Cheating way through to Stardom chapter 4- Idiot

I looked at him again.

Lee Kyungbae was smirking, seemingly pleased that I had fallen for it.

‘Bad guys need to face consequences.’

So it was you.

The reason I gave up on becoming an idol.

‘Though it’s also my fault for giving up after one failed audition, you’re something else too.’

However, things are different now.

Unfortunately for them, I’ve regressed.

How should I mess with them effectively?

What could I do that I would be proud of for generations to come?

I was contemplating for a moment when an employee gestured to us.

Lee Kyungbae and I stood up from our seats.

It was already time for the interview.

Too bad. No more time.

I smiled with my eyes and said, “I’m nervous. How about you?”

Lee Kyungbae’s walking was awkward, probably due to nerves.

But he still looked at me and said, “I-I’m not nervous at all.”

He was stuttering.

Yeah, right, not nervous at all.

Well, it wasn’t my concern.

The more flustered he was, the better it was for me.

I slightly bowed my head.

Come to think of it, ten years ago, I was extremely nervous at this moment.

‘Is it because I’ve experienced it once?’

Rather than being nervous, I was excited.

It felt like I was stepping onto a stage meant just for me.

A gentle breeze blew from somewhere.

As the coolness brushed my neck, I felt inexplicably good.

‘It feels like someone is pushing me forward.’

I lifted my head again. Well, this time, I didn’t want to taste the bitterness of failure.

‘Let’s do this, Cha Dowon.’

As if in response, the wind blew again, and my steps felt lighter.

***

The audition hall was simpler than expected.

There were just chairs and lined-up desks.

I quickly scanned the judges.

‘The president and employees, huh?’

There was nothing special.

But as soon as I saw the person sitting at the end, I got chills.

‘Why is he here?’

Even though he wore a white cap and sunglasses, I could tell who he was by his features.

‘Kang Minjae!’

I clenched my fist. I wanted to rush to the desk and punch him.

‘No.’

I took a deep breath.

If I punched him, I’d be kicked out immediately.

And I’d probably never get into this company again.

‘Calm down.’

Honestly, you know it.

That he’s here and that he will debut successfully.

‘That group did well.’

If they had held out for a few more years, they would have soared on the Korean Wave.

‘But they disbanded rather emptily, didn’t they?’

The judges gestured for us to sit.

As I sat down, I thought of Kang Minjae’s group, ‘Zenis.’

‘They were good.’

Their songs were great, and their concept was interesting.

At one point, they were on billboards everywhere, and their new songs were playing all over.

‘Why did they disband?’

I glanced at Kang Minjae with his sunglasses.

He was casually watching the applicants.

‘When the group disbanded, it caused quite a stir.’

Groups usually disband because of contract expiration, but Zenis was different.

I recalled an interview.

“The company tried to create a group that would match Minjae hyung.”

One member, who was quitting, sneered at the reporter.

“The president openly recruited members who would suit the intellectual leader and the crazy Maknae concept. But how could they find such members? Eventually, they debuted the best trainees. That’s us. However, we debuted as Kang Minjae’s sidekicks.”

He turned to the camera and spoke clearly.

“Everything was centered around the leader, Kang Minjae. From the songs to the group concept, everything. I want to find my place. Isn’t that a good enough reason to leave Zenis?”

I smiled. I gained a lot from that seemingly trivial interview.

I sorted it out step by step.

First, Kang Minjae was the leader of Zenis, but he couldn’t manage the group.

‘Makes sense.’

He was a weird guy.

If he treated them the way he treated me, it’s natural there’d be friction.

‘That’s none of my business.’

I didn’t have much time. I moved on quickly.

Second, Zenis was centered around Kang Minjae.

‘Makes sense.’

I wanted to punch him for it, but his talent was undeniable.

‘Handsome, main vocalist, composing and arranging skills.’

Honestly, in terms of talent, he was unparalleled.

‘Looking at it objectively, that’s why Zenis succeeded.’

In other words, joining Kang Minjae’s group guaranteed success.

I glanced at Kang Minjae again.

I couldn’t see his eyes because of the sunglasses.

But if he was the same guy I knew, he’d be observing everyone.

I quickly reached a conclusion.

‘Not bad.’

No matter how talented you are, you can’t succeed alone as an idol.

‘If he uses me, I’ll use him too.’

Sleeping with the enemy, sounds good. (TL: Is this a BL? Lol. Anyway the meaning is having a good cooperation.)

‘Just don’t trust him.’

Right, Minjae hyung?

For success, I can do anything now.

I know. I’ll never trust you again.

We have a lot to settle, don’t we?

I grinned and adjusted my posture.

No matter what I thought, the audition continued.

The participant on the far right started singing.

As I listened to the relaxing ballad, I thought about the next thing.

There was another piece of information in that interview.

Third, they’re looking for a crazy Maknae member.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Crazy, huh?’

If asked if I could act crazy, I could.

‘I didn’t go through the theater scene for nothing.’

I didn’t know why they needed that, but it wasn’t my concern.

So.

‘I just need to act like a crazy youngest in this audition.’

I smiled leisurely. If it meant success, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

The ballad soon ended.

The judges didn’t give any evaluation.

They just proceeded silently to the next.

“Next, number 118, what will you do?”

Lee Kyungbae stood up abruptly and said, “I’ll dance!”

“What song should we play?”

“Yumi’s Shooting.”

Oh.

I widened my eyes.

Using a solo female singer Yumi’s song?

It’s famous, but isn’t it a bit embarrassing for a guy to dance to?

‘It had a zombie concept, and it was quite bizarre…….’

I knew this dance because I had reluctantly learned it for a college festival.

Lee Kyungbae? Was he good at pulling off concepts?

It was an unusual song choice, but the judges didn’t react.

They just played “Shooting,” the new song by Yumi, one of their company’s rising stars.

A lively dance track started playing. Lee Kyungbae twisted his hips wildly, pointing at the judges with his fingers.

“Shooting with my friend~”

His butt was shaking.

It was a truly nauseating sight.

‘That’s Yumi’s job.’

Why did he choose Yumi’s song?

Lee Kyungbae seemed desperate to make a fool of himself.

He shook violently even during the intense parts.

His dance, ending with him sprawled on the floor and mimicking shooting himself in the head, was utterly cringe-worthy.

But something felt off.

“Shooting! Shooting! I’ll kill you.”

Was Yumi’s performance just bizarrely funny?

‘That’s not what she wanted to convey, is it?’

The stage was filled with the raw emotion of betrayal.

The concept and performance were unique, but you could still clearly feel what she wanted to express.

‘If a holiday special comedian did it, aiming for laughs would be right, but this is an audition, isn’t it?’

Regardless, Lee Kyungbae danced ridiculously.

As the overly shaken, bizarre performance ended, the judges rested their chins on their hands.

‘That’s not a good look.’

Both the song and the dance were a series of misses. I glanced at Lee Kyungbae.

‘Is he self-destructing before I even press the button?’

What was he thinking?

Was it because he had no potential?

He really was an idiot.