‘Ayeon-ah, an idol isn’t something you can do alone.’The words floated up once again inside Ryu Ayeon’s head.She still found it hard to understand that sentence.“From there, the beat you use to transition your arm and leg movement is a little different. At that moment the camera catches your upper body, so keep that on the exact beat, and for the lower body that doesn’t get captured, you prepare the next move half a beat faster.”“Impossible, impossible. Seo Ryujin seonsaengnim, is that really something a human can do?”“If you’ve got time to flap your mouth, you’ve got time to practice!”Even right now, watching the two participants practicing in front of her like they were joking around, Ryu Ayeon couldn’t make sense of it.‘That kind of socializing with other people is supposed to be more important than skill?’TSP, Ryu Ayeon’s agency.TSP, one of the nation’s top idol companies, hadn’t announced it publicly yet, but they had recently finalized the debut lineup for their next girl group.‘Did you hear? They said Ayeon got dropped from the debut lineup.’‘That’s unbelievable. Honestly, Ayeon is the best of all the trainees.’‘Did she make some huge mistake or something?’And the one everyone had practically assumed was guaranteed to debut—Ayeon—was dropped from the lineup, shocking everyone.In truth, Ayeon could have accepted it even if she were cut.If it had been due to lack of skill.‘Why was I dropped? My stage was the best one.’‘Ayeon, do you have any close friends among the trainees?’‘…No.’‘Your skill is definitely excellent, and you practice harder than anyone. I can guarantee that because I’ve watched you.’– But an idol isn’t something you can do alone. I wish you would understand that.Ayeon couldn’t accept the words of Park Taesu, the TSP CEO, spoken to her with regret.She had always believed that friends were unnecessary for trainee life.Since there wasn’t enough time to practice, spending emotion and time maintaining relationships felt like a waste to her.So unless it was for the sake of a stage, she never engaged in private conversation with other trainees.She couldn’t understand why that was the reason she was cut.“Alright! Let’s gather in formation and run it again.”As Seo Ryujin’s voice echoed—leading A class’s practice—the participants who had been scattered around the room doing individual practice moved to re-form the lines.‘Ryujin… doesn’t she ever get tired?’Ryu Ayeon’s criteria for evaluating skill were extremely strict.Even the skilled A-class participants of Idol Ground 100 still looked lacking to Ayeon.But even by her standards, there were trainees who passed—one of them was Seo Ryujin.Even from her harsh viewpoint, Ryujin had a flawless, “hexagon” skill set.On the other hand, there was someone who wasn’t even close:“You! I told you to open your eyes properly when you’re on stage!”“I’m telling you, these are eyes full of love!”“You weren’t meeting your parents’ sworn enemy! Why do you keep opening your eyes like that!”That someone was Lee Sion.‘Why did they put her in A class?’Ayeon would be lying if she said she had no complaints about the mid-check evaluation.Lee Sion.She was definitely a striking participant.Backstage before filming even began, Sion’s looks were so eye-catching that even Ayeon—who normally didn’t care about others—had looked twice.But at the Entrance Ceremony stage, Ayeon had immediately lost interest.Her skill was so disastrous it couldn’t even be evaluated.It was one of the things Ayeon hated most—trainees who slacked ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) off because they relied on their looks.‘Idols? You just need a pretty face. Who expects idols to actually have skill?’Ayeon often heard comments like that around her.But—‘That’s not what idols are! They’re loved because they have dance, vocals, and visuals all together.’To Ayeon, an idol had to be perfect in every category.Like G.G, the group who had made her dream of becoming an idol.Five years ago, by chance, Ayeon had seen G.G’s stage live.A family trip to an amusement park.The moment she saw G.G’s stage there, it was as if her entire worldview shattered.Intense dancing while still projecting crystal-clear vocals.And even while doing that perfect stage, the members were still smiling at the audience whose eyes met theirs.An idol—literally an “icon.”Was there anyone more suited to that word?After seeing that stage, Ayeon couldn’t sleep for days.Every time she closed her eyes, the stage replayed vividly as if it were happening again.She dreamed of becoming an idol, and although she wanted to join G.G’s company SY, they were infamous for their highly selective trainee intake, so she ended up in TSP.From then on, driven by the desire to become an idol like G.G, Ayeon dedicated herself to practice.To someone like her, Sion’s existence was unacceptable.No—Sion wanting to be an idol wasn’t the problem. What was unacceptable was Sion entering A class.– Sion has improved a lot. She still has areas that need work, but… I feel like you could really make it happen.The F-class mid-check stage had shown surprising growth.Especially Sion at center—Ayeon could barely believe she was the same person from the Entrance Ceremony.But even then, Ayeon couldn’t accept that someone still full of flaws had been placed in A class—by Heryeong herself, no less, someone Ayeon viewed almost like an idol.Skill.Ayeon didn’t believe in vague evaluation factors like personality, effort, or talent. She believed only skill should determine an idol.Even if that belief had cost her her debut spot, it was her conviction.