02

    Step Two

    :: Audition Round Part I ::

    "Do you think I'll make it?" Jacan asked, squeezing his hands nervously while staring at his laptop screen, unblinking. It felt like the day of his debut performance, refreshing the YouTube page with Shinsu until their computer almost froze to see the real-time view count.

    "You will. I'll bet my head on it," Shinsu reassured him. It wasn't because they were both famous singers before. But to talk about it according to general audition standards, Jacan could pass easily.

    "I've been out of the industry for two years. I'm worried the new wave of talent will be too strong for me," He had dreams….but so did others.

    "Of course. After we left the music industry, it became the new generation's time. Many young talents entered the industry, training hard during our debut, and now they’re emerging every day. This raised the competition in music shows, with fans fiercely supporting their favorites."

    "That sounds... really exciting," Jacan pursed his lips and looked down at the two hands that had been clenched tightly since he didn't know when."

    “Doesn't it? I feel a bit regretful too. If it weren't for that jerk, we'd be challenging the new generation and facing off against the veterans," Shinsu said, noticing his gloom and steering the conversation elsewhere.

    "Forget about the past. Let’s focus on whether you’ll pass the audition. Han Shinsu tried to cheer up the younger man and returned to the important matter. “It looks like there's an email."

    "!!!"

    Three days ago

    "Oh, my back hurts," Kim Sujin stretching her arms behind her and pounding her lower back with her small fists. "Are we still not done, PD?" Feeling no relief, she slumped forward, laying her arms and head on the table.

    "We have 224 clips left," the lead producer said, removing his blue light glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose.

    "I can’t keep my eyes open," Jung Wangseong said, nearly collapsing onto the table from exhaustion upon hearing the remaining count.

    "Come on, guys. Just a little more.” the young rapper stretching his arms and twisting his waist to crack his back before sitting up straight, ready to continue the evaluations.

    "On regular shows, the audition screening is handled by the staff. Why are we having the honorary judges do it themselves?" Kim Bomi asked the head PD.

    "Because I don't want genuinely determined individuals or unpolished diamonds to be overlooked. It’s better if we scrutinize them right from the start. Having experts like you evaluate them will ensure we filter out the most capable candidates," the PD explained.

    "That makes sense. Take this boy, for example. He looks pretty ordinary, but once the music starts, he transforms completely. His dance lines are sharp and impressive," If we had people judging based solely on appearance, this boy would have been unfairly dismissed."

    "I'll get us some coffee to wake us up. Anyone want something specific?"

    "Can we get some really expensive coffee, PD?" asked the sleepiest person in the room, raising his hand. If it was not freshly brewed, his brain wouldn’t function.

    "Alright. I’ll pay out of my own pocket, so don’t worry about the group funds. Just text your orders in the group chat. I’m heading down now."

    Despite saying he’d pay himself, thirty minutes later, Im Heewoo returned empty-handed, but with the company president in tow. Behind them, the secretary team carried trays of coffee for all the judges.

    "!!!"

    Everyone, who had been on the verge of dozing off, instantly perked up as if they had consumed pure caffeine.

    "Boss!"

    "Hello, everyone. I hope I’m not interrupting your work," Dong Hyunin paused to allow everyone in the room to greet him.

    "Not at all. We were just waiting for the PD to bring us coffee," Kim Sujin, now sitting up straight, reported bluntly, instantly shedding her lazy demeanor. The others also regained their energy.

    "These guys," PD Im shook his head. He thought it might have been better to wait for the president to come check on their progress rather than go downstairs himself.

    "No more meetings today?" the older man initiated small talk. Despite PD Im being a senior relative of the SKM Ent. president, he maintained formal etiquette at work, avoiding excessive familiarity.

    "No, I heard you were rushing to select trainees, so I wanted to check in," He saw the judges sitting tensely, so he replied in a friendly tone to ease the tense atmosphere.

    "We have about two hundred clips left. We’ll finish tonight and send the summary report of those who passed the audition to your secretary by 3 PM tomorrow," They planned to review all the clips tonight and compile the report the next day.

    "May I sit in and watch?" Dong Hyunin had been leading the company for over five years after his father's passing. Although SKM had always been a major label, he had taken the company to new heights by expanding internationally.

    The artists under SKM's banner in those countries were moderately to highly famous. Given a bit more time, they could easily reach top-tier status, which had caused SKM's stock to soar since last year. It was expected to rise even further if the Star Fight project succeeded.

