Chapter 9
“Good work. That was really impressive.”
“…Thank you.”
I straightened my posture, gave a polite bow, and tried to calm my heavy breathing.
Whew, I’m exhausted.
I had already noticed it while cleaning yesterday, but my body at this age was in terrible shape.
Back then, I could dance through several songs in a row without getting tired.
Yet now I was gasping for breath after just one performance.
Honestly, I felt like my stamina was even worse than it was seven years later.
Well, I spent months doing nothing but hiding in my room.
No wonder my body had become like this.
I should probably start exercising tomorrow too.
While silently complaining about my pathetic physical condition, the CEO sitting in front of me smiled warmly.
“Well, first of all… you’re a really good singer.”
His name was Seo Jun-won, if I remembered correctly.
I had noticed it from the moment I entered.
His huge build was impressive.
At first glance, he looked like someone who belonged to the underworld rather than the entertainment industry.
Anyway.
“Thank you.”
I immediately bowed again.
I hadn’t had enough time to prepare properly, so if it had looked decent, that was a relief.
“I heard you used to be a trainee. How many years did you train?”
How many years?
The question already assumed it had been a long time.
So it was obvious after all.
After hesitating briefly, I answered.
“About seven years. I quit a few months ago.”
“And why did you quit?”
“…Something happened regarding the debut lineup. But I never caused any trouble at the company.”
I answered vaguely.
Still, I wasn’t technically lying, so I didn’t feel guilty.
For some reason, Seo Jun-won suddenly laughed as if I’d said something funny.
“Haha. You don’t even look like the type to cause trouble in the first place. You seem like a nice person too.”
“…Haha.”
I couldn’t really agree with the part about having a good personality.
Though I had heard plenty of times that I looked gentle.
I also made an effort to appear that way.
“And Team Leader Baek is really good at judging those things.”
“Exactly! Sea looks like the kind of person who was born saying, ‘Thank you for giving birth to me, Mother!’”
“…”
What kind of compliment was that?
I had never heard anything remotely similar before, so I simply stayed silent.
The questions continued after that.
Most were easy enough to answer.
But one of them almost made me emotional.
Not because I was touched.
Because I felt wronged.
“Lastly… why did you choose Wave Love? Honestly, it was a surprising song choice.”
“I only had one day to prepare for the audition, so I chose a song I could get ready for as quickly as possible.”
I answered calmly.
Inside, however, irritation was building.
When they suddenly told me to come audition immediately, I had been completely caught off guard.
I asked for more time, and they only gave me one extra day.
So I had no choice but to choose Wave Love, a song I’d prepared long ago for a monthly evaluation.
Thankfully, I still remembered some of the choreography.
Even so, the performance was nowhere near my own standards.
“It wasn’t perfect because I didn’t have enough time. I’m sorry.”
I bowed politely.
To be honest, I wasn’t sorry at all.
If they wanted a perfect performance, they should have given me more time.
Then—
“Oh, actually, you could’ve just sung any song. We only wanted the CEO to hear your voice.”
…What?
I froze.
Meanwhile, Team Leader Baek awkwardly continued.
“Well, you said you used to be a trainee… but I never expected you to prepare something this complete in only one day. It was really impressive!”
So that’s what happened?
Ha…
Realizing I’d suffered for nothing made my stomach hurt.
But complaining now wouldn’t change anything.
“Thank you.”
So I simply smiled and bowed again.
This time it was harder to maintain my expression.
Soon, CEO Seo, who looked strangely pleased, spoke again.
“Even though it was sudden, I like how diligently you prepared.”
“…”
“To be honest, since we’re already talking about it, the girl group we’re preparing doesn’t have much time left before debut.”
That was true.
If I remembered correctly, Radiance would debut in about three months.
“If Team Leader Baek hadn’t insisted so strongly… I wouldn’t have even considered holding an audition.”
I quietly nodded without interrupting.
Hearing him say that made me nervous.
My palms slowly became damp with sweat.
His expression had grown serious.
“…And this is truly confidential, but even if we held the audition, I didn’t intend to recruit anyone. There’s simply not enough time.”
