A die-hard AG fan arrived at Sangam just in time for the pre-recording list check.
Nicknamed "AG Corporation" on SNS, she put her hands on her hips and groaned.
"Ha, really…"
'That bastard team leader. Why'd you give me work that's due at 8 o'clock, 2 hours before I leave work!?'
I told you I had an early morning schedule tomorrow, so please inform me beforehand!
Thanks to that, after her overtime until 11 o'clock, she had just enough time to wash up at home and rush to the broadcasting station.
Her whole body, overworked, screamed of death.
'I know. If this continues, I'll die a really short life, but there's nothing I can do. Today...'
As she was gritting her teeth, the words on the sign held by the staff in the distance caught her eyes.
Okay.
"This face is practicing in AG's basement? Are you crazy!?"
Once a fan of AG's failed girl group 'Lady Swan', she was determined to debut Son Jae-ha, a trainee who was blessed by the heavens, the moment she saw a picture of him.
Today was the first day of the screening of
'It was really tough in many ways.'
[I really want to meet our August trainees who are working hard for their dreams '-' #ShootForYourDreams_Targeting_stats_Request_Audience]
[I want to see the trainees up close as they take each step toward their dream of debuting! #ShootForYourDreams_Targeting_stats_Request_Audience]
[Oh my god, just let me go, you fucking idiots, this is really going to be a pain #shootforyourdreams_Targeting_stats__Request_Audience]
She created 34 fake SNS accounts in hopes of winning one of the audience raffles. And she's written exactly 210 YouTube comments.
The days of competing with the survival idol fanatics.
- [Web Transmission] Announcement of Winners for the Music Days Idol Survival Show 'Targeting Star'
"Yaaaaaaah! I won!"
"I can hear you through the walls, crazy girl! Stop yelling!"
When the winning email arrived, her scream must've easily reached 80 decibels. She couldn't count how many times her roommate smacked her for being so loud.
"Ah, ah.
She quickly joined the back of the audience check line and smiled happily.
She couldn't get a ticket in the front row due to overtime work, but since there weren't many people in the audience to begin with, it should be easy to get a good look.
'And, if the information I heard on social media is true...'
Hundreds of people followed the production crew holding placards, and where they finally stopped.
[Targeting Star Appearance Trainee High-Touch Event]
'Yeah, crazy! This is it!'
Before the audience entered, a small high-touch event with the trainees.
A high-touch event is a place where you can directly and briefly communicate with the trainees while seeing their faces up close.
There was speculation that this was the reason why only the judges and Do Jae-chan showed their faces at the production presentation held during the day, and it turned out to be correct.
"Wow, awesome."
"What should I do? Is that blond hair over there Ji Hwa-seong? Wow, crazy…."
"Joo-an! Joo-an, it's your noona!"
As the audience's murmur grew louder, AG Corporation quickly checked the face of the man standing at the front of the line.
"Hello everyone! Please take care of me!"
Drained black eyes, pure white skin.
A gentle and neat-looking trainee, who looks like he might open his eyes quietly in a forest full of green at any moment.
Son Jae-ha.
'Oh, crazy. This is a real living, moving creature…'
In her eyes, only Son Jae-ha was visible.
Aside from his overwhelming handsomeness compared to other trainees, she'd heard bits about the hardships he endured under the label of AG's ace male trainee.
"What should I say? I'll keep cheering you on? I really hope you debut through
"Please greet each other in order and then go in! Please don't push!"
Starting from the people in front, they started doing high-touches with the trainees in order, each person rapidly spouting all kinds of words that came to mind like machine guns.
The words that the already famous trainees heard were almost like marriage proposals.
"Si-woo, I've been supporting you ever since you first came out. Let's debut for real!"
"Won-hyeop oppa. You're really going to do well this time… for sure. Wherever you are, I'll always be rooting for you."
"Liu Wei. This! This! I wrote it in Chinese! Be sure to read it later!"
The line quickly shortened. This was because everyone tended to greet the trainees they wanted to meet, then only exchange a few formalities with the others.
"Yes, I, Ryota, will be hard-working…"
"This is Ji Hwa-seong. Please enjoy today's performance. We prepared really hard!"
The sharp-witted trainees promoted themselves, and there were often a few audience members who fell for that atmosphere.
"Ji Hwa-seong, that guy is cute. He's tall, and he's also blond…"
"I liked Logan. The posh look really suits him."
'But in my heart, there's only Jae-ha. Of course, Jae-ha and the other five will debut together... but as long as it's with the AG purebloods, I don't care what happens!'
AG Corporation had calmed down by her turn, and she finally met Son Jae-ha, the one she'd been waiting for.
"It must have been difficult for you to come all the way to Sangam. I'm Son Jae-ha."
"Cough…"
'He's seriously awesome. Even his voice is so handsome!'
AG Corporation was momentarily stunned by Son Jae-ha's relentless attack, and closed her eyes tightly.
Then, remembering that she didn't have much time left, she started thinking quickly.
'Well, the first thing I want to say is…'
"Jae, Jae-ha. You…"
"Yes?"
"You're the most handsome man I've ever seen."
Once the floodgates opened, there was no stopping.
"Of all idols, trainees, and actors, you're the most handsome, so handsome that you'd debut even if you were just lying on the street. But the video you unloaded to the AG Rising Star channel shows you singing and dancing so well. If you don't debut, I'll consider reporting to the Korea Fair Trade Commission for 'Targeting Star' fraud. You, you really are…"
I, a true AG fan, caught this.
