Idol Hides His Military Service

"...Good job."
Hyeryeong couldn’t help being taken aback at herself for giving such a short evaluation.
No, but there really isn’t any other way to describe this stage.
F class.
The stage shown by the class that gathered the weakest participants beneath A, B, C, and D was enough to completely shock Hyeryeong.
Just a few days ago, when she’d gone to help them with practice, F class’s stage hadn’t even felt like a real stage; it had been more like a middle or high school retreat talent show.
But what Hyeryeong had just seen now was, compared to the other classes—no, except for A class— the most complete stage.
Their skill hasn’t suddenly skyrocketed. They just crammed everything into this stage in a way that almost feels stupid.
Since they were idol trainees, even if F class participants were lacking in skill, they were still people who had at least some experience learning dance and singing.
Meaning that even if their skill was inferior to participants who’d been given higher grades, as long as they repeated the same moves dozens, hundreds of times, that one thing—regardless of overall skill—could be performed in a way that looked decent.
Watching the stage F class showed now, Hyeryeong could tell at once that that was exactly what they had done.
Of course, since the F class participants were overall lacking in skill, the drop in completeness relative to the higher classes was inevitable.
They covered that part cleverly.
First, Kim Nayeon, who had been newly selected as leader this time.
Hyeryeong could see that Nayeon was taking on the difficult, demanding parts scattered throughout the stage and covering for the other participants’ weak spots.
Of course, if something felt overwhelming to the others, that meant that by nature it was a high-difficulty part, so it was by no means easy for one person to handle all of those.
But Nayeon digested those high-difficulty parts skillfully and showed the whole stage being led in a stable way.
“That one’s real skill is coming out.”
“Is it someone you know?”
“Yeah, back when I was doing training at Zero One, that trainee was one I helped coach.”
According to what Lee Jungyoon, watching the stage with her, said, Nayeon was originally a participant who would have been more than fine in A class in terms of skill, but on an actual stage, Nayeon was the type who got nervous and couldn’t show real ability.
But contrary to what Jungyoon said, Nayeon was showing such outstanding skill that Nayeon was one of the participants who stood out in F class.
“Gahyeon did surprisingly well too, right?”
“Yes, when Gahyeon was in the leader position before, it felt like everything was sort of blocked up, but now that things seem more relaxed, it looks much more natural.”
And if you set Nayeon aside and picked out another standout presence in F class, there was Lee Gahyeon.
When Gahyeon had been F class leader and center before, the level of skill shown had been such that it was hard to give a particularly good evaluation.
But in today’s stage, Gahyeon moved to the middle line instead of center and showed stable dancing and singing, which left a strong impression.
No matter how much Nayeon took on the difficult parts to lessen the burden, it was still impossible to carry everything alone, so someone was needed to support Nayeon.
That role had been taken on by Gahyeon, who was controlling the other members from the center of the formation and connecting them organically.
Because of that, even if Gahyeon didn’t particularly stand out to the eyes, experts like Hyeryeong and Jungyoon could immediately recognize how important Gahyeon’s role was.
Lastly, Lee Sion. What in the world is this kid?
If Nayeon, with overwhelming skill, and Gahyeon, as the link, had left an impression on Hyeryeong among the F class members, then Lee Sion had hit Hyeryeong with a shock like being struck with a hammer.
Your tone is good. But the way your pitch wobbles here and there is because of your breathing. So keep repeating and drilling the breathing I’m teaching you. Then later, when you sing, you’ll be able to use it stably.
Just a few days ago, after finishing F class’s training, Hyeryeong had called Sion aside and given a bit of simple advice.
Of course, she’d taught it not expecting any immediate improvement, but thinking that if Sion learned it, it would be helpful someday—
Among countless stars
Choose me— right now!
Seeing Sion sing “Spotlight”’s highlight part smoothly and stably, Hyeryeong had to clap a hand over her own mouth.
If she didn’t, she might have let out a scream then and there.
There are definitely still parts that are lacking.
Sion hadn’t shown a perfectly flawless stage.
If Nayeon hadn’t taken on the difficult parts, or if Gahyeon hadn’t adjusted the formation and caught timing in the middle of the stage—
Then it would probably have been impossible for Sion to handle center without a hitch the way now.
To be more honest, this was something you could call F class sacrificing themselves purely to make Sion stand out.
The sacrifice shone because Sion was worth it.
