Chapter 5

The door was opened again, this time revealing the real presence of the top-tier artists from the industry, not just an image on the screen. This panel of judges would stay with the trainees until their debut day.

The young man of mixed heritage watched as the trainees in the studio cheered and applauded the arrival of the celebrities, some of whom he had worked with during his time as HJ, making him less outwardly excited than the others. However, when someone appeared with a microphone in hand, even Jacan, who had been quiet, couldn't help but react.

[Hello everyone, I'm Park Insa, I'll be your host from today until the final day. Please take good care of me.]

"Ahhh, Park Insa!"

"Sheesh! Typical of SKM to bring Park Insa in as the host."

"Insa hyung! I'm a huge fan of yours!"

[Thank you, thank you for all your love.] Park Insa winked, sending hearts racing. Despite the studio being over 99% male, his charm was irresistible, and even Jacan, usually so composed, couldn't keep his cool.

Incredible! To have Park Insa as the host of the show was unbelievable!

Who was Park Insa?

If asked, foreigners might yield some nods of recognition and some shakes of the head, but in country K, very few people wouldn’t know who he was.

IV-Dream, a top global artist group, confirmed its fame with numerous music awards from both domestic and international scenes at the peak of its popularity. Currently, the members of the band are branching out into solo activities they're interested in, but they still release one or two albums a year to keep their fans from missing them too much.

Jacan liked the works of Ford (the name fans call the band), but he didn’t particularly favor any member of the band, unlike his mother… who had been a hardcore fan since before they officially debuted, which was even before he was born.

Nowadays, in his family's home abroad, there was a room that serves as "Mom's Treasure Room." It was filled with a collection of Ford memorabilia, ranging from the pioneering era to the present.

His mother had been a fan of celebrities and artists since her younger days, but her greatest affections were reserved for only three bands: besides Ford, there’s Twin K and his own duo, HJ.

If she knew he was on the same show as one of her favorite idols… the house would surely be buzzing with excitement! Haha, because he hadn’t yet told his family that he was participating in a major label’s new idol group survival show, only mentioning that he wanted to stay in this country a bit longer because he misses the atmosphere.

I wondered if I would get an earful for this. I was so excited...

And to meet the artists that his mother and he had followed since he was a kid, he really wanted the show to air soon.

Park Insa raised his hand, waving it back and forth, eliciting screams of excitement from the passionate young crowd. This prompted Im Heewoo, who was in the monitoring room, to cough over the intercom, signaling him to stop playing around and get ready to host.

[Ahem, guys, let's stop here for now, the head PD will scold me for real,] the legendary senior cleared his throat, restoring his demeanor as a venerable figure in the industry once again.

“We should have stopped playing around long ago,” Jung Wangseong felt like collapsing onto the judges' table. If it weren’t for maintaining his image as a light-footed dancer, he would have already done so as soon as he hit the chair.

[Ooh! Mr. Wangseong really lacks a sense of humor.]

“...” It felt like Park Insa's image, as he had heard from his mother, had changed quite a bit. Did one get more humorous with age?

“Mr. Park Insa, we better start the show now. If we delay any further, the editing team will have a hard time,” Kim Bomi said with a smirk that made the senior man's hair stand on end.

[Okay, okay, welcome everyone to STAR FIGHT. From now on, we'll abbreviate it as SF, even though it sounds like some game or a film studio brand, don’t mind it. Let’s just call it SF, it’s short and the main producer has approved it too.]

“Is our show's description really that long?” Kim Jiseong, who had been quiet during the filming, leaned over to whisper and talk to Jacan for the first time.

“It's just the flavor of the show. They’ll probably edit and add effects to punch up the jokes later,” Jacan replied, considering that they had invited an idol from a legendary group, they probably wanted to make every second count.

In the Monitor Room

“Somebody drag that kid Insa back here right now, I'm going to change people, I will change people!!” Im Heewoo slammed his headphones down on the leather chair with a thud, his face growing increasingly grim like a guardian statue from the Temple of Dawn in country T.

