NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 26
“Originally, trainees show the most remarkable growth in the first few months of training. I’m looking forward to seeing how much Ye-rin has grown in this one week.”
Han Si-woo said that, but he wasn’t really expecting much from Ha Ye-rin’s progress.
Just one week.
It was too short a time to show any meaningful changes in dance and singing skills.
Nonetheless, he felt there might be something worth showing from Ha Ye-rin, which is why he said that.
The fresh shock he felt the first time he saw her on stage still lingered in his mind.
And as the stage began….
-We are always dreaming.
‘…Huh?’
Han Si-woo was taken aback.
-We are dreaming!
-The moment you saw us.
Ha Ye-rin’s dance.
He was already accustomed to how amazing it was.
It felt so alive that it was as if they were dancing together right next to her.
That was her greatest charm and specialty.
It was the same now.
Her dance, sometimes delicate and sometimes strong like a girl dreaming, made the audience empathize with her passion.
But this time, it wasn’t just that.
-We are awake!
Her singing.
Strictly speaking, Ha Ye-rin’s vocal ability wasn’t inadequate.
However, it didn’t quite match the level of her dancing, giving off a slightly off balance feeling.
But how about now?
-We are dreaming!
-The moment we woke up.
Even if compared to other top contestants, her vocal ability wasn’t particularly outstanding.
But….
-A new dream unfolds before our eyes!
She had changed.
Her tone had become clearer. Her breath was steadier. Her voice blended more into her dance.
In other words…,
She had improved. She had grown.
‘Just in one week…?’
Just one week.
In that time, which others might waste thoughtlessly, Ha Ye-rin had grown.
‘Is this even possible…?’
At that moment, Han Si-woo couldn’t grasp what expression he was making.
He probably was smiling.
With cameras lined up in front of him, he didn’t even know what kind of face he was making. Not very professional of him.
But who could help it?
How can someone manage their expression when there’s a gigantic diamond right in front of them?
‘So tempting.’
To Han Si-woo, Ha Ye-rin’s value was beyond that of a diamond.
He thought that Ha Ye-rin focused only on dance. Just a naturally gifted main dancer, that’s what he thought.
But to show such growth in her vocal ability…?
If she had reached this level of growth after just one week of practice, what would happen if she trained in the practice room for a few months?
‘A main dancer with main vocalist-level singing ability….’
If she had the kind of skill that could shake people’s hearts….
Turning the concrete-like entertainment industry in Korea upside down and spreading to the world wouldn’t be just a dream.
It meant that the girl in front of him might achieve the dreams he couldn’t fulfill when he was active.
…….
Thinking like that, Han Si-woo felt a strange emotion bubbling up from his heart.
He was drawn to Ha Ye-rin.
If there were a time machine, he would want to go back and recruit her as a child.
He wanted her.
Thump.
His heart pounded fiercely.
This was such an intense feeling that he could almost mistake it for love.
“Phew…, that’s all.”
As Ha Ye-rin finished her stage.
Swish-.
Han Si-woo was the first to grab the microphone.
He wanted to relieve this pounding feeling right away.
However….
“This time, Ye-rin’s stage….”
Hic….
“…?”
There was an unexpected intruder interrupting Han Si-woo’s pleasant commentary.
As he turned his head….
Hic…., gulp….
“…Kim Ye-sol Trainer?”
Kim Ye-sol, the A-Class vocal trainer, was covering her mouth, tears of emotion streaming down her face.
Buzz buzz.
The judges were startled by this sudden situation, and the participants whispered among themselves.
And the production team….
Zing-.
Of course, they didn’t miss capturing that moment.
During the performance, I could tell.
The change in stats by 5 was significant enough to feel substantial differences.
“Phew…, that’s all.”
Finishing the stage with a satisfying feeling, the judges were indeed looking at me with quite favorable eyes.
Especially Han Si-woo.
He seemed to have a lot to say, grabbing the microphone before I completely finished my performance.
This must surely be a positive sign.
I waited happily for their assessments.
However….
“This time, Ye-rin’s stage….”
Hic….
“…?”
Huh.
Before Han Si-woo could finish his sentence, someone barged in.
Hic…., gulp….
“…Kim Ye-sol Trainer?”
She was the vocal trainer who had always been tough on us.
As soon as my stage finished, she broke down in tears.
Naturally, I was taken aback.
‘It wasn’t exactly a heart-touching stage, was it…?’
