The cockfight, of course, ended in our class’s victory.
It’s absurd but Ban Yohan’s strategy worked ridiculously well.
We even selected an MVP for the cockfight.
The star was Jing Xiao, who took down seven people by himself.
Of course, among those seven, one was thanks to my assists.
Thinking about it again, it’s seriously absurd that such a strategy worked.
It seemed like they were going to film the award ceremony separately later.
From the way they were measuring foot sizes, it looked like they might be giving away sneakers sponsored by someone.
And finally, my stamina reached 22.
Of course, there was no sudden surge of tiger-like energy from my body.
Only a pop-up notification appeared.
[Tip! The higher the stamina, the slower fatigue accumulates.]
I had expected some effect like this.
Maybe now I can worry a little less about the fatigue that seemed to build up with everything I did.
A little later, following the staff’s instructions, the trainees dispersed and sat down by class.
It was finally time for the ranking announcements.
“I’m nervous…”
The mentors entered amid the heavy atmosphere, each holding a card in their hands.
Whether they had heard something from the production team or not, their expressions were all stern.
Even Ju An and Seok Suyeong, usually all smiles, now maintained expressionless faces.
Mook Hyeseong? He looked so usual that it didn’t add to my anxiety.
He definitely had no thoughts of his own, but from the viewer’s perspective, his face looked annoyingly like he was looking down on you
Ah, I didn’t mean that I found him annoying.
Really…
“What if I get an F?”
Kim Junwu, who had played the part of the loud general in the cockfight, started chanting the F mantra again.
Nagase Ritsu brought his hands together and was murmuring something.
Jing Xiao, who was just moments before happy about being the MVP, now had a face utterly detached from worldly concerns.
Only Ban Yohan, who I’d never seen lose his composure or show emotional discomfort during the training camp, asked in his usual low voice,
“Do you think you can get an A?”
Damn. I didn’t expect him to remember that.
“Sorry. That was just bravado.”
Hearing my words, Ban Yohan smiled thinly, but turned his attention away after a staff member asked us to quiet down and focus.
“I figured as much.”
Before I could respond, the staff member started explaining,
“When I call your name, come forward, open the card to check your rank, then return to your seat.”
“Yes!”
“Keep your rank to yourself. We’ll film which rank you’ve been assigned after this is over. Did everyone understand?”
“Yes!”
“Yes. Good. Also, after checking your rank, please try to manage your expression, regardless of what letter is written. You know what a poker face is, right?”
After the staff member finished their spiel, they passed the baton to Mook Hyeseong.
Mook Hyeseong nodded his head in understanding and began to speak,
“Then we’ll now start announcing the ‘signal song’ ranks.”
In an air so cool it was hard to believe we had fiercely cockfight in the same space just 30 minutes ago, one by one, everyone went forward, received their report card, and returned.
“Trainee Gominhyeong.”
Only the calm voices of the mentors calling names and the sound of trainees walking back and forth echoed in the hall.
Following the production team’s instructions, everyone carefully managed their expressions.
Of course, there were a few trainees whose uncontrollable facial muscles betrayed them.
Especially Kim Junwu, who had been trembling, his face completely relaxed when he checked his rank.
It was easy to guess that Jing Xiao, though not looking too happy, at least wasn’t an F.
After a bit more waiting, it was my turn.
“Trainee On Raon.”
“Yes.”
Just like the others before me, I lightly opened the card Mook Hyeseong handed me to check the contents.
[Individual Trainee On Raon: B]
After seeing the letter B, I quickly suppressed the corners of my mouth that had started to rise. Thankfully, my back was to the others.
The camera was filming all this from the side. Seeing my expression, Mook Hyeseong said calmly,
“Good job.”
“Thank you.”
I tried my best to manage my expression while waiting for the other trainees to check their ranks.
It wasn’t an A, but also not a C, D, or F.
I was quite satisfied.
About 10 minutes later, with our class being the last due to having the most members, the rank checking was completed.
After confirming we were done, the staff member took the microphone and instructed us to line up by class where they were standing.
“We’ll take a 10-minute break. Trainees, just listen to the instructions briefly and then you can use the restroom.”
After the break, we got detailed instructions from the staff on what to do during the rank reveal filming.
Even after the explanation, few were chatting with their neighbors.
Everyone seemed to have a lot on their minds as they quietly went to and from the restroom.
“We’ll start filming now!”
Before I knew it, Jena was standing in front of us, with the mentors lined up beside her.
Jena, with a smile, began speaking in a clear voice.
“Hello, Pick Your Heart trainees. You’ve all worked so hard practicing for the past three days. I hope everyone received the rank they expected or hoped for.”
The trainees, each holding their rank cards, smiled awkwardly.
Jena continued warmly,
“I think it must have been very difficult for you to perfectly master a song in just three days of practice. It’s not even a song that’s easy to sing and dance to. Right?”
“Yes!”
“Unfortunately, not everyone did well. And now, what’s important is that the parts for the signal song stage are determined by the rank written on the card you’re holding.”
Her voice, which had been entirely kind, became a bit more stern.
“Now, we will reveal the ‘Signal Song’ rank evaluation results for the 100 trainees.”
