NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 12
[Name: Seo Yoo-jin]
[Age: 17]
[Trait: Arrogant/Conceited Trait – Having lived a life supported by others, you look down on others due to your pride. The center of the world must always be you.]
[Physical Detailed Stats]
[Intelligence Detailed Stats]
[Artistic Detailed Stats]
…Wait, can I really see other people’s status windows?
Startled by Seo Yoo-jin’s suddenly appearing status window, I quickly examined it.
The first thing that caught my eye was her age, two years younger than me, and…
‘Arrogant/Conceited Trait…?’
It was the Arrogant/Conceited Trait.
‘Proud, looks down on others, and believes the center of the world must be herself…’
Definitely a trait that suited her.
I nodded slightly and moved on to the Artistic Detailed Stats.
And…
[Artistic Detailed Stats]
(Appearance: 91)
(Vocal Ability: 87)
(Acting Skill: 1)
(Dance: 84)
“Oh.”
I could roughly understand why Seo Yoo-jin had the Arrogant/Conceited Trait.
Having an Acting Skill of 1 was… impressive in its own way, but her other stats that an idol should have were quite high.
Surely she belongs to SAV, right? With those stats, she could show skills beyond that of a typical trainee.
“Hello, I am Seo Yoo-jin from SAV Entertainment.”
Knowing this well, her face showed considerable confidence. It felt like she had the intent to completely take over the stage.
Noticing this vibe, the judges began their questions with small smiles, as if they found her cute.
“Trainee Seo Yoo-jin. This must be your first stage like this, but you don’t seem nervous.”
“Yes, I’m not nervous.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m from SAV!”
Seo Yoo-jin’s Acting Skill was 1. That meant she couldn’t say anything insincere.
“I will prove through this stage that I am different from the other participants!”
Her bold declaration sent a ripple through the stage.
What she said… was incredibly arrogant. This could be perceived as looking down on the other participants.
‘…Is she not worried about the cameras?’
Of course, if she showcased a perfect stage to back up her claim, her confident demeanor could turn into a plus. But…
‘Most likely she will get criticized…’
Outside the stage, Na Ah Ah’s production team was watching Seo Yoo-jin like a pack of hyenas eyeing their prey.
Their negative reputation was well-known since my previous life.
The Na Ah Ah production crew was probably considering whether to use Seo Yoo-jin as material for public opinion.
How they edit her performance would determine her broadcast image now.
Of course, if Seo Yoo-jin, who looked close to debuting, flops through this, it would benefit me.
However, due to her young age, I felt sorry for her as she would definitely face a public backlash later.
‘…Okay, just do well then.’
Perhaps that’s why I found myself rooting for her inside.
In that moment…
“……”
“…Hmph.”
Whether she knew my feelings or not, our eyes met, and Seo Yoo-jin snorted and turned her head away.
And then…
“If there are no more questions, I will begin the performance.”
Before the judges finished their questions, she picked up the microphone and continued on.
“Haha, that girl is so bold.”
“She must really believe in her skills, huh?”
Was it that cute to the judges? Surely, Seo Yoo-jin reminded them of a little fierce kitten, making everything she did feel adorable.
But…
“Why is she acting like that?”
“Looks like she’s relying on her agency.”
From the participants, badmouthing started to surface. They covered their mouths to avoid the microphone while trash-talking Seo Yoo-jin.
“Sis, she’s completely annoying, right?”
Even Park Yoo-jung next to me chimed in.
If someone like her, who resembled a golden retriever, was saying this, it was clear Seo Yoo-jin was indeed annoying.
Thus far in this Ranking Evaluation, the greatest focus and mixed gazes were directed at Seo Yoo-jin on the stage…
“Now, let’s start the performance of Seo Yoo-jin.”
With the main MC Han Si-woo’s words, her ranking evaluation began.
♪♪♪♬-!
“……!”
“……!”
As the music started, most people flinched. This included the participants and judges alike.
‘…What’s going on?’
I couldn’t initially understand why people flinched. But as the melody progressed…
‘……This song.’
When a song I had listened to while practicing recent idol tracks started playing, I realized why everyone was surprised.
Most participants had prepared idol songs for this ranking evaluation stage.
Of course, Seo Yoo-jin’s song was indeed an idol song.
But…
‘This isn’t a female idol song, it’s a male idol song.’
Unlike the other participants, Seo Yoo-jin had prepared a male idol song.
And…
“This is Taehwan sunbae’s
“Is she really doing this…?”
Taehwan from SAV Entertainment, known as one of the top dancers in the male idol group, had this solo performance track.
‘She intends to do this for the ranking evaluation?’
Of course,
But…
‘The difficulty…’
The concern was the difficulty. It would undoubtedly be overwhelming for a trainee to perform this on camera for the first time.
Yet, it seemed that Seo Yoo-jin had no such worries.
With her usual confident smile, she began her performance.
And…
– In this strange atmosphere, I can’t let you go.
“……!”
The moment she sang the first line, I realized.
‘It’s different.’
There was something distinctly different from the other trainees’ performances so far.
Other trainees had mostly hit the notes and beats well enough. But… Seo Yoo-jin’s stage strangely pulled my attention, drawing me in as if I were enchanted.
