Chapter 12

I need to take a note.

For trainees, the cure-all is the TV station's camera...

"Hyun, do we look good on camera?"

"Definitely."

I smiled at the whispering of my kids.

I was pondering how to boost their morale, which had hit rock bottom, when I had a great epiphany.

The moment when Street Boys, New Black, and We Are the World became one.

A pink-haired member of Street Boys nodded and gave us a thumbs up.

Interpreting the meaning, it might be something like this:

"Love the camera. It's the best. It's thrilling."

On our side, Kim Joon-hyun nodded and raised his thumb.

Hey, don't do that.

I was flabbergasted.

Weren't these the kids who were just having a staring contest?

But they were so cute that I couldn't help but laugh quietly. Then, my eyes met those of the leader of Street Boys.

We had the same look in our eyes.

Feeling ridiculous at the sight of our younger siblings giggling at the camera and the attention from the TV station staff.

'You too, huh?'

'Good job.'

I nodded back to the one who nodded at me.

* * *

While New Black was practicing, Yun Seok-hwan was waiting outside for someone.

A very important person.

Not long after, he spotted the person in the crowd.

A woman in her 70s wearing a mink coat.

Yun Seok-hwan, comparing the woman's face to the photo on his smartphone, smiled and approached her.

"Are you Grandma Woo?"

"Yes, that's me."

The woman looked at him suspiciously from head to toe.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Yun Seok-hwan. I'm Seo Woo-ju's manager."

"Oh, I heard about you."

Madam Kim Deok-soon showed a toothless smile.

"Is it true that you've been pestering my grandson to become an idol?"

"Excuse me?"

"He said that he knows a manager who begged him to work together, so he had no choice but to do it again."

Yun Seok-hwan understood the whole story.

Seo Woo-ju, you little brat.

You must have told your grandma about me to avoid getting scolded for becoming an idol again.

"Hey, why are you standing there like a statue?"

"Excuse me?"

"I came here to guide you, didn't I?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then you should guide me! I couldn't see the road at all and wandered around this neighborhood. My legs are killing me."

"Of course, Grandma. I'll guide you."

As they climbed the stairs, Yun Seok-hwan slowed down to match the pace of Madam Kim Deok-soon, who winced in pain with each step.

On the way to the auditorium, Seo Woo-ju's grandmother asked cautiously.

"Is a manager a high-ranking person?"

"No, not really. I'm just a practical worker who takes care of the kids' behind-the-scenes work."

"I was worried that my grandson might suffer if I acted out of spite."

Just a moment ago, she was yelling, but now she became cautious because of her grandson.

Yun Seok-hwan smiled and replied.

"Don't worry. Really."

"I'm sorry. I was in so much pain earlier."

"It's okay. Haha."

"But is he really good?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, when he joined that other company before. They only did the contract and stuff, but I never saw him sing or dance."

"You didn't know?"

"He absolutely refuses to do it. He's so stubborn that whenever I ask him to, he twists his body and says, 'Grandma, I can't do it,' with a shy face."

"Surprising. He doesn't seem like that."

By now, the auditorium was bustling with people.

With the staff and families of trainees from five agencies, there were over 100 people.

Yun Seok-hwan guided Madam Kim Deok-soon to a seat and smiled.

"Today's performance is worth looking forward to. Really, your grandson has been working hard for a month to prepare this stage."

"Is that so?"

"You'll see."

Yun Seok-hwan smiled meaningfully.

* * *

The year-end evaluation finally began with the gathering of trainees' families and company officials.

The host was a quite famous comedian.

"He's on TV."

"Oh, oh, the one from the fishing show?"

Unlike the officials, the trainees' families were excited and chatted about the appearance of a celebrity.

Laughter erupted from the audience every time the host cracked a joke.

Of course, not everyone enjoyed it.

"Hurry up, will you?"

"Be patient, bro."

"Aren't you bored? I want to finish and go eat."

Yoon Chan-hyuk, a ballad singer, yawned widely.

