God Idol Project: Hope [GIPH]

Chapter 17: Personality Evaluation (1)

Hanul Entertainment's personality evaluation was officially introduced after their first idol group, SEED, debuted. 

Of course, even before that, CEO Son Joong-ki was known for being picky, only accepting entertainers with good personalities. His reasoning was simple: he didn't want to be the one to help a rude person succeed. 

As a former manager who had experienced all sorts of ups and downs, it was also a way to ensure that his staff didn't have to suffer by working with such entertainers. 

Despite these efforts, there was still a failure. The SEED members might not have caused any major scandals that made headlines, but this was only because some incidents had been caught early. Other entertainment company heads even admired Son for this. 

'But what if even that could have been prevented?' 

Once Son Joong-ki learned the truth, he couldn't help but regret it. 

The main vocalist of SEED had been the subject of bad rumors even before debut.

Though he somehow passed the audition, his issues couldn't be hidden for long. 

The CEO had heard the rumors, but there were no other suitable candidates for the position of main vocalist, so he justified including that member in the debut lineup, saying there was no other choice. 

Thankfully, SEED's debut was a success—far beyond expectations. The company had invested heavily, the songs were catchy, and the members were quite good-looking. However, in an industry where even the best-equipped groups often failed, SEED got lucky. The public's reaction was that they had struck while the iron was hot. 

Two years later, the main vocalist demanded to terminate his contract and 'flew away like a bird.' 

'Homesick, my foot. He was excited to leave after gaining popularity here and getting a better offer there. The lawsuit gave me so many headaches....' 

The impact of his sudden departure rippled through the group. Not only had they lost their main vocalist, but he also had the largest fanbase, causing the entire group to wobble. The remaining SEED members became unstable. 

There were controversies over their behavior and countless scandals. Fans cursed the company for its poor media response, and Son felt like he'd live to 200 years old from the stress. 

Once, while trying to decide on an official statement for a scandal, Son asked the member involved what had happened. His response was shocking—he wasn't two-timing but four-timing. If they admitted the scandal was real, the other three would cause an uproar. But if they denied it, the actress involved in the scandal might retaliate.... 

A full-blown exposé could have led to a massive explosion in the entertainment industry. 

There was no choice but to stay silent, even though issuing an official statement would have been disastrous. Hanul Entertainment's staff couldn't abandon the artist and became the scapegoat instead. 

Later, through staff testimonies, it was revealed that the member had been secretly dating multiple girls, confirming the rumors of catfights and exposed hair-pulling incidents. 

'If I had known, I wouldn't have debuted him! If he was such a good actor, he should've become one instead!' 

The small incidents were countless. Son swore never to renew the contract once it ended. 

After enduring this ordeal, Son Joong-ki became obsessed with "personality." 

In the entertainment industry, full of strange people, you could get caught up in scandals even if you did nothing wrong. But at the very least, you shouldn't be the one causing them. 

For this reason, personality evaluations for Hanul Entertainment trainees became just as important as skill assessments. 

Though Son didn't know how the current staff felt, personally, he considered personality more important than talent. 

"So, let's start by hearing everyone's thoughts on this first-time stage evaluation. We'll begin with our general director," Son Joong-ki said. As the main planner of this debut evaluation stage, Son couldn't not ask for feedback on the program. 

"The cost was a bit of a burden, but it was effective for the investment. There was a real sense of seeing rookies debut. On stage, with a large audience, you could tell who managed their nerves and who had star quality," said the general director. 

Initially, the general director had suggested an internal evaluation, as they had done with SEED, but Son insisted on pushing through his idea. Without the resources to create their own in-house program like a major company, he argued they at least needed to do this much. 

"It was on a different level from the evaluations we've done in-house. As a visual director, I paid attention to how well the trainees fit the concept, and a few of them really stood out. Their 'presence' wasn't intangible—it was almost tangible. Especially that trainee, Ham Iwon." 

"Ah, that trainee was exceptional. I talked to Joon-hee, who was in charge of hair, and she said Ham Iwon did it himself. She just gave it a quick touch-up with wax." 

"Wow? Is that true? What a talented guy." 

The conversation briefly veered off-topic as they marveled at Ham Iwon. To have styled his hair himself and even studied the final pose to match the concept? That level of attention to detail left a deep impression on the staff. 

"I think the debut group was pretty much outlined by skill alone. I focused more on them, and I believe they'll grow well even after debut. We can support them fully," said Choi Joon-hyun, the manager in charge of the soon-to-debut group. 


"It's good to hear such positive feedback as the planner. Now, let's discuss each trainee individually. I asked you to prepare comments in advance, right? Please be honest. We don't want another case like SEED." 

"Why are you making self-deprecating jokes, CEO? It stings for me too." 

"We've all learned from that." 

Several of the people in the room were key decision-makers in SEED's debut. 

Hanul Entertainment had never been a particularly authoritative company, but being in a meeting with all the executives present was still nerve-wracking. Even so, they resolved to speak openly, at least today. If they didn't, any problems that arose would have to be dealt with by them later. The veterans understood this truth. 

"Let's start with our puppy, Park Ha-jun." 

"CEO, aren't you showing a bit too much favoritism? Haha." 

Park Ha-jun, called "Park Ha" by his friends, was a long-standing trainee at Hanul Entertainment. 

He had been seriously considered for SEED's debut lineup. However, with an age gap of more than six years between him and the other members, and a mismatch with the group's concept, he was ultimately dropped. 

There was some lingering guilt, as Park Ha-jun was always polite and endearing to the staff, and having been around for so long, many of them doted on him like a younger sibling. 

"Park Ha-jun has no shortcomings in any aspect. We've known him since he was young, so his personality has been proven, and the trainees' feedback on him is always positive. He's like a vitamin to them, and he's very popular. Even though he's grown into a large and manly figure, many still find him cute, which speaks to his subtle charm." 

"He's grown a lot, hasn't he? When I first saw him, he was at least 30 cm shorter than he is now." 

"Come on, team leader, it wasn't that much. Anyway, visually, he's completed his look. His dancing is outstanding, but his singing has also improved to above average." 

Even just from a visual standpoint, Park Ha-jun was a strong contender for the debut group. 

"He worked as a fitting model for a while, right?" 

"Yes, with the company's permission. It wasn't a bad career move, and given his financial situation, he wanted to do it." 

"Has anyone looked into it?" 

"I did recently. There's nothing problematic with the photos. Even looking at the older ones now, they don't look outdated. Maybe it's because he has such a classic look." 

Seeing the staff express pride as if he were their own son or nephew made the others laugh. Many of them viewed Park Ha-jun almost like family. 

"Any significant issues?" 

"None... Oh, wait. There's one personal matter I should mention. His mother's health hasn't been good recently." 

"Oh dear. I'll handle that separately. Next...." 

The employees attending their first debut group meeting relaxed a little. The atmosphere was surprisingly casual and chatty. 

"How about trainee Seohon?" 

"If he gets into the debut group, I think he'll balance it well. He doesn't lack in any area—singing, dancing, or acting." 

"Seohon works hard without complaints. He does what he's told and puts in effort." 

"He adapts quickly to all kinds of physical activities, and his stamina is no joke. Sometimes I get more exhausted than him during training. Since he's good at acting too, I think he'd make a great action star in the future." 

"On the surface, he seems tough, but he's quite sensitive. I think that contrast will appeal to fans. However, he might need some mental support—not because there's an issue, but as a preventative measure." 

The CEO and the trainee's future manager nodded and jotted down notes. It was becoming clear who the strong contenders for the debut group were. 

"He has no issues with personality either. He's a devout Christian and a polite young man. Just the type of guy who's respectful and well-mannered." 

"Anything else to add?" 

"Seohon has a talent for writing lyrics." 

"Lyrics?" 

"He told me his hobby is reading poetry. He even writes his own. I had him try writing lyrics once, and it was pretty good. With some refinement, I think he could play an important role as a lyricist." 

"Oh, thanks for the useful tip." 

To discover and nurture talent, it first had to be visible or noticed by someone.

Without that spark, hidden potential could remain buried for too long. 

"Next, trainee Kim Ji-on." 

"Jeton, he was impressive in 'Show Me the Gold 3', and he's grown even more since then. In the rapper position, no one can compete with him. And his dancing has real flair. We're lucky he decided to pursue idol training. If he's not chosen as a rapper, I don't know who would be." 

"When he was praised for improving in singing at the last monthly evaluation, I thought it was well-deserved. He's diligent." 

"His long time overseas is both an advantage and a disadvantage. He sometimes slips up in his speech. He'll need to be mindful of that when he's in front of the camera." 

Kim Ji-on was fluent in English, Korean, French, and German. 

Having a member fluent in foreign languages provided a sense of security when promoting internationally. However, his multilingualism also led to occasional mistakes. 

English was his most comfortable language, followed by Korean, so there weren't communication issues, but sometimes small errors would occur. 

Even minor slip-ups could escalate into major controversies. In the entertainment world, things could be distorted even if you didn't mean to cause harm. It was a risk that needed addressing. 

"Kim Ji-on has a strong competitive streak. If I make a comment that stirs his competitive spirit during class, he'll stay up all night practicing until he perfects it. After a while, I learned to be more careful with my words." 

"Couldn't that be used as a training method?" 

"He's good at self-management, but if I push him too far, he'll overdo it. That said, his mental toughness is solid." 

The staff, perhaps having learned from past mistakes, freely shared their thoughts across departments and ranks. Valuable insights flowed in. 

"If there's nothing else, let's move on. Next up...." 

"Wait a moment, CEO."