Alternate Realities

小说。

Novel.

今天是周三，下着雨，对卡蒂来说可是个大日子——今天是黑标公司的试镜日。

It's a rainy Wednesday evening and it's a big day for Caty because today is the day of the black label auditions.

离她试镜只剩不到四十分钟了，这会儿她到底在干嘛呢？

There's like less than forty minutes left till her audition, so what is the sound?

现在是十二月，卡蒂在首尔的最后一个月。

It's December, Caty's last month in Seoul.

我就站在卡蒂即将参加重要试镜的经纪公司大楼外。

I'm standing outside the cast building where Caty's about to do a really important audition.

这次试镜是给黑标娱乐公司的。

It's for the entertainment company, The Black Label.

我紧张得不行。

And I'm stressed.

连一辆电动车的噪音都让我心烦意乱。

Even the war of an electric car has got me flustered.

这到底是什么声音？

What the hell is that noise?

哦，是电动车吗？

Oh, is it like an electric car?

明白了。

Okay.

要不我先把这扇门关上？

Maybe I'll try closing this door.

行。

Okay.

我也可以赶紧加快点节奏。

I can also just hurry up too.

离她六点开始面试，就剩三十分钟了。

We have about thirty minutes left till her auditions begin at six.

我知道这场面试对Caty有多重要，她要是通过了，意味着什么。

I know how big a deal this audition is for Caty and what it would mean for her if she passed.

说这能让她梦想成真，一点都不夸张。

It would not be an overstatement to say it would make her dreams come true.

她所有努力付出，这一刻都值了。

Everything she's been working for, it would all be worth it.

咱们现在去主演出楼吧，面试就在那儿举行。

We're gonna head over to the main cast building where the auditions take place.

Black Label 是传奇制作人 Teddy Park 在 2016 年创办的，他是个说唱歌手兼表演者，最出名的就是给 YG 的艺人写歌。

The Black Label was started in 2016 by the legendary Teddy Park, a rapper and performer best known for creating songs for YG artists.

像二十一名飞行员、BLACKPINK 这些大牌，都是他们捧红的。

The biggest names out there like twenty one and BLACKPINK.

Black Label 是 YG 的子公司，浑身上下都是他们那种酷到骨子里的风格。

And the black label is an associate company of YG, Meaning, it's dripping in their signature swaggy style.

这种感觉，Caty 觉得自己特别贴合。

Something Caty feels like she embodies.

YG 整体来说呢

YG as a whole kind

特别符合我的个性和风格。

of like fits my personality and style quite well.

大多数人见了我都说，你身上有种特别YG的感觉，所以我一听说有YG或Black Label的活动就特别兴奋。

Most people when they meet me tell me that you give off very like YG vibes and so I've always been like pretty excited whenever there's YG black label stuff going on.

满怀期待，我们朝CAS大楼的顶层走去， audition 就在那里举行。

Buzzing with anticipation, we make our way to the Top Floor of CAS where the audition will take place.

我们走进电梯，按了六楼。

We enter the elevator and press 6.

电梯门一关，Caty和我就陷入了一片死寂。

As the elevator doors close, Caty and I are plunged into a deafening silence.

这儿安静得吓人。

It's so quiet in here.

我感觉

I feel like

坐电梯的时候总是特别特别安静。

the elevator rides are always, like, really, really quiet.

这感觉就像去赴死一样。

It's like riding to your doom.

卡蒂说，这感觉就像去赴死一样。

Caty says, it's like riding to your doom.

你也是这么觉得吗？

Is that how you feel?

倒也不完全是赴死，就是感觉要发生什么大事。

Not necessarily like doom, but it's just like something big.

走廊里已经挤满了排队等候的学生。

The hallway is already filling up with students, lining up for their turn.

看到这么多竞争对手，我紧张得不行，但卡蒂的应对方式就是不去想这些紧张的事。

Seeing all the competition, I'm jittery, But Caty's coping mechanism seems to be not focusing on the nerves.

我越想越焦虑，反而会影响发挥。

The more that I think and stress myself out about it today, I feel like it's only gonna affect my performance.

突然间，卡蒂的名字被叫到了。

Then, all of a sudden, Caty's name is

叫到她了。

called.

然后

And

她走进了试镜室。

she disappears into the audition room.

