The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 7

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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 (7)
“I….”
Is this guy completely insane?
Yoo Sung tightened his grip on my collar.
I grabbed his wrist in return, but he didn’t budge an inch despite my resistance.
“Answer me.”
“Ugh….”
How am I supposed to speak when I can’t even breathe?
Reading the displeasure in my eyes, Yoo Sung eased his grip slightly.
“Cough, cough!”
The moment air returned to my lungs, I erupted into a coughing fit.
Yoo Sung stared at me without saying a word.
I glanced around nervously and let out a hollow laugh.
‘Right, there are no cameras in the Bathroom.’
Yoo Sung grabbing me by the collar probably wouldn’t make it onto broadcast.
But….
“Are you… cough… okay?”
I swallowed the cough rising in my throat and opened my mouth.
Yoo Sung’s grip tightened again.
“Don’t think you can….”
“I’m not okay.”
I pointed at my mouth and then at the camera outside the Bathroom, speaking quietly.
“You might not realize it, but… cough… modern camera microphones are incredibly sensitive….”
Yoo Sung probably thought he was safe since he wasn’t wearing a body mic.
But as I said, modern camera microphones were so sensitive that if I screamed here, every word would be picked up by the cameras outside.
Understanding the situation, Yoo Sung released my collar roughly.
I sat on the edge of the Bathroom tub, rubbing my neck.
Yoo Sung stood with his back to me, staring into empty space.
‘This is more troublesome than I expected….’
I was already at a loss for how to handle this wary beast of a man.
Yoo Sung was one of the trainees who received the Female PD’s pick early in the program.
He consistently ranked in the top three for buzz and popularity.
An S-Grade trainee from a Large Agency with flawless skills and visuals.
But he ruined his stat evaluation stage due to conflict with a fellow trainee from the same agency, and constantly clashed with other trainees.
It was rare to find a trainee who drove both critics and fans equally insane.
‘If I can just tame him a little, gathering initial buzz will be easy…’
I smiled gently at Yoo Sung and spoke.
“You’re curious why I chose you, aren’t you?”
Yoo Sung turned his gaze toward me.
“Out of eighty trainees, you want to know why I selected you.”
I spoke as gently as possible to avoid provoking Yoo Sung, yet his expression grew increasingly menacing.
‘What…?’
Yoo Sung glared at me as though he might tear me apart at any moment.
The instant Yoo Sung took his first step toward me.
―All trainees who have finished changing, please gather at the 1st Floor Grand Hall. I repeat the announcement….
An announcement echoed from the speaker mounted on the room’s ceiling.
“Tch.”
Yoo Sung clicked his tongue irritably and stripped off his shirt to change clothes.
I had braced myself to take a hit, but it ended far more anticlimactically than expected.
Of course, with cameras present, he wouldn’t actually strike me.
‘But why is he so angry?’
I mentally retraced every word and action I had directed toward Yoo Sung.
No matter how I examined it, nothing seemed seriously problematic.
‘Did I step on a landmine?’
Before leaving the room, Yoo Sung—already changed into fresh clothes—spoke curtly.
“I don’t care what you’re scheming, but you’d better not think about using me.”
Bang!
Yoo Sung slammed the door shut with such force it seemed it might shatter, then left.
‘That’s going to be… difficult.’
I need to use you if I’m going to place first.
As I changed into fresh clothes, I pondered how to bring Yoo Sung under control.
* * *
Trainees dressed in the issued blue t-shirts and black training pants gathered closely in the 1st Floor Grand Hall.
The trainees wore stat stickers on their left chests—the ones they had received during the stat evaluation on the Stage.
Vocal C-, Dance D, Appearance A, Charm A+.
I was examining the sticker on my chest.
The MC, who had changed from formal attire into casual clothes, stepped onto the podium.
“I will now explain the first main Quest, which is the first evaluation.”
The large screen on the podium changed.
[The first main Quest has arrived.]
[Main Quest: Theme Song Evaluation]
Ooh.
The trainees began murmuring as though they had coordinated it.
“It’s the theme song evaluation for an EX-Grade K-POP Idol! Before diving into the details, shall we first check out the theme song you’re all curious about?”
As the MC finished speaking, the title of the theme song appeared on the screen.
[HUNT THE STAGE]
A title that stays true to the program’s concept.
The MC continued with a smile.
“Hunt the stage. Isn’t that the perfect title for trainees like you who are targeting EX-Grade K-POP Idols?”
“Yes!”
The trainees’ voices echoed through the Auditorium.
Most of the trainees probably didn’t understand the program’s concept, yet their response was thunderous.
“Excellent. Now let’s take a look!”
As the MC finished speaking, the guide song and choreography video for Hunt the Stage played on the screen.
[Boom, boom, boom….]
A massive drum sound echoed at regular intervals.
The man on screen leading the guide choreography bent his elbows with both arms raised, his palms visible as he covered his eyes.
A hybrid orchestral sound using electronic elements exploded outward.
The man moved his hands—which had been covering his eyes—as if prying open a massive gate.
‘The gate has opened.’
The massive drum sound heightened the tension, while the grand and intense hybrid orchestral sound expressed the moment the gate burst open.
