God Idol Project: Hope [GIPH]

Chapter 19: Personality Evaluation (3)

A heaven-sent idol. 

For the past few days, most of Hanul Entertainment's staff had been describing trainee Ham Iwon with this phrase. 

The few staff members who had attended Ham Iwon's trainee audition vividly recalled the experience once it was over. 

Despite having no prior experience as a trainee, and never having received proper training in singing or dancing, they testified passionately that his vocal skills were heavenly, and his dance potential was insane. 

At the time, most people dismissed these as exaggerations, but after witnessing Ham Iwon on the debut evaluation stage, all those doubts disappeared. 

His performance shattered all biases and expectations. Even those who regularly worked with idols were left in awe, feeling like his talents were unreal. A versatile, all-around genius—that was Ham Iwon. 

He had impressed even the most critical staff, so those involved in the debut evaluation had a lot to say.

"I can't imagine Ham Iwon becoming anything other than an idol." 

"I agree." 

"There's nothing he lacks. If I had to pick his strongest points, it'd be his singing and visuals. Even if he only had one of those, he'd be debuting." 

"The debut evaluation is practically a free pass!" 

"There's nothing to criticize about his looks or talent. However, I do have some questions about his personality. He was polite to me, but I didn't have many chances to talk with him, so it's hard to say. As you know, he's only been with us for a little over three months." 

"He's polite when he greets people, but he's not much of a talker. You can tell just by looking at him, right? Like a prince from an ice kingdom." 

"Exactly. He's got that cold, handsome vibe. When he's expressionless, he seems distant and hard to approach." 

"I found it fascinating how much his image changes when he smiles." 

People started discussing Ham Iwon's appearance, which was natural since he was new, and they weren't fully accustomed to him yet. 

Park Ha-jun was also shockingly handsome, but in a different way, and because they'd known him for so long, his good looks didn't have the same impact anymore.

Of course, compliments about his appearance still slipped out from time to time. 

"I know everyone's being sincere, but let's move on. Any reports or concerns?" 

"He's diligent in training and always takes it seriously." 

"He often stays late to practice with others. Other than that...." 

Since Ham Iwon had only recently joined, and everyone was busy preparing for the debut evaluations, there wasn't much time to gather more observations. As the staff tried to recall their impressions of him, CEO Son Joong-ki spoke in a somber tone. 

"...Actually, we received a few negative comments in his personality evaluation." 

The staff looked at him in shock. 

"You're not going to drop him because of that, are you?" 

"I heard this trainee turned down POT Entertainment to come here. If we don't take him, won't he just go there? I can't bear to see that happen." 

The staff collectively gasped. The thought of Ham Iwon leaving Hanul Entertainment and joining their rival, POT Entertainment, played out vividly like a movie in their minds. Given the strained relationship between Hanul and POT, losing him would be unbearable. 

"That can't happen! In that case, let's debut him as an actor instead!" 

"No matter how much the CEO has a trauma about bad personalities, we can't give him up!" 

"...Let's hear what those negative comments are first. Then we'll decide." 

A few of the more impatient staff looked ready to jump out of their seats. After hearing the neutral explanation, they sat back down, feeling slightly embarrassed. 

"The complaints were along these lines: He doesn't return greetings even when greeted politely. He secretly trips others and bullies them in subtle ways. He's used offensive language when no one else was around. The details vary slightly, but that's the gist of it." 

"Ha... so behind the scenes, he's showing off the trifecta of bad behavior: being rude, swearing, and being violent? Just hearing this gives me a headache." 

If he was acting like this before debut, there was no hope. It wouldn't be long before a personality controversy arose, or worse, he'd end up making headlines. Not debuting him might be the better option. 

"If that's true, I'd be against his debut, but something doesn't sit right with me. Am I the only one who feels that way?" 

"He's a quiet kid who only talks about class-related stuff. It's hard to imagine him doing something so stupid that he'd get caught right away. I'm on the fence. CEO, how do the other trainees evaluate him?" 

It didn't make sense that someone would act so recklessly, especially after the company had warned everyone that they'd be paying close attention to personality evaluations. Even an average person wouldn't make such mistakes. 

"The comments were mostly neutral: 'He doesn't talk much, so I don't really know him.' 'He's awkward.' 'He's shy.' There were also some more positive ones like 'He's eccentric but cute,' 'He's honest,' 'A genius but humble.'" 

"Looks like the positive ones came from trainees who are close to him." 

"Right. They'd be the ones who know him best." 

"Still, we need to consider the possibility that the claims of violence and verbal abuse are true. What should we do, CEO?" 

From the beginning, the company had announced they would conduct a thorough personality evaluation. 

Originally, they had planned to evaluate only trainees already confirmed for the debut team, but since Ham Iwon's time at the company had been short, and there was limited data on him, it seemed necessary to conduct a deeper investigation before finalizing the debut team. 

"Let's begin the investigation on trainee Ham Iwon. Consider it a task that would've been done eventually." 

It made sense to investigate, as this would have been part of the standard process for confirmed debut team members anyway. 

"Soon we'll know whether the last card is a landmine or a jackpot." 

˚˖✧✧✧˚. 

The in-depth investigation involved two parts: interviews at his school and interviews with people connected to him but outside the company. 

The school interviews were straightforward—they asked questions to teachers or students who might know the trainee. It was best to ask teachers directly, but with students, it was better to approach them without giving away too much information.