“PD, please calm down, we can’t change people right now,” nearby staff hurriedly held onto the large man, each grabbing his legs and waist, praying for his rage to subside quickly.

“I don’t care, I’m going to change, I will change!” He used to have headaches because of the older brother, why did he have to suffer headaches because of the younger brother now!

“Who would you like to switch to, sir?” Dong Hyunin opened the door to the monitor room, saw the chaos, and frowned, feeling a headache coming on just from the sound of the elder's relentless complaints. He glanced at his assistant, who had been entrusted with maintaining order, but the assistant also struggled to withstand the PD’s temper, merely offering a sheepish smile back to his boss.

No one could prevent the producer's tantrums when things didn’t go his way. Even with ten assistants, there was nothing they could do unless President Dong himself stepped in.

"Mr. Im, you were the one who requested a member of Ford to join the show. How can you think about changing it now?" President Dong sighed. He had predicted this would happen, which was why he initially suggested hiring a different professional host.

It was Im Heewoo himself who wanted to leverage Ford's fame to draw fans to watch the show, even though he should have known that the members of Ford were not the obedient teenagers they used to be but were now almost middle-aged men with a will of their own.

"What I really wanted was George, not one of these hellish twins!" In the past, Park Insa was a well-behaved, calm kid who often had to rein in his energetic older brother, Park Oseong. But somehow, over twenty years, it was the younger brother who had become playful and taken on the role of the more serious elder.

"Mr. George isn’t available; he's too busy to leave." George, whom the other party mentioned, was a member of country T, popular internationally. He's currently filming a major movie in country A. Although he was only a guest star, he played a pivotal character that would be crucial to the plot, necessitating his presence there for almost two months until the shooting was complete.

Where would he find the time to come back and shoot a show that essentially required living in the studio like this?

"As for the others, at this age, they preferred to stay home with their families rather than come out and frolic in the sun and rain," They were not young anymore. Who would want to come on a show with energetic teenagers that drain the life out of older people? Playing with kids for too long might even make their bones brittle.

If they could avoid it, they would.

Especially for those like Ford, who had dedicated decades of their lives to their careers, when it came time to rest, they took it seriously. Pushing them too hard might annoy them to the point where they refuse to take on additional work. They were already taking fewer jobs than ever before.

"Since you've made the request, you have to accept the consequences. It's not easy to just summon a member of Ford to join a project," Even though they are artists under the label, they also hold shares in the management board. Even if they didn’t work, they could comfortably live off dividends. The contracts they signed as artists aren’t as binding as when they were teenagers, a reward for their long, hard work.

Dong Hyunin nodded, prompting everyone to look at the laptop screen which was flooded with discussions about the show. This was due to an account leak stating that 'STAR FIGHT' had started filming its first tape today, featuring an unexpectedly legendary band member as a guest host. Just that much information had already created a buzz, making people eagerly anticipate the first episode.

"It seems like the buzz is going in a good direction.”

"Ugh," Im Heewoo sighed, scratching his head until his hair was disheveled, "Since we've got him, we might as well make the most out of his fame," he said through gritted teeth, turning to give orders to the assistant producer.

"Spread the news that we've got Park Insa as the host, but sneak in a few other names as well so it doesn’t look too intentional," adding more fuel to the fire to stoke the viewers' curiosity even more.

The chaos within the monitor room concluded just like that, without affecting the rest of the filming, and Park Insa continued his hosting duties until the end.

Dong Hyunin cast a glance at Jacan for a moment before turning back to continue his work at the company.

Filming Studio

[Next, we will proceed with the initial class evaluation. Everyone, please prepare well.]

There was a sudden hush as the lively atmosphere from moments before turned tense due to the stern expressions and serious words of the judges. It was as if the drop of a pin could echo across the entire studio.

[We will randomly select numbers from this box, and I will be the one to draw them.] The staff moved a large sealed box containing 99 balls, each representing a contestant.

[Alright, the first number.]

