Chapter 296

Chapter 296

On the day the agency-hosted concert and ticketing dates were announced, we still had a joint practice scheduled. Because of this, I was able to look into the Internet’s reactions during the latter half of our practice session. In summary… it was just as I’d expected.

- Oh my god this is going to be so fun. When does it air?

- T1 is so supportive of artists from Idol Inc. This is going to be on TV? Incredible

- They don’t actually think they’re the ones responsible for the groups doing well, are they?

- Gosh, they’re so aggressive about marketing the debut team. Stop it already. Our idols haven’t been involved in that show for a very long time. God, that’s annoying

- It’s great that the concert will air on TV, but it’s annoying that the Idol Inc. debut team is being bundled in

A storm of anticipation, worry, irritation, and interest was brewing. It couldn’t be helped. An agency-hosted concert being aired on TV was quite unique, and there were elements to the situation that both worried and excited viewers.

Because the three teams were all born from a popular audition show, they were able to reel in public attention very easily. The concert would air on a Tnet channel, making it very accessible. Anyone who was interested in watching could do so simply by flipping to the right channel. In addition, it was rare for anyone to like all three groups.

So only one thing is for certain at the moment. The group that lagged behind could end up crushed under the weight of the public’s mockery. The fans had no attachment or loyalty to the agency—nor was there anything resembling a love-hate relationship—so they would not be protective of their bias group’s label mates.

It will lead to animosity between the different groups’ fans, and they’ll get tired of all the fighting and drama. There was no need to add fuel to the fire, however, so we needed to avoid stirring up trouble during our joint performance with Miry-nay. We had to consider more than just the issue of the performance, including boys and girls.

We needed to avoid giving the viewers any room to compare us directly. And that had already been arranged, though I hadn’t known doing so would be so tough.

“Over here! I think it would be really cool if we did this step when we land!”

“If you don’t mind, I’ve been thinking that we could lengthen the freeze after our first chorus…”

“Why don’t we all try this part again? I know we’re doing really well right now, but I think it’ll look ten times better if the keys align when the bridge begins. It’ll be neat!”

Miry-nay was just as interested as we were in making the performance the best it could be, and with both groups working not to be outdone, the difficulty level was steadily climbing. In the end, the amount of stamina we were forced to funnel into the performance had skyrocketed.

Is it finally time to invest in my dance stat? I thought, staring at my one remaining point, but I was keenly aware that I couldn’t level up using the system anymore, so I held back.

There would come a time when the stats would increase by themselves. I knew that for a fact. The stats I possessed now were more than enough to handle this.

“Okay! Why don’t we go one more time?”

“Let’s do it!”

So in the end, we were working extra hard putting together a special performance that no one was really expecting much from. Staring at the team, I came to a realization.

If we’re going this hard, revealing the behind-the-scenes footage might be a good idea. We might have been putting together a mixed-gender performance, but because we were going so hard, and had back-up dancers helping as well, practice was like some kind of boot camp. I wiped the sweat from my temples.

It’ll look good on stage, at least.

“Wow! We got this part down!”

“Oh my god. I’m so proud of us.”

I just hoped the agency wouldn’t form any unrealistic expectations after seeing us perform.

“Why don’t we finish this today?”

“Okay!”

I shrugged and continued practicing without complaint. The remaining time leading up to the concert flew by before we knew it.

***

The cheering of the crowd and the pounding of the music could be heard loud and clear backstage.

We need to kill this. Miry-nay’s unofficial leader, Park Minha—the member who’d debuted in second place—gasped for air. Performing was fun, but if it was high-stakes, the moments leading up to it were difficult. The burden it placed on the mind was no joke.

What would I do without this calming herb tablet? She wondered what the others were doing and suddenly turned to look at the person standing next to her.

Moondae was there, getting his makeup touched up by a staff member. Sweat was dripping down the tall idol’s pale, apathetic face. He pointed to his waist and said to her, “My microphone. It’s come undone.”

“Right!”

