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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The First Ace
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“Oh, hello.”
Na Yeon-woo, with her innocent face, widened her already large eyes and looked at Hye-sung.
It was just a simple glance, but to Hye-sung’s eyes, it was as if an angel, wreathed in radiance, had descended to save humanity.
*She’s insane. She’s literally glowing…! Look at the stars in my baby’s eyes. It’s like she walked right out of a romance comic. The next-gen visual center is definitely our Yeon-woo’s spot to claim.*
“Did you come out by yourself?”
Overwhelmed by seeing her in the flesh, Hye-sung screamed internally while asking as casually as she could. She knew three trainees had come from Management A, but she wanted a natural way to strike up a conversation.
“Ah, they said they wanted to sit up there…”
Na Yeon-woo said, turning her head back. Where her gaze landed, her company colleagues were seated in the debut lineup spots.
The debut zone was already full. The seats were far, so their faces weren’t clear, but seeing the blonde hair in the number one spot, it seemed to be Hyun Na-na. As if to confirm, she waved at Hye-sung when she looked over.
*I knew you’d be sitting there.*
“I see. I find those seats a little intimidating, too.”
Hye-sung said with a harmless smile. She wanted to appear as a good person to Na Yeon-woo as much as possible.
“Right. A spot like this is perfect for now.”
*You’ll be heading up there soon enough, my dear.*
Hye-sung nodded, a slight smile on her lips.
While they were chatting and getting to know each other, all the trainees who appeared afterward found their seats.
*Dun dun!*
As if to command everyone’s attention, the program’s logo, a stylized wave, appeared on the main screen, and the subtitle ‘Sailing to Dream’ floated up like a ripple.
“A warm welcome to the 100 trainees who have begun their voyage toward their dreams.”
The stage lights below the screen turned on, and a host holding cue cards appeared.
“I am your Chief Mate, Seol Han-na, who will be supporting you, sometimes like a big sister, sometimes like a senior, this season.”
True to its concept of a voyage toward a dream, the viewers of the Supernova Project were called Mates, meaning navigators and friends, and the host was the Chief Mate.
“Waaaaah!!!”
“I love this so much!!”
With Seol Han-na’s entrance, the atmosphere in the studio instantly heated up.
*She’s a case of a successful transition to acting, so I thought she’d never get involved in the idol scene again. I was pretty surprised to see her as the MC.*
Seol Han-na had debuted as an idol seven years ago, but her group had disbanded early due to poor results. She had since changed her career path to acting. She was just starting to rise in popularity thanks to a positive reception in a recently concluded drama.
*That eonni went through a lot trying to promote her group. I’m glad things are working out for her now.*
Seol Han-na’s group had debuted at the same time as Hye-sung’s former favorite group, so their promotions often overlapped. Hye-sung knew a fair bit about their situation. So, looking at Seol Han-na now, she genuinely felt relieved for her.
“From now on, I will introduce the elite team of trainers who will join you on your journey toward your dreams.”
The screen quickly transitioned, and an introductory video of the trainers began to play.
“Oh my gosh, I think I’m going to cry!”
“No way! It’s Jade-ssaem!!”
At the sight of world-renowned choreographers, the trainees clapped and cheered enthusiastically.
*Wait, hold on. The cast is different from before.*
Hye-sung was thoroughly flustered.
The sole rap trainer was the same, but one of the two vocal trainers and one of the two dance trainers had been changed.
What was even more surprising was the addition of a new role that didn’t exist before the change: K-Pop Director. And that trainer was…
*…Why is she coming out of there?*
As if her head had been struck with a ladle, Hye-sung’s pupils trembled like an earthquake.
*Ha-hyun eonni…*
It was Hye-sung’s ‘old’ bias.
“There is a new role added this season. A K-Pop Director who will lead you as a senior active idol!”
And appearing with the brilliant lights was…
“Minty!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!!”
At Minty’s unexpected appearance, a succession of trainees were left unable to close their mouths.
“Ugh… I love her so much, what do I do.”
“No way! This isn’t a dream, right!?”
“It’s not a dream, not a dream. It’s really Minty-nim.”
Some were teary-eyed, and there were even trainees who slapped each other to check if it was a dream or reality.
*…Why is she here?*
Minty, real name Park Ha-hyun. Hye-sung’s former bias.
The leader and ace member of Lunestar, an 8-year-old group from Q Media, celebrating their 7th debut anniversary this year.
Her official position was main dancer, but she lacked nothing in composing, lyric writing, arranging, choreography creation, and vocal skills, earning her the title of the undisputed top talent among idols of the current era.
When Lunestar hit their peak and started focusing on individual activities more than group ones as they got older, Minty made a successful solo debut and is still actively promoting.
Hye-sung, who had been a fan of all of Lunestar, naturally transitioned from a hiatus to leaving the fandom as the group’s activities dwindled.
“Nice to meet you. I’m K-Pop Director Minty.”
A not-so-tall stature and a cute, cat-like face. But the aura she exuded with just a single greeting was immense. It was fitting for a powerhouse who had conquered the K-pop female solo market with a single album.
Hye-sung’s body trembled in surprise at the sight of her old bias after so many years, but a part of her heart was deeply moved. Leaving the fandom hadn’t been a messy breakup, so she was so happy to see her that she felt like she might tear up a little.
*My foxy-kitty eonni’s senior vibes are insane. What’s with that charisma?*
But the thought of being evaluated and trained by that old bias made her vision go dark again.
As Hye-sung’s lips quivered like a sinner dragged to a frozen hell, Na Yeon-woo, who was next to her, gently shook her shoulder.
“Eonni? What’s wrong, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just so surprised.”
“Me too. I didn’t expect a senior idol to be a trainer.”
“Yeah, I was a fan, so it really caught me off guard.”