I was not the only one surprised as the surrounding judges questioned her.
“Kim Ye-sol Trainer… why suddenly….”
Sniff…, hic….
After manage to stop crying, Kim Ye-sol finally picked up the microphone.
“I’ve been so harsh on the A-Rank kids until now…, hic….”
“…….”
“Ye-rin must have also…, hic…, felt hurt. But…, hic…., overcoming all that and practicing hard every night…, hic…, I’m so happy and sorry that she was able to show such a good stage….”
Aha.
She indeed didn’t look like a person who could throw harsh criticisms while sober.
Had she held onto the fact that she scolded us and burst out crying now?
Seeing her talk, she might have witnessed us practicing hard every night.
Swish-.
I turned my head slightly to check the camera.
The production team was happily capturing the scene of me and the crying vocal trainer.
‘It would be nice if I could show tears or a touched expression at a moment like this….’
But my acting skill stat was only 18. That was impossible.
So I decided to settle for a calm expression and said.
“Although it’s true that Teacher Ye-sol has scolded us a lot, I don’t think it was for no reason.”
Hic…., “Ye-rin….”
“Rather, thanks to Teacher Ye-sol’s strict advice, I was able to grow. I want to thank you, teacher. Oh, and all the other teachers too.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the vocal trainer cried even more.
And after some time had passed, she finally managed to wipe her tears and picked up the microphone again.
“I’m not being overly dramatic. Ye-rin was a trainee with outstanding vocal ability despite being in a dance position. This stage particularly highlighted the growth in her singing ability.”
“… Thank you.”
“With this level of growth, I think we will see a main dancer who can sing well in the future. She’s already amazing, but I’m looking forward to her future stages even more.”
After finishing her storm of compliments, she seemed to have said all she wanted and lowered the microphone.
Han Si-woo looked at her with an expression of disbelief.
It looked as if someone had stolen all his lines.
Still, he soon regained his smile and continued to finalize the evaluation based on the vocal trainer’s words.
“Yes, I agree with Teacher Kim Ye-sol. This stage of Ye-rin’s particularly showcased growth in her vocals. I already knew Ye-rin’s dance was phenomenal…, but the growth in her vocals was quite shocking as well.”
Han Si-woo smiled at me and continued.
“This could mean that soon, Ye-rin will not only threaten the main dancer position but also the main vocalist seat.”
“…….”
I couldn’t help but be surprised as he spoke as if that day would definitely come.
‘…I have only 6 remaining stats left.’
There were only 6 remaining stats left.
With such limited stats, how could I show main vocalist-level singing ability?
‘Ah, whatever. After all, I was aiming for the dancer side anyway.’
Dreams are often misinterpreted.
I just nodded so those people could misunderstand as much as they wanted.
“Yes, I will work hard to make sure that happens.”
Seeing this, Han Si-woo wore a satisfied smile once more.
“Please give us a moment, and then we’ll announce Ye-rin’s rank.”
Honestly, I could have seen my rank without watching the video.
“I will maintain Ye-rin’s rank at A.”
A Rank.
I confirmed once more that I was Na Ah Ah, one of the top contestants through the final ranking evaluation.
Clench.
It was the moment my fist tightened.
“Cut, we will take a short break.”
The Na Ah Ah shoot had been a grueling few hours. It was obviously impossible to film it all in one take.
As everyone looked exhausted from the continued filming, the production team turned off the cameras after my ranking evaluation and gave a break.
The judges leaned back in their chairs, and the participants slumped down in their seats.
Only two people felt uncomfortable here.
Yoo Seol and Lee Hye-jeong, who hadn’t finished their final ranking evaluation yet.
“Why, why, why… why, why are we having a break here, I don’t understand….”
Lee Hye-jeong, who seemed very nervous, stuttered and trembled.
“It’s okay, unnie, you can do it.”
“Th-thank you, Ye-rin….”
Just then, as I was comforting the trembling Lee Hye-jeong like a cafe vibrational bell,
Swish-.
“…Huh?”
I turned to check the sudden presence beside me….
“Ye-rin.”
“……Han Si-woo Producer?”
Han Si-woo stood there with a smile.
Originally, it was taboo to build personal relationships between judges and participants due to fairness issues.
Han Si-woo surely knew this rule.
But….
“Would you mind talking with me for a moment?”
He gestured to pull me outside, hinting that he had something important to discuss.