One week after the debut team was canceled.
In the end, the five members of the Topist debut team, including myself, all came to audition for the first round of ‘Judeol Season 3’.
The audition room was bustling with trainees.
About 1,500 of them.
That was the number of trainees participating in this audition.
The largest scale in survival program history.
It seemed everyone knew it.
That there would be plenty to eat at the party that had a reputation.
The first round of auditions, originally planned to take five days, was changed to seven because the number of participants surpassed the expected 1,000, reaching 1,500.
The first round of auditions was conducted through vocals or rap and dance.
But just having a good foundation didn’t guarantee being chosen.
Out of more than 1,500 participants, a staggering 1,200 would be eliminated in the first round.
In fact, being extremely bad was also a method to get picked.
The production staff might choose someone just for their growth narrative, and cards that can be used as punching bags are essential for a program.
Of course, I have no intention of being someone’s punching bag.
There’s no need for that.
“Number 73, please come in!”
*
The 9-year veteran producer Cheon Ji-hye, who was appointed as the co-director for Judeol Season 3.
Waiting for her debut project, she had to join the production staff for Judeol Season 3 at the director’s command right before her debut.
Initially, she felt some resentment, but since Judeol Season 3 was a program with a significant commitment from Mwave, she thought it might help her career, so she decided to participate actively.
As a core production member, she became a judge for the first round auditions, trying hard to find the uniqueness of each trainee, figuring out their vocal and dance qualities, and discovering the elements that could contribute to their success.
By the last day, the seventh day, she had judged around 1,300 trainees.
The trainees who seemed like raw gems looked like rough stones, and even if their vocal colors were beautiful, they sounded like noise, and even if their dance lines were pretty, they didn’t catch her eye.
“I’ll show you a talent!”
In front of her was a trainee struggling to participate in Judeol, but she had long since lost interest.
The main writer sitting next to her said.
“What talent is it?”
“I can imitate a camel eating!”
The participant mimicked a camel eating, but…
‘Again?’
It was a talent that had already bored the judges to death.
“Yes, thank you.”
At the main writer’s dismissal, the trainee left the room.
“Ha-ah… There are still 150 left.”
PD Cheon Ji-hye sighed as she looked at the thick stack of documents.
She glanced at the next participant’s information.
‘Ah, Do-hee Lee.’
She was someone she had heard about from the casting staff during the trainee selection process.
She was someone I had heard about from the casting staff when they were auditioning trainees.
‘The star of the Ion Sweat commercial. Probably ranked just after the four major entertainment agency trainees on the casting board?’
However, I had suggested she join Topist Entertainment last year, but she turned me down, citing her debut as a reason, so that fell through.
‘Well, a lot has changed since then.’
The main writer spoke from the side.
“Please introduce yourself.”
It seemed like Do-hee Lee had just joined us.
Cheon Ji-hye, the assistant director, looked up from the documents she was reviewing to gaze at the participant.
The first impression of Do-hee Lee was…
‘She’s incredibly pretty. And tall too.’
Not that there weren’t other girls among the 1,500 participants who were as pretty as Do-hee Lee.
What mattered was talent and buzz.
Of course, her looks were enough to create some buzz, but it’d be nice if she had some talent to back it up…
“Hello, I’m Do-hee Lee, a trainee with 3 years and 6 months of experience.”
After hearing the participant’s self-introduction, Cheon Ji-hye PD lowered her head again to read through Do-hee’s background and special notes.
‘Oh right, the female lead in the music video… the Ion Sweat commercial…’
And she was in disbelief.
‘Korean Students Music Association Piano Competition grand prize winner for 9 times… Huh? Grand prize winner at various major piano competitions for 10 times…’
It seemed the other production staff, who had been judges, realized this fact too.
‘How on earth did this information not get out? Were they hiding it on purpose?’
Baek Joo-hyun, the head writer, grabbed the microphone and spoke in a bewildered tone.
“Do-hee Lee trainee, is what’s written in your resume… is this real?”
“Huh? Which part are you talking about?”
“This… the piano competition.”
“Ah~ yes, it’s all true.”
“You’ve won the grand prize 19 times?!”
‘Is this for real?’
Cheon Ji-hye couldn’t believe it.
She pulled out her phone and searched for Do-hee Lee.
The only thing that popped up online was that Do-hee had participated in the Ion Sweat commercial.
Cheon Ji-hye then went into the news tab.
As she scrolled down the news tab, she found articles that were buried beneath the Ion Sweat commercial news.
[ Genius girl wins the grand prize at the Korean Students Music Association competition for 9 consecutive years]
[ Piano prodigy girl does it again, winning the grand prize]
‘9 years…?’
