Chapter 27: Group Evaluation from Hell (1)
"It's so peaceful it's making me nervous..."
I murmured, pressing my throbbing temple from time to time.
Ever since Lee Junhyeok left the dorm, it had been peaceful for once.
We got along so well that I was disappointed about having to switch roommates for the next evaluation.
‘Wow! Did you see this comment? I think my heart dropped from excitement after reading it.’
‘...If your heart dropped, you'd be dead.’
‘Die yourself, you science nerd!’
Even Jin Sehyun and Seo Haim, who always bickered over nonsense.
‘Byeoldol, don't look at stuff like that. It's too distracting.’
And Ha Junseo, who enjoyed tea time with his deadly coffee while hugging a Byeoldol doll.
Just watching them was amusing, so laughter never ceased in the dorm.
But peace would truly end starting today.
It was hard to expect the next teammate to be this cooperative, and there were always villains worse than Lee Junhyeok.
Lee Junhyeok had a twisted personality, but at least he had decent skills.
If someone had both terrible skills and a terrible personality, I’d really want to smack them.
Please.
Let me get through this group evaluation safely.
OO: Everyone, the announcement is next week. Should we assign roles? Who wants to do the PPT?
OO: No one? I'll make the PPT then. Anyone want to present?
OO: Okay, I’ll do it. For the research… anyone?
SS: I’m in my graduation year, so I really don’t have time ㅠㅠ Can I do the least demanding task? (emoji of folded hands)
OO: Let’s just give up.
-OO has left the chat-
"Oh no, that's not good."
I shook my head vigorously, recalling examples of disastrous group projects I’d seen online.
If a university group assignment failed, at worst you’d get cursed for making a silly PPT.
But in this group evaluation, a failure meant becoming a meme and a video clip for the whole nation to mock.
The only reason I survived the second ranking announcement despite being low-ranked was thanks to being grouped with Seo Haim and Jin Sehyun…
"I can't expect that kind of luck again this time."
Since we’d already been on a team together, they were likely to separate us.
If I remembered correctly, the format of the second team evaluation was infamously horrible.
Just then, someone appeared to drive away my thoughts.
"Oh, he's here."
"Waaaah!"
"You're handsome as ever today!"
Chatter filled the air.
I swallowed as I looked toward Han Dawon emerging from the usual commotion.
Han Dawon smiled easily and held up the script cards.
"Congratulations to all of you who will continue your challenge in the Stardust World."
"Waaaah!"
We had gathered for the announcement of the second team evaluation.
Everyone’s eyes sparkled, eager to hear the details, so Han Dawon skipped the formalities and got straight to the point.
"The challenge you'll face to survive the next ranking ceremony is... the 'Fate-bound Position Evaluation.'"
Fate-bound Position Evaluation.
Ah, right.
The moment it was revealed, every community site tore it apart, cursing the format to hell.
"In this mission, your team becomes a fate-bound group."
"Fate-bound? What does that mean?"
"Let me now explain the rules in detail."
Two vocal teams, two rap teams, three performance teams.
A total of seven teams would compete, and each winning team per position would survive entirely.
"The battle will be judged with a 50/50 split between the live audience scores and the professional judges' evaluation. This will be your chance to secure a ticket to the next mission, so give it your all."
The problem was the remaining four teams...
"The teams that lose in their respective position battles will be evaluated based on video views, likes, and viewers’ votes. Two teams will be selected from this, and the bottom two teams will be eliminated entirely, leaving Stardust World."
As the shocking rule was announced, the studio erupted again.
Murmur murmur—
"Entire team elimination?"
"If it's elimination… then they're out for good? If it’s two teams… that’s all six members gone?"
"Then even someone ranked high could be out if their team messes up?"
"So even Kevin, who’s ranked number one, could be eliminated if he gets unlucky with his team? Seriously?"
"Please... let me get good teammates."
Their understanding was spot on.
For a survival show that was clearly an individual competition, suddenly bringing up fate-bound teams?
It was just a device to create tension, making it so anyone could be eliminated.
‘What kind of messed-up survival show is this?’
That’s probably what everyone was thinking, judging from their faces.
I remembered wearing that exact same expression during my first life, so I didn’t even need to look.
I nodded calmly and waited for the next announcement.
"Now, we're not done with the announcements yet."
The most important part remained.
The announcement of positions and team members.
As the atmosphere struggled to calm down, Han Dawon grabbed the mic again.
"Your teammates for the Fate-bound Mission have been assigned considering the positions you mentioned in your pre-interviews."
Which basically meant it was random.
Yeah, it was like saying we had no say in anything.
That meant we just had to do our best, no matter what.
But even that resolve didn’t last long.
Flash—
My team assignment appeared on the monitor.
"...?"
Vocal A: Kang Siwoo, Do Seohan, Lee Dokyung
I rubbed my eyes and froze in place.
