Chapter 4: Stardust Project (2)
The official article about the Stardust Project came out a week later.
It was right before the first official shoot.
The trainees' profile shoots and video evaluations had already been completed, but the press release, which came out earlier than expected, was enough to stir up the online communities.
\["Stardust Project" – Will Doubles Entertainment's ambitious venture succeed?]
\["Dobbles joins hands with TBN. Trainee debut project, profiles revealed"]
-TBN lost its mind again, why are they doing another audition program?
⨽It’s probably because there are still fans who eat up the same format over and over.
⨽This is crazy lolol Is Doubles out of their mind? I thought it was time to pick the next boy group, but now they're doing it through an audition?
⨽Isn’t this going to flop?
⨽I looked through the profiles and honestly, all of them are kind of… hmm…
⨽There are a lot of decent kids, though?
⨽Isn’t it too early to be so negative;;
⨽You think Doubles doesn’t have any decent kids? lolol I thought they already sent out all their promising ones.
-Yep, evil editing. Yep, scripted. I don’t trust audition programs anymore lololol
⨽Doubles Entertainment has 22 company trainees and 12 individual trainees, and that’s the worst part. Don’t mess around with these kids’ dreams, you crazy bastards. Why would you mix individual trainees in with the ones who worked so hard to get here?
⨽I hope Doubles just lives long and declines slowly.
⨽Agreed. A company like Doubles should have had enough recognition even without auditions.
⨽The real goal here is the individual trainees lolol They’ll just bring in kids who already debuted, give them a backstory, and try to build them up. They’ll squeeze out tears and milk the ratings while exploiting these kids’ dreams again lololol
⨽Feels like I’ve already watched a whole TBN audition episode
⨽Only the kids being used are pitiful
-Why is everyone reacting like this? Am I the only one excited? It’s a new boy group from Doubles
⨽They can’t even take care of their seniors, and now they’re trying to debut new ones lolol
⨽All our boys got here through their own hard work. Doubles has never helped us at all lolol
-Everyone thinks it’ll fail, but I think it’ll go well
⨽Because of the power of a big company?
⨽lolololol Doubles won’t flop
⨽Once they debut, all these reactions will completely flip. I can already see it
-Audition idols aren’t something you should stan. Your fave could get beaten up here and there, and then have their screentime completely edited out so their face is just in the background for a whole episode. Say the wrong thing and you’ll have burner accounts popping up and exposé posts pouring in.
⨽And that’s not even all. Every week when rankings go up and down because of the broadcasters’ tricks, the mood in the community goes insane. Even if it’s fine now, there’ll definitely be a moment later when you feel like you’re losing your mind lololol
⨽2222222 Absolutely
⨽If the one getting the evil edit is my kid? I’m going to lose it
⨽Of course you'd lose it
Below the comments were already profile photos of the trainees that had been taken, followed by all kinds of evaluations.
-There’s no one worth picking.
⨽So what are we supposed to vote for?
⨽222
⨽This is so frustrating
-Personally, I like number 3, number 7, and number 19
⨽Oh, not bad
⨽Feels like they’ll get popular
⨽Number 3 kind of has that look kids these days like. He looks soft and squishy like a hamster
⨽Cute, number 3
⨽For me, it’s number 21. Noona’s bank account is ready, just debut already
⨽Didn’t everyone say they wouldn’t stan anyone? lolololol
⨽Look, here too lolol Everyone said they weren’t gonna watch and now they’re going wild
Of course, there were some good comments, but since the program hadn’t even started yet, the bad ones were overwhelmingly more common.
There were no fans to protect us, no acquaintances to cheer us on. We were basically thrown out into the world completely exposed.
“…I’m number 3.”
Am I… kind of cute?
I told myself not to get swayed, but getting compliments still made me happy.
Feeling proud as I skimmed through the mentions of me, I closed the window. There were definitely others who reacted like I did, but more of them didn’t.
