Jeon Yeo-Jin nodded and motioned that he could leave.
Standing up, still puzzled and unable to come back to his senses, Jimin gave a polite bow, then as if remembering something, blurted out, "Ms. Jeon, can I ask on behalf of my dad...for an autograph?"
After he said this, his cheeks flushed red, feeling like he was the most shameless person ever. This was completely the opposite of how he usually acted; he only knew that when he mentions he met Jeon Yeo-Jin later, his dad would definitely harp on him about it.
Jimin didn't plan on bragging about this in front of his parents, but he had to give his usual report on what happened. He wanted to avoid troublesome things, so before said troublesome things could happen, he'd find a contingency plan, thus asking for this autograph.
Jeon Yeo-Jin didn't get mad, and instead, once again laughed as pleased as could be. She found a piece of paper and with a flourish, started signing as she softly hummed, "Jimin, I'll tell you something in advance. During the talent performance later, we have some things planned and might need you guys to pair up to do an improvised performance on the spot." She then handed her autograph to him, winked, and mysteriously added, "This, it'll be good as long as you keep it in mind."
Jimin let out an "Oh", gave her his thanks, and only until he walked outside did he finally realise the meaning behind Jeon Yeo-Jin's words: He was given prior info on what the next round would be!
Lords above, did he just receive help from a big shot?
Jimin was secretly thrilled, but that didn't last long as he soon found out a terrible news: The 3 others from his school were all eliminated!
Jimin was incredibly shocked. He wouldn't have found it surprising if it was just the erhu girl and the bel canto boy, but the ballet upperclassman had the highest overall qualities among all of them, so how did she not pass?
With red eyes, she sobbed, "That announcer wanted me to emotionally recite "The Ballad of Mulan". We learned that two years ago, and I had long forgotten it, so I failed."
Jimin thought back to the questions he received, and asked, "Did they ask you if you wanted to be a TV anchor?"
His upperclassman nodded, looking like she was still reeling from a mighty blow. She probably didn't think that as a ballet dancer, she would have needed to know about such a topic.
Now, Jimin could understand a bit. If she had answered "Yes", then what the interviewer asked would have been within reasonable bounds. After all, as a student who came with the ambition to become a TV anchor, whether it's the ability to improvise at the drop of a hat or having substantial cultural knowledge, both were fair game as a test, no?
She then asked Jimin, "How did you do it?"
The other two also looked at him, as if confused how someone who rarely even talked could have passed.
Jimin didn't know what to say...... Looks like it wasn't that he got help from a big shot, but rather, he somehow lucked out via a series of random coincidences.
After half-heartedly winging out a response, Jimin inwardly sighed. Presently, even if he had the info Jeon Yeo-Jin revealed to him, it was of little help. Not just because he knew no one else who passed, but also because there wasn't a piano anywhere near him. Even if he found someone to partner with, they didn't have the means or time to practice ahead of time.
Therefore, the most this info could do was give him time to mentally prepare himself.
Due to Jimin's participation in the 2nd round, the other 3 decided to stay and cheer on the only lucky person from their school.
The 40-some students who passed were all called to a multi-functional auditorium, and as expected, when they announced what the 2nd round would be, the scene turned chaotic. Those who had friends conveniently paired up, but people with social anxiety like Jimin could only stand dumbly in a corner and wait for others to come find them.
But it seemed that his luck was entirely used up in the 1st round, and from start to finish, only a single boy who did slapstick comedy approached him. When that boy asked what his specialty was and got piano as a response, he dejectedly turned and walked away.
Obviously, piano and slapstick comedy...... It was a mash-up that wouldn't work.
In the end, there were 5 people without partners and both Jimin and the comedy guy were included. At this moment, Jimin really wanted to give away his place to the erhu girl so that she and the comedy guy could form a duo and be done with it.
After hearing the announcer's heartless, "If you can't find a partner then you'll automatically be eliminated this round," the other 4 immediately paired up. After all, no one wanted to give up this chance, so no longer caring what their partner's talent was, they decided to pair up first and talk later.
The announcer looked towards the lonely Jimin: "It's just you left?"
Jimin: "......"
The man shrugged regretfully, and just as he was about to pass judgment, Jeon arrived. She quickly swept her gaze across the room, and seeing Jimin alone, an expression of surprise flashed across her face.
Before the male announcer could say anything, she promptly interrupted, "Teacher Haan, a word please."
The male announcer walked over and Jeon Yeo-Jin whispered a few sentences in his ear. As he listened, he peeked over at Jimin, and in the end, came back and proclaimed, "You can stay and perform alone as the last act."
Jimin: "......"
The people around him all turned towards his location in unison, staring at him with a "This guy has connections" gaze, so intent as if wanting to burn a hole straight through his very being.
Jimin restlessly sat in the last row of the mult-functional auditorium, watching the impromptu pairs perform on stage. Those who did well received applause, and those who messed up made the audience awkwardly stare.
This talent show announced the results of each performance right after they ended, and those who didn't perform well were immediately disqualified. A very harsh, no 2nd chance trial.
There was one pair, a boy and a girl, who were suppose to sing and make a speech, but the girl didn't pull her weight and kept making mistakes, dragging the boy down with her. When the announcer declared that they were both eliminated, the boy couldn't help but protest, "I don't think this is fair!"
The one who had called 'Teacher Haan' asked in return, "How is it unfair?"
The boy angrily replied, "If my partner was someone else, I would have done a lot better."
The girl also felt very ashamed, drooping her head and on the verge of tears.
The students below all started whispering, as if sympathetic towards the boy who was implicated, but no one expected Teacher Haan to let the young man standing next to him go up on stage and pair up with the girl in tears.
Jimin walked up to the girl and coaxed, "Don't be nervous, let's just randomly talk for a bit."
Originally, she was still quite reticent, but after being guided by Jimin for a while, the two of them bantered along, and at the end, the girl even came up with a few extremely funny jokes.
In less than 5 minutes,Jimin came back down from the stage, and the boy from earlier stared at him with envy and embarrassment. However, his judgment wasn't over yet.
Teacher Haan tapped the table with his pen and ambivalently smiled as he said, "Did you see? A TV personality isn't one who hogs the spotlight for themselves, but someone who pays attention to everyone on stage. Your partner messed up, but not only did you not step in to cover for her, you made her even more awkward and panicked. Did you think that would make you look good in contrast? No, on the contrary, it only exposed that you're too egocentric, and this is the reason we eliminated you. Any other questions?"
The oldest student present was only 14-15 years old, so hearing this ruthless commentary by Teacher Haan, they were all in shock.
Everyone here had overflowing talent, was either the apple of their parents' eyes or the most beloved in their school, and being chosen for this already proved they were the best of the best. In their daily lives, when had they ever been exposed to such a brutal dressing-down that left zero face to speak of?
That boy paled and blushed in turns, and in his anger, ran away. The door slammed shut with a bang.
Teacher Haan shook his head and sighed, "A spoiled child with no manners."
At this moment, Jimin heard the girls up front start to lightly clamor.
He turned his head and saw that as that boy ran out, another boy walked in.
Dressed in casual wear, the new boy had one hand in his pocket while the other held a violin. After he walked in, he swept his gaze across the auditorium with an indifferent air.
Jimin blinked, and when he properly saw the other's face, his entire body froze on the spot!
...Taehyung?