Go Eun-Seo had by far the most overwhelming aura among all the candidates so far. Long hair was flowing down to her waist each step she walked. She was wearing white Goodcci T-shirt and designer jeans. On top of that, she had a slender 168 cm frame, skin so fair and clear it looked like her features would vanish under the lights, and even deep dimples. Her looks alone was enough to understand why Ji Yung-Sik had come running to the waiting room in excitement. Sure enough, the judges couldn't take their eyes off her for a while. "Hello, I'm candidate number 111, Go Eun-Seo." Lee Dong-Min wore a slightly thrilled expression, having already forgotten the chaos Han So-Ye had caused in the waiting room earlier. That was how attention-grabbing Go Eun-Seo was. Then, Ahn Ye-Eum spoke to Go Eun-Seo. "You must've been quite popular being that pretty, huh, Miss Eun-Seo?" Go Eun-Seo flashed a charming smile. "Yes. Not just quite but a lot, actually." It was a slightly smug answer, but hard to refute since it was true. Of course, if netizens heard it, it would probably earn her a hundred thousand haters. Then Lee Dong-Min asked about the discrepancy between her and the second-round video. "You look better in person than in the audition video. Your skin tone looked darker in the video, though?" "Oh, that? The lighting team that was supposed to come didn't show up, so the lighting setup wasn't great." At the age of seventeen, it was rare for someone to think of hiring a lighting team for an audition shoot. It seemed likely Han So-Ye was helping out behind the scenes. The judges were once again taken aback by Go Eun-Seo's clear answer, but soon adapted to her personality and continued questioning. Then, noticing the silence beside me, I turned to see Jung Sang-Bong staring blankly at Go Eun-Seo. "What are you doing, Sang-Bong?" Jung Sang-Bong snapped out of it in surprise. "Oh, no. It's nothing." "What, are you surprised? Is it your first time seeing someone that pretty?" "No, if we're talking about looks, Miss Yoo-Jin or Miss Yung-In are better. Each of our Cherry Blossom members has their own charm as well. But it's her demeanor that's surprising." "She looks like a veteran who's already debuted. Sae-Ri still gets nervous during interviews, but how is she more composed than a pro?" He couldn't understand how someone so young could be so confident. Jung Sang-Bong himself had been a taekwondo gold medalist and had often appeared in front of cameras. He had been an elite athlete in the spotlight since he was seven, but it always felt like a burden and he could never fully relax. Meanwhile, Go Eun-Seo looked completely at ease. I shrugged. "Sometimes, there are kids like that." Those were the ones who believed they were the main character. There was a reason Go Eun-Seo's nickname is 'Go-Centered Theory,' and she had the talent to match her pride. Jung Sang-Bong said, "Life really is unfair." Before the regression, the team eventually exploded from Go Eun-Seo's selfish attitude no matter how much they adjusted to her. With their anger at a breaking point, the members gathered reporters they knew and spilled everything that had happened. The team disbanded that very day, and Go Eun-Seo's entertainment career came to an end. Of course, she took no responsibility, left the cleanup to me, and jetted off to study in the U.S. Thinking about it still made my blood boil. Meanwhile, having finished her chat with the judges, Go Eun-Seo prepared for the audition. "Then I'll now sing 'Hwayeonga,' originally performed by Seo Yeon-Woo sunbae-nim." Kim Jong-Hoon asked, "It's a male song, so you'll need to change it to a female key. How many keys will you raise?" "No. I'll sing it in the original key." Since female vocalists had higher voices, they typically changed male original songs to a female key. But Go Eun-Seo, confident in her vocals, knew her wide vocal range and boldly declared she would sing Seo Yeon-Woo's song in the original key. "It'll be tough for a female vocalist to sing a male song in the original key. It won't be easy to convey the emotion either." "I thought the original key would be better to capture the original emotion, so I practiced thoroughly. And my mid-range is pretty solid, so I'm good at singing male songs too." Go Eun-Seo didn't look like someone auditioning. She looked like someone here to perform, and Kim Jong-Hoon watched her with interest. "Great. If your skill matches even half your confidence, I'll give you a pass." Ahn Ye-Eum also spoke to the staff with an intrigued expression. "What are you all doing? Let's hear it. The audition video was decent, but I've been curious how she'd do live." The staff prepared the accompaniment. As Go Eun-Seo slightly bowed and grabbed the mic, the instrumental of 'Hwajeonga,' the current number one song, began. After a few deep breaths, Go Eun-Seo began to sing to the music. Though she was at a disadvantage singing in a male key, her clear diction and rich emotion were enough to say she was already a finished singer. If I listened with my eyes closed, I would have thought it was the voice of a twenty-seven-year-old, not a seventeen-year-old with such maturity in her tone. The judges, who had initially been skeptical, now all rested their chins in their hands