Chapter 19

Personality Evaluation (3)

A child sent from heaven.

For the past few days, most of the employees at Hanul Entertainment had been describing Ham I-won, the trainee, with such a term.

The few employees who had participated in Ham I-won's trainee audition vividly recounted their memories after the audition ended.

He had never experienced life as a trainee before, and it was the first time he had properly learned singing and dancing. Despite this, they testified with enthusiasm that his singing skills were out of this world and he possessed incredible potential in dancing.

At the time, most people dismissed it as an exaggeration, but after witnessing Ham I-won's debut evaluation performance, all those doubts vanished.

That shocking performance was enough to break the prejudices of everyone who watched. Even those who frequently saw idols as part of their job found his specifications almost surreal. A versatile genius, that was Ham I-won.

He was so impressive that even the picky employees had a lot to say.

"I wonder what Ham I-won could become if not an idol."

"I agree."

"There are no weak points. If I had to pick out his outstanding aspects, it would be his singing and visuals. Even one of these would have been enough for him to debut."

"Debut evaluation is a pass!"

"There's nothing to criticize about his appearance or skills. However, there's a question mark over his personality. He was polite to me, but there weren't many opportunities to converse, so I couldn't really figure him out. As you know, he's only been here for a little over three months."

"Polite greetings, at best? He's not the talkative type. Just looking at his face, you can tell, right? Prince of Ice."

"Right. He's a cold handsome guy. When he's expressionless, it creates a cold atmosphere that makes it hard to approach him."

"I found it amazing how his image completely changed when he smiled."

The evaluations of Ham I-won's appearance came one after another. There was also the fact that he was still new and hadn't fully adapted yet.

Park Ha-joon was also shockingly handsome, but his type of handsomeness was different, and he had become familiar over time. Even now, spontaneous praise often slipped out.

"Everyone, I understand your sincerity, but let's stop there. Is there anything else to report, like earlier?"

"He participated enthusiastically in every training session and had a serious and diligent attitude."

"Um. He often hangs out with the trainees who practice late. Other than that…."

Time was short, and everyone was too busy preparing for the debut evaluation. As the employees tried to recall their memories of Ham I-won, Joon-ki spoke in a low voice.

"…Actually, there were a few personality evaluation sheets with negative comments."

The employees looked at the representative with surprised eyes.

"Surely you're not going to reject him because of that…?"

"He turned down POT Entertainment and came here. If we don't pick him, he won't go there, right? I can't bear to see that happen."

The employees gasped. The image of Ham I-won leaving Hanul Entertainment for POT Entertainment played vividly in their minds.

Given the strained relationship between Hanul Entertainment and POT Entertainment, it would be unbearable to lose Ham I-won to them.

"No way! If anything, let's debut him as an actor!"

"Even if the representative has a trauma from bad personalities, we can't give up on this one!"

"…Let's hear the level of those negative comments first. We'll make a judgment after hearing them."

A few of the more impatient ones were ready to stand up immediately. After hearing a neutral opinion, they sat back in their chairs with embarrassed faces.

"He doesn't respond to friendly greetings, trips people to make them fall, and swears at them when no one is around. The details vary slightly, but these are the main points."

"Wow… Showing rudeness, swearing, and violence behind people's backs? My head is spinning."

If he behaves like this before debuting, there's no hope. It wouldn't be long before personality controversies or social issues arise. Not debuting him might be the better option.

"…If this is true, I would oppose it, but it seems a bit strange. Am I the only one who thinks so?"

"He's a shy person who only talks about class content, so it does seem out of character. Moreover, such stupid actions that would be easily exposed? I'm neutral for now. Representative, what about the evaluations of the other trainees?"

It was announced that the company would conduct a separate investigation, so he wouldn't act so foolishly. Even with average intelligence, he wouldn't do such things.

"The evaluations are mostly that he's polite but not very sociable and awkward. Some mentioned that he's quirky and cute, honest, and a diligent genius."

"From the tone, it seems the latter part is from trainees who are close to Ham I-won."

"Right. They probably know him better."

"Still, we need to consider the possibility that the violence and verbal abuse are true. What should we do, Representative?"

It was announced that a deep personality evaluation would be conducted.

Originally, it was to be done only for the trainees who were confirmed for the debut group, but given Ham I-won's short training period and lack of data, it was decided to conduct the investigation before the debut group was finalized.

"Please proceed with the investigation of Ham I-won. Consider it a task that needed to be done anyway."

It made sense, as it would have been done if he were confirmed for the debut group.

"We'll soon find out if the last remaining card is a mine or a jackpot."

* * *

The in-depth investigation consisted of two parts: a school inquiry and interviews with people related to or around the trainee.

The school inquiry involved asking teachers or students who might know the trainee.

It was better to ask teachers directly, while students were the opposite. Answers given without prior knowledge were closer to the truth. If you asked too many questions about one person, you might be seen as suspicious, so the key was to approach subtly and draw out the topic.

