Episode: 10
Nobel kindly repeated it just in case I hadn’t heard correctly.
[No can do.]
[Didn’t I tell you, Master? My power is absurd, but even so, since you need to entertain the god, I can’t just spoon-feed you everything.]
“......”
[If I did everything, it wouldn’t be your accomplishment but mine.]
[It’s fine to use the power of AI.]
[But relying solely on AI would be a pathetic act of giving up the authority granted to you as a human.]
At first, Nobel’s words made me bristle, but when I thought about it calmly, I realized it wasn’t wrong.
Come to think of it, despite what I’d said, I was already starting to rely on Nobel.
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
I took a small breath to steady myself before I spoke again.
“In that case, let me rephrase the question. What kind of help can you give me? I need to know that before I can figure out how to move forward.”
[This is what I like about you, Master.]
[Quick to adapt, accepting reality, and getting your mind back on track swiftly.]
[What I can do for you is tell you about an idol’s potential.]
“For example?”
[When you get near someone you think has potential, I can tell you their grade.]
[A, B, C, and also S grade.]
“Hmm, I see. Well, I’d like to get a feel for it. Is that okay?”
[Of course.]
With that, I decided to check out the current top groups in the world like NTS and NobelPink on my phone.
But I didn’t see any grades overlaid on the people on screen.
“You can’t check through a screen, huh.”
[Correct.]
[I can’t tell you everything, but I can at least confirm if what you know is correct or not.]
[If you could check through a screen, it would be too easy, wouldn’t it?]
“That’s true. The thrill of entertainment comes after overcoming a moderate amount of crisis. Actually, this is better. Now that I think about it, it’d be suspicious if I solved everything too quickly, even if the results were good.”
In that sense, this kind of difficulty adjustment might actually be fortunate.
Excess is as bad as deficiency.
Too much of anything isn’t good.
“Well then, let’s head over to the practice rooms.”
I took the elevator down to the second floor.
This is where trainees and current idols usually practice dancing or take lessons.
Today, too, I could see kids with good bodies and pretty faces working hard to achieve their dreams of debuting and success.
“One, two, three, four...! One, two, three...”
Squeak, squeak—
From what I could see, these were not just good-looking kids but absolute visuals, who were hard at work syncing with each other and striving to achieve their dreams.
And then.
[Lee Sora, A]
[Mina, S]
[Serina, A]
I could see it.
Just like Nobel had said, the grades were visible.
They were displayed above their heads in a transparent window.
‘These must be the kids Park Joo-yong brought in.’
I didn’t know exactly how high the S grade was, but judging by the way these kids were practicing, it was clear that it wasn’t a bad grade.
It’s obvious that Mina, the S grade, is leading from the center.
“Hmm. Good. If it’s like this, it should be manageable.”
Having finished confirming the feeling, I quickly headed outside to avoid getting entangled with Park Joo-yong again.
Walking down the street in my luxury suit and sunglasses, I casually glanced at the people passing by.
[Wang Kyung-hwa, B]
[Lee Kyung-hye, B]
“Hmm.”
After about two hours of scanning people, here’s what I realized.
It’s no lie that all the good-looking people in Korea are scooped up by entertainment agencies or idol academies.
B grades were quite common.
It means that there are a lot of average attractive women.
But an entertainer, an idol, must be someone who shines.
They have to captivate people with their overwhelming presence.
Obviously, a B grade wouldn’t cut it.
“Hmm. It’s not easy.”
As I continued checking the grades above people’s heads, my eyes started feeling a bit more strained.
It wasn’t like the grades were glaringly obvious.
[It’s like a minimum payment.]
“This much is nothing.”
I didn’t feel the need to complain.
Being able to see someone’s grade in advance?
That alone was practically getting a free ride.
“All it takes is investing time.”
I was sure that if I kept wandering the streets like this, I’d eventually find an S-grade talent.
But that felt like a massive waste of time to me.
[What will you do?]
“Can’t you guess, being the god AI and all?”
[I don’t predict your actions, Master. It’s more fun that way.]
I lowered my sunglasses slightly and spoke.
“I heard the kids at Hanbit High School are really pretty. Plus, it’s graduation season. They’re becoming full-fledged adults, aren’t they?”
The best age, just ripe for the picking.
* * *
[Hanbit High School, 28th Graduation Ceremony]
Under a brilliant banner, there was another one hung up.
It listed how many students had gone on to Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, KAIST, and so on.
The names of prestigious universities stretched in a long line.
“Schools that emphasize their prestige like this rarely produce people with good personalities.”
Not all chaebols are like this, but some really do have terrible personalities.
[So you’re actually going to the school in person?]
“Yeah. This was the most common method used for casting the first generation of idols.”
These days, the main methods involve auditions or picking up idols who have already been trained at academies.
But I didn’t need to do that.
“If I’m going to raise them, I figure it’ll be more fun if I do it from the start. That way, they’ll be sure to follow me completely.”
[That sounds interesting.]
Having arrived at the school a bit early, I kept a small distance from the front gate and started checking the grades of the students entering Hanbit High School.
