The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 88

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

The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (88)
A circular table sat alone in the center of the Filming Set.
The judges seated around the table stared intently at the television screen before them.
[“This is Kang Hae-soo from the Silk Veil Team. Beginning the stage performance.”]
Kang Hae-soo and the members of the Silk Veil Team appeared on the screen.
Kang Hae-soo was the first to perform from the Silk Veil Team.
The intro, first verse, and pre-chorus were all skipped, jumping straight to the chorus.
Today’s stage wasn’t an official performance—it was a stage to determine the center position.
[“Light it up, light it up. No matter what the world says, I won’t stop. My faith alone is enough.”]
Kang Hae-soo on screen danced and sang in perfect rhythm with the music.
[“We are the heroes, we are the light. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. Because I know I’m right.”]
The judges watched Kang Hae-soo’s dancing and singing with serious expressions, evaluating every detail.
“Not bad at all.”
After Kang Hae-soo’s video ended, one of the judges exhaled and spoke.
“The height and build certainly help—he really catches the eye. The choreography is quite difficult, but the live vocals are stable too.”
The other judges nodded in agreement at the assessment.
Kang Hae-soo’s stage was slightly lacking to be the center, but it was a flawlessly polished performance.
“Let’s move on to the next stage.”
After Kang Hae-soo came a succession of performances from the Han Theo Team trainees.
Each video was short, but the problem was there were ten videos per team, twenty total to watch.
On top of that, they had to film the judges’ reactions to each video, so it inevitably took a long time.
The judges’ eyes, which had been focused at first, gradually grew dim.
“That was a mistake. Did they not have enough practice time?”
“But the other trainees are doing fine. Maybe they just didn’t practice at all?”
“Not singing properly, can’t dance properly… what are they even trying to do?”
The judges’ evaluations began to turn harsh.
Kang Hae-soo, who went first, had set the bar far too high.
Of course, some trainees received praise in between.
“Okada’s pretty good. Dances well and sings decently.”
“Right? She’s improved so much. When I first saw her, I thought, ‘How does someone like this even exist?'”
“Ah… the stat evaluation stage was a bit rough though.”
The judges reminisced about the previous stage, conversing in a friendly manner.
“Lee Jae seems to have gained confidence. It’s nice to see.”
“Exactly. Ever since taking the center position last time, he seems to have built up his confidence.”
Nine videos starting with Kang Hae-soo had finished.
Only one video remained.
Han Theo’s stage performance.
“Ahem, you remember our bet, right?”
Just before Han Theo’s stage began.
The Vocal Trainer, who had awkwardly cleared his throat, glanced around and spoke.
“Wasn’t the Silk Veil Team unanimously selected as Han Theo trainees?”
“Yeah, that’s right. It was. No, I was just confirming….”
Even as Kim Junwoo responded, the Vocal Trainer’s eyes rolled around as if he desperately wanted something.
“A bet? What bet?”
A Staff Member watching the filming tilted his head curiously and asked.
“Oh, the judges made a wager among ourselves. About who would be the center.”
“Oh, that sounds fun! If you don’t mind, could you tell us who bet on whom?”
“Of course. Well, the Silk Veil Team first….”
Delighted by the Staff Member’s question, the Vocal Trainer began chattering about the bet from start to finish.
The other judges exchanged glances between the Vocal Trainer and Kim Junwoo with expressions tinged with concern.
“…they all bet on Han Theo. And for the Nexus Team, everyone except Judge Kim Junwoo bet on Yoo Sung.”
The other judges caught on to what the Vocal Trainer was doing with the bet.
He was driving a nail in beforehand so that Kim Junwoo, who would lose the wager, couldn’t make excuses later.
“May I ask who Judge Kim Junwoo bet on?”
“Ah, well….”
“Kim Chowol.”
Kim Junwoo, who had remained silent while the Vocal Trainer chattered, answered gently with a smile.
The Staff Member froze momentarily under the smile of a 15-year veteran idol.
“K-Kim Chowol… I see. I’ll be rooting for you, Judge Kim Junwoo.”
“Thank you for the support.”
The Staff Member offered his encouragement to Kim Junwoo with a slightly sympathetic expression.
But Kim Junwoo didn’t bat an eye, returning the sentiment with a smile.
“Then let’s watch the final video of the Silk Veil Team—Han Theo’s stage.”
The Staff Member prepared the next video.
The other judges began shifting uncomfortably, watching the Vocal Trainer and Kim Junwoo’s reactions.
‘Is this… actually okay?’
The bet, which had started as half a joke, was becoming increasingly serious.
* * *
The final performance of the Silk Veil Team—Han Theo’s stage—had ended.
“Wow, Han Theo is truly Han Theo.”
The judges marveled with enchanted expressions.
They could immediately understand why Han Theo’s video had been shown last.
