Chapter 8
“…What?”
At my words, Park Da-won tilted her head.
Her expression clearly said, What kind of nonsense are you talking about?
Yeah.
Now I could see it clearly.
Her trembling eyes.
Her legs that couldn’t stay still.
The fists she kept clenching and unclenching.
Anyone could tell she was in a very unstable state.
As for what she was afraid of…
Honestly, it was obvious.
Anyone who knew her situation could guess.
It’s only been a month or two since Pick-Up Idol 3 ended.
I quickly calculated the dates in my head.
It was around that time.
From Park Da-won’s perspective, she had only recently failed to debut by the narrowest margin.
So naturally, she was more desperate to debut than anyone else.
Especially after having already tasted public attention once.
And then suddenly, a new face appeared.
Me.
Someone whose personality, skills, and background she knew absolutely nothing about.
And now the team leader was enthusiastically supporting me and trying to put me into a new group?
Even I thought I looked like a walking risk factor.
Her impulsive warning probably came from all that anxiety.
Honestly, wasn’t that obvious?
If she wanted to warn me, she should have done it earlier.
What if someone inside the CEO’s office overheard her?
“So? I asked what you meant. Can’t you hear me?”
Since I didn’t answer immediately, Park Da-won lowered her voice and pressed for an explanation.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t very intimidating.
Now that I understood what was really going on inside her head, it just looked like desperate struggling.
…This really reminds me of the old days.
Because I used to be exactly like that.
The more I looked at her, the more she reminded me of my younger self.
The anxiety about an uncertain future.
The lack of experience.
The tendency to speak more harshly because of that insecurity.
I understood her feelings perfectly.
Part of me even felt a little sympathy for her.
But…
“So what do I mean? Exactly what I said.”
Since she had picked a fight first, I had no intention of going easy on her.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t that kind-hearted.
I smiled brightly.
“I just think it’s amazing that the company trusts you enough to let you have a say in the debut team’s lineup.”
“…That’s—”
Park Da-won immediately fell silent.
Of course she did.
She had no comeback.
There was no way an ordinary trainee would have that kind of authority.
If the entire company disliked the idea of me joining, I wouldn’t even be here auditioning.
I then gestured toward the CEO’s office.
“You should go in first. Everyone’s waiting.”
“…For me?”
“Oh? They’re not? The way you were talking, I thought you were helping evaluate my audition.”
“…!”
The meaning was obvious.
Since when does an ordinary trainee get to judge other people?
I worried she might not understand.
Thankfully, she got the message immediately.
Her face turned bright red.
“…Are you mocking me right now?”
Could she really not tell?
Of course I was.
I simply smiled instead of answering.
Park Da-won took a step toward me.
Uh-oh.
She looked ready to yell.
Her face was seconds away from exploding.
If she wanted to fight, she should fight me.
Why make things bigger?
“They’ll hear you inside.”
“…”
“You didn’t get permission to do this, did you? You don’t want them finding out.”
At my words, Park Da-won immediately shut her mouth.
Then she looked at me as if she were fed up.
I simply kept smiling.
You should know your limits before picking a fight.
Especially with me.
Click.
At that perfect moment, the CEO’s office door opened.
“Why is it so noisy out here…? Oh, Da-won?”
At the same time, Baek Hyun-jung’s cheerful voice rang out.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have heard the conversation itself.
Good.
And she interrupted at exactly the right moment.
I immediately turned around and bowed politely.
“Hello, Team Leader!”
“Ah, Da-won, you brought Sea! Thanks!”
“…”
“Come on in.”
“Yes, Team Leader. And thank you for bringing me here, Park Da-won.”
Following Baek Hyun-jung inside, I gave Park Da-won one last bright smile.
“…Hah!”
Thud.
The door closed again, leaving only Park Da-won’s disbelieving laugh behind.
Nice.
Remembering her dumbfounded expression made me smile.
Getting back at her felt refreshing.
“Ah, so you’re Shin Sea?”
Thanks to that, I felt much lighter walking into the audition.
***
“Hello! My name is Shin Sea!”
As soon as she entered the office, Shin Sea bowed deeply at a perfect ninety degrees.
Seeing this, the CEO of Dream Entertainment, Seo Jun-won, quietly whispered to the person sitting beside him.
“…I thought you said she looked plain?”
Seo Jun-won’s eyes landed on the girl standing before him.
Her gentle eyes contrasted with her distinct facial features, creating a memorable appearance.