‘Starting right away, huh!!’

The trainees jittered uneasily in their seats as the host switched the mood back and forth so rapidly that no one could keep up. Whether it was time to play or to be serious, the show moved on without asking anyone's opinion.

‘Can’t keep up already, oh dear...’

[Number 29]

“Number 29, are you ready?” Kim Bomi flipped through the trainee’s file while checking their readiness, only to hear a voice shout from somewhere, ‘Ready, sir!’

Jacan rested his arms on his knees, intently watching the performance of each trainee, who would be both colleagues and competitors from today until three months down the line.

Number 29 was a young boy from country C, who appeared to be about 15-16 years old even at a glance. He had shoulder-length hair styled in a man bun or tied back to reveal some strands curling at the nape of his neck, which made his outward appearance seem even brighter and more youthful.

“You are Wang Qi, right? The class you assessed yourself to be in is...”

“C, sir.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an underestimation of yourself?” Lee Danbi raised an eyebrow curiously. Most trainees, if not confident that they belong in class A, would at least position themselves in class B to save face. It was the first time he had seen someone confidently claim to be in class C.

“I reserved my judgment because I couldn’t decide. I prefer to get a sticker based on the judges' evaluation rather than judging myself.”

“Well done,” Kim Bomi couldn’t help but praise. “You may start your performance now.”

The young boy chose to sing a song from the legendary idol group Ford for his first verse. Perhaps because of his young age and the fact that he was still maturing, his voice wasn’t fully balanced yet.

For dancing, he used Popping & Rocking styles, and as the beat intensified, he switched to Robot Dance to change the rhythm.

Not bad at all, considering his young age.

Thump, thump, thump.

Clap, clap, clap

“Thank you,” the young man bowed deeply, grateful for the resounding applause he received. This first draw turned out to be quite a catch, likely making those who were to perform next feel a mix of hot and cold.

“This kid is seriously talented, isn’t he? Are we even up to the challenge?”

“That’s right, definitely a dark horse of the show. He still looks so young.”

Although they clapped and showed their appreciation, underneath those smiling faces there was a hidden layer of concern, as evidenced by the constant whispering that floated through the air.

“Wang Qi, right? Your performance was quite good, especially compared to the video clip you submitted for the auditions. You’ve improved a lot quickly,” Kim Sujin reviewed the details of the young man numbered 29 while noting down key aspects of the performance that had just concluded.

“Y….Yes,” Wang Qi stood up straight, his mind whirling with the realization that Kim Sujin remembered his name, nearly losing track of the judge’s analysis of his performance as her words continued to echo in his head.

"The dancing is fine, but because you were too excited, your breathing was uneven. You need to practice this more, and then find opportunities to perform frequently to get used to it and overcome this issue," Jung Wangseong critiqued.

"Yes, it’s just... I’m a fan of Ms. Sujin, so I was really excited to perform in front of her," the young man said, biting his lip and looking away, his cheeks flushed as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Really? So you're one of my 'Cotton buds'," Kim Sujin said with a sweet smile. The charming woman’s fan club was named 'Cotton buds' due to her fondness for using them. Despite serious advice from her doctor not to, she would often pick one up and twirl it around to ease her anxiety, and her fans adopted the name because they wanted to be an important part of her life forever.

"Yes, I am a Cotton bud," Wang Qi nodded earnestly, his head bobbing like a little brother looking up to his older sister.

[Such a cute conversation!] Park Insa, temporarily forgotten, almost burst out laughing. He managed to suppress his smile just in time, switching to a teasing tone to keep anyone from suspecting.

[With all these compliments, I wonder what class Wang Qi will end up in. I think the judges might already have an answer in mind, right?]

“...” Wang Qi, standing on stage, clenched his hands in front of him, pursing his lips and looking at the judges with puppy eyes.

“Class A,” all four judges declared.

