Chapter 3
Moon Hayan
Vocal: B+
Rap: C
Stamina: D
Visual: A
Dance: D
Are you serious?
This wasn’t a college transcript from a student who gave up on school?
Seeing the disastrous grades, Hayan’s face fell.
Her main position, vocal, was only B+. Her visuals were A, but there were plenty of trainees with that level of visuals. And considering the highest rank was A+, her stats were honestly mediocre.
“Ah…”
Six years of training, and this was the result?
Hayan stared blankly at the system window.
Yeah… these stats suit an unpopular member perfectly.
The semi-transparent system window flickered like heat haze, disturbing her vision. She simply turned her head away.
Fine. Accept what needs to be accepted. She had always been a member with little presence anyway.
Ding!
“Hm?”
The system window followed her gaze and displayed new information.
Presence refers to the influence the user exerts.
The maximum value is 100.
If it falls below 0, you will return to the starting point (current timeline). Upon regression, 10% of your previous memories will be erased.
It was a chilling warning.
To avoid returning, she had to succeed in the main quest while keeping her Presence from dropping.
So even if I survive everything, if my Presence hits rock bottom, I’m sent back immediately.
There was no mid-save function. This was hardcore mode.
But in a game, you could just turn it off. Reality wasn’t like that.
All the color drained from her face.
You may use Presence to purchase items from the shop or invest Presence to increase stat grades.
※ Items cannot be used more than once.
Items?
That caught her interest.
Almost as if hypnotized, Hayan clicked the shop. A list of locked items appeared before her eyes.
Hexagon Idol ｜ Presence 50
Master Singer ｜ Presence 10
K-Hip-Hop No.1 ｜ Presence 10
Silver Tongue ｜ Presence 5
Escape the Stiff ｜ Presence 5
Expand ▼
Her eyes skimmed over the names, roughly guessing their effects, until one caught her attention.
K-Hip-Hop No.1 ｜ Presence 10
Rap +2 Levels ｜ 24 hours ｜ The soul of a skilled rapper who rose from the bottom dwells within you. For some reason, you’ll want to be a filial child to your mother… More
“What is this?”
She quickly closed the long description.
Do I even have enough Presence to buy anything?
Current Presence: 35
At least it’s not zero. Not bad.
Thankfully, she didn’t start from nothing.
She had been a trainee longer than anyone else, and she had been a public trainee who occasionally appeared on the company’s variety content. Quite a few people recognized her.
- Moon Hayan looks exactly like the female lead in OnlyStay’s debut MV.
└ Because it’s literally her…. - Wow, I wondered when she’d debut. She’s on a survival show now….
She had even appeared in her senior group’s music video.
That meant she had to use what little Presence she had wisely.
But since Presence equals influence, I can’t just spend it carelessly.
The key would be how to use items strategically and gather more Presence.
“Please gather, trainees!”
Just before filming began, a staff member called everyone over.
Hayan took a deep breath, trying to calm her chaotic thoughts.
In just a few minutes, information had poured down on her like a blizzard.
The emotions that had been sinking and floating inside her had to be put aside for now.
The unpopular member of DAZE.
An idol whose photocards were so cheap she was accused of riding on popular members for six years.
A failed idol who faded away quietly.
Someone else’s tragic misfortune could at least become interesting content. But the quiet failure of a nobody? No one cared.
If she complained, people would say she was whining while riding the bus.
Stand up.
Hayan steadied herself and stepped toward her second life.
“Welcome to the headquarters of DI-World.
In DI-World, connected by music, you have lived peacefully.
However—
Information has been obtained that the villain Residue plans to destroy DI-World.
Through this survival program, we will select members of the elite unit DAZE to protect DI-World.”
From the large screen filled with static, a voice altered with distortion echoed dramatically.
The over-the-top tone explaining the cringey worldbuilding made her ears itch.
Right. There was this setting.
As the episodes went on, everyone would forget there even was a storyline.
“Through four evaluations, five final members will be selected.
Depending on the grades received at each evaluation, different benefits or penalties will be given.
The first evaluation is individual.
Trainees who receive Grade A will have priority in choosing competition songs.
However—
Trainees of other grades will not be informed of the song details.”
“What?”
“They won’t tell us at all?”
That’s basically drawing lots!
The penalty was harsher than expected, and everyone began murmuring.
At least they could tell us what kind of song it is…
Still, most trainees probably thought the same thing Hayan once did:
The penalty’s harsh, so they won’t grade that strictly.
The real problem was—
She wasn’t the only one thinking that.
“Grade C.”
That was already the second C.
With such merciless evaluations, anxiety crept into the room. The next trainee looked visibly stiff.
“I’m Jo Yaeun. My main position is vocal. Please take care of me!”
She bowed repeatedly toward the trainers.
“You look nervous.”
