Chapter 10 - Aren't You Going to Make Me Sing and Dance?
‘Her Vocal and Dance are A... and her Potential is SS?’
It was the first time he was seeing the letter A on the status window of a contestant who appeared at the audition today.
[Vocal: A] meant she sang better than Seo Na-eun or Laura, and [Dance: A] meant she had dance skills on the same level as Seo Na-eun.
Moreover, if Potential meant latent ability or growth potential... then Yoo Jeong-ah, with a [Potential: SS], was truly a lump of talent worthy of aiming for top idol status.
‘However...’
There was one problem.
The fact that her Visual was a whopping F.
‘Her face itself is by no means bad.’
Yoo Jeong-ah was someone anyone would call a 'beauty'.
It was a shame that she was on the too-thin side, but she had more well-defined facial features than anyone else who participated today.
Despite that, her [Visual: F].
‘As expected, it seems Visual isn't an item that simply evaluates appearance.’
Why was Yoo Jeong-ah's [Visual: F]?
If, as Baek Hyeon-woo suspected, Visual was an item that meant acting ability or expressive power... then it was entirely possible.
‘Her expression is too dark and stiff.’
Yoo Jeong-ah's facial expression was gloomy.
It was to the point where you couldn't tell if this was an audition hall or a funeral hall.
‘It doesn't seem like she's like that because something bad happened today...’
Yoo Jeong-ah's Mental Condition was 70%.
There were no words like [Mental Condition is slightly lowered.] or [A minus correction is being applied to Visual.].
It meant she wasn't like that because she was in a particularly bad mood today, but that she was just normally like that.
‘If she always has that kind of impression...’
Thinking such thoughts, Baek Hyeon-woo moved his gaze to the side.
Sure enough, the judges' reactions were not very good.
“Hmm.”
“Hmph...”
Whether it's a girl group or a boy group, a bright and lively impression is fundamentally preferred for idols.
There is no demand for a person with such a dark and stiff atmosphere.
Therefore, the judges showed a disappointed reaction as soon as they saw Yoo Jeong-ah's face.
After examining the photo embedded in the submitted documents, they would raise their heads again to see her in person and openly show their disappointment.
‘Her face itself is a pass. But her expression or atmosphere is just too bad.’
Even though Yoo Jeong-ah had finished her self-introduction, no one opened their mouth.
As the silence continued, Park Yeong-ho opened his mouth as if he had no other choice.
“Number 26, Yoo Jeong-ah-nim… you were a trainee at DP Entertainment for 3 years?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Then it seems you couldn't get into Choux-pop or Black D.”
Choux-pop is a girl group that debuted from DP Entertainment the year before last, and Black D is one that debuted early this year.
If Yoo Jeong-ah had been recognized by DP Entertainment, she would have debuted in Choux-pop or Black D.
“Why do you think you couldn't get into Choux-pop or Black D?”
“……”
Depending on how you heard it, it was a very mean... no, a cruel question.
However, it wasn't that Park Yeong-ho was asking this question specifically to torment Yoo Jeong-ah.
The reason Park Yeong-ho was asking this question now was because he wanted to see how wittily Yoo Jeong-ah would answer here.
Even if her outward impression was dark and stiff, if she was fun and funny to talk to, she could become a sufficiently charming idol.
On the contrary, it's also possible to appeal as a unique idol who has 'Gap' moe charm.
Thinking in that way, Park Yeong-ho intentionally threw out the cruelest question.
If Yoo Jeong-ah could give a bubbly and clever answer here, she would be able to get a high score not only from Park Yeong-ho but from the other judges as well.
“Try to answer. Why couldn't you make it into the debut lineup?”
Park Yeong-ho asked once more.
While expecting Yoo Jeong-ah to give an interesting answer.
“Because my efforts were insufficient.”
“Pardon?”
“To debut ahead of the other kids, I had to work harder. Because I couldn't do that, I couldn't make it into the debut lineup.”
“……”
Hearing Yoo Jeong-ah's answer, Park Yeong-ho was at a loss for words.
Among the answers he had expected, it was the absolute worst.
Rather than answering like that, it would have been better to make all sorts of excuses or act displeased, asking why he would ask such a thing.
The reason such an answer is the worst is because it can't remain in anyone's memory.
Because it's such a model answer, it can't leave any kind of impression.
A model student with no fun to them whatsoever.
People don't want that kind of idol.
“Hmph...”
“Hmm...”
The judges exchanged glances.
We can understand why DP Entertainment didn't debut her... they all had that kind of look in their eyes.
“Um… Yoo Jeong-ah-nim? May I ask one thing?”
At that moment, Baek Yeon-ah carefully opened her mouth.
“Have you not thought about wanting to try a path other than being an idol?”
“I have not.”
Yoo Jeong-ah answered in a stiff tone.
“I have never thought of a path other than being an idol.”
“Is there a special reason?”
“Because it's been my dream since I was little.”
“Hmm…”
It was an answer so uninteresting it could make you sigh.
It was to the point where Baek Yeon-ah made a pitying expression.
In the first place, the reason Baek Yeon-ah asked such a question was because it contained the intention of 'It seems being an idol doesn't suit your aptitude, so how about finding another path?'
When an answer like that comes back, Baek Yeon-ah also has nothing more to say.
“Um… I understand.”
Seeing that Baek Yeon-ah couldn't say anything, Park Yeong-ho opened his mouth.
“Your determination to be an idol is great. Then let's end today's interview here, and now...”
Just as Park Yeong-ho, having judged that any further interview was meaningless, was about to dismiss Yoo Jeong-ah.
