The Goal is the Ending Fairy

>>Applied “Major Stat Increase +5” to Vocal Stat!

>Vocals: 20/100 → 25/100

>>Vocal and Dance stats have surpassed a certain threshold! As a reward, Charm Experience increased by +5!

>Charm: 5/100 → 10/100

That’s right.

The better one’s dancing and singing abilities, the higher their idol charm naturally becomes. Things were progressing smoothly.

With this, both my vocal and dance stats had crossed the 20-point threshold.

Not enough skill to draw attention, but not bad enough to stand out either…

In other words, I’d finally reached the level of being just average.

Though that’s where I am now, if I keep grinding experience until the first mission, things should work out.

At this rate, I could probably get dance and vocals up to around ’50’, if nothing else.

Come to think of it, even my current progress isn’t half bad.

To others, it would look like I’d suddenly improved skills that had been rock bottom for six months.

‘If things keep going like this, I won’t fail to debut.’

Just as I was satisfactorily turning off the screen and opening the door—

–Creeak

“Holy shit!”

The shock was so intense my heart nearly jumped out of my chest, making me curse without thinking.

The mirror beyond the bathroom stall door—that’s what startled me.

‘… Was someone out there before?’

In the mirror stood someone who looked about my age.

As I placed a hand on my chest trying to calm down, the trainee just silently stared at me.

After a while, she slowly approached me, who was still startled.

“…”

The trainee looked down at me from point-blank range.

Her gaze made me unconsciously lower my head.

‘Why is she getting so close?’

While my pupils trembled like an earthquake, the faint breathing sound from above was eerily calm.

“What are you—”

I quickly shut my mouth mid-sentence.

‘I almost picked a fight asking what she was looking at…’

Fortunately, I managed to dig up a sliver of reason buried under fatigue.

But how did she know to come here?

I specifically came here looking for a place to be alone in this building. Through the helper system, no less.

This shouldn’t have been an easy place to find.

I remembered the guy who had recommended this place earlier.

–‘[This corridor has few CCTVs and even fewer people! It’ll be perfect for being alone!]’

That day when I asked the helper I summoned after the cooldown about places to be alone. That’s exactly what he had said.

But what’s this now?

I don’t understand why that guy, who’s supposed to be a helper, is never actually helpful.

“Where are you looking?”

The other person’s voice had gotten even closer.

That made me stop mentally beating up the helper.

When I slightly raised my face, her gruff voice became clearer.

“Someone’s right in front of you, where are you looking?”

Long straight hair and cat-like eyes to match—that’s what I glimpsed of her face.

Maybe it was her way of speaking, but she gave off a prickly impression.

I might have vaguely seen her at the filming site… She seemed to be a survival show participant like me.

However, I could say with certainty that hers wasn’t a face I knew well.

‘She doesn’t seem like an important character… Who is she anyway?’

Not being able to see her profile made this even more maddening.

“Just, um… there seemed to be a lot of dust down there…”

That was the only excuse I could squeeze out at the moment. Even I thought it sounded ridiculous.

The trainee raised one eyebrow at that.

She obviously didn’t believe me. I could tell just from the suspicious look in her eyes.

“… If you have nothing else to say, would you mind moving aside?”

“… ? What’s with the formal speech?”

“…”

Damn, are you my friend too?

Trying to avoid another Yoon Hee-jo situation, I failed at relationship flags again.

Though the trainee gave me a puzzled look, she seemed to decide it was just a joke and didn’t say anything more.

Seeing the atmosphere soften slightly, I tried to awkwardly slip away, but…

BANG!

… A quickly extended arm blocked my path.

She had forcefully thrown open the door behind me with that outstretched arm.

This brat… Couldn’t she just open it normally?

“… No one’s here.”

And that’s what she had to say after looking inside.

‘Of course no one’s there, who goes to the bathroom in pairs?’

I frowned at her nonsensical comment, but she didn’t stop there.

BANG! BANG!

Instead, she started throwing open all the other stall doors.

I wanted to ask what she was doing, but…

CRASH!

… she was opening the doors so violently that I couldn’t even speak up.

‘Couldn’t you explain why you’re doing this first? And did it have to be in the bathroom… ?’

After swallowing my complaints for a while.

Having checked every last stall, the trainee finally turned to me.

“Were you really alone?”

“Can’t you see for yourself… ?”

“Experience points this, stats that… This place is good because there’s few people… I heard something like that.”

“… Ah.”

Those were from my conversation with the helper earlier.

This girl must have overheard my chat with the helper.

But since she wouldn’t have been able to hear the helper’s side, it must have sounded like I was talking to myself.

Surely she wouldn’t think I’m mentally ill and spread rumors… and try to get me kicked out… right? That would be going too far, wouldn’t it?

“Well, yeah, I was alone. I was on the phone.”

I stuffed my hands in my hoodie pockets, trying not to show my nervousness.

Wait, but come to think of it.

“Hey, hold on. Are you saying you were hiding and eavesdropping on me?”

“Watch your tone. I just happened to overhear that stuff, that’s all.”

She then muttered quietly, ‘It’s not like I wanted to hear it.’

That stuff? More importantly, what’s with this reversed logic?

Before I could protest ‘What kind of attitude is that?’, the trainee showed a seemingly unimpressed expression.

