The lights in Jamsil Gymnasium gradually dimmed, and the echo of the last encore still echoed in the venue. Ouyang Guang stood at the entrance of the VIP channel, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the sharp edge of the gold-stamped business card in his pocket. Chen Zheng kept jumping around him, his green hair wet with sweat and sticking to his forehead.

"Kids, this way!" Li Xuxun poked his head out from the staff passage and waved excitedly.

The air conditioner in the corridor was turned up high. Ouyangguang pulled up the hood of his hoodie, covering most of his face. His sneakers stepped on the thick carpeted corridor without making any sound. He Zilin walked beside him, his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses calm as water.

"Wow!" Chen Zheng suddenly lowered his voice and pointed at a photo on the wall, "That's the autograph of Senior Baoer!"

Lee Bo-hoon smiled proudly, "All the big-name artists in our company have been to this lounge." He glanced at Ouyang Yang meaningfully, "Including Super Junior."

Two security guards in black suits stood in front of the VIP lounge at the deepest part. Li Boxun walked up and whispered a few words in Korean. After one of them took out an intercom to confirm, he pushed open the heavy wooden door for them.

The interior decoration was unexpectedly simple. A middle-aged man with a neatly combed back hair sat on a leather sofa, flipping through a document. When he raised his head, Ouyang Guang noticed his eyes - sharp as if he could see through people's minds directly.

"Director Kim, the people are here." Li Boxun bowed respectfully.

"Sit down." Director Kim's Chinese accent was much more standard than Lee Bo-hoon's. He pointed to the sofa opposite him and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Ouyang Guang chose a seat in the corner and pulled his hat brim even lower. Water droplets condensed on the outside of the iced Americano glass brought by the waiter and slid down his fingertips.

"I'll tell you what I'm saying." Director Jin put down his things and folded his hands on his knees. "I've read your information. Especially you," his eyes locked on Ouyang Guang, "You have good looks and are born to be on stage."

"Our company has the most complete star-making system, and the probability of debut far exceeds the industry standard."

Ouyangguang suddenly raised his face, his amber eyes shining brightly: "Can you guarantee that we will debut 100%?"

With a "crack", the mineral water bottle in Li Xun's hand was deformed. Chen Zheng in the front row suddenly froze, even his breathing stagnated.

"There are tens of thousands of trainees in South Korea every year," Ouyang Guang counted on his fingers, "and less than 1% can finally debut." He paused, "Not to mention that we are Chinese--"

A flash of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating his expression which was calm to the point of being cruel.

"We couldn't speak the language, and even ordering takeout took a long time. We couldn't fall behind in high school courses, so we had to stay up late to practice when others were sleeping." He turned to page 7 of the contract, "It says here that we can't leave the country without permission during training, which means we can only eat instant noodles in the dormitory during the Spring Festival."

The tip of Jin Shichang's fountain pen spread a dot of ink on the paper.

"In 2004, your company eliminated 32 Chinese trainees." Ouyang Guang suddenly reported a string of numbers, "19 in 2007. Last year..." His voice softened, "A boy from Guangzhou was diagnosed with depression when he left."

Chen Zheng, who was standing next to him, gasped and was poked by He Ziqi's elbow.

Director Jin took out four contracts from his briefcase. The company's logo was printed on the gold-stamped cover. "This is a special A-level trainee contract. Usually, you need to train for more than two years to get it." He patted the document lightly, "But I can make an exception and give it to you."

"Special A-level trainee contract." Director Jin pushed over four documents. "Board and lodging included, 500,000 won per month as basic living expenses." He turned to the appendix page. "The top three in the monthly exam will receive 300,000 won, and those who excel in the year-end evaluation will be awarded overseas training."

Ouyang Guang did not reach out to take it. His eyes fell on the terms on the first page of the contract: "Liquidated damages: 300 million won."

"Trainee benefits are all here." Director Jin tapped the third page with his pen.

Ouyang Guang scanned the terms:

- Two people in one dormitory, with a cleaning lady

- Three meals are provided by the company cafeteria

- Monthly distribution of SIM cards and phone cards

- No need to repay training expenses after debut

"What about academic problems?" He Zilin pushed his glasses.

"The company has a partnership with Seoul Arts High School." Director Kim flipped open another booklet. "Seoul Arts High School has a special class for artists, and the curriculum is flexible." His eyes sparkled with a keen eye. "Many current artists complete their studies this way."