If they’d watched Han Theo’s stage first, they wouldn’t have been able to focus on the other trainees’ performances.
“Visuals, dancing, vocals, facial expressions, and attention to easily overlooked details…. At this level, I’d believe it even if you told me this was a third-year idol, not a trainee.”
As the Dance Trainer poured out praise, the other judges nodded in agreement.
There was no room for doubt about Han Theo’s abilities.
“But the Silk Veil Team’s song is still incomplete, right?”
One of the judges asked the Staff Member.
“Ah, yes. They said they didn’t have enough time to finish the lyrics and arrangement. They haven’t even properly established the concept yet.”
The judges nodded at the Staff Member’s explanation.
Though they couldn’t openly admit that Silk Veil had produced the song, the details and lyrics still bore the marks of incomplete refinement.
“Anyway, we’ll have our hands full today deciding on the center, establishing the concept, polishing the lyrics, dividing the parts, and running through rehearsals.”
“It can’t be helped. We can’t spoon-feed them everything.”
The Vocal Trainer shrugged in response to the Dance Trainer’s remark.
“Then let’s watch the Nexus Team’s stage performance right away. The song title is… HERETIC.”
“Huh? What? Nexus Team already decided on a song title?”
“That was fast. They should have started at the same time as the Silk Veil Team. Does one of the members have good leadership?”
The face of someone flashed through the minds of the murmuring judges.
‘Kim Chowol… I’m not sure about his skills, but his leadership seemed quite solid.’
The Vocal Trainer’s expression darkened slightly.
Ever since earlier, an inexplicable unease had been creeping up from a corner of the Vocal Trainer’s heart.
“We’ll start with trainee Jung Yoo-yeol.”
As the Staff Member pressed the remote, the television screen displayed Jung Yoo-yeol and the Nexus Team trainees.
[“I’m your heretic, your holy sin. I set the world ablaze with your name.”]
As Jung Yoo-yeol began singing, the judges’ expressions brightened.
“Wow, that’s our Yoo-yeol for you! No one can match Yoo-yeol when it comes to singing!”
The other judges silently agreed with the Vocal Trainer’s admiration.
Certainly, Jung Yoo-yeol’s vocals were flawless.
[“With that flame you called love, I destroyed everything.”]
The dancing was noticeably weaker than the vocals.
But in a situation requiring live performance on a broadcast, there was no vocalist more reliable than Jung Yoo-yeol.
[“Heretic, heretic, standing on the opposite side of the god you created, I am your greatest sin. I’m your heretic.”]
Jung Yoo-yeol completed the stage flawlessly without a single mistake.
“A singer really needs to sing well. I’ve always regretted that our Yoo-yeol hasn’t had many chances to showcase his skills, so I hope he gets a good part this time and shines.”
The Vocal Trainer continued lavishing praise on Jung Yoo-yeol.
Kim Junwoo, watching the Vocal Trainer from a distance, let out a quiet chuckle and spoke.
“Would you like to swap them?”
“S-swap? Swap what?”
“Trainee Yoo Sung for trainee Jung Yoo-yeol.”
The Vocal Trainer flinched at Kim Junwoo’s suggestion, seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook their head.
“No? Yoo-yeol is better suited as the main vocalist than the center, you see? If Yoo-yeol takes center, who’ll sing the ad-libs layered under the chorus?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Kim Junwoo nodded readily and turned his gaze away.
The Vocal Trainer remained wary of Kim Junwoo while watching the continuing stage footage.
But unfortunately, as the performance went on, the judges’ expressions gradually hardened.
The Nexus Team lacked talent to an embarrassing degree compared to the Silk Veil Team.
Even so, the Silk Veil Team had quite a few decent trainees besides Han Theo—Okada, Kang Hae-soo, and Seo Ijae….
“Next is trainee Yoo Sung’s stage.”
Only then did the judges, who had been slouching in their chairs with bored expressions, straighten up and adjust their posture.
“Good, let’s see our Sung-i’s performance.”
The Vocal Trainer deliberately raised his voice.
[“This is Yoo Sung from the Nexus Team. We’re beginning our performance.”]
In that moment, the Vocal Trainer spotted a familiar face behind Yoo Sung.
‘Kim Chowol….’
Kim Chowol, who had been standing at the end of the line until now with his face barely visible, was now positioned directly behind Yoo Sung, preparing for the stage.
[“I’m your heretic, your holy sin. I set the world ablaze with your name.”]
Yoo Sung began to dance and sing.
The judges fixed their gazes on Yoo Sung with tense expressions.
[“With that flame you called love. I’ve torn everything down.”]
Yoo Sung’s dancing and singing were flawless.
Like Han Theo, he commanded his expressions beautifully and didn’t miss even the smallest details.
‘But… why?’
The more Yoo Sung danced, the more he sang….
Strangely, my gaze kept drifting not to Yoo Sung, but to someone behind him.
[“Heretic, heretic, standing on the opposite side of the god you created, I am your greatest sin. I’m your heretic.”]
To Kim Chowol, who was staring directly through the camera with piercing intensity.

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