NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 24
Chapter 24. Do You Want to Be Special? (2)
Why bring up the monthly evaluation right before the survival show? The reason was obvious.
“We will still conduct the monthly evaluation this time.”
“Ah~.”
“But, this evaluation will be a bit special.”
As Ji Suho gestured with his eyes, the staff who came with him pasted a large piece of paper they were holding onto the wall behind them. The neatly designed chart had the names of the trainees divided into different groups.
“The top 10 in this monthly evaluation will start in the ‘special class’ when the survival show begins in March.”
Special class. As soon as that term, almost synonymous with Miro’s caste system, was mentioned, the atmosphere in the practice room changed. The previously excited air instantly turned cold. The exchanged glances were fierce.
“Of course, we won’t use the term ‘special class’ on the broadcast, but the meaning and the benefits are exactly what you think. Special class members will get the broadcast title first, and they’ll have an advantage in the distribution of title song parts.”
“……”
“You’ll also receive benefits in posters and various other aspects. Although the special class members may change once the show starts, they’ll be the first to be introduced to the public.”
However, the first impression is always important. Seo Taehyun, who was receiving all the initial push, already had a certain level of recognition, so he could be considered the inevitable frontrunner, but the rest of the trainees were still complete rookies, never exposed to the public.
For us to gain fans and popularity, exposure was essential. The only answer was to get our faces out there. Even I was already being mentioned online because of a sighting report (thanks to that cat’s gratitude or whatever it was).
And as if reading my thoughts, a new quest appeared, glowing.
[Single Quest 03.]
[‘Do You Want to Be Special?’]
[Content: The trainers are not yet paying much attention to you, a rookie trainee. Achieve outstanding results in the monthly evaluation and place within the top 10!]
[Success Reward: Clue for Regression Tracking & Recruit a Companion]
[Penalty for Failure: 40% increase in the likelihood of triggering the 5th regression, 15% increase in the chance of being eliminated from the survival show]
‘Is this balance-breaking for real?’
Now, let’s recall my current specs.
Name: Kang Hajin.
Age: Twenty (masquerading as twenty-nine+a).
Special Note: Lived as a semi-human for 2n years, currently a Miro trainee for one month.
‘To rank within the top 10 among those who have been doing this for years? Easy, right?’
This damned system. Really, can’t it stop threatening people with this regression? But then again, the whole point of this mess is to prevent the regression.
I estimated my ranking, considering the number of trainees and the skills I observed over the past few days.
“Normally, we would have let you form your own teams, but this time, since it affects the survival show, we’ve assigned teams ourselves to better assess individual abilities, so check your assignments.”
“Yes!”
“For now, the practice will revolve around the monthly evaluation teams, so keep that in mind. Any questions?”
“No, sir!”
“Alright, then I’ll be leaving. Check your teams and start practicing. Fighting! Do your best, everyone!”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Enthusiastic greetings burst from everywhere in response to Ji Suho’s sincere encouragement. It seemed he held a well-respected position within Miro. As soon as Ji Suho and the staff left the practice room, the trainees rushed to the bulletin board.
“I hope we’re in the same group.”
“I bet we’re not.”
Seeing me moving slowly behind the other trainees, Seo Taehyun, who was walking next to me, stopped and spoke. I shook my head, thinking that was unlikely.
‘Our positions are worlds apart.’
Without the director around, Seo Taehyun was almost a confirmed debut member. Even if he suddenly declared he didn’t want to be an idol anymore and turned into a death metal demon, there would still be fans cheering for his transformation.
In contrast, what about me?
‘Even if they call me Miro’s Zhuge Liang or whatever, I’m still just a one-month-old newbie.’
I hadn’t even completed a full song in front of the trainers yet. There’s no way they’d pair me with Seo Taehyun.
“Oh no, I’m doomed.”
“Wow, we’re in the same group.”
“Hmm… I’m in the same group as him.”
Various reactions erupted from the trainees as they checked their groups. If this were a survival show, cameras would zoom in to capture those shots. Watching the trainees express their raw emotions, unaware of being in ‘broadcast mode’, I clicked my tongue.
“Hyung! We’re in the same group.”
Apparently, having seen it first due to his height, Joo Eunchan came through the crowd and called Seo Taehyun. Seo Taehyun, who had briefly been disappointed about not being in the same group as me, brightened up again upon hearing they were in the same group.
“Really? Oh, thank goodness. At least I’m familiar with you.”
“Yeah. It’s reassuring to have a friendly hyung….”
“Friendly? Why? Am I the only one? Who else is in our group?”
Seo Taehyun suddenly felt uneasy about Joo Eunchan’s relieved voice and hurried to the bulletin board with him.
I wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t think going now would help, so I waited my turn slowly. But then, Dan Haru, looking almost tearful, approached me with a grim face.