"!!!" Wang Qi grinned widely and eagerly ran to receive the Class A sticker from Park Insa. He quickly peeled off the old Class C sticker and replaced it with the new Class A one without hesitation, stretching out his shirt so that everyone in the studio could clearly see. Jacan noticed that some people clenched their fists tightly.

Huh, he was quite good at stirring things up. It was unclear whether he was genuinely naive or if this was all pre-planned, but his actions successfully rattled some of the others. It was likely that the performances to follow might see some mistakes due to the pressure from his superior display.

[Would the young 'Cotton bud' please wait in the lounge until the evaluation is over? We will continue with the rules for the next segment after that.]

"Osu!" Wang Qi acknowledged with a salute, then half-ran, half-jumped towards the designated lounge.

Following the departure of the first Class A young man, the studio fell into silence, but it was a silence of two kinds:

First, the fun and excitement of stepping up to be evaluated by experienced seniors in the industry. Second, a silence stemming from fear—

Fear that their prepared performances weren't good enough.

Fear of losing face if evaluated poorly.

Fear of admitting that they might not belong in this place.

And that fear only multiplied as the subsequent performances received critiques that made many cringe.

"Your breathing still needs work."

"You're offbeat; don't rush too much."

"Don't choose a song that doesn't match your capabilities—it doesn't showcase your talents and makes the performance boring."

"If you know you can't hit the notes, don't force it—it becomes a scream of a ghost, not a high note."

'Mommy, I want to go home...'

"Let's take a break," declared producer Im Heewoo, stretching his arms up and sweeping them from left to right to shake off the stiffness in his back. "Go tell the judges we'll take a twenty-minute break. Staff can fetch some water and snacks for the other trainees," he added, mindful not to serve anything too heavy that might hinder their performances later.

After five hours, only half of the contestants had been evaluated. It looked like it would be close to midnight before the day was done.

"Alright kids, a twenty-minute break. Anyone who needs to drink water, use the restroom, or touch up their makeup, go ahead and do it quickly. After that, we're going non-stop until everyone has performed."

"I'm exhausted and I haven't even performed yet," complained a trainee sitting next to Jacan, thumping his shoulder. "My muscles are all tensed up," he continued, anxious every time senior Park Insa reached for the ball, wondering if his number would be called next. While not being called was a relief, the tension of watching others perform made him eager to just get his own performance over with so he could relax.

"Looking at the number left, we probably won't get to the dorms until past midnight," one remarked. Although each performance might last only 2 minutes, the judges took much longer, sometimes asking the trainees to sing or dance more than what was planned, leading to evaluations that could extend up to 10 minutes.

"Very few have made it to Class A." The judges were super stingy with this class.

"Only two so far, right?" Among the 99 contestants, more than 50 had initially assessed themselves as Class A, but facing the judges, many dropped to Class B or even as low as Class E—a slap in the face that was profoundly demoralizing. The sticker they had given themselves felt like a burning hot metal plate, something not to be touched unless their capabilities were truly sufficient.

"Wang Qi and Kato Eiji," Jacan leaned back, wanting to rest his eyes, but the trainees around him continued to discuss the evaluations non-stop.

"No one from our country made it, how is this acceptable?" someone exclaimed in dissatisfaction.

"Exactly, this is a show organized by our country. Why are there so many foreigners participating, and even getting good positions?" another joined in, and the group vented their frustrations more animatedly.

"..." The young man of mixed heritage clenched his fists tightly, his eyes shut.

"They don’t even contribute to their own country and come here to steal our jobs," as one person broached the topic, others nearby who shared similar sentiments joined in, creating a small but intensely vocal group.

"And some of them get famous and then go abroad to make a living. They use our country’s art scene as a stepping stone without any gratitude," the discussion heated up.

Enough already.

"They should be made to sign indenture contracts to teach them a lesson."

Enough was enough.

"Foreigners are so disgusting."

Enough...

"If you can't say something constructive, just keep quiet. Is that a mouth or a sewer?" Jacan opened his eyes to look at the young man next to him who, although he was speaking with his eyes closed, spoke quite loudly, causing the conversation to suddenly quiet down.

