Chapter 150:
Until the lights went out, I was kneeling in the front row, at the center of the line. When the lights turned off and on again, I had disappeared without a trace.
‘I almost missed it…’
As in the rehearsal, the timing was very short and the path I had to move was long. I barely made it and sighed with relief.
I went all the way down to the stage below, and hid myself while preparing to go back up. Meanwhile, the other members had their dance break time.
There was a reason why I chose this kind of production, where I disappear and reappear.
‘First of all, it looks flashy and cool.’
If I wanted to differentiate myself from the other units, I had to show them something that would make them exclaim right away.
They would dance well too, of course. But just showing off my skills wouldn’t be enough to secure the victory. That was the conclusion I came from.
During the rehearsal, I only checked the timing when I could hide myself, and I didn’t really disappear. So I heard the surprised staff murmuring.
“Wow, where did he go?”
“I think he went all the way out?”
“It’s like magic. It’s fun, and fresh.”
While the other members paired up and performed their dance breaks, eight backup dancers supported the background.
After the dance break, it was time for the four of them to do their main job.
I was still out of the stage, and AtoX B ad-libbed with his hand on his ear.
[You can’t escape-, Huh-.]
At the same time, Vesper A kept rapping and filling the sound.
[In this moment, when I’m cornered with no place to hide]
[Choose me now, I want to be with you more thrillingly.]
And then, Vesper B took over the part and finished the stage.
[Electrifying Poison, I drank the cup with poison in it.]
[I don’t mind if you hurt me more, I still like you if it’s you.]
That’s how the song ended with me gone from the stage, and the lights went off again.
At that moment, just like the beginning, the shadow of the bars was cast on the stage, and four gunshots rang out. Bang-. Bang-. Bang-. Bang-.
When the lights came back on, I was the only one standing in the center of the stage, with the other members gone.
While I was waiting off the stage, I changed my costume to a uniform that resembled a police outfit.
It was as if I was a spy from the police side who betrayed them all. With that production, the whole composition was over. As if it was a theater stage, I took off my hat and bowed exaggeratedly. I saluted the camera and the stage came to a real end.
‘It’s over.’
I didn’t know how the final edit of the broadcast would be. But it was a production that was faithful to the concept of pursuit, escape, and breakout.
‘I guess I can’t do this for the main comeback.’
If I could get a good commercial song, it would be worth trying… Just like the Drink Me comeback, the fans would like it, but the public appeal would be low and I wouldn’t get much results.
It was a concept that was hard to try unless it was a competition program where the impact was important for each stage. I felt more motivated for the production.
Please, just do your part well. I hoped they didn’t ignore my plea that I shouted in my mind. The members who were slacking off in the practice didn’t disappoint me on the stage.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you~!”
As we bowed to the staff below the stage and came down, our faces were flushed with pride for finishing the stage well.
“Wow, it felt different from the rehearsal. We really nailed it.”
“I know, right? I want to see the monitoring as soon as possible. Will they show us right away?”
“Of course they will. Let’s go to the waiting room quickly!”
They all looked like they had lost their minds with satisfaction, as if they had done a very cost-effective performance. They didn’t participate properly in the practice, but they did well on the stage.
Do they think this will end with a happy ending?
I don’t know if they are short-sighted, stupid, or they think they did well enough to cover up all their negligence.
Either way, I couldn’t understand them with my common sense.
Just wait and see, you bastards.
I clenched my teeth and tried to keep a calm expression as I headed to the waiting room. Yeah, enjoy your leisure today.
The next stage of the dance B unit started right away.
“Ooh.”
The concept of the dance B unit was high-teen. Five of them, wearing school uniforms that suited their personalities, lined up and portrayed boys in love.
They seemed to focus more on the difficulty of the choreography than on the overall quality of the stage production.
If you ask me which choreography was harder, it was definitely the B unit. And there was an ironic trap here.
This was not an Olympic competition, but an idol stage. It didn’t matter how much harder and more difficult the moves were, but simply which one appealed more to the voters who held the voting rights.
Of course, our choreography was not easy either. It was not easy to kneel on the floor, show off our body lines, fall over, get up again, and support our waist.
I didn’t separate myself from the production for nothing.
‘This should be enough to relax.’
The other members seemed to think the same, as their faces relaxed a bit.
Ugh, you mean guys. I felt bitter, but I did everything I could to prepare. Now I just had to wait for the producers to accept my intention.
Finally, the stage of the dance B unit ended and it was time for the rap A unit.
“Good job!”
“Thank you!”
I saw the rap A unit waiting below the stage after the energetic greeting of the dance B unit.
‘Next is Oh Yi-jun’s turn.’
Well, I didn’t have time to worry about that. And Yi-jun’s attitude was so relaxed that it was hard to believe he was in front of a competition.
The concept of the rap A unit was authentic hip hop. The members of the rap A unit were Vesper, Playground, and AtoX. I think the main arrangement was done by the Vesper members.
‘They look pretty motivated.’
The sound quality was not bad and the members’ skills were not lacking.
The stage level was also decent, but… if there was anything to complain about, it was that I couldn’t tell if this was an idol competition or a famous hip hop survival show called Death Trial.
Not to mention the visual gap with the other units…
[Women, honor, money, I don’t care about that, I just enjoy it]
[Your girlfriend will be your ex tomorrow]
Shouldn’t you cut out those lyrics if they were in the original song? The original song itself was about beating up a male competitor and boasting about oneself, but they really didn’t change it and brought it like that…
What is this… The staff’s expressions were noticeably dark. The stage itself wasn’t that bad, but…
The Vesper guys didn’t seem to know what the problem was, and AtoX’s lips were clearly down.