For this inquiry, the youngest manager from the management team was dispatched. She was chosen to be around the same age as the students to reduce any sense of distance.

The target this time was a tteokbokki shop in front of the school.

The tteokbokki shop was almost a battlefield right after school ended. The new manager, while eating tteokbokki, muttered to herself about how crazy the taste was.

"…Can we sit here?"

When she was occupying a table alone during the busy time, some female students suggested sharing the table. The manager, who was chewing tteok, nodded in agreement, though a bit flustered.

"Thank you!"

"No problem. I'm waiting for my younger sister."

The concept was that she was waiting for her younger sister who attended the school.

"Then I'll get up when she arrives."

"She said she'd be late, so feel free to eat. But… can I ask you something?"

The two female students, who had just ordered their menu, readily agreed. The manager, feeling like a detective, laid the groundwork.

"Do you know a student named Ham I-won? I heard he's really handsome."

"Of course! Even if you had eyes in the back of your head, you couldn't miss him! The Mermaid Prince!"

"The Mermaid Prince?"

The manager stuttered at the surprising nickname. The idea that such a nickname existed in real life today made her head spin.

"Have you never heard the nickname from your younger sister? He doesn't say a word but looks like a prince, so he's called the Mermaid Prince."

The long-haired student answered with sparkling eyes. The short-haired student nodded in agreement.

The attitude of the female students felt strangely familiar. It was almost identical to fans talking about their favorite idol.

"He doesn't say a word?"

"Really. Well, he used to. Lately, he's been hanging out with the male dance students and has found his voice. That's a relief. He won't return to the sea."

Mermaid Prince, so if he gets his voice back, he grows a tail and goes to the sea? A concept? A concept, right? Madness…

"Are you close to him?"

"No! We're satisfied just watching him from a distance."

"Us…" The manager, doubting her ears, continued to ask questions naturally.

"I wanted to ask about his personality, but I don't know? It's a shame. My younger sister likes him just for his looks, so I'm curious."

The answer came from the long-haired student. Among the two, she seemed to be the real fan of Ham I-won.

"He has a unique personality! I can provide information about such a talented person. His personality is, the type that isolates the world? But he's thorough with manners. He greets teachers well. There was a rumor that he could play music pieces spontaneously… Just like a prince! Arrogant but affectionate, with high pride and rebellious yet gentlemanly."

What does that even mean…? A hot iced Americano? A germaphobe who loves dirt?

Where am I? Who am I?

"Right! If I had been born a year later, I would have been in the same class as the Mermaid Prince."

Wow. She was even a third-year student. Shouldn't she be preparing for college entrance exams? The manager, who thought she knew a lot about idol fans, realized she was wrong.

Feeling that she still lacked knowledge about this world, the manager retreated.

After experiencing the chaotic chaos and leaving the tteokbokki shop, she took a break and approached other students.

Their answers were not as enthusiastic as the first interviewee, but the context was similar. No one mentioned that he was rude, swore, or used violence. He was more of an outsider who didn't have any intense conflicts with anyone.

"Maybe we were barking up the wrong tree?"

Still, she had to finish the job. After obtaining additional testimonies from a few groups of students and teachers, she returned to the company.

* * *

A notice was sent to gather in the meeting room, indicating that the investigation was complete. This would be the final evaluation for the debut group.

No matter the outcome, she had to accept it, but Ham I-won was too precious a talent to lose.

"Everyone, are you gathered? The results came in earlier than expected. That's fortunate."

"How did it go, Representative?"

The representative, sitting at the head of the table, flipped through the documents containing the investigation results.

"First, I'll inform you that no issues were found in the school inquiries or interviews for the other members. Similarly, there were no significant problems in the school inquiry for Ham I-won. He is described as a well-mannered student, though not very sociable. Most people think that geniuses often have their own distinct world."

"That's not much different from our opinions."

"The issue was with the interviews with people around him, where we discovered something surprising."

The interviews with people around him were not a grand procedure. They involved people like security guards, the aunties at the restaurants the trainees frequent, and part-time workers at the café in the lobby—people who are not company employees but often interact with the trainees.

The more unexpected the person, the more likely their true personality would be revealed.

Joon-hyun, the manager who would be in charge of the debut group, was assigned to conduct these interviews. At the time, the debut group had not yet been decided, and he was not currently managing any other celebrities.

"I conducted the interviews with people around him. I'll continue from there. One of the interviewees was a building cleaner. She remembered that Ham I-won helped her up after she fell and even took her to a taxi. He also cleaned up the cleaning tools she had left behind and even cleaned the floor."

"Cleaned the floor?"

"He fell because there was slippery oil on the floor. He had asked a colleague to clean it, but heard that someone had already done it. She believed it was Ham I-won. The location was in a spot that wouldn't be easily noticed unless someone went there intentionally."

"Just helping her up and cleaning the tools shows there's no problem with his personality!"

An employee who had been seriously considering rejecting Ham I-won was relieved.

"To be more certain, I checked the CCTV. There should be evidence on the CCTV. And there it was."

"Oh!"

"But…."