and watched Go Eun-Seo sing. Even the staff on site started moving busily. After all, a member had been born who could guarantee the success of Project I.O.A. The moment the first verse ended, Lee Dong-Min raised his hand. "Alright, that's good!" Since Go Eun-Seo's skills had far exceeded expectations, Lee Dong-Min couldn't hide his excitement. With Go Eun-Seo showing both looks and talent, Ji Yung-Sik kept ordering more footage via intercom. Nodding, Lee Dong-Min picked up the mic. "Your vocals are very solid. I think you could succeed even as a solo artist, not just an idol." "Thank you. But I prefer being an idol. You can always go solo later, like Sae-Ri unnie did." As annoying as she was, she always made valid points and it was hard to argue. "I like your spirit. Anyway, there's no need to see more with your vocals at this level." At that moment, Go Eun-Seo asked boldly, "So I passed, right?" When Lee Dong-Min looked at the others, they all nodded. There were no objections. However, Lee Dong-Min said he wanted to see one more thing. "Mrs. Park Seon-Nyeo, could you take a look at her dance?" Park Seon-Nyeo picked up the mic. "Miss Go Eun-Seo, have you practiced dancing before? Can you do Cherry Blossom's 'Hurry Up!' dance?" Without a word, Go Eun-Seo immediately struck the opening pose of 'Hurry Up!' "Music, please." By now, Go Eun-Seo was leading the audition herself. As the on-site AD played the music, Go Eun-Seo began to dance. At that moment, the judges once again let out gasps of admiration. Having done ballet since she was young, Go Eun-Seo was a great dancer with long limbs and graceful lines. Though the charm of the 'Hurry Up' dance lay in its bouncy feel, Go Eun-Seo reinterpreted the choreography with elegant hand movements. Naturally, her dance performance far exceeded the passing line. "You passed. See you on Sunday, March 14th. That's the start of the main preliminaries." Go Eun-Seo bowed and walked out with the pass mascot in hand. She didn't even look particularly happy about passing, but walked out like it was the natural result. Watching that, the judges began murmuring among themselves. "She's definitely not average." "She's probably going to make it to the final round." "Not just the final round—she seems like the type who could handle a spot right away." "To be honest, I had a bit of a bias because of her mom but that's all gone now." "She's a bit arrogant, but there was nothing to criticize since she didn't make mistakes." Everyone started acknowledging Go Eun-Seo's talent. 'Yeah, and that's exactly the problem.' Because of that talent, Go Eun-Seo never got scolded and just kept rising until a major controversy about her character exploded. And just then, Woo Yeon-Hee pointed that out. "I think... we should keep watching. Like Jong-Hoon oppa said, her overconfidence bothers me. Idols face the public, and that attitude might increase anti-fans." Yang Eun-Bi nodded in agreement. "Same here. Her looks and skills are flawless. But with that personality, group missions won't be easy." Once the two active idols spoke up, everyone finally nodded in agreement. Still, they decided to just keep an eye on that flaw for now because her talent was so exceptional. At that moment, Jung Sang-Bong, thinking the same as the judges, spoke. "Mr. Jung. With skills like that, Go Eun-Seo's probably going straight into the I.O.A Korean lineup, right?" That's when I realized I needed to broaden Sang-Bong's perspective. Before the regression, I judged people based solely on talent and ended up with huge regrets. However, stars raised for success while ignoring character ended up causing scandals that wasted years of investment and effort. I couldn't let someone I cared about, like Jung Sang-Bong, make the same mistake. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net "Starting today, follow the singer team here around. I'll talk to Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo and Mr. Lee Dong-Min." "Sorry? What about the actors I was managing?" "Hand them over to Team Lead Nam Pan-Gyu and Team Lead Yeon So-Hee." Jung Sang-Bong looked uneasy and hesitated. "I don't really know the singer team's work. What if I just get in the way?" "It's fine. You don't need to do anything else. Just help with the audition process. You'll pick it up quickly. You've seen how the singer side works because of Cherry Blossom, haven't you?" Despite his worries, Jung Sang-Bong had learned a lot just by following me around and was actually quite good at managing singers. "And regardless of whether they pass or not, record all the audition footage. Make sure to include each contestant's strengths and weaknesses with the video." "Yes, but Mr. Jung, why do we need to do that...?" "Because judging entertainers by talent alone leads to problems. Take this opportunity to practice assessing people. Let's say, what if she were involved in school violence?" Jung Sang-Bong's eyes widened. "Huh? She didn't seem like that at all." "No, I mean what if. Hypothetically." "In that case, talent doesn't matter. Someone who bullied others can't be an idol. Even one victim's post could destroy the team instantly." "Exactly. So always assess talent, but also develop the ability to see beyond that. Gather information. Otherwise, you'll