The trainer and the writer, along with the cameraman, stepped into the room where the sound of singing could be heard.
The deeper they went inside, the more the trainer felt her heart racing and swallowed hard.
No wonder…
The practice room was structured in such a way that the deeper you went in, the higher the class.
And finally, the moment the two and the cameraman reached the front of the A class practice room…
“Okay, raise your pitch a bit more there.”
“Ah-ha…”
“Seol Ah, can you check this move for me as well?”
“Yes, unnie.”
The scene awaiting them was that of the three A class members continuing their practice in the only well-lit spot of the dark building.
“Ah…”
As soon as she saw that, trainer Kim Ye-sol froze in place.
At the same time, a myriad of thoughts began to flood her mind.
The kids with the best skills were practicing all night the day before the final ranking evaluation.
Those talented kids couldn’t possibly be unaware of the importance of managing their condition, so why were they foolishly practicing until the night before?
…It was obvious.
Because of the harsh words she had thrown at them earlier.
They were working hard late into the night to compensate for their shortcomings mentioned in those harsh remarks and to show a better version of themselves.
Kim Ye-sol felt proud of such students, yet…
“…Huff.”
For some reason, a surge of intense emotions welled up, and she quickly covered her mouth.
How hurt must they have felt to be working so desperately like that?
…She felt sorry.
She was disgusted by herself for poking at the wounds of such shining kids and was truly regretful for saying hurtful things to them.
With that, she thought about entering the practice room but couldn’t and watched her students from outside.
“…Sniff, huff.”
While barely suppressing her impending tears.
Inside, her students were obliviously practicing, the time passing unnoticed.
Outside, their teacher watched her students with teary eyes.
It was an undeniably beautiful sight.
And such a scene…
Zing…
…The camera wouldn’t miss it.
Inside the A class practice room, which was bustling with intense practice.
At that moment, as each prepared for the final ranking assessment that was just hours away…
Swish…
One person was glancing outside rather than focusing on her practice.
Her name was Yoo Seol.
‘It worked out well,’
She thought as she confirmed that the production team and trainer were standing outside, feeling relieved inside.
Fortunately, things had gone as she had planned.
To stage this situation, she had first let the production team know that the A class would be staying late to practice tonight.
“Writer! We were hoping to practice tonight, so is it okay if we use the practice room until late?”
“Uh? Why do you want to practice tonight, since tomorrow’s the final ranking evaluation… Ah, I see! Ha-ha! Of course, you can practice freely!”
The production team had been controlling the trainers from behind, tormenting the A class trainees.
But they had no ill intentions. They simply wanted to create extreme situations to boost viewer ratings.
In other words, the production team was willing to side with the participants for the sake of viewer ratings.
Participants foolishly practicing until the night before the final ranking evaluations.
Viewers would undoubtedly love to see girls pouring blood and sweat toward their dreams, and the production team wouldn’t miss that opportunity.
On top of that, Yoo Seol had dragged the trainer into it.
“Hey, I need to call my parents later. Can I borrow your phone?”
“Oh, really? Here you go.”
“Thank you! I’ll call my parents and leave it on the practice room table.”
Participants practicing late at night, a moved trainer watching them, and a camera.
If these three elements happen to overlap, it would be a jackpot.
And… just as she wished, the jackpot hit.
Now all that was left was to monopolize the results from the jackpot.
With a picture-perfect smile, Yoo Seol turned to Ha Ye-rin and Lee Hye-jeong, who were immersed in practice.
“Okay, can you both try to sync up and do it together? I’ll watch both at the same time.”
Zing…
Even now, their voices were flowing through the audio from the camera set up in the corner.
This would go straight to the broadcast.
By guiding their practice, she could naturally claim the A class leader position.
The leader of A class implicitly indicates being the top talent among the other Na Ah Ah participants.
Moreover, by helping other participants, she could earn a kind image.
Truly a two-for-one deal.
Although there was the downside of not managing their condition the night before the final ranking evaluation, the gains surely outweighed the losses.
Thus, Yoo Seol continued to guide Ha Ye-rin and Lee Hye-jeong in their practice until the camera withdrew.
Even after the camera pulled back, she stayed for an additional 30 minutes just in case.
“Alright, let’s call it a day. We have the final ranking evaluation tomorrow.”
Practice wrapped up as the clock pointed to 1:30 AM.
With a gathering time of 6 AM the next day, returning right now would mean barely getting four hours of sleep.
Even so, both who had received guidance from Yoo Seol expressed their gratitude.
“Haah… haah… Okay, let’s go back. Thanks for today, Seol Ah.”
“…Thank you for today.”
“……”
Seeing the two, who were oblivious to being used, so grateful brought an ambiguous feeling to Yoo Seol.
