Hard Mode Idol

The place I went to was the bustling streets near the SR Entertainment building in Haseong-dong, Seoul. It was a place I selected after diligently comparing several agencies.

I had three criteria.

Is there any worry about going under?
Are the concepts of senior idol groups normal?
When can I debut?

SR Entertainment had solid financial power for some reason. Of course, it couldn’t be classified as a large company as it had few affiliated artists and had been in business for less than 10 years. According to rumors, the CEO was a very wealthy person.

As if proving that, they used an entire 10-story decent building from the beginning. Even if rumors seem credible, I tend to filter them out, but the visible results are also certain. The senior boy group ‘Theos’ was gaining popularity, and there were several artists among the solo singers who lined up the charts.

There were no albums with concepts so strange that I thought, ‘What the heck is that?’ The title tracks were overall good and fit the concepts. The MVs were well-made by pouring in funds. It was something I had to check because I had the memory of being deceived in my past life.

The last and most important condition.

There had been no follow-up group after Theos who debuted 5 years ago. If I passed SR, it seemed I could debut quickly depending on how I did. Seeing that they were always recruiting male trainees, they didn’t seem to have plans for a girl group.

I thoroughly bundled up my outerwear in preparation for the cold but did nothing to my face. I’m aiming for visual casting, so what’s the point of sitting with my face covered?

Since I had sufficiently used up my stamina before leaving home, I immediately entered the cafe, ordered hot chocolate, and found a seat. It had to be on the 1st floor, a seat easily visible from the entrance.

Yes, this kind of seat.

I took off my stuffy outerwear and hung it on the empty chair. I only had 10 stamina left. I had traveled for over 1 hour and 30 minutes using public transportation, and fighting the cold had drastically drained it.

I made the right choice with hot chocolate. Something sweet is best for recovering from fatigue. It was when I was sipping the hot chocolate, blowing on it.

I felt some gazes directed at me, which was burdensome. I also felt a bit nauseous.

Suddenly, I had a feeling an egg would come flying. Thinking rationally, there shouldn’t be anyone sitting in a bustling cafe like this with a raw egg. But I had been hit by one in front of a broadcasting station before.

It was an unofficial schedule…

After recalling that incident, my wariness of my surroundings suddenly surged, and I looked around. There were people whose eyes met mine. Each time, I was startled and avoided their gaze. But while sneaking glances…

‘Omg, crazy visual…’

‘SR trainee?’

‘Look at those striking features!’

‘I finally know what handsome is…’

No matter how narrow my perspective, I know how to read the atmosphere at least. I felt shy hearing the blatant praise about me. But on one hand, I felt a bit relieved. I don’t have to worry about eggs flying…

I drank the hot chocolate while watching my stamina gradually rise. It seemed it would recover enough to go home if I sat for about two hours.

It was when I plugged in earphones and was memorizing songs I didn’t know. I felt a presence sneaking around and turned my head. I spotted a female student in a school uniform acting awkward. When our eyes met, the girl’s face instantly flushed red.

“Umm, excuse me…”

“…Yes?”

“Uh, um, are you an SR trainee? Or a rookie actor?”

SR was short for SR Entertainment. I don’t know if it was borrowed from reading SR and SSR grades in card games as ‘ssal’, ‘sssal’ as they sound, but people called SR Entertainment ‘ssal’ too.

“Ah, no. I’m an ordinary person.”

“Gasp! Really? Ah! I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

The girl rubbed her cheeks with both hands, bowed, and disappeared. I heard her reprimanding her friends behind my back, saying, “Hey! He said he’s not!”

I can consider this a positive signal, right?

S-grade charm is really great. I made a good choice.

I praised myself and gulped down the remaining drink.

I was going to go home as soon as my health reached 50, but the recovery speed was really slow. I felt uncomfortable in my seat, probably because I kept feeling other people’s gazes on me. Thanks to that, my health recovery speed slowed down even more.

This won’t do. I should go home.

“Noona, I’m here.”

“Welcome~ Hot chocolate today too?”

“Yes!”

Before I knew it, it had been two weeks since I started frequenting the cafe. I became acquainted with the part-time noona and formed a friendly relationship. It’s amazing. To have someone who smiles and greets me, who welcomes me happily.

That wasn’t the only good thing. The weekly mission was also progressing successfully. Thanks to that, my current points are 120!

The singing experience had accumulated quite a bit, so I could raise singing to B- with 120 points. The dance experience was slightly lacking.

Therefore, I was at a crossroads between using points to raise my singing stat and knocking on SR Entertainment’s door or hoping for a casting fluke a bit more.

But if I’m going to raise stats anyway, wouldn’t a more effective method be better? For that, it would be good to know which position doesn’t overlap with the current SR debut lineup. If singing is lacking, I’ll raise singing, and if dance is lacking, I’ll raise dance.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing glasses approached me, breaking my contemplation. He was someone wearing a suit made of fabric that looked luxurious at a glance. The high-handed atmosphere made me cower. He doesn’t seem to be a casting manager…

“Ah, I’m sorry for startling you. I’m Park Taemin, the CEO of SR Entertainment.”

