09

    Step Nine

    :: Data Collection Part I ::

    "You guys did a great job. Improved a lot all at once. Completely different from the first day," Jung Wangseong praised, satisfied with the performance of Class E today. Though it was not perfect yet, and some didn't perform well, it was better than when they were assessed and promoted in the first tape.

    Jacan looked at the young ones receiving praise as if he himself was being praised. He discreetly wiped his nose, holding back tears, grateful that their hard work hadn’t been in vain.

    "We have a great teacher," blushed one student from Class E. He received so much praise that he felt buoyant, wanting to mention the significant person who made today possible. Had they not dared to ask for help that day, they wouldn’t know if they would perform this well.

    "Who is it?" Of course, the older artists knew who it was. Sometimes, they would hang out in the monitor room during breaks and see the young man helping teach Class E dance and sing the show's theme every evening.

    "Brother Jacan, Class A."

    "Oh, our big brother here," Kim Bomi turned to look at Class A, where the young man sat surrounded by friends. All the trainees turned to look at him, clapping along with the Class E kids.

    "Did these guys go all out, begging and pleading for mercy?" Lee Danbi teased, seeing the Class E kids clapping for Jacan.

    "Just walk up and ask for it.” Jacan chuckled, looking at the Class E trainees he'd been coaching all week. Before raising a thumb to them as they had performed better than expected.

    "Ha ha," the Class E kids blushed, scratching their heads and cheeks to cover up their embarrassment.

    "Alright, let's move on to Class D. Get ready. We need to stay on schedule. There will be a tape playback from yesterday to watch later in the evening."

    !!!!!

    "And will we get to see the social media buzz?" Jacan raised his hand, asking a question that everyone was eagerly awaiting. The judges received hopeful glances, sparkling with excitement.

    "Not yet. Until the first round of voting, no one can use their phones. Oh, and don't ask the staff. If anyone snitches, they'll have their airtime cut," Kim Bomi warned with a smirk. These kids nowadays were so sharp. She had to set boundaries early.

    "Class D, please come out. We're starting the next exam," Lee Danbi called out again. The fearless first group of Class D started walking out to stand in their spots, waiting for the production team to signal the start of the performance.

    The audition for the theme song position took over two hours to complete the evaluation for Class E-B. Inside the auditorium, the atmosphere immediately quieted down as the five members of Class A took the stage.

    The pre-debut group stood at the highest point,

    A place they themselves wanted to reach... Soon, perhaps.

    Just keep trying... Yes, they had to try.

    Jacan closed his eyes to meditate. As soon as the music started playing, the atmosphere around the young man changed instantly. His soft, gentle image remained, but as he moved with each step, a sense of freshness infused it.

    "Just like senior Park Insa," whispered one of the trainees at the back softly. They were captivated by Jacan's performance and couldn't look away.

    So this was it... The formidable talent of the one at the top.

    But they would not give up!

    It was not that others weren’t outstanding. Everyone had their own strengths. Due to their young age, they easily embodied the theme song even before performing their moves. However, Jacan, being older, showed more emotions in both facial expressions and gestures, immersing himself more deeply in the song. There was no hint of nervousness in his evaluation by the judges.

    Moreover, while dancing, he could still control his voice normally. There were no stumbles in changing poses. Even at the end of the performance, there was hardly any sign of fatigue.

    "You're very good. Not wasting your time in Class A," praised Kim Sujin overall, being the first one to comment. She opened her file, glancing at the high-ranking trainees in Class E. "Eiji, you didn't do so well today. What happened to you?"

    "..." The room fell silent. Even though they hadn't performed well today, they hadn't been severely criticized from the start like this.

    "I'm not feeling well today."

    "Do you know that neglecting your health is considered an artist's mistake?"

    "Yes, I do," the young man from Country J nodded, accepting the consequences.

    The auditions for the trainees in the previous classes didn’t result in everyone receiving praise, but they weren't heavily criticized either. They just needed to take the advice and apply it to their next mission.

    Perhaps due to the higher-class level, expectations for perfection were heavier than for other classes. Plus, they had to represent the judges who had been selected in the first round.

    Being in Class A but not performing well?

