From a performance standpoint, Jin-ah wouldn’t have been out of place receiving zero votes. The other three contestants’ performances were just that overwhelming.

With Kid and Min-seok both receiving zero votes, Jin-ah’s lone vote stood out all the more. The cast and trainees’ gazes locked on the name under Jin-ah’s on the board.

HS Entertainment. Trainee Hyun-hee Lee.

“Why did you vote for Jin-ah?” Jin-sil Kim asked.

Hyun-hee’s eyes met Jin-ah’s. Her fists clenched tightly as she spoke with difficulty.

“We weren’t close, but we trained together as trainees. Back then, I thought I was better. Her skills weren’t as outstanding back then.”

“Jin-ah, is that true?”

When Joo-sung Kim asked, Jin-ah nodded and replied in kind.

“Yes. We trained together, and I also thought Hyun-hee was better than me.”

“But seeing her performance today, the gap between us felt overwhelming. I was so ashamed. The fact that I was satisfied with this level of performance while Jin-ah had improved so much… I couldn’t bear it.”

The trainees who had voted for Didi bowed their heads, and the judges looked at Hyun-hee with some amount of satisfaction. Tears streamed down Hyun-hee’s face as she continued, her voice breaking.

“Jin-ah has more talent. Her skills might be beyond my reach someday, but I won’t lose when it comes to effort. I’ll work much harder than Jin-ah— no, Jin-ah sunbae, and I’ll never become complacent or settle for less.”

While this audition wasn’t determined by popularity votes, in the world of debuting idols, public appeal was ultimately the most important factor. Jin-sil Kim pinpointed that fact.

“Thinking debut is the end of the road would be a huge mistake. The real journey starts after. Even if you fail here, it doesn’t mean your debut dreams are over. Think very carefully about this. And Hyun-hee, I admire your determination. Even Kid, as amazing as he is, got scolded by President Kang for being too satisfied with himself.”

My name was brought up suddenly. I had been trying to think of ways to capitalize on the drama between Jin-ah and Hyun-hee, imagining how it could be spun into good publicity. The cameras turned to me, and Jin-sil Kim pressed on with the flow.

“Since President Kang is from HS, he must’ve seen Hyun-hee as a trainee, right? Was it true that she was better than Jin-ah back then?”

The assistant director handed me the mic again. Was I part of the cast now?

“Well… I focus on potential, so I don’t recall exactly how their skills compared at the time.”

It might sound like something a spoiled corporate heir would say, but it was the truth. Hyun-hee was nearly erased from my memory. Before my regression, I hadn’t heard her name outside of her trainee days. She must not have made it as an entertainer or faded into obscurity fairly quickly.

“President Kang has quite the eye, it seems.”

“Haha…”

“Why not try shifting that sharp eye to stocks? Who knows?”

The host received the production team’s signal that it was time to move on and quickly got things back on track.

“Alright! Not all the votes are in yet, folks!”

“Well, it just turned out this way! A little shake-up never hurts. This IS a variety show, after all. A good twist is always welcome.”

“We haven’t even formed teams yet. Can’t you see how nervous the trainees are?”

The tense atmosphere eased a bit. That was, except for Didi and the trainees who had voted for her.

***

“Ms. Ah-youuung!”

“Still refusing to call me unni, huh?”

“Hehe!”

Yoon-jung grinned sweetly and clung to Ah-young Kim. Today, they were shooting a collab with a member of ALTO other than Ah-young.

“Do your best with the shoot today. Once it’s done, don’t wait on me. I’ve got an important meeting coming up.”

“A meeting? What kind of meeting?” Yoon-jung tilted her head curiously.

Ah-young felt the burden of the numerous gazes fixed on them. They were likely fans, hoping for autographs or photos from Yoon-jung. She pulled Yoon-jung to the side and replied.

“What kind of meeting would a choreography team be having? It’s a choreography request meeting.”

Just then, an employee walked in to inform her that the client had arrived earlier than scheduled. Yoon-jung waved goodbye with a gaze that expressed a sense of regret at their early goodbye.

