Chapter 10

"You guys did a great job. Improved a lot all at once. Completely different from the first day," Jung Wangseong praised, satisfied with the performance of Class E today. Though it was not perfect yet, and some didn't perform well, it was better than when they were assessed and promoted in the first tape.

Jacan looked at the young ones receiving praise as if he himself was being praised. He discreetly wiped his nose, holding back tears, grateful that their hard work hadn’t been in vain.

"We have a great teacher," blushed one student from Class E. He received so much praise that he felt buoyant, wanting to mention the significant person who made today possible. Had they not dared to ask for help that day, they wouldn’t know if they would perform this well.

"Who is it?" Of course, the older artists knew who it was. Sometimes, they would hang out in the monitor room during breaks and see the young man helping teach Class E dance and sing the show's theme every evening.

"Brother Jacan, Class A."

"Oh, our big brother here," Kim Bomi turned to look at Class A, where the young man sat surrounded by friends. All the trainees turned to look at him, clapping along with the Class E kids.

"Did these guys go all out, begging and pleading for mercy?" Lee Danbi teased, seeing the Class E kids clapping for Jacan.

"Just walk up and ask for it.” Jacan chuckled, looking at the Class E trainees he'd been coaching all week. Before raising a thumb to them as they had performed better than expected.

"Ha ha," the Class E kids blushed, scratching their heads and cheeks to cover up their embarrassment.

"Alright, let's move on to Class D. Get ready. We need to stay on schedule. There will be a tape playback from yesterday to watch later in the evening."

!!!!!

"And will we get to see the social media buzz?" Jacan raised his hand, asking a question that everyone was eagerly awaiting. The judges received hopeful glances, sparkling with excitement.

"Not yet. Until the first round of voting, no one can use their phones. Oh, and don't ask the staff. If anyone snitches, they'll have their airtime cut," Kim Bomi warned with a smirk. These kids nowadays were so sharp. She had to set boundaries early.

"Class D, please come out. We're starting the next exam," Lee Danbi called out again. The fearless first group of Class D started walking out to stand in their spots, waiting for the production team to signal the start of the performance.

The audition for the theme song position took over two hours to complete the evaluation for Class E-B. Inside the auditorium, the atmosphere immediately quieted down as the five members of Class A took the stage.

The pre-debut group stood at the highest point,

A place they themselves wanted to reach... Soon, perhaps.

Just keep trying... Yes, they had to try.

Jacan closed his eyes to meditate. As soon as the music started playing, the atmosphere around the young man changed instantly. His soft, gentle image remained, but as he moved with each step, a sense of freshness infused it.

"Just like senior Park Insa," whispered one of the trainees at the back softly. They were captivated by Jacan's performance and couldn't look away.

So this was it... The formidable talent of the one at the top.

But they would not give up!

It was not that others weren’t outstanding. Everyone had their own strengths. Due to their young age, they easily embodied the theme song even before performing their moves. However, Jacan, being older, showed more emotions in both facial expressions and gestures, immersing himself more deeply in the song. There was no hint of nervousness in his evaluation by the judges.

Moreover, while dancing, he could still control his voice normally. There were no stumbles in changing poses. Even at the end of the performance, there was hardly any sign of fatigue.

"You're very good. Not wasting your time in Class A," praised Kim Sujin overall, being the first one to comment. She opened her file, glancing at the high-ranking trainees in Class E. "Eiji, you didn't do so well today. What happened to you?"

"..." The room fell silent. Even though they hadn't performed well today, they hadn't been severely criticized from the start like this.

"I'm not feeling well today."

"Do you know that neglecting your health is considered an artist's mistake?"

"Yes, I do," the young man from Country J nodded, accepting the consequences.

The auditions for the trainees in the previous classes didn’t result in everyone receiving praise, but they weren't heavily criticized either. They just needed to take the advice and apply it to their next mission.

Perhaps due to the higher-class level, expectations for perfection were heavier than for other classes. Plus, they had to represent the judges who had been selected in the first round.

Being in Class A but not performing well?

Wouldn’t that mean the judges made a mistake in selecting them in the first place?

"An Junsa, are you too excited? You switched legs once while dancing, causing you to miss a breath. Your voice at the end was weak," Lee Danbi looked at the note containing the mistakes of the young boy, explaining the details point by point before giving advice.

"Thank you," An Junsa took a deep breath, exhaling heavily. He clutched his thick fingers tightly before bowing his head in gratitude to the judge who pointed out his mistakes.