我一个人站在外面，幻想今天的结果会怎样改变Caty的人生。

I'm left standing outside fantasizing about how the results of today could transform Caty's life.

她可能会成为像Black Label旗下顶级明星宋米珍那样的独唱偶像。

She could end up a solo idol like one of the black label's biggest stars, Song Mi Jeon.

自从出道以来，宋米珍的歌曲多次打入Billboard排行榜前十。

Since her debut, Song Mi's track have reached the top 10 on Billboard charts.

宋米珍走遍全球，拿下了资生堂、路易威登这样的大牌代言。

Song Mi has toured the world, landed major endorsement deals like Shiseido, Louis Vuitton.

这，也可能就是Caty的未来。

This this could be Caty's life.

但说实话，到了Caty这个阶段，我心里已经满是怀疑了。

But honestly, by this point in Caty's story, I'm full of doubt.

这趟旅程像过山车一样，根本不知道终点在哪。

This is a roller coaster journey with no guarantee of an end.

这让我忍不住想，为什么呢？

And it makes me think, why?

既然成功的几率这么低，Caty为什么还坚持不放弃？

Why does Caty keep going even if success is so unlikely?

于是我找到了几个曾经离偶像梦只差一步的人。

So I tracked down some people who got really close to being an idol.

我问他们：到底什么叫成功？

And I asked them, what does success really mean?

来自Novel和USG音频，我是姜海云，欢迎收听《Mission K Pop》。

From novel and USG audio, I'm Haeryun Kang, and this is Mission K Pop.

一个女孩追逐偶像梦的故事，也照亮了K-pop世界里那些美好又混乱的真相。

One woman's quest to become an idol, and how her journey illuminates the beautiful and chaotic world of k pop.

第七集：平行现实

Episode seven, alternate realities.

Caty正身处Black Label的试镜现场，拼尽全力想拿到合约。

Caty is inside the black label audition, presumably doing her damnedest to get signed.

我等在外面，忍不住想，这个梦想到底有多现实？

And while I wait outside, I wonder how achievable this fantasy is.

其实我知道，Caty以前离通过试镜就差一点点。

Well, I happen to know that Caty has once been close, really close to passing an audition.

那是在她动身去首尔的八个月前，她还待在洛杉矶家里的时候。

It happened around eight months before she set off for Seoul when she was at home in LA.

那时候，她和一群女孩组了个练习团体。

Back then, she had a performance troupe she used to practice with.

就是Caty和另外三个女生，组了个半正式的女团。

It was Caty and three other women in a pseudo girl group.

我和那三个女孩关系挺近的。

I got pretty close to these three other girls.

就是那种感觉吧，你知道的，跟队友特别合得来，然后我们四个只要一有演出或者别的活动，就总是一起折腾。

It's like one of those things, you know, like you find chemistry with, like, your group mates, and then we would always do activities, the four of us, whenever there were, like, performances or other shows.

然后，绝佳的机会就来了。

And then the perfect opportunity came up.

2023年初，一家欧洲的独立唱片公司打算试试水，进军K-pop领域。

In early twenty twenty three, a new independent record label out of Europe decided to dip their toes in the K pop pool.

这家公司是由一位知名制作人创办的。

The company was started by a famous producer.

我觉得他以前帮碧昂丝、黛米·洛瓦托、单向乐队做过制作，影响力特别大，尤其是在西方乐坛。

I think he helped produce Beyonce, Demi Lovato, One Direction, very influential, especially in the western industry.

但他最近对K-pop特别感兴趣，毕竟这几年这圈子涨得太猛了，所以他想自己组一个K-pop女团。

But he has become quite interested in the k pop industry considering how much it's grown over the last couple years, and so he wanted to kind of form his own k pop group.

这位制作人开始到处挖美国的K-pop培训学校的人才，比如凯蒂学校、KPC，还有洛杉矶的K-pop中心。

This producer started scouring US based k pop academies for recruits, including Katie School, KPC, or the K pop center in LA.

他们想找舞跳得特别好的，最好还能说韩语。

They were looking for someone that was a strong dancer, and they ideally wanted someone that could speak Korean.

他们给了一首参考曲子，就是BLACKPINK的《How You Like That》。

They gave a reference song, which was How You Like That by BLACKPINK.

那首歌其实就是我 audition 时用的。

Like, that's the song that I used for auditions.

