The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 8

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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 (8)
The Female PD appeared slightly flustered by Kim Chowol’s response.
“Oh… may I ask which aspect of Yoo Sung’s performance seemed so… earnest to you?”
“When I first saw Yoo Sung, he was handsome, danced well, and sang well too… I thought, ‘So this is what an LMH trainee is like.'”
Kim Chowol launched into praise of Yoo Sung with unbridled enthusiasm.
Behind them, Yoo Sung’s expression grew increasingly strange as he watched the interview.
‘What’s wrong with that bastard? Is he insane?’
But neither the Female PD nor Kim Chowol noticed Yoo Sung’s wavering gaze.
“When Yoo Sung fell in the middle, I think I would’ve completely broken down and couldn’t even stand properly. But he got right back up and sang so perfectly that I thought, ‘Wow, someone with that kind of desperation is what becomes an Idol.'”
Kim Chowol continued rambling without giving the Female PD a chance to interject.
“I thought that if I teamed up with someone so earnest, we could create a great Stage. That’s why I recruited Yoo Sung.”
The Female PD nodded along to Kim Chowol’s words and wrapped up the interview.
“Thank you for your time, Kim Chowol. We’ll end the interview here. You can head to the Practice Room now.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
After finishing his interview, Kim Chowol approached the direction where Yoo Sung was standing to leave.
Yoo Sung didn’t even glance at him.
Just as it seemed they would pass by each other, Kim Chowol suddenly leaned in and whispered softly near Yoo Sung’s ear.
“Smile.”
“What?”
Confused by Kim Chowol’s words, Yoo Sung’s brow furrowed sharply.
The Kim Chowol who had smiled gently during the interview now wore only a formal smile at the corners of his mouth.
Yoo Sung flinched at the cold glint in Kim Chowol’s eyes.
“When they ask difficult questions, smile.”
“What do you—”
“You’re handsome.”
Kim Chowol tapped the corners of his own raised mouth as he spoke.
Yoo Sung froze, unable to say anything in response to the sudden compliment.
‘What?’
Kim Chowol lightly patted Yoo Sung’s shoulder as if encouraging him, then walked away.
Yoo Sung glared at Kim Chowol’s receding back before sitting down in the chair.
“Nice to meet you, Yoo Sung. We’re starting the interview now, so just relax and answer naturally like Kim Chowol did. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Sung nodded.
Right now, the interview mattered more than Kim Chowol.
Yoo Sung knew well how trainee interviews were utilized in the Idol Survival Audition Program where Jang Hyuk-soo served as the main PD.
“Yoo Sung, you prepared the ‘Burn Up’ Stage from Titan with a fellow LMH trainee. ‘Burn Up’ is such a high-difficulty song that even active Idols hesitate to cover it, isn’t it? Was there a particular reason you chose ‘Burn Up’?”
“Everyone wanted to do it, and I also thought it was a suitable song to showcase our abilities.”
He had nearly stumbled, but since it was the same question asked during Kim Chowol’s interview, he managed to answer calmly.
With a weight lifted, Yoo Sung mentally reviewed Kim Chowol’s interview and prepared for the next question.
‘I just need to do as well as Kim Chowol did. No need to overthink this.’
But Yoo Sung’s resolve shattered completely at the Female PD’s next question.
“Hmm… but I have to say, the song choice didn’t seem quite right for you? There were quite a few mistakes… What do you think about your own Stat Evaluation Stage performance?”
“That is….”
This wasn’t a question—it was a critique.
Flustered, Yoo Sung’s lips trembled several times before he answered.
“I think the pressure caused me to make mistakes. I should have practiced harder…. Next time, I’ll practice diligently to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“But Kim Junwoo from the Judging Panel gave you the trait ‘Worst Teamwork,’ didn’t he? Weren’t you upset about that?”
“Upset…yes, I was. But it was because our team didn’t practice enough….”
“So you’re saying you made mistakes because of insufficient practice, not because of pressure?”
“That is….”
It was becoming increasingly difficult to answer the Female PD’s questions.
Kim Chowol had answered smoothly no matter what the Female PD asked him.
‘Why can’t I do that?’
Barely holding onto his composure, Yoo Sung answered.
“I think there was pressure, and I also didn’t practice enough. I’ll practice harder and… show you a perfect performance.”
“Yes, that’s good. The viewers will like that too. Then let me ask the next question. I understand you’ve been a trainee at LMH, one of the Big Three agencies, for quite a long time. Was there a particular reason you decided to appear on EX-Grade K-POP Idol?”
“Ah….”
It wasn’t an unexpected question.
I had already thought roughly about how to answer it.
But as memories of failing the LMH debut group and everything that happened today flashed through my mind, my lips suddenly wouldn’t move.
I just needed to do what Kim Chowol did.
Just what Kim Chowol did… what Kim Chowol….
‘How did Kim Chowol do his interview?’
In that moment, Kim Chowol filled my entire mind, and I recalled what he’d said as he left the Set Stage.
