Chapter 8
Year-end Evaluation
After the first day of lessons, life went on as usual.
I could sense a change in the way the kids treated , but it was definitely a positive one.
How should I put it?
At first, I felt like a complete outsider, waiting in front of a sign that said No Entry!. But now, I felt like they had allowed to enter their fence.
I was glad they were nice.
But the peacefulness of my daily life was shattered by a new event.
In early December.
While we were practicing our choreography, the door of the practice room opened.
As soon as they saw Director Jo Kyu-hwans face, the youngest quickly turned off the MR.
Hello, Director!
Uh, yeah.
Director Jo greeted us lightly and smiled.
Wow, you guys sll like sweat. You must have been practicing really hard. I ca down to tell you sothing. Its nothing big, so relax.
He handed us a paper.
Your year-end evaluation assignnt is out.
Really?
Everyone took the paper and gathered around Kim Bi-ju.
The paper was printed in a neat official format with an announcent.
2013 Joint Year-end Evaluation Announcent
-Location: Taehwa High School Auditorium
-Date: 2013. 12. 28 (Sat)
-Participating Agencies: DNS dia, Lemon Entertainnt, Hwai Entertainnt, Big Brother Company, Oullim Entertainnt
-Assignnt: A performance that combines two different songs with one the
-Please inform the parents of the trainees in advance, as the traffic situation around the venue may be chaotic on the day.
Unlike the others who looked tense as they read the announcent, I was clueless.
What is a year-end evaluation?
I knew about the monthly evaluation.
If a normal high school student takes a mock exam every month, then an idol trainee takes a test called a monthly evaluation.
Its the sa as a test, except its not about math, English, or Korean.
Its also the sa in that you get stressed depending on your score.
The only difference is that if you ss up a mock exam, you dont get kicked out of high school, but if a trainees monthly evaluation results are stagnant for two or three months, they get their contract terminated right away.
If you dont improve, you get thrown away. Thats the life of a trainee.
When I was at TJ Entertainnt, I had to take several of these evaluations every month.
A small one every two weeks and a big one every Thursday.
The subjects were different each ti.
Sotis it was individual, like You have a weak high note, so master this song.
Sotis it was team-based, like Make your own choreography and compete with each other.
I guess the performance that combines two different songs with one the written on the paper was one of those test subjects.
What I didnt understand was why they did the monthly evaluation publicly.
And with other agencies.
Is it like a showcase?
A showcase is a term for a stage that is used for promotion.
Its like showing them in advance and seeing their reaction, like the word showcase ans.
I heard that one of the four major agencies, MOP, does this kind of thing and shows the trainee stage to the public.
Well. Anyway, thats not important. I needed information.
What is a year-end evaluation?
As I looked at the trainees who were scanning the announcent, I picked the one who had the loosest mouth.
Ue? Yeohalheongao? (Huh? Year-end evaluation?)
Yeah.
During the break, Wang Ji-ho, who was munching on the chocolate bread I bought him, asked.
Is this your first ti hearing about the year-end evaluation?
I only know about the monthly evaluation.
Oh, this is when we do the monthly evaluation with the nearby agencies every six months. The one we do in December is called the year-end evaluation.
Is it similar to the MOP showcase?
Its different. MOP invites the general audience, right? Our year-end evaluation is when we invite the trainees families or acquaintances.
Isnt it better to have the general audience?
I shivered, and the youngest agreed.
I know, right? Its so embarrassing to ss up or rap in front of your parents.
I felt like crawling into a hole just thinking about singing and dancing in front of my grandmother.
While we were gloomy about the bleak future, Wang Ji-ho chewed on his chocolate bread.
But theres another real reason why we have to do well on the year-end evaluation.
What is it?
Its because its a competition between the agencies. We and DNS are the biggest, so we have a rivalry. If we debut a girl group, they also debut a girl group, and so on. The year-end evaluation is also like that.
Is it like a Korea-Japan soccer match?
Kind of.
Wang Ji-ho drank his milk and continued.
Besides, we got totally crushed in June. If it was soccer, it would be like 7 to 0. The atmosphere was no joke. The CEO didnt even greet us for a few days.
Our CEO?
Can you believe it? But its true.
Do we have to win this ti?
Yep.
But you guys are amazing. Did DNS do that well?
From what I rember, the guys over there did really well. Maybe theyre in the debut group this ti?
Wang Ji-ho showed so articles he searched on his smartphone.
-Lavender Rose brother group debuts 9-mber Street Boys
-DNS dia rookie Street Boys, first appearance with debut reality show
-LaRose junior group Street Boys, debut story revealed with K-Net reality show
The description said they were a hip-hop concept 9-mber boy group.
They were aiming to debut in April and currently filming a reality show to be aired on K-Net.
Are they our competitors?
Yep.
Why are they filming a reality show before they debut?
Isnt that so enviable? If they do this, fans will flock in.
I nodded.
From the perspective of the general public, its a 0.1% rating program that they dont even know about, but its different for idols.
If youre from one of the four major agencies, youll get recognition just by sending them out, but for small idols, this is a big deal.
I tapped the arm of the youngest who was looking at the internet articles with envious eyes.
I bought another chocolate milk for the youngest, along with drinks for the other mbers, on our way back to the practice room.
We sat around in a circle, each holding a drink.
It was ti for a strategy eting.
We had to discuss how to prepare for the year-end evaluation assignnt: a performance that combines two different songs with one the.
DNS did hip-hop last ti, right? How about we go for a strong concept too?
Hyung, they have four rappers on their team. Youre the only rapper we have. If we go for an intense concept, well be at a disadvantage.
