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After eating, I ordered an iced chocolate, and as I was lying on the soft sofa in the lounge, there was nothing more I could ask for.

“Mom, isn’t this place nice? If I were a trainee here, I could eat like this every day.”

“What are you talking about? When you become a trainee, you won’t be able to eat like this because you’ll be on a diet.”

“Ah.”

I missed that part.

Team Leader Kim, who was listening, smiled and said,

“Dohee, you’re at the prime age of growth, so you don’t need to worry about controlling your diet. Besides, as long as you don’t overeat, you’ll lose weight while taking your lessons.”

“Phew, I was startled for a moment because of Mom.”

“Even if Team Leader Kim says that, you’ll still need to manage your weight in the end, right?”

“Yeah. If I gain weight, it’ll be Mom’s fault for passing on the weight-gaining genes.”

“Yea. Your Mom lived with this weight her whole life.”

Team Leader Kim couldn’t stop laughing at our banter.

“It seems like Dohee and her Mom are really close friends. Maybe you two could even appear on a variety show together as a mother-daughter pair in the future..”

“I’m just playing along with Mom.”

“Are you asking to get hit?”

“Ack!”

In the end, I got a playful smack.
While enjoying my post-meal chocolate in the lounge, Team Leader Kim’s phone rang, and he answered the phone.

“Ah, yes, Director, I understand.”

It must have been a call from the Director we met earlier.
After finishing the call, Team Leader Kim said,

“If you’re ready now, could we go down for the camera test? They say the test is ready.”

“Sure.”

We followed Team Leader Kim to the basement 1st-floor choreography practice room, where several other staff members were present alongside the Director I saw earlier.

Is this a camera test or an audition?
Why are there so many people? It feels overwhelming.

Anyway, after confirming my arrival, the Director approached me.

“Dohee, did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes, it was really good.”

“If you join us, you’ll be able to eat for free all the time. Now, we’re going to do the camera test. It’s a simple one, so don’t be nervous. Could you stand in front of the camera over there?”

“Yes.”

I stood in front of the camera.

“Oh, and if it’s alright with you, Ma’am could you come over here to watch the camera feed with us?”

“Ah, is that okay?”

“Of course. Now, Dohee, please look at the camera with a neutral expression.”

“Yes~”

I looked at the camera with an expressionless expression as requested by the Director.
The staff members observing the camera feed began talking among themselves.

“Her facial features are definitely distinct, so the screen doesn’t capture the three-dimensional quality of her appearance in real life.”
“Although what appears on the screen is different from the real thing, her face shape is pretty, so it balances out.”
“Anyway it doesn’t really matter because the three-dimensional quality can be covered with makeup and hairstyle, so it’s not a big issue.”

I felt a surge of pride as my shoulders lifted up from the positive comments of the staff.
Wow, do I really have an unrivaled face in the entertainment industry?

Once the evaluation was over, the Director requested a different expression.

“Now, let’s try a smiling expression. Don’t just lift the corners of your mouth, also with your eyes, smile naturally.”

“Sure~”

A natural smile.
There’s nothing more natural than the smile I make when teasing Mom.

“Her smile is pretty.”
“Indeed, her smile is ideal with the corners of her mouth rising above her upper lip, and her eye smile is cute too.”
“But I’m not sure if this is the right expression, but doesn’t it look a bit sly in the mean way…?”
“Yeah I guess you’re right… it does seem like that…”

“Huh.”

Seeing my smile reflected in the mirror, it does have a strangely sly look.
Maybe it’s because it’s the same smile I use when teasing Mom?
I’ll try to smile like I do when looking at Doa.

“Ah, maybe I saw it wrong.”
“Yeah, it was just my imagination.”
“Come on, what kind of sly smile do you expect an elementary school student to have?”

As expected, the problem was definitely with my Mom.

“Alright, now let’s see your side profile. Lift your chin and stand at an angle.”

“Yes.”

I’m also confident about my jawline.
Thanks to consistently stretching and exercising since I was young, my jawline is free of puffiness or excess.

“Her side profile looks good too.”
“Although there is a bit of baby fat on the cheeks because she’s still an elementary school student, it’s cute right now, and she’ll look even prettier as you mature.”
“We just need to help her get rid of habits like resting her chin on her hand.”

“Finally, let’s try tying your hair. You can use this hair band.”
The Director said as she handed me a hair band.
I pulled my hair back and tied it.

“She is simply beautiful.”
“Yeah, if she can’t sing, we could make her an actress…”
“No way. She has to be brought to Division 1 and be made into an idol.”

After the camera test was finished,
The Director spoke to my Mother.

“Ma’am, Dohee must become a celebrity.”

“Haha, I’m just planning to support whatever Dohee wants to do.”

“Then, Dohee’s mom, by any chance could you spare a bit more time?”

“Ah, it’s fine I have time.”

“Then let’s go upstairs and discuss what our company can offer for Dohee and what the contract terms are.”