***“Is it like this?”The large practice-room mirror wasn’t there for decoration.By watching herself in real time, she could immediately spot mistakes and see exactly how she appeared to others.“No, you need to connect the moves more smoothly there.”“Like this?”At Ryujin’s words, I stretched both arms out like doing gymnastics and started wobbling them.Basic Step stage 1 wave—the move I’d learned from Nayeon.By now I’d practically mastered it; it was my signature technique.“Don’t mess around!”“...Yes.”The same personal move that made F class burst into laughter apparently had zero effect on A class’s leader and tyrant, Seo Ryujin.“You’re thinking something stupid again, aren’t you?”“No! Absolutely not?!”Ryujin narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.‘Hey, I’ll tutor you personally.’Even though she hadn’t shown particular interest when I first entered A class, on the next day Ryujin approached me herself to teach me.At first I thought it was some new form of hazing, but unbelievably, she actually taught me sincerely as if I were her disciple.Compared to my former teacher Nayeon she was… well, way more forceful—okay, a lot more forceful—but I strangely liked that.‘Being pushed this hard actually feels like real practice.’Even now, Ryujin’s eyes shone with madness as she fixed my posture in microscopic detail.Seeing her like that reminded me of my army days, of the company sergeant major.‘Company commander, I’ll use the soldiers to clean the barracks!’His eyes would light up like a boy in first love whenever he found something to make us do.Ryujin’s expression as she looked at me resembled exactly the way that sergeant major stared at a barracks roof with a hole in it.***‘What is with this kid?’Ryujin watched Lee Sion waving her arms around like a limp doll.With her face alone, Sion looked like she’d broken the hearts of several men—a cold, chic beauty.But her behavior?Exactly like a sassy teenage brother at home.“But this move here feels weird. How do you do it?”“Your waist. Think of rotating from the waist first. That way you don’t lose balance and the move comes out smoothly.”“Okay, understood.”Sion’s talent was far from ordinary.Having shadowed Sion for three days now, teaching her practically one-on-one, Ryujin was constantly shocked by her absorption speed.‘Her body awareness is excellent. Athletic sense too.’For someone with such little training time, dance was normally the hardest thing to pick up.But Sion followed everything she was taught like someone relearning something she already knew.Ryujin finally understood why the judges had said Sion had great potential and promoted her to A class despite her lack of foundation.And—‘If it were just talent, I wouldn’t care.’Ryujin remembered the moment she saw Sion practicing the corrections she’d given—at 3 a.m.—in the empty practice room.‘Urban dance is a mix of different dance genres. Unlike before, you don’t just hit the beat—you interpret the music and express it. Think of it like mixed martial arts compared to single-style combat.’‘Like MMA compared to traditional martial arts?’‘Uh… anyway, the point is detail. Urban dance expects you to anticipate how the camera will see you. Think of expressing emotion through movement.’3 a.m.A time when all the participants should have been asleep.But the A class practice room lights were on—and Sion was practicing with two others.‘Nayeon and… was that Kim Suyeon from B class?’Since Sion stood out so much, the trainees with her also became familiar to Ryujin.One was Kim Nayeon, promoted from F to A with Sion. The other was Kim Suyeon of B class—someone who always stuck to Sion.‘Going in now would be awkward, right?’Ryujin normally came to the empty room every night at this time. But since Sion and her group were already inside, she hesitated, then curiosity won and she peeked inside.And—‘She works really hard.’Ryujin’s perception of Sion shifted.At first she disliked Sion, thinking she’d been brought up to A class by favoritism. But more than anyone, Ryujin understood the value of effort.Sion’s skill had been a mess.She was still lacking.And the only way someone like that could improve so dramatically—Was through relentless practice.‘Unnie, honestly… practicing with you is too hard.’Ryujin was famous even inside Logic for being obsessed with practice.Other trainees had followed her, but most drifted away because they couldn’t handle her brutal regimen.The same was happening in Idol Ground 100.At first A class had joined her for late-night practice, but now no one remained except her.‘Has she been practicing every night since day one?’They were in different classes earlier, so she couldn’t know, but it was the only explanation for Sion’s rapid growth.Ryujin silently watched Sion practice for a long while.By the time Sion’s group finally left—at 5 a.m.—Ryujin slipped away quickly and returned to the dorm.‘I didn’t get to practice myself today.’It was disappointing to skip her usual early-morning routine, but—Her mood wasn’t bad.Because if she hated people who relied only on talent—She liked people who worked hard even more.

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