Chapter 895: You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you? (24)

The atmosphere instantly warmed.

It was because of the applicant’s attitude.

“Hello! I’m Kim Jihyuk from Gimpo High School.”

He introduced himself politely.

“I’m sure you hear this every day while judging auditions, but I really grew my dream of becoming an idol watching NewBlack seniors. I joined Souffle in 2015 during ‘Wind Flower,’ second generation. And I’ve applied to Lemon Entertainment twice so far.”

The staff chuckled softly at how he explained his motivation for applying.

Director Jo Gyuhwan smiled.

“Thank you for coming to our company. You must be getting a lot of offers after winning Next Mission.”

“I did receive quite a few business cards.”

“Where have you been invited to?”

Kim Jihyuk carefully listed a few companies.

Well-known hip-hop labels, as well as major idol agencies, had all made offers.

“A team leader from KM Entertainment even came to see me personally...”

A skilled rapper with good visuals.

He was exactly the kind of talent idol agencies would covet—especially a company like KM Entertainment, where hip-hop was mainstream.

Director Jo asked,

“It couldn’t have been easy to turn down opportunities for immediate debut. Is there a reason you wanted to come to our company?”

“My grandmother used to say that if you’re going to be a servant, you should serve in a noble house. So if I had to, I wanted to serve in the house I like. I’m really a fan.”

Everyone burst into laughter at his honest fanboy confession.

He continued, answering what everyone was curious about.

“Debuting as a hip-hop artist right away wouldn’t be bad, but I felt like the entertainment industry isn’t that easy. The recognition from audition shows fades after a few months, and if you don’t make it early, it becomes a risky situation.”

It was a common dilemma for contestants who gained fame through survival shows.

They had to produce results before their popularity faded.

Otherwise, they’d end up stuck in an awkward position.

“To be honest, I was a little scared.”

“What part?”

“Standing alone in the industry, and... I thought it would be hard to succeed by myself.”

He wanted to build a foundation step by step through group activities.

Everyone nodded.

It was a sincere answer.

CEO Park Gyuho spoke.

“Since Wooju recommended you, we’re all viewing you positively.”

Kim Jihyuk glanced at me with a shy expression.

“And since you won the survival program, many things have already been verified.”

If there had been scandals, they would have surfaced already.

Winning proved his star quality, skill, and persistence.

“However,” the CEO continued, “an audition is still an audition. We’ll need to evaluate some things thoroughly. We’re selecting an idol member.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then shall we see what you prepared?”

Kim Jihyuk took a deep breath.

He looked very nervous, so I smiled.

“Are you that nervous?”

“Well...”

“You don’t need to be. You already won a survival show.”

“That’s not it...”

He hesitated.

“I’m just... a real fan.”

We laughed.

Jiho asked,

“Who’s your bias? Me?”

“All of you are my bias.”

“But if you had to pick one? Me?”

“Wooju sun—... Wooju.”

“You better perform well. I’m strict with scores.”

The youngest joked to ease the tension.

Kim Jihyuk swallowed hard and began rapping without even announcing the song.

Out of time, out of luck

Might never be resolved

Climbing on repeating time

Before I knew it, it grew heavy Ay

It was my rap part.

Naturally, it felt different.

He lightly rasped his throat while rapping—the tone suited this style perfectly.

They say tone is half of rap.

“Nice.”

Junghyun’s eyes lit up.

“Is he good?”

“He’s solid. Just based on rap, he could debut right away. There are some shortcomings, though...”

Junghyun concluded,

“I like him.”

The group’s rap expert had given a pass.

Even during the vocal section of “Nine,” we nodded.

‘Not bad.’

For a rapper, vocals were a bonus anyway.

Biju asked gently,

“Can we see your dancing too?”

“Yes!”

“What will you perform?”

“The ‘Fireworks’ choreography.”

As he began dancing, everyone sharpened their focus.

Honestly, he wasn’t that good.

Good enough to be praised at a school event—an above-average amateur.

But unlike me, who took six years just to be considered decent, he had potential.

“Hmm.”

Biju smiled.

“You like him?”

“Watch his lines while dancing.”

“Lines?”

“Shoulders and thighs.”

I looked closely.

Soon I understood.

“He’s very flexible.”

“That kind of flexibility comes from daily stretching. You can’t skip even one day.”

It showed diligence.

Biju valued that.

—Being hardworking doesn’t guarantee great dancing, but it ensures a solid foundation.

I agreed.

After finishing, Kim Jihyuk stood neatly again.

Director Jo said,

“I think we’ve seen enough. Looks like the judges agree.”

Everyone nodded.

—He’s trainee material.

If his dancing improved, he could debut immediately.

The team leader asked one final question.

“Do you use social media?”

“No.”

“Posted anything online?”

“...Uh.”

“Tell us now if there is anything. It’s better to know in advance.”

“Well...”

“Yes?”

“I... ran a blog...”

