Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy
Chapter 41.2: Villain (3)

Meanwhile, over at the hall with the stage.

Two dancers were talking on stage, and their leader, Lee Han-na, was seated in the front single chair. On her desk lay a tablet and participant profiles.

Soon, the song ‘Produce’ played and stopped repeatedly throughout the hall.

It was a sound check. The lighting was also being tested. At this point, PD Woo Han-suk completed his final filming check. He gave an OK signal to Lee Han-na who was seated.

“We’ll start now.”

“Yes, PD-nim.”

He and several staff members moved behind the cameras, and the two dancers who had been chatting changed their expressions and took their positions. The cameras were already set in place all around. Tapping the tablet, Lee Han-na raised her head and muttered.

“Participant, please come in.”

From behind the stage, the last number from Team 1, who had been trembling, awkwardly moved onto the stage. Probably due to the blinding lights and numerous eyes on him, he froze. It was No. 94, whose chin was slightly pointed. The two dancers smirked and guided him into position.

“Huh? Ah, yes, yes.”

No. 94 at center, the two dancers on each side. Since the dancers weren’t the focus, they stepped slightly back. As soon as the formation took the shape of a ㅅ, Lee Han-na spoke flatly to the participant on stage.

“Like I said earlier, just do as much as you can. Just don’t give up.”

“Ah, understood!!”

A loud reply. Lee Han-na gave PD Woo Han-suk a look, and after he nodded, five seconds later.

-♬♪

The theme song ‘Produce’ rang throughout the hall. As the powerful drums kicked in, the two dancers on stage.

-Swish.

Maintained composed expressions and, without a moment’s hesitation, began the dance. Their energy was professional. In contrast, No. 94 crumbled from the very start.

“Ah, ah.”

It was because he was flustered that he got confused about the dance’s starting point. Thanks to the two dancers, he managed to keep going somehow, but his already off-beat body kept stopping and moving again repeatedly. Being on stage with professionals only made his mistakes stand out even more.

Seated alone in front of the stage, Lee Han-na.

“......”

Watched No. 94 with a serious expression and let out a small sigh.

'He's messing up now, how am I supposed to bring him up to a performance-ready level? This is hopeless, completely hopeless.’

Additionally, even though No. 94 was trying hard, he forgot the seriousness of his situation. Out of embarrassment over his mistakes, he smiled occasionally during the performance. Though it was labeled a light evaluation, it wasn’t a joke. The cameras were rolling. Lee Han-na subtly shook her head.

‘He’s the lowest.’

It was truly at the level of child's play. Eventually, before even reaching the middle of the first verse, Han-na raised her hand.

"That's enough, I've seen enough."

The music cut off abruptly, and No. 94 stood blankly on stage, staring at Lee Han-na. Wondering if there would be any feedback. But she, jotting something down on her tablet, said to him simply.

“What are you doing? You can return to the waiting room.”

That was it? No. 94 awkwardly exited the stage from the back and returned to the waiting room. Then the next participant took the stage. ‘Produce’ started playing again. This performance, too, wasn’t much different from No. 94’s.

Although the timing at the start was correct, the dance didn’t match the dancers at all.

“That’s enough-”

Lee Han-na raised her hand again before the middle of the first verse. This pattern repeated through the fifth participant. All of them either messed up the start or fell apart in the following moves.

‘Dancing next to professionals makes them look even more foolish.’

A cold judgment from Lee Han-na. Up to now, they were nothing more than wooden dolls. Calling in the next participant, she tried to console herself.

‘It’s fine, this was expected. It’s only been a few days since they saw the dance. It’s hard to pull it off. Besides, they’re closer to regular people than amateurs.’

She had a faint hope, but that little spark had just been snuffed out.

‘This evaluation is only to determine the potential, practice amount, movement line, atmosphere, and grade of Team 1.’

Muttering internally, Lee Han-na wrote an alphabet next to the participant’s face on the tablet display. She had been doing this from the beginning. It started with D, and this time it was C.

The grades she had set ranged from A to D.

D meant serious problems, C was better than D but still required supervision, B meant not bad, and A meant performance-ready. Among the deeper meanings behind these grades was determining the level of intensity needed during the ‘Produce’-exclusive training.

D would have to practice like crazy.

Soon the next participant came up.

-Slide.

Looking down at the tablet, Lee Han-na gave him a D. Among the six who had gone up so far, three were graded D, the worst level. Lee Han-na was beginning to get a headache.

‘Wait, did he really come here to become an idol? How is he so completely off rhythm? Did he even practice??’

Her brow furrowed even deeper.

