Chapter 279 – Minji… What Do You Mean…
The rules of the improvised audition broadcast may have been improvised, but they were very simple.
Two people each perform a performance they have prepared on stage, and three judges and 30 audience members who see it choose one of the two sides.
At this time, the judges’ votes were treated as 10 audience votes, a system in which the judges and the audience each had half the weight.
Except for the fact that the weight of the judges was somewhat stronger, it was almost the same as the basic broadcasting platform that made audition programs popular.
‘But the judges are a bit ambiguous.’
Perhaps because it was a hastily made broadcast, the composition of the judges, who are the most important after the participating children, was a bit lacking.
Normally, for a show like this, the judges would be high-ranking people in the entertainment industry, people with outstanding skills, or at least celebrities who are talented and can talk well, but the judges for this show were people who lacked both popularity and speaking skills.
‘Song Song Song, a famous singer in the past, trainer teacher, and Cheon Bom…’
If you ask whether these three are not qualified to be judges, the answer is absolutely not.
‘Song Song Song’, a famous singer in the past, was famous for his groundbreaking stage performances at the time.
Although she was a trot singer, she was someone who had outstanding ability to dominate the stage by actively utilizing back dancers and performing her own choreography appropriately.
If he’s like that, he’s sure to have eyes for even idol stages.
The same goes for trainers.
I got used to that face because I took dance lessons with him every day, but he is a very famous teacher in the idol industry, and half of the popular idols have taken lessons from him, and his eye for dancing is even better than that of the active duty teacher.
You are more strict and accurate than most experts.
And finally, Cheonbom.
The kids and I sometimes forget her weak side and her normal self, but isn’t she an excellent songwriter?
Moreover, idol singing skills have also improved significantly recently.
Her ability to check vocals as well as singing will be perfect.
‘…Yes, but something is a bit ambiguous.’
However, an idol’s performance needs to be evaluated on TV and attract people’s attention, but he is that kind of member.
You may score well, but it is difficult to attract attention.
A singer from a past era who is not currently active, a trainer whom the general public does not know, and Cheon Bom, whose face the general public does not know well…
Hosts need to be able to attract people’s attention, but they don’t seem famous or eloquent.
Swish.
Cheon Bom, who was sitting in the judges’ seat, suddenly turned her head and looked this way.
I smiled and shook her hand, and she gave me a pouty look and looked away again.
…He seems like a scary person.
I can’t even curse in my heart.
‘Anyway, this show… I’m not getting any attention in many ways.’
Since I participated anyway, there’s no point in calculating too much about how much people’s attention I can get, but if it’s this bad, I still care.
Even if it’s called gyereuk, it would be good to eat it by spreading it on and eating at least a little bit of the flesh.
‘Doesn’t the CEO know that?’
After looking at the judges who were preparing and the audience making a lot of noise, I turned my attention to the inside of the officials’ bleachers.
And at that moment, I made eye contact with the CEO who was looking at me.
“Uh?”
I was a little surprised, and without realizing it, my voice came out in voice.
It was because the CEO’s eyes looked quite harsh, unlike usual.
When my eyes met hers, she looked at me for a moment and then looked forward.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
This is an audition that makes you anxious in many ways even before it starts.
***
After completing basic rehearsals for the broadcast, inside the waiting room.
In the first round, it was Soye’s turn, so she waited backstage, and there were only me, Haeun, and Min in the waiting room.
“Okay kids, we’re going to do a final check before the audition… Do you have any questions or want to check?”
As we began the finishing process to shake off the anxiety before the live broadcast, Ha-eun and Min-ji raised their hands at the same time.
…You both have questions at the same time, and you even raise your hands?
What is this active appeal?
“…Huh, what is it?”
“What on earth?”
“How…Did it happen…?”
What?
When I asked with a look of uncertainty, the two continued to speak in unison.
“Don’t pretend not to know!”
“Just now… Something crazy happened…!”
“So what is it?”
“”Name!””
The two soprano voices mixed together struck my ears.
“Why are you suddenly calling me by my sister’s name?”
“Sister… You always called me sister… Right…?”
“What is it? “What happened?”
“You two decided to abandon your Confucian mindset from now on…? With a free feel… With a Western… Mindset…? “Are you ready to immigrate…?”
“Minji… What do you mean…”
Minji mumbles something, not sure if she was more shocked than she thought.
“I decided to just call him by his first name.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I want to do that, can’t I?”
“No, there’s nothing that can’t be done… It’s so fucking weird that someone who always calls you ‘noona’, ‘noona’, suddenly calls you by your first name.”
“That’s right… I keep calling you Sister and Oppa… Sister and Oppa…”
“Do you want to call me by your name, Minji?”
Minji stopped at my words with her eyes wide.
“…Is that okay…?”
“As much as you want.”
“…”
Minji looks at me in silence for a moment.
She swallowed her saliva once and waved her pupils to both sides for no reason, gathering her energy and finally opening her mouth.
“…Three, three… Three… Three… Three…”
“Yes I’m fine. Say. As you want.”