“Oh~ Hye-sung eonni, you were a fan of Lunestar-sunbaenim?”
Na Yeon-woo asked, blinking her rabbit-like eyes.
*This feels a little awkward.*
Her current favorite was asking about her former favorite. It was a very sticky situation. Of course, Na Yeon-woo had no idea.
* * *
“We will now begin the agency-level class evaluations.”
With Seol Han-na’s announcement, the atmosphere in the studio was once again tinged with tension.
*I can’t see the other girls’ stats yet.*
Like Frieza with a scouter equipped to her eyes, Hye-sung scanned the trainees who would be judged first.
“Yeon-woo, the kids who are called up first are at a disadvantage, right?”
Hye-sung whispered quietly. Three teams, including those currently waiting, had been called down below the stage.
“Mm, that’s right. The earlier spots are probably more nerve-wracking.”
“What number are you?”
“We’re number 21. What about you, eonni?”
The order had been decided beforehand.
“I’m number 19! We might get to go down together.”
“I’m already nervous, eonni.”
“It’s okay, you’ll do great.”
The class evaluations began.
The first few teams to perform were trainees who had been edited out of the main broadcast before the change.
*It’s so-so. They’ll probably be edited out this time too.*
They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t great either. But if you had to divide them into good or bad, they were closer to the bad side.
*Only 2-star ranks so far.*
After each team’s performance, she could see their stats. Just as their performances showed, there were no standout trainees.
“Nine teams have gone, but there hasn’t been an Ace grade yet.”
Hye-sung spoke in a very, very small voice, just barely audible to Na Yeon-woo sitting right next to her. She even covered her mouth with her hand, conscious of the dozens of cameras watching.
It was something she could have just said, but she could get into trouble if she received a nasty edit that made her look rude.
“I know. I heard there weren’t many applicants this time… Mph!”
“Shh, you’ll get an evil edit.”
Even though she had brought it up herself, Hye-sung covered Na Yeon-woo’s mouth as she tried to respond.
“Next trainee, please come up.”
Minty said, holding the microphone. Her eyes looked somewhat bored due to the lack of talented participants.
*That eonni is super strict even when directing her own members, so she must be bored sitting here watching a school talent show.*
The next trainee came up onto the stage.
“Wow, finally.”
“I’m excited.”
“She must be really good, right?”
The moment she appeared, all the trainees focused on her. The expressions of the trainers checking her application also seemed to have changed significantly.
It seemed everyone was familiar with that trainee.
“I am individual trainee Han Young-won.”
*She already owned the stage just by showing up.*
Hye-sung swallowed a dry gulp.
Her song choice was the first number-one hit by Minty’s group, Lunestar. When the music started, Han Young-won showed a performance that was on a completely different level from the previous trainees.
“Considering your training period and your past experience, I honestly had high expectations…”
The original artist, Minty, spoke up.
“Your technique and expressiveness are beyond my expectations. It’s a unanimous Ace grade. That was a great performance.”
For the first time since the recording began, her expression was one of satisfaction.
“Thank you.”
Han Young-won bowed, brushing back her bluish-black hair.
Her face was cold, with almost no change in expression after the music ended, but the tips of her fingers trembled slightly.
*So Han Young-won does get nervous.*
Just like before the change, Han Young-won, who received the first Ace grade, was supposed to have joined the popular group BlackЯose four years ago.
She had even filmed the new music video and appeared in the agency’s own content, but the team completely fell apart due to an unexpected conflict. Her addition was canceled, and she returned to being a trainee.
The agency formed BlackЯose’s junior group, Queentet, centered around Han Young-won, but they couldn’t bridge their differences in opinion about the group’s direction, and she left the team just before their debut. Queentet, which took its name from the word ‘quintet’ meaning a group of five, ended up debuting as a four-member group without Han Young-won.
The news that the ill-fated trainee Han Young-won, who was thought to have left the entertainment industry, had her name on the list of participants for Supernova Project Season 5 became a minor topic of conversation among K-pop fans.
*Sympathy votes… Her story was too compelling, and her skills were too solid for anyone to call it a sob story. She swept up all the votes from the general public, too.*
She was also one of the trainees known as the ‘big three’ who had split the votes early on.
“Wow… so, so… a singer is what people like her are meant to be…”
Na Yeon-woo also seemed a bit mesmerized after watching Han Young-won’s performance.
“Yeah… she was amazing.”
*It’s impossible to be bad with those stats.*
Hye-sung swallowed her words. She had been rendered speechless after seeing the status window that popped up before her eyes when Han Young-won’s performance ended.
[Han Young-won (24/Female)]
Visual ★★★★
Vocal ★★★★
Dance ★★★
Star Quality ★★★★
Her stats were high, averaging close to 4 stars. It was the highest she had seen among the trainees so far.
*Can I see the trainers’ stats? I’ve only seen them perform in the intro video, so maybe not…*
*Flash.*
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the trainers’ status windows appeared. Among them, the only one with higher average stats than Han Young-won was Minty.
*Ha-hyun eonni has 4 stars in vocal and 6 stars in dance…*
Considering one was an 8-year veteran singer and the other a trainee, the gap didn’t seem that large.
“The person coming on after Han Young-won-nim is going to be under a lot of pressure.”
“Yes… I’m worried, too.”
Na Yeon-woo looked even more nervous than when the class evaluations had first started. It was because her turn was not far off.
“It’s okay, Yeon-woo. Just show them what you’ve practiced so hard for.”
“Eonni…”
Hye-sung patted Na Yeon-woo’s back.
Seeing Na Yeon-woo as a little chirping chick, Hye-sung was also worried sick.
*My mom must have felt like this when she sent me to school for the first time.*
“Number 17, Mame Company, through number 21, Management A, please come down and wait.”
