Chapter 123: Debt (2)
Seol Nari (19, female), a trainee at MyWay, had one worry on her mind.
If she had to sum it up in a single sentence, it would probably be something like: “How to improve an awkward relationship.”
‘It’s a bit too complicated to just lump it all under the word “awkward,” though…’
Still, “awkward” was probably the most fitting single word to describe the relationship between herself and the other person involved.
And that “other person” was, of course, the two people who had been placed in the same special curriculum as her: Han Chaekyung and Baek Soyoung.
To be honest, Seol Nari didn’t harbor any real ill will toward those two—who, at this point, couldn’t help but feel a little isolated among MyWay’s trainees.
The feeling she held toward them was pure curiosity.
‘What exactly did Producer-nim see in those two?’
She already knew it wasn’t a question that would be easily answered.
Yet the reason she couldn’t shake it off was simple.
Because Seol Nari herself was an ardent believer in the man who had personally brought those two here.
If she hadn’t personally experienced the “magic” where simply repeating his words in her mind made things that had once been impossible suddenly become possible, she might have ended up resenting or envying them just like the other trainees.
Of course, if the object of her faith—the man himself—ever heard those inner thoughts, he’d probably counter with:
“That’s just because you only take on what you know you can handle. How many other kids kept failing their assignment tracks until they finally got swapped out?”
But since she was already under the spell, her reasoning didn’t reach that conclusion.
Instead, she simply focused on the task he’d given her:
“Nari, I’m going to have you take on the leader role.”
‘That’s right—I’m the leader…!’
Seol Nari had never been the type to push people away, but she also wasn’t the type to approach others first. The fact that she’d now decided to close the distance with those two came from exactly that realization.
She was well aware that, in their eyes, she probably looked like the representative of all the trainees who were keeping their distance.
The good news was that this worry was now in the past tense—because the problem had already been solved.
“Hey, Nari’s here?”
“Nari unnie, hello.”
Just a few days ago—on the very first day of this special curriculum—the two of them had been stiff and distant. Now they were greeting her first the moment they saw her.
Thinking back on everything that had happened, Seol Nari realized one of the ways she’d managed to close that awkward gap.
‘A common enemy… huh.’
When living creatures face a crisis too big to handle alone, isn’t it instinct to band together with others in the same boat?
The way the three of them had grown closer followed that exact pattern.
‘Of course, I can’t exactly call Producer-nim a “common enemy”…’
But the curriculum he was running definitely qualified as something that could be described as a “public enemy” without exaggeration.
If she had to rephrase it more accurately… maybe a “public ordeal” was closer.
‘I’m seriously dying here too…’
Even for Seol Nari—who had anticipated days like this and trained her body in advance—the training was brutally intense.
So how must it feel for Han Chaekyung and Baek Soyoung, who hadn’t been mentally or physically prepared for anything this extreme?
She didn’t know exactly what the two of them were thinking, but…
“To the point where you think dozens of times a day, ‘Is this bastard seriously trying to kill me?’”
If even Seol Nari—who had some preparation—was feeling the bone-deep truth of the words he’d said back then, there was nothing more that needed to be explained.
‘Did he plan for this too?’
She hadn’t asked him directly, but Seol Nari couldn’t shake the feeling that this was exactly the picture he’d wanted.
When you’re all going through the same hellish time together, and someone steps up first to take care of the others, it’s impossible not to feel some kind of bond forming.
It almost felt like the classic “bad cop, good cop” interrogation tactic police supposedly use—except in this case, he was both roles at once. The thought made her smile lightly as she asked the two of them, who were warming up nearby:
“Chaekyung unnie, what time do you even get here? And you, Soyoung?”
“Just… woke up early anyway, so I came. There’s not much to do if I stay in the dorm…”
“Hehe, same here.”
The curriculum officially started at 9 a.m.
Right now it was just a little before 8.
By the time the session ended each day, they were all wearing expressions that screamed “I want to run away”—yet the next morning, without fail, the two of them were already here before her.
Even when Seol Nari—motivated by their example—had pushed herself to arrive at what she thought was an insanely early time, she still ended up being the last one.
She could only shrug her shoulders at the realization.
‘This is for sure now.’
At the very least, those two weren’t the type to coast just because they had a strong background.
If anything, they were the type who worked tirelessly so they wouldn’t become a burden to the person who had given them that background.
That fact alone allowed Seol Nari to passionately preach the two girls’ strengths to the other trainees.
