Chapter 70
Praise for Eunseo, who had an outstanding vocal, continued without restraint.
And Ji-hyun agreed with that assessment. As Hee-cheol had said about Under Down, it wasn’t that the vocals were entirely absent, but it was true that there were few parts that showcased the vocal’s charm.
Because of that, it was natural to think that Eunseo would be overshadowed. However, Eunseo, rather than being buried, smoothly carried the dance while flawlessly performing her limited vocal parts, leaving an even stronger impression of her presence.
“I honestly didn’t expect her to rap well on top of singing so well.”
“Well, her voice has a somewhat soft tone, and that actually fits her personally practiced rapping style quite well. Almost like a whisper? Something like that.”
Other members of the team also received praise. Se-hee’s team delivered a more perfect stage than expected overall.
They had taken Ji-hyun’s mentoring so perfectly that Ji-hyun even thought it might have been better if she hadn’t given them mentoring at all.
Perhaps then, because everyone was still a bit inexperienced, A-young’s mistakes might have stood out less.
“And participant Seong A-young…”
Finally, it was A-young’s turn. The first to break the ice was Jaina, who was positioned right next to her. Ji-hyun was so nervous that her breathing trembled.
Jaina stared at A-young with a tense expression for a moment, then finally gave a wry smile and spoke quietly.
“Are you okay?”
How comforting those words must have been to A-young.
It might have felt even more meaningful because it wasn’t Ji-hyun, who always said such things, but someone else.
“Ah…”
A-young unknowingly shed tears.
The hot droplets flowed uncontrollably, and eventually, a staff member had to bring tissues to her.
After some time, once A-young had calmed slightly, Jaina took the microphone and slowly spoke.
“Until I saw the mid-evaluation video, honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.”
The mid-evaluation video. Even Ji-hyun had to nod in agreement.
It was understandable. That video, done with a nearly first-time concept and insufficient practice time, was clumsy and forced.
“But today’s stage was much better than I imagined—far beyond that. I thought you’d seem out of place alone, but you blended into the team.”
“I… kind of felt the same way,” Min-seo chimed in. At first, she seemed to look at A-young, who had been obviously nervous from the start, with pity. Seeing her tears, it seemed she wanted to offer words of comfort.
She seemed like someone who didn’t quite fit into a survival program, with her earlier suggestion to give the kids more opportunities and her gentle demeanor.
A few more words of praise for A-young were exchanged. However, due to the nature of the program, fairness had to be maintained, so the praise didn’t last long.
Even if A-young had shed tears, the evaluation still had to be objective.
“But despite those good aspects… you made a big mistake on stage, didn’t you?”
At that comment, Ji-hyun felt as if her mouth had suddenly gone dry.
She looked up at the person who had spoken. She thought it would be Hee-cheol, but unexpectedly, it was Harin, who had been quietly observing until now.
That made sense. Harin had always been composed. She didn’t overpraise and gave honest feedback, complimenting what deserved praise and criticizing what needed critique.
Because it was Harin’s evaluation, it stung even more objectively.
“I think anyone could have that kind of accident—tripping during movement. But there’s a build-up to that accident, isn’t there, for participant Seong A-young?”
Harin was right. A-young’s accident wasn’t simply a single moment of carelessness during a good performance.
From the beginning, her expression showed clear anxiety and tension. By the middle, she got caught up in the fast-paced parts and couldn’t concentrate properly.
Through that sequence, in trying to follow the flow hurriedly, she ended up falling.
“No matter how ill-fitting the outfit, when you decide to wear it, you have to adapt it to your style. Participant Seong A-young failed in that aspect.”
“…Yes.”
“Adding a bit more, after that fall, she panicked and couldn’t continue the stage properly, right?”
At that moment, Hee-cheol interjected, his voice unusually irritating to Ji-hyun today.
It was frustrating because she wasn’t in a position to defend A-young now.
“Everyone makes mistakes. But the response was wrong. You should’ve gotten up and continued the stage as if nothing happened. You shouldn’t show every feeling on your face.”
“That’s…”
“I also thought… maybe this girl isn’t that desperate to debut?”
At that moment, the little energy that had remained in A-young’s eyes seemed to vanish.
Ji-hyun thought Hee-cheol’s words were harsh, but she couldn’t speak out.
It was frustrating and unfair, but from the outside, his words weren’t entirely wrong.
If she sided with A-young, it would only make her look bad on broadcast.
“Anyone else? Do you have any comments?”
Hee-cheol finished speaking and looked around the judges’ table.
Everyone seemed to have already said what they needed to, so there was nothing more to add.
Ji-hyun also didn’t feel like speaking and had nothing to say.
Se-hee’s team finished, and the next stage proceeded, but Ji-hyun couldn’t focus at all.
She selfishly hoped for someone else to make a mistake. Then, even if A-young’s ranking dropped, she might avoid elimination.
But aside from minor pitch slips here and there, A-young didn’t make any mistakes large enough to overshadow her presence.
Ji-hyun judged the remaining eight teams, barely noticing the passage of time.
“Did I look completely out of it?”
Sigh. Her head throbbed.
Back in the waiting room, Ji-hyun pressed her temples to relieve the tension, then calmed herself by sipping some soda before finally catching her breath.
She had no clue what to do next.
It had already happened. The more she thought, the more her head hurt.
Yes. Accept it. Even if she were eliminated, it wouldn’t be the end here.
“I’m going in!”
Just then, a staff member called Ji-hyun. The set seemed ready.
Standing, Ji-hyun tried to look less worn out, forcing a little strength into her eyes.
There were no participants on this set yet. Since the first performance had ended, it seemed they were calculating scores and rankings.
Once seated, Jaina spoke to Ji-hyun in a friendly tone.
“You look a little tired.”
“Ah, yes…”
She didn’t feel like talking, but staying completely silent might seem odd.
Ji-hyun engaged in small talk with Jaina for a bit.
Mostly it was about her work or questions Jaina had for Ji-hyun. It was interesting, but not something she wanted to talk about right now.
Until Jaina cautiously brought up A-young.
“The girl who fell earlier…”
“Yes… ah, yes.”
Hearing A-young’s name cleared Ji-hyun’s blurred vision.
Turning slightly, she saw Jaina tapping her pen on the judging notes, deep in thought.
“I realized that when judging, you can’t really give an absolute score.”
“Excuse me… what do you mean?”
“For example, for participant Seong A-young just now,”
Jaina thought carefully, then spoke cautiously.
“She clearly made a big mistake, but it’d be a shame to eliminate her here.”
“Th-….”
No. Ji-hyun, who had wanted to say something, suddenly shut her mouth and fell silent in thought.