Hmm but dont you think Jung-hyun has a point?
Kim Bi-ju said.
What if we try a strong concept too? If we do a soft concept like last ti, we might lose.
I dont know. If we challenge them head-on, well be in trouble.
I think we can do it.
This is not an easy problem, you know.
They calmly debated.
The first step was to decide what concept to do before choosing the songs.
Three of them were actively expressing their opinions, while the youngest and I were watching the situation.
The youngest was playing with his phone, not caring about anything, while I was deep in thought.
Sothing didnt seem right.
They all seed to be barking up the wrong tree.
***
-DNS guys
-DNS did the sa concept as last ti
-We have to overpower them with vocals
Was it because of the defeat in the first half of the year?
DNS dia ca up in every sentence they said.
This was not sothing that could be solved by fighting.
The year-end evaluation felt like a survival program.
A war to defeat the rival and claim victory.
Maybe they wouldnt have been so obsessed with this idea if it wasnt for the fact that their families were coming to watch and the painful loss last ti.
They seed to be driven by the obsession to do better than the other side.
And I felt it too.
But the reason I kept silent was because of seniority.
I had the most experience, but I had only been at Lemon Entertainnt for less than two weeks.
It was awkward to butt in.
It was like a newly appointed captain joining the discussion of the senior sergeants.
Guys, we have to decide quickly.
Seo Ri-hyuk banged the floor.
Itll take more ti if we have to do the arrangent too.
Didnt the director say he would do it for us?
The director and the engineers are all busy because of Yoon Chan-hyuk sunbaes album.
So we have to do everything ourselves.
And if we add the choreography, well have only two weeks of actual practice ti.
Then lets decide soon.
Did anyone hear what DNS is doing?
The year-end evaluation topic was a performance that connects two different songs. In other words, singing different verses from different songs.
Choosing the songs was a challenge.
They looked at us as they racked their brains.
Do Ji-ho and Woojoo hyung have any opinions?
Im fine with whatever you guys do.
The other three pairs of eyes turned to .
I have an idea, but
Yeah? Just tell us.
Sorry to say this, but I think the way you guys are doing it is wrong.
The atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
Seo Ri-hyuks eyes narrowed and his tone beca sharp.
Whats wrong with it?
From what I heard, you guys are only talking about what DNS is doing.
So?
Beating the rival is important, but this is not a survival program. I think we should consider the essence of the stage.
They didnt seem very friendly.
They looked at as if to say, What do you know?
But I had no choice.
If we went on like this, we would go in a weird direction and ruin everything.
I think we should think about the audience first.
The audience?
The reason we stand on stage is because its fun, right? And our goal is to make the audience happy.
The goal of every entertainer is to please the public.
Before we decide on the performance the or the songs, we should analyze the audiences preferences first.
I had thought about this a lot since I was young.
How can I increase the sales of my grandmothers restaurant?
If you want to run a food business, you have to think about the nearby market, what people eat these days, and what kind of custors co to the store.
That was the gist of what I wanted to tell them.
Dont sell fish stew just because the next-door restaurant does well. Think about the custors who co to your store first.
Kim Bi-ju smiled.
That makes sense.
It does.
Seo Ri-hyuks eyes were still sharp.
But thats too vague. Who doesnt know that we have to please the audience? The important thing is a concrete plan.
I have an idea.
Yeah? Lets hear it.
I told them my plan.
It was what I had in mind since I heard the topic.
A stage that would showcase our charm and satisfy the audience.
They had different reactions.
I like hyungs idea.
Its not bad, but isnt it a bit vague? Its either all or nothing.
Im fine with it as long as I get a rap part.
Its too difficult. I like the idea, but it will take at least two weeks to arrange this. And only Jung-hyun hyung and I know how to do it among us.
Theres a solution for that.
I know how to arrange.
No.
Seo Ri-hyuk said again, frustrated.
Its not just about knowing how to arrange. Its too hard, dont you get it? If you know how to arrange, you should know how difficult this is. By the ti you finish, the year-end evaluation will have already started.
One day.
What?
One day is enough.
A silent tension filled the air.
They all looked at with expressions that said, What is he talking about?
They might not understand from their perspective.
They might think Im just being overconfident and blabbering without any evidence.
But I had a reason for what I said.
I had studied hard for two years, not only for the college entrance exam, but also for the music composition major.
Seo Ri-hyuk narrowed his eyes at .
Are you serious?
Of course I am.
I said with a smile.
One or two days will do.
Thats nonsense-
Then do you want to bet with ?
Seo Ri-hyuk hesitated for a mont.
A bet?
Yeah. If I cant finish the arrangent by midnight tomorrow, Ill buy snacks for a week.
Wow, really?
The youngest, who had been silent like a stone, lit up his eyes.
Jung-hyun and Bi-ju looked at this scene with interest, but they also seed tempted by the offer of a weeks worth of snacks.
Seo Ri-hyuk paused, wondering if this was so kind of trap, and I gave him a gentle smile.
Its a bet you have nothing to lose.
Whats the condition?
Huh?
What do you want?
Simple.
I answered.
If I win, youll let plan the performance for the year-end evaluation.
Its a bet you have nothing to lose, right? Isnt it?
Yeah, its a no-lose bet.
The youngest, who had his eyes on the snacks, agreed, and the senior line quietly watched what the younger one would do.
After so deliberation, Seo Ri-hyuk answered.
Okay.
I smiled as I saw him.
I guess hiding and waiting is not my style.
If Im in the ga, Ill take the lead.
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