"My scent? What's wrong with it?" Seo Yujin questioned in defense.
He was now panicking, wondering if Lee Jaehyuk had picked up his omega scent.
His scent had gotten stronger since his rebirth, so he was scared it would be easier to pick up, making his plans fruitless.
"Your scent..." Jaehyuk leaned closer to sniff as Yujin leaned backward.
"What do you think you're doing?" He was panicking while struggling to free his wrist from Jaehyuk's huge hands.
Jaehyuk now stared at him. "Your scent... is terrible."
"..."
Seo Yujin blinked. "Huh?"
"Stay away from me with that awfully irritating smell..." Jaehyuk said while staring into Yujin's face.
Seo Yujin finally broke free from his grip, relieved that he wasn't discovered. "As if I wanted to be around you."
He didn't wait for any other conversation. Yujin instantly turned and left, rushing to the bathroom.
He soon arrived at the bathroom, where he poured an unholy amount of alpha pheromone perfume on himself, making sure that no one would suspect anything from him!
When he was done, he stared into the mirror in the washroom, letting out a soft sigh. "I can't believe I almost forgot that I'm not only in the same show as Hyunwoo..."
He sighed. "...I'm also in the same show with him. That Jaehyuk guy..."
Seo Yujin recalled that in his past life, Hyunwoo and Jaehyuk debuted in the same all-alpha group.
Lee Jaehyuk's debut was pretty easy and predictable since he was already very famous before the show.
He was the most popular in the group they debuted in, and he was the first to go solo later on.
He was an idol and artist at the same time, expanding his scope of popularity that didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon—
even after Seo Yujin's pathetic death.
"I guess I'll have to stay away from him so the cannon-fodder fate doesn't catch up with me," Yujin concluded.
---
It was his time to audition, and Yujin now stood in the audition room, in front of the four judges.
Amongst the four judges, where three were male, he could only recognize one—the female. The same lady who had helped him get into the building.
And now he recognized her as the PD (Producer Director) of the show.
He recalled seeing her on TV when the show was trending. She had also appeared in some shows, although she wasn't such a prominent TV figure.
"Show us what you got," the chubby man urged as the four of them stared at Yujin, waiting for him to get done with whatever he came with.
From the looks on their faces, Seo Yujin knew he was in trouble. They didn't care about whatever he had to present.
It was clear they were waiting for him to just get done and leave so they could move on with the ten people they had already picked.
"You didn't submit any files... but Mrs. Choi said she brought you in here. So let's see what you have," another said.
It was already a miracle that he got an opportunity for an audience with them without even submitting his file. So he guessed Mrs. Choi probably saw some potential in him, right?
Yujin hoped so, because that would elevate his chance of debuting!
Their eyes were now on him, waiting for him to proceed with whatever he was to perform. Seo Yujin stood there, breathing in and out, both hands at his side.
Based on Yujin's previous theory about the reason behind this whole last-batch audition, he knew whatever performance he gave wouldn't secure him any spot.
There were already enough talents selected. They didn't need an overlap since they had already indirectly picked the ones they wanted to debut.
So Yujin knew that dancing and singing like his life depended on it wouldn't get him any spot.
He had to do something else.
"I don't have any performances for you today," Yujin announced.
Shocked and confused, they stared at him.
"What's he saying...?" one asked Mrs. Choi.
Mrs. Choi sat there, arms folded as she stared at Seo Yujin.
"He has no performance? Is this a joke to him or something?" another asked.
One looked straight at Seo Yujin. "So, how do you expect us to evaluate and know if you're suitable to join the show or not? Or are you not even that interested in joining?"
Another man said, "Everyone is doing their best to get a spot. And you're just here... being nonchalant? Don't you think you're wasting our time?"
"Mrs. Choi? Why did you bring him here if he's not even up for the task? Isn't this wasting our time?" one asked.
"I bet she picked him because he had a pretty face. An alpha male with a feminine, pretty face. Is that even a thing in our theme?" another joked.
They were quiet for a while, now going through the other files. It was obvious they weren't going to pick Yujin at all.
But Seo Yujin hesitated, then said, "I know that no matter how much I dance here, or no matter how many notes I hit singing, I'm still not going to be selected. So why waste our time doing that?"
They stared at him, confused.
"How can you be sure of that? You haven't done anything for us to judge, and you're already concluding. Are you that uncertain about yourself?" one asked.
"No. I'm a hundred percent sure of my skills. I've trained way longer than you may think. So I know I'm better than most you've selected on the show. I'm capable of being in the top 5 of the show if given a genuine system."
Seo Yujin was plain with his words, and this had the judges staring at each other and at him, confused.
"And what are you trying to say...?" one asked.
"I won't beat around the bush. I'll get straight to the point since we're all adults here," Seo Yujin forgot he was 18 again.
"..."
"I've been in this industry for a while now, and I can say I know some things. So I can say I may know the ultimate aim of this audition."
"...."
Yujin continued, "Which is why, instead of dancing to prove myself, I'd like to strike a deal with you."