If I were to sum up the final ranking evaluation for F Rank in just one word, it would be…
“Maintaining F Rank. Next.”
“Thank you for your hard work. The rank will remain F. Next.”
…it was a death sentence.
The judges, including Han Si-woo, declared the participants’ F Rank without adding any comments.
The coldness of their expression reminded one of factory machinery.
Of course, the judges didn’t impose F Rank on the participants for no reason.
“We are dreaming! We always dream…, ahhh…!”
Most F Rank participants made numerous mistakes on stage.
There were hardly any participants who forgot the lyrics. But the problem was the choreography.
A week was simply not enough time for the trainees, lacking experience, to master the routine.
“…Yes, thank you for your hard work. We will maintain the F Rank. Next.”
“……”
This participant also tripped over the choreography midway, causing the song to unravel.
Once again, an F Rank was born, and the atmosphere darkened sharply.
Not all trainees, however, stayed at F Rank.
“…That’s all.”
“……”
For the first time, a participant emerged who made no mistakes in both singing and dancing, and instead of giving a straightforward evaluation, the judges began to consult among themselves.
And…
“Thank you for your hard work. Yeon Min-ji has been promoted to E Rank.”
“T-Thank you!”
In the tense atmosphere, a promoted participant was born for the first time.
To be honest, her pitch was wavering and her dance wasn’t detailed, but it seemed they valued the fact that she finished the performance without mistakes highly.
After that, the previously frozen atmosphere began to thaw slightly…
“She has been promoted to E Rank.”
“She’s been promoted to E Rank.”
Quite a few F Rank participants managed to level up.
This hopeful atmosphere carried over to the evaluations of C, D, and E Rank participants.
Perhaps because the F Rank participants’ performance was cringe-worthy, the quality of C, D, and E Rank participants’ stages appeared significantly better.
Consequently, the judges expressed satisfaction and gave positive feedback to the participants, a scene the production team captured with smiles indicating everything was going smoothly.
In that moment, I realized how the production team planned the editing direction.
A storyline focused on the growth narratives of the lower-ranked participants.
In the first round of evaluations, they had intentionally given harsh scores, nurturing many lower-ranked participants, and then in the final evaluation, they would give generous scores to showcase their growth.
Of course, this did not apply to the F Rank participants.
To stoke the flames further, kindling was needed.
The use of F Rank participants served only to highlight the skills of the other ranked participants; they had no other purpose.
‘…This is scary.’
Feeling the chill of the broadcast firsthand, another stage ended and the set began to stir.
“Park Yoo-jung, who was originally in D Rank, will be promoted to B Rank.”
“Wow…! Thank you! Really, thank you…!!”
The first two-rank promotion was achieved by Park Yoo-jung.
As the unexpected two-rank promotion unfolded, the participants all looked on in awe and began to murmur.
“…Wait, is it possible to be promoted two ranks at once?”
“Still, she definitely did well.”
“Wow, but a two-rank promotion…”
I was also one of those who were greatly surprised.
‘…Is Yoo-jung really debuting?’
It was only natural to think so, as the judges, who had consistently given low scores until now, were picking up the mic one by one to praise Yoo-jung.
“There were a few disappointments last evaluation due to mistakes, but this performance had none of that.”
“Your skills have clearly improved since last time.”
“It was the best stage so far, and it gives us hopes for the future.”
Zing…
And as this unfolded, the production team eagerly captured it on camera.
A growth narrative that viewers love.
Park Yoo-jung, in the midst of it, achieved the dramatic result of a two-rank promotion.
It already felt inevitable that she would garner substantial screen time on the show.
“With this, we’ll conclude the final evaluation for C Rank participants.”
Thus, the final evaluations for C, D, and E Rank ended, with the standout impact being the discovery of a two-rank promotion.
And…
“We will now begin the final evaluations for B Rank participants.”
The time for B Rank participants, essentially the main game, had come.
Those who just missed out on A Rank by a narrow margin.
According to Lee Hye-jeong, who got promoted to A Rank on the first day from B Rank, the B Rank participants were all gnashing their teeth.
With that, I pulled my chair closer, my eyes nervously fixed on the stage. The participants coming out now were effectively a threat to my position.
Even Yoo Seol, the world-renowned, watched the stage with a serious expression.
Then, amidst the tense gazes, the leading participant from B Rank emerged…
“Firstly, please welcome SAV Seo Yoo-jin for the final evaluation.”
…It was SAV Seo Yoo-jin.
“……”
She was the one who, for the past week, had glared at me and Yoo Seol whenever we crossed paths.
But on this day, perhaps she didn’t have the luxury of such attitude, she appeared anxious as she came on stage.
“Alright, please start when you’re ready.”
“…Yes.”
Seo Yoo-jin cautiously took her starting position.
Watching her, I recalled how her past performances had gone.
In dancing and singing, she generally performed well, showing a typical hexagonal appearance.
However, being hexagonal also meant having no strong characteristics.
Seo Yoo-jin had higher vocal ability stats than I did, but her dance stats fell significantly short.
On the other hand, she had higher dance stats than Lee Hye-jeong but had much lower vocal ability stats.
If I had to be precise, Seo Yoo-jin could be seen as a lower version of Yoo Seol.
Could she prove her worth on this stage?
As the tension thickened, the performance began…
-We are always dreaming.
As she sang the first verse and initiated her first move, I immediately sensed something different.
