17: Broke the record for the longest time holding the last place in the performance

“Teacher, I’m really trying my best, but this is my only flaw: I get awkward when acting.”

“This is a cognitive issue. Come more often in the future, and it will be fine after you act more.”

“Again?”

“Otherwise? You’re an artist; acting is unavoidable. You can’t possibly use a body double even when filming an MV!”

“Sigh~”

“You’re still sighing. Your performance is the worst here…” Another session of ideological education. It was so hard!

Her performance in acting class quickly spread throughout the company. After all, she was now considered a public figure at YG, and with her looks, it was hard to keep her from being known.

Everyone found it hilarious. So far, she had only shown her dancing skills, none of her other talents. Everyone just assumed she got in because her dancing was good.

Most trainees also slowly started to accept her. Her easygoing personality made it genuinely hard for people to dislike her, and she’d often create some laughs.

Mainly, she smiled at everyone, completely different from her arrogant attitude when she first arrived. Nobody thought she was wrong about that incident.

Most trainees had more or less experienced being bullied, but no one had her courage to face injustice directly.

Because of that incident, not only was she not isolated, but she also gained a lot of goodwill.

That evening, the five of them lay on their beds. Kim Ji-soo and the other three had heard about Xu Zhiyou’s acting class exploits earlier that day.

“Hahahaha!”

“What are you laughing at? I told you I don’t like acting, but they insisted on making me act. And now look! I’ve become the company’s laughingstock.”

“Zoe, why are you so cute!”

“Cute your big uncle, you’re not much better yourself, how dare you talk about me.”

“Although my acting is among the worst, I’m still in the bottom dozen, but you are officially recognized as the absolute worst. We are not the same, hahahaha~”

“Pot calling the kettle black, neither of us should laugh at the other. At least I’m good at other things. You’re at the bottom in everything except vocal.”

Each group only competed within itself. Park Chaeyoung and she were pretty bad in the debut group, but even at their worst, they could still crush the other reserve trainees.

“What are you pretending about? You’re only good at dancing. We haven’t seen you in other areas, so how can you prove you’re good?”

“I already said my vocal skills are the best, including vocal and rap. Do you think I’m just making things up?!”

“Anyway, I don’t believe you. You’re just a big braggart. You seize every opportunity to show off. I know you too well.”

The other three didn't take what she said seriously, just like Park Chaeyoung said, she was too much of a show-off and not to be trusted.

“Don’t believe me then. Anyway, I’ve said it. Don’t say I tricked you later.”

“Arasso, you’re amazing, alright? Now go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Tsk~” She pulled up her blanket and began discussing grand plans with the Duke of Zhou.

To be honest, she had unique insights into acting; she might even be able to direct. But when it came to acting herself, she just tended to give awkward smiles, and she didn’t know why—it had been like this in her past life too.

Otherwise, the company wouldn't have made her entertain clients. Without acting skills, her commercial value would be halved. How much money could she earn just by singing? She wasn't irreplaceable.

Being able to sing, dance, and act is what makes a company value you. Otherwise, you're just a commodity that can be replaced at any time. Of course, those with creative abilities are a different story.

Those with creative ability are completely different; their standing in the company immediately rises several levels, especially in Peninsula. Producers, whether in music or film, have a unique status.

The artist hierarchy in Peninsula is quite clear: movie actors have higher status than TV actors, followed by singers, then idols, and finally comedians, who are variety show personalities.

She was now starting directly as a producer; being an artist was just her hobby. Even if she debuted later, she wouldn't need to bow to anyone.

Additionally, she also wrote scripts. As long as she put her mind to it and diligently studied, she could write a script, but it was too mentally taxing, she couldn't afford it.

The next day, she was again dragged out of bed by Park Chaeyoung. “Oh, how long have I slept? Let me sleep a little longer.”

“It’s been four hours, that’s a long time, get up now.”

“Holy crap, this is truly a curse, sigh~”

There was no way to avoid getting up. Park Chaeyoung and Kim Jennie each held one of her arms and walked her out. This time of day was always the hardest for her.

“You two are truly relentless when it comes to pulling me out of bed!”

“If we left you alone, who knows when you’d wake up?”

One time, they believed her nonsense when she said she’d sleep a little longer, and that ‘little longer’ stretched until noon, leaving them completely speechless.

From then on, the first thing the four of them did upon waking was to pull her out of bed. Just as Park Chaeyoung said, her words could only be referenced, not trusted.

“I just need to attend an acting class, and I have to go check in every day. It’s truly tormenting.”

“You’ve checked in seven days, been late six days, and skipped one class. How can you still say that?”

Kim Jennie was completely speechless. If it were any other trainee, they would have probably been kicked out long ago.

“Accident, accident, I’m a difficult person to wake up. Hehe~”

“I used to think Jisoo was the biggest late sleeper, but you came and completely redefined our understanding,” Lisa added.

“We’re talking about her! Why are you talking about me? Do you want me to spit toothpaste foam all over you?”

“Exactly, spit on her! We, the difficult-to-wake-up squad, must firmly unite our front.”

“Please don’t include me, we’re not the same.”

Could Kim Ji-soo admit she was a late sleeper? Besides, at most, she just lingered in bed, while Xu Zhiyou was much more direct: she simply didn't get up.

The first thing she did upon arriving at the company was to check in. “Oh, I finally wasn’t late! This calls for a celebration. I’ll eat an extra bowl of rice later. Haha~”

“Crazy!” Park Chaeyoung gave her a disdainful look and entered the classroom.

“Exactly!” Lisa echoed.

Kim Ji-soo and Kim Jennie didn’t even look at her. And she had the nerve to celebrate this? How embarrassing!

“Yah! What do you four mean? Are you looking down on me?”

The four of them quickened their pace, truly unable to bear the strange looks from those around them. Her voice had been a bit loud just now, attracting a lot of attention.

Seeing that the four of them ignored her and ran even faster, she turned around and realized there were a lot of people around. No wonder! She scoffed and quickly followed, knowing that as long as her skin was thick enough, none of this mattered.

It was another torturous day. She had originally thought coming here would be a dimension-crushing blow, but the blow did happen, only she was the one being crushed.

She was tormented by acting every day, feeling half-dead. She had been here for almost a month, and every day was acting, acting, and more acting. She hadn't attended any other classes.

“Zoe, are you expressionless? No emotion at all. You’ve turned a lively character into a zombie. What are you trying to do?!”

“Sigh! This is truly a curse. How did I end up with a student like you….”

This was her life; she was scolded every day, practically treated as subhuman. If it weren't for her thick skin and strong mental fortitude, she might truly become withdrawn.

Ever since she started attending acting class, trainees who previously lacked confidence in acting no longer feared it as much.

“Hahahaha~”

“How can you still laugh? Look at your grades. How did you manage to remain consistently last place for a whole month? You truly are a talent.”

“I think so too!”

“Yah!”

She was glared at fiercely by the acting teacher and immediately acted like a good boy.