– I can’t escape you, in this dizzying moment.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this. The participants who had been bashing Seo Yoo-jin now focused on the stage, entranced.
Among them, the wise ones were…
“Ah~.”
“Wow…, amazing.”
Realizing that reactions like this would almost certainly make it on broadcast, they posed astonished expressions for the cameras.
Finally, as the song transitioned into the chorus…
– Under the dark sky, I’m captivated by your moving, that strange feeling.
Seo Yoo-jin’s unique confident smile and smooth dance moves radiated pure aura.
But her true strength lay not in dancing, but in her vocal skills.
– Even if my neat skirt gets wrinkled, it’s okay, just look at me properly, yeah.
Perhaps due to singing at a male key, Seo Yoo-jin delivered her performance with such ease that her relaxed demeanor added flavor to the delivery.
“Phew…, that’s it.”
Just like how she started, she ended the stage with a confident smile…
“……”
“……”
For a moment, there was silence among the judges. It was as if they were engaged in a battle of wits to see who would speak first.
While the vibe suggested that others wanted Han Si-woo to speak first, he didn’t grab the microphone right away.
The dance trainer was the first to break the silence.
“I enjoyed it very much. It really felt like a stage worthy of SAV.”
As those words reached Seo Yoo-jin’s ears, her lips curled upwards.
“It wasn’t an easy song to express, yet the completion level was remarkably high.”
Once the dance trainer opened the floodgates, other judges followed with compliments.
“Her tone is really charming. It was very pleasant to listen to.”
“Above all, her expressions are superb. The other trainees were filled with tension, but Seo Yoo-jin was different. It felt like watching a professional, not an amateur?”
“Thank you.”
Surely, compared to the previous stages, it was overwhelmingly better, but I couldn’t help but think they were overdoing it a little.
At that moment, I noticed the production crew outside the set gesturing exaggeratedly towards the judges.
They were signaling them to give more praise.
‘It seems the production crew is planning to include Seo Yoo-jin in the priority debut team.’
Just as I expected, the praise cascade continued, and it seemed her ranking evaluation was about to conclude.
“However, Seo Yoo-jin.”
The last one to grab the microphone was Han Si-woo…
“Don’t you think your performance came off as too superficial?”
…He poured salt into the well-cooked dish.
“Su, superficial…?”
“Yes, superficial. Seo Yoo-jin, you were too tense. Your technique was excessive.”
“……”
Caught completely off-guard, Seo Yoo-jin’s face began to harden. Yet even at that moment, Han Si-woo continued his evaluation.
“While it’s true that your level of completion was above other participants, due to the tension in your body, your vocalization in the chorus fell flat, and the dance was rather loud.”
Until this point, his critique could have been enough, but Han Si-woo sealed the deal with his final remark.
“It felt like an amateur trying too hard to mimic a professional.”
“……!”
“I hope next time, you can ease up a bit and focus on the basics.”
The judges were clearly divided in their assessment.
And Han Si-woo’s level obviously stood at the top.
With him highlighting Seo Yoo-jin’s shortcomings, the previously overwhelming atmosphere of praise from other judges faded.
“…Actually, she missed a beat during the second verse.”
“…I agree with Producer Han Si-woo’s point about her being too tense.”
“……”
In the end, as the other judges subtly withdrew their compliments, Seo Yoo-jin’s eyes widened like someone betrayed.
“Now, after discussing among ourselves, we will announce the ranking for Trainee Seo Yoo-jin.”
This… the atmosphere already shifted.
After a brief discussion, the judging panel immediately announced the result.
“The ranking for Seo Yoo-jin from SAV Entertainment is B.”
“……!!”
As soon as the ranking was announced, the stage started to stir.
Despite her shortcomings, everyone was shocked to find that a stage like this received a B.
“B rank… understood…,” she nodded slowly, her face showing disbelief.
Of course, the most shocked was Seo Yoo-jin.
With a look as if she absolutely couldn’t accept it, she struggled to nod, knowing she couldn’t overturn the result.
‘Tsk tsk, what a shame.’
I watched her with pity.
Then….
“……!”
…I caught her eye again.
Zing.
‘Why again…?’
She must have thought I was laughing at her because as soon as she saw my face, her glare bore into me.
After a few seconds of glaring, she glanced at Yoo Seol in the first seat, shot her a look, and then returned to her seat.
It seemed I and Yoo Seol had become quite the eyesore for her.
Seo Yoo-jin got a B, but it was undeniable she had shown the best performance thus far among the participants.
“Now then, the next participant who will show their performance is….”
Most participants glanced nervously at Han Si-woo. Performing right after Seo Yoo-jin felt daunting.
As Han Si-woo prepared to call the next participant, a few seconds of suffocating silence passed…
“Next is Trainee Ha Ye-rin from Brotherhood Planning.”
And the glory belonged to me.
‘Finally, is it my time?’
I felt nervous, but not fearful, thanks to all my preparation.
Swish-.
With my characteristic expressionless face, I stood up.
Rustle rustle.
As I did, I sensed a level of attention towards me that couldn’t compare to what Seo Yoo-jin had drawn in.
Jealousy and admiration from fellow participants.
Expectation from the judges. And the greed from the production crew outside the stage.
I took all of that in as I stepped onto the stage.