ALL NOVEL Chapter 95
Chapter 95. Bomb? (6)
I couldn’t have imagined it.
What?
“Joo Eunchan’s original position was as a vocalist?”
“Yes.”
Dan Haru, who was sitting with a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, nodded his head.
Taken aback for the second time, I handed him a wet wipe, suggesting he clean the ice cream off his lips.
‘Seriously, at this rate, it’s like the galaxy is out to get me.’
Fortunately, there was some comfort in knowing that, after Thirteen’s departure, I could revisit the information I had scanned using the
‘Of course, it’s not perfect data… but it should be good enough for reference.’
Kim Wonho’s stats hadn’t been updated since the last monthly evaluation (another shock that it wasn’t an automatic update), and his data was still displayed as percentages. For Jung Siwoo, who had newly joined our team, there wasn’t any data at all.
‘Thank goodness I preemptively scanned Joo Eunchan when I recruited him.’
Hajin, who was sitting next to Dan Haru with his head buried in the desk, called up Eunchan’s stat window.
[Joo Eunchan (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: B+
Rap: B
Dance: B+
Expressiveness: B+
Charisma: A+
Special: ※Stat not yet revealed※
Appeal Points:
‘On My Own’
– Self-confidence, determination, performance accuracy
Seeing this stat window full of Bs after only looking at S and A ranks?
But this was not a stat to be taken lightly. If I converted this to the old notation…
[Joo Eunchan (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: 43%
Rap: 84%
Dance: 41%
Expressiveness: 64%
Charisma: 35%
Special: ※Stat not yet revealed※
Appeal Points:
‘On My Own’
– Self-confidence, determination, performance accuracy (70%)
‘The conclusion is that he’s someone with enormous potential for growth.’
He was already pulling his weight, yet most of his percentages, except for rap and expressiveness, were under 50%.
What I realized while enduring the hellish boost camp during the last monthly evaluation was that these percentages seemed to be calculated differently for each person. Perhaps it’s because it evaluates a combination of their talent, potential for growth, and effort.
‘The rate and amount of increase vary depending on the individual’s condition.’
For example, here.
Once the second hopeless member of the trio, but now growing into a fairly reliable guy, Kim Wonho’s current stats were like this.
[Kim Wonho (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: 89% (Rap 34%)
Dance: 65%
Expressiveness: 93%
Special: Choreography creation (92%)
Appeal Points:
‘A TO Z’
– Quick learning ability
Compared to the period before the last monthly evaluation, his dance increased by a mere 3%, and expressiveness by only 1%. But his special, “choreography creation,” had jumped by a whopping 6%.
Incidentally, until just before the last monthly evaluation, Kim Wonho didn’t even know he was good at choreography creation. He kept asking me if we were really going to use his choreography for the evaluation.
‘Maybe that’s why the percentage went up, taking such factors into account….’
In any case, it seemed necessary to use this percentage concept thoughtfully. A low percentage didn’t always mean potential, and a high percentage didn’t mean growth was complete.
An example to help understand this better was also present in Hajin’s team.
[Lee Doha (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: 17% (Rap 64%)
This was Lee Doha’s vocal stat during the last monthly evaluation. Of course, it’s changed a bit now.
[Lee Doha (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: 37% (Rap 64%)
His vocals had increased by a whopping 20% in just a few months! But his absolute value?
[Lee Doha (Affiliated: Miro)]
Vocals: F
Even if it were raised to 100%, it would just be a tone-deaf person who can hit the notes.
‘Lee Doha, how on earth do you manage to rap?’
He was an enigma.
And yet, despite having an S-rank in rap, it still hadn’t changed by even 1%.
‘So, to properly use this skill, you need to go beyond just looking at the numbers or letters… and consider all the elements that make up a person’s talent and growth. Ah, please. Don’t do this to me. Why is the world like this?’
Moreover, there was someone else who was complicating my thoughts even more.