The trainees, who had been briefed by the staff earlier, applauded. It wasn’t noisy.
As the clapping died down, Jena said,
“Could all D-rank trainees from each class please come forward.”
About half of our class stepped forward.
About five others came out from the other class. In total, there were 21.
Jing Xiao, who I was particularly worried about because he was struggling to improve his dance skills and had difficulty with the pronunciation of Korean lyrics, and also shared the same room as us, was rated D.
Jena approached Jing Xiao, who was standing in a line with other trainees, and asked him,
“Jing Xiao, a trainee from Hyeseong class, you managed to avoid an F and got a D, but you look quite happy. Can I ask how you feel?”
“Uh… I still have a lot to learn. I practiced hard with the guys because I was worried I’d mess up and not be on stage. I’m just happy to be here now.”
Jing Xiao said with a slight smile.
Compliments on his good looks were heard from around the room.
If this was aired, regardless of his skill, he was guaranteed at least 15 seconds of fan-capturing footage.
Jena then interviewed another trainee from Jihui’s class who was on the verge of tears from frustration before moving on to the next part.
“Would all the trainees who received C ranks please come forward?”
Twenty trainees stepped forward as C-ranks.
Most of the remaining trainees from our class rushed out.
For our class, including Kim Junwu, their faces showed that they were generally satisfied.
After interviewing one trainee each from Changyeon’s and Suyeong’s classes, the sequence moved on.
“All trainees who received a B rank, please come forward.”
There were 18 B-ranks in total, and three from our class, including myself, stepped forward.
The only ones left in our class were Ban Yohan and Lee Yujin.
Ban Yohan looked the same as usual, inscrutable.
As for Lee Yujin, why the hell didn’t you practice on time, you little shit…
The success or failure of the sudden quest seemed visible already.
I was prepared to let go of my cherished 10 wisdom points.
After interviewing a trainee from Changyeon’s class, Jena addressed me.
“Trainee On Raon, you said you told Ban Yohan to aim for an A-rank together, but now you’ve received a B-rank all by yourself. Ban Yohan’s rank hasn’t been revealed yet. How do you feel about this result? Are you satisfied?”
“Yes, I’m satisfied. Since it’s a rank I received after doing my best, I’ve decided to think of the B in B rank as the B for Best.”
My calm, mentally triumphant response made the trainees and mentors burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha, aren’t you being a bit too optimistic? If B rank is the best, then what about A rank?”
“It’s A for Ace!”
“Oh, that makes sense. Now I’m curious about C rank.”
“That’s obviously C for Chicken, of course.”
“And D?”
D? What started with D?
I couldn’t stop now. As I racked my brain, my eyes met with Nagase Ritsu’s.
- There were exactly three words in Japanese that I could understand from what Ritsu-hyung often said.
- Three words?
- “Arigato,” “gomen,” “daijoubu.” They meant “thank you,” “sorry,” and “it’s okay,” respectively. These were words Ritsu-hyung used a lot.
The interview from the night before flashed through my mind.
D… da… da…
“Da, daijoubu!”
“Puhahaha, and what about F?”
“Fighting!”
“Ah, I love this kind of stuff.”
I felt like the words were coming out without passing through my brain toward the end.
Whether she really liked my answer or was just laughing, Jena wiped the tears gathered at the corner of her eyes with her finger, gave a thumbs up, and increased my likeability by 5 for such a dreadful remark.
Mook Hyeseong should learn from Jena’s magnanimity.
[Mook Hyeseong dislikes the silly puns.
Mook Hyeseong’s Favorability -0
Current Favorability +3]
Ha…
“Now, all that’s left are A rank, and F rank.”
There were still over forty people remaining.
They probably won’t give out more than 20 A’s, so there must be quite a few F’s in the other classes.
“A-rankers, please come forward.”
There were 15 A-ranks in total, with Han Jihui’s class having the most at seven. Seomun Gyeol was also an A.
My gaze naturally shifted to Ban Yohan. But he didn’t move.
“?”
Was he an F?
I couldn’t be sure without an expert eye if Ban Yohan deserved an A, but it was clear that his dancing and singing captured in the evaluation video weren’t F material.
Even Jing Xiao was a D.
And Oh Hyeonjin was still there, the guy from the major entertainment company, whose favorability for me was at -36.
The trainees seemed to stir, sensing that something was going wrong.
Yet Jena was unfazed, and she merely continued with her duties, including encouraging interviews.
After Jena gave some rather biting remarks, the F-ranks were revealed.
There were 26 F-ranks in total. Ju An’s class had as many as 12.
I remember Ju An’s class having a total of 19 people.
Even if they had gathered the less capable kids and the rappers weak in singing, what the hell was going on?
Ju An looked disheartened.
There were none from Jihui’s class, while Changyeon’s and Suyeong’s classes took the rest.
Lee Yujin was indeed an F. He was the only one from our class.
Jing Xiao, who God had given a face to but robbed of dance skills, also made it through, but that was a matter of effort rather than skill.
Still, including Ban Yohan and Oh Hyeonjin, five remained.
Ban Yohan wore an expression of indifference for reasons different from Mook Hyeseong, while the other four looked slightly anxious.
What the heck are they? Is there a Z-rank or something?
