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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Mid-Term Evaluation
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The recording was complete, and the choreography was finished.
Rather than one person taking the lead, everyone brainstormed together for the choreography.
Since I had come up with the basic concept, I naturally contributed the most ideas.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted."
"At least we finished the choreography before tomorrow's evaluation, thankfully."
"...Should we pull an all-nighter?"
"Don't even think about it. Do you want to lose your voice tomorrow?"
On the way home from work.
For the first time in a while, cameras were following us.
It seemed they were filming to capture the trainees' feelings, as it was the day before the mid-term evaluation.
"Cheong-a, tell me honestly."
"…?"
At Lee Gyeong-a's sudden remark, I simply raised an eyebrow.
"You, that, what. Him-sum-jjin. Is that your concept?"
Him...what?
From my perspective, hearing slang from ten years ago caused cognitive dissonance.
"It means a dork who hides their strength. No, didn't you used to be terrible at dancing? But looking at you when we were creating the choreography this time, even if you're not main dancer level... you could definitely be a dance member."
"Oh, it's not that much."
I waved my hand dismissively.
Since the past Yun Cheong was so bad, my ordinary skills had the effect of seeming relatively amazing in comparison.
Thanks to that, I effectively drew questions from those around me.
Honestly.
I couldn't tell if I should be grateful to Yun Cheong or not.
"Anyway, thanks to Cheong-i, we easily settled on the concept and put together the choreography smoothly."
"Truly."
Ryu Bo-ra, who had been quiet, nodded her head.
Why are you agreeing there, so uncharacteristically?
"...Cheong-i definitely did a great job this time."
Given the atmosphere, Jo Hui-on also said a word, perhaps finding it awkward to remain silent.
It was obvious she was forcing it, but so what?
"If you'd just do this well all the time, huh? How great would that be!"
...Cancel that.
It's better if you just keep your mouth shut.
"Still, thanks to Cheong-i, our chances of winning have gone up. I'm just going to trust you, Cheong-i."
"Huh?"
"You got first place last time, so you'll get first place again this time. Plus, this time, it's all your ideas."
...This.
It pretends to praise me, but it's actually a very burdensome thing to say.
Especially for me, who doesn't particularly want the "first place" label in the current situation.
Is she trying to deliberately pick a fight with Kim Ryeo-yu's fans?
"Oh, come on. Last time, Ryeo-yu was first. I only got first place thanks to our team."
I said that and added,
"So, this time, let's boost each other up. So that anyone can be chosen as the MVP of MVP. That's how important teamwork is."
Jo Hui-on shrugged her shoulders.
"Right. Someone has to win, after all."
"For now, let's just do well on tomorrow's mid-term evaluation."
At that moment, Ryu Bo-ra quietly interjected.
"Honestly, if even one team member makes a mistake, you can consider the MVP of MVP gone."
Oh.
For once, you're speaking at such length.
I glanced at Ryu Bo-ra, surprised.
Jo Hui-on's face flushed, as if she hadn't expected Ryu Bo-ra to say that.
The truth was, Jo Hui-on had made the most mistakes during practice today.
"Was that directed at me?"
"Oh, my."
Ryu Bo-ra smiled sweetly.
"Since you were talking about MVP of MVP. If you're desperate for the benefit, then even if you can't contribute, at least don't be a nuisance. Unnie and I make the most mistakes, you see. It was just a reminder to be careful."
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
Although she said "Unnie and I," it was essentially telling her to stop making so many mistakes.
Everyone was flustered, as Ryu Bo-ra was always in "angel mode" in front of the cameras.
"It hasn't been long since we started practicing, so it's inevitable to make mistakes. The song is this difficult, and there's choreography too."
"Right. It's tough. I find it tough too. But that doesn't mean it's okay to make mistakes. It was just a suggestion for us to pull ourselves together and work hard."
Ugh.
"Your words are a bit harsh, aren't they?"
Ryu Bo-ra shrugged her shoulders.
It was the exact same gesture Jo Hui-on had made earlier.
"Did I upset you, Unnie? If telling you to do well tomorrow upset you, then I apologize. I'll say sorry."
"No, Bo-ra. That's not-"
"Alright, Hui-on. You know Bo-ra didn't mean it that way."
Lee Gyeong-a, who couldn't stand it anymore, interjected.
"Let's all just get our heads straight for tomorrow. Okay? If you guys mess up, I'm the one who gets cursed at."
"Yes, Unnie."
I quickly replied.
"I'll give it my all tomorrow. Everyone, let's do our best. Haha."
Jo Hui-on was still fuming, and Ryu Bo-ra was still feigning innocence with an "I know nothing" expression.
...When she's on my side, she's so reliable.
But if she becomes an enemy...
Ugh.
Anyway, I can't get used to it.
Ryu Bo-ra, taking my side.
I subtly nudged Ryu Bo-ra's shoulder with my own.
It was my way of showing gratitude.
However, Ryu Bo-ra moved away from me with a look that clearly asked, "Why are you doing this?"
...Or not?
