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Chapter 9
“Hyung, should we practice more?”
“Ah, I’m going back to the dorm to rest.”
They’re more innocent than I thought.
“Anyone going to the convenience store?”
“Me! I’ll go!”
Trainees from the same agencies mostly stuck together to practice, while some headed outside.
In the corner of the practice room, a camera with its red light still on continued recording.
The most urgent problem is dancing, so I’ll focus on that first.
I immersed myself in practicing the “Cheer Me On” choreography, watching myself in the mirror and moving to the music.
I paid close attention to the basics, just as I’d been taught, letting my body follow the rhythm.
No matter what you do, fundamentals are always the most important.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but my soles burned with heat, and sweat pooled on the floor.
“Whew… dancing really isn’t easy.”
My body doesn’t move the way my head wants it to.
Suddenly, an overwhelming thirst hit me, and I lifted my head.
Pushing my sweat-soaked hair back, I looked around—and the practice room was completely empty.
“How much time passed, anyway?”
When I looked at the wall clock, it was already nearing 9 p.m.
Dinner time is long past.
The cafeteria would already be closed.
Grrrkk.
My stomach growled loudly.
I’d lost count of how many times it had done that already.
“I’ll at least get some water.”
Dinner felt like a waste of time anyway.
It’s not like I haven’t skipped meals before. Food isn’t the priority right now.
Thinking about where the water purifier was in the hallway, I walked toward the practice room door.
Click.
Just as I turned the handle and swung the door open—
“Ah!!”
“Ugh!”
A boy wearing his cap pulled low was standing right in front of the door.
That scared me.
“…”
“…You’re my roommate, right? What are you doing here?”
He always kept his head down in the room, so I wasn’t sure at first, but hearing his voice confirmed it.
He was the trainee living in the top bunk of my bed.
The gray-haired boy wearing a black leather jacket looked, in one word, rough.
He looks like trouble.
Gray hair stuck out messily from under his cap.
With his upturned eyes, his expression looked cold and sharp, almost aggressive.
His pointed jawline and sharp facial contours gave him the classic delinquent look.
“…Yes, that’s right. I’m Seo Ha-yul. I, um…”
His low, mid-range voice trailed off.
Seo Ha-yul, who had been slightly bowing his head, suddenly lifted it with resolve.
“This!”
In my roommate’s hand was a pink Heart-Ping bread.
“…Huh?”
Heart-Ping bread? What’s with this guy?
Seo Ha-yul’s fingertips trembled slightly, and when our eyes met, he quietly looked away.
Why is he avoiding eye contact while offering bread?
“It looked like you were practicing without eating, so… at least eat this bread while you practice.”
Seo Ha-yul’s fingers trembled as he finally bowed his head deeply.
His exposed ears were bright red.
“Heart-Ping…”
Don’t tell me he bought this because he saw my Heart-Ping performance during the self-introduction…
Thinking that was overanalyzing, I looked at the boy in front of me.
“…I like Heart-Ping too!”
His trembling hand looked like it might drop the bread at any second, so I quickly took it.
“Oh. Thanks.”
“Phew… then, good luck.”
After answering in a faint voice, Seo Ha-yul quickly turned around and ran down the hallway.
“…?”
Soon, his gray hair disappeared around the corner.
“What was that?”
It felt like I’d just encountered a gray cat.
“I was hungry anyway—perfect timing. I’ll eat this with water.”
When I opened the Heart-Ping bread wrapper, a square Petit-Petit sticker popped out.
“I should give this to him later.”
Putting the sticker into my pocket, I walked toward the water purifier.
“This is the first time in my life I’ve gotten bread from a guy.”
For some reason, my thirst felt slightly eased.
***
Time flew by, and before I knew it, the day of the theme song mid-evaluation had arrived.
For ten days straight, I slept only three to four hours a day, training like a zombie with absolute focus.
At first, the production staff tried to stop me, worried I’d collapse—but now they were used to it and had even given me a nickname.
“Practice machine,” or something like that.
Still, the results made all the lost sleep worth it.
Hey, show me my status window.
[Okay.]
[Status Window]
Cha Si-woo (20)
Appearance: A-
Vocal: C+
Dance: D (UP)
Charisma: B+
Stamina: B+
Ability: ???
Status: Paparazzi who regressed five years.
Remaining Stats: +2
After ten days of grueling effort, my dance stat had gone up by one level.
Based on experience so far, stats grew faster when practicing with expert guidance rather than alone.
And the one who helped the most with my dance improvement was my roommate.
“Our gray cat is here?”
“Si-woo hyung… don’t call me that!”
“Alright. Ha-yul-nyang.”
“Ugh.”
Seeing Seo Ha-yul panic made me want to tease him even more.
“Your reactions are fun, Ha-yul.”
“Ah… hyung! Please stop!”
Seeing Seo Ha-yul’s cheeks turn red, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
If I tease him any more, he’ll sulk.
After returning the Petit-Petit sticker from the Heart-Ping bread, I somehow ended up practicing together with Seo Ha-yul.