‘Unbelievable. He doesn’t seem to know even 30% of the moves.’

A few staff members noticed Lee Han-na’s expression and whispered to PD Woo Han-suk.

“Han-na-nim doesn’t look very pleased.”

PD Woo Han-suk shrugged.

“Well, no wonder. The kids are a mess.”

“True... it’s a bit worse than expected.”

“Still, that might actually be the norm. I mean, it’s good we’re getting a lot of usable footage for the show. But we should try to lift Han-na’s mood a bit, no?”

The seventh participant stepped onto the stage, and even slipped and fell. Lee Han-na gave a small, ridiculous laugh, and PD Woo Han-suk approached her.

“How are you holding up?”

Still focused on the tablet, Lee Han-na spoke.

“You saw it, right? They’re all comedians, honestly.”

“Ha-ha, let’s take a short five-minute break.”

Signaling the staff, PD Woo Han-suk took an interest in Han-na’s tablet.

“Wow, lots of Ds, huh.”

“Let’s be real, both you and I expected this, PD-nim. But now that I’m seeing it firsthand, these kids are seriously lacking in sense.”

“Well, it’s their first time learning dance for a brand-new song. That’s probably why.”

“I know that. Even current idols fumble the first time they learn dance. But they have good instincts, so they can copy fast.”

“Do you think it’ll be possible to get them performance-ready in time?”

“Well-”

As she was talking, Lee Han-na turned her head.

“If all of them fall below the standard, are you really not going to put on the performance?”

“No, I won’t.”

“Everyone eliminated?”

“No. If it comes to that, we’ll have to change direction. We’ll go with a storyline about not being able to stage the performance, proceed with voting, and later try again for a performance or whatever we can.”

Letting out a sigh, Lee Han-na gave a weak smile.

“Hmph- well, I’ll try to make it work somehow. Though the kids will suffer. But why is No. 1 going last this time?”

“Just to crank up his tension a bit. But Han-na ssi, you’re not still upset because No. 1 showed off a little, right?”

“Of course not? Still, No. 1 should be better than the others, even if he struggles. From the start, his sense has been on another level.”

“Hmm.”

Soon turning her eyes toward the stage, Lee Han-na continued.

“No. 1 in the ‘brake’ performance was more than professional, but this time won’t be easy. Even if the newly made dance is on the simpler side, a few days of fumbling around isn’t enough to master it. Even those two dancers took more than half a day.”

“I get the feeling No. 1 will pass training again this time.”

“Well, it’s up to him, isn’t it? If he doesn’t want it, he doesn’t have to take it. Whatever the case, if he doesn’t meet my standards, he’s not getting on that stage.”

With those final words of continued trust, PD Woo Han-suk walked away, and the evaluation resumed as soon as the break ended. However, the participants’ level had not improved. A parade of Cs and Ds.

The only glimmer.

‘No. 15? His form’s not bad. Should I keep watching?’

No. 15, who took the stage as the 12th participant, was the only one who completed the dance through the end of the first verse. Of course, even so, he still looked like he was struggling to keep up with the dancers.

Soon after.

“Last participant!”

The black-haired No. 1 took the stage. The expressionless face of Kang Rojun. As soon as he appeared, PD Woo Han-suk, dozens of staff members, and Lee Han-na each showed different reactions on their faces.

Some were watching intently, others with anticipation.

In any case, all camera angles focused on Rojun, and Lee Han-na, closely watching him on stage, thought.

‘Didn’t he say it didn’t look difficult? Let’s see how “not difficult” his mistakes are.’

She nodded.

The theme song ‘Produce’ rang powerfully throughout the hall, and the two dancers shrugged their shoulders. They had begun the dance. At that moment, Lee Han-na narrowed her eyes.

‘Oh- he entered right on time. As expected of No. 1, his instinct is sharp.’

Because Kang Rojun was moving exactly like the dancers. Up to this point, he was no different from them. But the moves were still simple. With a serious expression, Lee Han-na continued to observe Kang Rojun. The hall soon filled with upbeat rhythms.

The dancers switched to dazzling movements.

And then.

“......?”

Lee Han-na’s eyes filled with question marks. Before she even realized it, she had stood up from her seat. And understandably so.

‘...What, what is this?!’

Kang Rojun was performing the dance with the exact same poise as the two dancers. Not a millisecond out of sync.

-♬♪

‘And he’s even handling eye direction and detailed motions?’

He stood out several times more than the dancers.

Lee Han-na’s eyes widened rapidly in disbelief.

‘He copied the entire dance in that short time??!!’

‘Villain No. 1’ was on the rampage once again.

*****

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