” No, I’m doing it because I want to. Let me correct that. Why do you want to be an idol? ”
There was no need to think about it.
” Because I like being an idol. ”
It was insincere but genuine.
I liked myself as an idol.
Because I liked the way I was improving and putting in effort every moment.
And someday, I would get to show that version of myself to the public.
Of course, that would come with pressure and it would be easy to get hurt.
I still didn’t know if I was strong or fragile in that aspect.
Even now, at this moment, I was curious about how I looked on camera.
” I just want to be an idol. ”
” True. Asking an idol trainee that was a mistake. ”
” But being good at piano and being an idol are completely different things. You know that, right? ”
” Yes, I understand. ”
I also knew that my skills were still lacking.
That’s why I liked it even more.
Because tomorrow’s me would be even cooler.
” Got it. Let’s work hard. ”
We went down from the stage and put on the tier 1 badge given by the production staff.
Seo-yoon Unni, wearing the tier 1 badge, chuckled and teasingly poked me.
” Ah, Do-hee stole our screen time. ”
” Ah, right. Sucking in the camera… that’s star quality. ”
” Ugh… are you all being captured on camera? ”
The production staff laughed while watching us.
” How do you feel now that all three of you got tier 1? ”
” I could die right now and be happy. ”
” If you die now, is it a blessing? ”
Na-eun Unni said while pulling my and Seo-yoon Unni’s cheeks.
” I’ll do my best to survive with these troublemakers to the end! Remember the Topist trainees, Do-hee, Seo-yoon, Kim Na-eun! ”
After finishing the interview, we returned to our seats.
The trainee sitting next to me, Nam Seo-yeon, stared at me with wide eyes.
” Wow… Do-hee… ”
” Ah~ it’s nothing special~ ”
The spotlight will definitely overshadow me… Haha.
Now, all that remained was the main stage that everyone acknowledged.
The grading assessment of the three major entertainment agencies.
The logo of Haru Entertainment appeared on the display board attached to the ceiling of the stage.
” Wow, Haru Entertainment. ”
” I’m looking forward to the third major agency. ”
The judges’ faces were filled with anticipation.
” Hello! It’s Haru Entertainment’s one-two punch! ”
” Jeon Ha-rang! ” ” Kim Se-yeon! ”
” Here we go! ”
Currently sitting in the first place was Jeon Ha-rang.
Moreover, it was Haru Entertainment.
It was bound to attract attention.
” First of the three major agencies, Haru Entertainment. Let’s see the performance. Please start. ”
The stage of Haru Entertainment began.
A hip EDM beat mixed with dancehall and electronic house.
As expected from Haru Entertainment trainees, it was a selection I knew they loved.
– today still Friday! –
“Wow…”
Both did well.
The singing and dancing were both top tier.
Especially Jeon Ha-rang, who sat in first place, seemed to draw confidence not just from Haru Enter.
I turned my head and whispered into Seo-yoon Unni’s ear.
– Tell them I dance better. –
“Yeah, you’re the best.”
“Okay, thank you.”
As expected, both Jeon Ha-rang and Kim Se-yeon received top tier scores.
“Ugh…”
Of course, they were thrilled to get the top tier.
This season has definitely been a step-up compared to the last…
Next up was Yoon Seo-won and Gong Chae-rin from Zy Entertainment.
I heard Yoon Seo-won was a public trainee?
“Yoon Seo-won, you appeared in Diaz’s ‘Clean Love’ music video, right?”
Yoon Seo-won smiled sweetly as she responded.
“Yes, that’s right!”
“I heard you did a pimple cream ad too. Must be all the perks of being with Zy.”
Yoon Seo-won was grinning like I’d been doing.
Ugh… a goddess-like girl…
Go Gong Chae-rin, the pride of Zy!!!
“Please start.”
With the judge’s words, the stage began.
As expected from Zy trainees, it was neat and polished.
But I didn’t think they were particularly good.
It felt like their coordination wasn’t quite right, and oddly enough, public trainee Yoon Seo-won seemed to be struggling to keep up with Gong Chae-rin.
Still my pick is Gong Chae-rin.
She’s the best!!!
“Yoon Seo-won trainee is…” “…3-tier.”
“And Gong Chae-rin trainee is…” “…1-tier.”
I thought for sure they’d give at least a 2-tier for the big agency’s face, but the judges were harsh.
After Gong Chae-rin and Yoon Seo-won left, it was finally the last performance.
The stage was set for Eun Se-ra from JS Entertainment.
Most were saying she was a top candidate for first place.
At 6 AM, even though all the trainees were on the verge of collapsing, most were awake to see the final grade evaluations.
I stared intently at Eun Se-ra’s face.
Even Lee Do-hee, the face genius, would acknowledge she was pretty.
Her looks could easily compete with mine.
But, once again, I must say I’m prettier.
I turned my head to look at Seo-yoon Unni.
“Don’t.”
“What? How should I know what I’m going to do?”
“You’ll whisper something weird again.”
It’s not weird at all.
As I bantered with Unni, the instrumental began to play on stage.
‘Ah, this one.’
The dreamlike R&B song “Bull Fighter” by the queen of pop, Luna.
