The Goal is the Ending Fairy - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

– Murmur, murmur 

The practice room echoed with the trainees’ chattering. 

The narrowest practice room in Hon was currently occupied by a significant number of trainees. 

“……” 

I was also crouching among them. 

Seeing them gathered together, whispering softly, confirmed what I had only suspected until now.

‘They’re avoiding me.’ 

Looking at my isolated position, with everyone steering clear of the adjacent seats… it was regrettably clear. 

I had thought that since this character had been a trainee for half a year, she might have at least a few close friends. 

The reality was that when I greeted someone, the reactions were mostly lukewarm: ‘Uh… hi,’ or ‘Yes…’ 

More often than not, even that much interaction didn’t happen properly. It was as if they weren’t interested in me at all.

‘I guess I can’t blame them.’ 

There wasn’t a total lack of plausible reasons. 

Just look at my Charm and Affection stats right now. 

At this level, I’m practically non-existent, not just as an idol but as a person. 

Perhaps that’s why. Whenever someone accidentally made eye contact with me, they immediately looked away without a word. 

Still, being treated like a transparent person is too much. 

Feeling awkward, I crossed my arms over my drawn-up knees. As I rested my chin on them and sighed softly… 

Thump 

Suddenly, someone sat down next to me. 

“Da-na! You’re appearing in this one too!” 

“Yes?” 

“I really wanted to be on the show with you, I’m so relieved…” 

Who are you? 

I swallowed the retort that almost slipped out and looked at the person who had sat down naturally. 

“Huh?”

 However, upon meeting the trainee’s kind smile, I quickly averted my gaze. 

She now sat right next to me, trying continuously to engage me in conversation. 

“The first filming is soon, aren’t you nervous? I heard today is the reveal of the first mission…”

 “Uh… yeah, right.” 

“Still, I’m so happy to be doing it with you.” 

The trainee smiled again, curving her eyes. 

Looking at the radiant beauty’s clear smile, I even had the illusion that the surrounding area had brightened. 

However, I was subtly bothered by the fact that this face felt familiar. 

Had I encountered her somewhere?

‘…Nah, no way.’ 

But I immediately shook off that thought. 

There was no way I had seen a face like this in real life, and if I had, there was no way I would have forgotten it. 

I pondered again, but it was definitely a face I hadn’t seen before. Not among celebrities, and certainly not among acquaintances. 

Then why? 

Why did I feel an inexplicable déjà vu from this stranger? 

“Oh? Heejo Unnie, hello.” 

“Hi.” 

The name I accidentally learned also felt subtly familiar. 

Heejo? The name sounds like I’ve heard it before. 

Next to her, who seemed close to other trainees unlike me, I rummaged through all my memories internally. 

Heejo… Heejo…

‘Ah!’ 

I remembered, ‘Yoon Heejo.’ 

A little thought was all it took. 

A trainee I met in the game, a subtly familiar name. What did this combination signify? 

She was a character I saw in my last playthrough. 

And I could easily recall her identity. She was a member of the rival group—the one that competed fiercely with my kids. 

More precisely, a member of the group belonging to the player who was my rival. 

That was Yoon Heejo. 

It was certain. We had clashed so often that I practically memorized the ‘Group Introduction’ description that popped up on the loading screens. 

How could I forget the names from that persistent bad relationship? 

I wondered where I had seen her face, and it was exactly like the character I always saw in the illustration. Now that I know, it was too identical.

And if that was true…

‘This is a huge hint.’ 

Isn’t it? In my previous playthrough, she was already an idol, but now she is a Hon trainee. 

What does this mean? It’s highly probable that she will be one of the members debuting through this program. 

If she is practically a pre-debut member… of course, it’s advantageous to be friendly with her. 

Arriving at that conclusion, I stopped distancing myself from Yoon Heejo. 

Instead, I actively sought the seat next to her, sitting close. 

She raised an eyebrow when I suddenly got so close, but it was momentary. 

Soon after, she playfully poked me, saying she missed me a lot during the time we hadn’t seen each other. 

As for me, I just deflected her comments, ignoring the useless ones appropriately. 

“Are you all here?” 

After a little more time passed, the manager from yesterday opened the door and entered confidently. 

She was the person everyone here had been waiting for, and the one who had gathered the trainees.

‘As I said, tomorrow is the first shoot to reveal the first mission, so don’t be late! It’s just an explanation, so don’t be too nervous~ Fighting!’ 

Just as she had told me, she was here for the first filming of the upcoming broadcast. 

When I recalled her words yesterday, I was quite dumbfounded. Even if I was a last-minute addition, notification the day before… 

The manager counted the trainees with her finger and then nodded. 

“Alright, everyone! We’re heading to Practice Room 1 now, and all the cameras are set up there. So everyone…” 

The subsequent explanation was nothing much. Basically, everything is being filmed, so be careful with your words and actions. 

Only after listening to the manager’s repeated careful reminders could we head to Practice Room 1. 

“Everyone, line up in order~ Filming will begin soon.” 

The trainees gathered closely at the entrance of the practice room. 

The manager and staff lined the trainees up in a single file, exchanging whispers through their in-ears. 

As I was looking around briefly, I met the eyes of Yoon Heejo, who was standing right behind me. 

She didn’t avoid my casual gaze and slightly ducked her head. 

“Are you nervous?”

She covered her mouth slightly and whispered in my ear before straightening up. Judging by her expression, she seemed quite worried about me. 