And when she smiled brightly, the whole room seemed to brighten with her warm impression.
Baek Hyun-jung grinned proudly.
Like a parent showing off their child.
“Looks like she dressed up for the audition. Cute, right?”
“…Sure.”
Seo Jun-won brushed off the comment.
Working with an unusual employee required learning how to filter out half of what they said.
He had been hearing praise for Shin Sea nonstop since Friday evening.
Especially from Baek Hyun-jung.
While her eye for talent was undeniable, she also had a habit of charging straight ahead whenever she became obsessed with something.
So instead of relying on her enthusiasm, Seo Jun-won decided to evaluate Shin Sea objectively.
First impressions are good.
“I’m Shin Sea. I’m eigh— eighteen years old, and I applied for this audition because I want to pursue my dream with Dream Entertainment.”
She spoke clearly.
Calmly.
Combined with her polite smile, she definitely made a good impression.
Even so, Seo Jun-won still had questions.
What exactly did she do to make Team Leader Baek look at her like she’s the greatest thing ever?
Seo Jun-won knew better than anyone how skilled Baek Hyun-jung was at discovering talent.
Before joining Dream, she had been one of the top recruiters at a much larger agency.
She had evaluated countless trainees.
Yet this was the first time he’d seen her become completely obsessed with someone.
She must have something extraordinary…
But he still couldn’t see what it was.
And he wanted to find out.
“Let’s start with a song. Do you have one prepared?”
“Yes.”
“What song did you prepare?”
As if she’d been waiting for the question, Shin Sea answered immediately.
“Wave Love by Lumine sunbaenim.”
“Huh? Wave Love?”
“Wave Love…”
The answer was unexpected.
Confusion appeared on Baek Hyun-jung’s face.
Meanwhile, Seo Jun-won started spinning his pen.
A sign of disappointment.
…I thought she’d pick something that showed off her vocal ability more.
Lumine had been the main dancer of a famous girl group during its peak years.
Wave Love was her solo debut song.
It focused more on performance than vocals.
A fun song to sing at karaoke.
Objectively speaking, it wasn’t a bad audition song.
But being “not bad” wasn’t the same as being “good.”
Especially when she needed to showcase her strengths.
Knowing this, Baek Hyun-jung quickly spoke up.
“Do you really have to do that song? I think To the Shining You from the street karaoke would be much better—”
“That’s enough, Team Leader Baek.”
Seo Jun-won stopped her and looked at Shin Sea.
The debut of their new group was approaching quickly.
Adding a new member now carried significant risk.
The only reason this audition was happening at all was because Baek Hyun-jung had pushed for it relentlessly.
But song selection was also part of one’s skill.
If he couldn’t see the charm Baek Hyun-jung had seen, he had no intention of passing her.
“Go ahead and sing. Team Leader Baek, find the MR track and play it.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Unable to argue further, Baek Hyun-jung nodded.
Soon, powerful synthesizer sounds filled the office.
The energetic intro typical of the moombahton genre started playing.
Then Shin Sea took her position.
…Huh?
As if she were preparing to dance.
Seo Jun-won blinked in surprise.
Since Baek Hyun-jung had recruited her based on her singing, he’d assumed she would only sing.
Then Shin Sea opened her mouth.
“Like the starlight shining in the endless night sky—”
This is…
High.
The version of Wave Love she was singing was an octave higher than the original.
And that wasn’t all.
She had added her own vocal variations.
The melody felt richer and fuller.
What kind of vocal technique is this…?
Seo Jun-won unconsciously held his breath.
Even while dancing, her pitch remained stable.
Her pronunciation was clear.
Her volume was strong.
Every lyric was easy to hear.
Most importantly, her voice carried a unique groove and airy tone that sounded more like something from Western pop music than K-pop.
Maybe it was too early to judge.
But Seo Jun-won became certain.
…She’s good.
At least vocally, she was already complete.
There was practically nothing to criticize.
Compared to that, her dancing was slightly weaker.
But it left a different kind of impression.
Shin Sea wasn’t the type who naturally surrendered herself to rhythm.
She wasn’t a born dancer.
Instead, she focused on details.
It felt as though she had repeated every move over and over until it was engraved into her body.
A dance built through endless effort and practice.
A sincere dance.
“…”
After watching her for a while, Seo Jun-won quietly covered his mouth.
She really brought in another good one, didn’t she?
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips despite his efforts to hide it.
— End of Chapter 8 —
