Episode 51: Main Job Moment
The moment I saw the kids sweating in front of the wall-to-wall mirror, my first thought was:
‘Well, the pool’s small, but the quality’s high.’
Most of the faces are familiar.
Including the four Oberon members and others who’ll debut under different agencies, about 80% of these kids will taste the stage to some degree.
‘This is a bizarre setup.’
The Korean idol trainee system is like panning for gold—finding a few specks in a bucket of sand.
But here, it’s different.
‘There’s barely a handful of sand, and it’s all gold dust. Fascinating.’
What’s even more peculiar?
‘Not a single main vocal prospect among them.’
As Jeon Seonwoo said, the four Oberon members and the others headed elsewhere are all dance, rap, or visual roles.
‘Guess that’s just MyWay’s deal.’
Other agencies would shove any vocal talent into this structure, but MyWay seems set on nurturing them as is.
‘Hard to call it a flaw… maybe a company quirk?’
Not that it matters much.
‘Looking at them now, it feels like a bit of a waste…’
I said I’d give ‘First Step’ to the right kids, but honestly, that was mostly lip service.
I thought only someone like Taeoh could fill my shoes.
If he passed, I planned to keep Polaris’s legendary repertoire as mental snacks for nostalgia.
But now, my perspective’s shifting.
Seeing these blank-slate trainees, the producer Han Yujin in me is stirring.
‘If trained well, they could outshine Polaris in everything but vocals.’
This industry isn’t just about skill, but the urge to take on this challenge feels like instinct—I can’t stop it.
“What do you think? Our kids are good, right?”
Seo Yoonje’s voice comes from behind.
I keep my eyes on the trainees and answer.
“Jeon said some kids stood out, so I came to check, but there are so many I can’t tell who’s who.”
“The one standing out most is you, Yujin-ssi. Those kids are probably dizzy knowing you’re here.”
“Huh?”
“Your hair. Who else has that color right now? If they weren’t practicing, they’d be swarming you for autographs.”
“Oh.”
I forgot how much my hair pops.
“I should dye it back soon.”
“Why? It looks good.”
“Complementary coloring’s a hassle.”
It looks nice now, but skip the maintenance, and it’ll turn dull khaki fast.
I’m keeping it for Zia’s amusement, but once she’s used to it, it’s back to black.
“I think that color’s fine too, but do what you want.”
As I twirl a strand around my finger, Seo Yoonje continues.
“So, you thinking about it?”
“About what?”
“Joining the kids’ practice. Your Shining Light performance showed real talent.”
“Pfft.”
His calling that stage “talent” makes me burst out laughing.
Sure, it’s just the tip of the iceberg, so it might seem that way.
‘Put me in there, and those kids are done for, mister.’
It’d be like releasing a snakehead into a goldfish tank.
Rivals need a manageable gap to spark competition.
If I went all out, they’d face reality and bolt.
“Nah, I’m not aiming to be an idol. If I want dance lessons, I’ll ask choreographer Lee Sangwoon.”
“True, you’ve got Sangwoon.”
We share a laugh, recalling Lee Sangwoon’s passionate finals rant.
“By the way, why ‘too’?”
“Huh?”
I catch something in his question.
Asking if I’m “also” interested implies someone else is.
“Didn’t you bring it up?”
“With who?”
“Taeoh. He said he wants in on the trainee program.”
“What? Taeoh? Why?”
“That’s what I’m asking! I thought you put him up to it. It clicked when he mentioned it—you meant Taeoh as the vocal, right? Or not?”
“No, that’s right, but…”
“See? I thought you convinced him. Anyway, he’s set to start today. His skills aren’t ready for this group yet, so he’ll train separately for basics.”
I planned to pitch ‘First Step’ to Taeoh slowly, but reality’s outpaced me.
Instead of feeling lucky, I’m just bewildered.
What? Seriously, why?!
“You’re here already?”
Mid-makeup, Park Juan plops down beside me, offering a casual greeting.
“Hey… you okay, hyung?”
I glance at him to return the greeting, but his face looks rough.
“Ugh, I’m dying. Got three hours of sleep.”
It shows.
Bloodshot veins pop through his hollow eyes, barely concealed by makeup.
Unlike me, who outright declined media gigs, Park Juan’s been hitting every invite.
“Heard you were in Busan yesterday?”
