Chapter 11

Surprise Monthly Evaluation

"Ham Iwon, come up here, please."

At the representative's call, I stepped into the space surrounded by trainees, and a sense of helplessness washed over me.

I had no preparation, yet I was suddenly faced with the task of singing and dancing in front of everyone.

I had come to watch, but now I was in a bind.

The agency's staff and trainees, accustomed to idols, would have high standards. After all, they had their own idol groups they had raised.

It was daunting to show my skills in front of such a discerning audience. My inadequate dance skills would be exposed, but I couldn't avoid this unexpected stage.

Since it was an unplanned event, I hadn't prepared the music, so I asked one of the staff members. As a result, there was a slight delay.

Everyone understood the sudden nature of the situation, so the atmosphere wasn't bad.

I looked around. Those who met my gaze were silently cheering me on. Baekha, waving her arms wildly, helped ease my tension.

"I'm Ham Iwon, the new arrival. I'll be singing and dancing."

A reckless challenge to do both singing and dancing simultaneously.

The trainees, who had been watching, cheered with an 'Oh!' at the newcomer's boldness.

Their eyes, though not entirely cold, seemed to be rooting for the underdog.

I took a deep breath, resolved myself, and got into position.

As the music started, a murmur ran through the trainees. I could feel the buzz reaching me.

"New World" was a song that had made the solo dance singer Ju Yeoreum a star. The dance itself wasn't too difficult, but the song was notoriously hard.

It was said that trying to do both at once could make you lose your breath, making it a challenging song.

Moreover, Ju Yeoreum was a woman, and the prepared music was set to a female key.

I surrendered my body to the upbeat rhythm and performed precise movements.

I paid attention to emotional expression, as I had learned from Green Hyung.

If you looked at the dance separately, my choice wasn't bad.

It was appropriately difficult and focused on emotional expression, which is why I had been practicing this song recently.

Deciding to sing along was a risk, but I was confident.

I had the voice and singing skills I received from Hyun Oh Hyung.

I had no doubt about Hyung's skills, so I wasn't worried about my ability to sing his music.

I repeated to myself to control my breathing.

I took a step forward, swept my hand across my face, and began to sing.

I didn't know this feeling, it was like facing a new world...

* * *

After finishing the song, I stood politely in my place.

I waited quietly for the evaluation, but the silence continued. I could only hear my heavy breathing.

What kind of silence is this? I wish someone would say something.

The representative, who had burst into a hollow laugh, was the first to speak.

"You've been here for about a month, right? Wow...! It's quite surprising. We saw potential from the audition."

If I hadn't had high expectations, I might have been surprised.

I didn't make any major mistakes, but it wasn't perfect.

I lost my breath once, and I only mimicked the movements without paying attention to my fingertips or expressions. I still had a lot to improve.

As I was reflecting on myself, a familiar new talent development team leader picked up the microphone.

"Since this was your first monthly evaluation, I'll give you tasks to work on until the next one. From what I see, your weakness seems to be in dance. Right? I'll leave the details to the dance trainer."

A young male trainer, who unexpectedly received the microphone, asked.

The trainer, whom I had never seen before, had short hair tied back. He exuded charisma.

"How long have you been dancing?"

"I started learning properly after joining the company."

The dance trainer expressed his amazement. I could hear the trainees behind me gasp.

"You have a good sense, but it shows how much effort you've put in. There are things that talent alone can't cover. However, your expressions and eye contact were a bit flat. On stage, your unique atmosphere, expressions, and gestures are more important than you might think. It would be good to practice these in front of a mirror."

"Thank you."

The monthly evaluation ended, and people quickly left the room.

When I came to my senses, I was in the practice room. I don't remember how I got out of the conference room.

Baekha, who looked exhausted, had dragged me to a practice room.

I calmed down by drinking an energy drink. Jion, who had been staring at me intently, spoke first.

"To be honest, I was shocked, Iwon."

"Shocked?"

"I had never heard you sing before. Come to think of it, singing was your specialty from the beginning."

I never got tired of hearing compliments about my singing.

Jion had never seen me sing officially.

Jion and I, who did short vocal training and was a rapper, didn't have much overlap. We usually only met during dance practice.

"You were amazing. The song choice was great. How did you even think of singing and dancing at the same time? You're really bold."

To Pro Dancer Green Hyung, it might have looked amateurish.

"I chose a song where I could show 70% singing and 30% dancing. If I did them separately, I would have to show 100% singing and 100% dancing. It was a trick."

"Wow. Iwon Hyung, your thinking is different! Ah, amazing!"

Baekha, who was sitting next to me, hit my arm and flipped out.

"Iwon, from my perspective, that song was 130% singing and 70% dancing. Since you did two things at once, it should be out of 200. No, actually, it should be out of 300 because there's a plus alpha."

"..."

Did I do something so foolish? No wonder other trainees showed their singing, dancing, and rapping separately...

"I did something foolish because I lacked experience..."

"If you're confident, you should do it. I think it was a strategic, or rather, a strategic choice."

Jion saw me as too smart.

"You were almost at a debut level? We need to be on our toes. Other trainees will be under pressure too. A genius has joined."

