章節 11: Real World
The moment that the call was made, the president didn't dare neglect it. Even if he had a hundred guts, he still wouldn't have the courage to.
The call was not from anyone but from headquarters! The parent company of his puny broadcasting station company. Well, he was exaggerating; how could one of the biggest stations at this moment deserve to be called puny?
In this case, compared to the headquarters, his company was indeed that.
After knowing what the reason was, his face was immediately filled with rage. How dare these bastards use his station for their own gain? These practices were not uncommon, but if they were caught and reported, that was another issue entirely.
This time, it not only caught their attention but even drew the attention of their parent company! Without thinking further, he quickly made a call.
At the same time, in the audition room, there was still a commotion brought on by the unfair criticisms of the judges. Aerine couldn't speak for herself.
She wanted to, but even initiating normal conversation was currently hard for her. What more arguing with others?
Mils glared at the judge, holding her phone and calling someone. In her frustration, her call was not being answered! That woman was typically busy, but she could still answer her phone in the middle of it.
"I'm sorry, but we are expecting something more." The man casually added on, not minding Mils anymore.
Still, he stared at Aerine, his eyes giving off a dangerous light. He observed Aerine from head to toe; he narrowed his eyes before licking his lips.
Aerine's gaze shot up, making eye contact with the man. A disgusting chill ran up her spine the moment she sensed the malicious intentions.
"But... Your performance is indeed good." He nodded, leaning on his seat, and gave a casual smile. "What do you think of talking to me privately later? Even if we can't accept you in this show, I can help you take part in my other shows."
This was an offer, but an offer filled with sinister intentions.
The two women appeared shocked, and when they looked at the man, their eyes carried their disgust. Private offers, which equals more sexual dealings, were still rampant in the industry, and as veterans, they were more or less informed about them.
Yet, as women, they naturally held people like the producer in contempt.
"Mr. Johnson, this place... Is it really appropriate to say that?" The woman who looked favorably earlier at Aerine spoke up. She wasn't entirely innocent in this entire ordeal, but that was only a matter of her benefit.
Mr. Johnson shrugged. "What do you mean, Dina? I'm merely making an offer to a rookie. You all know how this world isn't easy to enter, so a recommendation really helps."
He was so shameless to this degree that everyone inside was already speechless.
Mils clenched her phone; she almost wanted to throw it in that man's face.
"Hey..." Mils' face was already dark and was about to spout curses, but her words were stopped.
The door opened, and the one who entered seemed to be in a hurry.
Everyone simultaneously looked at the newcomer, even Aerine, who was still processing Mr. Johnson's words. Aerine was biting her tongue the whole time; she wanted to scold herself for being unable to speak for herself.
Her tongue was being tied down, and even her throat had a bitter lump on it. Aerine had never felt so insulted before; she wanted to cry, but she stopped herself from doing so.
This man... didn't deserve her tears.
"What is it?" Mr. Johnson frowned; he hated being interrupted the most. The audition was ongoing, and even the staff had their own rules and regulations.
The newcomer didn't say anything out loud, but he quickly approached Mr. Johnson and whispered. His voice was low, making it difficult for Mr. Johnson and probably the women beside them to hear; of course, Aerine and Mils could hear it just fine. They had senses that were beyond that of average people.
"Mr. President issued a command. The heads from the station will take over this audition."
"What?" The man exclaimed in complete shock; his voice was so loud that even the staff that was whispering to him was given a start.
He wasn't the only one who had this reaction, but so did the two women beside them.
"What is this nonsense?" He looked so unwilling and vented his frustration to the staff.
"Tell us, what is going on?" The woman, who was already in concert with Mr. Johnson, spoke up, confusion written on her face.
Aerine watched this unfold; she was also perplexed by what was happening, and she made eye contact with Mils, who similarly didn't have any clue.
Mils was truly confused, but unlike the others, she knew far more information after all. She glanced at Aerine; there was only one reason she could think of.
However, she couldn't be sure since Elise had yet to answer her call, so she had yet to inform anyone of what was happening. Unless... Mils shuddered at this sudden thought.
Wait, was it possible? If so, was the master here earlier and witnessed everything?
"And..." The staff seemed not finished. He appeared to have planned to whisper these added details as well, but Mr. Johnson was already agitated, so he had no choice but to say them out loud.
He continued, slightly glancing at Aerine and the others.
"Mr. President is calling all of you into his office... His secretary said, Right at this moment." His voice was lowering with each word he said, but he still finished it despite the pressure coming from Mr. Johnson.
"Wait, you mean... even us?" One of the women asked.
"Yes, Ms. Dina. All of you."
Gradually, anxiety also grew in everyone's expressions.
This time, Mils, as though gloating with their misfortune, cut in.
"What about this audition? Did that mean we wasted our time here?"
Aerine also waited for the answer like everyone else.
The staff turned to Mils and opened his mouth to answer.
"The heads in the station will take over, but there's no need for all to sing again, and they said the footage of the audition will become their reference. And they will call the applicant who accepted once the result is out."
Of course, this was also being discussed outside, as the commotion was also getting louder there. Raine, who was quite relaxed earlier, had already frowned. She was sensing that something was wrong.
Still, even if they had problems, they could only shut up in the end. The earlier applicants were still fine, but as the audition was cut early, those last ones could only accept their loss.
Although in the minds of everyone, Raine was the clear winner, they got up and prepared to go home filled with regret.
Mils approached Aerine and held her arm. "Let's go," she smirked and looked at the man who was still throwing a fit. "I never even believe in karma, but it looks like it's real after all?"
Aerine didn't say anything. She only left the room with Mils. Deep inside, though, a new emotion sprouted: she was happy that the man seemed to be in trouble.
She was also quite flustered about this, but after being insulted earlier and even with how unfairly they treated her, Aerine argued to herself that there was nothing wrong with what she was feeling.
When they were already in the car, Aerine was watching the surroundings they were passing by before she spoke.
"Do you think something like that will happen again?"
Mils sighed and looked at Aerine. "Yes, definitely."
"Mils... Can I really get used to this?"
"Do you want to back out?"
Aerine didn't answer for a moment before her eyes glistened, shifting her gaze to Mils. She smiled, which was not entirely genuine but wasn't stiff.
"I'll get used to it," she said, convincing herself. She had to.
The entertainment world... No, this world was not simple. It was time for Aerine to step out of her little world and experience what the real world was like.
Two days later, in no suspense, Aerine was accepted to Voice Arena.
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