Chapter 4

Chapter 2. Lemon Entertainment

Dance.

What if it were possible to overcome the dance that, despite six years of training, I could never improve at due to my terrible sense of movement?

During my trainee days, I missed countless debut opportunities. Friends who joined later than me debuted first.

I even made it to the debut group but was eventually let go.

All of this was because of my dancing.

The reason I gave up on my idol dream and was let go from TNT was primarily due to my dancing, even though the TNT dismissal was just a pretext.

But what if I could overcome my dancing...

To find out, I repeated the same experiment I just did.

First, I performed the dance I already knew.

Then, I watched the original performer on YouTube and followed along for a second take.

When I reviewed the results, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Goodness, it worked?

I had my doubts, but it really was possible.

Even though less than a minute had passed between the two recordings, my movements had changed dramatically.

"......"

I was speechless.

It felt like the stars in the night sky were falling towards me.

It was surreal and overwhelming.

The cause of my lifelong regret and the reason I was cut from the debut group was solved so easily—was this a dream?

My legs gave out, and I collapsed.

The cold of the winter sand seeped through my jeans, but I sat there, dazed, looking up at the sky.

The stars twinkled in the night sky.

The moon, half-hidden by clouds, hung in the sky.

As I took in the scene, I reflected on the events of the day.

From saving the old man and watching an action movie at the hospital to the interview and the ability test at the playground.

None of this was a dream.

At first, I denied reality, thinking it was impossible, but the more experiments I did, the more certain I became.

For some reason, I had gained a special ability.

A kind of superpower.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha..."

After laughing for a while like a madman, I wiped my butt and stood up.

Now... dance is no longer a problem.

I told Seokhwan that I was giving up on being an idol, but in fact, I tried out for auditions several times after leaving TJ Entertainment.

And I failed every time.

The judges who praised my looks and singing skills frowned when they saw my stiff, wooden dance moves, and after hearing about my six years of training, they shook their heads.

If six years of training only got me this far, then more wouldn't help.

But now, things are different.

Dance is no longer an obstacle for me.

If so, I can walk that path again.

I can pursue the dream I once gave up.

The very path I abandoned.

Being an idol.

Maybe now it's possible.

* * *

"Eat faster. The meat is going to burn."

"Huh? Oh, right."

I snapped out of my daze at Seokhwan's urging.

The steakhouse Seokhwan recommended was a famous spot in Eunpyeong-gu.

During my trainee days, I could only dream of eating there, but Seokhwan must have known about my regret and chose this place.

I put a piece of well-cooked ribeye in my mouth.

The savory, smoky flavor of the grilled beef.

Seokhwan, holding the tongs, looked at me with a sympathetic expression as I savored it.

"Anyone would think you haven't eaten in three days. Take it easy. Is someone going to take it from you?"

"No, I wasn't."

"What?"

"Did you come here to take me away?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You ordered five servings of the 50,000 won雪花牛肉, and you didn't flinch. That means it's not on your personal card, but a company card. So, it's a business matter, not a personal one, right?"

"You're quite the Sherlock Holmes."

"Ah, come on, Seokhwan."

As a gesture of gratitude for the host, I made a well-wrapped lettuce wrap and fed it to him.

He laughed and said, "So, if I take you away, will you go?"

"Depends."

I glanced at the menu and replied, "If you add a serving of egg custard, I might be swayed."

Yun Seokhwan laughed and added the egg custard.

While we were eating the meat, a warm serving of egg custard arrived.

I blew on a spoonful of egg custard and brought it to my mouth, and Seokhwan, noticing my expression, spoke cautiously.

"By the way, are you okay?"

"With what?"

"Your college entrance exam. I saw in the news that you prepared for two years in the military, and your mock test scores were in the top tier."

"Well, it's a bit disappointing, but what can I do? You can't change what's already happened."

"I can imagine how frustrating it must be."

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

I smiled and replied, "When has my life ever gone the way I wanted? If everything had gone as planned, I would have become a star in Asia by now. It's a bit disappointing, but I can't do anything about it. There's no point in wasting my emotions on something I can't change."

"You still have a diamond-like mentality."

"Not a diamond, maybe gold. But not pure gold, more like gold with some impurities."

Seokhwan laughed, as if saying I was beyond help.

"What did your grandmother say?"

"What did she say?"

I shuddered, recalling the phone call I had just a few hours ago.