[“In pitch-black darkness. A single ray of light illuminating my path.”]
Behind the hybrid orchestral sound came a minimalist synth beat.
The melody was simple and the pitch changes weren’t dramatic, so it wasn’t difficult to sing.
But if there was a problem….
‘I’d have to sing it while spinning in a full circle.’
The man on screen rotated 360 degrees, then moved his upper body like waves.
As more challenging choreography appeared, tension settled over the trainees’ faces.
[“Hunt the stage, win the stage!”]
The chorus—the song’s highlight—began.
The guide vocalist’s high note burst from the speakers, and the man on screen showcased dazzling dance breaks.
[“Break the stage, win the stage!”]
The man on screen crossed his feet and jumped, rotating 180 degrees.
Landing smoothly, he continued the dance break, blending basic steps with advanced breaking techniques.
Powerful vocals that assault the ears, complex upper body choreography, relentless footwork without pause.
[Bang, crack!]
The song ended with a sharp gunshot sound.
This was the moment for cheers and applause, but the dazed trainees simply stared blankly at the screen.
“That was Hunt the Stage, the theme song of an EX-Grade K-POP Idol! A grand sound, refined melody, and powerful, impactful choreography! It’s the perfect fit for our program’s concept….”
Despite the MC’s passionate explanation that followed, the trainees only offered perfunctory reactions.
I looked at the pathetic stats on my chest and thought.
‘I’m screwed.’
* * *
Memories from preparing for the first round’s first evaluation stage came back to me one by one.
I’d practiced desperately with the mindset of sleeping only after death, but the result was….
‘It’s fine. There’s a way.’
I deliberately pushed away the rising memories.
The song and choreography were already in my head, so it would definitely be easier than the first round.
“Please move to the Practice Room you’ve been assigned!”
The trainees sitting in the Auditorium stood up and began to move.
Everyone’s expression had darkened—they were reeling from the theme song’s difficulty.
I checked which lessons I would be receiving.
A and B stats were assigned advanced lessons; C and D stats received intermediate; E and F stats got beginner lessons.
‘I have vocal C- and dance D+, so both are intermediate level.’
As I headed toward the exit of the Auditorium to move to the Practice Room, a staff member standing near the entrance approached me.
“Kim Chowol, Yoo Sung. Come this way for a moment….”
The staff member gestured toward me and Yoo Sung.
My eyes met Yoo Sung’s as he was heading out of the Auditorium.
Yoo Sung reflexively narrowed his eyes, but his complexion looked better than when I’d seen him at the Dormitory.
‘He’s confident he can pull this off, isn’t he?’
Unlike the other trainees who had been intimidated after watching the guide song and choreography video, he seemed to have gained confidence.
Since the first evaluation was an individual assessment demanding high-difficulty performances, Yoo Sung had always received outstanding scores in the first evaluation.
“Come this way… We’ll do a quick interview before lessons begin.”
It was time for the interview.
From the stat evaluation Stage to the Guild creation.
There would be plenty of things they’d want to ask about.
“We’ll start with you, Kim Chowol. Please have a seat here.”
A Set Stage for interviews had been set up a short distance from the Auditorium.
I sat in the prepared chair with a white background behind me.
“Nice to meet you, Kim Chowol. We’re about to begin the interview now. Don’t be too nervous—just answer comfortably, alright?”
“Yes.”
The Female PD conducting the interview had a gentle impression.
She’d told me to speak comfortably, but I absolutely couldn’t afford to be careless.
Every sentence, every single word had to be chosen with care.
“First… you changed your song selection for the stat evaluation Stage right before going on, so was there a particular reason for that?”
“That was….”
The interview proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.
Since I’d thought through anticipated questions and answers beforehand, they came out smoothly.
There were lighter questions about special talents and hobbies, as well as questions about my assigned Dormitory and the theme song.
“Next question… I’d like to ask you a few things about the Guild you created. First, was there a specific reason you decided to create a Guild?”
I glanced at Yoo Sung, who was watching the interview from a distance away from the Set Stage.
“I wanted to create a good Stage.”
Yoo Sung’s brow furrowed as he saw my smile.
“A Stage is something you do together anyway, right? If we form a team before the formal evaluations begin, I thought we could show the viewers a Stage with high completion. That was my thinking.”
“Then among the 80 trainees, was there a special reason you chose Yoo Sung?”
“The reason I selected Yoo Sung as a team member was….”
His topicality—ranking in the top three—and being a Female PD pick were the biggest factors, but truthfully, Yoo Sung wasn’t the only Female PD pick.
There were several other Female PD picks who were easy to work with and had decent skills.
If I’d chosen them instead, I could have debuted comfortably around 5th or 6th place.
But what I wanted was 1st place.
I had to secure first place no matter what.
That’s why I chose Yoo Sung.
Was it because I coveted his exceptional dancing and vocal skills?
Did his captivating visuals and stage presence appeal to me?
No, that wasn’t it.
The decisive reason I chose Yoo Sung was….
“Among the hundred trainees, he looked the most desperate.”
Yoo Sung truly yearned for his debut with an intensity that burned.
Just as much as I had been half-consumed by madness through dozens of regressions.
And any story needs someone desperate to make it truly compelling.

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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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