Hard Mode Idol

When I woke up after a good night’s sleep, my stamina was full. I checked the skills with a meaningful smile. Today’s the day. Gacha.

Looking only at the plus and minus probabilities, it was 53:47. A jackpot with a 6% higher plus probability. How can you not do it?

Let’s spin the roulette wheel!

Let’s go!

The roulette wheel spun round and round. I focused while appropriately rubbing off the sweat seeping from my hands. The speed gradually slowed down. The place where the roulette wheel with pluses and minuses mixed haphazardly finally stopped was…

I hit the 55 points with a 45% probability. Yes! This is why I do gacha! With this, my current points are 135!

Yes, yes, I was waiting for it. What is it this time?

The abnormal condition roulette that would decide my fate rolled again. What I got this time was a headache. As soon as I got it, the abnormal condition activated.

The throbbing pain surged in like a tide. Was muscle pain just a tutorial taster? It feels like a large nail is being hammered into my head…

I groaned while holding my pounding head. This is no joke. It was a pain that brought tears to my eyes. I tried taking some medicine, wondering if painkillers would work, but it was no use.

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t think at all because my head hurt so much. I had to feel the pain as if my head was being messed up while burying my face in the bed. Changing positions was the same, so I groaned while gripping the bedsheet tightly.

Enduring this pain for 15 points is a foolish thought. I thought it would be okay because muscle pain was tolerable! There’s really nothing easy.

When will it end?

It won’t continue for a day like muscle pain, right? When that terrible thought came to mind, my fingertips turned cold. I shouldn’t have taken this lightly.

Gacha is sealed for the time being, no, forever. It feels like the loss is greater than the gain. It’s better to steadily accumulate points little by little…

Groans came out naturally. After spending time in agony holding my head, the abnormal condition finally ended. It felt like it had easily passed 3 hours, but only 30 minutes had passed. During that time, my whole body became drenched in cold sweat.

Can’t I seal the skill?

I glared at the gacha skill fiercely. Come to think of it, the skill grade is F, can this be raised too?

It’s really kind. No for now. I won’t upgrade it. I don’t even have the points to upgrade.

After dismissing the system, I checked my skill list. If the skill has (F) as the grade indication, it means I can invest points to raise it, I see.

There’s no mention of F+ or E-, so this probably has a total of 6 stages up to S. If it’s 500 for level 1, I can’t even estimate how much will be needed until S.

Moreover, there was no explanation of what changes and how when upgrading. They want me to find this out myself? It’s really something how it can be endlessly kind when it wants to be, but makes me do a header on bare ground when it doesn’t.

Anyway, gacha is sealed for the time being. I should raise the grade a bit later if I have leftover points. I don’t know what it will be, but won’t it be something like the probability improving or the required health decreasing? I’ll consider it when the break-even point comes where the gain is greater than my suffering.

Let’s see. The remaining health is…

I crawled into the blankets, greatly shocked. I must rest no matter what. I might even get 2 abnormal conditions in a row if I’m not careful…

Since I used up all my health, it means I’m starting from 1. It was different from when the muscle pain abnormal condition ended. I guess it was maintained then because it was an event, not health consumption.

My lips stung so I checked with my cell phone. They had turned red and were swollen from biting them at some point. Seeing my pale face with only my lips swollen red, I sighed. I’d suit a vampire concept well.

If I recover some health and focus on dance practice from today until tomorrow, I should be able to fill up the experience, right?

I spent one more day intensively raising my dance experience. Thanks to that, I could raise one of the two to B- with 135 points.

If I raise singing, I’ll have 15 left, and if I raise dance, I’ll use it all. It would be nice to raise both, but I lack both points and time, so let’s go to the audition tomorrow and choose. Where to invest first.

*********

I stood in front of the SR Enter building and looked at the transparent door. The security guard in a black suit glanced at me and loosened his guard. I guess I don’t look like a sasaeng. After taking a deep breath, I opened the door. I’m nervous.

Walking straight towards the info desk, I made eye contact with an employee. The closer I got, the wider the employee’s already large eyes became. His mouth was open in a circle from early on.

“Hello.”

“Ah, welcome. What brings you here?”

“I was cast and told to come for a trainee audition…”

He said he’d let them know, so he must have relayed it, right?

“I’ll check. What is your name?”

“Jin Haon.”

Just in case, I swallowed that I was cast by the CEO and only said my name. The employee typed on the keyboard and hurriedly called somewhere.