Was she not on my side, but just Jo Hui-on's enemy?
She was an inscrutable kid, no matter what.
***
"First, Dance Position A. Please come out and perform."
It was the day of the mid-term evaluation.
Once again, all the cameras gathered.
We sat in a corner of the practice room, just waiting for the evaluation time.
First up was Dance Position A: Yeon Ju-hong, Seo Baek-yeong, and Kim Ryeo-yu's team.
It was a chance to see how had changed, becoming completely easy.
Actually, I was most curious about it.
The combination of the three also seemed somewhat interesting.
The three had already taken their formation.
But somehow...
"Looks like they fought?"
Lee Gyeong-a whispered in my ear.
I nodded.
Anyone who knew them even a little could tell.
Yeon Ju-hong with her puffed-out cheeks, Seo Baek-yeong with her raised eyebrows, and Kim Ryeo-yu alone with her nonchalant expression.
That.
They had a huge fight.
But a fight was a fight, and the song wouldn't wait for them.
"Pit, Pit
You're a trap set just for me
Shh, Shh
Our relationship sways like a pendulum
I can't run away from you"
As the song progressed, the trainees exchanged glances.
"This isn't the song we heard, is it?"
"No, it's not."
"Why did the song turn out like that?"
The judges seemed to have similar thoughts, their expressions grim.
"Girls."
Trainer Kang Sun-hwa said with a serious face.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you butcher the song like this?"
The vocal trainer wasn't the only one with a lot to say.
Jo Won-ho even had a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"I don't understand downgrading the song. And you're in the dance position. Is this choreography level going to be enough? There's no impact at all! Who choreographed this?"
Yeon Ju-hong and Seo Baek-yeong's gazes flickered towards Kim Ryeo-yu, then returned.
"We all choreographed it together."
Seo Baek-yeong answered.
It was a textbook answer.
And a textbook bad answer, too.
"Girls. If you keep going like this... you'll have to drop the 'Dream Team' label and put on the 'Nightmare' label instead. Is that okay with you?"
"No..."
"You guys are serious. I mean it. Why did the song turn out like this? Did Danha say it was okay to make the song like this?"
Exactly.
That's what I wondered too.
How on earth did that meticulous stickler give permission...?
This time, no one answered.
Not even Seo Baek-yeong.
But seeing Yeon Ju-hong just biting her lip, it wasn't that she had nothing to say.
She had a lot to say, but couldn't.
"Baek-yeong-a, answer us."
The two trainers pressed Seo Baek-yeong.
How petty.
With their experience, there was no way they wouldn't know. That Seo Baek-yeong hadn't wanted the song arranged that way.
Naturally, the cause of all this was—
"I'm sorry."
—Kim Ryeo-yu, that kid.
"Discuss the song arrangement again and fix it. Right now, it's so bland it's hard to even listen to."
"I seriously thought I was going to fall asleep listening to it."
"And please, don't try to make the choreography so easy and comfortable. If you're going to do that, debut somewhere other than Colors. Don't tarnish our name."
They're coming on strong.
And it's understandable. Two of the three are in the debut lineup, and Seo Baek-yeong is a famous ace trainee from Colors.
For such trainees to gather and still try to take the easy way out, it couldn't look good.
They should have taken a risk, even if it looked overwhelming.
"Why are they acting like that? Do they want to drive people crazy?"
"Maybe they don't want to debut."
The kind of comments that would naturally come up in an audition program were being made.
I could see PD O's mouth splitting into a grin.
Let's ignore that.
Next, Dance Position B's performance began.
"We stuck in love maze
Oh, my destiny
Don't look at me like that
You made me this way"
Lee Ju-seon...
She's good?
It wasn't just the trainees who were surprised by the unexpected strong performance.
Even the trainers' eyes widened in astonishment.
A combination of three lower-ranked members.
Because so little was expected of this team, the effect was outstanding.
Everything they had wanted to see from Dance Team A was present in Team B.
They had nothing to lose, so they went all out.
Endlessly soaring high notes, and breathtakingly intense choreography.
"Wow, Ju-seon-a. I really see you in a new light."
"My thoughts exactly."
The trainers spared no praise.
Right. My thoughts exactly.
I didn't even raise her, so why do I feel so proud?
All of Team Four Seasons watched Lee Ju-seon with satisfied expressions.
Our villain... has grown.
"Thank you!"
"Still, don't get complacent. Maintain this tension."
"Yes!"
Lee Ju-seon returned with a proud expression.
I quietly gave Lee Ju-seon two thumbs up.
Lee Ju-seon also sat down, grinning triumphantly.
The mid-term evaluations for the dance positions were all finished.
Then, it was probably our turn now...
"Vocal Position, please come out."
It must be our turn.
We immediately took our opening formation.
Then, exclamations of "Oh!" burst out.
It seemed they had expected us to just stand and sing, since it was a vocal position.
But what we wanted was more than that.
We exchanged glances.
And now,
"My love,
On a night when even the full moon is grinning,
Where are you going?"
It was my turn.
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