“What kind?”

“...A NewBlack fan blog.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“It’s called ‘Fresh Peanut’s NewBlack Fan Blog...’”

“Huh?”

Biju’s eyes widened.

“You’re Fresh Peanut?”

“Yes?”

“Wow. I read your—”

He stopped abruptly.

“Read it daily,” he corrected.

“Wait, didn’t you say ‘Le—’?”

Junghyun added,

“I heard that too. Rrrr—”

I tilted my head.

What is this déjà vu?

Meanwhile, Kim Jihyuk seemed to realize something.

“!”

Jiho pointed between them.

“Do you know each other?”

“No!”

“No!”

Their denial was so strong that we just dropped it.

Whatever.

We returned to the main topic and decided to accept him.

But there was one final step.

Everyone turned to one person.

Junghyun closed his eyes.

Thump. Thump.

‘This is it.’

Kim Jihyuk watched him.

He remembered reading something online—

That large companies sometimes brought in physiognomists.

—No! This face is destined to become a king! You’ll threaten our CEO! Rejected!

He swallowed.

‘What if I have that kind of face?’

Junghyun, infamous for bad intuition, kept his eyes closed.

Then opened them.

And shook his head.

“Ah...!”

Just as despair hit—

CEO Park Gyuho laughed.

“Congratulations on joining Lemon Entertainment.”

“...What?”

His brain froze.

Then—

‘Right.’

Bad intuition meant good results.

“I... then...”

“You passed.”

He smiled brightly.

‘I made it!’

He had to tell his parents. His grandmother.

“Wow...”

Congratulations blurred past him.

“When can you start?” they asked.

“Can I start today?”

“Today?”

“Yes! I want to begin training right away!”

Like a first-year student with new textbooks.

The CEO laughed.

“Your enthusiasm is good, but there are procedures. Bring your parents for the contract.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you for choosing our company.”

As the executives left, Wooju called him.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes.”

The team leader stepped back immediately.

‘That’s Wooju’s power...!’

Kim Jihyuk was stunned.

Then—

NewBlack approached him together.

‘This is insane.’

Seeing them up close made his head spin.

Ri Hyuk smelled like soap.

Junghyun looked slim but strong.

Biju looked like royalty.

Jiho looked exactly like on screen.

“Wow...”

“?”

“NewBlack... right in front of me...”

They laughed.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. You can speak comfortably now... I’m a trainee.”

“Alright.”

Wooju smiled.

“I’ll work really hard.”

“You won’t have much time.”

“The next boy group is planned for next year.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll have to catch up to trainees who’ve been training since 2015.”

“Yes!”

“But you can do it.”

Then—

“Give me your number.”

His heart nearly stopped.

Moments later—

[Sun Wooju] appeared in his contacts.

Even Ri Hyuk’s ridiculous profile picture.

‘I’ve achieved everything...’

Later—

“Jihyuk.”

“Yes?”

Biju approached.

“Are you really that ‘Le—’”

“Shh. Junghyun might hear.”

He nodded.

“Is your butt one or two?”

“What?”

“Distraction tactic.”

Junghyun froze in confusion.

“Are you really that person...?”

“Yeah. And you’re Fresh Peanut...”

They recognized each other.

“People suspected you were an insider.”

“Really?”

“You disappear during promotions.”

“Ah...”

Then—

“Wooju hyung uses stealth to appear.”

“What?”

Suddenly—

Wooju appeared beside them.

“Talking about what?”

“Just the blog.”

Soon—

“See you later!”

As NewBlack left, Jihyuk stared at his phone.

“My contacts... NewBlack’s numbers...”

“Wait.”

The team leader stopped.

“...Whose number did you say you had before?”

“...CEO Park Gyuho’s.”

“...What?”

Something was off.

Recruiting talent was always satisfying.

Especially a Souffle.

“This album—one copy was mine!”

Jiho laughed.

“He’s so cute.”

“Right?”

“Right?”

“...Why won’t you say I’m cuter?”

Ignoring him, I reviewed Jihyuk’s profile.

Perfect.

—A future composing member.

The group needed its own musical identity.

“After training him...”

We’d teach him composition.

Jihyuk [Best day of my life]

I smiled.

Then paused.

“One concern.”

“What?”

“He was mentored by Haeshion.”

We had taken his trainee.

“Hmm...”

Jiho said,

“Most problems are caused by lack of money.”

Money.

An idea came.

“Junghyun, what if we had in-house hip-hop producers?”

“Sounds great.”

“Check the budget.”

“Enough.”

“Good.”

Solution found.

Haeshion.

A legendary hip-hop artist.

He gathered his label’s rappers.

“Lemon made an offer.”

“To buy us?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

He told them.

Silence.

Then—

“Sell.”

“Let’s go to Lemon.”

“Great mindset—recruit the talent and buy the label.”

And just like that—

Lemon Entertainment’s hip-hop label acquisition was confirmed.