Chapter 8:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 8

Year-end Evaluation

After the first day of lessons, life went on as usual.

I could sense a change in the way the kids treated me, but it was definitely a positive one.

How should I put it?

At first, I felt like a complete outsider, waiting in front of a sign that said No Entry!. But now, I felt like they had allowed me to enter their fence.

I was glad they were nice.

But the peacefulness of my daily life was shattered by a new event.

In early December.

While we were practicing our choreography, the door of the practice room opened.

As soon as they saw Director Jo Kyu-hwans face, the youngest quickly turned off the MR.

Hello, Director!

Uh, yeah.

Director Jo greeted us lightly and smiled.

Wow, you guys smell like sweat. You must have been practicing really hard. I came down to tell you something. Its nothing big, so relax.

He handed us a paper.

Your year-end evaluation assignment is out.

Really?

Everyone took the paper and gathered around Kim Bi-ju.

The paper was printed in a neat official format with an announcement.

2013 Joint Year-end Evaluation Announcement

-Location: Taehwa High School Auditorium

-Date: 2013. 12. 28 (Sat)

-Participating Agencies: DNS Media, Lemon Entertainment, Hwai Entertainment, Big Brother Company, Oullim Entertainment

-Assignment: A performance that combines two different songs with one theme

-Please inform the parents of the trainees in advance, as the traffic situation around the venue may be chaotic on the day.

Unlike the others who looked tense as they read the announcement, I was clueless.

What is a year-end evaluation?

I knew about the monthly evaluation.

If a normal high school student takes a mock exam every month, then an idol trainee takes a test called a monthly evaluation.

Its the same as a test, except its not about math, English, or Korean.

Its also the same in that you get stressed depending on your score.

The only difference is that if you mess up a mock exam, you dont get kicked out of high school, but if a trainees monthly evaluation results are stagnant for two or three months, they get their contract terminated right away.

If you dont improve, you get thrown away. Thats the life of a trainee.

When I was at TJ Entertainment, I had to take several of these evaluations every month.

A small one every two weeks and a big one every Thursday.

The subjects were different each time.

Sometimes it was individual, like You have a weak high note, so master this song.

Sometimes it was team-based, like Make your own choreography and compete with each other.

I guess the performance that combines two different songs with one theme written on the paper was one of those test subjects.

What I didnt understand was why they did the monthly evaluation publicly.

And with other agencies.

Is it like a showcase?

A showcase is a term for a stage that is used for promotion.

Its like showing them in advance and seeing their reaction, like the word showcase means.

I heard that one of the four major agencies, MOP, does this kind of thing and shows the trainee stage to the public.

Well. Anyway, thats not important. I needed information.

What is a year-end evaluation?

As I looked at the trainees who were scanning the announcement, I picked the one who had the loosest mouth.

Ue? Yeohalheongao? (Huh? Year-end evaluation?)

Yeah.

During the break, Wang Ji-ho, who was munching on the chocolate bread I bought him, asked.

Is this your first time hearing about the year-end evaluation?

I only know about the monthly evaluation.

Oh, this is when we do the monthly evaluation with the nearby agencies every six months. The one we do in December is called the year-end evaluation.

Is it similar to the MOP showcase?

Its different. MOP invites the general audience, right? Our year-end evaluation is when we invite the trainees families or acquaintances.

Isnt it better to have the general audience?

I shivered, and the youngest agreed.

I know, right? Its so embarrassing to mess up or rap in front of your parents.

I felt like crawling into a hole just thinking about singing and dancing in front of my grandmother.

While we were gloomy about the bleak future, Wang Ji-ho chewed on his chocolate bread.

But theres another real reason why we have to do well on the year-end evaluation.

What is it?

Its because its a competition between the agencies. We and DNS are the biggest, so we have a rivalry. If we debut a girl group, they also debut a girl group, and so on. The year-end evaluation is also like that.

Is it like a Korea-Japan soccer match?

Kind of.

Wang Ji-ho drank his milk and continued.

Besides, we got totally crushed in June. If it was soccer, it would be like 7 to 0. The atmosphere was no joke. The CEO didnt even greet us for a few days.

Our CEO?

Can you believe it? But its true.

Do we have to win this time?

Yep.

They didnt seem very friendly.

They looked at me as if to say, What do you know?

But I had no choice.

If we went on like this, we would go in a weird direction and ruin everything.

I think we should think about the audience first.

The audience?

The reason we stand on stage is because its fun, right? And our goal is to make the audience happy.

The goal of every entertainer is to please the public.

Before we decide on the performance theme or the songs, we should analyze the audiences preferences first.

I had thought about this a lot since I was young.

How can I increase the sales of my grandmothers restaurant?

If you want to run a food business, you have to think about the nearby market, what people eat these days, and what kind of customers come to the store.

That was the gist of what I wanted to tell them.

Dont sell fish stew just because the next-door restaurant does well. Think about the customers who come to your store first.

Kim Bi-ju smiled.

That makes sense.

It does.

Seo Ri-hyuks eyes were still sharp.

But thats too vague. Who doesnt know that we have to please the audience? The important thing is a concrete plan.

I have an idea.

Yeah? Lets hear it.

I told them my plan.

It was what I had in mind since I heard the topic.

A stage that would showcase our charm and satisfy the audience.

They had different reactions.

I like hyungs idea.

Its not bad, but isnt it a bit vague? Its either all or nothing.

Im fine with it as long as I get a rap part.

Its too difficult. I like the idea, but it will take at least two weeks to arrange this. And only Jung-hyun hyung and I know how to do it among us.

Theres a solution for that.

I know how to arrange.

No.

Seo Ri-hyuk said again, frustrated.

Its not just about knowing how to arrange. Its too hard, dont you get it? If you know how to arrange, you should know how difficult this is. By the time you finish, the year-end evaluation will have already started.

One day.

What?

One day is enough.

A silent tension filled the air.

They all looked at me with expressions that said, What is he talking about?

They might not understand from their perspective.

They might think Im just being overconfident and blabbering without any evidence.

But I had a reason for what I said.

I had studied hard for two years, not only for the college entrance exam, but also for the music composition major.

Seo Ri-hyuk narrowed his eyes at me.

Are you serious?

Of course I am.

I said with a smile.

One or two days will do.

Thats nonsense-

Then do you want to bet with me?

Seo Ri-hyuk hesitated for a moment.

A bet?

Yeah. If I cant finish the arrangement by midnight tomorrow, Ill buy snacks for a week.

Wow, really?

The youngest, who had been silent like a stone, lit up his eyes.

Jung-hyun and Bi-ju looked at this scene with interest, but they also seemed tempted by the offer of a weeks worth of snacks.

Seo Ri-hyuk paused, wondering if this was some kind of trap, and I gave him a gentle smile.

Its a bet you have nothing to lose.

Whats the condition?

Huh?

What do you want?

Simple.

I answered.

If I win, youll let me plan the performance for the year-end evaluation.

Its a bet you have nothing to lose, right? Isnt it?

Yeah, its a no-lose bet.

The youngest, who had his eyes on the snacks, agreed, and the senior line quietly watched what the younger one would do.

After some deliberation, Seo Ri-hyuk answered.

Okay.

I smiled as I saw him.

I guess hiding and waiting is not my style.

If Im in the game, Ill take the lead.