It was the night after his second audition for Starlite Media.
Damien lay on his bed, the glow of his phone screen casting shadows across his face. It was well past midnight, and he should have been sleeping off yesterday's disaster, yet he was doomscrolling through an endless feed of online forums and audition listings.
He had refreshed page after page dozens of times in the past hour. But each refresh greeted him with the same lack of new opportunities.
If I don't find an alternative soon, I'd end up screwed.
Suddenly his phone buzzed. A notification banner flashed across the screen.
System: [Host, maybe it's time to—]
"Wait!" He shot upright. "Is that—?" He suddenly yelped, fumbling to open his mail. The subject line came into view: "Starlite Media Auditions - Final Evaluation Invitation."
Damien's pulse pounded. With a shaky thumb, he tapped the message.
[Dear Damien Yeong,
Thank you for your audition. We were impressed by your potential and would like to invite you to a third and final evaluation.
The file attached below is the time and location for your final evaluation...]
He blinked hard and read twice, three times, but the words stayed the same.
"They... they want me back?"
System: [Congratulations, host! I told you that they would see your potential!]
Damien: "..."
Ignoring the system, he continued reading the attached file. It detailed that the final evaluation would take place in one week, in the same audition room that held the first round auditions at Starlite Media. He was to prepare another performance showcasing both his vocal and dance abilities.
A third audition—no, a final evaluation. This was it. It was the gateway to finally become a trainee and complete this task mission. He only had a few weeks left before his time limit.
He couldn't fail this.
Damien sprang off the bed. His despair and hopelessness was suddenly replaced with determination.
He grabbed a notebook and scribbled out a plan: choose the right song (hopefully with a more simple choreography), and above all, don't mess up.
Looking at his messy list gave him a tiny spark of confidence.
The next morning, he launched operation: "Don't Humiliate Yourself Again (Please)." First up on the operation list was vocals. His classical training gave him a strong voice, sure, but also a tendency to sound like he was auditioning for an opera. He'd gotten better about it after practicing for his first and second audition, but he knew he was still a bit stiff. So he set about loosening up his singing and also showing the judges his improvement.
Next was dance. As expected, the first attempts were hard. It was always like this when it came to learning new choreography. But he refused to give up. After pulling up the choreography for his chosen song, he drilled the moves into his body one by one. After hours of practice, he finally managed to get through the choreography without forgetting a single move.
Combining the two, however, was the real challenge.
The first time he tried singing and dancing together, he ended up flat on the floor—wheezing.
"How the f*ck do idols do this, system? I sound like a dying horse!"
System: [With practice, host. It will get better.]
And, as if the system was a fortune teller, its words came true. Each day after each practice, it became easier and easier for Damien. By the end of the week, he could make it through the whole performance.
Finally, the audition day arrived.
Damien arrived at Starlite Media's building with fifteen minutes to spare. After checking in, he joined a few other finalists in the waiting area outside the studio.
A staff member stepped out through the door with a clipboard. "Number 14?"
Damien stood up and raised a hand. "Here!"
She gave a quick nod and motioned for him to follow. He trailed behind her, his heart thudding harder and harder with each step.
System, why do I still feel nervous? My skill, how much of my nerves does it reduce?
System: [Host, your skill only removes about 70% of your discomfort. If you did not have the skill, this system believes you wouldn't be able to walk.]
"..."
I see...
He passed through another door into a familiar large practice studio set up for the audition. One wall was covered in mirrors; at the front; a long table held the judges—more of them from before.
The three judges from the first and second auditions were here: Seo Juwon, the dance instructor, sat at the far left; beside him was Jang Serin, the vocal trainer; in the center was the unreadable talent director, Jung Taekho; and to his right were two men, one with glasses and the other sporting a kind smile, who he didn't recognize.
He walked to the taped "X" on the floor and bowed deeply.
"Hello, I'm Damien Yeong. Thank you for this opportunity." His voice came out steady.