"Wang Qi, you danced offbeat in one section. There's no problem with singing. Have you not overcome your nervousness when encountering Sujin yet?" Kim Bomi teased the boy standing nervously in front of Kim Sujin.

"I'm sorry," the young man bowed his head in admission. A slight distraction where he accidentally made eye contact with his favorite idol caused him to lose rhythm by one step.

"In this case, I’ll have you two sit staring at each other until your eyes hurt!” the female singer bent her wrists, as if preparing to punish them. But was it a disciplinary action or a fan service exactly?

"Kim Jiseong, there's no problem with singing and dancing today. However, while dancing, please make eye contact with the audience too. Your eyes are the windows to the soul. If you’re not enjoying yourself, your eyes will show it," Jung Wangseong felt like he was being overlooked as he watched the young man dance, which led to criticism at this point.

"Thank you for the advice," Kim Jiseong took a deep breath, not expecting to be seen through by the judges. Because his excitement made him imagine that he was dancing in front of a mirror like during rehearsals, which was a bizarre thought. If the judges were to be replaced by fan club members, they would be disappointed to never have had eye contact with the idol they love during a live performance.

The trainees of Class A stood with their heads bowed, listening to the comments with a dejected expression. Seeing this, other classes couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down their spines.

Being at the top came with a price.

"Last one, Mr. Jacan," Kim Bomi stretched, sitting upright. Her beautiful eyes assessed the young man from head to toe and looked up again for a moment.

"Yes," the young man nodded, waiting to hear the feedback.

"Absolutely flawless," the young woman applauded. As soon as she met the clear blue-eyed gaze, she was drawn to only watch his performance. It took her several seconds to regain her composure.

"Both singing and dancing were perfect," Kim Sujin nodded in agreement.

"You seem different every time you perform. Extremely impressive," Jung Wangseong raised his thumb. Whether it was advancing class evaluations or auditioning for positions in theme songs, he consistently performed remarkably well.

"I don't know what to advise you, but there's one thing I've been wondering all along. Have we met before?" Lee Danbi furrowed her brow. The more he watched the performance of this young man, the more familiar he felt. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't remember.

"I've been debuted before. We might have met on a music program sometime. I and the members have terminated our roles in the group already. When I didn't know what to do next, I saw that this program was recruiting, so I decided to take a chance," Jacan didn't hide anything, but he didn't reveal everything about him and Lee Danbi having collaborated before during his time in HJ.

"Can you whisper what group it is?" Kim Sujin now realized that the young man's ability came from his experience on stage.

"I apologize. I want to focus on myself in the present," he wanted to prove himself with a face that was once rejected.

Having heard that, no one thought to ask again. The theme song audition for the show ended just like that, with the judges going to meet to find suitable candidates for the center position and other positions before notifying them later.

It was time for dinner, so the exhausted trainees went to have dinner at the cafeteria before gathering again in the large meeting room to wait to watch the recording of the first episode.

"Excellent job, bro. I was already thinking that you must have debuted. So I should call you senior now, right?" Yeo Unche praised, approaching his roommate. He had various hypotheses about the background of this older brother. With his older age and outstanding abilities, he wasn't just an ordinary trainee from a class.

"Not to that extent. Just call me normally," Jacan smiled gently. Lee Danbi's sharp sense didn't change. Even though his sister Shinsu had given him a lot of hard times when they worked together, he could still remember him.

In fact, she wasn’t really bullying him. It was just that the person on stage and off stage were quite different. On stage, he was the idol rapper beloved by teenagers. Off stage, he was someone who lacked confidence heavily. If something emotionally impactful happened, tears could flow anytime.

Prior to that, they both had several prejudices that they couldn't resolve, so they had to rely on their musical abilities to communicate.

He couldn't remember anymore what mistakes Lee Danbi made during their collaboration and why his older sister, Han Shinsu, got so furious. At that time, the young rapper even burst into tears in the middle of the recording room. It was so difficult that he had to intervene to calm the situation for a long time before it settled down. Moreover, he had to help both of them understand each other better before they could start working again.

"You received a lot of compliments today. I've been thinking that you must have had experience before. I also want to debut quickly," An Junsa brought his own food tray to the table, even though normally he would eat with friends from other classes.

"Because of practicing a lot," Jacan replied with some reservation. He didn't like being singled out, but he had to endure it. Because this was a variety show, the more intense the competition, the more the viewers liked it.

"Really? I'll keep that as an example," An Junsa concluded before taking a bite of his food, ending the conversation just like that.