-We are dreaming!
-The moment you see us.
During the first evaluation, Seo Yoo-jin had received a piercing critique from Han Si-woo.
“Don’t you think your performance looked too forced?”
Indeed, her previous stage felt overwhelmingly tense, even to me who was inexperienced.
But how was it now?
‘…So neat.’
Before entering Na Ah Ah, my dance instructor Ji-woo had kept emphasizing the importance of neatness.
Initially, I didn’t grasp what she meant.
Yet now, watching Seo Yoo-jin’s performance, I felt I understood what she was saying.
‘The movements have no excess.’
Her arms and legs flailed freely.
And when needed, she transformed into a powerhouse.
Perfect control of intensity.
On top of that…
-We open our eyes!
A clear and melodious voice that pleases the ears.
Previously, her voice sounded strained because she tried too hard to sound enchanting, which was a distraction. But now she made the listener feel at ease with her natural voice.
Comfortable…, yes.
Seo Yoo-jin’s stage looked infinitely more comfortable now.
And perhaps the judges felt it too, as they watched her performance with pleased smiles.
“…We will end it here.”
Thus, Seo Yoo-jin’s stage finished without incident…
Swish-.
The first to pick up the mic was someone I recognized.
“Seo Yoo-jin.”
“……Yes.”
“You took my feedback to heart, it was indeed a wonderful performance.”
That was Han Si-woo.
Normally not the first to speak up, he now delivered his assessment first.
With a pleasant smile, no less.
“It seems that easing up allowed Seo Yoo-jin’s true abilities to shine through. It must not have been easy to relax, well done.”
“…Thank you.”
“After a brief consultation, we will determine Seo Yoo-jin’s rank.”
Han Si-woo said this and put down the mic, chatting momentarily with the other judges.
The results came soon after.
“Alright, I will announce it.”
Her new rank was…
“Seo Yoo-jin will be promoted to A Rank.”
“……!”
It was A.
The fourth A Rank was born.
“Thank you-! Thank you-!!”
Seemingly thrilled to finally reach A Rank, the normally haughty Seo Yoo-jin jumped around on stage, exclaiming.
Then she caught my gaze while clapping…
‘Look at me, I told you I could do this.’
With a smile that seemed to convey that meaning, her lips curled up.
She directed that expression not just at me but also at Yoo Seol beside me.
Perhaps her playful behavior appeared cute.
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Seo Yoo-jin was technically my adversary.
She openly opposed me and, by joining the new A Rank, threatened my position.
But seeing her shed the hostility and smile like a girl now…
At this moment, it made me want to congratulate her.
“Na Han-na will be promoted to A Rank.”
“Thank you!”
Another new A Rank participant emerged, following Seo Yoo-jin as the last B Rank participant.
Despite reaching the coveted A Rank, she looked utterly sleepy, with no sign of excitement.
Eighteen years old, a year younger than me, her name was Na Han-na.
‘They said she’s a short-form influencer turned trainee?’
Na Han-na was more focused on dance than vocal ability.
That said, her vocal stats weren’t significantly lacking either, and she successfully held her final evaluation stage.
Her appearance seemed outstanding enough for the judges to perceive her as a worthy center.
‘If Yoo-jin is the inferior version of Yoo Seol…’
Shouldn’t this girl be regarded as my inferior version?
…At least based on stats.
With that, the final evaluations for B Rank concluded.
“Now we move on to… A Rank.”
The highly anticipated final evaluations for A Rank had finally arrived.
“The first participant to showcase on stage from A Rank is…”
‘Please.’
The first spot was daunting.
I prayed it wouldn’t be me going first.
“Hah Ye-rin.”
…And then I was the first to be called.
‘Damn….’
I cursed inwardly and stood up.
“Fighting!”
“…Do your best.”
Lee Hye-jeong and Yoo Seol both offered encouragement in their distinctive styles.
“I’ll do my best.”
Receiving their support, I headed towards the stage.
A jolt of anxiety.
Even though I’d done this once, the tension refused to budge.
Having over a hundred pairs of eyes solely on me was a heart-pounding experience, indeed.
Trying to calm my racing heart, Han Si-woo unusually grabbed the mic before the stage began.
“Yerin.”
“…Yes.”
“Your training period was a month, right? Well, now it’s just over a month and a week.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Typically, trainees show the fastest growth in their first few months of training. I’m excited to see how much Yerin has grown in the past week.”
…What’s with him?
What did I do wrong to be burdened with such pressure?
‘Is one week enough to show true growth?’
An ordinary human wouldn’t be capable of achieving meaningful growth in just a week.
…Of course, unless they weren’t ordinary.
‘Status window.’
I opened the status window to check my vocal ability stats.
(Vocal Ability: 66)
My vocal ability was originally 65, but astonishingly, it went up by one.
The practice over the past week, and combined with a month of training with Soo-hyun before Na Ah Ah, seemed to finally pay off.
This indicated that it would take around 40 days of relentless singing practice for just a single stat point to increase.
Additionally…
(Remaining Stats: 10)
…I decided to add some extra stats.
‘Add 4 to vocal ability.’
Shwoop.
(Vocal Ability: 70)
As I thought this, my vocal ability stat popped up to 70.
In the previous ranking evaluation, it was 65; now it’s 70.
It was up to the judges to decide how meaningful this difference would be.
♪♩♬-!
As I signaled that I was ready, the theme song began to play.
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