Jang Serin picked up her microphone and said, "Hello, Damien. We remember you from the last round—the one who did Let Me Know, right?"
Let Me Know was the song he chose for the second audition—which ended in disaster.
Heat immediately rushed to his face. "Yes, ma'am. That's me. I've maded a few adjustments since then."
Seo Juwon's eyebrow rose, amused, and the man in the glasses gave him a small encouraging smile.
Jang Serin checked her clipboard, "It says you're performing Wildflower."
Wildflower is a genre-blending title track by the group WR:EN released ten years ago. The song fuses hip-hop, trap beats, and R&B vocal layering, creating a dynamic sound. Damien had chosen this song not just because of its older release date but also because it's different from the audition songs he'd chosen so far. This time, he'd show them that he could pull off any genre.
Well… as long as he was given time.
Jung Taekho nodded. "Alright. Whenever your're ready, Damien."
Taking a deep breath, he tried to shut out everything else—the judges, the mirrors, the camera recording in the corner—and focused on the moment.
He gave a small nod, and took a deep breath.
Then, he began to sing the first verse, voice quiet but steady. He kept his tone restrained, remembering to soften his vibrato. The lyrics (which he practiced to death) flowed. He made sure to loosen up his moves so that his voice wouldn't shake.
As the chorus started, he stepped up his strength. Since the song had fewer lines in the chorus, it was the perfect time to show his improvement in dance.
He moved like a bolt of electricity—sharp, precise, graceful, and impossible to look away from. Every move he made commanded attention from the room. The judges couldn't look away. There was a power in his every transition. It wasn't just dance—it was emotion, and it flowed through his every fingertips.
Seo Juwon, who sat dazed, wondered how the kid could imprive in such a short amount of time. It was unprecedented.
The second verse quitened down, and so did Damien. He leaned on his classical technique for support, letting his moves weaken to sound steady. His voice resonated in the room. To Damien, it felt a lot stronger than last week's performance.
But the moment of truth lay during the bridge. He gathered every ounce of emotion he had and took the chance to push his voice to the peak, pouring his heart into a sustained high note that rang out bold and clear.
For split second, it felt as time had stilled. Jang Serin's eyes widened a fraction. Jung Taekho's impassive face actually showed a hint of surprise. Every judge sat up a bit straighter.
Then, as the final chorus hit, Damien powered through. He belted out the final note, holding his final move confidently.
Silence.
Damien straightened, chest heaving. His heart hammered in his ears. "Thank you."
Jang Serin leaned forward, a small smile curving her lips. "That was quite the performance, Damien."
The man with the glasses nodded, praising Damien's vocal rage and steadiness, as well as how well he balanced dance and vocals.
"Thank you," Damien said, wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead.
Seo Juwon shook his head, a smile forming on his face. "Honestly, it's like night and day from last week. I'm impressed—you clearly put in the work."
Damien let out a small laugh, half due to sheer relief, the other half due to embarassment. "I... practiced a lot,"
System: [Host, you almost died just by practicing. You've bought ten Recovery Vials in a span of one month.]
Damien's mouth almost twitched.
Jung Taekho glanced at the other judges then looked back at Damien. "Congratulations, Damien. You've passed the final evaluation."
For a moment, Damien forgot how to breathe.
This was the moment he had been working tirelessly for.
Now it was finally in his grasp.
Jung Taekho continued, "Welcome to Starlite Media."
I passed! I passed! I freaking passed!
A rush of relief and joy burst through him. He bowed deeply, words tumbling out of his mouth without thought. "Thank you, thank you so much! I won't let you down."
"We'll be contacting you very soon with your trainee contract." Jung Taekho said, "Be prepared to give it your all."
"I will," Damien said resolutely. Straightening up, he gave the biggest smile he'd ever given. "Thank you."
He left the audition room on legs that felt like paper. The door had barely closed behind him in the empty hallway when he dropped to the floor.
All the tension and the relief had weakened him. Luckily no one was there to see him.
He took a moments to take everything in and calm down.