“You’re not getting caught up in games at such a crucial time, are you?”

You’re a game character to me, you know.

I felt a surge of indignation at her words, but I held it in for now.

She seems to think I was trying to play games where no one could see.

“Of course not. The first mission’s right around the corner, you know.”

“… Really?”

Seeing my undisturbed demeanor, the trainee finally seemed to ease her suspicions a bit.

“Whatever. If you’re done with your call, hurry up and come out. The supervisor is looking for you.”

After finishing with her still sharp tone, she walked past me.

As if she had come all this way just to find me, the trainee walked away without even looking back.

I’d feel bad if she had to search all the way here because of me… but that’s beside the point.

‘She definitely doesn’t seem like a friend.’

Her dislike of me was too obvious.

After showing me the friendly trainee Yoon Hee-jo, is the system now showing me the opposite?

It really feels unnecessary, but whatever.

Quietly leaving the bathroom, I watched her retreating figure.

That unpleasant back view had already reached the end of the corridor.

I wondered if she might be a debut member like Yoon Hee-jo. I tried repeatedly recalling her face, but it was useless.

No matter how much I looked, unlike with Yoon Hee-jo, no information suddenly ‘popped’ into my head.

Meaning she’s not a debut member.

‘… Then there’s no real need to get along with her, right?’

There’s no way to know right now what happened between this trainee and my character before I possessed her.

If that’s the case, it would be better to avoid unnecessary contact. I’m busy enough just taking care of myself.

Most importantly, whatever her reason for acting this way, it doesn’t matter.

‘I don’t care.’

I also started walking down the corridor, watching her figure.

* * *

“Can you move into the dorm today?”

The supervisor who called for me abruptly ordered me to move in.

What could I do? I just said ‘yes’ and started packing.

They said they’d drive me in a company car, so I headed to the practice room, where several other trainees were gathered.

“Dan-ah!”

This now-familiar voice belonged to none other than Yoon Hee-jo.

Dressed somewhat disheveled as if she’d been practicing, she noticed my luggage and guessed.

“You’re moving into the dorms today? Which building did they assign you to?”

“The ✕✕ Apartments, 7th floor.”

“Ah… I see…”

Judging by her reaction, seems we’re in different dorms. Hee-jo had mentioned she was already living in the dorms.

Seeing her disappointed expression, I shrugged.

“What does it matter? We’ll be living together once we debut anyway.”

“Haha, that’s true.”

Hee-jo finally smiled again. But honestly, I felt a bit disappointed too.

I don’t have any close trainees besides Hee-jo.

Plus, if I end up in the same dorm as ‘that trainee’ from earlier… that could be quite troublesome.

… And my uneasy premonition turned out to be right.

At the dorm entrance a while later, I internally groaned.

Right as I stepped through the front door, I made eye contact with a trainee who was about to enter her room.

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

Short exclamations escaped simultaneously.

The person I encountered was that prickly trainee from earlier.

You’ve got to be kidding.

Me with my carrier, her with her mug. We both froze in place like statues.

I have a feeling she’s thinking the same thing I am right now.

The thought: ‘Of all people, her?’

“Sunha unnie? What are you doing there?”

Before the silence could stretch longer, another trainee cut in.

“Huh… ?!”

Following my confronter’s gaze, the trainee discovered me and immediately brightened up as she approached.

“Dan-ah unnie, you’re in our dorm?!”

Oh, I know her. She’s Lee Jinyu, one of the debut members.

I’d known her from occasionally seeing her from afar, since memories had popped up about her just like with Yoon Hee-jo.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

I shifted my gaze away from ‘Sunha.’

“No way, really? Really?!”

“That’s what they said…”

“Yay! Everyone here knows each other~!”

Having received confirmation, Jinyu suddenly cheered by herself.

“Ah…”

But that was brief—she slowly lowered her hands after noticing the expression of the person beside her.

For good reason, as ‘Sunha’ was looking at me with a… very scary face.

Didn’t I say earlier? That I didn’t care about her reasons for acting this way, that I wasn’t interested?

I take it back.

Just what did I do to make her hate me so much? Seeing that expression made me feel like I needed to know the reason.

“Jinyu, Chae Seonha… and Seo Dan-ah?”

Another tall trainee approached, calling out to the two before raising her voice when she spotted me.

After observing the three of us gathered there, she quickly assessed the situation.

Chae Seonha glaring at me, me standing awkwardly, and Jinyu fidgeting uncomfortably between us.

Seeing this scene, that trainee also let out a light sigh before approaching me.

“I wondered what you two were doing, but it was because you arrived.”

Is she saying this is because of me?

The seemingly brusque trainee unexpectedly extended a friendly hand.

Just as my hand twitched, thinking she wanted to shake hands, she clarified her intention.

“Give me your luggage.”

Thanks to that, I was able to swallow my embarrassment internally.

“It’s, it’s fine…”

When I tried to stop her from taking my carrier, she just silently looked down at me.

“… right?”

I belatedly added the polite ending, having unconsciously shortened my speech. A trauma from various incidents.

“… Don’t bother being so formal.”

The trainee who answered me dryly went ahead and moved my carrier. Based on her response, she seemed to be older.

Thanks to her, I was finally able to move into the dorm.