Since no one could deny Seol Nari’s skill level (at least among the trainees), the others had no choice but to gradually soften the sharp looks they’d been giving Han Chaekyung and Baek Soyoung.
‘I should try coming around 7:30 tomorrow.’
Just as that thought—fueled by their example—crossed her mind,
“Um…”
A slightly faltering voice reached Seol Nari’s ears.
The direction it came from was Baek Soyoung—the youngest of the three.
“When… are we going to do other training…?”
Silence fell as both girls’ eyes turned to her at once, and Soyoung flinched but continued.
The three of them had been pulled out for this special curriculum, yet so far all they’d done was running and what was called “common sense classes”—essentially mental discipline.
And it didn’t stop there: practice for singing and dancing had been completely forbidden.
“Nari, you’re the exception. You can do whatever you want, but I’d appreciate it if you held back a little in front of the others.”
At least in Seol Nari’s case, he’d pulled her aside to explain that—but since they spent almost all their waking hours together, even she barely had time to practice.
That was also why Seol Nari could only praise Han Chaekyung and Baek Soyoung’s diligence to the other trainees.
When singing and dancing had been outright banned from even being thought about, what could she possibly say about their skills?
It was only natural that Han Chaekyung and Baek Soyoung felt not just confused but genuinely anxious.
Seol Nari didn’t miss that anxiety.
“The Orion sunbaenim also spent entire days running, lifting weights, and doing mental training while Producer-nim personally controlled everything. Maybe it’s because our debut is so close? So we don’t make mistakes in front of people. There’s no need to worry too much.”
As the leader, she couldn’t just stay silent—she comforted them, even though she felt a tiny pang of guilt from her conscience.
‘…Well, the Orion sunbaenim didn’t have zero singing and dancing practice…’
It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t entirely true either.
Since Seol Nari hadn’t received any exact instructions from him herself, she’d just blurted out whatever came to mind.
Still, there was one thing she could say with certainty.
There was proof that the current physical training wasn’t meaningless.
“And stamina is really important. Producer-nim is famous for having zero mercy when he’s working. Especially during recording sessions.”
“Recording?”
“Yeah. I heard that when he was recording Shooting Star, he kept them in the studio for seven straight hours. They ate sandwiches for lunch and only got a 30-minute break in between.”
“Seven hours? How is that even possible…?”
“Yeah, unnie. I didn’t see it myself, but Team Leader Jeon Seonwoo told me, so there’s no exaggeration. He didn’t go that far with Hylliy sunbaenim or the Orion sunbaenim… but Sena sunbaenim said the recording session she did with Producer-nim was the hardest one she’s ever had. So even if it’s tough right now, let’s just push through.”
“If Nari unnie says so… then it must be true… right?”
“Yeah… Nari’s spent way more time around Producer-nim than we have.”
Watching the two of them try to shake off their anxiety by clinging to her reassurance, Seol Nari forced a smile.
She was just as anxious as they were, but—
‘I’m the leader.’
That was the responsibility she had willingly vowed to carry.
“Before Producer-nim gets here, how about a fighting cheer? We’re going to have to run like we’re dying again today.”
“Ugh… I really feel like I’m going to die… but okay, let’s just think we’re already dead and go for it!”
“Right… If you can’t trust me, then trust Producer-nim like he said.”
On top of the hand Seol Nari held out,
Baek Soyoung let out a small groan before deliberately raising her voice, and Han Chaekyung—giving a wry smile at the sight—placed her hand on top with a firm resolve.
Seeing that, Seol Nari’s heart felt a little lighter.
“Okay—one, two, three—fighting!”
““Fighting!!””
If anyone had seen the scene, they would have smiled warmly.
It became just another small memory tucked away in the hearts of the three girls.
***
“Hmm… Hmm…”
Seo Yoonje—who had called me here and then spent the whole time silently stroking his chin—finally spoke after I’d been in the director’s office for quite a while.
“I mean… I did leave everything to you, Yujin-ssi… but is this really okay? I heard the kids are doing nothing but stamina training all day.”
Ah, so that’s what this is about.
Well, it makes sense he’d bring it up.
“Yes. I’ve already planned everything out and we’re proceeding exactly as scheduled. The kids’ condition is exactly what I expected too.”
But it’s fine.
The fact that those three girls are spending all day every day just running on treadmills is completely according to my plan.
‘Unfortunately, I can’t actually tell them that.’
My plan is for Nari, Chaekyung, and Soyoung to keep doing nothing but stamina training and common-sense (mental) education right up until Project Trinity filming begins.