“What’s with you?”
“…I’m in a group with all unfamiliar hyungs.”
“So, we’re not in the same group.”
“Yes. You’re in Group A. I’m in Group C….”
The youngest trainee, Dan Haru, puffed out his cheeks in frustration, worried about the older trainees.
‘Of course, despite looking like that, he’s really talented.’
Knowing his skills from several practices together, I wasn’t particularly worried.
“Who are you grouped with?”
“Hyung Siwoo… Hyung Yuki, Hyung Minwook, Hyung Taewon, Hyung Kyungho.”
“That’s tough.”
“Ugh. What should I do?”
A group consisting of Jung Siwoo, a star from the special class, two followers of Han Sung-woo, who acted like general class leaders, and two moderate fence-sitters. It was a perfect setup for Dan Haru to suffer.
‘So, who am I grouped with?’
Feeling uneasy, I decided to check quickly. I didn’t mind being without friends, but having incompetent members was a problem. My life depended on this monthly evaluation.
Tap, tap.
“……?”
Someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Lee Doha. Why was he clinging to me?
“Oh, Doha. If it’s about earlier, let me check my group first….”
“We’re in the same group.”
“Huh?”
“We’re in the same group.”
Lee Doha pointed to the bulletin board. As the crowd thinned out, the list became visible.
<■ February Monthly Evaluation Group Assignments>
-Group A
Kang Hajin (Vocal)
Gong Seok (Vocal)
Lee Doha (Rap)
Kim Wonho (Dance)
Yoon Taehee (Dance)
-Group B
Seo Taehyun (Vocal)
Joo Eunchan (Vocal)
Lee Yu-geon (Dance & Rap)
Jaden (Rap)
Park Jaeyoung (Dance)
-Group C
Jung Siwoo (Vocal)
Dan Haru (Vocal)
Yuki (Vocal)
Kim Minwook (Dance)
Yoon Taewon (Dance)
Shin Kyungho (Rap)
-Group D
……
‘This group formation is brutal.’
Each group had a clear concept. Ji Suho seemed to have a good sense.
For instance, Group B:
“We should probably go with a dance song, right?”
“Considering we have Yu-geon… We’re confident in dance too.”
Lee Yu-geon, who had made a name for himself in the street dance scene before joining the company, Seo Taehyun, who had gone to live shows with just his charisma, and Joo Eunchan, who excelled at performance, made a strong dance group.
Group C wasn’t any less formidable.
“Ah. Siwoo hyung is really good at singing…. We’re in trouble.”
Jung Siwoo, who looked like a visual dummy from Renes but was actually a top student in practical music from a top Korean university, and
“You can’t ignore Dan Haru either. He’s the only one who beat Siwoo hyung in vocal evaluations.”
Dan Haru, who survived the treacherous age of 16 with an incredible voice, was the main vocalist of the ‘general class’.
‘Group C is basically a battle between those two.’
It’s like a showdown of the strongest characters in the world.
‘But our group seems a bit unclear.’
In terms of positions, our group was the most stable, but the problem was that compared to the other groups with highly concentrated talents, our stability seemed relatively ‘plain’.
‘In this field, standing out is crucial.’
No matter how well-rounded your abilities are, in this field, an extremely talented individual in a specific area is more valuable. A jack-of-all-trades will only end up being overshadowed by specialized talents.
‘This combination is quite challenging.’
As I pondered our group members, Lee Doha approached me again. Right, he was also a bit of a mystery. The only special class member in our group.
“The others seem to be waiting for us.”
“Oh,
right. Let’s go.”
‘He’s still better than the others.’
I sighed inwardly as I looked at the remaining three trainees waiting for us, seeming unreliable.
‘Kim Wonho, Gong Seok, Yoon Taehee. All from the general class with short trainee periods.’
None of them were in the ‘advanced’ class. It seemed they grouped the strong ones for the survival show and left the rest.
In short, it was almost a discarded group.
‘Considering I’m still an unproven one-month-old newbie, it makes sense. But why is he in this group?’
Wondering about the presence of the only special class member, Lee Doha, in this group, I tilted my head. Despite sensing my gaze, Lee Doha remained silent, heading towards the gathered trainees.
“Hi, everyone.”
“Hello, hyungs.”
“It’s our first time being grouped like this!”
“Right. Our positions are well-divided, which is good.”
“And with Doha, we don’t have to worry about arrangements or anything!”
Starting with the youngest, Yoon Taehee’s cheerful voice, the hopeless trio (no offense, but there’s no better term) offered hopeful perspectives. They couldn’t hide their unease about the group but forced a high tension.
‘Is this really okay…?’
A bad feeling loomed in my mind.
By now, I was used to it, but such feelings were rarely wrong.