“Haru.”
“Yes?”
Showing Dan Haru, who was sitting next to me munching on the ice cream Seo Taehyun had bought, I asked him.
“What on earth is Lee Yugeon thinking?”
Lee Yugeon had actually sent me a message with his thoughts.
It was even detailed. While we were in the meeting earlier, he sent me a separate text summarizing the basic concept and directions we had decided on. (Apparently, Lee Yugeon doesn’t even have KakaoTalk on his phone. What kind of guy is this?) From what I could tell, he had thoroughly read and understood the contents.
“He skipped practice but sent a song selection list?”
“Gasp, Yugeon hyung did?”
“Yeah. So we decided on one of the songs he sent. Isn’t that something?”
The materials Lee Yugeon sent me were flawless, from the references to the song selections. He even found various performance references, including videos from an overseas choreography team.
I already figured this guy wasn’t ordinary when he sang 10 girl group songs in a row with a blank expression….
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Thinking of it that way is probably better for my sanity, right?”
“Yes!”
“Yeah, just keep growing up bright and cheerful.”
I patted Dan Haru’s head as he cheerfully swung his legs, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He had gone with Seo Taehyun to get a perm, and now his hair was all curly, making it feel like I was petting a puppy’s fur, which had a calming effect.
Then, as if responding to the touch, Dan Haru turned back to his ice cream tub and spoke.
“You’re just trying to think lightly.”
“Huh?”
“My grandma used to say, if you’re too scared because you’re overthinking, just stop thinking.”
Dan Haru’s sparkling round eyes crinkled beautifully.
“Do you know how scared I am these days? I’m afraid I won’t be able to debut with the hyungs.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. But just, if I think about all those things, it’s too scary. So I decided not to think at all!”
He said this brightly, shoveling a large spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. I thought he was always just carefree, but it seemed this little guy had his own set of worries.
‘…I understand how that feels too.’
I had also come to my senses after getting hit with cold hard facts by Lee Doha and Ji Suho.
As I patted Dan Haru’s head, who was quickly emptying half the tub of ice cream, I spoke in a calm voice.
“Haru.”
“Yes?”
“But that ice cream belongs to Seo Taehyun.”
“……”
“He said he specifically got the zero-sugar version because he’s on a diet and only wanted to have one bite.”
At that, Dan Haru dropped the spoon he was holding and looked at me as if to ask, “Is that true?” I gently nodded, confirming that it was.
“I wasn’t going to tell you, but you said something so nice, so I’m telling you in advance.”
“I-I’m not going to be left out of this performance, right…?”
Dan Haru, who had picked Room 2 with Seo Taehyun, trembled slightly. What a cute little guy.
“He said he bought it at a convenience store, so just go and buy a replacement.”
After giving him a special tip for a perfect cover-up, I got up from my seat.
Yeah, just sitting here overthinking isn’t going to change anything.
‘When did I start working so meticulously?’
Whatever happens, let’s just solve it first, and if it fails, we’ll think about it then!
* * *
The Blue Flare team, minus Yugeon, gathered again.
Late at night, they convened in the trainee lounge, each finding a comfortable seat. It seemed today’s meeting wouldn’t be over easily.
“Alright, Blue Flare team’s second meeting starts now.”
“Trainee Kim Wonho. What’s today’s agenda?”
“It’s… about Eunchan’s… no, Trainee Joo Eunchan’s position. What’s the most suitable one for him?”
Thanks to the self-cam recording, there was a slight bit of overacting for the camera. Of course, if this were broadcast, there’d be an uproar again about why Lee Yugeon wasn’t there….
‘I’ll just gloss over that with the texts he sent!’
Given that the team assignments were now set like this, there was no smooth way to transition the narrative. To counteract the inevitable rumors and controversy surrounding Lee Yugeon’s
attitude, we had to create a legendary performance with this stage.
Having thought this far, Hajin looked at Eunchan and allowed him to speak.
