Idol in a Gender-Reversed World

At Honey Entertainment, there were of course male staff members, but the number of female employees was overwhelmingly higher. Among them, there were surprisingly many who had been trainees at Honey Entertainment when they were younger, but failed to debut and ended up getting hired as staff members.

'There are a lot of pretty female staff members.'

Having spent time at the agency from a young age, I understood the ecosystem of this industry well. It turned out to be far more efficient to hire former trainees who had been eliminated, rather than recruiting someone completely unfamiliar with the field. After all, they had the right kind of drive and determination. 

However, there were times when these former trainees, now staff members, caused trouble. Having transitioned from a tightly managed trainee life to the more freedom-filled work environment, some of them started to slack off—gaining weight or other personal matters, which were no big deal. The bigger issue was that they often became overly eager about relationships and ended up causing problems.

"Hello."

A shy female staff member greeted me. She looked familiar.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I started working as a staff member."

"You quit being a trainee?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm... that's a shame. I thought you were really pretty, and I heard you were an amazing dancer too."

One thing I learned after coming here was that complimenting a woman's appearance here has a greater effect than doing so on Earth. The shy, sweet smile she gave me, followed by a thank-you, was enough to prove it.

"It's nothing special."

It might have been "nothing special" to her, but she was indeed very pretty. A pure, cute girl with a pink, white, bunny-like vibe.

"By the way, did you dye your hair?"

"Yeah, now that I'm no longer a trainee, I decided to try something new for a change. Is it weird?"

"The pink hair stands out, but it suits you."

While there's no rule against trainees dyeing their hair, it's still common practice to maintain dark hair. I learned that from seeing Joo-ah, but most trainees tend to rebel a little when they leave the company. For Joo-ah, I was her rebellion; for this girl, it seemed to be the hair dye.

"I'm glad. I was really worried you'd say it looked weird."

"Who cares about what others think? As long as you're happy with it."

At that moment, a sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.

"What are you two doing?"

"Ah!!"

I had stepped out briefly to use the restroom during the morning class, so the sharp reprimand was likely aimed at me. However, Ahyeon, who still hadn't fully distanced herself from her trainee life, flinched in fear, shrinking back. She was already small and cute, so seeing her react so startled made me unintentionally smile like a father. And of course, there was someone who didn't seem too pleased with the sight.

"Teacher Rose."

"I believe it's still class time, isn't it?"

"I-I-I'm sorry!!"

"You're a staff member now, so why are you apologizing? I wasn't talking to you." 

"Oops! I'm not a trainee anymore, am I? Hehe."

'She's cute.'

I was watching Ahyeon's shy little smile when Rose, the teacher, snapped again.

"Hae-sol, is this the time to be grinning beside her? Aren't you going to class? Do you have that much free time?"

"No, I'll go now."

A few days ago, the girl who had been sobbing under my guidance was now standing tall, looking like she could pierce a needle through the air with her sharp gaze. But I didn't let my composed demeanor falter. Ahyeon seemed to not notice, but I understood why Rose was acting so sharply.

[Park Boksoon (Alias - Rose)]

[Status-Jealousy/Irritation/Excitement/Frustration]

Of course, I didn't figure that out because I'm particularly quick-witted. I learned about it with the help of the status window. I needed to understand her state to figure out how to manipulate her to secure resources from the company, so I opened the status window, and it was like hitting the jackpot. The conversation I had with Ahyeon had stirred her jealousy perfectly.

'Maybe I can use her jealousy to make it burn even stronger.'

I thought I'd come up with a good idea. After giving Ahyeon a playful wink with my eyes, I started moving towards the practice room to attend the class. Naturally, Rose couldn't help but notice.

Hisss…

I could hear Rose's breathing growing heavy.

'She's going to be jealous like this, and she still said that back then?'

What an interesting woman.

•••••••°°°°°°°•••••••°°°°•••••

Rough breathing. 

Beep- beep- 

The squeaking sound from the soles of the shoes rubbing against the floor has now become familiar. 

Thud~♪♬ Thud~♬♩♪

The sound of music starting from the speakers, as rough as my breathing, makes my heart pound. 

The 3 minutes and 41 seconds of music felt as long as a day. 

The moment my feet touch the ground is just an instant. 

Perhaps because so much is riding on the end-of-month evaluation, each of the kids, driven by ambition, created a stage full of flashiness and technique. 

As a result, it was me, still a beginner, who suffered.

'This is insanely hard!'

I wanted to give up. If I just stopped and took a short break, the world might seem much more beautiful. 

But that's just a thought. 

Without hesitation, I moved my feet skillfully, swinging my arms with strength.

Thud-thud! Thud-thud-! Zing~~ 

Enduring the pain, before I knew it, the music ended. 

The moment I realized I had endured an entire song, a sense of accomplishment washed over me. 

I came to understand that when there is a beginning, there must always be an end.

"Hah… hah…!"

I was panting so hard, it felt like I could see my heart if I opened my mouth. 

It's somewhat comforting to know that I'm not the only one struggling.

"Ah, I'm dying." 

"Ugh~ I'm dying." 

"Jinyoung... do you have any plans to take out the extra parts you added? Hahh… damn, this is so hard." 