Well… It’s their own choice of songs, so it’s their responsibility whatever their image is. I shook my head and watched the stage end.
“Thank you!”
“Good job!”
As soon as the rap A group members bowed and greeted the audience below, it was finally time to see what Yi-jun had prepared.
Maybe because there were too many formidable contestants, he didn’t get much attention from the program, but it seemed like there were quite a few contestants who were interested in Yi-jun.
It was rumored that he had been offered by some orthodox hip-hop crews, so it was understandable.
Some contestants seemed curious about how well he could perform on stage, since he had no interest in producing. And some contestants seemed eager to see how amazing his skills were, since the real producers praised him so much.
‘Either way, I’m not too worried.’
As I crossed my arms and waited for the stage to start, a short English word came to mind in the background.
[GAME START]
With a beep and an electronic sound unique to 8-bit, the button in the background was pressed and the stage began.
[Hey Hey Hey, hello, I’ll greet you. It’s me again.]
[Let’s start with a playful play today, greet me with a smile]
It was a song that a rapper famous for representing the playful hearts of teenagers brought out in his second album.
The lyrics were calm and witty, but it didn’t do well commercially because it didn’t match the trend of the chart at the time.
‘I wouldn’t have known what song it was if I hadn’t listened to it at home.’
The staff member muttered, ‘Is it an original song?’ because he had no idea.
Whether it was original or not, everyone smiled at the light atmosphere that contrasted with the A unit.
The unit members, dressed in casual sportswear reminiscent of hockey and basketball uniforms, adorned the stage with colorful movements and maintained the cheerful atmosphere.
[Let’s start with a light greeting today. Come out now, I’m waiting for you]
[I need a new stimulus in the familiar alley, the way home from school]
Unlike the previous showy stage, all the unit members looked sincerely happy.
They didn’t look like people who were performing, but like they were having fun with each other.
But it didn’t bother me. The energy of being happy without any tension made the viewers feel excited.
[Don’t pretend you don’t know and call me, press the Start button when you’re bored]
[I guess I have nothing to learn, don’t forget to Reset again]
Various game characters were roaming around in the background, and the overall atmosphere was bright and cheerful.
It was a stage that broke the prejudice of the contestants who expected a fierce and showy stage like the A group, because it was a rap unit.
Of course, they would have done well if they had created an atmosphere like the A group. But I had a vague idea of what Yi-jun wanted to say at this stage.
A stage that you can enjoy like a brief oasis, without caring about the competition.
It wasn’t ignoring or attacking the competitors, but showing the attitude of doing what I like and what I’m good at.
‘In the previous stage, they were all scared of me and had nothing to do, they were busy hitting me.’
On the other hand, Yi-jun’s stage had a clear intention of saying, I don’t care what you do, I do what I do well and like.
Thanks to that, the A group’s stage, which had aggressive wording, seemed more like a puppy that barks a lot because it’s afraid of losing a fight.
‘He won this.’
I felt relieved until the rap match. The problem was the vocals.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you~!”
As we bowed to the staff below the stage and came down, our faces were flushed with pride for finishing the stage well.
“Wow, it felt different from the rehearsal. We really nailed it.”
“I know, right? I want to see the monitoring as soon as possible. Will they show us right away?”
“Of course they will. Let’s go to the waiting room quickly!”
They all looked like they had lost their minds with satisfaction, as if they had done a very cost-effective performance. They didn’t participate properly in the practice, but they did well on the stage.
Do they think this will end with a happy ending?
I don’t know if they are short-sighted, stupid, or they think they did well enough to cover up all their negligence.
Either way, I couldn’t understand them with my common sense.
Just wait and see, you bastards.
I clenched my teeth and tried to keep a calm expression as I headed to the waiting room. Yeah, enjoy your leisure today.
The next stage of the dance B unit started right away.
“Ooh.”
The concept of the dance B unit was high-teen. Five of them, wearing school uniforms that suited their personalities, lined up and portrayed boys in love.
They seemed to focus more on the difficulty of the choreography than on the overall quality of the stage production.
If you ask me which choreography was harder, it was definitely the B unit. And there was an ironic trap here.
This was not an Olympic competition, but an idol stage. It didn’t matter how much harder and more difficult the moves were, but simply which one appealed more to the voters who held the voting rights.
Of course, our choreography was not easy either. It was not easy to kneel on the floor, show off our body lines, fall over, get up again, and support our waist.
I didn’t separate myself from the production for nothing.
‘This should be enough to relax.’
The other members seemed to think the same, as their faces relaxed a bit.
Ugh, you mean guys. I felt bitter, but I did everything I could to prepare. Now I just had to wait for the producers to accept my intention.
Finally, the stage of the dance B unit ended and it was time for the rap A unit.
“Good job!”
“Thank you!”
I saw the rap A unit waiting below the stage after the energetic greeting of the dance B unit.
‘Next is Oh Yi-jun’s turn.’
Well, I didn’t have time to worry about that. And Yi-jun’s attitude was so relaxed that it was hard to believe he was in front of a competition.
The concept of the rap A unit was authentic hip hop. The members of the rap A unit were Vesper, Playground, and AtoX. I think the main arrangement was done by the Vesper members.
‘They look pretty motivated.’
The sound quality was not bad and the members’ skills were not lacking.
The stage level was also decent, but… if there was anything to complain about, it was that I couldn’t tell if this was an idol competition or a famous hip hop survival show called Death Trial.
Not to mention the visual gap with the other units…
[Women, honor, money, I don’t care about that, I just enjoy it]
[Your girlfriend will be your ex tomorrow]
Shouldn’t you cut out those lyrics if they were in the original song? The original song itself was about beating up a male competitor and boasting about oneself, but they really didn’t change it and brought it like that…
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