Chapter 19
The practice session was led by our leader, Won Chaeseo.
After we ironed out some of the details, we tried standing in the formation for the chorus.
The sight of four people circling me as the center was... quite new.
To clarify, here's how I ended up with the center part.
Since Won Chaeseo was the only one capable of rapping, she naturally took the Main Rapper position.
Fortunately, the song included a center part during the first chorus for her, so there was no risk of her lacking screen time.
As I mentioned before, the part distribution was fairly even.
I was worried about upsetting Chaeseo's fans if she didn't get enough spotlight, but picking this song turned out to be a relief.
The Main Dancer part went to the 11th-ranked trainee.
She was the most passionate about dancing after Chaeseo and had received good reviews for her dance during the first mission.
Although her vocals were lacking, the nature of her part made it a non-issue.
The remaining two trainees, however, seemed to struggle with their part assignments.
I was also carefully looking for a part I could execute well rather than just something flashy.
Initially, I thought the later verses had a lot to show, so I aimed for a Sub-Vocal position with significant lines in the second verse.
But when I voiced my preference, another trainee wanted the same part.
We both sang a line, and the remaining three voted.
"I think Yeon-seo Unnie fits this specific part better," Chaeseo judged.
The other two followed suit, and with a 2:1 vote, the 15th-ranked trainee took the part.
It was disappointing, but Chaeseo probably had the best eye for talent among us, so her decision likely made sense.
"And I'd like Da-na Unnie to take this part," Chaeseo added immediately after.
It seemed she had wanted me for this role from the start, which was likely why she didn't support me for the previous one.
This part, however, involved being the center for the most crucial sections of the song: the intro, the second chorus, and the dynamic build-up just before the dance break.
It was the True Center position.
I had actually hoped Chaeseo would take this part when we first chose the song, but since she was already the Main Rapper, it was impossible.
With the team's support, I sang a bit of the part and won everyone's approval instantly.
Everyone gave me thumbs-ups and exaggerated their reactions, clearly playing it up for the cameras.
I responded with an appropriately embarrassed smile to keep the "narrative" looking good.
"It's good," Chaeseo said, giving a serious thumb-up. With her usual stoic tone and expression, the gesture looked a bit out of place, but she seemed genuinely sincere. I returned the gesture.
Returning to the actual practice: "I'll start counting slowly," I said.
Surprisingly, it was me leading the count.
From my position as the center, I could see the other members better, so I ended up taking over the counting.
What was unexpected was that everyone, including Chaeseo and the Main Dancer, was a bit slow at picking up the choreography.
There's a difference between being a good dancer and being quick to memorize routines.
I knew this theoretically, but seeing the "ace" Chaeseo struggle a bit was refreshing.
As for me...
I wasn't exactly memorizing with my own brain.
I was learning the dance through that cursed mini-game.
As long as I didn't hit a 'Miss,' my body moved, albeit a bit awkwardly at first.
Thus, I accidentally became the fastest person to master the choreography.
"...Five, six, seven, eight."
I continued the count while monitoring the members through the mirror.
Since the team was composed of high-ranking trainees, the formation was starting to look sharp despite how recently we'd started.
* * *
The Interim Evaluation
"Not bad," the trainer said, smiling broadly at the five of us. "The parts are well-assigned. It's clear what each of you excels at."
"Thank you!" we chirped in unison. Since our vocal evaluation hadn't been criticized either, the interim evaluation ended on a high note.
"It couldn't have been easy for Chaeseo to lead her unnies." the trainer noted, pointing her out.
Chaeseo shook her head.
'If she phrases this wrong, the editing could get weird,' I thought, hoping she'd handle it well.
"No, it was fine because Da-na Unnie helped me out."
"Oh, Da-na did?"
I didn't mean for her to call me out so directly.
The trainers, my teammates, and the other trainees sitting on the floor all turned their eyes toward me.
Receiving all that sudden attention, I just laughed awkwardly, praying the moment would pass quickly.
As we returned to the waiting area, my teammates offered high-fives.
"I'm glad the evaluation went well."
"At this rate, we won't have any problems, right?"
I smiled and agreed.
They were right.
If we kept this up, the second mission would be a success.
The long nights of practice were paying off.
And then:
—– —–
>>Challenge Quest 'Achieve over 60% Satisfaction from Trainers' Successful!
>>Reward: Affection Stat EXP +5!