Wow… Minha caught herself staring. He was certainly very good-looking, but she’d heard and seen too much to feel anything but caution. The things she’d heard him say were still playing in full surround sound inside her head.

“Did the agency make any mention of America recently?”

“The other guy wasn’t that high-ranked, and didn’t have many friends, either.”

Be it about the agency or TeSTAR, whenever something happened and she ended up in conversation with him about it, she felt like she was talking to some sort of omniscient ghost.

How does he know so much about everything, all the time? The guy had such a strategic mind that it was impossible to even guess how far he planned ahead.

What was his childhood like, to have turned out like this? She had thought Park Moondae was cute when she’d watched the Relisted season of Idol Inc. Just thinking about it now made her want to bang her forehead against the wall.

Hey, past me! Wake up!

At that moment, a pleasant voice could be heard calling out from her other side.

“Let’s head on up!”

“Right!”

Lee Sejin’s words immediately pulled her back to reality.

The performance!

Lee Sejin, who was smiling, gestured with his hand and began to walk alongside Moondae, chatting with him. Frankly, she found him scary, too. Minha recalled their last few practice sessions.

We found ourselves doing exactly as he suggested in the end… In hindsight, she got the feeling that ultimately, it was his advice that they’d gone with, even if it felt like they’d reached a consensus at the time. She wondered if idols who debuted from audition shows were all like this. If so, then why was her group so easy-going and soft?

“Phew.”

“Minha, let’s go!”

“All right!”

Minha broke into a jog as Yulki nudged her forward excitedly. She had a lot to worry about, but they were about to go on stage.

The sound of the crowd, the smell of the dry ice and the metallic stage frame, the feel of their stage outfits and the lenses in her eyes—all these things had a way of making someone hyper-aware.

Minha thought to herself, Regardless , I know I’m going to nail this performance.

She could do this.

I’m not going to let them win. She turned and saw the three others, all of whom were obviously thinking the same thing.

The countdown ended.

“One!”

The four of them instantly launched into their performance.

To begin with, an electric bass derived from piano notes filled the air. The melody of the accompaniment came from a song that the audience was very familiar with.

It’s “Attack.” It was a powerful soundtrack from an action movie series that had been a massive hit in the latter half of last year, sung by a mixed-gender band.

Woa-woah woa-woah…

It wasn’t rare for a famous pop song to be covered on the rare occasion that K-pop idols mixed genders and came together for a special stage. Though it might have seemed like an odd decision, it was more palatable than doing a mixed-gender stage using an idol song.

Perhaps it was because it bolstered the performance aspect thanks to the difference in language and vibes. That was why the audience took it in stride, seeing this as a run-of-the-mill collab stage. That is, until the performers came out on stage.

The first to appear was a group of dancers. They wore odd, colorless outfits that covered their entire bodies and executed a group dance that utilized repetitive movements.

Wow. The whole thing was quite grandiose at first, but the repetition of a short routine all throughout an instrumental section could easily lose the audience.

Even the lighting was nothing impressive.

- Uh… cool? I guess?

- ??

- What are they doing LOL

It took all of fifteen seconds for the audience to grow bored with the music. There was a sudden tearing noise, and the dancers suddenly froze. Four individuals burst from within the group with quick, practiced steps. They stood out immediately, the spotlights following them closely.

Their outfits consisted of nicely fitting jumpsuits with loose silver motor jackets. The group of dancers dressed in black stared at them. The four, each tossing down something black that they’d had hoisted over their shoulders, dropped said item to the floor and took their place at the front of the stage, their chins in the air.

Ooh

Complex music filled the air, this time joined by various colored lights as well as the instrumental accompaniment.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter

As colorful lights and electronic notes buzzed, Park Moondae’s skilled vocals took center stage. The choreography was neat and powerful, and the dancers in black fell in behind them like shadows.

If the world comes to an end or not.

They assumed formation, and despite standing in order according to their height, they did not dance together in boy-girl pairs. Their roles in the song had been assigned based on the dance moves and their voices alone, and they gave it their all without rest.

