Chapter 4
Excited PD Oh had already started the game.
It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s clear.
Ace trainee vs. Black Hole trainee. The first showdown?!
That’s probably how they’ll compare Seo Baek-young and me in the captions.
According to Yoon Cheong’s memory, Seo Baek-young is the acknowledged ace trainee.
She’s been a trainee at Colors for the longest time, truly a “balanced” trainee.
Her desired position is main dancer.
But she’s also quite good at singing, aiming for lead vocal.
When you pair up a trainee who dances exceptionally well (enough to be the main dancer) with one who can’t dance at all…
Naturally, they’ll be heavily compared.
Unless you’re a fool, you’d want to avoid that scenario as much as possible.
“…Ah, from the beginning—”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
But I’m a fool.
“Cheong-ah, you—”
“I’ll learn diligently from the side, unnie.”
“Uh, well… okay.”
Seo Baek-young looked at me with a bewildered expression.
Is she crazy? There was no doubt about it.
Well, considering that we’ve only had this choreography for a mere three days.
A four-minute routine, and a fairly challenging one at that, in just three days?
Even Seo Baek-young, who’s confident in her dancing, couldn’t guarantee perfection.
And what about Yoon Cheong, who’s not exactly a dance prodigy?
“Well then, I’ll go right now!”
At PD’s words, the trainees cleared a space, creating an area.
Always we are…
And then, one of the trainees started playing the music, and this absurd showdown began.
“….”
And a few minutes later, the song ended.
But no one opened their mouth.
***
As the static moment passed, one by one, people began to regain their composure.
Of course, it wasn’t because I danced like a maniac that no one spoke up.
I know better than anyone that it wasn’t to that extent.
Originally, I wasn’t particularly famous as a singer known for dancing.
But everyone was just amazed…
“Yoon Cheong… she danced without making mistakes?”
“Even standing next to ace Seo Baek-young, she didn’t fall behind at all?”
“What’s going on…? If anything, Baek-young unnie still had some shaky moments.”
“She didn’t miss a single move and matched everything…”
“Did she learn the choreography early on by herself?”
The trainees were more shocked than the production crew.
After all, they had seen Yoon Cheong up close.
Just not making mistakes was impressive enough, but Yoon Cheong even outshone Seo Baek-young in some aspects.
That was what was truly astonishing.
“Great job. Thank you!”
I quickly greeted them.
There’s something everyone misunderstands.
Yoon Cheong can’t dance well.
That’s a fact.
But that doesn’t mean Yoon Cheong isn’t familiar with the choreography.
In fact, Yoon Cheong practiced more than anyone to overcome her lack of dancing ability.
So, she did well in terms of “knowing the choreography.”
…Her body just didn’t cooperate.
As soon as she saw the camera or people, her body stiffened.
So, “Yoon Cheong” can’t dance.
But “Baek Nokha” is different.
I didn’t even glance at Seo Baek-young. I simply stared at the mirror wall in front of me.
Nine years as a trainee?
I’ve endured twenty years here.
Add Cheong’s memories, and it’s thirty years, for crying out loud.
As for the difficulty level of the choreography at the trainees’ level…
Compared to the solo song choreography I used to perform, it was naturally incomparable.
I didn’t rise to fame through dancing. I wasn’t the best dancer among singers.
But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t dance.
If I can’t outperform a trainee who hasn’t even debuted yet, I should retire!
Talent plus effort, effort plus determination.
Certainly, Seo Baek-young danced well. Just by looking at her dance lines, you could tell she had talent for dancing.
However, there were still areas where she lacked control over intensity and expression.
And I was confident I wouldn’t fall behind in those aspects.
“….”
PD Oh looked at me with a subtle expression.
Then, after whispering to other writers, he halted the shoot.
“Great job. Now we’ll do individual interviews with the trainees. Come in the order you’re called!”
***
Before the shoot began, there were pre-interviews with the trainees.
The production team had already interviewed all the trainees about their impressions and skills related to other trainees.
For example, like this:
Producer: What kind of person is Seo Baek-young?
[Kim: She’s an ace.]
[Producer: An ace?]
[Kim: No need for more words. She’s an all-rounder ace.]
[Bo-ra: Like the spiritual leader of the trainees? She helps everyone, especially with dancing.]
[Producer: Ah, is she good at dancing?]
[Bo-ra: Yes. Among us, she seems to dance the best.]
Producer: And what about Yoon Cheong?
[Juhong: Cheong unnie? Um… she sings well!]
[Producer: How about dancing?]
[Juhong: (Embarrassed)]
[Juhong: Hahaha.]
[Ryeo-yu: Well, we haven’t been with the agency for long, so we don’t know her well… But isn’t dancing not her main thing?]
[Producer: Ah, she’s not great at dancing?]
[Ryeo-yu: Oh no, that’s not what I meant! It’s just that dancing isn’t her specialty… I guess?]
[Baek-young: She can’t dance.]
[Producer: (Everyone surprised)]
Caption: Firm Baek-young… Is there a scary side?
[Baek-young: But it’s okay. Cheong is better at singing than anyone.]
