“……”
I didn’t like that my parents, who said they would discipline me, changed their attitude and stuck by my side, but first things first — I had to check the video.
This was the moment I would be introduced to the public for the first time. What kind of appearance would I have in the video?
With a slightly trembling heart, I pressed the play button.
Click.
Woooooooom-!
As soon as I hit play, a grand background score played, and what appeared was….
[Han Si-woo: Hello! Viewers! I’m Han Si-woo, the main MC and overall producer of Idol Academia.]
…It was Han Si-woo, of course.
Han Si-woo is still one of the top entertainers in South Korea.
Just his appearance alone would create a big impact.
However, Han Si-woo smoothly continued as if to say that he was not the main character of this video.
[Han Si-woo: 100 trainees dreaming of becoming idols in South Korea. I will show you the powerful first flapping of their wings… to the viewers.]
Slide-.
As Han Si-woo said this and waved his hand behind, the screen smoothly transitioned to… a dark stage with several black silhouettes revealing themselves.
Boom-!
Soon, the stage lights turned on, showcasing the figures on stage.
They were… the four of us who received the final A rank, including me.
♪♬-!
As the intro played, the camera zoomed in on the faces of the four A rank members one by one.
When my face filled the screen right after Yoo Seol, my parents beside me gasped in surprise.
“Y-Ye-rin, is this you…!”
“Whoa, our daughter is so pretty…!”
Just a moment ago, they were scolding me; now, they were shouting in admiration at the me on screen.
I ignored them and kept watching the video.
-We are always dreaming.
The introduction was solely for the A rank members.
Thus, the first 30 seconds of the video was monopolized by the four of us in A rank.
Most were group shots, but each of us had a solo shot once.
For about 2 seconds, my expressionless face appeared on screen.
Two seconds might feel very short, but considering the number of participants, it was a significant screen time.
This was where you could understand why participants were so desperate for the final ranking evaluations.
-The dream that stands before you.
As the part transitioned, the stage gradually lit up, and the remaining ranked participants began to appear.
First came the B rank participants.
They received the second-highest screen time after A rank, but there was still a significant difference compared to us.
Though there were occasional solo shots of some participants, they were fleeting.
I checked if there was a solo shot of Lee Hye-jeong, but there was none.
She only appeared occasionally in group shots.
So the B, C, D, and E rank participants appeared on stage….
-We are like this~
With Yoo Seol’s solo bridge, the chorus began.
Boom-!
-We are dreaming!
-The moment you see us.
-We awaken!
At the chorus, all the participants finally revealed themselves.
During the chorus, aerial cameras captured the synchronized dance of all 100 participants on screen.
As the chorus ended…
…came the dance break.
From here on, it was entirely the A rank’s time.
-A new dream unfolds before you!
The four A rank participants, including me, executed high-level moves with precision.
Watching just this, you might think we were originally a group.
‘Thinking about how hard it was for this….’
But seeing it on video, the efforts felt rewarding.
My appearance on screen was… impressive enough, even to me.
-We are dreaming!
-The moment you see us.
After finishing the chorus one more time, the song concluded.
In the meantime, Yoo Seol and I received some more solo shots. The so-called “ending fairies.”
“W-What? How many times does our Ye-rin appear in this video…?”
“Seriously…! How many times does she appear with that cute girl…?”
The screen time Yoo Seol and I got was so generous that my parents felt it was excessive.
…From this video alone, I could tell who the Na Ah Ah production team was focusing on, including myself.
Anyway, after the video ended…
“Y-Ye-rin! Quickly check the comments! Hurry!”
My parents quickly shouted, sensing something was off.
Curious about the comment reactions, I hurried down to the comment section.
– Wow, sh*t, Han Si-woo is the MC.
– Seriously, is this going to flop?
– I already have a few in mind to vote for.
– Who’s the girl at 0:17? Please tell me!
Overall, the comment reactions weren’t bad.
The first comments that popped up were all from Han Si-woo’s fandom.
– Si-woo oppa is back on screenㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– I don’t see anyone else; only Si-woo oppa stands out for me!
– Isn’t this the first time Han Si-woo has taken the MC role? I need to watch this!
Next, there were many comments related to Yoo Seol as well.
– What’s the name of the shortest girl in the center? She’s so pretty!
– I can’t stand this. What’s her name?
– She seems mature yet still childish… kinda appealing.
└ Wow, lolㅋㅋ
– This new girl is a trainee at JJ Entertainment named Yoo Seol, huh?
└ No wonder her skills are so bad ㄷㄷ
└ Wow, seriously? JJ?
And surprisingly, alongside Han Si-woo and Yoo Seol, the one who was mentioned the most was….
– What’s the name of the girl at 0:17?
└ Wow, sh*t, she’s super pretty
└ I’ve fallen in love.
└ ㅇㄷ
└ Wow, she’s the prettiest!
– Who’s that second black-haired girl in the center?
– Wow, she dances so well.
– It seems like she’s already confirmed to debut just based on looks.
└ For real, lol
└ But she dances well too?
…It was me.
Since my information had not been revealed yet, they were mentioning me with phrases like “pretty girl,” “black hair,” “good dancer,” etc.
Scroll, scroll.
I slowly scrolled down to check other comments.