"..." Yeo Unche saw that, so he took a bite of food too, unsure that if he opened his mouth to start a conversation, the other side would come up with something annoying to say about his brother again.

It was so frustrating!

"So, where did Wang Qi go?" Normally, there should be another annoying person at their table.

"There he is. He's sitting with Lee Sangah. Heard a whisper that those two were playing the same games and enjoying chatting. Since there's no computer to play with like outside, it must be lonely here,"

"Really? So let them..."

"We're in a crucial period now, we should be spending time analyzing flaws, so we won't make mistakes like this audition." An Junsa interjected, turning his gaze to Wang Qi and Lee Sangah, who were exchanging smiles, seeming to be having a conversation that hit the mark.

"...," Jacan kept quiet, his face expressionless. He didn't show any emotions at all, unlike Yeo Unche, who didn't quite agree with this idea. When he was about to argue, he was lightly kicked under the table by the person sitting opposite, so he kept on eating. He almost forgot that there were cameras watching them.

"Did I say something wrong?" An Junsa pretended not to notice the tense atmosphere swirling around him.

"Not at all," Jacan shook his head.

"You agree, right? They’d been fooling around, which was why they made mistakes. An Junsa smiled inwardly when the boy in front of him agreed with him.

"Not really, it's not about that. When I said it, I meant your thoughts weren’t wrong. But my thoughts are different. You know that provoking words will lead to arguments on social media, but you're so eager to talk like this. What do you want from me?" Jacan continued eating after speaking, as if the conversation on the table wasn't tense at all, contrary to Yeo Unche, who was starting to struggle to swallow his food.

Big brother… If this scene was broadcast, An Junsa ’s fans would definitely hate you.

"What's up? There wasn’t anything serious, I just said what I thought," the one who initiated the conversation shrugged his shoulders, not caring about being called out directly.

"Or are you the type who likes to spray toxic comments on others until they're used to it?" The young man raised his eyebrows in questioning.

"I'm talking about someone else. How could it undermine you?" An Junsa furrowed his brows, trying to maintain composure on his face. No one had ever spoken to him in such a disrespectful manner before.

"It can undermine me alright. You already know that Wang Qi and I are close, talking negatively about him while his friend is sitting right here, you expect the listener to laugh along. If the situation isn't clear, I'll help clarify... that your words make me feel uncomfortable and lose my appetite."

"Is it good to speak like this?" The young man gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger from revealing.

"Um, I think speaking straightforwardly is better. Otherwise, next time we meet, you'll start a conversation like this again. Before saying anything, I always think, because once words are spoken, they can't be taken back. If you don't think carefully, your mouth might lead to trouble,"

If possible, Jacan wanted to befriend everyone on the show until filming ended. But when the other side didn't come with friendliness, he was ready to push those people away.

"Huh, you’ll regret this," An Junsa pushed the half-eaten plate away and joined the group of trainees from Class B, who were sitting farther away. It seemed like that group were friends who knew each other well.

"Is it good to talk to him like that, brother?" Yeo Unche looked left and right, unsure where the cameras were hidden. If the scene were to be aired immediately, this foreign brother might struggle in the future.

"Don't worry," Jacan smiled faintly. "Let's continue eating. Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing."

How would he let him know that he had memorized where the cameras were placed and that the table they were currently sitting at was out of the camera's sight? And that the sound wasn't loud enough for the next camera to capture as well?

Visiting the monitor room that day wasn't a waste at all. He could use the things he remembered in the future.

And another benefit of visiting the monitor room was that he started to notice something fishy, thinking that he might be included in that plan. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing had yet to be seen.

Most of the time, feeling like this would be a bad thing... but pretending not to know and not pointing fingers beforehand would also help. He guessed that someone wanted to sabotage this show and was slowly starting to lay traps among the trainees.

"I think I need to look at you differently now. You're not just a kind-hearted big brother, but also a strict one," It was the first time he had seen this brother retort back painfully, although he had been affected by Lee Sangah's words several times before without any response.

Jacan smiled. Since he knew that he had an ego that day, he began to adjust anew. Although he maintained his image as he did at the beginning of filming, if it wasn't someone close, they wouldn't know that he had changed and was using his experience to make everything seem natural. This included avoiding situations that could tarnish his reputation.

Unless he couldn't avoid it... then he would use the cameras to his advantage.

"This time, that guy probably went to talk about you with his friends for sure," Yeo Unche's face looked tense. This brother had done well throughout his work and he didn't want to see him fail because of a loose-mouthed person.

"As he wishes, just don’t do it in front of me."