我当时就想着，天啊，这不就是为我量身定做的吗？

So I was just like, oh my gosh, like, this is for me.

然后我就信心满满地去参加了。

And then I went in pretty confident.

总的来说，一切都感觉刚刚好。

Just overall, everything felt kind of like just right.

Caty梳着辫子，穿着黑色工装裤，跳了一段嘻哈舞。

With pigtailed hair and black cargo pants, Caty performed a hip hop routine.

她觉得自己稳了。

She felt like a total shoe in.

一周半后，Caty收到了入选名单的消息。

A week and a half afterwards, Caty got the news about who'd been cast.

后来他们正式发了个公告吧。

There was, like, an official announcement at some point.

但我其实早就知道了，因为有个女孩偷偷告诉我，只有她们几个人知道结果，像我们没选上的根本不知道。

I knew beforehand though because one of the girls actually told me they were the only ones that knew results like the rest of us who didn't get in didn't know.

不过是我一个朋友最后告诉我的。

But one of my friends actually ended up telling me.

所以我想，大概就是这么知道的。

So then I think that's kind of like how I knew.

我当时就想，要是我没收到任何消息，那大概就是没选上。

I was like, oh, like so if I didn't get any notification, then that means it was a no for me.

卡蒂那个准女团里选上了两个人，但没包括她。

Two members of Caty's quasi girl group had been selected, but she wasn't one of them.

我确实挺羡慕她们的。

I definitely was jealous of them.

也不是恨她们，但说实话，看到她们在做我特别想做的事，心里还是挺难受的。

It's not really like animosity towards them, but, you know, at the same time, it does like hurt to see them doing what I wanted to be doing.

我觉得那段时间真的特别复杂，情绪上七上八下的。

I think it was definitely a long period of very, like, complicated feelings.

这个机会我觉得是我最有希望拿下的。

This opportunity seemed to be the one that I had, like, the best shot at.

我简直就是他们想要的那种人，可他们还是没选我。

I was basically kind of, like, exactly what they were asking for, and they still didn't want me.

连这个我都过不了，那其他更不符合条件的试镜，我岂不是更没戏？

If I couldn't even get this, like, how would it even be remotely possible for me to pass an audition where I fit even less qualifications?

我当时就在想，这是不是意味着一切都结束了？

It was like, is this the sign that it's over?

眼看着就差一步了还是没成功，这真的太折磨人了。

This sounds torturous, getting this close and still not making it.

但要说有一件事我了解Caty，那就是她从不认输。

But if I've learned one thing about Caty, she is relentless.

她就是K-pop试镜界的西西弗斯，永远在推石头上山。

She just keeps going, the Sisyphus of K pop auditioning.

我到现在还在想，到底是什么让她这么坚持下去。

I'm still trying to figure out what drives her, why she keeps going.

回去。

Back

看看现在的成团名单，当我看到Caty从黑标试镜里走出来的时候，我终于明白了她为什么这么执着。

at present day cast, when I see Caty emerge from her black label audition, I see a glimpse of that why, that force inside her.

我觉得这次试镜表现得挺不错的。

I think the audition went quite well.

她整个人都在发光。

She's glowing.

她真的超爱这一切。

She loves all of this.

她爱K-pop，也爱追梦的整个过程。

K pop and this process of chasing her dream.

她的快乐也让我想继续抱有希望。

And her joy makes me wanna hold on to hope too.

我挺喜欢今天的新开场，感觉发挥得还不错。

I did like the new intro today and I think it went pretty well.

今天我就是想多放松点，纯粹享受一下过程。

I really wanted to focus more on just, like, having fun today.

你觉得

How

你

do

这次通过的可能性大吗？

you feel about your chances of passing this one?

以我这个年纪，我觉得通过的几率还行。

I feel like my chances of passing are decent at my age.

我其实更想找一家马上就要出道新团的公司。

Like, I would want to be looking for some company that is planning to debut something soon.

听说Black Label正在筹备一个女团。

I've heard that the black label is preparing to put out a girl group.

所以我觉得，光是这一点，就让我有不错的机会了。

So I think that in itself kind of like gives me a decent chance.

那

The

如果能通过，结果一般一周左右就出来了。

results usually come out in a week or so, if you get in.

要是没过，那就彻底没音讯了。

If you don't, you can expect dead silence.

但问题是，就算Caty通过了，也不代表就能一夜成名、赚大钱。

The catch behind this whole thing is that even if Caty does pass, it doesn't guarantee fame or fortune.

更可能的情况是，她会成为一名练习生。

What it most likely means is that she'll become a trainee.

而练习生的真实生活，跟我马上要亲身体验的一样，跟韩流明星那种梦幻生活差远了。

And the reality of being a trainee, as I'm about to find out, is miles away from the fantastical life of a k pop star.

我见到智英的时候，冷得不行。

When I meet Ji Young ee, well, I'm cold.

我们正往地下室走，那儿有个录音室。

We're going basement to like some sort of a recording studio.

天啊，里面冷死了。

Oh, it's so cold inside here.

希望屋里有暖气。

I hope the rooms are heated.

但我一眼就看出来，智英根本不需要暖气。

But I see right away that Ji Young does not need central heating.

她都出汗了。

She is sweating.

我抓到她了

I've caught

她正和一群朋友在首尔南部一间昏暗、没暖气的地下室里练舞，四周全是大镜子。

her in the middle of a dance practice in a dingy, unheated basement with large mirrors and dim lights in Southern Seoul.

智英正和朋友们一起练动作。

Ji Young is cutting shapes alongside a group of her friends.

我来找智英，是因为她成功闯过了卡蒂的那道关卡。

I've come to speak to Ji Young because she made it to the other side of Caty's goal line.

智英曾经是练习生，她的经历或许能让我们看到，如果卡蒂被选中，未来可能会面临什么。

Ji Young was a trainee, and her story might provide an insight into what could await Caty if she were cast.

在这地下室跳舞的这群人，就是智英的街头表演团队。

The basement crew dancing here is Ji Young's busking troupe.

他们平时的表演场地，都在弘大街头。

Their usual performance arena is on the streets of Hongdae.

弘大正是卡蒂过去两个月住的地方，我们一次次回到这里，到处都能看到其他街头艺人跳着最新的K-pop舞蹈。

Hongdae is the sole neighborhood Caty has been living in for the past two months, where we return time and time again, where you can find many other buskers busting out the latest K pop routines.

而正是在弘大街头卖艺，才让智英踏上了成为练习生的路。

And busking in Hongdae is actually how Ji Young's journey to becoming a trainee began.

智英16岁那年，也就是2013年，就加入了这个团队。

Ji Young joined a troupe way back in 2013 when she was 16.

那时候的队长，也是一名练习生。

The leader there was a trainee.

她还跟好几位名人有来往。

She also had connections to several celebrities.

跟这样的人一起跳舞，也给我带来了不少机会。

Dancing with someone like that also brought me opportunities.

有家公司主动找我们，说想跟我们合作。

A company told us, we want to work together with you.

所以我才这么幸运。

That's how I became so lucky.

能当上练习生，我真的算运气很好了。

I was lucky to get the chance to be a trainee.

Ji Young的出道经历简直像童话一样。

Ji Young's casting sounds like a fairy tale.

既没上过培训学校，也没参加过海选。

No training academy and no auditions.

我当时都懵了。

I was overwhelmed.

天哪。

Wow.

这种机会居然真的存在。

This kind of opportunity really exists.

我心里软乎乎的，特别温暖。

My heart felt so soft and fluffy.

这是我第一次有这种感觉。

That was the first time I ever felt like that.

某种程度上，智英实现了卡蒂的梦想。

In a way, Ji Young lived out Caty's dreams.

她被选为练习生，不是去黑标公司，而是去了家后来倒闭的小型娱乐公司。

She was cast as a trainee, not for the black label, but for a smaller entertainment company that has since gone belly up.

智英签了五年合同，这在练习生里挺常见的。

Ji Young signed a five year contract, which is pretty typical for trainees.

然后，她第一天去公司报到。

Then came her first day at the agency.

一进去就像个客厅，有沙发，大家都能坐在一起吃饭那种地方。

If you go in, it's kind of like a living room with a sofa, the kind of space we could all sit down and eat together.

再往里走，就是练舞室了。

Go in more, and there was the practice room.

地方特别小。

It was a really small place.

我第一次见老板，就觉得他特别温暖、让人安心。

My first impression of the boss was warm and safe.

我问她，你是怎么兼顾学业的？

I asked, how did you manage your school life?

我白天去上学，一放学就直接去练舞。

I'd go to school, and as soon as it was over, I'd go to practice.

练舞常常练到第二天一大早才结束。

Practice would end very early in the morning the next day.

周末一练就是十二个小时，回家倒头就睡。

On the weekends, I'd practice for about twelve hours, go home and fall asleep.

我就这么过日子。

That's all I did.

天天累得不行。

I was always tired.

体重掉到了四十八公斤。

My weight went down to forty eight kilos.

瘦成这样，我都怀疑自己是不是出问题了。

I lost so much weight that I thought, is this okay?

最后，智英干脆退学了。

Eventually Ji Young ended up dropping out of high school.

除了超密集的训练，智英根本拿不到什么薪水。

And on top of a crazy intense training schedule, Ji Young wasn't really being paid.

她唯一能赚到的钱，就是团队接活儿后分到的那一小部分利润。

The only money she'd get was a share of profits from any paid gigs her team did.

说白了，她是在倒贴钱给公司当练习生。

She was essentially paying the company to be a trainee.

只要一出去参加活动，租车的钱也成了欠债。

If we went to an event and rented a car, debt became debt.

租衣服居然也算欠债。

Renting clothes also somehow became debt.

做妆容是欠债。

Getting makeup done was debt.

做头发也是欠债。

Getting hair done was debt.

日子就这么熬着过来的。

Things held up like this.

有人可能会说，这简直就跟卖身没什么两样。

Some might say, this sounds like indentured servitude.

很多情况下，练习生会被娱乐公司欠下巨额债务，还上好几年都还不清。

In many cases, trainees can rack up huge debts with entertainment companies that can take years to repay.

但吉英还是坚持下来了，因为她能站上舞台，面对观众表演。

Ji Young kept going because of the opportunities to perform for audiences.

在活动上台表演的时候，我觉得自己离梦想更近了一步，心里特别开心。

At events, we could perform on stage, and I think I was happy to get closer to my dream.

但一谢幕，吉英就得立刻回到她那严苛的日程里，通常还得听队长的安排。

But as soon as the curtains closed, Ji Young returned to her draconian schedule, often under the direction of her group leader.

队长身材特别好，个子高，跳舞也超棒。

The leader had a good body, was tall and a good dancer.

她唱歌也厉害，而且团里最小的那个姑娘，长得真叫一个漂亮。

She sang well too, and the youngest of the group was so pretty.

平时看偶像的视频，她们老穿短款T恤。

Normally when you see idols in a video, they wear cropped t shirts a lot.

我腰线特别直，不是那种沙漏型的。

My waistline is very straight, not hourglass.

队长说，你要能把一根肋骨去掉，身材会更好看。

The leader said, if you remove a rib, you'd be prettier.

为了那条曲线腰，居然要摘肋骨。

A rib removal for that curvy waist.

很难相信，但据说在全世界的娱乐行业，切肋骨这种事还真存在。

It's hard to believe, but apparently rib removal is a thing in entertainment industries worldwide.

Ji Young 当时受的很多创伤，都来自那个队长——她说队长总是克扣她应得的演出分成。

A lot of Ji Young's trauma from that period seems to come from that group leader who Ji Young says would shortchange her on her cut of the performance money.

我问她：这不算违约吗？

I asked her, was that a violation of your contract?

我们啥也做不了。

We couldn't do anything.

比如说去参加个活动，报酬一百万韩元，大概七百五十美元，我们平分。

Let's say we go to an event and our payment is 1,000,000 won, $750, We'd split fifty fifty.

公司拿一半，我们团队再分剩下的一半。

So the agency took one half and our team shared the other.

但团队内部怎么分，全看队长说了算。

But the distribution within the team was up to the leader.

这么长时间，公司那边一直装看不见。

And all this time, the management turned a blind eye.

可惜啊，Ji Young 遇到的这种管理问题，在韩流圈里太常见了。

Unfortunately, Ji Young's story of mismanagement is not uncommon in the K pop industry.

熬了两年，Ji Young 终于撑不下去了。

After two years, Ji Young couldn't take it anymore.

我去找了那个队长谈了谈。

I talked to the leader.

我问他：我当初退学来追梦，到底图个啥？

I said, why did I drop out of school to pursue this dream?

图什么啊？

What for?

我本来满心期待，想干一番大事的。

I had big dreams.

怎么最后落得这个下场？

Why did I end up like this?

队长说：其实我也觉得，这儿没啥前途。

The leader said, I also don't think this place is gonna do much for us.

于是，所有成员就一起跟老板开了个会。

So that led to all the members having a group meeting with a boss.

就在那次会上，我解约了。

There, in that meeting, I cancelled my contract.

那一刻，我感觉特别轻松。

I felt so light.

我心里想：我自由了。

I thought, I'm free.

再也不用被合同绑着了。

I'm not bound by a contract anymore.

以后我想干嘛就干嘛。

I'm going to do whatever I want.

如果卡蒂能进黑标，她的待遇肯定比这专业多了。

If Caty is accepted into the black label, her treatment would likely be far more professional than this.

但池英的经历，确实是个警示故事。

But Ji Young's story does seem like a cautionary tale.

有句老话说，人生两大悲剧：一是得不到想要的，二是得到了。

That old saying, there are two tragedies in life, not getting what you want and getting it.

现在26岁的智英，只想过一种平静得多的生活。

These days, at 26, Ji Young is hoping for a much quieter life.

她有了稳定的生活节奏，在一家宠物诊所做朝九晚五的工作。

She has a stable routine and a day job at a veterinary clinic.

我现在就只想继续做我做的事，存点钱，过普通人的日子。

Now I just want to keep doing what I do, save money, and live a normal life.

说实话，做个普通人，反而是最难的。

Frankly, being normal is the most difficult thing to do.

周末和朋友、男朋友一起逛逛，存钱买自己喜欢的东西，工作上能升职，慢慢变老、结婚——这些小小的愿望，才是我真正在意的。

Hanging out with friends and my boyfriend on my days off, saving money to buy what I want, getting promoted at work, getting old and getting married, all of these little dreams, that's what I like.

听智英的故事，就像一盆冷水泼醒了那些被美化过的K-pop梦想。

Hearing Ji Young's story is like pouring cold water over the glorified K pop dream.

我们常常忘了，还有无数年轻练习生，熬了多年，最终退出行业，消失在茫茫人海中。

We often forget the countless young trainees dreaming and toiling for years who drop out of the industry out into the larger world of anonymity.

但当一个练习生离成功更近一步的时候，会发生什么？

But what happens when a trainee gets even closer?

不是随便火一把，而是登上全球超级巨星的宝座。

Not just to any idledom, but to global mega stardom.

那种在茫茫人海中碰运气的希望，像卡蒂一样，明明快抓到了，却最终失去，是什么感觉？

What is it like to carry that needle in the haystack sort of hope that Caty carries too, and then lose it.

我以前说自己是BTS的前同门练习生，大家都会对我肃然起敬，可现在，他们只可怜我。

When I introduced myself as a former co trainee of BTS, people used to show respect and admiration, but now they pity me.

来认识一下金智贤，她差点就成了BTS的成员。

Meet Ji Hyun Kim, who almost, almost became a member of BTS.

接下来就讲她的故事。

That's coming up next.

那我们现在去哪儿？

So where are we going now?

我去YGX参加评估。

I'm headed to YGX for my eval.

他们早上六点半就开始了。

They started at 06:30.

没有。

No.

我迟到了。

I'm coming late.

我觉得我跟他们说我会在

I think I told them I'd get

六点半到六点四十五左右到。

there around like 06:30 to 06:45.

所以……

So

YGX是Caty除了CAS之外还去的另一家训练公司。

YGX is the other training academy that Caty's been attending outside of CAS.

Caty特别想充分利用在首尔的每一刻。

Caty really wants to maximize her time in Seoul.

而且听说，想当偶像的练习生换机构训练挺常见的。

And apparently, it's pretty typical for aspiring idols to academy hop.

但这日程也太疯狂了吧。

But it is a crazy schedule.

她下午六点刚结束Black Label的试镜，我们就得直奔公交站，赶去YGX。

As soon as she's done with her black label auditions at 6PM, we are running to the bus station to go to YGX.

坐公交大概十分钟就到了。

It's about like a ten minute bus drive.

五到十分钟？

Five to ten?

对，差不多。

Yeah.

我觉得是这样。

I'd say.

今天Caty要参加一个叫评估的环节。

Today, Caty's doing something called an evaluation.

这是老师每月一次对她技能和进步的评估。

It's where her teachers assess her skills and progress, usually on a monthly basis.

过去几个月在YGX，Caty被分到了一个叫‘试镜班C’的课程。

For the past few months at YGX, Caty was assigned to a program called audition class c.

但‘试镜班C’并不是最高级别的班。

But audition class c isn't the most advanced tier.

上面还有B级和A级等着她呢。

There's level B and A ahead of her.

这次评估，她有机会升到更高一级。

At this eval, she has the chance to level up.

今天我们会把这门课学的所有东西都表演一遍。

So we'll be performing everything that we've learned in this program today.

然后老师就会根据表现决定我们能不能升到下一班。

And then this will determine if we get promoted into the next level.

对Caty来说，要是能在YGX升上去，对她的未来影响可太大了。

For Caty, getting promoted at YGX could have a massive impact on her future.

这说明她有当偶像的潜质，是个有希望的苗子。

It could signify that she has what it takes to make it as an idol, a sign she has potential.

我只需要一个人相信我。

All I need is one person to believe in me.

我只需要一个人觉得我有点东西。

All I need is one person to think I have something.

评估现场也会有星探在场。

There will be casting agents at the evaluation too.

这又是一次成为练习生的机会。

So this is another chance to become a trainee.

我想旁观评估，但韩流选秀比哈佛还难进，我根本进不去。

I try to observe the evaluation, but because K pop auditions are harder to get into than Harvard, I'm denied entry.

明白了。

Okay.

不过我们待会儿再聊。

But we'll talk later.

待会儿再说。

Later.

对。

Yeah.

好嘞。

Alright.

拜拜。

Bye.

加油！

Good luck.

我坐在YGX隔壁那家甜得发腻的甜品店，一坐就是几个小时，脑子里只剩胡思乱想。

As I sit for hours in a sickly sweet dessert cafe next to YGX, all I'm left with are my thoughts.

我在想，有一个团体，完美代表了Caty梦想的巅峰，金字塔最顶端的存在。

And I'm thinking about a group that represents the absolute pinnacle of Caty's dream, the very top of the pyramid.

韩国的乐队BTS。

The Korean band BTS.

BTS。

BTS.

全球最大的男子团体，BTS。

The biggest boy band in the world, BTS.

你看，

There

怎么形容BTS的成功都不为过。

is no way to overstate BTS' success.

粉丝们爱他们，脱口秀主持人也捧他们，简直火到爆。

Loved by their army of fans and talk show hosts alike, They're massive.

太惊人了。

Phenomenal.

简直登峰造极。

Stratospheric.

像这首《DNA》，他们把强劲的鼓点、鲜艳的吉他旋律和合成器完美融合，展现了惊人的音乐多样性。

Songs like this one, DNA, show the group's versatility combining punching drums and vibrant guitar riffs woven together with synthesizers.

这完全是能量的爆发。

It's pure energy.

BTS是Instagram和TikTok上关注人数最多的音乐团体，也是Spotify上播放量最高的组合。

BTS is the most followed music group on Instagram and TikTok and the most streamed group on Spotify.

有研究说，他们每年为韩国经济带来数十亿美元的收入。

One study says they bring billions of dollars into the Korean economy each year.

而这一切，都是由七个头发帅到爆、各有标志性口头禅的韩国小伙创造的。

All this for seven Korean men with astoundingly beautiful hair and their own signature catchphrases.

嗨。

Hi.

我是你的小宝贝。

I'm your hoe.

你是我的小宝贝。

You're my hoe.

我是J小宝贝。

I'm j hoe.

最近怎么样？

How you doing?

我是RM。

I'm RM.

我是Suga。

I'm Suga.

我就是全球帅气的Jin，你知道的。

I'm worldwide handsome Jin, you know?

我叫P。

My name is P.

我是Ximin。

I'm Ximin.

我是Jung-Go。

I'm Jung-Go.

谢谢你们邀请我们。

Thank you for inviting us.

坐在这间咖啡馆里，看着Caty做评估，我的思绪却飘到了另一个差点入选那七位全球巨星的人身上。

Sitting in this cafe while Caty does her evaluation, my mind wanders away from those seven global superstars to a name that almost made that list.

我叫金志勋。

My name is Kim Ji hun.

志勋曾经是那个最终组成BTS的训练生团队里的一员。

Ji hun was a trainee in the fateful lineup that became BTS.

他不仅和他们一起训练了一年，还住同一个宿舍。

He not only practiced with them for a year, they all lived in the same dorm.

我们整个房子就只有一个卫生间。

We only had one bathroom in the whole house.

所以V、Jungkook和我总是结伴去。

So V, Jungkook, and I would always go together.

一个人上厕所，一个人刷牙，另一个人洗澡，三个人同时挤在那小小的空间里。

One would use the toilet, another would brush their teeth, and the other would take a shower, all at the same time.

我们感情好得跟亲兄弟一样。

We got along together like blood brothers.

我们经常玩游戏，要是有比我小的没干好家务，比如洗衣服，我就收拾他们。

We'd play games, and I would kick their butts if anyone younger than me didn't do their chores like laundry.

那时候，BTS的公司根本没钱给练习生住好房子。

Back then, BTS' company didn't have the money for luxury trainee housing.

跟现在完全没法比了，公司现在成了全球巨头，是韩国流行音乐里最有钱的。

All this is a far cry from today, where the company is a global conglomerate, the richest of the richest in K pop.

在Caty的YGX评估前几周，我去了Jihoon现在住的地方——首尔以东约70英里的原州。

A few weeks before Caty's YGX eval, I visited Jihoon's current home in Wonju, a city about 70 miles east of Seoul.

我现在和我妈一起住。

I'm currently living with my mother.

我弟弟以前也住这儿，但他去大邱上学了。

My younger brother used to live with us, but he's gone down to Daegu for school.

我一见到Jihoon，就发现他长得特别帅，典型的偶像脸。

Immediately, I noticed Jihoon's conventionally handsome features.

我完全能想象他当K-pop偶像的样子。

I can imagine him as a K pop idol.

皮肤好，笑容迷人，身材也很棒。

Good skin, charming smile and athletic physique.

虽然以前和他们共用过浴室，但他没赶上BTS那种爆红的运气。

Despite once sharing a bathroom, he hasn't shared in BTS' stratospheric success.

基勋现在生活得挺舒服，可没满世界巡演，没赚大钱，也没上过艾伦秀。

Ji Hoon is living comfortably, but he isn't touring the world, making millions, and chatting with Ellen DeGeneres.

我对他感兴趣，是因为他的经历代表了Caty可能走上的无数条路之一。

I'm interested in his story because it represents one of the many possible outcomes for Caty.

基勋打小就爱表现，特别会逗人开心。

Ki hun has always had a streak for entertaining, even since he was a kid.

我以前特别外向。

I was extremely extroverted.

我超爱社交，从来就不听爸妈的话。

I loved socializing, and I was never obedient to my parents.

我从小就特别想站在聚光灯下。

I always had a strong desire to be in the spotlight.

他人生中第一次真正站上舞台的机会，是在17岁那年到来的。

His big chance to be in the spotlight would come when he was 17.

吉勋曾跟老师说，他想当偶像。

Ji hun had told his school teacher that he wanted to be an idol.

巧的是，老师把这事告诉了她一个朋友——那是个娱乐公司的星探。

And it just so happened that his teacher spoke about him to her friend, a friend who was a recruiter at an entertainment agency.

有一天早上，我收到Big Hit娱乐艺人发展部一位女士的短信，她说听说了我对偶像的热爱，问我愿不愿意去试镜。

I got a text message one morning from a lady in the artist development team of Big Hit Entertainment saying that she heard about my passion and asked if I would like to audition.

他一路赶到首尔，从 Hakdong 地铁站出来，走进一栋破旧大楼，坐在几个和他一样怀揣梦想的年轻人旁边。

He traveled to Seoul, exited Hakdong Subway Station, and found himself in an old building in a rundown neighborhood, sitting next to a few other hopefuls.

我唱了一首2AM的歌，然后跳了舞。

I sang a song by 2AM and then danced.

那位女士后来递给我一根香蕉奶，说：‘谢谢你专程跑来首尔。’

The lady then handed me some banana milk, saying, thanks for coming all the way to Seoul.

试镜是周五或者周六，但我一直等到下个周二才收到消息。

The audition was either Friday or Saturday, and I didn't hear anything until the following Tuesday.