“C-CEO?”
Baek Hyun-jung looked shocked.
Apparently, this was news to her as well.
…Well, there are only three months left.
I had known the timing was tight.
Still, I’d been holding onto a little hope.
Maybe it won’t work after all.
A wave of disappointment surged through me.
Yeah.
My life was never going to be that easy.
The next words seemed obvious.
I carefully maintained my expression and nodded silently.
Then—
“But I don’t think I can let you slip away.”
“…!”
I instantly looked up at him.
“W-What do you mean?”
I asked before I could stop myself.
It was a completely impolite interruption.
But Seo Jun-won only smiled broadly.
“Yes. I’d really like you to sign with us. And I can promise you’ll debut very soon.”
“…”
No way.
This actually worked?
It was an acceptance I hadn’t expected after I’d already half given up.
[You can change your affiliation to ‘Dream Entertainment’.]
[Would you like to proceed?]
Of course I would.
They were even guaranteeing my debut.
[Your affiliation has been changed to ‘Dream Entertainment’.]
[You have become a ‘Debut Team Trainee’ of Dream Entertainment.]
The system messages floating before my eyes gave me a strange feeling.
…So I’m really a trainee again.
The title I hadn’t held for seven years felt oddly distant.
Before I could process those emotions, another message appeared.
[A Dream Entertainment Exclusive Hidden Mission has arrived.]
Right.
The Hidden Mission.
Honestly, that was one of the biggest reasons I’d chosen Dream.
The system had said that Hidden Missions could completely change a group’s fate.
But then—
Hidden Mission: Change the Debut Song
Condition: Change the debut song and concept of Dream Entertainment’s debut team to the optimal choice.
Time Limit: 6 Days 23 Hours 59 Minutes
Reward: Access to Hidden Mission – Battlefield of the Goddess
A Hidden Mission-exclusive Strategy Guide has been added to the Shop.
…
Why was the time limit so short?
***
“Come with me. The others are practicing right now, so I’ll at least introduce you. Ah, the practice room is at the end of the hallway.”
“Ah, yes!”
Holding the contract Baek Hyun-jung had given me, I quietly followed behind her.
“Seriously, meeting you was such a relief.”
Even while walking, she kept looking back at me.
The huge smile on her face was honestly a little overwhelming.
“The debut song has already been finalized and we’re about to start preparing seriously, but I kept feeling greedy. I thought if we could just find one more person, the group would finally be perfect!”
Did she really like me that much?
Her affection felt so unconditional that it was honestly strange.
“I thought we’d have no choice but to debut like this, and then suddenly Sea appeared right in front of me…”
“Haha.”
None of that seemed particularly important.
I gave appropriate responses while thinking about the Hidden Mission I’d just received.
The mission was called Change the Debut Song.
Well, it probably does need changing.
Considering Radiance’s history, the mission made sense.
The debut song had played a huge role in the group’s early failure.
So I completely understood the mission itself.
The problem was the deadline.
Seriously, that’s way too short.
I had less than a week to change both the song and the concept.
Even if Dream was a small company, wasn’t that ridiculous?
…No, I need answers.
It bothered me so much that I couldn’t focus.
At this rate, I’d lose control of my expression.
“No matter how I think about it, Sea and our company were meant to—”
“Um, Team Leader. Sorry, but…”
I interrupted her with an awkward smile.
“Can I use the restroom for a moment?”
“Haha, you don’t look nervous, but maybe you are. The restroom is on the first floor. Oh, the password is 4416.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, I found myself in a quiet corner near an emergency exit where nobody seemed likely to pass by.
“…Alright.”
Crossing my arms, I glared at the mission window.
“Explain yourself, Mission.”
– Explain what?
“What’s with that time limit? How am I supposed to do all that in one week?”
My voice came out sharper than intended.
As usual, the mission window replied calmly.
– The ‘Idol Strategy Guide’ merely provides the optimal path toward becoming a top idol.
Such an unbelievably shameless answer.
“…”
At this point, my annoyance faded into curiosity.
The mission window always had an awful attitude.
But it was never actually wrong.