...Otherwise, don't say I have not warned him.

Time for dinner was over. Everyone hurried back to the recreation room once again. Inside, the seating arrangements were still marked according to the classes as before. The trainees who had previously grouped with other classes separated and sat on their own sides. Each group had snacks and healthy drinks from a sponsor arranged neatly for them to choose their preferred flavors.

"Wow, these snacks!" The trainees’ brains ran swiftly before realizing that this was an advertisement for one of the show's main sponsors. They quickly indulged themselves in choosing drinks, some opened the lids to let the camera see. Of course, they didn’t forget to subtly display the brands of the drinks.

Mmm... they took the job seriously.

They let them enjoy snacks and drinks for almost twenty minutes. Then the television screens, which were once dim and silent, displayed the show's logo along with interviews of some trainees who were interviewed before the competition. Jacan didn't have an interview in that segment. He remembered clearly that before reporting to the staff, no one came to interview him.

"Mostly, they'll interview the trainees who have agencies," Wang Qi whispered softly. Because of his cheerful and easy-going nature, he quickly became close to trainees from various classes. Sometimes, they would chat casually about this and that, and it was through these conversations that he found out that before the filming started, there were interviews with trainees sent by agencies to join the competition beyond the interviews in the audition rounds.

‘I think I still have a lot to develop. This show has both trainers and competitors. I think it's going to be fun,’ An Junsa smiled into the camera. His handsome and gentle face in this scene must have captured many fans' hearts.

"You're so cool, Junsa!" came the murmurs of admiration from the adjacent Class B. The praised one scratched his cheek, blushing, before gesturing his friends to quiet down, making it seem like he was scolding them playfully.

Well... this kid came from a major agency that was one of the Big Five nationwide. It wouldn't be surprising if he got a bit of promotion.

After the interview segment, the screen cut to audition clips of ordinary people that switched rapidly, making it hard to tell who was who. Then, it led the audience to an empty studio, the location of the first tape shooting for the class evaluation.

And next, the doors beside the stage were opened, with Wang Qi hesitating to look left and right, unsure of what to do next. Laughter erupted, and he had to shield behind Jacan’s back to hide his embarrassment because he remembered vividly that there were more embarrassing scenes than this.

‘Ai Ya, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead!!!'

Wang Qi's shocked expression and interjections made many nearly collapse with laughter, believing that the viewers at home must have had similar reactions.

"Whoops, so embarrassing! Why didn't they cut that out?" The little kid from his class complained, scratching his head against Jacan's back. If he could escape, he probably would have already done it.

"Why cut it? It's so cute, viewers love this kind of stuff," Jacan reassured.

"Really, brother?" the younger one stuck out his face.

"This kind of thing is great. It attracts a lot of mom-fans."

"Why only mom-fans?!" Wang Qi grumbled, feeling a little sad that he didn't have a cool image like some other trainees. He wanted some fan girls who would swoon over him and call him oppa too.

Next came images of other trainees gradually entering, accompanied by TV screens behind them showing each person's company logo, or if they didn't have one, it would be the word “unknown”.

The program heavily favored the group that stood out from the beginning, which was understandable because they needed to promote these people to make the show more interesting.

Until Jacan, wearing a woven cloak, walked in. The aura of his handsome appearance caught the eyes of the younger ones.

"Wow, brother Jacan looks so good on screen, he's really handsome. Handsome than on TV. But he looks slightly different in there."

"Will he get first place in the first voting round?" another asked.

"Not sure, Junsa is quite outstanding too. Plus, he's a trainee from a big agency. There must be older generation artists supporting him for sure." Not to mention the agency’s loyal fanbase. It’s almost like he could just wait for his debut.

The murmurs and discussions grew louder. Some began to glance at Class A with various feelings: admiration, envy, and resentment.

With a total of 99 people, the program couldn't possibly capture everyone. Otherwise, it would take too much time. Some were rushed, some were skipped. Some ended up sitting on the sidelines.

Then came the introduction of the judges and class performances, which repeated the same loop. Some showcased their talents fully, while others were skipped over. Then it was the final segment of the show, a special 2-minute episode for premium app subscribers.

In this special segment, the trainees took their time to choose stickers. Some grabbed Class A stickers without much thought, while others hesitated and deliberated. It took some time for them to finally stick the stickers, to the point the footage had to be sped up to fit the allotted time slot. And the last person the program chose to cut to was Jacan.