Jang So-won looked at him disdainfully.

"Bro, you're not performing these days, so why are you so tired?"

"Try preparing for a comeback and a concert at the same time."

"Oh, right. When is your comeback?"

"Next month."

"Lucky. I thought it would overlap, and I was scared."

Jang So-won sighed in relief.

If the ballad king's release schedule overlapped, it would be a bloodbath. It was fortunate to avoid that situation.

Yoon Chan-hyuk asked indifferently.

"When are you releasing yours?"

"I'm still in talks with the company."

"Still?"

"The company's finances aren't great these days. I want to release it in early February, but it depends on the circumstances."

Yoon Chan-hyuk then recalled the project So-won was recently working on.

"Didn't you say you were collaborating?"

"Right."

"Have you found a singer to collaborate with?"

"No, not yet."

Jang So-won sighed deeply.

"I've made the base of the song, but I can't find a singer to collaborate with. I want something fresh, but there aren't many such singers these days."

"How about me?"

"Bro, you're not exactly fresh, are you?"

"Fine, brat."

Yoon Chan-hyuk grumbled.

"I'm too busy anyway."

Jang So-won chuckled at the excuse-like addition.

It was a casual conversation, as befitting friends who often meet at drinking parties.

While they were exchanging trivial banter, the atmosphere changed completely when the performance began.

Their eyes, which had been relaxed, suddenly became serious.

They transformed into professionals and quietly began checking the evaluation criteria.

Year-end evaluation.

With many participants from some companies, there were a total of 10 stages.

Since the trainees' families were in attendance, there was no immediate criticism or praise after each performance, unlike the monthly evaluations.

It was an event for the families.

You can't say, "What's my score?" in front of everyone.

Instead, the rankings from 1st to 3rd were announced based on the scores given by the judges.

Sharp evaluations were exchanged among the judges as each performance ended.

"How do you think it went?"

There were harsh criticisms as well.

"At first, I thought they were trying to appeal with sexiness? But in my opinion, they're not sexy at all. Their expressions are forced."

"The kids seem a bit nervous?"

"We can't keep treating trainees as cute. They can be nervous, but they shouldn't show it on stage."

There were also positive comments.

"Overall, it's all good. Their voices, pitch, and tone are stable."

"These kids could be more confident. They don't need to be this humble given their skills."

And there was a general consensus.

"Overall, the level this year is high."

The judges, nodding, looked at the schedule.

"Only two more, right? Lemon and DNS."

"DNS, aren't they the ones debuting this time? The Street Fighters."

"Street Boys, sir."

"Oh, right."

"Who's going first? Ah, it's Lemon. They're coming out now."

"Oh, they're all handsome."

Five trainees appeared in their stage outfits.

As in a school cultural festival, there was a polite round of applause. The leader, a handsome man with brown hair, took the microphone.

- One, two, three, hello! We're New Black.

- Please introduce yourselves.

- I'm Seo Woo-ju, a trainee who just turned twenty-two.

Each member introduced themselves one by one.

They were all visibly nervous.

The kids formed a stage formation and took the microphones.

"Wow, they're so fresh."

"They're all my type. They're cute."

Yoon Chan-hyuk and Jang So-won, who were exchanging such comments, tilted their heads when the accompaniment started.

The music from the speakers was trot.

They weren't the only ones to react that way.

The judges and officials present also looked up at the sudden sound.

While they showed various curious reactions, the audience had the most dramatic response.

The middle-aged audience members who had been yawning openly.

They only focused when their own children were on stage, and they weren't really interested in others' performances.

Idol songs were a culture that the parents' generation couldn't understand.

The lyrics were in incomprehensible English, and the performances were just crazy, lacking depth or fun.

When only two teams were left, the parents were constantly checking their watches, waiting for the boring performance to end.

But right at that moment, when the trot accompaniment came from the speakers, they looked at the stage like bears waking from hibernation.

It was a familiar classic, "Will You Be With Me?"

The arrangement was slightly modernized, but the