– I can hear you.
“I know.”
That comment had been intended for it to hear.
Anyway, the optimal path…
I carefully reread the mission description.
Only then did another detail catch my attention.
The reward.
Battlefield of the Goddess.
It’s that program, isn’t it?
Battlefield of the Goddess.
A girl-group survival show launched by T-Wave, one of the two biggest cable channels alongside K-Net.
Its slogan had been something like Claim the Golden Apple.
The concept was supposedly based on the goddesses of Greek mythology.
Though honestly, that was just packaging.
At its core, it was simply a survival show that determined the winning girl group.
Still, it had generated enormous buzz.
Several girl groups competed, evaluated each other, and eliminated rivals.
Honestly, how could that not be entertaining?
I had enjoyed watching it myself.
The important part was this:
The reward for clearing the mission was access to a hidden mission related to Battlefield of the Goddess.
I thought carefully.
Originally, five groups had participated in that show.
But after Episode 3, only four remained.
The youngest group in the competition had withdrawn due to severe internal conflict.
And not just ordinary conflict.
The members had repeatedly grabbed each other’s hair and fought backstage where everyone could see.
[The Battlefield of the Goddess contestants are fighting again (Video Included)]
(Video)
(Verified by staff)
- It wasn’t just one day lol. They fought constantlyㅋㅋ Even in front of other groups. The atmosphere was awkward throughout filming.
I got annoyed seeing them pretend to be innocent in today’s interview, so I’m posting this.
A staff member had leaked actual footage online.
It spread instantly.
And then things got even worse.
Another member became involved in a school bullying scandal.
The group disappeared from the entertainment industry completely.
The editing that week was unbelievable.
They edited the episodes as if the group had never existed.
Anyway.
The important thing was that Battlefield of the Goddess would air about one and a half years from now.
And the group that withdrew had been a rookie girl group that debuted roughly one year before the show aired.
…If we prepare as aggressively as possible and debut quickly, the timing lines up almost perfectly.
That was probably why the deadline had to be one week.
I looked at the mission window again.
Now that I’d organized my thoughts, I finally understood what it wanted.
It wanted me to change the debut song, create enough buzz, and take the participation slot that group would eventually lose.
If we can get on that show, it’ll be the perfect start.
Every girl group that appeared on Battlefield of the Goddess saw their fandom grow dramatically.
I felt a little guilty about taking someone else’s opportunity.
But…
If they were going to self-destruct through scandals anyway, wasn’t it better for that valuable opportunity to go to us?
Regardless, that reward could only be obtained if I cleared this Hidden Mission.
I still had no idea how to accomplish it.
But now that I understood the reward, my motivation returned instantly.
Let’s do everything we can.
The system had said a Hidden Mission-exclusive Strategy Guide had been added to the shop.
I needed to check it out.
“Alright.”
Later.
Not now.
Checking the time, I realized I’d already been gone for more than ten minutes.
If I stayed away any longer, people would start getting suspicious.
I headed back downstairs.
“Coming through.”
“Oh, sorry.”
The staircase was ridiculously narrow.
I squeezed past someone coming up from below, carefully avoiding shoulder contact.
Then, after passing them, something suddenly struck me as odd.
That person had a strange aura about them.
They were wearing a hoodie, so I hadn’t seen their face clearly.
But my instincts told me they weren’t an employee.
That meant they were probably a trainee.
Earlier, Team Leader Baek had said Dream currently had four trainees.
The same four girls who would eventually debut as Radiance.
So was that person one of them?
I glanced back.
Unfortunately, they had already disappeared up the stairs.
They had been pretty tall.
Suddenly, I remembered that one Radiance member had been unusually tall.
The tallest member… what was her name again?
Thinking back, I pushed open the heavy metal door leading to the basement.
“…What the?”
The fluorescent lights flickered weakly.
Flick.
Never mind.
They died completely.
The basement hallway was plunged into total darkness.
The already creepy underground corridor now looked like something straight out of a classic horror game.
And I had to walk through it.
Hmm.
Suddenly…
I didn’t care about becoming an idol anymore.
I just wanted to go home.
