SOMEONE UNEXPECTED

IT was a good thing that Robin quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. "Ah, you can also just call me Robin. How old are you? I'm 19 by the way."

Behind the mask, a helpless smile appeared on Haneul's lips. It seemed that this guy was the type to just plow through and say the first thing that came to his mind. Was this the so-called openness of the West?

"I'm 18," he answered good-naturedly.

"Oh, you're a year younger. Then you can call me 'Hyung'," Robin said with a grin. Then his expression changed to that of someone who had just realized that they had said something wrong again. "I did it again. Am I being too forward?"

"No, it's fine... Hyung."

Although Haneul didn't feel like calling any participants here 'Hyung', because spiritually and emotionally, he still felt 10 years older than his age now. At some point, he would have to call those older than him by that. Especially if he managed to pass the audition.

Contestants in the show would be filmed 24/7. Most of the footage would be thrown, and only a few would make it to the official episodes. But if he was filmed not calling the older contestants 'Hyung', and it made it to an episode, then he would definitely get some flack for it. And unlike Robin, he didn't have the excuse of being a foreigner.

So, maybe it's better to practice first with this guy.

"But Hyung, you really speak Korean fluently," he added. "Did you learn because you want to be an idol?"

Haneul actually already forgotten the reason for this. Because, as he said, it's not like he could remember every small detail about Boys Odyssey. He remembered the important points, of course. Like the missions, the stages, and, of course, the members of the debut group.

"Ah, my stepmother is actually Korean. I learned to speak Korean from her," Robin said, answering his question.

Haneul nodded. So, it was like that. As the other continued to talk animatedly about how he learned Korean, Haneul thought maybe this time things could be different for this guy.

Should he help him?

***

As time passed by, the hall started to be filled with people participating in the public audition. Ten minutes before 9 AM, people who seemed to be judges appeared and sat down on the elevated platform in front of the stage. There were five people in total.

From what Haneul had researched about public auditions like this, the judging panel would consist of people from the production team of the survival program.

He wondered if one of them was the PD. If he was so xenophobic, then why did he let foreigners pass the public audition? He could have just rejected all of them, then he wouldn't have to worry if one of them ended up debuting. But Haneul guessed that the PD had to do that to keep appearances.

Really, what a douche.

"It's finally starting," Robin said excitedly.

Since their numbers were in the 120s, it would take quite a while before it could be their turn. Haneul didn't say that, though. There's no need to dampen another person's excitement.

And soon, the public audition finally began.

A staff wearing an in-ear mic walked to the stage and spoke. "Hello, we will be starting the audition. Just a little reminder, as stated on the registration form you signed online, try not to take pictures and record with your phone. Also, don't post anything online related to this audition. If we find that you violated these rules, you will immediately be disqualified."

After giving the participants here a moment to take in what the staff just said, he continued;

"Those who have numbers 1 to 10, please go on stage and line up from in order from right to left based on your number."

After the staff said that, 10 young men walked up the stage, lining up based on their numbers.

"You will be given two minutes to perform," the staff continued. "After you hear a buzzer, please stop and go back to your original position."

Haneul thought that this process was kind of efficient. He remembered the question in the registration form, asking what music they would use for the audition. That was probably included to cut back on time. The production staff would prepare it and all the participants had to do was go on stage.

But then again, it's understandable if they wanted all the people here to be able to perform. From what he saw, there were at least 400 or so people auditioning. Maybe even a bit more. There would have probably been more if there wasn't a cutoff in the registration. It was a good thing that he registered as soon as he saw the announcement.

He couldn't shake the thought that perhaps it wasn't a straightforward "first come, first serve" arrangement. Maybe the production team selectively accepted registration forms based on appearance or something. After all, there was no indication that the earliest registrations guaranteed an audition slot.

Haneul shook his head. Well, it didn't really matter. As long as he was allowed to audition, then that's that.

Then he heard one of the judges calling number 1 to step forward. Haneul couldn't really see how the other looked from his position since his seat was quite far from the stage. But he did see how the other took one of the mic on stage.

"You can begin."

As soon as one of the judges said that, the screen on both sides lit up and suddenly showed the person holding the mic on stage. When he appeared, most of the participants showed a surprised reaction. Probably because of the person's looks.

But none of their surprise could match Haneul's. Because he knew that person on stage.

It was Jung Taeyang!