“Ha, I look better in person. The camera… this shot is weird.”
“Why? Are they bashing everyone?”
“…Don’t know.”
“They think it’s going to flop?”
“There’s that talk too…”
A heavy atmosphere settled over the practice room.
Some looked even more down after hearing people say the program might fail. Ha Junseo, with a serious face, repeatedly sipped his Americano and bumped his head against the wall.
He looked deeply troubled.
He seemed like he was about to talk, so I tried to walk past, but he beat me to it.
“What are your reactions like?”
“I didn’t read many.”
“What do you think… the program will be like?”
“I think it’ll do well.”
I answered in less than a second.
Ah, did I sound too confident?
I shrugged while looking around at the people sinking like a shipwreck.
“It’ll definitely do well.”
---
At last, the morning of the first shoot arrived.
“To the right of the camera!”
“Is the setup finished?”
“Yes, we’re starting!”
“PD-nim, just a moment. Should we get the intro lines first?”
“Is Dawon-ssi here?”
“Yes, he’s coming!”
The main MC for this season of the Stardust Project was Han Dawon.
He originally came from an acting background, so this was his first time hosting an audition program. Even so, his natural actor’s diction made him a fitting host.
Paaat—
The camera light turned on. Han Dawon began to speak in a composed voice.
“Today, at the heart of the universe—here in the Stardust World—thirty-four boys have arrived.”
“To survive in this harsh and brutal land, they’ll need every single vote from our patrons.”
The camera swiftly moved to capture Han Dawon’s voice.
The lines were a bit cringeworthy but stayed true to the concept. Han Dawon stared straight into the camera and gave a subtle smile.
“To help these boys achieve their dreams, to help them find a place in this land—will you cast your vote?”
“Waaaaaah!”
With the grand BGM, the lights shone down over Han Dawon’s head.
Perhaps because it looked like a halo, the trainees who had just finished their makeup blinked in surprise.
Soon, admiration erupted from all sides.
It seemed they hadn’t expected to see a top actor this close.
Whispers floated around nearby.
“Wow, he’s really handsome.”
“He’s a celebrity.”
“…It’s my first time seeing a celebrity.”
“This is kinda cool.”
The back was already in a state of excitement.
I nodded along, putting on a look of awe.
Even if the camera wasn’t rolling here, one was probably recording reactions to use later.
In auditions, you had to smile.
“Wow…”
Clap clap clap.
I had to express my desperate desire to debut through my eyes.
It wasn’t hard. That part was genuine.
Each of those votes, just like Han Dawon said, was crucial for me.
“Please. Let me debut.”
Just as I whispered that softly—
A staff member rushed into the waiting room in a hurry.
“Alright, we’re starting the shoot now!”
Rustle. We all lined up and headed toward the set together.
The scale of the set was incredible.
Even craning my neck, I couldn’t tell how high the ceiling was. It was dazzling.
Wow, even seeing it a second time, it felt new.
Of course, rather than being amazed by it now…
“How much did they spend on production?”
I had become a bit of a realist. I muttered under my breath as I sat in the prepared seat.
Just then, Ha Junseo, who sat next to me, spoke.
“Huh? What?”
He looked visibly tense. Seeing that expression made my mouth dry too. Ha Junseo downed the last of his Americano, then pulled another tumbler out of his bag.
Then he casually added,
“Ah, I figured I’d need a lot today.”
“Can I have a sip too?”
“Sure.”
Thud.
I took the mug he handed me without a second thought and gulped it down in one go.
And then…
I almost spit it out on the spot.
“Khff! Kheuk….”
What the hell did I just drink?
“How many shots did you put in this?”
“Not that many today. Just… five?”
“Excuse me?”
Was this poison Americano?
Or was he trying to take out the competition?
Suddenly, he looked like a completely different person.
But judging by that bright smile, it probably wasn’t an assassination attempt.
