The Goal is the Ending Fairy - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

“Haaaam…”

A brief lull occurred before the final group was called out.

In that gap, the man on stage secretly let out a yawn behind his cue cards.

He was Hanyul, the MC of <Hi.Light> and the main vocalist of the idol group ‘High Attack’.

Watching the trainees’ performances one by one and listening to the judges’ critiques…

Doing all that while standing still, and keeping a constant smile on his face, it was only natural for his body to feel sluggish.

‘I hope the company doesn’t just focus on these rookies just because they’re debuting.’

Hanyul glanced toward the CEO, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The lack of a group comeback recently was partly due to internal group issues, but it was also true that the care from the company had diminished.

‘Given how many floors of the Hon building we practically built, that’s a bit troublesome.’

Hanyul nodded at the camera director’s “OK” sign. His mind was filled with such thoughts, masked by a bright smile.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of wariness toward his juniors.

In fact, contrary to his kind exterior, he was harshly evaluating the trainees internally.

‘Bad. It’s a mess.’

‘Why did they even let someone with that skill level participate? Is our CEO’s eye for talent aging along with him?’

‘The balance between singing and dancing is off. How can a singer not sing? If you’re only good at dancing, go be a dancer.’

But such harshness was reserved only for the trainees who lacked skill.

Since he belonged to the same profession, he couldn’t help but look upon talented individuals with favor, no matter how much he felt like keeping them in check.

‘The vocals are the best among everyone who’s come out so far. The overtones are well-captured, making it stable to listen to.’

‘Oh, they’ve got quite a bit of sense. The dance lines are clean, and the rap inserted in the middle of the vocals is charming. A definite all-rounder.’

‘This one is a guaranteed main rapper. Look at that diction; I can hear every word. They dance well, too. With that face, they’ll be great at gathering fans.’

At some point, Hanyul found himself appreciating the performances alongside his evaluations.

Of course, these professional critiques were only possible because he was a grand senior in the idol industry, nearing his 12th year.

Furthermore, he had a natural talent for evaluating and teaching, having occasionally appeared as a vocal trainer on other audition programs.

Therefore, his assessments were definitely trustworthy.

So, if he were to be moved to admiration by a performance later, it wouldn’t just be because it suited his personal taste.

It would be because it was objectively an excellent stage that anyone would acknowledge.

“Now, finally, the long-awaited last group, Group 3, right?”

Without dragging it out any further, he raised his voice with a beautiful smile toward the camera.

“Then, Group 3 trainees, please come out!”

With Hanyul’s voice, the stage behind him split horizontally and opened.

Several girls emerged from the gap.

The ten trainees of the final Group 3.

Hanyul guided the trainees to the small side-stage, just as he had done with the previous two groups.

After a brief commentary, he immediately called out the name of the first participant in a loud voice.

“Yes, Trainee Seo Da-na. Please step up onto the stage.”

Receiving small applause from the trainees, Hanyul, and the judging panel, one trainee stepped up.

Since the production team would arrange the order during editing anyway, he didn’t bother mentioning that she was the first in this group.

“Hello. I am Seo Da-na, a six-month trainee at HON. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She bowed her waist with the calmest voice and the most relaxed smile among all the participants so far.

The applause for the trainee rose once more, and as it faded, the CEO spoke up.

“Da-na is… uh, Vocals and Dance?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“But the song choice is a bit unexpected? Isn’t it very different from the genres you usually performed during monthly evaluations?”

To the CEO’s follow-up question, the trainee didn’t lose her nerve or fumble; instead, she skillfully conveyed her intent.

“I felt like I found a genre that suits me better, so I prepared it diligently.”

“Hmm… I see. Well then, shall we give it a try?”

“Yes.”

At the trainee’s short, firm, yet still smiling reply, the CEO and the judges nodded.

Hanyul also thought she was clever.

If she had answered poorly, saying something like, ‘I wanted to show various sides of myself that are different from before… etc.’…

If the stage had fallen short of expectations, the criticism would likely have been even harsher.

In the first mission, it’s more important to appeal with what you’re good at rather than trying to show too many “different sides.”

And the desperation that comes through that, the judges and the viewers use that as a core part of their evaluation.

Therefore, her answer was just right to avoid being branded as a ‘foolish trainee who couldn’t even show her strengths due to useless greed.’

‘The kid knows how to use her brain.’

His description of the flawless trainee as “smart” was indeed an accurate expression.

After a brief moment of preparation for the stage…

The lighting changed.

It was a soft, atmospheric light that felt somewhat nostalgic and gentle.

The trainee, seemingly presenting her vocals first, brought the microphone to her lips under the focus of countless lights.

And almost simultaneously with the accompaniment, a distinctive voice flowed out.

⟦The night the stars fell⟧

⟦That moment when countless sorrows filled your eyes⟧

“!!!”

Hanyul was quite startled.

He had been impressed by a few stages earlier, but this was the first time he was truly shocked.

‘The vocal tone… wow, how is this possible?’

It was a voice he had never heard before. He couldn’t immediately think of any singer with a similar atmosphere or tone.

To him, it was a voice that definitely did not exist among current idols.