She must have mistaken my constant looking around for nervousness. 

When I replied that I was fine, Yoon Heejo finally looked a little more relaxed. 

That relaxed look was also a smiling face.

‘Is she surprisingly free with her smiles?’ 

Since she kept showing such bright expressions whenever she looked at me, that’s the impression I got. 

“Now, let’s go in one by one.” 

One of the staff members, who was whispering to the manager, said this. 

The trainee at the very front opened the door and entered, and the rest of the trainees followed in a line. 

The trainees quickly lined up as the manager had instructed earlier. 

I, too, was in the middle of the line, glancing around. 

Several staff members huddled discreetly around, and half a dozen cameras. Seeing them made the reality of ‘something is being filmed’ sink in. 

After about five minutes of this.

>>> [Important!]: ’Main Event’ START!

⇨ Succeed in debuting through the debut survival show held by HON Entertainment!

>>⌛ D-0 EVENT START!

Just as the screen window was forcibly displayed in front of me, the practice room door swung wide open. 

The CEO of Hon, followed by judges for each position, entered. 

“Hello!” 

“Yes.” 

“Hi~” 

The CEO and his entourage greeted the trainees who bowed to them. 

The CEO and his group, exuding charismatic power, headed to the seats prepared for them.

Seeing these important adults staring intently at them, the surrounding trainees visibly tensed up. 

It felt like their subdued gasps could be heard even by me. 

I, maintaining my composure amidst them, turned my eyes to the seat right in the center. 

Park Jae-geon, the CEO of HON Entertainment. 

Thanks to the hurried research I did on the internet yesterday, I recognised him immediately. 

He took a moment to set the atmosphere, flipped through the list of participants, and then opened his mouth. 

“Hello, everyone.” 

The trainees bowed once more at the CEO’s personal greeting.

“Do you know why you’ve gathered here?” 

I do, of course.

‘They gave us hints, and now they’re using such an obvious line for broadcast…’ 

I chuckled inwardly. I was the person who was cast the day before filming, after all. 

After a very brief silence, one of the trainees slightly raised her hand. 

“I heard you are creating a new group.” 

“That’s right. Our company is launching a new girl group this time, but the group name and number of members haven’t been finalized yet.”

 …Doesn’t that mean they’ll take their sweet time thinking about it during the program? 

I vaguely heard that launching a new idol was urgent, but the shoddy, hastily prepared signs were clearly visible. 

I suspect the flow of the game might have influenced this. 

But of course, I can’t remember the group name. I remember the members, including Yoon Heejo, but not the name. 

It was the group that competed so much with the idols I raised, yet the group name I saw the most doesn’t come to mind?

 It felt contradictory even to me, but the fact remained frustrating. 

Well, as long as the name wasn’t too weird, it wasn’t too important for me.

‘No. Even if the group name is terrible, I still have to debut…’ 

Recognising my situation, I silently listened to the explanation again. 

“However, the word ‘light’ is the keyword for the group we’ll be launching this time. That’s why the program title became <Hi.Light>.” 

Hmm. The show title wasn’t bad. It conveyed the purpose reasonably well. 

It likely means something along the lines of ‘finding the shining star among the trainees.’ 

“It’s an obvious truth, but the people with the best results will debut, right? The important thing is, there’s also an elimination system.” 

“!!” 

The trainees who heard the words stirred restlessly. 

As for me, I had anticipated this since the manager mentioned it yesterday. 

The word ‘survival’ alone meant there was more than one thing I had to prepare myself for.

Besides, show me a survival show without an elimination system. At least not in a debut broadcast. 

Ah. Still, it might be rare for an in-house debut program to openly eliminate trainees midway.

Usually, they split the small number of participants into about two teams, or form top-tier teams from the start to give them benefits. 

The problem was just that we had too many people. 

Therefore, this elimination system was likely put in place to cut out the truly unsuitable ones without giving them more chances. 

Furthermore, if there’s ‘elimination,’ participants naturally become more desperate and earnest.

This was also likely intended for a narrative role—advancing by overcoming the sadness of losing a colleague.

“Elimination?” 

“Gosh, they have an elimination…” 

“Does that mean if your score is bad, you can’t participate in the next mission?” 

“It seems there’s no chance to recover…” 

The trainees’ anxiety continued for a long time. 

In reality, these reactions were all directed by the staff. 

This much was content we had all been briefed on beforehand, and we were asked to act surprised as if we didn’t know. 

“I’m warning you, the mission without elimination will be the one I give you now, and it will be the first and last. But don’t be too nervous!” 

I also widened my eyes appropriately among the trainees who were acting so hard. 

It was absurd that he was telling us not to be nervous after just discussing such a frightening prospect, but the explanation continued without end. 

“…Therefore, the first stage you must show in this survival show is…” 

I predict that the broadcast will heavily drag out this part when it airs. 

“It’s individual capability! Each of you will present about one verse of vocal and dance. Those who are rappers can substitute the vocal part with a rap.” 

His words meant we had to show what we were best at as idols. 

Presumably, they intended to assess how much charm each person could display alone in front of the actual cameras. 

On top of that, it could also show the individual characteristics of the trainees to the viewers. 

It was a mission perfectly suited for the first stage. 

But that wasn’t all, as the CEO’s voice could be heard again. 

“And additionally, you will be filming a ‘Self PR Video.’“