"She used every curse word a primate can use. Do you know what a chinchilla is, Seokhwan?"

"Chinchilla?"

"She could make the zodiac signs with the animals she cursed. If I weren't her grandson, I would have reported her."

"It's all out of concern."

"I know."

That's why I feel guilty and concerned.

I feel like I've done something wrong to my grandmother, who only has her grandson to look forward to in her old age.

"Seokhwan, can we talk about something else? The mood is ruined."

"What are you talking about? You're drinking cola."

"Cola is alcohol."

"Since when did cola become alcohol?"

"Anything that's bad for you and makes you feel good when you drink it is alcohol."

"I'm the one drinking soju, so why are you the one talking nonsense?"

I took a sip of cola and made a "kyah" sound.

I can't drink alcohol.

My face turns red the moment I start, and it's obvious that I'm drunk.

"Let's cheers."

We clinked glasses, and I picked up a piece of meat.

"Seokhwan."

"Yeah?"

"So, why did you want to meet?"

I like Yun Seokhwan as a person.

But business is a different matter.

No matter how much I like someone, Seokhwan is a professional in the real world.

He wouldn't have called me after so long just to reminisce and feed me steak.

"There must be a reason you wanted to meet today. Honestly, saying you saw my face on the internet and wanted to meet is just an excuse."

"That's true."

"What?"

"You're more famous than you think."

"Come on."

"Based on today's recognition, you're as famous as a mid-tier idol."

"Stop exaggerating."

As I waved my hand, a woman approached our table.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

She was in her 20s, and her eyes sparkled with something she wanted.

"Are you the hero from Gahyeon-dong?"

Gahyeon-dong hero.

When I read it, it didn't affect me, but hearing it made me feel embarrassed. Seokhwan chuckled at my shrinking expression.

"Yes, that's me. Is there something you need?"

"Wow, amazing!"

She burst into hearty laughter.

"I saw you on the internet today. It's really incredible."

"Ah, yes..."

"You look even better in person."

"Thank you."

"Can I take a picture with you?"

"A picture? Sure, no problem."

I felt like a celebrity.

Before she opened the camera app, I saw the background of her smartphone, which was decorated with a photo of the famous idol group Sixty Seconds.

She must be an idol fan.

After taking the picture, she asked, "Can I post it on Facebook?" and then left gracefully.

She seemed to be out for dinner with her family, and looking at their table, I saw a younger brother who looked like a student.

His self-grading results must have been good, as he looked happy with his family. I muttered to myself, "I really am famous now."

"Now do you believe it?"

"A little."

"You asked me why I wanted to meet, right? What's the matter?"

I nodded.

"You... an idol..."

"No."

He blinked at my answer before I even finished speaking.

"Listen to me, you brat."

"You're going to tell me to be an actor, right? It's obvious."

I dipped the medium-rare ribeye in the sauce, and a bit of blood seeped out, floating in the oil.

Enjoying the rich, chewy flavor of the 1++ grade beef, I spoke.

"TJ said the same thing. When they cut me, they said being an idol isn't everything, and my face would be valuable anywhere. They suggested I become an actor."

"Do you really hate being an actor that much?"

"No."

I filled Seokhwan's glass with soju.

"Now, whether it's acting or being an idol, it doesn't matter to me. Actually, something special happened today."

I saved an old man who was pulling a cart, and I fell on an icy road, gaining a strange ability.

An ability to copy any movement I see.

I tested it at the school playground and found that there were no limits to the movements I could copy.

Not just combat techniques like punches and kicks, but also gymnastics, breakdancing, and idol dances.

Solving the dance problem that plagued me for six years means I don't necessarily need to be an actor.

"I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking about trying to become an idol again."

"Now?"

"There are people who debut at 25, so 21 isn't too late. I can still try."

"Are you just going to give up on the college entrance exam?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit awkward.

"I told you, trying to become an idol isn't set in stone. I haven't decided what to do about the college entrance exam either."

"So, you do want to be an idol, right?"

"Hmm?"

Seokhwan's reaction seemed off.

Looking at his sparkling eyes, I tilted my head.

"Good for you, Wooju."

"What is?"

"If you want to be an idol, come to our company."

"Wait."

I raised my hand to interrupt him.

"Why is the conversation going this way? Didn't you come to tell me to be an actor?"

"When did I say that?"

"Huh?"