Nari is already at a level where she could debut tomorrow without issue.
There might be a slight gap by my standards, but that’s only because my bar is unreasonably high—not because she’s lacking.
Since the three of them are always together, they don’t have much free time, but it’s not zero either—so she’s more than capable of maintaining her current level.
‘Project Trinity isn’t an immediate debut anyway.’
In terms of showing growth during the survival process, it’s actually better for Nari to stay exactly where she is right now.
‘Chaekyung? Soyoung? No need to even say it.’
The same goes for them.
I feel a little bad saying this, but right now Chaekyung and Soyoung need to look like “picks not worth taking” in the eyes of the other producers.
To the point where people say, “Why the hell did MyWay send those trainees as their representatives?”
‘I’ll sneak a little guidance for Soyoung on the side… but Chaekyung doesn’t even need that.’
I’ve already gone through every trial and error with Chaekyung in the past.
Soyoung still needs some direction to figure out her own talent, so I’ll keep an eye on her just enough—but I have no intention of digging deep until she gets a real grasp on her potential.
In the meantime, I need to raise their stamina as high as humanly possible.
The hell they’re going to go through during the survival show is terrifying even to me.
‘If they can just reach about half the level they had during Pleiades…’
To everyone watching, it’ll look like a complete metamorphosis.
The strategy is officially called “The Two Passed-Over Girls Are Actually the Strongest.”
In the original tournament that inspired Project Trinity’s auction system, there was even a saying: “Winning is only possible if you get the passed-over picks.”
This is exactly the groundwork for that.
‘Their mentality is the one thing I’m a little worried about…’
In the worst case, they might misunderstand and think they’re just being used as background props to prop Nari up.
Well, even then—it’ll be fine.
Neither Chaekyung nor Soyoung has a particularly weak mentality, and since they’re together almost all day, I won’t miss any major shifts.
“If that’s what you say, Yujin-ssi, then my role is just to trust you and wait. Speaking of good news—Ryu PD from Trinity just contacted me. It’s confirmed.”
“Did they accept easily?”
I didn’t think the old raccoons from Sunshine, JWY, or Overwhelm would so readily welcome someone like me who’s charging in aggressively.
“We made a concession too. When we said we’d give up one trainee slot, they couldn’t really push back anymore. If they kept refusing after that, it’d basically be Music On Net declaring they won’t take any MyWay artists at all. Ryu PD seemed desperate to have us, so now he owes us one.”
“…”
I barely held back the urge to ask, ‘Excuse me, do you have a conscience?’
‘So you’re calling a card we never even wanted “a concession” and turning it into “a debt”?’
Well, giving the minimum and taking the maximum is just how the world works here.
‘But do you really have to do it to me too?’
I’m the one who said three recommended trainees were enough in the first place, yet here he is framing it as “concession” and “debt” even to me. It’s almost impressive.
“Anyway, that’s why I called you. Just asking you to keep working hard going forward.”
“I’ll do my best with what I’ve been assigned. Teaching the kids is honestly kind of fun too.”
“When you say it like that, I feel grateful. I just feel a little bad. Even if it’s fun, wouldn’t you rather just focus on your own music?”
“I can do that in between. You saw it this time too, didn’t you?”
“True. After hearing Soyagok, I was wondering when the hell you even made a song like that… If it’s you, Yujin-ssi, you’ll manage your own music just fine.”
“Then I’ll get going. The kids are probably waiting.”
“Ah. Time already flew by. Go on ahead.”
I was about to leave Seo Yoonje’s office after exchanging goodbyes when—
“Oh, you’re finally coming out.”
The moment I opened the door, a familiar “outsider” face came into view.
“Sunbae?”
Lee Ahjeong smiled brightly and waved.
My eyes instinctively flicked toward Seo Yoonje.
Lee Ahjeong was technically still one of MyWay’s directors, but that was only in name.
Now that she’d officially transferred to BNW Entertainment, there was no real reason for her to be here.
Yet Seo Yoonje looked just as surprised by her visit.
That’s when I understood.
“Sunbae-nim… did you come to see me?”
Her purpose here was me.
“Yup. Wanted to see the face of the person who just pushed my new song down to second place in a long time.”
“Huh?”
It took me a moment to fully process what she meant by that “purpose.”
Looks like the debt we just created with Music On Net is about to get a little heavier.
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TL Note:
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[This series is in the “Regressed Idol” collection]
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