It was, quite literally, peerless.

Her vocal skills were also stable.

Since the song didn’t have many high notes, he couldn’t hear her high-pitch range, but her sense of rhythm was fundamentally spot-on.

Moreover, she was interpreting and expressing the mood of the song in her own way.

The slightly groovy feel compared to the original was pleasant to hear.

While Hanyul stood there for a long time with his mouth slightly agape in surprise, the first verse of the song quickly came to an end.

From a listener’s perspective, it was almost disappointing that it was over.

However, the performance didn’t end there.

The trainee quickly set the microphone down on one side of the stage and properly adjusted the cropped denim jacket she was wearing.

Then, clasping her hands and turning her back to the judges, she waited for the song for her dance.

Because of that, Hanyul accidentally caught a glimpse of the trainee’s face, and he liked her expression very much.

‘The grit that overcomes nerves.’

She was the first trainee he’d seen today to show such an expression on stage.

Of course, there were trainees with good facial expressions and gestures, and those who performed quite comfortably.

Among them, there were certainly many who were more skilled than this trainee.

However, even they couldn’t quite hide their “nerves.”

Whether it was awkward breathing, instinctively looking at the ground for a split second, or their pupils shaking while looking at the camera.

Everyone had shown at least one of these before leaving the stage.

The only difference was whether it lasted for a few seconds or throughout the entire performance.

⟦Get out of my life⟧

⟦You should go away⟧

⟦‘Cause I can break you, ah⟧

As the song began, the trainee turned toward the camera with a subtle wave.

Hanyul watched her with a slight smile on his lips.

‘The dancing is good too.’

Watching this trainee’s performance, Hanyul thought of his own debut days for the first time.

It felt as if his image from about ten years ago overlapped with the current image of that trainee.

‘I also had a time when I stood on stage with nothing but grit.’

For the first time today, Hanyul stopped evaluating internally.

He simply clapped along to the song and looked on proudly as a senior at the trainee’s hard work on stage.

* * *

“Thank you!”

“Uh, good job~”

The encouraging words from the CEO and the judges were followed by the sound of applause from all around.

The sound only gradually faded as I went back to my seat on the side-stage.

“You did so well!”

“Unnie, you were so cool…!”

“Good!”

Along with the support from Yoon Heejo and Lee Jinyoo on both sides, even trainees I wasn’t close with gave me thumbs up.

In return, I gave high-fives, bumped fists, or bowed my head to accept the praise.

I couldn’t tell if some of them truly thought it was good or were just conscious of the cameras… but anyway, I felt relieved now that it was over.

‘I’m glad I was first, actually.’

If I hadn’t been, even I might have felt my heart tighten while waiting for the final turns.

So, stepping onto the stage immediately without even having time to get nervous felt much better.

In conclusion, the evaluation of my stage was quite good.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

But instead of sharp criticism, most of it was suggestive feedback like, “It would be even better if you did it this way.”

Furthermore, every judge followed up their feedback with a compliment. It meant I’d at least done half the job.

Now all that’s left is the recommendation count for the Self PR video. Ah, and the view count is also important because of the Main Quest.

Based on the trend I saw on the first day, I thought both could aim for the middle ranks at the very least.

I took a sip of the bottled water from under my chair and fanned myself with my hand.

From now on, I was in the position of an audience member for a while.

Since my job was done, it was time to appreciate the “lambs” who would be trembling on stage just like I could have been.

Though, the ones who had something to show off would surely display all their charms before coming down.

I glanced at the “pre-determined debut members” on either side of me.

Unlike my character, who had to have her stats leveled up by the user to debut, these were the ones whose skills were “cheats” from the start.

‘The ones who have the least reason to be nervous look the most nervous.’

While feeling the unfairness of the difference between them and me, I also found it somewhat absurd.

Then, as if sensing my gaze, I gave a silent smile to the two looking my way.

They were momentarily puzzled by my sudden smile, but bright smiles soon returned from both sides.

It seemed they took it as a sign of support…

Their smiles seemed to say they would also do their best.

‘Ah, it’s cold.’

As the sweat cooled, a chill began to seep in under my skirt.

As I shivered slightly, Lee Jinyoo, who was next to me, unfolded her blanket and draped it over my legs.

“Ah.”

The problem was that Yoon Heejo draped her blanket over me at almost the same time.

The two of them, whose eyes met simultaneously, laughed awkwardly.

…? What are you guys actually doing?

In the end, I had no choice but to watch the stages behind me while covered with half of each person’s blanket.

The following stages were also quite good.

In fact, they received a lot of praise from the judges.

One of them chose a popping concept that suited her cute appearance and presented a stage that fit her well.

That was surely possible because she had the skill to back up her charm. I also didn’t hold back my applause for her.

In fact, since my turn was over, my applause felt a bit more generous.

Still, since I’d finished my duty, surely I could enjoy the performances fully.

After all, this peace wouldn’t last long.

The ranking announcement ceremony that would follow would surely be like walking on thin ice.

A few more decent stages passed, and soon only three people were left.

Yoon Heejo, Lee Jinyoo, and…

“Hello.”

Cha Si-hyun, who was currently greeting the room on stage.