“Whatever you want… What you want… Three… Three… Sex…?”
The three of us became quiet due to the sudden rush.
Ha-eun and I exchanged glances.
‘It’s going to spin, really.’
‘He’s really going crazy.’
It’s a really fun experience to understand something without having to say it.
“I’m sorry oppa, no, it’s not this… Se… Sejin…?”
“Yes, Minji.”
“Se…Jinah.”
“Huh. “Minji.”
“…Sejin, yes, Sejin. Sejin. Yes, Sejin. Sejin… Ehehe…”
Minji likes to call my name over and over again, wondering why it’s so funny.
Ha-eun chuckled as she saw that.
“Chi, why is calling your name so difficult? “It’s nothing special.”
Hey, where is the person who made a fuss about me calling him by Soye’s name?
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah dude. Just call it out loud. “I ended up calling that guy by his name anyway.”
“But, my sister… There isn’t much of an age difference between me and my brother…”
“Plus or minus 3 is meaningless. “If that’s the case, we’re the same age.”
“Is it so?”
“Then!”
“I see… Ha, ha…”
“Huh?”
“…Ha, Eun-ah…?”
Ha-eun stiffened slightly due to Min-ji’s continued attack.
***
After a while, the officials in front of the stage are in the bleachers.
Im Ha-eun was standing next to her with a sullen expression, and Lee Se-jin was trying hard to comfort her.
“Tsk tsk tsk, wow, that’s really amazing… How does it feel? I feel like I’m on par with Minji.”
“You’re noisy, you bastard…”
Hehe, oh shit, I can’t stop laughing. Tsk tsk tsk. Plus or minus 3 isn’t a big deal, that’s right. That’s just about the same! Even in the old Joseon Dynasty, we were friends up to plus or minus 8, giggle!”
…Laughing and teasing is also a type of comfort that tells you to overcome hurt feelings with laughter.
In that sense, Lee Se-jin was never ridiculing Im Ha-eun.
Of course, whether she feels that way toward Im Ha-eun is another question.
“You’re having so much fun…?”
Im Ha-eun asks with a vein sticking out on her forehead.
“No, it was so cute how she fell for what she said and couldn’t say anything even though her face turned red.”
She was slightly speechless at Lee Se-jin’s answer.
After teasing him to his heart’s content, he said it was cute and laughed, so I couldn’t even be mad at him. This guy is really good at surprise attacks.
Im Ha-eun grumbled inwardly and said nothing more.
“What’s really going on…”
…What happened, suddenly calling her sister by her name?
Im Ha-eun was about to ask such a question, but Lee Se-jin blocked her lips with her finger, preventing her from coming out.
This was because the broadcast recording had started.
“Okay then, starting now! Idol Survival Audition! A competition to determine who is the strongest idol on earth, judged solely on ability! Idolly Arena! Let’s begin!”
The officials and audience become quiet as the host shouts.
In the meantime, Lim Ha-eun’s thoughts, blocked by her question, went one step further.
‘I think the two of you have gone one step further. Is that it? Are you really lovers now? Then, am I one step behind…?
A bit of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and envy.
Even though Im Ha-eun felt this, she quietly turned her gaze forward.
Im Ha-eun had the heart to bury her trivial pain and take care of her precious sister first.
“Now then, what have you been waiting for~! Let’s take a look at her first performance! “The Queens’ Shin So-ye!”
“Hello, this is Soye from The Queens~!”
Shin So-ye calmly greets the judges and audience with a gentle smile.
Except for the fact that looking at that smile made me feel warmer than usual, it was exactly the look that Shin So-ye usually showed.
But just a few seconds later, the appearance changed drastically.
‘…What?’
Im Ha-eun was immediately impressed after the performance started.
This was because Shin So-ye’s performance was completely different from what she was used to seeing.
From the vocals to the dance, and even the smiles and facial expressions towards people…
It all felt different.
‘What is it?’
Her skills didn’t improve all that much.
If you look closely, she was Shin So-ye, showing similar skills as usual.
Did she feel like it was 5% better than the performance she saw while practicing together?
But it was different.
The rich and overflowing emotions brought out by the vocals, the fingertips and toes that move beautifully and attract people’s attention, the happy aura that flows from the corners of the mouth and eyes when smiling…
Although it is difficult to express in words, something that attracted people’s eyes was overflowing from Shin So-ye.
“Hey, what the hell…”
What did you do, why are you going crazy like that?
Im Ha-eun, who was about to ask such a question, stopped when she saw Lee Se-jin’s face.
“Good, good… It’s the best… Soye…”
She was sending her eyes full of trust and affection to Shin So-ye, as if Lee Se-jin, who was watching, ‘trusted’ her.
‘You two… There really was something there.’
Im Ha-eun had a hunch.
There was something happy between the two that made Shin So-ye’s performance on stage go one step further.
And that is something big enough to create a difference between himself and Shin So-ye.
Im Ha-eun felt that intuition calming down just a little bit in her heart.