Wherever I go

This feeling survives

The mood is all right

Lee Sejin quickly did a set of complicated moves that took him across the length of the stage and were a delight to watch. Then their high-pitched singing resumed.

I’m gonna jump into the fire

The electronic music, beat, and elegant but tough dancing made the performance at least five times more impressive than the original. White noise drowned out the accompaniment, the music suddenly dropping out.

Like a bomb

There was a drop, and a burst of laser lights.

Yeah-ahahahah

Jung Yulki jumped forward, sweeping the floor with her hand and picking something black up. It was one of the objects they’d tossed down earlier, when they first appeared. It looked like a stick, with no other identifying characteristics.

Lee Sejin jumped forward, however, and took up a pose as if he were aiming a gun with another of the sticks. Lasers burst from the tip, resembling fireworks.

- ??

- Wait, what?

They’d set up the timing and angle perfectly so that it seemed like they were shooting lasers. They followed this up with choreography that utilized the sticks like they were swords, bazookas, or guns, connecting all of them into one routine. The colorful lasers burst into view like explosions or recoil from weaponry.

- Wow

The choreography meant they were always at the perfect angle for the LED lights and lasers to appear as though they were being produced by the members. Using the lasers, they shot down all the back-up dancers, and all kinds of special effects were added to the performance, giving it a more sci-fi vibe.

Because the camera work was handled perfectly, it lent itself to maximum immersion, and those watching the concert on TV found it to be a real treat. The people dancing in the center took turns switching places, evoking the feeling of a well-made action movie scene done in one take. The members had each found the most effective movements for their proportions and showed this to great effect every time they took center stage.

Like a bomb

Light up tonight.

It was a hectic one minute and fifty-five seconds. Minha gasped as the realization hit her. Miry-nay hadn’t won, but this performance was a roaring success.

Yeah-ahahahah

The dancers sank to the floor around them, and they slung the sticks over their shoulders again as the song ended, the four of them singing the final note in different tones.

***

That was nuts. Minha trudged backstage in a daze. For some reason, she found performing like this exhilarating, even though it required her to push herself to her absolute limits. Even though she’d sensed how well it had turned out even as she performed, her heart still felt like it would explode.

And using props meant we could make up for our differences in height, which could have left some unpleasant gaps in our choreography… Moondae’s idea had been amazing. Unable to resist the urge to praise him, she spun around. Yulki and Lee Sejin had disappeared somewhere with the staff to get their makeup touched up.

I can speak to Park Moondae, at least!

“Hmm.”

Moondae, however, was drinking water and staring into the distance, his gaze calm.

M-maybe it wasn’t a big deal for him? Were such intense performances an everyday thing for him? She was a bit shocked, but soon realized her mistake.

Oh, he’s watching the next performance. He was staring at the monitor. The next one was a cover of a TeSTAR song done by the Idol Inc. debut team. Go on a picnic!

And it was actually pretty good. She’d noted this during the rehearsal, but the arrangement seemed to play a huge role.

“We’ve chosen ‘Picnic,’ a great song by TeSTAR, for whom we have massive respect!”

Instead of going for one of the concept-rich, impressive title tracks that TeSTAR had produced, they’d instead chosen “Picnic.” It was probably the TeSTAR song with the most mass appeal, with the exception of their recent release “Promise,” and it seemed like a wise choice. There would be no direct comparison regarding their ability to keep up here.

Wondering what Moondae thought of this, she turned toward him.

I wonder what he—

“…!”

“Hmm.”

Moondae was smiling faintly at the monitor, but the smile wasn’t proud or like he felt challenged. Instead, she thought she saw a flash of triumph, or perhaps like his suspicions had been confirmed.

Huh? She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however.

“Places everyone!”

“Right! Coming!”

Minha was slightly confused as she bowed and ran to her next performance.

What was that about just now? Actually, never mind. I shouldn’t worry about it. She decided she wouldn’t ask Moondae any more questions than absolutely necessary.

Only a little while later, Moondae encountered the debut team in the backstage corridor.