Originally, both Ha Ye-rin and Lee Hye-jeong were outstanding individuals.
Even though the trainer had scared them, they surely could remain in A rank without any issues.
Not knowing that, the sight of them thanking her seemed so…
‘How foolish.’
Right, foolish.
Yoo Seol thought they were truly foolish.
Especially Ha Ye-rin.
When she first saw her… back when she was performing the same song and dancing…
Even Yoo Seol herself was mesmerized by her charm and beauty.
Yet when she heard it had only been a month since the practice began, she felt threatened.
‘…Next time, I’ll show an even better side of myself.’
When Ha Ye-rin said that, something in Yoo Seol’s chest warmed.
…So she maintained her distance.
She wasn’t here in Na Ah Ah just for friendship or rivalry.
Getting close to someone you had to bleed and compete against someday was a foolish act after all.
She had her reasons to not only win Na Ah Ah but also succeed as a debuting idol afterward.
But as she kept her distance and observed, Ha Ye-rin turned out to be a bit different from her expectations.
Yoo Seol had thought Ha Ye-rin was her equal.
But that wasn’t the case.
Ha Ye-rin had a cold, rational appearance like no other, yet her heart was indeed somewhat innocent.
‘Sometimes, she even feels a bit like an old man.’
Like a bear unaware of its own disguise as a fox.
Just look at her now.
Approaching timidly, bowing her head, completely unaware she was being used—how utterly foolish that was.
“…I think I learned a lot thanks to you, unnie.”
“……”
At that moment, Yoo Seol saw it.
The slight warmth peeking through Ha Ye-rin’s cold, expressionless face.
That she genuinely felt gratitude toward her.
‘Naive fool.’
The entertainment industry isn’t a place where one can succeed simply by having good skills.
…Wasn’t that a truth Ha Ye-rin herself bitterly understood?
In that sense, Ha Ye-rin could not become Yoo Seol’s rival.
Ha Ye-rin would forever be unable to surpass her.
Then…
‘If she’s not someone I need to regard as a rival, wouldn’t it be okay to narrow the distance a little?’
In that moment, Yoo Seol thought that.
So…
“No, Ye-rin. You did well today.”
For the first time that day, she spoke to Ha Ye-rin without her usual tone.
“…!”
Was that so surprising?
Ha Ye-rin wore a foolishly dazed expression on her perfect face.
“Pfft.”
Seeing that made Yoo Seol chuckle softly.
At that moment, Yoo Seol was unaware.
That the scariest fox in the world is the one who doesn’t even know it’s a fox.
And someday…, Yoo Seol would remember this moment as her greatest regret yet also the best choice she ever made.
The next day, on set.
“……”
“……”
Even with over a hundred people gathered, the atmosphere was cold enough to feel tense.
6 AM.
Despite the early hour, no one showed signs of fatigue.
Because today was the final ranking evaluation of Na Ah Ah.
They could secure a good spot in the group theme song stage that marked the beginning of Na Ah Ah through this final ranking evaluation.
With that in mind, participants approached the final ranking evaluation with a mindset to put forth everything they had before the competition, while the judges exuded a solemn atmosphere.
“So, we shall now commence the final ranking evaluation. The evaluation will proceed in reverse order from F rank to A rank.”
Of course, starting with F rank.
After all, for the production team, it would be better to start with those who needed to be judged to boost the broadcast.
“First, may F rank Go Da-hyun trainee please come on stage.”
“…Yes.”
As soon as her name was called, an F rank trainee stepped onto the stage with a determined expression.
Her firm face conveyed a strong will to do well in this performance.
However…
“Ah…”
From the very beginning, her dance got tangled, and her pitch wavered, revealing her anxiety…
“Oh no…!”
“Keep going, keep going!”
In the end, she stumbled midway through the first verse and completely ruined her performance.
Perfectly mastering the choreography and song within a week, to put on a performance was an incredibly challenging task.
For most participants, even memorizing the entire choreography would have been a daunting task.
“Ah…”
The other participants outside the stage sighed in dismay at the stumbling trainee.
But…
“……”
“……”
Unlike the participants showing sympathetic reactions, the judges displayed no response at all, even to the ruined performance.
Only Han Si-woo, taking the microphone on behalf of the others, with a serious expression…
“Yes, thank you for your effort. Go Da-hyun trainee’s rank will remain as F.”
“…T-Thank you…”
“Yes, please leave the stage.”
He simply delivered the evaluation calmly.
There are times like that.
Sometimes, when they yell and scold, a part of you feels relieved.
The utter lack of reaction was even scarier, as if there was nothing worth seeing anymore.
In that sense, this final ranking evaluation was…
“Thank you for your effort. We will maintain F rank. Next.”
…A hell unlike any previous evaluations.
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