the Tier 2 uniform.
After the final ranking evaluation, you could get your name tag back even if you got Tier 4, but the thrill of ranking up was still there.
Kang Si-yoon also settled into Tier 1, showing off much more stable vocals than during the level test.
In this way, our cell achieved the feat of increasing its power rating.
I was even more satisfied because the results were in line with the narrative that we practiced together as roommates.
After the big event of the final ranking evaluation, you might expect to be able to rest for a little while. This would be a big mistake.
"Let's start recording!"
It was also a job to record while waiting for one's turn.
Practicing on a large stage was a bigger problem.
"The path here is strange! Move a little to the side!"
"Is the timing for the Tier 4 guys to jump in okay? It seems to me like they need to pull a little faster."
"Would it be better to pull him back? What should I do?"
Just like in YT Survival, the theme song placement is divided by rank.
Tier 1 naturally took the central platform.
Tiers 2 and 3 come in on platforms from the left and right as the chorus starts.
And the lowest rank, Tier 4...runs hard right before the dance break starts and stands at the very bottom of the stage.
It's a sad caste system, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Everyone was given two equal chances to be evaluated, and each person took their place according to their ability.
Oh, and if there is something special about
"Tier 1 kids will have to practice much harder with me. You all have your moments at the center, right? So even if it's hard to move, you have to work hard. Right?"
"yes!"
There is no center to the theme song at all.
Instead, trainees who have received Tier 1 rankings move through the line and organically change center positions.
It is certain that each individual will receive special benefits as they receive the highest grade.
The Tier 1 guys looked even more relieved at the news that they wouldn't have to compete for the center spot.
In other broadcasts, it was chaos, as they even had 1-on-1 dance battles to decide who would take center stage.
However, memorizing the complex movement lines while receiving intensive training from Bae Kang-woo was a more painful experience than I thought.
The intensity must have been so high that even Kang Si-yoon, who had high dance stats, ended up lying down on the floor after finishing practice.
"Oh my, I'm dying. The choreography is already difficult, and having to keep switching positions makes it so hard."
"... What must I feel like?"
"Hahaha! We should put on some patches and go to sleep later. My legs are so sore."
My dancing skills continued to improve with repeated practice, but my stats were still at C+, so I felt like my brain was going to explode.
But I didn't want to waste the skill level I had built up to [27/30], so I held on tight and endured.
'Because I can easily go up to B- until the day I go out on a music show.'
After the special session for Tier 1 trainees ended, we met again with the remaining ranks to continue our practice.
Every time Heo Yu-bin made eye contact with me, he would wave both hands vigorously and greet me.
Fortunately, I felt relieved because he didn't seem to be intimidated much, even when Kang Si-yoon and I weren't there.
If the person who is supposed to create the narrative together ends up being eliminated in the first round, it will be a headache for me too.
After about a week of extreme training like that,.
"Wow, I'm really at K-Countdown."
"The stage is really wide!"
"I wasn't nervous at all, but when I came in here, I was so nervous."
We finally arrived at the set of K-Countdown, a music show hosted by KNet.
Everyone's mouth automatically dropped open at the sight of the stage, which was much more expansive than what we usually see on TV.
But the surprise at the on-site atmosphere was short-lived.
"Let's get your hair done and go!"
The realization that we were standing on the special stage of a popular music program in Korea soaked everyone up.
Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin, who were looking around next to me, also swallowed their saliva.
When I saw that, I smiled and patted them on their backs.
"Haha, you don't have to be so nervous."
"Ka, ka, Karis hyung nim. I suddenly feel like I'm going to throw up... ."
"We'll probably have to dance the same dance at least five or six times, so be careful not to throw up when you are about to."
"Eek!"
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