But from Hyeryeong’s point of view, that strategy was extremely good.
Even though Sion was still unpolished, just by standing in center, Sion drew people’s eyes, and that changed the entire atmosphere of the stage.
If only Sion standing in center had stood out, then Hyeryeong would have considered it a failed stage, like B class’s earlier stage.
But F class’s stage, where the whole group actually stood out with Sion as the center point.
Because the center, Sion, was imperfect, Hyeryeong could see how the other members filled in that gap and raised the completeness of the stage itself.

This is what an idol group really ought to be showing...
Not one person shining alone, but everyone shining because of that one person.
It was also the very image Hyeryeong had so desperately wanted back when she’d been in G.G.
***
“I want to sleep.”
“I just want to lie down on the auditorium floor.”
“At this point, I feel like I’ll be okay with whatever evaluation we get.”
Once F class’s stage wrapped up, the judges had gone into a brief deliberation.
Once that deliberation ended, the final grade changes would be announced, and since these grades would carry over to the Music Count live broadcast stage, a tense air was hanging among the participants.
Except for F class.
“You’re weak. And you’re already whining like you’re dying over something this minor.”
“That’s because you’re crazy.”
“Hm?”
Nayeon looked at me and said I was crazy.
Over the past five days of practicing together, at some point Nayeon had started treating me roughly.
Who knew where that gentle, soft-hearted appearance from before had gone; these days, it was routine for Nayeon to grab me and dominate me like my mother, Kim Sukja, had possessed that body.
“For the last five days, the kids haven’t even slept four hours a day and only practiced. It’s weird that nobody passed out.”
“This is what’s wrong with kids these days. Four hours is plenty.”
At my words, Nayeon glared at me like ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ fire was about to shoot out of her eyes.
Of course, I admitted that during this training period I had egged Nayeon on to drive F class brutally.
But it wasn’t like I did all that just so I alone could do well, was it?
It was so our entire F class could all get a good evaluation...
“Boomer.”
“What?!”
“You really are a super boomer, unni.”
In the middle of my conversation with Nayeon, Yunkyung suddenly barged in, and at those words I felt my mind go hazy.
Boomer?
Where in the world are you going to find anyone as open to new culture and as tolerant in attitude as I am, and yet I get slandered like this?
“And what’s a super boomer supposed to be?”
“A super boomer.”
On top of that, at Yunkyung’s words, which insulted me not just as a boomer but as something called a super boomer, I felt my body, which even the grueling practice hadn’t been able to topple, start to sway.
“No one is as sacrificial as I am...!”
“Oh! Unni, be quiet for a second. The judges are coming out.”
Just as I was about to continue protesting my unfair treatment, at Yunkyung’s warning that the judges were coming out and we should be quiet, I had no choice but to shut my mouth despite my resentment.
“Thank you for waiting. First of all, over this past week, we could really see how hard you all worked for this mid-check in the stages you showed...”
Among the judges, producer Ahn Seongho stepped forward as representative, took the mic, and began announcing the results.
However,
Still, I did stand in center, so I should at least go up to D grade, right? No, maybe if they’re generous they’ll bump me up to C grade?
Unlike the other participants, who were brimming with tension at the announcement, I didn’t feel particularly nervous.
For something we’d prepared in a rush, I thought this mid-check stage had gone fairly well, and I felt like I could probably reach the mid-tier grade I’d originally aimed for, D or maybe C.
“First, from B class...”
Every time a participant’s name slipped from producer Ahn Seongho’s mouth, cheers of joy would sometimes erupt around us, while other times, silent cries of sorrow could be heard.
Since it had been announced that broadcast time would differ according to grade, for the participants, their grade wasn’t just a measure of skill but a distance to their dream, so in a way, these reactions were natural.
“Ha... My grade didn’t go up.”
“Don’t be too disappointed. Even B grade is a high grade.”
When the grade adjustments for B class finished, Suyeon let out a sigh and expressed regret.
Since Suyeon had been with me since the very beginning of the program and we were even sharing a dorm room, I knew very well how hard Suyeon worked, so even if it was the most obvious thing to say, I couldn’t help but try to comfort Suyeon.
“But unni, what on earth did F class do?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, this mid-check stage was really good. Honestly, it felt better than our B class.”
There wasn’t anything special to it.
We’d just practiced every waking moment except for sleep and mealtime, that’s all.
What’s with that attitude when you practice?