    Wouldn’t that mean the judges made a mistake in selecting them in the first place?

    "An Junsa, are you too excited? You switched legs once while dancing, causing you to miss a breath. Your voice at the end was weak," Lee Danbi looked at the note containing the mistakes of the young boy, explaining the details point by point before giving advice.

    "Thank you," An Junsa took a deep breath, exhaling heavily. He clutched his thick fingers tightly before bowing his head in gratitude to the judge who pointed out his mistakes.

    "Wang Qi, you danced offbeat in one section. There's no problem with singing. Have you not overcome your nervousness when encountering Sujin yet?" Kim Bomi teased the boy standing nervously in front of Kim Sujin.

    "I'm sorry," the young man bowed his head in admission. A slight distraction where he accidentally made eye contact with his favorite idol caused him to lose rhythm by one step.

    "In this case, I’ll have you two sit staring at each other until your eyes hurt!” the female singer bent her wrists, as if preparing to punish them. But was it a disciplinary action or a fan service exactly?

    "Kim Jiseong, there's no problem with singing and dancing today. However, while dancing, please make eye contact with the audience too. Your eyes are the windows to the soul. If you’re not enjoying yourself, your eyes will show it," Jung Wangseong felt like he was being overlooked as he watched the young man dance, which led to criticism at this point.

    "Thank you for the advice," Kim Jiseong took a deep breath, not expecting to be seen through by the judges. Because his excitement made him imagine that he was dancing in front of a mirror like during rehearsals, which was a bizarre thought. If the judges were to be replaced by fan club members, they would be disappointed to never have had eye contact with the idol they love during a live performance.

    The trainees of Class A stood with their heads bowed, listening to the comments with a dejected expression. Seeing this, other classes couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down their spines.

    Being at the top came with a price.

    "Last one, Mr. Jacan," Kim Bomi stretched, sitting upright. Her beautiful eyes assessed the young man from head to toe and looked up again for a moment.

    "Yes," the young man nodded, waiting to hear the feedback.

    "Absolutely flawless," the young woman applauded. As soon as she met the clear blue-eyed gaze, she was drawn to only watch his performance. It took her several seconds to regain her composure.

    "Both singing and dancing were perfect," Kim Sujin nodded in agreement.

    "You seem different every time you perform. Extremely impressive," Jung Wangseong raised his thumb. Whether it was advancing class evaluations or auditioning for positions in theme songs, he consistently performed remarkably well.

    "I don't know what to advise you, but there's one thing I've been wondering all along. Have we met before?" Lee Danbi furrowed her brow. The more he watched the performance of this young man, the more familiar he felt. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't remember.

    "I've been debuted before. We might have met on a music program sometime. I and the members have terminated our roles in the group already. When I didn't know what to do next, I saw that this program was recruiting, so I decided to take a chance," Jacan didn't hide anything, but he didn't reveal everything about him and Lee Danbi having collaborated before during his time in HJ.

    "Can you whisper what group it is?" Kim Sujin now realized that the young man's ability came from his experience on stage.

    "I apologize. I want to focus on myself in the present," he wanted to prove himself with a face that was once rejected.

    Having heard that, no one thought to ask again. The theme song audition for the show ended just like that, with the judges going to meet to find suitable candidates for the center position and other positions before notifying them later.

    It was time for dinner, so the exhausted trainees went to have dinner at the cafeteria before gathering again in the large meeting room to wait to watch the recording of the first episode.

    "Excellent job, bro. I was already thinking that you must have debuted. So I should call you senior now, right?" Yeo Unche praised, approaching his roommate. He had various hypotheses about the background of this older brother. With his older age and outstanding abilities, he wasn't just an ordinary trainee from a class.

    "Not to that extent. Just call me normally," Jacan smiled gently. Lee Danbi's sharp sense didn't change. Even though his sister Shinsu had given him a lot of hard times when they worked together, he could still remember him.

    In fact, she wasn’t really bullying him. It was just that the person on stage and off stage were quite different. On stage, he was the idol rapper beloved by teenagers. Off stage, he was someone who lacked confidence heavily. If something emotionally impactful happened, tears could flow anytime.

