The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (5)
The LMH trainees’ performance could be summed up in a single word.
‘A disaster.’
From beginning to end, it was nearly impossible to find a single redeeming moment.
First and foremost, the skill gap between the trainees was severe.
Yoo Sung and the two trainees handling the sub-rapper position far outclassed the other three.
The Sub Rapper Trainee at least attempted to synchronize with the others, but his limited experience as a trainee meant his superior abilities kept breaking through despite his efforts to suppress them.
Yoo Sung, meanwhile, danced and sang with desperate intensity as if frustrated by his inability to fully display his prowess.
Had they given the intro to the Sub Rapper Trainee and positioned Yoo Sung at center, the performance wouldn’t have been quite so catastrophic.
Still, perhaps because they hailed from LMH, they somehow managed to maintain cohesion and push through to the end.
‘If not for those mistakes, it would’ve been acceptable.’
Falling during a performance was a mistake even active idols occasionally made, but there were usually understandable reasons—uncomfortable shoes, slippery flooring, and the like.
The LMH trainees, though…
‘Insufficient practice, plainly.’
When Yoo Sung and one of the trainees tangled and fell, the others froze in place.
I’d witnessed this scene dozens of times before, yet I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
Even the Chorus Trainee, who should have charged forward with the chorus, hesitated—and the song’s momentum shattered entirely.
“Burn up, burn it all away. Burn Burn Burn up!”
Yoo Sung, having found his footing, grabbed the microphone and sang—even though it wasn’t his part.
The Chorus Trainee hastily picked up the microphone and continued the song.
‘It’s already too late.’
What followed was almost too embarrassing to watch with open eyes.
Tension caused them to fumble the choreography repeatedly, and their pitch wavered every time a part transitioned.
Though Yoo Sung desperately tried to salvage the performance, there was no hope when four out of five had lost their composure.
The seemingly endless stage finally concluded, and silence blanketed the Filming Set.
The sound of cameras whirring intensely to capture the judges’ and trainees’ expressions filled the air.
‘The producer must be thrilled.’
The LMH trainees’ stat evaluation performance was edited sensationally and broadcast in every episode.
It became a trending topic on SNS under the label “Team Project Despair,” and YouTube views climbed into the millions.
Kim Junwoo, his expression grave as he reviewed the application documents, picked up the microphone.
“I believe you all understand what the problem is.”
The five trainees said nothing.
“If you don’t, then you have no business being an idol….”
A sigh.
Kim Junwoo exhaled and continued.
“From song selection to part distribution… there’s much to critique, but I won’t do that now. I’ll focus solely on evaluating the skill level you demonstrated in that performance—nothing more, nothing less.”
Kim Junwoo lowered the microphone.
The other judges took turns picking up their microphones to evaluate the LMH trainees’ performance.
“Well… you made many mistakes, but I didn’t sense a lack of fundamental ability. I wish you hadn’t made those errors. Since you have the basic skills, I believe you’ll do better next time. I enjoyed watching the performance.”
“Mistakes happen. No matter how hard you practice, people naturally make mistakes. But the public doesn’t know how hard you practiced—nor do they care. The point is, ‘I made a mistake, but I practiced hard, so please forgive me’ is not an acceptable excuse.”
The criticism of mistakes was sharp, but there was hardly any critique of actual skill.
It was thanks to the solid fundamentals befitting an LMH trainee.
Kim Junwoo tapped the application form with his pen—tap, tap—and picked up the microphone again just as the other judges finished their evaluations.
“Now we’ll begin the stat evaluation.”
A stat window appeared on the large screen beside the Judge’s Seat.
The evaluation started with the Chorus Trainee.
The Chorus Trainee received Vocal C, Dance D+, Appearance B-, and Charm C+.
Final ranking: 24th place.
The second and third trainees received similar stats.
Their rankings were also comparable—27th and 31st place.
The Sub Rapper Trainee received Vocal C+, Dance B-, Appearance A-, and Charm B.
Final ranking: 17th place.
For having botched the stage, it was a respectable score.
Yoo Sung, who demonstrated superior skill in every aspect compared to the other four, would receive the highest ranking.
‘My current ranking is 19th… If two people rank higher than me, I’ll drop out of the top 20.’
But there was no need to worry.
“We’ll now evaluate Yoo Sung’s stats. Yoo Sung’s Vocal stat is A+.”
Yoo Sung is a well-rounded trainee.
He performs his part equally well whether positioned as a vocalist or dancer.
“Yoo Sung’s Dance stat is B-.”
If not for that stumble, his Dance stat would have been an A.
In the subsequent evaluations for Appearance and Charm, Yoo Sung received S and A-.
“I’ll now announce Yoo Sung’s ranking. Yoo Sung’s ranking is… 12th place.”
“Thank you….”
Yoo Sung bowed his head with a relieved expression.
Watching him, I thought to myself.
‘He shouldn’t be relieved just yet.’
Just as the LMH trainees were about to return to their seats, Kim Junwoo picked up the microphone.
“Wait. The evaluation isn’t over yet.”
The five confused trainees froze awkwardly in place.
Kim Junwoo opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“As long as I do well, that’s all that matters.”
Yoo Sung’s shoulders flinched.
Kim Junwoo glanced at Yoo Sung’s reaction and continued.
“That’s what you were thinking, wasn’t it? Since it’s an individual evaluation anyway. As long as I do well, that’s enough.”