"..."

I just kept my mouth shut and became one with the floor. 

Saying those things meant they still had some energy left. 

Just breathing was enough to make me feel exhausted. 

Soon, the fuss subsided. 

The kids, one by one, began to open up about their troubled hearts.

"It felt so far away, but now there's only a few days left. The end-of-month evaluation." 

"Honestly, I don't think I've worked this hard in a long time." 

"Everyone's taking it seriously and not joking around, so I also started to feel the pressure, and I couldn't help but get serious." 

"I haven't been able to sleep lately. When I finally fall asleep, I have nightmares and wake up." 

"What kind of nightmares?" 

"A dream where I'm being chased." 

"Why would you have such a dream? That must've been terrible." 

"It was awful."

I'm afraid that dream might come true.

With the end-of-month evaluation just around the corner, 

the practice room was devoid of dreams and hopes. Instead, it was filled with nightmares and stress.

"Hae-sol, come out for a second." 

"...Me?"

I didn't want to move.

"Just for a moment." 

"Ugh."

At the sound of Rose's cold, businesslike call, I reluctantly got up. 

But why was she calling me? 

She wasn't the director, so honestly, I didn't understand why Rose was calling me.

"Is something the matter?" 

"After the end-of-month evaluation, we'll start preparing for your debut in earnest. Since your trainee period is shorter than the others, there's a lot you're lacking, so I'm going to give you supplementary lessons." 

"Will I just be receiving singing lessons?" 

"Is singing the only thing you're lacking? But for now, there's no time, so you'll need to focus on just dancing and singing intensively." 

"What will the class schedule be like, then?"

According to Rose, the morning part of my schedule would be entirely replaced with dance and vocal lessons. 

Acting, manners, and language classes would also be replaced by dance and vocals. 

It seemed like they were really going to push me hard and focus on improving my skills quickly.

"The physical training classes will also be replaced with gym sessions. Now that you'll be performing in front of people, you need to have a body that looks good." 

"Can I ask you something?" 

"If you're curious about anything, just ask."

With Rose's permission, I quickly asked my question.

"Why is it that you're the one telling me this instead of the director?" 

"...The director said he was busy, so he asked me to pass on the information." 

"Ah, so the director is busy, and you were asked to tell me."

Knowing what Rose's image was like at Honey Enter, I immediately realized that her words were a lie. 

I gave her a sly smile, and Rose's face tightened.

[Park Boksoon (Pseudonym - Rose)] 

[Status - Embarrassed/Flustered]

It was fun to tease her, but I knew if I pushed her too far, it could backfire, so I decided to just poke a little and leave it at that.

"Anyway, got it. Thanks for letting me know." 

"...This is your new schedule." 

"Yes! Thank you."

I bowed and returned to the practice room. 

I was curious about what Rose might be thinking as she stood behind me, so I considered turning around, but decided against it. 

I wanted to act cooler than usual around a woman who was unnecessarily cool. 

The schedule was incredibly tight. 

While it was possible to zone out a bit in other classes without causing any issues, the dance and vocal lessons required my full attention throughout. 

And now, I was going to have those classes every day of the week. I wasn't sure if my body and mind could handle it.

"Ugh, this is going to be insanely hard. Sigh."

But these thoughts completely changed when the supplementary lessons began. 

I had only been thinking about one thing, but I had failed to consider the rest. 

The supplementary lessons were just for me. 

In other words, Rose and I would have one-on-one vocal lessons.

"Is it really okay to be here? Am I going to get in trouble again?"

I deliberately called Ahyeon to the practice room where the vocal lesson was taking place.

"It's fine, it's fine. It'll only be for a moment, there's no way it'll be a problem. Wait here, I'll go get it." 

"Okay!"

Knowing that Ahyeon always overslept and skipped breakfast, I took advantage of that habit.

I had bought enough sandwiches for us today.

Since I had already told Ahyeon about the supplementary lessons, she didn't find it odd that I suddenly brought food.

My goal was to call Ahyeon over when she was hungry and hand her the food.

"Thanks! I'll eat it well."

"If you eat outside, people might notice. Eat here instead. You'll finish quickly."

"Okay, I guess? Hehe."

Ahyeon, unaware that she was being played, smiled brightly.

I did feel a bit guilty, but since I had bought her something delicious, I decided to let it slide in my mind.

"How's life as staff?"

"In the beginning, it felt really strange. I had to fit in with those kids, but I wondered why I was even here. I felt really down, depressed, and sad. Honestly, it's still the same. Just a few days ago, I was sweating all day long, but now, my daily routine is just sitting blankly and answering a few calls."

"You managed not to cry?"

"Actually, I did cry. I couldn't help it. I think I understand now why the older girls never went for the job, even when they were offered it."

For someone who had given up on their dream, being around someone who was still chasing theirs was probably like torture.

"You're not thinking of quitting, are you?"

"Of course not. What else could I do outside of here?"

"You're still young. Maybe you could go back to studying?"

"No, I'm terrible at studying. Even if I started now, it'd be impossible to take the college entrance exam next year and get into university."

As I was having a lighthearted conversation with Ahyeon...

Bang!

The door suddenly opened, and Rose entered the practice room.