When she opened the articles, they only had Do-hee’s name without any photos.
It really… really seemed true.
Then, it didn’t make sense at all.
“Why on earth does Do-hee Lee want to be an idol?”
Cheon Ji-hye felt something bubbling up inside her and spoke in a somewhat reproachful tone without even realizing it.
As a producer at a broadcasting station, he knew that being an idol was a tough job with a slim chance of success, yet it had its immense appeal.
That’s probably why every once in a while, high-achieving idols from Ivy League universities or prestigious domestic schools emerged.
But this wasn’t just a matter of education.
Cheon Ji-hye had also attended piano academy as a child and participated in some competitions.
Of course, they were minor competitions, not major ones, but that’s why she understood how significant those awards were.
Yet she gave up her piano talent to become an idol?
With that appearance and piano skill, she could have easily been a pianist and still received idol treatment!
Cheon Ji-hye, the producer, asked again.
“Why on earth do you want to be an idol?”
“Um…”
Do-hee Lee thought deeply before responding with a cheeky smile.
“The piano stage is static, but the idol stage is dynamic. To be honest, I like being in the spotlight.”
It was a rather lame reason.
Cheon Ji-hye let out a laugh in exasperation.
She decided to just welcome this.
No matter what else she could or couldn’t do, Do-hee would surely draw ratings with her buzzworthy presence.
As the production staff, she had no reason to reject that.
Still, it would be great if she could manage some other talents as well.
The main writer, Baek Joo-hyun, said,
“Then please start the song you’ve prepared.”
“Yes.”
The accompaniment began.
As the intro rolled in, Do-hee started to sing.
– If a sentence can make you happy –
‘Oh? She’s better than I expected!’
– I’ll keep talking to make you smile –
– Will that make me look crazy? –
Cheon Ji-hye, lacking professional vocal knowledge, felt that Do-hee’s timing and pitch were precisely on point.
Maybe it was because she was good at the piano.
– Take me to the hospital right now –
Also, while her tone wasn’t particularly great or clear, it had a roughness akin to a man’s voice.
If one had to distinguish between whether she could sing well or not, her solid fundamentals leaned towards the “well” side.
– Take me home where I can love you –
“Thank you.”
Before even watching the dance, Cheon Ji-hye felt it.
Though it was just the first audition, she knew.
This girl was definitely heading to the final debut.
Of course, I wasn’t saying that I’d definitely come in first.
Especially since JS from one of the big four entertainment agencies sent out a remarkable contestant.
The main writer, Baek Joo-hyun, smiled contentedly and said.
“I saw it well. You’ve prepared the dance for
“Yes, I chose it because it’s the title track for Daedol Season 1.”
“Got it. Let’s start right away~”
As the intro of
It was a simple change in expression, but idol trainees who are good at dancing can all use their expressions well.
‘I think the dance might be okay?’
As the song entered its beginning phase, the real choreography started.
Since the title song is a survival track meant to distinguish the participants’ skills, it consists of choreography that is difficult except for the highlight chorus, which the public can easily follow.
However, Do-hee Lee danced comfortably without any issues.
She perfectly matched the rhythm of the beat and choreography, known as beat killing.
Of course, she must have practiced countless times to audition, so it was natural for her as an idol trainee, but many participants couldn’t even reach that level.
You could definitely see that she had trained for 3 years and 6 months.
The highlight, the chorus.
A choreography that emphasizes with the fingertips.
It was a confident use of her fingers.
While the main writer, Baek Joo-hyun, might think differently, Cheon Ji-hye thought this.
‘She dances well.’
After Do-hee Lee’s audition evaluation ended, the production staff, excluding the main PD who was absent due to busyness, started talking.
“We definitely need to bring her in.”
“They were hiding her well in Topist for a reason.”
“Yeah. They had her do music video and ad shoots just before confirming the debut group.”
“Is the next contestant also from Topist?”
“Yes, the next four are all from Topist.”
“I wonder if they’ll pull in some ratings.”
*
Phew
I was super nervous.
“Did you see it?”
Woo-ah Unni, who was next in line, asked me.
“Yeah, seemed okay? Wow, but I’m super nervous. There are cameras everywhere. And there’s a boom mic too. I guess they’re filming from the first audition. Will they use it for broadcast later?”
“Seriously? Is my makeup okay right now?”
“Uh, you’re pretty, pretty.”
“Come on, be serious. I’m really nervous.”
“Really~ pretty. Got it? Go and do your best.”
“Okay… sigh… phew…”
Woo-ah Unni was repeating her deep breaths.
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