“The person we were waiting for has arrived. Yes, yes. Yes. That’s right. Yes. Yes, I understand.”

My ears perked up for no reason. The employee smiled a smile full of kindness and gentleness and handed me a visitor’s pass. It’s great to start with a good first impression.

“You can go to the 3rd floor.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“I hope you’ll become our agency’s artist!”

Why? I was curious about the reason, but for now, I bowed my head and smiled. It would be weird to ask why, right? Then I heard a whisper of ‘So cute!’ behind my back.

I’m not used to compliments… Embarrassed, I pretended not to hear and passed through the security gate with my gaze fixed forward.

Arriving on the 3rd floor, there were several doors in a narrow hallway. Only then did I realize I hadn’t asked where to go? Should I go back down and ask again now?

If someone comes to meet me, we might miss each other, so should I wait a bit? While I was pacing in front of the elevator like that, someone’s voice leaked out from a slightly open door. It seemed like they were fighting. It was diagonally across from my position, and it seemed they might see me from inside if I wasn’t careful.

I didn’t want to be misunderstood for eavesdropping, so I quietly moved to a spot where I wouldn’t be seen. But the voice was so loud that I could clearly hear the conversation.

“Why was Jaehyuk hyung kicked out? Isn’t hyung wronged? Jaehyuk hyung is our leader and main vocal! I don’t want anyone but Jaehyuk hyung!”

“They said they’ll find a new main vocal.”

“Yoochan hyung, you’re okay without Jaehyuk hyung? No way! Hyung also relied on Jaehyuk hyung a lot! I can’t accept it! I can’t understand! How can I understand when they won’t even tell me the reason!”

“Lee Seoho!”

“Hyung, tsk, are you acting so cowardly because this is your last chance? So it’s okay for Jaehyuk hyung to be unfairly kicked out because of a parachute?”

“You’re agitated right now, don’t cross the line.”

“I didn’t say anything wrong! Hyung also received a lot of help from Jaehyuk hyung! Traitor! Hyung is a traitor too!”

“Seoho-ya!”

With a shout, the door opened roughly, and a cute man who looked as gentle as a puppy ran out. His expression was full of irritation but still gave a cute impression.

As soon as his large, dewy eyes met mine, they narrowed into slits. I glared back at the clear hostility. It was a reflexive action. The puppy gritted his teeth and ran away like an arrow.

A man with an awkward expression followed the puppy out. This man who came out was surprised to see me for a moment, then quickly bowed his head. And he ran after the puppy.

Looks like the main vocalist was kicked out.

Good for me. It’s an opportunity for me. I should take that spot. No matter who it is, a member pushed in by connections can’t be good. I have a status window that’s practically a cheat, so I’ll participate in the battle for the main vocal position!

I raised my singing to B- grade with the remaining points. I can’t say I’m the main vocal material right away, but for now, my setting is that I’m someone who sings and danced as a hobby. It should be enough to appeal as a talent monster.

At this timing?

Looking around, there was still no one. I quickly went into the bathroom and checked the skill information.

Eavesdropping(F): The passing necklace given to you, the sneaky one who eavesdropped on someone else’s conversation.

You can check other people’s information.

50 health is required to use.

Putting aside that I got eavesdropping after overhearing, I didn’t listen on purpose. I just happened to hear them fighting loudly for passersby to hear, but I’m sneaky?

Feeling odd, I glared at the skill. It would have been nice if they gave me something useful at least. I’m grateful a new skill was created, but it requires 50 health and I’m not curious about other people’s information, so this is worse than trash.

Other people’s information would be, at most their stats, right? I don’t want to waste 50 precious health on that. It refills when I rest, but it’s still a waste of time. It’s better to accumulate dance and singing experience with that health.

When I came out after washing my hands in the bathroom, I ran into a woman anxiously calling my name and pacing the hallway. She was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

“Mr. Jin Haon?”

“Oh, yes! I’m Jin Haon.”

She quickly approached me with big strides and bowed without warning. Her blue lanyard ID swayed back and forth.

“Haon! Oh my, I’m sorry. I’m very late, aren’t I?”

“Ah, no. I’m sorry too. I should have waited quietly, but my hands were a bit dirty so I washed them.”

“No worries at all! Now, come this way. This way.”

Rather than one of the judges, she seemed to be an employee assisting with the audition. I guess she’s trying to guide me to where I’ll wait. I obediently followed the employee, trailing closely behind her.