It’s too much. We’ve never practiced this hard before...
Yell!!! The daily uniforms you’re wearing, the food you’re eating, and even the practice space you’re using— there’s not a single thing that doesn’t contain the viewers’ blood-and-sweat subscription fees! And you’re telling me this level of practice is hard? If you want comfort, then give up right now!
Of course, little complaints had popped up in the middle, but after hearing my fiery speech, the F class members, through tears and snot, deeply reflected...
“Sion unni got beat up once in the middle though.”
“Shh!”
“What, so everything you’re saying right now is a lie?”
Right as I was in the middle of telling my legendary practice anecdote, Yunkyung suddenly cut in.
“No, it’s not a lie, it’s just that this is...”
“This unni has insane stamina, so unni tried to force the others to practice for like twenty-two hours straight, and got caught and lynched. If I hadn’t jumped in and helped, unni would have left with an injury by now.”
Kgh.
Maybe because Yunkyung is still young, there’s this very bad habit of saying things with no filter.
“I could have taken them even if it were seventeen to one...”
Honestly, there were a lot of parts that felt unfair.
It had only been five days, and it wasn’t like I told them to stay up all night; I’d only said we should sleep two to three hours and practice the rest— was that really such a crime?
Instead of praising me, those ungrateful F class members, including Kim Nayeon, who had beaten me black and blue.
There were only two who hadn’t joined in on hitting me.
As annoying as it was, it was still true that the ones who kept loyalty were Yunkyung and former F class leader Lee Gahyeon.
I could sort of understand it with Yunkyung, but it was unexpected that Gahyeon hadn’t joined in beating me.
Even now, my eyes lightly met Gahyeon’s, and I saw Gahyeon looking at me with a gaze that held a kind of ambiguity I couldn’t interpret.
“Next, we’ll announce the grade adjustments for D class and F class.”
“Unni, it’s our turn!”
While we chatted for a bit like that, before we knew it, it was time to announce the grade changes for D class and F class.
“First of all, the stage F class showed today truly exceeded our expectations. So after discussion among the judges, we made a drastic grade adjustment.”
At judge Ahn Seongho’s phrase “a drastic grade adjustment,” the trainees started to buzz.
“We’re lowering all D class participants down to F grade, and conversely, we’re raising all F grade participants up to D grade.”
Bang!
If this had been the broadcast, that’s the kind of sound effect that would have rung out.
At the shocking result—F class all promoted to D grade, and D class all demoted to F grade— which went beyond drastic into outright stunning, no one could open their mouth; they just stared wide-eyed.
And after a little time passed, the faces of the F class members, who had looked like they were about to die from sleepiness, gradually brightened.
If there hadn’t been D class participants next to them bursting into tears, they probably would have let out cheers, but since it felt too awkward to do that, they were whispering things like “No way!” “We did it!” to each other in joy.
“And F class participant Kim Nayeon.”
“...Yes.”
But that wasn’t the end.
At the judge’s call, Nayeon answered in a slightly trembling voice.
“You handled a very difficult role well in this stage. You’re promoted to A class.”
“...Thank you!”
At the drastic promotion from F class to A class, Nayeon’s voice trembled, and in the end, tears spilled over.
Well, Nayeon did have skill worthy of A class.
Is this what it feels like for parents to send off a grown child?
Seeing Nayeon, who had overcome stage fright through my no-retreat prescription and even been promoted all the way to A class, I was overwhelmed with pride and clapped as hard as I could.
“Next, participant Lee Gahyeon.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
Surprisingly, it didn’t end with Nayeon either.
At judge Ahn Seongho’s call, Gahyeon answered in a startled voice, clearly having had no idea this was coming.
“In this F class stage, you didn’t particularly stand out, but you did a very important job. You’re promoted to C grade.”
“Thank you!!”
The judge’s eye was sharp, as expected.
I also thought that the reason our F class had been able to show such a good stage owed a lot to Gahyeon, who had stepped down from the leader’s spot yet still tried to keep linking the F class members together organically, and it seemed that part had been seen exactly for what it was.
Well, it would have been nice if I’d gotten a mid-tier C grade too, but since I did at least escape from F class, I should be satisfied.
I’d achieved my minimum goal of getting out of F class, so I was just about to wrap up this mid-check feeling content—
“Lastly, participant Lee Sion.”
“Yes?”
“You’re promoted to A class.”
...I heard something insane.