As Damien sat, he leaned back against the corridor wall, finally calming down. The space was silent and still—a stark contrast to the buzzing energy from the room previous.
He passed.
He'd actually passed the final audition.
A slow grin tried to tug at the corner of his mouth, but it faltered.
Something was off...
Why hasn't the system announced the completion of the mission?
Whenever he had completed a mission, he'd get an announcement— almost like levelling up in a video game with a bright "Task Mission Complete" notification.
But, it was completely silent.
System... DId you fall asleep on me? Damien became slightly worried. He had clearly fulfilled the mission objective, right? Maybe he missed the meaning of the mission?
He sighed deeply.
He remembered the past few weeks of torture, day and night of sleepless practice, passing all the audition rounds. He gave the final evaluation his all, and one of the judges even said, "Welcome to Starlite Media." He thought that was it.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the system replied.
System: [Host, the task mission is still in progress. The objective requirements have not been met.]
Objective not met?
Damien began to wrack his brain as to what that meant.
At least the system hadn't declared it a failure.
But the words "not met" implied that Damien hadn't become a true trainee in its eyes. So what technicality was the system hung up on?
Was it perhaps an official trainee status—the signing?
That was the only logical thing that Damien could think of—well, it was obvious too. He hadn't signed any contract yet. Right now, he was basically a successful applicant, but not technically a trainee until he inked his name on paper.
System: [Host, is right. Passing the audition is the first half of this mission. The second half is the paperwork.]
When he heard the system speak, his worry resided. If it was just paperwork, he could handle that. Hell, if completing a mission was as easy as signing a paper, he'd sign his name a hundred times if need be.
Then, all he could do now is wait. Starlite Media would probably call him within a day or two to come in with a guardian to sign the trainee contract.
Parent or guardian, huh? Good thing I've come up with a solution for that...
He had anticipated this scenario long ago. When he was researching about idols and the entertainment industry, he'd come across this problem. Luckily his family wishes and his wishes aligned, and now, he had proxy parents he could rely on.
He let out a sigh, pushing off the wall and straightening his posture.
It was time to get moving.
...
A few days later, he found himself at the Starlite Media building—this time not as a nervous auditioner, but a soon-to-be trainee. It was late Wednesday evening and the offices were quiet.
Beside him stood a cheerful, middle-aged couple, who, for the next hour or so, would be his "Mom" and "Dad".
The receptionist led Damien and his parents to a small conference room on the 5th floor. As they walked in, Damien noticed a large window with a view of city, its orange hue tinting the room.
Then his attention shifted to the two people waiting but the table. One was a woman in a fitted blazer and short dark hair. Next to her was an older man with a calm demeanour. In his hand was a Manila envelope which probably contained his contract and other documents.
The woman stepped forward and held out a hand. "Damien, congratulations." Her professional smile reached her eyes, putting Damien a little more at ease.
He shook her hand and replied. "Thank you."
She turned to the two adults beside Damien. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Yeong." She said politely "I'm Yoon Jieun, a casting manager at Starlite Media. And beside me is Mr. Park Sungho, a legal representative."
His "parents"—Yeong Taehyuk and Yeong Mina shook hands with the two Starlite Media staff.
Yeong Mina spoke up. "We're very proud of Damien for coming this far and we're also grateful for this opportunity."
"Please have a seat," Yoon Jieun said and smiled, gesturing to the chairs around the table. As they settled in, Park Sungho handed the envelope to Yoon Jieun. She organized the stack of papers and cleared her throat softly. "I must say, I've heard a lot about you from our director, Kang Yejin."
At the mention of the name, Damien immediately thought of the girl who casted him.
"She looked forward to your performance the most." The woman chuckled. "She actually has a reputation for casting diamonds in the rough. Although she rarely casts, once she does, it usually turns out well."
Yeong Mina laughed softly. "We were surprised after Damien came home and told us what happened. But we're supportive of his dreams."
Damien glanced at his new parents and laughed inwardly.
Wow, aren't they quite the actors.
System: [They have to be, host. They're fooling a company. This is technically illegal...]
Damien suddenly realized the seriousness of this situation.
Holy sh*t you're right, system. Won't we be screwed if I get found out? I'll fail my mission. I don't have any time to change agencies too...
System: [That's why, host, you might want to act well today.]
Damien: "..."
"That's wonderful to hear." Yoon Jieun grinned. "This is a big day. We'll be signing a contract this evening. But before we proceed, Mr. Park will walk you through the main points of the trainee contract. Please, feel free to ask any questions at any time."
Then, she handed a copy of the contract towards the family.
"Yes, thank you." Yeong Taehyuk replied. "We did review the contract last night and we have a few questions."
The elderly Park Sungho smiled reassuringly. "Of course. Let's go through the key terms first. This is the standard trainee contract we use, based on the industry's current regulations. First, regarding the contract duration, as you see in 'Clause 1', the term is three years. This is actually the maximum years allowed for a trainee contract nowadays."
Damien glanced at Yeong Taehyuk as Park Sungho spoke. His father flipped to 'Clause 1' in his copy of the contract, nodding slowly.
"Three years..." Yeong Taehyuk murmured, reading the section over. Then he looked at Park Sungho. "My wife and I have heard that some contracts have lasted much longer."
Park Sungho nodded. "That's correct, that was how it was a few years ago in the industry. But luckily, it has moved away from decade-long contracts. Shorter contracts protect young trainees like Damien and allows him some room to re-evaluate his path after the contract is over."
"What happens after three years, if he still hasn't debuted?" Yeong Mina said, slightly concerned.