“Don’t tell me you drink it like this every day?”
“When I’m more nervous, I add two more.”
“More shots?”
Nod.
Ha Junseo nodded brightly and smiled. Now’s not the time to be smiling, man.
“You’re still young, hyung. Just wait a few years…”
Ah, that sounded way too much like someone living their second life.
I wrapped it up with a somewhat more reasonable conclusion.
“That’ll rot your stomach.”
“Oh… really?”
“No, you can’t drink this. Throw it away.”
I was practically saving a life as I snatched away Ha Junseo’s poison-like Americano when a staff member came back out to the front.
Seeing about a dozen people move toward the back suggested that the first round of evaluations was about to begin in earnest.
Only then did I start to feel the crushing pressure—enough to make me want a sip of that poison Americano myself.
“Independent trainee Kang Si-woo, please come forward.”
It’s starting now.
---
Judges so famous that anyone would know their names. Among them sat trainers and the CEO from Doubles that we saw as often as our daily meals.
I swallowed and brought my hands together, staring straight ahead. Before I knew it, my turn was approaching.
Up until now, I had been sitting in the seats set up for reactions. Now I was standing backstage.
With Ha Junseo.
“Ha… I’m nervous.”
“You weren’t even blinking an eye earlier.”
“Can I get some poison?”
“Hold on. Quick, take a sip.”
“Gag!”
As I regretted recklessly gulping down that poison Americano, I could still hear the intense evaluations from the stage.
“Trainee Choi Wonseok, everything’s good, but that look in your eyes is not it, right?”
“He looks like he has no will.”
“I don’t know what he’s trying to show us here.”
“Competitions aren’t a joke.”
The lines were harsher than usual, likely because they were conscious of the cameras. The ten people waiting behind took short, deep breaths.
Everyone looked like they just wanted to go home.
“Ha…”
I wasn’t the only one nervous. Ha Junseo blinked his big eyes and slumped his shoulders like he was deflated.
“That’s my future, isn’t it?”
“You should have a sip too, hyung.”
“Oh, I think I feel better.”
As expected, one sip of poison, and a man comes back to life.
It’s honestly kind of fascinating.
I glanced at Ha Junseo with a faint smile.
Even in that moment, my mind was busy reviewing the strategy I had prepared.
To be honest, my monthly evaluation rankings before the Stardust Project were not very noteworthy.
Which meant that from the start, titles like "talented trainee" or "promising prospect" weren’t going to be mine.
So what I had to aim for was something else.
“A surprise dark horse.”
That kind of title was always more attractive anyway.
Meanwhile, Kevin the druggie had already gone up. I wasn’t sure what he did, but the audience kept gasping in amazement.
The energy was strong enough to shake the back wall.
“Trainee Kevin.”
Now that’s a promising talent. The judges couldn’t hold back their excitement.
“Ah, he’s so good.”
“Best stage I’ve seen today.”
“As expected.”
“He’s already famous in our company. Right, Minseo-ssem?”
“Both the singing and dancing were perfect.”
“Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve seen someone like this. He’s definitely going to debut.”
Those weren’t empty words.
They weren’t hyping him up—Kevin’s performance really was outstanding.
The issue was that he’d become a druggie in the future, but he wasn’t someone who had ever been bad on stage to begin with.
“His stage was insane, right?”
Ha Junseo clicked his tongue and glanced around.
There weren’t many people left waiting.
Which meant someone among them would be going up next.
Ha Junseo voiced the same thought I had.
“Whoever has to go after that… they’re seriously unlucky.”
“For real.”
Kevin was in a whole other league anyway. My skills weren’t good enough to beat that kind of performance in the first round of evaluations.
Honestly, I just needed to avoid going right after him.
But then.
“Next trainee, please get ready.”
A staff member ran over and called out urgently in a small voice.
“Trainee Do Seohan! Is there a trainee Do Seohan here?”
What the hell.
Why does it have to be me?