    Although SKM had made a mark overseas, fans believed it was still not enough. Sure, the veteran groups within the company were legends, but it was time for fresh young faces to excite the hearts of fans, whether they were male or female.

    This was why the Star Fight project, which had been shelved since Dong Hyunin's father's era, was revived and modernized.

    The 5-year contract term was a revision made by the young president himself. This clause deterred both small and large agencies from sending their trainees to participate. Even if they debut and become extremely popular, by the time they return to their original company after the contract ends, their fame might have waned.

    Additionally, the earnings over those five years would have to be split into three parts.

    It was not a worthwhile investment.

    Despite other board members not expecting much from the idol group that would debut through the survival show, seeing it as a fleeting trend, Dong Hyunin personally came to oversee the process.

    "Come on, everyone, let's get back to work now that we have our coffee," Im Heewoo inviting the company president to sit in his original chair while he moved to the next seat, urging everyone to continue reviewing the applicants.

    The lights in the meeting room were dimmed again, and they played the next applicant's video.

    "Oh, another foreign applicant." Among the first 1,800 applicants, there had been almost fifty foreign ones, mostly from familiar countries like T, J, and C, with very few from other nations.

    "This one looks mixed, but what a perfect blend," a female judge commented, noting his attractive features that would undoubtedly attract many fans.

    "Beautiful eye color, doesn’t need contact lenses.”

    "Name: Jacan Miller," Dong Hyunin read from the application form his secretary handed him as the applicant's face appeared on the big screen. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

    Was he sleep-deprived?

    "He's quite old for this, isn’t he? If he doesn’t debut this year, he might run out of chances," Lee Danbi skimming through Jacan's educational background and musical skills before widening his eyes at the list. Jacan claimed he could play all international musical instruments and even traditional instruments from country K like the gayageum. "Interesting."

    "Of all the auditions we've reviewed, aside from trainees from major agencies, this kid has the most impressive background," The school he attended was an internationally recognized music academy.

    "Let's watch the clip," Kim Sujin rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

    The beginning of the clip featured an introduction to confirm that the person in the video matched the documents in the judges' hands.

    Jacan had transformed the backyard garden of Han Shinsu's house into a makeshift stage, using flower pots as props, contrasting with other applicants who typically chose rehearsal rooms or plain backgrounds to highlight themselves.

    He wore a clean white shirt and faded skinny jeans. Combined with his light hair and ocean-blue eyes, Jacan looked like he had stepped out of a fairy tale. He sat on a cream-colored wooden chair, limbs hanging like a puppet with broken strings.

    For about five seconds, he remained still, then his handsome, slightly feminine face lifted slightly. His beautiful eyes stared straight ahead, unwavering, and his peach-colored lips parted to release a deep, soft voice with a slightly raspy, unique quality.

    "Singing live without any music?" If so, this would make him the first applicant to sing a cappella, without any instrumental accompaniment. If he pulled it off... the subsequent videos would feel the pressure.

    Jacan chose a currently popular song to cover, performing live while executing a robot dance. He incorporated movements to mimic being controlled by invisible strings.

    Aligning with the intense love song's theme of being held captive by love. It was as if he was conveying his own experience of being confined in a beautiful garden, judged solely by his appearance, hinting that what one sees might not be the true reality.

    "A unique presentation, not bad," Kim Bomi commented, noting her thoughts and marking her evaluation sheet. "His voice is excellent, more like a professional singer than an inexperienced trainee."

    "I think so too," Jung Wangseong agreed, nodding. Even though he danced while seated, it didn't seem awkward; it actually enhanced the performance's realism.

    "Good looks, great voice, excellent dance skills," Im Heewoo stroked his chin, contemplating the first episode's filming. He was confident this man would capture a lot of attention. "Pass without a doubt."

    "Five passes."

    "I feel like I've heard a voice like this before," Lee Danbi frowned, struggling to place the familiarity. It was like a memory obscured by a fog.

    "He might have been an artist before. Judging by his application, he's not that young anymore."

    "Let's evaluate the next person to save time," the head producer interjected, pausing the discussion temporarily and nodding to indicate that there were not just five of them, as in the previous round. They needed to keep things moving.

    "Oh, okay," the two women pursed their lips and swallowed their idle chatter for now.

    "Next up is..."