"In that case, Mrs. Yeong, Damien would have a choice. If he wishes to continue to try for a debut, we can always discuss extending his training period with a new contract. If not, he'd be free to pursue other opportunities." Yoon Jieun explained gently, jumping into the conversation.
"Right," Park Sungho agreed, "and if Damien debuts before the three years are up, then ahead of his debut we'd sign an artist contract—typically an exclusive contract that might last anywhere between 5 to 7 years, as is common in the industry. But that's a separate agreement when the time comes. Today we're just covering the trainee period."
Then he paused, looking at Damien and his parents. With a slightly firmer voice he said, "To be clear, the contract does not guarantee a debut—it provides the training and opportunity. Debut will depend entirely on Damien's progress and the company's plans."
As he listened to the legal representative's words, Damien's brows slightly perked.
It seems that they don't tolerate under the table deals... How surprising.
System: [Indeed. Starlite Media is one of the few companies that rarely participate in shady deals. That's why they have such a good reputation as well, rarely getting into scandals.]
They're really lucky. From what I gathered, their last scandal was around a decade ago which is crazy.
He inwardly scoffed, then continued. Tell me system, is your higher gods favouring them? Sigh, why can't I have such luck?
System: [...]
"Next, let's discuss training conditions and obligations." Park Sungho smiled. "'Clause 3' outlines the trainee's obligations. In short, the company will provide all the training—vocal, dance, language, etc.—and Damien, as the trainee, must do his best to participate fully and improve."
Yeong Mina then spoke up. "Damien finished his Year 11 at his current school but we still want him to continue. Will his schedule fit with his schooling?"
Yoon Jieun nodded at Yeong Mina's question. "Education is important. We have many trainees at Damien's age, so we're used to balancing school and training. Typically, on weekdays Damien would attend school as normal, and then come to the training centre after classes—usually for a few hours in the evening."
Yeong Mina's eyes widened. "Truly?"
Manager Yoon smiled warmly. "Yes. For example Damien might train from say... 5 pm to 10 pm on school days depending on his homework load and his preference to stay up and train. Our training center is always open and so trainees can stay for as long as they need to. We also adjust the schedule around exams—during exam weeks we tend to lighten training or give time off to study."
Yeong Mina's expression brightened. "That's good to hear. My husband and I were worried he'd be at the studio way past midnight. He's still growing; he needs his rest."
"Absolutely, Mrs. Yeong." Manager Yoon then explained, "We're strict about training, but we do monitor our younger trainees' health and academics. If Damien ever feels overwhelmed, we encourage him to communicate that. It's especially important since we also have to monitor our trainee's secondary gender cycles. We want healthy and happy trainees who can perform their best."
Elderly Park Sungho tapped on the contract. "Yes, there's a clause on health and well-being. 'Clause 7' states the company will support medical treatment for any training-related injuries and provide assistance if a trainee faces serious issues like depression or presentation."
"That's reassuring," Yeong Taehyuk said before flipping a page. "Now, about financial terms—Clause 5, I believe. It says here that Starlite Media covers training costs. Could you clarify what that include? We've heard of cases where trainees incurred debt for their training."
"At Starlite Media, we cover all standard training expenses—that includes vocal lessons, dance instructors, language classes, and any other coaching that Damien needs to become an idol. However, we only cover all of it when either Damien's trainee contract expires or when Damien debuts. If Damien decides to quit before his contract expires, Damien will have to pay for his training." Park Sungho clarified.
"I see..." Yeong Taehyuk said softly, looking over the contract again.
Then, Yeong Mina cleared her throat. "I have another question. It might be more about daily life rules... I've heard some agencies force diets, curfews, dating, and even phone usage. How much of that is true here?"
Manager Yoon gave a knowing smile, as if she'd been asked the same question many times. "That's a very understandable concern. Starlite Media does have rules to ensure trainees stay focused. For instance, we do have a curfew for minors—10 pm on weeknights."
Yeong Mina then asked, "How about other things... like dieting or dating?"
"We encourage healthy eating—we have nutritionists who guide our trainees on meal plans to keep them fit, but we don't starve anyone. Damien will be excercising and moving a lot, so he'll need good nutrition. As for dating..." Yoon Jieun glanced at Damien before continuing. "The contract doesn't explicitly ban having a relationship, but we do strongly discourage any dating during the trainee and idol period. Being in a high-profile industry— everyone, even trainees—are expected to uphold a good image. Any scandals can be detrimental, to the company, the trainee, and their family. So, we advise trainees to be very careful about personal relationships."
Park Sungho then added, "You'll notice Clause 6 is about Code of Conduct. It requires that Daniel avoids any behavior that could reflect poorly on him or the company—that includes things like underage drinking, smoking, or anything illegal of course. It also covers confidentiality—he shouldn't disclose internal company matters or training secrets on social media, for example. These are standard clauses to protect both him and the agency. If such rules are broken, the company does have grounds to terminate the contract. But that's the worse-case scenario, and we hope never to go there."
Sensing the slightly tense atmosphere, Damien sat up straighter. "I understand. I'll be careful."
With the Yeong couple firing off questions left and right, the explanation of the key points dragged on.
Finally, Park Sungho reached the last page. "Those are the main points I wanted to highlight. Are there any more questions or concerns regarding the contract?"
The couple exchanged looks, silently checking of the other had wanted to speak. After a moment, Yeong Mina shook her head. "I think we've covered our main concerns. Thank you both for explaining everything so clearly."
Manager Yoon Jieun clasped her hands together, looking pleased. "I'm glad to hear that. If everything is good to go, we can proceed to the next step."
Next step...?