No one said anything.
Yoo Sung kept his gaze lowered, his brow deeply furrowed.
“Can what you showed on stage today really be called a ‘group’ performance for an Idol? You all know what the problem is, don’t you? Or do you not know? Well, if you knew, you wouldn’t have put on such a stage. What do you think? Do you all really intend to debut as an Idol ‘group’?”
Kim Junwoo stared intently at Yoo Sung as he spoke.
Yoo Sung listened to Kim Junwoo’s words with his head bowed low.
Kim Junwoo swept his sharp gaze across the five trainees before opening his mouth.
“I will bestow a ‘Trait’ upon each of you.”
The moment Kim Junwoo finished speaking, Yoo Sung’s stats appeared on the large screen beside the Judge’s Seat.
[Name: Yoo Sung
Age: 20]
[Base Stats
Vocal: A+
Dance: B-
Appearance: S
Charisma: A-]
[Trait: ―]
A new ‘Trait’ section appeared that the other trainees didn’t have.
“The trait I will grant you is ‘Worst Teamwork’.”
The words ‘Worst Teamwork’ materialized beside the Trait section.
[Trait: Worst Teamwork
Effect: Ranking drops 10 tiers]
Yoo Sung’s expression went blank as he confirmed the trait’s effect on the screen.
“Trainee Yoo Sung’s final ranking is 22nd place.”
See?
I told you there was nothing to worry about.
In dozens of stat evaluation stages, the LMH trainees had never once placed in the top twenty.
* * *
“…I will work harder. Thank you.”
Yoo Sung bowed deeply toward Kim Junwoo, and the moment he lifted his head, he quickly made his way back to his seat.
But no matter how fast he moved, the camera didn’t miss Yoo Sung’s expression.
His eyes were flushed as if tears would spill at any moment, and his lower lip, bitten so hard that blood seeped through, was captured perfectly on camera.
I shifted my gaze to observe the other trainees’ reactions.
The LMH trainees, except for the Sub Rapper Trainee, glared at Yoo Sung as if they’d forgotten the cameras were rolling.
‘They must think the stage was ruined because of Yoo Sung.’
I let out a silent scoff and turned my attention back to the Stage.
The stat evaluation stage wrapped up quickly.
There were no surprises.
In the subsequent performances, only one trainee received a higher ranking than me.
My ranking was confirmed at 20th place.
“That concludes all the stat evaluation stages! Is everyone satisfied with your rankings?”
The MC who had stepped to the center of the Stage asked in a bright tone.
“Don’t worry. You won’t debut based on these rankings. There are still many stages ahead. If you showed disappointing performances today, you can show your best on the next stage!”
The atmosphere among the trainees brightened slightly.
The MC was right.
I had only just finished the first stage.
However, I couldn’t afford to take the rankings from the stat evaluation stage lightly.
“But if today’s ranking means nothing, wouldn’t it be a shame for all the trainees who prepared diligently and earned good scores?”
The MC spoke with meaningful weight.
This was someone who had mastered the art of toying with people’s hearts on the tip of their tongue.
“That’s why we’ve prepared a ‘special privilege’ for the top 20 trainees!”
At the MC’s words, the trainees began to stir with anticipation.
Special privilege.
Could there be sweeter words for trainees desperate to debut?
Joy and disappointment crossed through the crowd of trainees.
“The special privilege is none other than… ‘Guild Establishment Rights’!”
Whether they’d been delighted or dejected moments before, all the trainees now looked bewildered, their eyes fixed on the MC.
“Hmm. It seems many of you haven’t quite adapted to our program’s concept yet. I suppose I’ll need to explain in detail.”
A trainee with Guild Establishment Rights could create a Guild with the consent of at least one other trainee.
Here, a Guild was a concept similar to those found in RPG games or fantasy novels—trainees belonging to a Guild enjoyed various privileges, such as the ability to form teams with fellow Guild members.
“You say it’s difficult to create a Guild because you don’t know each other well yet? That’s fine! A Guild can be formed with just two people. You only need to find one person whose heart aligns with yours! What’s that? You say it’s hard to find even one person like that? Well, I suppose we can’t help it then.”
To be precise, what I was aiming for wasn’t the ‘Guild Establishment Rights’ itself.
“Along with the ‘Guild Establishment Rights,’ we’ll be giving the top 20 trainees ‘Guild Member Recruitment Rights’!”
A top 20 trainee who wished to establish a Guild could use their Guild Member Recruitment Rights to forcibly enroll one of the 80 trainees without Guild Establishment Rights into their Guild.
The reason I’d aimed for 20th place wasn’t because I coveted Guild Establishment Rights, but to avoid being forcibly enrolled in another trainee’s Guild.
‘Should I create a Guild?’
I’d achieved my first objective.
Whether to create a Guild or not was simply a matter of choice.
―Ding!
The notification sound, now familiar, rang in my ears.
I gazed at the translucent status window that appeared before my eyes.
[Sub Quest Arrived! Check your Sub Quest.]
‘Check Sub Quest.’
[Sub Quest: Recruit Allies
Description: Recruit allies for a successful debut.
Ally Recruitment Progress (0/6)
Success Reward: Gate Occurrence Suspended (180 days)]
After confirming the Sub Quest contents, I let out a hollow laugh.
‘Yeah, I get it. You want me to create a Guild, right?’
I swept my gaze across the faces of the trainees, lost in thought.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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