Since we were roommates and had the same grade, our schedules naturally overlapped.
More importantly, Seo Ha-yul had trained as a trainee for three years and gave me constant feedback on my dancing, which steadily improved my skills.
Somehow, I ended up forming the very B-grade “line” Park Su-gyeok had mentioned—except with dancing included.
Good kid.
Contrary to his rough appearance, Seo Ha-yul was shy, wholesome, and loved Heart-Ping.
While I enjoyed teasing the gray cat, the staff finished setting up the cameras and stepped onto the stage.
“We’ll start the theme song mid-evaluation stage in 50 minutes. Trainees who are done with makeup, please sit by grade and wait.”
“Yes!”
I headed to the dressing room with Seo Ha-yul to get makeup done.
In the hectic, war-like atmosphere, the makeup artist I’d met before grabbed my wrist.
“Trainee Cha Si-woo!”
“Oh?! Hello!”
I bowed ninety degrees in greeting, and she smiled slightly.
“Nice to see you. I’ve actually been waiting for you. Come this way.”
“Ah… yes! Okay.”
As I followed her guidance and sat down—
“Just trust me, okay?”
“Of course. You did an amazing job last time—I trust you completely!”
“You really know how to talk, Cha Si-woo. Alright! I’ll show you what real makeup looks like today.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
The fired-up makeup artist started applying makeup passionately.
Her brush strokes were even more careful than before.
At the end, she applied a shimmering product around my eyes.
The large glitter particles reflected the light, making my eyes sparkle.
“The key point is glitter shadow! Your eyes are really attractive, so I went bold with the sparkle. Pretty, right?”
The bright face reflected in the mirror still felt unfamiliar and strange.
Is that really me?
Makeup truly was powerful.
“Yes. You’re really skilled!”
“Oh my! You speak so nicely, Cha Si-woo. I’m glad you like it. Trust me again next time too!”
“Yes, thank you!”
After bowing ninety degrees, I followed the staff to the B-grade seating area.
Trainees wearing Star Picking 5’s signature school uniforms sat upright in formation by grade.
I’m really wearing a school uniform among kids…
My conscience still pricked me, but there was no helping it.
It was time to get used to flashy makeup and uniforms.
As I scanned the area, I spotted Seo Ha-yul already seated.
I’ll sit there.
As I approached his seat, a sharp glare flew at me from diagonally across.
…?
When I looked up, Park Su-gyeok was staring with flaring nostrils and burning eyes.
What are you looking at?
Since we were wearing microphones, I mouthed the words instead of speaking.
Unable to handle it, Park Su-gyeok quickly turned his head away.
What a shy guy.
As I finally sat next to Seo Ha-yul, bright stage lights poured down.
The familiar opening music flowed from the speakers.
At Yoo Hae-in’s appearance for the first time in ten days, the noisy studio instantly quieted.
“Star Picking 5 trainees, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes!”
“Did you practice a lot?”
“Of course!”
“Yes!”
Yoo Hae-in began the opening remarks, holding her cue cards.
System.
[Yes.]
The familiar translucent blue window appeared.
Before the theme song evaluation began, I needed to raise my stats.
Let’s boost my stats.
[Have you finally decided what to raise?]
Yeah. A man goes all in.
Over ten days of practice, my dance and vocal stats had gone up automatically by one each—but that still wasn’t enough to reach A grade.
So the stat distribution decision was quick.
All into dance!
As an idol, dance and performance mattered too much to keep being called stiff.
I need to bring my weakest stat—dance—up to a baseline if I want a shot at A grade.
And a dramatic improvement from a so-called “practice machine” who couldn’t dance would make a great growth narrative.
In survival auditions, storylines and growth arcs mattered.
[All rewarded stats will be applied to Dance.]
Ding.
[Status Window]
Cha Si-woo (20)
Appearance: A-
Vocal: C+
Dance: C- (UP)
Charisma: B+
Stamina: B+
Ability: ???
Status: Paparazzi who regressed five years.
Now this is at least watchable.
Compared to before, it was a steep, dramatic improvement.
I really am living seriously.
“Now, we will officially begin the theme song grade evaluation.”
As Yoo Hae-in flipped the cue card and gestured, the black curtain covering the back of the stage slowly began to rise.
Srrrk.
With a heavy mechanical sound, the curtain rolled up toward the ceiling, revealing the figures hidden behind it one by one.
Under the dazzling lights, the judges already seated on stage waved.
After brief introductions, Judge Park Chae-young picked up her microphone.
“Trainees, you all worked hard practicing for ten days.”
The dance judge also raised his mic.
“You practiced hard, so I hope you show everything you’ve got on stage.”
After the four judges finished speaking, Yoo Hae-in turned the final cue card.
“The theme song evaluation will begin with the A-grade trainees.”
“…!”
The studio erupted in murmurs at the unexpected announcement.
Until now, the Star Picking series always evaluated lower-grade trainees first.
Why the sudden change?