The goal was to get honest responses without raising suspicions by probing too deeply. 

For this task, the youngest manager on the team was sent, someone close in age to the students to avoid raising any red flags. 

The mission target was a popular tteokbokki restaurant near the school. 

The place was chaotic after school ended. The young manager, biting into a tteok (rice cake), mumbled internally that the madness was probably due to how good the food was. 

"...Can we sit here?" 

Two schoolgirls, noticing the manager sitting alone at a table, asked to share the space. Startled but obliging, the manager nodded. 

"Thank you!" 

"No problem, I'm waiting for my younger sibling anyway." 

The cover story was that she was an older sister waiting for her sibling who attended the school. 

"Let us know when your sibling arrives, and we'll get up." 

"He said he'll be late, so feel free to relax. By the way... can I ask you something?" 

The girls, who were waiting for their food, cheerfully agreed. The manager, feeling like a detective, laid the groundwork. 

"There's a student named Ham Iwon here, right? I heard he's super good-looking. Do you know him?" 

"Of course! Even if you had eyes on your feet, you'd know him! He's the Merman Prince!" 

"M-Merman Prince?" 

The manager stammered, thrown off by the bizarre nickname. A nickname like that still existed in this day and age? Her mind reeled. 

"Hasn't your sibling mentioned it? He doesn't talk much, but he's so handsome that he looks like a prince, hence the Merman Prince." 

The girl with long hair answered, her eyes sparkling. Her friend with a bob haircut nodded in firm agreement. 

Their enthusiasm was unmistakable—it was the same kind of passion fans had when talking about their favorite idol. 

"He doesn't talk at all?" 

"He really didn't! But recently, I heard he's started speaking since he's been hanging out with Nam Chorok from the dance department. Thank goodness he didn't return to the sea." 

Since he's the Merman Prince, does that mean if he gets his voice back, he'll grow a tail and return to the sea? Is this a concept? A story? Madness.... 

"Are you friends with him?" 

"No! We're happy just watching him from afar." 

We? The manager wondered, but she kept her cool and continued questioning them. 

"I was curious about his personality, but I guess you wouldn't know, huh? My sibling thinks he's good-looking, so I got curious." 

The long-haired girl, who seemed to be the bigger fan, responded. 

"You've got good eyes! I can tell you a bit. His personality? I'd say he's the type who 'bullies the world.' But he's very polite when it comes to teachers. There's also a rumor that he plays his music performance pieces on the spot. Basically, he's a prince—arrogant but kind, proud yet rebellious, noble yet gentlemanly." 

What does that even mean...? Like a hot iced coffee? A germophobic neat freak? 
Where am I? Who am I?

"Right? If I'd been born just one year later, I'd be in the same class as the Merman Prince." 

Wow. She was in her third year, and instead of focusing on her entrance exams, she was fangirling over Ham Iwon. The manager thought she understood idols and their fans, but this was a whole new level. She realized she had a lot more to learn about this world and decided to retreat. 

After that chaotic encounter, the manager took a break and approached other students. Their responses weren't as passionate, but the general vibe was the same. None of them mentioned any rudeness, foul language, or violence. In fact, Ham Iwon seemed more like an outsider who barely interacted with others. 

"It seems we were off the mark," she concluded. 

Still, the job wasn't done. After gathering more statements from a few students and teachers, she returned to the company. 

˚˖✧✧✧˚. 

Once the investigation was complete, there was a notice to gather in the conference room. This would be the final meeting to conclude the debut team selection. 
Whatever the outcome, it was clear that Ham Iwon was too talented to let go. 

"Is everyone here? The results came in faster than expected, which is a relief." 

"What's the verdict, CEO?" 

The CEO sat at the head of the table, flipping through the investigation reports. 

"First of all, we found no issues in the background checks and interviews with the other trainees. As for Ham Iwon's school interviews, there were no major problems either. He's not particularly sociable, but everyone agrees he's polite. Most people think he's a genius with a strong sense of self." 

"That's in line with what we thought." 

"The issue was the interviews with people outside the company, and there we discovered something surprising." 

The interviews with external sources weren't elaborate—they were conducted with people like the building's security guard, the ladies who worked at the nearby restaurants frequented by the trainees, and even the barista at the lobby café. These were individuals who weren't part of the company but interacted with the trainees regularly. 

The idea was that trainees might let their guard down around people they didn't see as authority figures, making these external contacts valuable sources of insight.

The manager in charge of the soon-to-debut team, Choi Joon-hyun, had handled these external interviews. Since the debut team wasn't confirmed yet, and he wasn't managing any current celebrities, he had the time. 

"I conducted the external interviews. One of the people I spoke with was the building's cleaning staff. She mentioned that Ham Iwon had helped her to a taxi after she fell and hurt herself. She was very grateful. He also cleaned up the cleaning equipment she had left behind and even mopped the floor." 

"Mopped the floor?" 

"There was some slippery oil on the ground, which caused her to fall. She asked a colleague to clean it, but by the time they went to check, it had already been taken care of. She's convinced Ham Iwon did it. The location was such that no one would've noticed unless they deliberately went there." 

"Helping her to a taxi and cleaning up afterward sounds like a pretty solid character to me!" 

One of the staff members, who had been seriously considering dropping Ham Iwon, looked relieved. 

"To confirm, we checked the CCTV footage. We thought there would be solid evidence on the recording. Sure enough, it was all caught on camera." 

"Oh!" 

"But...."