"You're just assuming. You should listen to people until the end."

"Sorry, I misunderstood."

Seokhwan took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.

[Yun Seokhwan, Director of Lemon Entertainment]

I widened my eyes at the title on his new business card.

"Director? You got a promotion?"

"It's not really a promotion. It's like when someone moves from a large company to a small one and gets a higher title."

"Congratulations. It's a good company."

Lemon Entertainment is a reputable medium-sized agency known for its solid foundation.

It started as an actor management agency and has expanded into the music industry.

A famous girl group recently debuted from here.

"Isn't Scarlett from Lemon Entertainment?"

"Yes."

Scarlett is a successful four-member girl group.

They debuted last year and quickly established themselves as a talented group.

"We're preparing a boy group after Scarlett. Come and try out for the audition."

"Are you serious?"

Seokhwan nodded.

"Of course. Do you think I'd invite you to eat expensive meat and joke around?"

"But I was cut because I couldn't dance, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

"But still?"

I looked at Seokhwan skeptically.

He chuckled and shrugged.

"When I suggested you, the first thing I mentioned was your dance skills. I was worried about bringing in someone who might fail again. But the higher-ups said it's fine and insisted on bringing you in."

"Higher-ups?"

"Oops, I haven't told you yet."

Seokhwan took a sip of his drink and began.

"Do you know a composer named Jo Kwi-hwan?"

"Of course. It's a name you can't miss if you study composition."

"Yeah, he's quite famous."

Jo Kwi-hwan.

A genius composer with numerous hit songs.

He earns billions in royalties every year.

"He's the production director at Lemon Entertainment. He's the second-in-command after the CEO, mainly handling casting for actors and singers, as well as producing. Scarlett is his work."

He continued.

"But he's a very unique person. His nickname is 'fortune teller.'"

"Fortune teller?"

"He can predict what will become a hit and what will fail with almost 99% accuracy."

"Is that even possible?"

"It's true, I swear."

Laughing at my disbelief, Seokhwan gave me a few examples.

He picked a song that everyone thought would fail as the title track.

He strongly recommended a minor movie that everyone thought would flop, insisting on casting a company actor.

The song became number one on the charts within a day, and the actor, who reluctantly took the role, became a box office star.

"Most of these stories are second-hand, but I saw the casting for Scarlett firsthand."

The casting for the talented group Scarlett was done in a similar way.

He would spot people while walking around Hongdae or hand his business card to a high school student sitting across from him on the subway.

And that's how Scarlett, the hit group of 2012, was formed.

Seokhwan shook his head, recalling the experience, and continued.

"Anyway, this Jo Kwi-hwan director wants you to be a member of Lemon Entertainment's new boy group."

"What?"

"I mean it."

After a moment of thought, I looked at Seokhwan intently.

"Seokhwan."

"Yeah?"

"Be honest with me. The boy group you're inviting me to, is it in a bad state?"

"......What do you mean by a bad state?"

"Would a group in good condition suddenly add a new member? There must be some internal issues that require a new member."

Seokhwan's offer was tempting.

Being part of a boy group produced by a Midas touch, and being personally chosen by the Midas touch.

But nothing in life is always smooth.

When a great opportunity comes, you have to wonder why it's available to you.

Especially when you're not a trainee but a college student.

"Well, it's not that bad."

Seokhwan scratched his nose and said.

"The situation is a bit complicated."

He explained the details.

Originally, the idol project at Lemon Entertainment was a boy group.

While Jo Kwi-hwan was ambitiously producing Scarlett, the company's management team was independently preparing a boy group.

The goal was a seven-member group.

But problems arose.

One of the trainees had poor character and constantly caused friction with others, leading to his dismissal.

If that was the only issue, it wouldn't have delayed things so much.

Just as the situation seemed resolved, two out of the six remaining members left just before debut.

The problem was that this happened after the debut profile photos were taken.

The remaining four members were mentally devastated.

This is the state they've been in for the past two years.

"After Scarlett found its footing at the beginning of the year, Jo Kwi-hwan took over as the producer of the boy group."

"So?"

"The original seven-member project was drastically revised to a five-member debut. They held numerous auditions, but unfortunately, no one met Jo's standards until today."

"Until today?"

Could it be...

"While we were having lunch, I saw your face on the TV in the restaurant, and the way he looked at you was not ordinary. When I asked him why, he said this."