Occasionally, there were comments praising Seo Yoo-jin or Na Han-na and other ranked participants, but…
Most comments mentioning participants were still about me and Yoo Seol, and even the latest comments were mostly about us.
No… if I were to argue, it seemed…
– The first four can just debut as they are, right?
└ That second black-haired one is really super pretty.
– Wow… Where did someone like that pop out from? Is she from one of the Big 3 agencies?
– Who’s the girl at 0:16?
– 0:17, who is this?
└ Even the outcasts are going wild.
My mentions seemed… maybe even more substantial than Yoo Seol’s…
At that moment, I recalled the traits and their effects I had.
[Trait: Sky Demon – You are the outcast in the entertainment world, the Sky Demon of the idol scene, the devil of talent bestowed by the heavens. The moment you appear, others are but mere commoners. Please plow through the complacent entertainment industry and cover South Korea with your name alongside your fanatics.]
[Trait Effect: Sky Demon’s Reappearance, Ten Thousand Demons’ Submission – Fanbase creation speed +30%]
It seemed my trait effects were actively working.
With my appearance stat at 100 and the effects of traits kicking in, my recognition was skyrocketing frighteningly.
“Phew…”
Even now, seeing the blazing comment section mentioning me, I let out a small sigh.
Gaining recognition this fast was a good thing, but… the downsides were also clear.
‘There will be plenty of antis in the future.’
The higher up I go, the more hate I will inevitably receive.
In fact, as my mention increased, negative comments directed toward me had already started surfacing.
– She’s pretty, but she looks like the type to have done school violence.
└ For real, lol, I’m betting she’ll get in trouble soon.
– Why does she look so sullen? Is she mad?
– I prefer Yoo Seol over her; the girl next to her is way prettier.
└ For real.
└ Seriously.
Among those, there were discussions comparing me with Yoo Seol.
Overall, when looking at it, Yoo Seol’s overall stats were significantly higher than mine.
Since I am much weaker in skills compared to her, as my popularity grew, the viewers’ comparison attacks would likely intensify.
‘This is… gaining recognition could be a problem after all.’
Broadcasting was… much more of a headache than I thought.
As I sighed and sat down on the living room floor, my parents rushed over in a flurry.
“Ye-rin! Why, why! Are you okay?”
“Our eldest! Why suddenly like this? Should I get you some water?”
“If you’re in pain, just tell me right away!”
“Our daughter is going to be a top star! If you have any troubles, tell your mom and dad everything! Got it?”
“……”
Just a moment ago, they were scolding me, but upon seeing the video views and comments about me, they instantly changed their attitude.
That behavior was simply disgusting.
After the group theme song video “We Are Dreaming Idol” was uploaded, a week passed.
A lot had changed during that time.
The video views soared…
[Views: 7,205,103 – 7 days ago]
It was nearing a whopping 7.2 million views.
It was the highest view count for a group theme song video in an idol audition program’s history. And it had only been a week since its release.
In response, my parents’ smiles also grew wider.
“Ha ha, Ye-rin! Time for breakfast! Dad made breakfast!”
My dad, who couldn’t even cook, made breakfast…
“Ye-rin, can you look here for a moment? For memories with mom, we should take some pictures together…”
Mom kept trying to take pictures with me.
Things had changed similarly at school.
“Senior!”
“…Huh? Me…?”
“Yes! I watched the video well!”
Even unfamiliar juniors came up to me…
“Ye-rin, I saw Na Ah Ah.”
“How’s Han Si-woo? Is he really handsome?”
People who weren’t even close to me were starting to stick around more than before.
If this had been the only change, I might have thought it was nothing special.
However, the bigger problem arose the moment I stepped outside school.
Whispers.
Whispers.
I was startled when I saw the boys outside the school gate as soon as I left the school building.
“Hey, they’re coming out.”
“Look for her, where is she?”
They were glancing around among the students leaving school, seemingly searching for someone.
Thinking back, there was that post that went up on the community yesterday…
[Found out about Na Ah Ah, second black-haired center’s identity. OOO High School, 3rd year, her name is Ha Ye-rin. The agency is said to be Brotherhood Planning? First time hearing that.]
– Brotherhood Planning? What the hell is that?
– Can’t find Brotherhood Planning even if I search online. So it must be a total backwoods agency.
– Wow… that’s more beneficial to the body than ginseng….
└ (randomly gulping saliva)
– Wait, is she from OOO High School? That’s the school next door? I’ll definitely go get her number tomorrow, haha.
“Hey, isn’t that her?”
“Yeah, it is. Wow, she looks just like on screen.”
“She was already famous. A lot of students at our school liked her.”
“She’s really so pretty…”
Damn it.
I froze in place, startled by the stares directed at me.
I felt like something troublesome would happen if I stepped out the gate like this.
Should I go out the back gate?
But there was no guarantee no one would be looking for me there either.
‘What should I do…?’
I was stuck, unable to take any action, just pacing back and forth.
Then…
Creeeek-.
“…Huh.”
A now-familiar black sedan stopped right in front of the gate, and…
“…What is this?”
Kang Hyung-man, in his usual black suit, stepped out of the car, looking at the boys in front of the gate with an annoyed expression.
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