For some reason, it fit Eun Se-ra perfectly with that self-absorbed vibe like mine.
– we are megalomaniacs –
A dreamy intro that seemed to be intentionally nasal.
– we both have a hard time admitting our faults –
The introduction ends with a crisp sound.
It was an adjustment in the voice tone that made one feel like they could sing well.
– everything becomes smoke –
Of course, the dance was simple to match the dreamy atmosphere.
After Eun Se-ra’s performance.
I wanted to check Eun Se-ra’s dancing skills, but unfortunately, the judge announced the grades without asking Eun Se-ra to dance again.
As expected, the grade Eun Se-ra received was.
“Eun Se-ra trainee is … … Tier 1.”
In the end, out of five from the top three entertainment agencies, four were Tier 1.
Of course, they must have sent out the most skilled trainees from the top three, but everyone seemed confident.
I brought my face close to Seo-yoon Unni again.
“Don’t do that.”
I made a sad expression and said.
“No… I was going to say you’re the best…”
“Ah… really? You joke around so much that I misunderstood. So stop joking.”
“Okay…”
“Anyway, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…”
That was a lie.
After Eun Se-ra’s final evaluation, the PD shouted.
“CUT! We’ll take a 10-minute break and then film the last scene!”
Oh.
There’s still the title song filming left.
I could die.
After the 10-minute break, the judges took to the stage, grabbed the microphones, and said.
“All grade evaluations are complete.”
“Now, there’s just the title song reveal for Season 3 left.”
“Before that, let me tell you the current number of participants per grade.”
“Tier 5: 17 members.”
“Tier 4: 23 members.”
“Tier 3: 29 members.”
“Tier 2: 17 members.”
“Tier 1: 13 members.”
“As you all know, the title song stage presented to the judges is not fair for everyone.”
“Tier 1 will be at the front of the stage.”
“Tier 5 will show their performance at the back of the stage.”
“But Tier 1, it’s too early to celebrate.”
“For Tier 5, there is still a chance left.”
“There will be a re-evaluation after three days of practice.”
“Now we’ll reveal the title song you need to practice before the re-evaluation!”
On the screen in front, the title of the song appeared.
< I’m in Love! (crush on you) >
And as the text faded, the screen shifted to a dance practice room where the dancers stood.
– The way you look at me is thrilling (thrilling thrilling) –
– The way we brushed hands is electric (electric electric) –
To the bouncy rhythm and cute lyrics, the dancers began to dance adorably.
Hmm…
In between, there were some challenging choreographies to differentiate the contestants’ skills, and finally, the chorus came.
– Cr Cr Cr Cr Cr crush on you
– Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru rush to you
– Cr Cr Cr Cr Cr crush on you
sh on you
– 러 러 러 러 러 rush to you
Addictive electronic house EDM as a foundation with a bouncy rhythm.
Using “crush” and “rush” to express the program’s title “Dedication,” while also capturing the participants’ desire to be chosen by Chu-seo in the repetitive lyrics.
Combining these two elements resulted in a song that was undoubtedly a symbolic hook song for a girl group.
Of course, being a survival title song meant prioritizing catchiness over quality to capture the public’s ear was inevitable.
However…
Why are all the dance moves so fresh and cute?
Don’t we have anything a bit more powerful…?
*
After finishing the last shoot, all the trainees gathered at the dorm near the set.
The time of arrival at the dorm was 9 AM.
They had arrived at the shooting location at 11 PM the previous night, making it 22 hours without sleep. What a trial!
I was assigned to room 1-1.
Unfortunately, I was separated from Na-eun Unni and Seo-yoon Unni.
I opened the door and entered the room I was assigned.
Ah.
A bunk bed.
At first, the upper bunk seemed sweet, but usually, I ended up preferring the lower bunk because going up and down became annoying.
However, there was a camera attached to the upper bunk.
I slyly put my luggage on the upper bunk.
I had a total of three roommates.
All were tier-1 members, and their name tags read Hana Kwon, Se-yeon Kim, and Se-ra Eun.
For some reason, Se-ra had been staring at me intensely since earlier.
What’s up with that?
Is it because of the upper bunk camera?
No way…?
I feel like she’s been acting like this since I walked in.
Even after everyone unpacked, everyone was too shy to speak.
Guess I’ll have to break the ice.
“Shall we introduce ourselves first?”
Se-yeon, feeling the awkward silence, reacted strongly.
“Oh, yes! I’ll go first. I’m Se-yeon Kim from Haru Entertainment, and I’m 17 years old.”
“I’m Hana Kwon from Pudding Entertainment, and I’m 21 years old.”
Looking naturally at Se-ra, she was still staring at me.
Why are you looking at me like that…
“I’m Do-hee Lee from Topist, and I’m 15 years old. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Se-ra Eun from JS Entertainment, and I’m 18 years old.”
“Looks like all of you are older than me?”
Se-yeon exaggeratedly reacted to my statement.
“Oh, right!”
Hana said in a watery voice.
“I’m… the oldest…”
“No way! You look super young!”
“Thank you…”
An awkward silence fell again.
Ah…
“…Shall we go wash up and rest?”
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