“Ah~ Alright, I understand. Dohee, let’s go up.”

“Yes.”

We followed the Director to the 3rd-floor management reception room and started the official discussion.

“First, let me briefly explain our company’s trainee curriculum.”

The Director showed us the curriculum chart.
The chart listed a rigorous schedule including vocal, choreography, rap, musical instrument, and acting lessons, as well as language conversation, Pilates, weekend check-ins, and mid-term evaluations.

“You’ll see that practice is required every day except Sundays and public holidays. During the week, you come after school, and on Saturdays, you come at 10 AM. And you finish at 10 PM.”

Wow… this sounds tough.

“However, since Dohee is only 11 years old, we can make adjustments to the commuting times to accommodate her.”

Mom looked worried and asked,

“Dohee, do you think you can handle this schedule?”

“Huh? I haven’t even said I would do it yet?”

“Ah. That’s right.”

“And would it be okay to remove some things from the curriculum?”

The Director looked puzzled at my request.

“What parts do you want to leave out, Dohee?”

“Instrument lessons, language conversation, and Pilates.”

“Do you have a reason?”

“I already know how to do those.”

Hearing this, the Director laughed.

“Haha, Dohee, I’m sorry to say this, but just knowing how to do something isn’t enough; you need to do it well.”

It seems like the Director simply thinks that, as an elementary school student, I might be overstating my abilities.

Ah, when I brag about myself with my own mouth, it doesn’t feel as gratifying…

“Well, first of all, I don’t need Pilates since I’ve been doing exercise and stretching regularly since I was 5 years old, so I’m quite fit and flexible.”

“Oh, really? Then what about the instruments and language conversation?”

“I’ve been consistently studying English and Japanese since I was young. So, while I’m not at a native speaker level, I can speak, listen, write, and read without any issues.”

The Director, who seemed to take the exercise part in stride, was quite surprised when I talked about my language skills in Japanese and English.
This is why I’ve been studying so hard every day, this reaction.
I’m feeling a shiver of excitement running through my body.

“Ma’am, is what Dohee says true?”

“Haha, yes. My daughter has been smart since she was little and started studying on her own at some point. It seems she even inherited my brains, not just my looks.”

What’s this?
It was clearly supposed to be my bragging rights, but why does it end up as Mom bragging?

“Self-studying from a young age? That’s really impressive. It seems she really took after her mother.”

No, Director, what don’t you understand? You need to persuade me, not my mom.
Praise me, please.

“If you’re good at instruments as well, we might seem too insignificant in comparison. By any chance, are you also good at playing instruments?”

“Haha, I can play a bit of piano.”

The key here is to act humble.

“Oh, you play the piano. What level of Czerny are you at?”

“I’m not playing Czerny… Haha.”

And really pretending like I don’t want to reveal it because I’m embarrassed.
Making a shy expression I looked at Mom and said.

“Mom, please tell them…”

Of course, Mom can tell right away that I’m pretending.

“Ugh… Dohee has already finished Czerny and is now playing things like Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven.”

“Wow… I never thought that…”

“Haha, I practiced a bit… and…”

“And?”

I looked at Mom again, pretending to be shy.

‘Hurry up and tell them. That.’

“Ugh…”

Why are you sighing when you’re bragging about your own daughter?

“Anyway, so Dohee won the grand prize at major national piano competitions 11 consecutive times in a row.”

Hearing her Mother’s words, the Director’s expression widened so much she couldn’t maintain her expression

“Really? Won first place in major competitions 11 times in a row?”

I continued to answer, scratching my head and pretending to be sheepish.

“Haha… Yes, I was lucky!”

What luck? It’s all skill. Hehe.
This exhilarating feeling of endorphins coursing throughout my body.
Wow, it’s so thrilling.
I want to brag every day.

“Wait, I think I saw something about this in an article too. There’s a piano prodigy who won the grand prize in 11 consecutive piano competitions.”

“Yes, I’m embarrassed, but… it might be me. Hehe.”

My Mom looks at me like I am some kind of weird *****, as I put on an excessive pretense with my body.

“Lee Dohee. What’s with you today?”

I looked at Mom as if I didn’t know what she was talking about.

“What’s wrong? Mom?”

“Wow, why are you being like this?”

Mom’s whole body shudders, rubbing her arms as if she’s getting goosebumps.
For an 11-year-old daughter, you should look at her a little more fondly
Why is she so cruel to her daughter?

“Did you eat something wrong?”

“Mom, why are you saying that to a young girl… I’m sad. Sob, sob…”

“Oh, really, what’s going on?”

Ah, today is such a fun day.
I wonder how thrilling it would be to go on live TV to brag about myself?
Just imagining it makes me shiver.

In any case, having boasted a bit, I think if we end up signing a contract, we can do it on even better terms.

TLN:
Also **** I messed up the titles of the chapters. Supposed to be Age Eleven starting at chapter 17..