“See you next time, Ms. Ah-young!”

As always, after greeting Ah-young and the ALTO team, Yoon-jung moved on to giving fan service for her waiting fans.

“I’m a huge fan! I’ve been watching you since you first started streaming.”

“Haha, really? Thank you.”

“Can you stream more often? I started playing battle royale games because of you!”

“I already eat my meals while streaming. How would I do more? Sorry, no can do!”

“Yoon-jung, do you recognize my username? I’ve donated a lot. It’s ‘YoonJung_The_Airdrop_Fairy.’”

“Um… It sort of rings a bell?”

“Be honest, you don’t remember, do you?”

“Haha! Well, now I’ll make sure to remember!”

After wrapping up her fan service, Yoon-jung prepared to start filming when Ah-young, who was supposed to be in a meeting, came back.

“Yoon-jung.”

“Huh? Ms. Ah-young! The meeting’s already over?”

“No, they heard you were here and asked if you could attend the meeting with us. Apparently, they were planning to schedule a separate meeting with President Kang anyway. Since you’re already here, they’re asking if you can just sit in and listen.”

“What’s it about?”

“They’re asking if we could collaborate on choreography like we did for Jin-ah. Jin-ah’s choreography became pretty popular, right? They probably want to capitalize on that for promotional purposes. The choreography we created together is still the only one of its kind, so the promotional impact would be bigger. Plus, you’re incredibly popular streamer.”

Yoon-jung’s eyes widened in surprise and asked if such things could even be used for promotion.

“Of course it can. And it’s not just about choreography. They also want to film behind-the-scenes videos of you practicing and teaching. All that will be included.”

Although Yoon-jung’s recognition on TV was limited to brief mentions or clips, her popularity on the internet continued to grow.

With many people watching streaming and YouTube videos instead of TV, even celebrities were increasingly venturing into these platforms with little hesitation. Some were even actively promoting their channels on TV.

“Hmm. Let me check with President Kang first. By the way, who is this client?”

Ah-young gave a mysterious smile at the question.

“Who is it?”

“I told you. It’s for behind-the-scenes filming.”

Yoon-jung tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s for a movie. A movie about the entertainment industry. They say they need a lot of choreography for the storyline.”

“Whaaat!?”

When it came to movies and dramas, promotion was everything. Production companies spared no effort in diversifying their promotional channels. From print media to YouTube to TV, they aimed for maximum exposure.

That was why the production company wanted ALTO and Yoon-jung. ALTO was currently the most popular dance team in Korea, and Yoon-jung had an unparalleled reputation as a streamer.

Especially in the realm of dance, no one could match Yoon-jung’s skills. Plus, her collaboration with Jin-ah on her choreography was legendary. With a growing number of people watching streamers and avoiding traditional media, the production company saw Yoon-jung as a highly attractive asset.

“They trust your skills, and the promotional impact from your fanbase and internet viewers will be massive. I’m sure President Kang will approve this in no time. It’ll also be a great for your career.”

“…”

Yoon-jung stood frozen, her mouth agape. It was that hard to believe.

“Are you saying I’ll be involved in choreography… for a movie?”

“That’s right. They’ll also upload videos of you teaching and rehearsing with the actors on YouTube, which will attract even more attention.”

“Wow…”

“The only issue is that they haven’t cast the actors yet.”

With trembling hands, Yoon-jung picked up her phone.

“I-I’ll make a call.”

The phone rang briefly before Kang Hyuk’s voice came through.

“President Kang, something unbelievable just happened.”

***

The revised plot of 〈 Tomorrow’s Idol 〉 was designed to fully start with twenty-one contestants, so there was no rush to begin eliminations.

The show planned to focus on the trainees getting to know one another, building teamwork, selecting their songs, and crafting their performances and choreography. Each team’s journey was planned to be highlighted with significant screen time.

While the individual journeys of the trainees were crucial, the idol guests who joined the teams were no ordinary idols.

“Just performing well enough would get us comments like how there’s not enough oomph.”