[Claim]
—- —–
I claimed the reward quietly.
Since the show hadn't aired yet, raising my Affection stat early was vital.
It might make the unfriendly trainees a bit more tolerable and, more importantly, increase the chances of a positive response from viewers.
I closed the screen and turned my attention to the other teams.
"Is this a team live mission? Where is the 'team'? You're all doing your own thing!"
"What have you been practicing? The atmosphere is good, but the skill is bad? That's just playing around, not practicing."
"If your pitch is unstable, you shouldn't be the main vocal. I can't hear anything but Se-yi's voice."
Harsh critiques rained down on the other teams.
I'd even seen a trainee crying in the hallway a few days ago; team conflicts were clearly brewing.
"Good job. This team is the best so far."
Conversely, one team received high praise.
"Thank you!"
Bowing 90 degrees to the trainers, Chae Sunha's team, the one with Cha Si-hyun, walked back to the group with bright faces.
As I was clapping for them, I had to suppress a grimace.
'Why does she have to sit right in front of me...' Unlike before, Cha Si-hyun sat directly in front of me.
I hoped I was just overreacting and that she wouldn't talk to me.
Unfortunately, that hope didn't last.
"I couldn't say it earlier because we were sitting apart," she whispered, leaning back toward me.
'Then don't say it now,' I thought,
but I smiled at her instead.
'Think of the cameras, Da-na. The cameras.'
"Your team was really good earlier. Did you know your opening part was amazing?"
I wondered if she was mocking me or just showing the "confidence of a winner."
If anyone else had said it, I would have taken it at face value, but from her, it sounded suspicious.
Still, I played along.
"...Ah, thanks. Your team was great too. I'm really looking forward to your stage."
She beamed at my response, then leaned her back against me entirely.
'What is she doing now?' I stared at her, confused, but she just looked toward the cameras and smiled again.
She was subtly pointing out that with multiple cameras rolling, I couldn't exactly push her away.
'Hah.'
She was at least pretending to hide it during the first mission, but now she was being blatant.
My gut feeling wasn't just paranoia, my instincts were spot on.
It was irritating to have to humor her.
"Hey, what are you doing? Move," I said, pushing her away with a playful nuance.
I did it gently because of the cameras, and she complied easily.
She was an unsettling person whose intentions I couldn't grasp.
"You're mean."
"No, the position is just uncomfortable."
She continued to giggle and try to cling to me, even when I blocked her with my hand.
Eventually, Chae Sunha, who was sitting next to her, intervened.
"Don't talk so much, you two."
Sunha frowned and forced Si-hyun to sit up straight.
"We were whispering..."
"Just don't talk."
I checked the cameras and saw that some staff members had stepped away and the cameras were off.
'If you're going to stop filming, tell us, you production jerks,' I grumbled internally.
I had to endure Si-hyun's clinging for nothing.
Still, thanks to Sunha, I was finally at peace.
She probably just hated seeing me chat with her teammate, but whatever.
"Da-na, what's on the menu today?"
"Uh... I don't remember."
A teammate leaned in close to my shoulder, replacing Si-hyun's spot.
Among trainees, 'school meals' referred to the company cafeteria.
Since it's a major agency, the food is actually delicious.
Some kids even memorized the weekly menu.
They really seemed like high schoolers at times like this.
"Aww, what was it? Cutlet?"
"Set 1 today is Kimchi-jjigae, and Set 2 is Omurice. Cutlet is tomorrow," Won Chaeseo chimed in.
She seemed like the type who wouldn't care about such things, yet she had the menu memorized like a robot.
It was unexpected and a bit funny.
"Oh no, I'm on a diet. I'll just hit the salad bar." "Hul, me too."
The teammate who was talking to me moved on to chat with another trainee.
I was finally free from the chatter.
'...?'
I glanced to my left.
Chaeseo was fanning herself with her T-shirt.
Her state looked... off.
"Are you hot?"
"Pardon?"
Her sweat wasn't drying, and she looked pale. Her complexion was terrible.
She looked ill.
She claimed it was just the lingering heat from the evaluation.
"I'm really okay. I'm not sick."
Even when I asked again, she insisted she was fine.
She was so firm about it that I figured she'd get annoyed if I kept pestering her, so I dropped it.
I told her to take medicine or go to the hospital if she felt bad, and she just gave her signature expressionless nod.
I had a bad feeling about it... But she's the ace, so I assumed she'd take care of herself.
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