The image showed him confidently picking up the Class A sticker without hesitation. However, instead of sticking it on immediately like others, he placed it between his palms then raised his clasped hands to his forehead, muttering words that had never been heard before. It wasn’t until the subtitles revealed the meaning of his words that some in the room couldn’t help but choke on their drinks with laughter.

"Why did you ruin your image, big brother?" Wang Qi looked at his older brother with disbelieving eyes. From beginning to end, this older brother of his had been nothing but handsome. But as soon as he entered the special segment, he turned into a complete comedian.

"I didn't think they'd cut it in," Jacan pretended not to know, even though it was part of the plan from the beginning.

"What language is that, brother? You have to rely on sacred things?" Kim Jiseong teased.

"It’s the language of country T. Seems like they have a lot of sacred things there. See? That's why I got Class A just like I asked for," Jacan boasted overly, in a manner that was clearly fake, prompting laughter from those who were intentionally listening.

"Do we have to do it like this?" someone mimicked raising their hand to their forehead.

"No, it should be like this," another said, placing their hand at chest level and bowing their head. "I've seen it on TV. It's a culture where they do this when they meet."

The first tape had ended, but the trainees seemed to have a lot to talk about and exchange opinions. From being in their classes, they began to mix according to their familiarity. Like Jacan's group, which included Yeo Unche, Wang Qi, Lee Sangah, and Kim Jiseong, who sat picking up snacks while guessing the trends in social media about who would be popular. While it was just speculation, everyone seemed to converge towards Jacan, smiling and changing the subject smoothly. Just as Kim Jiseong brought up another topic.

"When the theme song audition is over, it'll be super relaxing. No more late-night rehearsals."

"In that case, we should hurry up and relax," Jacan raised his browns.

"What relax? This should be a time for fun," Kim Jiseong placed a water bottle in the middle of the circle and spun it until the bottle pointed at someone, then burst out laughing. "Let's play truth or dare instead. Whoever the bottle points to gets to choose whether to ask a question to anyone in the group. If they don't answer, they have to finish their drink." The young man rubbed his hands, glancing at his fellow contestants with anticipation, then held up the sponsored drink from the show's sponsor and poured it into a glass until it was full.

"This looks like fun, I want to play too!" Wang Qi raised his hand.

Jacan didn't object. After all, it wasn't a gambling game, and the show couldn't possibly have anything predetermined.

"Alright, let's get started then," Kim Jiseong said, looking at each participant in the game one by one. When no one withdrew, he reached out to spin the bottle again, and the first person who could pose a question was Jacan.

"Who would you ask, big brother?" Kim Jiseong was enthusiastic, not expecting his older brother to have a question first.

"Let me ask Wang Qi," the mixed-race young man looked around and then chose the youngest brother.

"Here we go, I'm ready to drink," the cheeky kid teased, pretending he wouldn't answer the question.

"Don't worry, it's not a difficult question. Which finger do you like the most on your own hand?" The unexpected question from the older brother made many look at him with confusion.

"I asked, so answer!" Jacan urged.

"Uh, well, the pinky finger," Wang Qi lowered his gaze to his own hand for a moment before folding all his fingers, leaving only the pinky. "It's small like me."

"Small?" Kim Jiseong raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"Small in stature. But the rest isn't small," Wang Qi looked at the older man resolutely. In that regard, he wasn't small. He just hadn't grown yet!

"Okay, you like the pinky. I'm out of questions, so should I spin the bottle again?" Jacan asked.

"Huh? Is that all you're going to ask?" Kim Jiseong wanted to use this game to dissolve the tension between the group members, but why wasn't it working out as intended?

"Um, just this," the young man nodded, confirming his answer. But he didn't reveal the background of this seemingly simple question, where it came from.

Wang Qi liked the pinky. Generally, people who liked this finger tended to have overflowing energy, be cheerful, outgoing, get along well with others, prefer teamwork activities over individual ones, and be kind and helpful to others.

From the incident with Lee Sangah, Jacan had been secretly observing those around him all the time, but it wasn't enough to know if the deep-seated personalities of each person made them truly compatible or if they were just keeping each other for future benefits.

The young man had trouble sleeping for several nights. Just as Kim Jiseong proposed a truth or dare game, he had the opportunity to try a simple psychological test, to assess those surrounding him at the moment.

And it seemed that today the goddess of luck was on his side when the bottle spun towards him again.

"Yeo Unche, what do you like to eat?"

"Kim Jiseong, which finger do you like on your own hand?"

"Lee Sangah, what's your favorite color?"

As the hand went up, he gathered information from everyone to complete the circle.

'What silly questions!' x all