Both the performances and backstories were equally important. Meaning, the show’s ratings would depend on how engaging the trainees’ narratives appeared to the audience.

Thus, today’s recording ended with the team formations. From now on, the production crew would be busy planning each team’s unique filming locations, concepts, and strategies.

“I just hope they don’t decide to join our agency.”

I glanced briefly at Jin-ah, who was making her rounds greeting everyone, before picking up my phone. By the time recording wrapped up, articles online were already spreading like wildfire.

[Top-tier idols team up with trainees! 〈 Tomorrow’s Idol 〉]
[SBC’s ‘Tomorrow’s Idol’ brings out the big guns: GoldenTree, Kid, and Jin-ah Choi join the lineup!]
[No fandom wars here! A pure battle of skills as the ultimate lineup is revealed.]

“They’re fast as ever.”

While scanning through the articles and responses, my phone vibrated unexpectedly.

Vrrr—

A name I hadn’t expected to see appeared on the screen.

[Sung-ah Kim]

“Huh…?”

Vrrr— Vrrr—

The phone buzzed insistently, urging me to pick up.

“Why… would she call me?”

Though we briefly ran into each other at the salon, there was no particular reason why she would be calling me. I hesitated, but there was no real reason to avoid answering.

“Hello?”

– Oppa, is the filming over?

I was startled at how she could have known, but then quickly realized there was an HS Entertainment trainee among the participants. Maybe it was Kid’s influence, but I felt like my thoughts almost went down a strange path.

“It’s over. Why?”

“What, can’t I call? That’s disappointing.”

“It’s not just a casual check-in, is it? What’s going on?”

“Well, there is something I wanted to discuss, but I’m a bit hurt. How about we start calling each other for casual check-ins, too?”

This didn’t sound like a simple matter. I looked around for a quieter spot to focus on the conversation. By then, Jin-ah had finished her greetings and was walking toward me with Kid trailing behind her.

“Can I call you back later? This isn’t the best time to talk.”

“Alright. But don’t take too long, okay?”

“Got it.”

As soon as I hung up, Jin-ah and Kid were in front of me. They both spoke at the same time.

“Let’s go!”

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

The two of them exchanged glances. Kid glared as Jin-ah looked indifferent. I was about to tell Kid to head back to Manager Shin when my phone began buzzing insistently again.

I told her I would call her later. Was she that impatient? When I glanced at the screen, the caller display wasn’t Sung-ah this time.

‘Yoon-jung?’

Unlike the others, I could take Yoon-jung’s call even with them watching.

“Hey, Yoon-jung.”

– President Kang! I think we just hit the jackpot.

Her voice sounded dazed, as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“What kind of jackpot?”

Her tone shifted into excitement.

“A movie! They proposed a choreography collab with ALTO and me! They want to schedule a meeting with you separately, but they’re asking me to hear the explanation while I’m already here. Is that okay?”

“A movie?”

One particular film came to mind. It’s a movie that came out around this time that included choreography…

‘Was it that one?’

It was a big hit, one that no one had expected. I thought of asking for the movie title, but that was something that could change several times before release.

“Which director?”

– Director Min-woo Sung!

I knew it. I suppose he wanted to leave the choreography to Yoon-jung and ALTO. Money was money, but the important variable was career.

For celebrities, careers weren’t just crucial. They were everything. Having a career meant having popularity and recognition, and they formed the foundation for future success.

That was why actors cared so deeply about their filmographies. Of course, someone like Sung-ah Kim was an exception as someone who was irreplaceable.

“I’ll head over right now. You stay there and keep filming.”

– Okay! I’ll let them know.

After hanging up the call, I prepared to leave the set with Jin-ah, but Kid grabbed my arm.

“President Kang, where are you going? Can’t you spare even a moment to talk?”

At some point, Manager Shin had also approached us.

“Sorry, something urgent came up. Let’s catch up later. Manager Shin, I’ll see you next time.”

“Oh…”

Leaving a disappointed Kid behind, Jin-ah and I hurriedly exited the studio.

—

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