“…Pardon?”

The CEO handed me his business card. On the black background with a gold border, the text ‘SR Entertainment CEO Park Taemin’ was clear.

The CEO all of a sudden here?

How should I act? How can I give the impression of not seeming arrogant and looking easy to hook if I do it well? I should have talked to men in this age range to know!

For now, I blinked my eyes while taking the business card with both hands. When the CEO smiled with narrowed eyes, the high-handed atmosphere disappeared completely. In an instant, he became a man with an affable impression and naturally sat across from me as if it were a given.

“If you have time, could we talk for a bit?”

“Ah, yes. I have time, but…”

“What should I call you?”

“Ah, Jin Haon.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jin Haon. Your appearance was so attractive that it captured my gaze. I know it’s rude, but there’s an idol group we’re currently preparing, so I unconsciously spoke to you. I thought it would be good if you joined us, Haon.”

“Ah…”

So they were preparing after all. Since becoming a trainee was the main mission, what happens to the main mission if I suddenly debut? It’s a waste to miss out on the points I can gain and skip it, but I’m not enough of a fool to turn down this opportunity because of that.

“Of course, it’s not guaranteed that you can debut, but if you’re interested, would you like to come take an audition?”

“Ah, yes, yes…”

“I’ll let them know, so please visit our building whenever it’s convenient for you. The address is written on the back of the business card. It’s close to here.”

“Okay.”

“I hope you’ll come by all means.”

Saying that, the CEO showed a smile that made him look kind. I thought he would leave now that he finished his business, but as if he still had something to say, he only stared at me vacantly without any sign of getting up from his seat. In the middle of rolling my eyes in confusion…

“…Uncle.”

A man with bangs covering half his face and looking unconfident with a hunched back timidly called for the CEO. The CEO turned his gaze and stood up.

“Then I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes, have a good day.”

When I awkwardly stood up and greeted him, the CEO politely bowed his head to me in response. Then he took the man and headed towards the counter.

I chugged the drink to snap myself out of a daze. The part-time noona approached me, making a fuss.

“What, what? Did you get cast?”

“Huh? Yes. He said he’s the CEO of SR Entertainment…”

“Whoa, awesome! I knew it! I told you you’d definitely get cast, didn’t I? When you debut, I’ll be your first fan!”

“Thank you.”

When I replied with a sheepish smile, the noona brightly smiled and patted my shoulder. Another part-time worker at the counter approached with quick steps. Then she threatened her to come quickly and went back.

“Jeez. There are always more customers when you come, so I don’t even have a moment to talk. Sorry!”

“Good luck.”

After briefly glancing at the noona taking orders at the counter, I fiddled with the business card. Even though it was just paper, the texture was soft like velvet.

**********

Title: Haseong-dong XX Cafe, Doori seems to have been cast

First, I apologize to the unfamiliar person I greeted today.

Since I saw you often and had a lot of internal familiarity built up,

I was so surprised that I greeted you as soon as our eyes met.

Thank you for accepting it…

Now the main point.

It seems Doori has been cast.

Because I saw it. I ended up seeing it. I saw it.

The suit man who approached Doori! He was none other than!

The SR CEO…!

[Photo of SR CEO]

Image taken from an article. Refrain from portrait rights infringement

I think someone who came today will have seen it.

The SR CEO himself gave his business card.

Doori! Please debut no matter whatㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I want to openly fangirl!!!

My wallet is ready!!!

─ Who’s Doori?

┗ There’s a pretty kid who appears at XX Cafe every day around 2pm. Looks around 17? 18! 2pm(dooshi)>duli>duri>doori. Okay?

─ Omg! I saw it too!! I wondered if it was the SR CEO and it really is

┗ Hello? Nice to meet you. You’re not the one I greeted, right?

┗ Yeah… Not me lolㅋㅋ

─ I’m the one who got greeted… I also acted friendly because of internal familiarity… Let’s split the fault 5:5…

┗ Umm.. Let’s each pretend it didn’t happen

┗ Why don’t you two just become friends lolㅋㅋㅋㅋ

─ The guy goes to the cafe every day at 2pm? Doesn’t he attend school?

┗ It’s an ordinary person’s personal circumstances. Mind your own business. There will be a reason

┗ Hehehe so it’s okay to be all over the guy calling doori doori~ because he’s an ordinary person?ㅎㅎ

┗ Block list goes munch munch

─ That’s stalking too, you guys──; Don’t post things like this;;

┗ Right. I frown a bit at gushing over an ordinary guy.

┗ No, wtf, it’s not like I’m following him or taking and spreading photos, what’s stalking about just seeing a kid who comes to the cafe and doing some eye bleach?ㅋㅋ