Is this a skill for smooth social life? Seohun Hyung is quite good at flattery.

"Anyway, thanks for all the compliments."

"The compliments you received were thanks to you, Iwon. Thanks for the advice."

Seohun Hyung had only added a few words to a counseling session. If it helped, I'm glad.

"I also learned a lot. Teaching Iwon gave me a new perspective on dancing. It felt like solving a long-standing problem."

"Me too! Seeing Iwon work hard made me find my初心!"

"Um, well, you're welcome."

After hearing the gratitude from Green Hyung and Baekha, I received feedback on the dance I performed. The two of them agreed to take turns helping me with my future tasks.

If we keep going like this, one step at a time, it will work out.

"Hyungs! Let's eat dinner and practice again!"

The lights in the practice room stayed on late.

* * *

To boost our morale, today's menu was samgyetang.

Hahneul Entertainment wasn't strict about the trainees' diets as long as they maintained an appropriate physique.

They wouldn't scold us for eating snacks like they did on the day we had chicken, as long as it didn't show.

I almost lost the joy of eating.

Following the thoughtful recommendation of Seohun Hyung, I ordered mung bean samgyetang.

The broth, slightly dull in color due to the mung beans, was incredibly flavorful. The tender meat, sprinkled with a bit of salt, melted in my mouth.

The pickled radish was perfectly tangy, whetting my appetite.

Only after finishing the broth could we lift our heads.

The big eater, Green Hyung, insisted on paying, leading to a long argument. He argued that since he ate the most, he should pay.

In the end, we all lost to Green Hyung.

"You should use the allowance you get from your rich dad on something like this. What else would you use it on?"

Green Hyung's tone was unusually sarcastic. Is his relationship with his dad not good?

When I looked at him, he tousled my hair and said there was something.

On the way back after eating, we walked back to the company in silence.

We must have had a lot on our minds. The future was uncertain, and we couldn't help but worry about it. We could only run hard, not knowing where the finish line was.

Seohun Hyung, sensing the gloomy atmosphere, proposed a bet.

"Let's run to the practice room? The last one buys ice cream."

As soon as Seohun Hyung finished speaking, four shadows sprinted out.

I was taken aback by their sudden start and followed belatedly.

Since the distance to the company wasn't far, the results were immediate.

Seohun Hyung came in first, and I was last.

"This is invalid."

How could we start running without any preparation?

I have good reflexes, but the short distance didn't allow me to catch up.

Seohun Hyung, who looked like a college athlete, wouldn't have come in last even with a late start, but it was a huge handicap for me.

"That's unfair. Seohun Hyung, you suggested running knowing you wouldn't be last. We should have played rock-paper-scissors."

"Iwon, accept the result. Ha ha."

Seohun Hyung, with a gentle smile, added that there was someone who always came in last in any game that required luck.

So, we don't play rock-paper-scissors when we're together.

"Who is it...?"

"You'll meet them soon. Anyway, Iwon, now you have to buy ice cream, right?"

I left the practice room with a puffy face. Seohun Hyung offered to pay, but I quickly declined.

Before going to the convenience store, I decided to stop by the restroom. It was evening, and the building was empty.

Thud? Bang!

As I walked down the corridor alone, I heard a loud noise. Something had fallen and toppled over, so I quickly changed direction.

At the end of the dimly lit corridor, I saw a figure lying on the ground.

My heart sank. The memory of finding Hyun Oh Hyung lying on the ground resurfaced.

"Ouch..."

Ah...

It wasn't the same as before. The aunt was conscious.

I quickly snapped out of my flashback and helped the aunt up.

A cleaning cart was parked nearby, and cleaning tools were scattered around.

"Are you okay?"

She was an aunt who cleaned the building. I had met her a few times and exchanged greetings.

She had slipped or tripped over a cleaning tool and was limping.

"Oh, I think I sprained my ankle."

"Can I help you up? Or should I take you to the hospital?"

"Can you just help me get a taxi at the main entrance? I feel bad asking a young student."

"Just a moment. Give me your arm."

I supported her by putting her arm over my shoulder. As we walked, I noticed her looking back.

"Ah, student, I'm really sorry, but you can't leave the cleaning tools like that. It could affect my evaluation... Is there a small door next to the management office on the first floor? Can you put them there?"

"Yes. I'll take you there first and then clean up. Don't worry, go inside."

When I greeted her, she saw the name tag around my neck.

"Thank you, Iwon. I remember your name. I'll buy you coffee next time we meet."

"It's fine."

I helped the aunt into a taxi and cleaned up the cleaning tools.

Looking around, I saw that the floor was shiny. Upon closer inspection, it was oil.

I understood why the aunt had fallen. I didn't know why there was oil on the floor.

I chose a cleaning agent from the tools and sprayed it on the floor, then mopped it.

Although I wasn't asked to clean, I did it to prevent others from slipping like the aunt.

I never wanted to see someone fall again.

After wiping the oil to a non-slip level, I cleaned up the tools and placed them where the aunt had said.

"Ah, ice cream!"

I thought of my practice partners eagerly waiting for ice cream in the practice room. To get back as quickly as possible, I rushed to the convenience store.

I thought the incident had been resolved without much fuss.