[Producer: But dancing isn’t her strong suit?]
[Baek-young: She needs a bit more effort.]
***
After the showdown between Baek-young and Cheong, the production team asked the trainees for their impressions.
[Kim: We were surprised.]
[Ryeo-yu: Seriously, when did she practice alone like that? I’ve never seen her practice.]
[Juhong: Amazing, really. Do you see this? Goosebumps? Chills.]
[Ha-eun: Who wouldn’t be surprised?]
Producer: Why were you surprised?
[Suin: Cheong unnie… In the last evaluation, she got an F for dancing. Colors gives scores for each evaluation. From A to F. Cheong unnie got an A for vocals and an F for dancing.]
[Juseon: So among us, if Cheong unnie had just danced really well, she would have debuted at 16, right?]
[Yu-hyun: Actually, Cheong unnie is a good person, but… a bit…]
[Producer: A bit?]
[Yu-hyun: (Awkward laughter)]
[Yu-hyun: An image we’d rather avoid… Especially during evaluations. Her dance just doesn’t match.]
[Ryeo-yu: Since we’re all in this together, we all thought she’d be the top target to avoid.]
Caption: Harsh evaluations of Yoon Cheong, the trainee…!
[Bo-ra: Really? I wasn’t very surprised.]
[Producer: Oh, you’re the first trainee who wasn’t surprised, Bo-ra trainee.]
[Bo-ra: Oh, really?]
Bo-ra laughed and then continued speaking.
[Bo-ra: I don’t know about others, but I understood that part. Cheong unnie really wanted to debut. More than anyone else, she was desperate.]
[Producer: Isn’t that true for everyone?]
[Bo-ra: Yes.]
[Bo-ra: So, it wasn’t surprising. If you want to debut, everyone tries to achieve that level.]
***
When it was Baek-young’s turn for the interview, the production team seemed to be waiting and began laying the groundwork.
“A while ago, you mentioned that you were worried about Yoon Cheong’s dancing.”
“Yes.”
Baek-young nodded nervously.
Even though she was the longest-serving trainee, being in front of so many cameras was still new for her.
Especially during interviews like this.
“Why were you concerned?”
“Well, Cheong… ”
“Did Yoon Cheong have any trouble related to dancing during evaluations?”
“Yes?”
So, she had to admit her lack of experience.
“According to what other trainees said, Yoon Cheong was causing trouble for the team because she couldn’t keep up with the choreography. Is that true?”
“It wasn’t… quite like that.”
“What was it, then?”
“Just…”
Baek-young was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected such direct questions about Cheong.
Hearing other trainees talk about it was also surprising for Baek-young.
“In the pre-interview, you mentioned that Yoon Cheong couldn’t dance. Wasn’t that what you felt during the group evaluation?”
“Well, yes.”
“Then how was it today? Did she dance similarly to usual?”
The production team persisted with their questions, their eyes focused on her.
“Just today, she danced much better than usual.”
While everyone else might have been surprised, the most astonished person was Baek-young herself.
Baek-young hadn’t planned to perform the entire choreography. She intended to demonstrate parts of it and teach Cheong the rest.
But in just about four minutes, Baek-young…
Actually, at this point, shouldn’t she be the one receiving help from Cheong? That thought crossed her mind.
“So, during the group evaluation, she couldn’t do it, but suddenly she danced well?”
“…Yes, that’s about right.”
“Ah, then did she hide her skills?”
“Well, it’s not exactly that—”
“If she didn’t hide her skills, can someone suddenly become that good at dancing overnight?”
Baek-young couldn’t easily answer.
Could anyone become an excellent dancer overnight?
It was logically implausible.
While improvement was possible with time and effort, achieving it overnight?
That was impossible.
“That would be difficult.”
“Ah, then could you say this on camera?”
The production team asked politely, smiling.
“Say something like, ‘I wondered if Cheong had been hiding her skills all this time.’ ”
Of course, their intentions weren’t entirely kind.
***
The final interview was undoubtedly my turn.
Perhaps other trainees had conducted interviews and gathered information.
…Provocative information.
How did the underdog candidate suddenly become proficient in both singing and dancing?
This was a bait that anyone involved in producing a broadcast would want to use.
“Then, Trainee Yoon Cheong.”
“Yes.”
PD Oh began the interview with an unexpectedly gentle voice.
Chills ran down my spine.
“Do you happen to know how the other trainees perceive Trainee Yoon Cheong?”
“Well, it’s hard to say.”
“As we’re nearing the end of the interview, everyone seems quite puzzled.”
The covert operation was underway.
“Oh, really?”
“Trainee Yoon Cheong used to struggle with dancing to the point of receiving an F grade, but today, their skills have improved to the level of an A.”
“Ah, I see. It’s understandable that people might find it puzzling.”
I replied without losing my smile.
If my expression even twitched, they would undoubtedly concoct something and release it.
“Oh, is that so? Could you clarify the mystery for us?”
“Of course.”
I answered with as much innocence as possible.
“Baek-young unnie and I practiced a lot together. Thanks to her help, I improved.”
A decoy?
I’ll be the one to tear that apart.
No one will take the bait.