‘Smile when they ask difficult questions.’
‘What kind of….’
‘You’re handsome anyway.’
The soft smile Kim Chowol had shown during his interview appeared on my lips.
The Female PD’s eyes widened when she saw my smile.
When was the last time I smiled like this?
Now that I thought about it, ever since joining LMH, I’d been rushing forward without a moment’s rest.
“It’s true that I’ve been a trainee at LMH for quite a long time. But I realized through failing LMH’s debut group that debut isn’t something you can achieve just by practicing hard.”
As I smiled gently, my tension eased and words flowed like a river.
Control of the interview had shifted to me.
“The reason I decided to appear on EX-Grade K-POP Idol is… because I couldn’t give up on my dream of becoming an Idol.”
I had always made choices with the “highest probability” of becoming an Idol.
Deciding to join LMH, desperately working to debut at LMH—
These were the choices I believed gave me the highest probability of becoming an Idol.
But EX-Grade K-POP Idol, an Idol Survival Audition Program, was different.
Out of the hundred trainees gathered here, only six could debut.
Exceptional skill alone didn’t guarantee debut.
The old Yoo Sung would never have entertained the thought of appearing on EX-Grade K-POP Idol.
‘Debut. Luck. Failure. Probability….’
These scattered thoughts swirled chaotically through Yoo Sung’s mind.
But now, only a single conviction remained.
“Honestly, I just wanted to debut so desperately.”
To become an Idol.
More earnestly than anyone else.
‘Out of 100 trainees, you looked the most desperate.’
Recalling Kim Chowol’s words, I found myself laughing despite myself.
‘Yeah, you were right.’
A bit annoying to admit, but I decided to acknowledge the truth.
* * *
After finishing the interview, I headed to the Practice Room where the dance lesson was underway.
When I arrived, the trainees were clustered in small groups, chattering away.
They glanced at me as I arrived late, then resumed their conversations as if nothing had happened.
I immediately understood what their attitude meant.
The trainees were wary of me.
‘What’s there to be wary of? Everyone here has similar skills anyway.’
This was the Dance Intermediate Practice Room.
A gathering place for trainees who received Dance stats of C and D.
I’d visited the Dance Intermediate section frequently in the early episodes, but this was my first time experiencing such wariness.
Curious about why they’d target me, I thought it through carefully.
‘Could I have the highest ranking here?’
Stats might be similar, but rankings differ.
Thanks to my unexpectedly high Appearance and Charm stats, I’d received rank 20, and judging by the current atmosphere, I likely had the highest ranking in the Dance Intermediate section.
‘This is…’
Different.
Truthfully, I didn’t care whether they were wary or not.
It just felt a bit pathetic.
‘How does Jang Hyuk-soo know how to edit this into the broadcast?’
They probably act like this because they don’t yet understand the terror of broadcasting.
“This is the Dance Intermediate Practice Room, right?”
Just then, the Practice Room door opened and the Dance Trainer entered.
“Oh, you’re all practicing? That’s dedicated of you!”
The Dance Trainer, standing over 170cm tall with limbs stretched lean like a model’s, was a professional dancer who led Korea’s representative Female Dance Crew.
Bright and energetic—a stark contrast to the murky, vicious atmosphere of EX-Grade K-POP Idol.
“Why do you all look so down? Come on! We’re just getting started! Let’s go, perk up. Fighting spirit—let’s work hard!”
As the Dance Trainer laughed cheerfully and encouraged the trainees, the dark atmosphere of the Practice Room brightened.
But I didn’t let my guard down.
Because I knew what was about to happen.
“Some of you still haven’t memorized the choreography, so I’ll work with you one at a time. While I’m doing that, the rest of you better be memorizing!”
“Yes!”
“So who should we start with… who has the highest ranking here?”
Every trainee in the Practice Room turned their gaze toward me.
I wasn’t particularly pleased with the attention, but since there was no way to avoid it, I quietly raised my hand.
“That’s me.”
“Ah, Kim Chowol! Right, you were ranked 20th? Good. Let’s start with you then. Come on up front.”
“Yes.”
As I stepped forward, the Dance Trainer manipulated his tablet and asked.
“You’ll need the choreography video, right? I’ll play it for you so you can follow along…”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t need it.”
The Dance Trainer’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Watching that gleam, I thought to myself.
‘That’s the look Jang Hyuk-soo loves.’
I could already envision how this moment would be edited and broadcast later.
“Really? Then I’ll just play the music. Don’t be too nervous—just show me what you’ve got. You did well at the Stat Evaluation Stage, after all. Right?”
“Yes.”
The trainer encouraged me with an expectant expression.
I nodded and positioned myself in front of the Practice Room mirror, ready to begin.
To be honest, I was confident.
“Then let me start the music.”
As the trainer’s words finished, the intro to Hunt the Stage, the theme song of the EX-Grade K-POP Idol, poured from the speakers in the Practice Room.
[Boom, boom, boom…]
Matching the rhythm of the massive drum beat, I began to move.

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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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