“First, Trainee Joo Eunchan. Please make your statement.”
“……”
As if on trial, Eunchan, sitting across from Hajin, began to speak what he had prepared.
In summary, it was this:
– Until now, there haven’t been many people on my team who could rap, so I had no choice but to take on the rap parts. I’m not a rapper, and continuing to do rap parts is too burdensome, and I want to show the fans a singing performance. Since Doha hyung is on the team now, I’d like to take on my original position as a vocalist.
“Okay. Then Trainee Lee Doha, please present your stance.”
Next, it was Doha’s turn. Wonho, who had taken on the role of today’s cameraman, quickly swung the self-cam towards Doha.
– I don’t think Eunchan’s vocal ability is bad. (This section took 5 minutes because of detailed feedback.) …So, I don’t mind if Eunchan takes on the vocal parts… (Omitted) …but given the song we chose, it would be difficult for me to handle the rap alone… (Omitted) …so even if it’s not Eunchan, we need at least one more person for the rap parts!
Lee Doha’s logical (though slightly lengthy) rebuttal followed. Eunchan agreed that given the nature of the song selection, it would be difficult for Doha to handle the rap alone. However, he still didn’t want to be pushed into taking on the rap parts again.
At this point, Hajin raised his hand.
“Trainee Kang Hajin, making a statement. Should I just do it?”
Hajin’s rap stat was an A-. He hadn’t shown it on stage yet, but since they had gone through a skill check earlier, the team members knew Hajin’s abilities.
“Overruled.”
“Why?”
But that suggestion was quickly overruled by the main vocalist, Jung Siwoo, who also raised his hand.
“If you drop out, you’re leaving me to sing alone?”
“Hmm….”
Siwoo had been waiting for Hajin, enduring Lee Yugeon’s issues, just to bolster the team’s lacking vocal ability. Unless Eunchan suddenly gained amazing vocal prowess, swapping him with Hajin was out of the question.
“Hmm. Then how about me?”
Next, it was Wonho who raised his hand. Although his rap was weaker than the other team members, in terms of pure skill, it wasn’t unbearable.
Just as Siwoo and Hajin’s expressions began to brighten slightly, Doha raised his hand.
“I’m against it. Wonho’s voice is low, so our tones would overlap. Besides, when he’s dancing and doing live performances, his breath tends to get jumbled, so if he raps, it will stand out even more. Sorry, Wonho, I don’t mean to belittle you.”
In fact, during the last
Given that clarity in delivering lyrics is crucial for rap, taking on that part would only make his weaknesses more apparent. This also made sense.
“Hmm…”
“What do we do…”
“……”
As their faces turned somber with worry, Eunchan involuntarily shrank back. He knew these team members weren’t the type to make him feel this way, but….
– Ha…. Eunchan. Just by being stubborn, you’re causing trouble for everyone.
– You just need to make a small concession. How can you always get what you want?
Just like Hajin had said, it takes time for everything to be okay, and Eunchan still carried the scars left by Han Sungwoo and the other regular class seniors.
‘No. I know these hyungs aren’t like that, that’s why I spoke up.’
Even as he tried to convince himself, he couldn’t help but feel increasingly withdrawn as he listened to the discussion among the others.
‘…If I just give in. Would that really solve everything?’
Eventually, overwhelmed by the anxiety creeping up on him, Eunchan raised his head. He was about to say that he would take on the rap part again.
“I-I’ll just—”
“Trainee Kang Hajin making a statement. Trainee Joo Eunchan, speak later.”
Hajin raised his hand a moment before Eunchan. Missing his chance to speak, Eunchan’s eyes met Hajin’s across the table. Hajin looked back at Eunchan with an unreadable expression.
Was he really planning to assign the rap part to me?
But just as Eunchan began to think Hajin wouldn’t do that—
“…Let’s just have this guy do it.”
Hajin pointed to someone.