    Prior to that, they both had several prejudices that they couldn't resolve, so they had to rely on their musical abilities to communicate.

    He couldn't remember anymore what mistakes Lee Danbi made during their collaboration and why his older sister, Han Shinsu, got so furious. At that time, the young rapper even burst into tears in the middle of the recording room. It was so difficult that he had to intervene to calm the situation for a long time before it settled down. Moreover, he had to help both of them understand each other better before they could start working again.

    "You received a lot of compliments today. I've been thinking that you must have had experience before. I also want to debut quickly," An Junsa brought his own food tray to the table, even though normally he would eat with friends from other classes.

    "Because of practicing a lot," Jacan replied with some reservation. He didn't like being singled out, but he had to endure it. Because this was a variety show, the more intense the competition, the more the viewers liked it.

    "Really? I'll keep that as an example," An Junsa concluded before taking a bite of his food, ending the conversation just like that.

    "..." Yeo Unche saw that, so he took a bite of food too, unsure that if he opened his mouth to start a conversation, the other side would come up with something annoying to say about his brother again.

    It was so frustrating!

    "So, where did Wang Qi go?" Normally, there should be another annoying person at their table.

    "There he is. He's sitting with Lee Sangah. Heard a whisper that those two were playing the same games and enjoying chatting. Since there's no computer to play with like outside, it must be lonely here,"

    "Really? So let them..."

    "We're in a crucial period now, we should be spending time analyzing flaws, so we won't make mistakes like this audition." An Junsa interjected, turning his gaze to Wang Qi and Lee Sangah, who were exchanging smiles, seeming to be having a conversation that hit the mark.

    "...," Jacan kept quiet, his face expressionless. He didn't show any emotions at all, unlike Yeo Unche, who didn't quite agree with this idea. When he was about to argue, he was lightly kicked under the table by the person sitting opposite, so he kept on eating. He almost forgot that there were cameras watching them.

    "Did I say something wrong?" An Junsa pretended not to notice the tense atmosphere swirling around him.

    "Not at all," Jacan shook his head.

    "You agree, right? They’d been fooling around, which was why they made mistakes. An Junsa smiled inwardly when the boy in front of him agreed with him.

    "Not really, it's not about that. When I said it, I meant your thoughts weren’t wrong. But my thoughts are different. You know that provoking words will lead to arguments on social media, but you're so eager to talk like this. What do you want from me?" Jacan continued eating after speaking, as if the conversation on the table wasn't tense at all, contrary to Yeo Unche, who was starting to struggle to swallow his food.

    Big brother… If this scene was broadcast, An Junsa ’s fans would definitely hate you.

    "What's up? There wasn’t anything serious, I just said what I thought," the one who initiated the conversation shrugged his shoulders, not caring about being called out directly.

    "Or are you the type who likes to spray toxic comments on others until they're used to it?" The young man raised his eyebrows in questioning.

    "I'm talking about someone else. How could it undermine you?" An Junsa furrowed his brows, trying to maintain composure on his face. No one had ever spoken to him in such a disrespectful manner before.

    "It can undermine me alright. You already know that Wang Qi and I are close, talking negatively about him while his friend is sitting right here, you expect the listener to laugh along. If the situation isn't clear, I'll help clarify... that your words make me feel uncomfortable and lose my appetite."

    "Is it good to speak like this?" The young man gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger from revealing.

    "Um, I think speaking straightforwardly is better. Otherwise, next time we meet, you'll start a conversation like this again. Before saying anything, I always think, because once words are spoken, they can't be taken back. If you don't think carefully, your mouth might lead to trouble,"

    If possible, Jacan wanted to befriend everyone on the show until filming ended. But when the other side didn't come with friendliness, he was ready to push those people away.

    "Huh, you’ll regret this," An Junsa pushed the half-eaten plate away and joined the group of trainees from Class B, who were sitting farther away. It seemed like that group were friends who knew each other well.

    "Is it good to talk to him like that, brother?" Yeo Unche looked left and right, unsure where the cameras were hidden. If the scene were to be aired immediately, this foreign brother might struggle in the future.

    "Don't worry," Jacan smiled faintly. "Let's continue eating. Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing."