My dance stat is 99.
But even with such an insane stat, I couldn’t show a detailed and refined performance in just a month as an ordinary person.
So, what I chose instead was [I Don’t Have Time].
[I Don’t Have Time] wasn’t too difficult dance-wise. With a dance stat of 99, I could easily cover it in a month.
As long as I had enough expressiveness, I could show maximum impact with minimal effort, so it was a perfect fit for me.
And…
Since it was such a distinct song, I thought it would highlight my character and ensure I got enough screen time.
“Hah…, that’s all.”
“……”
“……”
When I finished my performance and looked ahead, the judges were left speechless, their expressions blank.
It wasn’t exactly a surprising reaction.
Over the past month, Jin-woo, who had been teaching me to dance, often wore that same expression.
“Uh…, um…”
Breaking the long silence, the vocal trainer picked up the microphone.
“…Ye-rin, you’ve only been training for a month, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Th-This is absurd…”
“Hold on.”
As the vocal trainer forgot she was on air and tried to dispute me, the dance trainer interrupted.
“…I could feel it. Ye-rin hasn’t been dancing for long at all.”
“Whaaat?! What do you mean…? After watching the performance…”
“To be precise, it’s not that you couldn’t dance, it’s that there was no sense of experience at all.”
No sense of experience.
That was something I had heard repeatedly from Jin-woo.
When I first heard that, I thought it meant my dancing skills were still far off.
But that wasn’t the case.
“Just as there are bad habits in singing, there are also bad habits in dancing. But… Ye-rin’s dance has absolutely none of that. It can be said you haven’t picked up on any pretension… To explain it further…”
Jin-woo said this after watching my dance.
“…Your dancing is extremely clean.”
Clean. Smooth.
“Details and emotions… your body lines are so clean… it’s almost enviable…”
My dance was so clean that the emotions came through perfectly.
It felt so vivid, like we were dancing together.
The dance trainer gazed at me ecstatically, and then her eyes lit up.
“…You must have had a hard time showcasing complex techniques since you haven’t been dancing for long. I’m curious about what kind of performance you’ll give once you’ve truly trained. I definitely want to teach you.”
The dance trainer seemed so eager; she was practically drooling.
The other judges felt the same way.
“I was totally left speechless. Wow… the immersion was real…”
“You definitely have the makings of a center. You have that overwhelming presence that draws focus on stage.”
“I guess since your training period was short, you had a refreshing quality to you.”
If I hadn’t been watching the performance, I might have thought those judges were being bribed with how excessively they praised me.
I was the one who was more flustered.
‘So this…’
I had thought that to achieve good results in Na Ah Ah, I had to begin by showing a good performance.
So, I prepared rigorously for my first stage.
But…
‘This is beyond what I expected…’
Getting such great evaluations right from the start could put me at a disadvantage for future performances.
So, I wished the compliments would stop here.
At least it was fortunate that only Han Si-woo’s evaluation was left, right?
He had maintained a cold expression throughout the filming and delivered harsh criticism.
He would likely temper the storm of compliments I was receiving.
“…Then, I will give my final evaluation.”
Han Si-woo picked up the mic with a colder-than-usual expression.
“Ye-rin, you said you trained for a month. For a performance of this quality after just a month…”
Then, as I had hoped, he delivered sharp criticism…
“You could certainly call this a genius-level talent.”
…Huh?
“It’s clear that your dancing and singing lack some technique. This is something that can be resolved with consistent practice.”
He had thrown cold water on many trainees, plunging them into despair.
But right now, he was…
“It was a stage that makes me curious about how much more ye-rin will grow in the future. I’ll always support you and keep an eye on you.”
Instead of throwing cold water, he was throwing a barrel of oil onto the roaring flames.
“Now, let’s briefly discuss among the judges before assigning Ha Ye-rin her rank.”
Though they said they would discuss, in such a charged atmosphere, anyone could guess my rank.
The judges pretended to discuss for a moment before immediately speaking into the microphone.
“The rank for Brotherhood Planning’s Ha Ye-rin is A.”
Brotherhood Planning Ha Ye-rin A.
The first recipient of an A rank in the Na Ah Ah ranking evaluation was none other than me.
That was when it happened.
[You have met the trait condition-!]
[You have acquired the trait ‘Sky Demon’.]
[Trait: Sky Demon – You are the outlier of the entertainment industry, the Sky Demon of the idol world, a devil of talent bestowed from the heavens. The moment you appear, everyone else is merely ordinary. Please subdue the complacent entertainment world and cover South Korea with your name alongside your loyal devotees.]
[Trait Effect: Sky Demon Rebirth, Ten Thousand Demons Bowing – Fanbase generation speed +30%]
…Something insane just popped up again.
I was just trying to become an idol, and suddenly I get a trait called Sky Demon? Isn’t that a bit out of left field?
I had read a few martial arts novels in my past life.
The Sky Demon is typically characterized as an overwhelming force that completely dominates the protagonist, emanating the presence of a final boss.
Why was I being labeled as a Sky Demon…?
That was when it clicked.
‘Ah.’
It was only when I turned around and made eye contact with the other contestants that I understood why I had been granted this trait.
The first to catch my eye was Seo Yoo-jin, who was placed second.
She was staring at the stage with a blank look, but once our eyes met…
“Ugh…!”
She frowned, her eyes narrowing in frustration.
Such a consistently characteristic person.
Now, her expression even looked cute compared to everyone else’s.
Compared to the various emotions reflected in the eyes of the other contestants.
The emotions that filled the eyes of the other contestants when they looked at me.
Envy, jealousy, excitement, respect, bitterness, anger, interest, surprise.
The most prominent feeling was…
Powerlessness.
Most of these contestants had been trainees for years, receiving average or low ranks like E, D, or F.
Yet, here I was, receiving an A rank after just a month of training. How do you think they felt?
Especially the contestant who had trained for ten years and received a C rank—her expression was priceless.
She wore a look of disbelief, as if to say, “What have I been doing all this time?” along with a deep sense of self-loathing.
Her face was a blend of all these feelings and was extremely pitiful.
…I had crushed her spirits.
‘…I’m sorry.’
In truth, it wasn’t really my fault, but I felt a twinge of apology in my heart for her.
If I hadn’t had the status window, I wouldn’t have been able to show that level of performance.
I had worked hard over the last month, but that effort was just a drop in the bucket compared to her ten years.
For some reason, I felt guilty for undermining the value of her hard work.
“With this, we conclude the ranking evaluation of Brotherhood Planning’s Ha Ye-rin. Please return to your seats.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
As I returned to my seat, complex gazes were directed at me.
They unconsciously weighed down on my heart, but I steeled myself.
If I wanted to debut, I would have to trample on their feelings.
Someone had to drop out to make room for me.
‘Pull yourself together.’
Despite everything, I had come here with a lot at stake.
There was no time to pity others.
—
“Unni-! You were amazing! The absolute best!”
Unlike the other contestants who were wary or intimidated, Park Yoo-jung next to me looked at me with the same glowing eyes as before.
“…Really? Thank you.”
“Unni, did you really only train for a month? Wow…, incredible. You must be a genius.”
Park Yoo-jung’s words contained just a hint of flattery.
It’s often the case that a standout has a loyal follower who tries to fit their mood.
It seemed like Park Yoo-jung wanted to take on that role.
But I didn’t mind; it was nice to have at least one friendly face around.
And…
‘She genuinely seems nice.’
Park Yoo-jung didn’t seem like a bad person at all.
“The rank of Kidship’s Lee Hye-jeong is…”
Oh, by the way, the ranking evaluations were still advancing smoothly. Actually, they were almost at the end now.
As the evaluations approached the final stages, many skilled contestants with unique traits began to emerge.
Of course…
“…B.”
It wasn’t easy to earn an A.
“That unni sang incredibly well, but it ended up as a B.”
“Right…”
The contestant being evaluated now was a strong performer who had previously ranked seventh on the audition program K-Star a few years ago.
However, her lack of dance skills and other requirements held her back, giving her a B.
Other skilled contestants also received Bs, each for some criticism pointed against them.
Ultimately, up to that point, I was the only one who had received an A.
In response, Park Yoo-jung smiled brightly and whispered to me.
“Is it possible that unni ends up as the only one with an A?”
I quietly shook my head at her words.
“No, there’s still someone almost guaranteed to get an A.”
“A guaranteed person? Who… ah…”
Park Yoo-jung was about to ask who it was but kept quiet.
There was still one asymmetric powerhouse above us.
And that powerhouse was…
“Alright, we have one person left. Next up…”
She had been positioned last, almost as if she were the protagonist.
“JJ Entertainment’s Yoo Seol, please come on stage.”
Whispers filled the room.
When her name was called, the stage buzzed once more.
The interest and attention were similar to when my name was called.
Swish-.
However, she gracefully descended the stairs from her first-place seat, seemingly unperturbed by the attention.
Thud-.
It might sound exaggerated, but she exuded an air of elegance as she took each step down from her seat.
And it was no wonder.
Yoo Seol.
She was destined for immense success, even to someone like me, who had no interest in idols.
‘In my previous life, Na Ah Ah’s champion was Yoo Seol.’
I even heard she won by an overwhelming margin.
Knowing that, I found myself curious about the kind of performance she would showcase…
But then…
‘…Huh?’
As she stepped fully onto the stage, she suddenly turned around and looked at me.
At first, I thought she wasn’t looking at me.
But her eyes were directly aimed at my 99th seat, and she even locked eyes with me.
Cheesy grin.
‘…She’s smiling?’
The moment our gazes met, she beamed at me with a childlike smile, as if genuinely happy.
And that moment…
Boom.
…The cameras outside the stage captured it perfectly.
At that time, I couldn’t figure out what was going on… or why she was smiling at me. I had no clue.
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