“A little….”
“You listed vocal as your main position, but that’s an unexpected song choice.”
One trainer smiled.
Hayan felt anxious watching the trainee force a smile back.
She knew that after smiling like that, they’d crush her spirit with harsh criticism.
Let’s check her stats.
Jo Yaeun
Vocal: A
Rap: C+
Stamina: C
Visual: B
Dance: C+
They weren’t close, but Yaeun was fairly skilled.
Her vocals are actually solid.
As the intro played, the trainees straightened up.
Someone whispered, “Whoa.”
That’s not an easy song.
The kind of song that, if you chose it at karaoke, you’d embarrass yourself before the first verse ended.
Contrary to expectations, Yaeun sang steadily without major mistakes.
But as she approached the final high note, Hayan’s eyebrow twitched.
Wait. Didn’t she mess up badly here before—?
“When new flesh begins to grow—”
She seemed to transition smoothly between head and chest voice—
“Forget meeeeh!”
Ah.
The voice cracked.
Hayan wanted to run out of the studio.
Looks like the Variability passive didn’t apply here.
It was exactly the same as before.
The broadcast would replay that voice crack at least ten times.
Silence filled the studio.
“…Yes, thank you.”
“…Yes.”
“Your basic skills aren’t bad. But—”
Another trainer interrupted. It was Moosung, famous for his sharp tongue.
“I thought someone next to you was shaking you.”
At that mocking comment, Yaeun’s face turned red. Her head dropped lower.
The first trainer continued.
“The song itself is very high and requires technique. It may have been too ambitious.”
“Yes….”
“You also tend to push too hard with raw vocals. It makes the listener anxious. Focus on stability first. Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
“And Jo Yaeun’s grade is….”
Most people probably thought she deserved at least a B.
Hayan had thought so too.
“C.”
A sharp inhale came from somewhere nearby.
To make things worse, the next trainee also received harsh criticism.
The mood grew heavier.
“…Next trainee, please.”
The trainers sighed in irritation.
The once sparkling eyes of the trainees dulled.
“Hello! I’m Catherine Yuri Choi!”
Catherine’s cheerful voice rang out.
“Are you foreign?”
“Yes! I’m from America!”
“Oh really? How long have you been in Korea?”
“Ten years!”
The trainers reacted with impressed sounds.
Her appearance and pronunciation were nearly indistinguishable from a native Korean.
“I’m good at almost everything, but I’ll show you what I’m best at—rap!”
“We’ll look forward to it.”
Catherine confidently took center stage.
That’s not an ordinary song choice.
It was a hip-hop track with breakbeats. Not mainstream, but beloved by hip-hop fans.
As the intro played, she moved with rhythm.
Well, even if I throw away what I’m holding once in a while,
I’d gladly let go, but maybe you don’t understand—
Her previously smiling eyes turned sharp as she began rapping.
I’ve hit the jackpot
Actually, it means nothing
Please disturb my thoughts about
You you you
Her body moved fluidly with the rising beat.
Even without big movements, she commanded attention.
It was the dance later nicknamed “Chewy Dance.”
Meanwhile, Hayan had always been compared unfavorably beside her.
Watching it again stirred old memories.
Catherine finished.
“I didn’t expect much since you’re a foreign rapper. Pronunciation issues and all.”
“But wow. Your Korean diction is clean.”
“I heard you practicing earlier. I had high expectations.”
Sweat trickled down Catherine’s face like a music show ending shot.
“Catherine, you are Grade A.”
“Thank you!”
She bowed.
Whispers of mixed emotions followed her back to her seat.
She leaned toward Minsu and whispered.
“That was easy.”
Hayan heard it clearly.
Confident.
Well, at least that meant she could debut with Catherine.
Next to her, Minsu was sweating heavily.
“Minsu, want me to go with you?”
“…Are you crazy?”
Minsu laughed it off, but she looked pale.
Wait. Shouldn’t I worry about myself first?
Hayan was actually the least likely to debut.
With Variability in play, repeating the same actions as before was risky.
What happened at my first evaluation?
She dug through her memory.
“Hello, I’m Moon Hayan!”
Further.
“I think I missed something, ah, I will— ah!”
…Right.
She had been so nervous she forgot the lyrics.
Not once. Twice.
But the biggest issue wasn’t the mistake.
It was that I still got a B.
Even she thought she deserved a C.
That’s how she got labeled as rigged.
This time, she probably wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
She needed a different choice.
***
Half the trainees had finished.
Out of eight so far, only Catherine had received Grade A.
If Variability didn’t interfere too much, only Catherine and Shin Haemi would get A.
“Hello, I’m Moon Hayan.”
It was her turn.
I’m nervous. But for a different reason.
What she wanted wasn’t A.
Not even B.
I’ll become a human strawberry.
She wanted—
Grade C.