"What's with you? Wanting to be the good guy?" The person who had started the topic glared at him, his hands trembling slightly.

"Not at all, if you want to destroy yourselves, please continue," Kim Jiseong scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you really dumb or just pretending? Even though it's break time, the cameras aren't taking a break. Do you think the group chat won't be used in the first tape? Drama is a main dish for variety shows," another trainee next to Jacan hadn't finished his sentence when the group that had been vocal went pale and quickly stood up to excuse themselves to the restroom.

On the way, they were blaming each other for bringing up such a risky topic.

"Why don't you fight back?" After targeting those with harmful words, the next target of the young man was his neighbor who had remained silent even though he was being insulted.

"Just like you said, reputations aren't built easily. A moment of satisfaction isn't worth the loss," he finished and then winked at a camera hidden nearby.

"Sly," if he hadn't spoken up, this person might have used those naive trainees as a step ladder to craft an image of being bullied. That alone would boost his ratings because a gentle image tends to attract female fans who like the 'mommy' or 'girlfriend' vibe.

"Besides... they aren't wrong," he was a foreigner. Coming here to follow his dreams just added unnecessary competition for them.

It was hard enough competing among themselves, do they really need to compete with foreigners in their own country?

"No, you're wrong," was all Kim Jiseong could say before the judges announced that the break was over and everyone should return to their seats to prepare for the next evaluations.

...

[Number 25, please come forward.]

"Number 25, are you ready?"

"Ready," Jacan stood up, indicating his position before walking down from the stands to prepare in the adjacent lounge.

The young man checked himself in the mirror, touched up his makeup slightly, and after making sure his appearance was okay, he walked out to stand in front of the judges.

"Ah, it’s you, your audition round was really impressive. We have high expectations for your performance today," Kim Bomi spoke, adding pressure to test his focus.

"Thank you," Jacan bowed gracefully to accept the compliment before signaling the team to start the music he had prepared for his performance.

Do you see that light?

The loneliness that envelops the heart

That person is just a passerby, not significant

Don't look back, don't look behind, don't let anyone see the tears

For this performance, Jacan chose a song with a relatively fast tempo to showcase his skills. Throughout, he maintained a balance in his dance moves to prevent any voice disruptions while swinging his arms or stepping heavily. And just when everyone thought that was all to his performance…

Swish

There was a sudden gasp of amazement.

He switched up the rhythm of the performance by adding a solo dance section towards the end, removing the woolen coat that represented softness in the beginning, revealing a sleeveless inner shirt that displayed well-proportioned arm muscles.

With the bulky wool coat no longer obscuring his physique, the vigor in his arm and leg swings increased. His positioning, dance lines, everything seemed perfectly placed as if carefully curated.

He even managed to divide his attention to flirt with the cameras and the judges, effectively fooling them with his external appearance.

Jacan wasn't merely dividing his attention as everyone thought, but these were responses his body was accustomed to when on stage. Unlike in a rehearsal room where he only saw his reflection, here, he had fans and a general audience watching. He needed to entertain them and make them feel involved.

All these expressions stemmed from five years of accumulated experience in the entertainment industry, slightly dimmed after not being on stage for about two years until his sister Shinsu had recently helped him evaluate his performance and reminded him of his focus.

Tears are worthless

If the one watching does not deserve them

Thump, thump, thump.

"Pant Pant... Thank you for watching," Jacan briefly caught his breath after finishing his performance. He took a few more breaths through his mouth and soon returned to normal, not showing any signs of fatigue.

"That was an outstanding performance," the two women applauded in unison, their admiring gaze fixed on the young man and not wandering away.

"Last time you performed a robot dance, I thought you were only good at popping. But you really surprised me this time," Jung Wangseong praised, while his hand busily wrote scores in the evaluation sheet.

"By the way... I've never heard this song before," Lee Danbi raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation.

"It's a song I composed myself."

"The lyrics and the melody?"

"Yes, I wrote everything myself."