"Heh."
A chuckle escaped my lips.
[Jeong Hanju, A]
[Ahn Hae-suk, A]
Even on the streets or in bustling areas, it was rare to see so many A-ranked individuals gathered in one place.
"Wow, they really live up to the 'prestigious' title."
But even so, there was no sign of an S rank. This alone was enough to show just how rare individuals with S-ranked talent and potential were in this world.
"Looks like most of the students have gone into the school now."
[It seems so.]
[I'm curious why you've been waiting.]
"I'm just trying to use my time wisely. Borrowing the wisdom of the past, so to speak? The casting methods used in the old days weren't wrong, after all."
With that thought, I approached the few remaining students and carefully asked them a question.
"Excuse me, students."
"Yes?"
Most of them were startled by my sudden approach, but when I pleaded with them, many were kind enough to help.
If they had been adults, they probably wouldn't have even glanced at me.
Students are definitely less jaded.
My question was simple.
"Could you tell me who the most beautiful person at Hanbit High is? I would really appreciate it."
Nine out of ten students gave the same answer.
"Jo Yuna from class 3."
"Jo Yuna, for sure."
"Isn't it Jo Yuna? I heard she got accepted to Yonsei University too."
Jo Yuna from Class 3 of the third year.
Jo Yuna.
Even her name sounded pretty.
As I mentioned before, beauty alone doesn't guarantee success, but in the entertainment industry, having a good face is a basic requirement. If that basic face is exceptionally beautiful, it becomes a talent in itself.
"Plus, if she got into Yonsei University, it means she's smart too."
Where did such a perfect specimen come from?
Jo Yuna from Class 3 of the third year.
I etched her name into my mind and tried to enter the school, only to be stopped by the security guard at the front gate.
"Hey, you can't go in there. Didn't you see the general public entry times posted here?"
As the guard said, the front gate of Hanbit High had specified times when the general public was allowed to enter.
Early in the morning.
And around evening.
"Oh, sorry... my mistake."
I couldn't just ignore the guard and force my way in, as that would be a crime. So, I retreated obediently.
Instead, I simply scaled the wall connected to the school's storage area.
"Ouch!"
Damn.
In the process, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my knee and Achilles tendon.
But what choice did I have?
I might miss out on the greatest treasure if I didn't act now.
"Damn, I'm definitely getting old."
I used to be able to jump ten steps at once back in high school, but now my knees and ankles were screaming after climbing a mere two-meter wall.
"Nobel, it's time for some help. Show me a way to get to Class 3 of the third year without being noticed by the teachers or anyone else."
[Since you've made it this far, I can at least do that.]
[Let's go, Master!]
[First, head straight to the central area behind the school and enter through the back door of the main entrance.]
[The teachers are currently gathered in the second-floor office, but due to the cold weather, almost none of them are outside or in the hallways.]
I followed Nobel's instructions and started walking.
"I haven't smelled this in a while."
The [Keep Left] signs stuck to the stairs also brought back some nostalgia.
Back in school, I used to see these signs all the time, and now they were bringing back memories.
"Is this why trends keep coming back? People must be inherently nostalgic for the past."
[Alright, let's keep moving.]
[Next, dash up to the fourth floor and hide in the restroom for 30 seconds.]
[The second-year homeroom teachers are making brief visits to their classes.]
[Even though it's winter break, there's no such thing for high school seniors.]
As Nobel said, the homeroom teachers' voices could be heard in the restroom as I hid in the corner.
[Finally, dash up to the fifth floor! Turn left at the central staircase, and you'll find Class 3 of the third year.]
Once I reached the fifth floor, there was no need to worry anymore.
It was absolute chaos.
Maybe it was because they were about to graduate, but there were students playing baseball or soccer in the hallways, some were dancing with headphones on, and others were even smoking confidently between the stairs on the fourth and fifth floors.
"Well, they're all 20 years old now."
These were kids who had probably already tried alcohol.
Besides, whether through early admission or regular decision, most of them already had their future paths set, so they were only coming to school in the morning to meet attendance requirements or prepare for graduation.
Finally, I reached the front of Class 3.
"That must be her, Jo Yuna."
She looked stunning even with just a fancy coat over her school uniform.
Her fashion sense was impeccable, and her face and figure were out of this world.
She had the kind of mature figure that was hard to believe belonged to someone who had just turned 20.
[Jo Yuna, S]
An S rank.
Nobel confirmed it with the rank displayed above her head.
The only concern I had was…
"Damn, graduation's almost here. How's it feel, Hee-ju?"
She seemed like a bit of a bully.
She was sitting on the desk, harassing another female student, and the intensity was nothing to scoff at.
"I'm feeling the same, Hee-ju."
So, what should I do? She's an S rank, after all.
As I was wrestling with this dilemma, I noticed something.
"Wait a minute."
The words above the head of the female student kneeling at Jo Yuna's feet caught my eye.
[Eun Hee-ju, SS]
It was a rank I'd never seen before.
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