I’d expected the team to change, but...
Hold on.
"Why am I in vocals?"
In my past life, my position was performance.
I had a strength in dance and no need to challenge myself with vocals, which I wasn’t good at anyway.
Just like the first ranking announcement, the second evaluation would eliminate quite a few contestants.
I had no intention of taking such a risk.
Jin Sehyun asked me with surprised eyes.
"Did you choose the vocal position?"
As if.
"What the hell happened?"
No sooner had I muttered that than my interview popped up on the monitor.
My lips parted with bright eyes that looked like they were about to devour the camera.
[Trainee Do Seohan, is there a position you'd like to challenge?]
[Vocals… I really want to try it.]
[I'm confident.]
[I think I could make an impact.]
"Wow."
A gasp escaped me before I knew it.
Sure, I did say all of that…
But they were said on completely different days!
What's with their editing skills?
It's almost like they created something out of nothing!
I pressed my forehead and replayed the interviews I must have given.
Yeah...
[Another position? Hmm, if I were to try something other than dance, vocals… I’d like to try it someday.]
[I'm confident in dancing.]
[This center evaluation… I think I could really stand out.]
That was probably what the interviews were like.
Thanks to the flawless editing where they spliced audio without any video, I had become someone truly passionate about vocals.
[Vocals! I’m going to do vocals!]
That kind of enthusiasm practically flew across the screen!
"Whoa, vocal genius Seohan!"
"Seohan sings well."
"Let’s go main vocal, Do Seohan!"
Someone on the other side chimed in with perfect timing, and now it had become an undeniable fact.
Just listening to them, you'd think we'd been best friends at a vocal academy for ten years, even though we're barely close.
‘This is absurd.’
With that kind of editing, everyone would think I was primarily a vocalist.
"Hah… hah…."
I wanted to say something, but the screen quickly moved on to other trainees.
It seemed I wasn’t the only victim of editing, as not everyone looked thrilled despite their so-called desired positions.
From the back came a bright voice that sounded likely to be edited out entirely.
"Wow, this is my first time rapping in this life!"
"What’s a rhyme? Is it edible?"
Maybe I was better off than someone like that.
I pressed my temples and tried to organize my tangled thoughts.
To sum it up, this was my second evaluation:
Teamed with unfamiliar faces.
A performance in a vocal position, which was basically my first time.
Well, it didn’t go exactly as I expected, but…
"I can manage."
It was at least doable.
A red light turned on and the camera began to roll.
Three judges seated at a large round table were closely examining the team assignment sheet in front of them.
Vocal trainer Yoo Minseo, dance trainer Choi Myunghwan.
Rapper JD was absent today, and Han Dawon filled in for him.
Trainer Yoo Minseo sipped coffee with a slurp and began to speak.
"This trainee Do Seohan is good at dancing, but he ended up in the vocal position?"
"Oh, he’s a dance-focused trainee?"
"Yes, when I saw him before, he clearly had talent in dancing."
Trainer Choi Myunghwan answered Han Dawon’s question.
What he remembered of Do Seohan from the last monthly evaluation was a guy who lacked flair but danced well.
But since the Stardust Project started, he’d changed like a whole new person… so maybe that wasn’t the whole picture.
Did he gain confidence in vocals during that time?
Trainer Choi Myunghwan turned to trainer Yoo Minseo with a question mark in his mind.
"Is he good at singing too?"
"Um… not sure."
She could say with confidence that he wasn’t bad.
But was he good enough to stand out among the top trainees?
"He’s got talent."
Trainer Yoo Minseo gave a vague answer and scratched her head.
Unless he had main vocal potential, there was no reason to choose the vocal position.
Unaware of the production crew’s manipulation in team assignments, trainer Yoo Minseo found it puzzling.
‘I thought he was the cautious type.’
So far, Do Seohan had never showcased vocals as his main weapon.
Even during the center evaluation, and the first grade evaluation too.
He had chosen songs that better highlighted his strength in dance.
A trainee who could objectively assess what he was good at and used that more cleverly than anyone.
For someone like that to try something new…
‘There must be a reason.’
Trainer Yoo Minseo chuckled and lightly tapped Do Seohan’s photo with her finger.
"Who are Do Seohan’s teammates?"
"Kang Siwoo, Lee Dokyung. Oh, I remember Lee Dokyung from the grade evaluation."
A guy who was solid all around.
And…
"Kang Siwoo… I don’t remember much about him."
Just an average trainee.
When trainer Yoo Minseo saw the team lineup, her eyes sparkled.
She didn’t know what mindset Do Seohan had in choosing this position,
But if he was the Do Seohan she knew—
The kind of kid who could turn crises into opportunities—
Main vocal.
"If they pick the right song, I think they’ve got a shot."