A voice was heard from the end of the judges' table.
“Aren't you going to make her sing and dance?”
“……!”
It was the voice of Baek Hyeon-woo, who had been silently watching the judging process until now.
While everyone was making surprised expressions, Park Yeong-ho urgently whispered to Baek Hyeon-woo.
“Hyeon-woo-ssi, it's not that we absolutely have to see the singing or dancing...”
Just as Park Yeong-ho said, there had been several cases where they ended the interview without seeing the singing or dancing.
Contestants who had a problem with their interview attitude, or whose submitted photo was very different from their actual face, were dismissed that way.
If they judged that they didn't really need to see the singing or dancing, they would just send them out.
“We have to see her sing and dance too. The other contestants did it.”
“……”
At Baek Hyeon-woo's attitude of not getting the hint, Park Yeong-ho made a slightly angry expression.
To think that the guy who said he would just watch would do something like this.
However, if they sent Yoo Jeong-ah out in this kind of atmosphere, the situation would look very strange.
“Ah, that's right. I forgot.”
In the end, Baek Yeon-ah opened her mouth to handle the situation.
She judged that rather than making a pointless fuss here, it would be better to just have her sing and dance for a moment and then send her out.
“Yoo Jeong-ah-nim, if there's a song you're confident in, please sing one for us.”
“Yes, understood.”
Even at the farce that unfolded before her, Yoo Jeong-ah's expression did not change.
She only nodded with an expressionless face.
“Then, may I sing 'White Waiting'?”
“Pardon?”
Everyone was caught off guard by Yoo Jeong-ah's remark.
Because 'White Waiting' was CEO Baek Yeon-ah's signature song from her days as a singer.
“Because it's one of the songs I like. I really want to sing it.”
“Ah, really?”
If this had been any other contestant, they would have thought she was using a trick to look good in front of Baek Yeon-ah.
But would Yoo Jeong-ah use such a trick?
No matter how you looked at her, she didn't seem like the type of person to be that sly.
So everyone nodded without taking it badly.
“Alright. Try singing just the first verse.”
“Understood.”
Right at that moment.
Yoo Jeong-ah's gaze turned to Baek Hyeon-woo for a very brief moment.
The moment their eyes met, Baek Hyeon-woo had a feeling that Yoo Jeong-ah had said, 'Thank you.'
“Then, I will begin.”
Without even clearing her throat with a cough, Yoo Jeong-ah immediately took a breath.
And when she opened her mouth and began to sing the first line.
Everyone sitting in their seats came to know.
That among the contestants who auditioned today, the only one who truly knew how to 'sing' was Yoo Jeong-ah, who was right before their eyes.
While everyone held their breath, a clear and refreshing falsetto began to fill the audition hall.
* * *
White Waiting.
It's a ballad that Baek Yeon-ah released twenty years ago to greet the winter season.
Unfortunately, it was pushed aside by an idol group that was popular at the time and failed to take first place on the music charts.
However, it was steadily loved by many people and became a representative winter song of Korea that flows from here and there every winter.
The biggest charm of 'White Waiting' was, of course, the vocal prowess of Baek Yeon-ah, the female vocalist who took an era by storm.
Despite being a song that deals with the sorrowful emotions of a breakup, 'White Waiting' had none of the clingy, messy sadness.
A transparent and clear singing voice that guided all listeners into the memories of a beautiful winter day.
In 'White Waiting', Baek Yeon-ah showed off an unrealistically beautiful vocal prowess.
And, at this very moment.
Yoo Jeong-ah, whom none of the judges had expected... was recreating that vocal prowess.
“In a corner of a street painted white──♪.”
The moment Yoo Jeong-ah began to sing, everyone held their breath.
This was because a sorrowful emotion that could move one's heart poured out from Yoo Jeong-ah, who had seemed so blunt.
She was strongly expressing the sadness of a breakup, but it didn't feel over-emotional.
Because she was properly recreating that charm that Baek Yeon-ah's original song possessed... a transparent beauty that felt almost unrealistic.
Wow.
Someone let out a cry of admiration, forgetting that she was in the middle of a song.
One person leaned their upper body forward, and another's eyes widened.
But the person who was most surprised was Baek Yeon-ah herself.
‘No way.’
Over the years, various singers had covered 'White Waiting'.
However, not a single one of those versions gained much popularity.
This was because they couldn't properly capture 'that flavor' that Baek Yeon-ah's original song had.
But, right now.
Before Baek Yeon-ah's eyes, an idol trainee who hadn't even debuted was properly bringing 'that flavor' to life.
‘It's not to the point where I'd call it perfect yet. There are many clumsy parts here and there. Still... the feeling is just right.’
Her younger days, when she would go around singing 'White Waiting' diligently on various stages, came to mind.
If she could follow her heart, she wanted to get up right now and sing a duet with her.
To that extent, Yoo Jeong-ah's song was moving Baek Yeon-ah's heart.
‘Hyeon-woo-ya.’
Baek Yeon-ah turned her head.
Where her gaze landed, there was her nephew who had abruptly asked, 'Aren't you going to make her sing and dance?' earlier.
‘Did you do that knowing it would turn out like this?’
If Baek Hyeon-woo had stayed quiet then, Yoo Jeong-ah would have just been dismissed without showcasing her song.
But there was no way Baek Hyeon-woo could have known Yoo Jeong-ah's singing ability beforehand.
Then that means he said it just based on a hunch.
‘You, what on earth are you?’
Her nephew Baek Hyeon-woo, who shouldn't know a single thing about the entertainment industry.
That intuition of his made Baek Yeon-ah shudder.