"You are the best trainee…"
"..."
Son Jae-ha, who had been frozen in shock at AG Corporation's sudden confession, soon broke into a soft smile..
"…Thank you."
Son Jae-ha spoke seriously, carefully placing his hand over her outstretched one.
"I will definitely debut."
Because you cheered me on like this.
"…."
Two baby angels flew over the heads of AG Corporation and blew trumpets.
You can't be anything but Son Jae-ha anymore.
She thought she heard that voice.
'Crazy, crazy, crazy Jae-ha!'
She couldn't even recall how she high-fived the trainees or what they talked about after that.
Because it was the first high touch with such a big impact.
'Ha, maybe it'll be okay when I see Jae-ha on stage later. My heart might burst and I'll have to call 119...'
"Hey, do your best. I'll be cheering you on."
And the moment she greeted the last trainee dryly and was about to pass by.
"Noona."
"…eh?"
The trainee's voice caught her ankle.
A handsome, punk-looking trainee with particularly sharp, pointed eyes who was standing in the last spot.
"Yes, my name is a bit too strange to just pass by like this. Would you like to hear it?"
"Uh, uhm… Is, is that so?"
She, who was weak at speaking in person, looked at the people who already entered the room then back at the trainee who stopped her, nodding coolly.
"Haha… Thank you."
The trainee smiled at her words, baring his fangs, as sharp as his eyes.
He took a deep breath, put on the most handsome expression he could, and introduced himself.
"I am..."
Team Building game, Cops and Robbers Final 4 Benefit High Touch Event, first to secure the last spot…
"I'm Kim Chunyong."
"Pfft- puhu!"
A burst of laughter erupted from AG Corporation, who was caught off guard. It's not okay to laugh at someone's name, it's not!
But the idol trainee's name is Chunyong!?
'So that's the guy with the tacky name!'
"Oh, sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to laugh—"
"Don't sweat it, I was the one who said my name was strange."
Kim Chunyong smiled cheerfully and gave her a wink.
"Still."
I don't think you'll forget me now, will you?
Kim Chunyong, an idol trainee with an old-fashioned name and a gangster-like appearance.
That was the moment a new trainee got carved into the mind of AG Corporation, which had only been filled with Son Jae-ha.
* * *
"Yes! That's the 'Calender' team with a wonderful cover of their senior Lady Swan. I never thought this song would become such a catchy dance track. Wow, I still find myself humming the intro."
Choi Ga-on, who had not been able to see the previous midterm evaluations due to scheduling conflicts, wiped his forehead in genuine admiration.
Since the group stage of
'There's so many individual trainees and kids from other agencies, so I was wondering if this would be okay…'
In particular, the 'Calendar' team that just finished their performance.
-I'm waiting for the day we can get closer again
Monday and Tuesday
It's okay until Sunday
The original song, 'Calendar', was a soft R&B ballad featuring the vocals of Lady Swan, about crossing off the dates on the calendar one by one while waiting for someone who's far away.
However, this team changed the perspective of the song to a distant 'other person', and changed the lyrics to say how they're looking forward to the day when they can reunite.
-I'm counting the days until I can return to you again.
Monday, and Tuesday.
Everyday drawing with colored pencils
A light school uniform with a high-teen vibe. Accessories like a loose tie and a spray-painted beret complemented perfectly with the bouncy keyboard sounds.
-Dates being erased
When spring comes again, when snow falls and flowers bloom
I think of you by my side
Such heartbreaking and sad lyrics.
-Flying calendars
When the snow melts, spring comes and flowers bloom
We're Flyin' With You In My Arms
…reborn as a perfect coupling song.
"W-Wow…"
The audience, expecting it to be like any other variety show, became shocked at the way Lady Swan's song had been changed.
"Keuhh… our- our swans!"
Do Jae-chan, who appeared today as a special mentor, shed a single tear, which was then captured by the cameras. It was sure to be a hot topic.
'That British kid said he put all his effort into the arrangement and lyrics. He's the real deal—he'll still sign the contract even if he falls here, even if the boss dies.'
Additionally, while the 'Shadow' team covering Leopold previously performed on stage without a hitch, trainee Kim Joo-an nearly messed up the entire choreography during the dance break, which drew even more comparison.
Word has it he did pretty well on his midterm evaluations, so what the heck happened?
"I- I did this, my fault, no… ugh…"
Kim Joo-an looked on the verge of a mental breakdown as he left the stage, muttering incoherently with a pale face.
'Well, that's none of my business. Anyway... the overall first place is definitely the Calendar team.'
Choi Ga-on, who was biting his lip in regret at being second in line for such a wonderful performance, quickly read the next line on the cue sheet while looking at the prompter shouting at him to hurry up.
"Now, only two teams await you! The first team to appear in the 4v4 competition is—oh my! AG's pride! The team that covered 'Us Beyond the Waves' by Min Si-young, a soloist with a huge part in AG's history!"
Since 'Us Beyond the Waves' was the opening song for an anime set in the ocean, they'll probably have a refreshing marine concept, befitting of trainees.
It was a pretty good choice, since it contrasts with the 20CD team's manliness, making intuitive comparisons difficult.
'Sigh, but I don't think they'll be any better than the Lady Swan team. The image here is so sophisticated...'
But Choi Ga-on's worry was for naught.
"…eh?"
It was easily broken by the four trainees who rushed out onto the dark stage and took their places.