“Yeah. It was bearable with Seunghee, but man, how do idols do this?”
He grumbles, but—
“Thanks, though. With the top four ghosting, I’m getting my turn.”
His happiness likely comes from having stages to sing on.
I planned it that way.
Um Dongkyu and Kim In are tied up with band schedules.
Taeoh—
“Hey, hyungs.”
“Oh, Taeoh’s here. How’s dance training?”
“It’s more fun than I thought.”
Aside from school, Taeoh’s glued to Lee Sangwoon for training.
Thanks to that, Noh Jiyoon, Park Juan, and Yang Seunghee’s Pink Blossom are hogging Blind Singer’s spotlight.
“Man, Han Yujin’s poisoning Taeoh. It’s not too late, Taeoh. If he’s blackmailing you, shake a carrot!”
“Pfft!”
Park Juan’s unhinged jab makes Taeoh laugh, but he quickly adds—
“It’s really fun, though. At first, it felt like copying Yujin-hyung, but now it’s 100% my choice.”
Taeoh’s inexplicable move?
I was the cause.
“Just… seeing what you did made me want to try.”
He says my ‘Shining Light’ stage lingers when he closes his eyes.
He had no interest in idol music before, but it grew on him.
Knowing I wouldn’t go that route made him want it more.
And above all—
“Hyung! This is it, right? The music you want to do with me?! This is it, isn’t it?”
His eyes went wild when he heard ‘First Step’.
‘Well, good is good…’
If songs that’d lose relevance with passing trends find new owners, that’s rewarding in its own way.
‘Since First Step suits the pre-vacation season best…’
Anytime works, but the lyrics fit that vibe perfectly.
In my original life, Polaris released it in November.
With less than a month left now, that’s impossible, so next June’s the target.
‘Next year around this time could work too, but that’d leave Taeoh idle too long.’
That leaves about six months.
With talent and effort, it’s doable—I know from experience.
‘Lee Sangwoon training him already proves his talent.’
Taeoh’s blending well with the trainees, thanks to his natural charisma.
Most importantly, his resolve is firm.
“Oh, you saw Seunghee-noona in Busan yesterday?”
“She told you?”
“Yeah. I’m always texting with Jiyoon-noona, In-samchon, and Dongkyu-hyung too.”
“Man, their stamina. I pass out in the car and can’t even touch my phone.”
“It’s been a while seeing you and the noonas, hyung.”
“For you, maybe. I’m getting sick of Seunghee and Jiyoon.”
Exactly.
Why Park Juan’s up from touring the country, why Taeoh’s here despite being molded by Lee Sangwoon, why I’m getting makeup done—
It’s the day Blind Singer Season 3’s TOP 7 reunites.
“Oh… that’s been a while.”
“First time for me. Never done it.”
“Really? Yujin, you?”
“I’ve done it a lot.”
Today’s schedule: Blind Singer Afterstory – Unmask Tour.
Originally, Blind Singer’s aftershow, ‘Unmask Time’, was a music-laced talk show, but it’s evolved.
“No wonder this season’s impact was huge. The top two dodging the press blew up the show’s viewer board.”
I’ve got no defense.
‘I didn’t expect people to get this mad.’
As Park Juan said, Taeoh and I avoiding media sparked real outrage, enough to crash the show’s forum.
So, the Blind Singer team’s drastic measure? The ‘Unmask Tour’.
In one phrase: a nationwide busking tour for Season 3’s TOP 7.
Per the contract, we only had to do ‘Unmask Time’, so I wasn’t obligated to join.
‘But I couldn’t skip this.’
Even without requests from Hong Hyunwook, Song Jaeryung, and Kwon Junghyun—colleagues from my past life—busking’s fun in its own right.
“This gritty Seoul air. Feels good to be back.”
“Haven’t practiced guitar much lately. I’ll be okay, right?”
“Done? Let’s go. Right on time.”
We step out from Grace Salon with two latecomers, catching a quick breath of air.
‘Blind Singer Afterstory – Unmask Tour, Seoul Edition.’
Time to return to my main job moment.
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TL Note: If you want to read 17 advanced chapters. You can read them on my Gumroad page.
Link: https://galeriakrish.gumroad.com/l/qvcevg
Or if you want to download the chapters you can download the pdf on my itch.io page.
Link: https://krishgaleria.itch.io/idol-regression
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