regret it someday." Jung Sang-Bong finally nodded. "True. Our Cherry Blossom members are loved partly because they've never had any scandals... Oh, so you mean we should consider character too?" "Smart kid. You haven't been learning for nothing. Yeah. This is a business that faces the public. Idols who need public love can't be judged on talent alone. No matter how good they are, if the public dislikes them, it's over." Jung Sang-Bong grinned as if he understood. "Yes, Mr. Jung. I'll keep that in mind." "Good. Don't end up like me." Jung Sang-Bong tilted his head. "Huh? What do you mean don't end up like you?" Thinking of my pre-regression self, I let that slip. I quickly changed the subject. "Ah, no. I just almost did once, that's all." As we were talking, Ji Yung-Sik called out to the judges. "Shall we bring out the next candidate now?" Once the judges wrapped up their discussion, the staff called the next contestant. "Candidate 112, please come out~" As I thought of Go Eun-Seo, I also wished deep down that she had changed. After all, everyone deserves a second chance. But if not, then there was no place for her in I.O.A. Go Eun-Seo's performance had been so shocking that the contestants who followed were quickly eliminated. That's when the candidate I was waiting for showed up. -Contestant 123, Sung Na-Ra. Please come in. Sung Na-Ra was the girl I had scouted two weeks ago. "Hello, I'm number 123, Sung Na-Ra!" Sung Na-Ra showed up in a yellow two-piece outfit, which made her crescent-eye smile and cute looks stand out even more. She had been a member of FIVE Angels, which I disbanded, and had idol experience for a year. Her looks alone had gained her a personal fandom, so the judges all smiled as soon as they saw her. And since they already knew she wasn't lacking in skill, the judges started worrying more about her past career than her audition itself. Lee Dong-Min let out a sigh and asked with a concerned look, "Even if you pass today, you know your previous idol career might hold you back during the competition. Right?" Because of the nature of audition programs, each contestant built a fandom and fandoms tended to be very aggressive toward rivals. Among them, Sung Na-Ra, who had already experienced idol life, was likely to be the first target. Even existing fandoms could cause issues. "The response... might be worse than you expect. Are you okay with that?" Then Sung Na-Ra smiled gently and replied, "I think it's a burden I have to carry. I have no intention of running away. I've never run away, and I can't run away either. This is the only path I have." The only people who understood the weight of those words were her and I. She was softer than anyone else, but when it came to work, she was more relentless than anyone. That was because she was the breadwinner, responsible for three younger siblings and her grandparents. "She's got real guts." Then, Sung Na-Ra said something unexpected. "To be honest, I thought about giving up this career, but someone I'm grateful to helped me. So I can't give up. Not until I repay that person." Sung Na-Ra was referring to the fact that I had saved her, even though I was standing in the corner near the stage where she couldn't possibly see me. "Whoever that person is, we should thank them. They sent us such a passionate contestant." Ahn Ye-Eum muttered to herself, then suggested starting the audition. "Anyway, since you've already been an idol for a year, we're going to judge you more strictly. Can you show us your skills properly?" "Then let's see it. Like a pro!" Sung Na-Ra chose the song 'A New Beginning' by Kang Ha-Na. It was the perfect song for Sung Na-Ra, who was making a new start as an idol. At the cue, Sung Na-Ra took a deep breath and grabbed the mic. As the instrumental began, her delicate voice filled the room. Unlike Kang Ha-Na's original which was full of heavy emotion, Sung Na-Ra sang with a youthful and clear tone. However, the sincerity in her voice resonated with everyone just as deeply as the original. Tears welled in Sung Na-Ra's eyes as she hugged the pass mascot. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll do my best." I had been worried she might have slacked off during practice these past two weeks, thinking I was the key figure behind Project I.O.A and would protect her. However, that worry was unfounded. Sung Na-Ra had staked everything on this audition. After receiving the pass mascot, Sung Na-Ra bowed and walked out of the audition room. That's when I felt a vibration in my pocket. Sung Na-Ra had sent me a Kk talk message. [Sung Na-Ra: Mr. Jung, I passed. Thank you. I'll work hard.] Even though she couldn't have seen me near the stage, she took the initiative to express her gratitude. Smiling warmly, I replied. [Jung Yoon-Ho: Well done. But what matters is the actual broadcast, so give it your all until the end. Got it?] [Sung Na-Ra: Yep, Mr. Jung. I'll give it my best! I got this!] I began typing my own "you got this" reply. At that moment, I felt another vibration in my phone. [Caller ID: Do Ran-Hee] It was a call from Do Ran-Hee. I stopped my message and answered the phone. "Hey, Ran-Hee. What's up?" Right then, I heard Do Ran-Hee's urgent voice. "Mr. Jung! It's bad! At KBC... please! Please come quickly!"