Chapter 271: A Request for Help (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 271: A Request for Help (2)
Lately, the trend has been to drop modifiers like "feminine-style" from choreography descriptions, but the era when Pink Carat was active was before that shift took place.
Even when performing the same powerful choreography, the points where strength is applied differ. Even if the hips are used in the same way, there are differences in frequency and emphasis.
Although IRREGULAR consisted of kitschy, hip-hop-based choreography, its texture was distinctly different from the dances Spark had been performing.
There was Choi Je-ho, who could perform a dance he’d never seen before as if it were his own; Kang Gi-yeon, who had tried every dance imaginable; Jeong Seong-bin, the K-pop master; Park Ju-woo, who was not only a great singer but also lacked nothing in dancing; and Lee Cheong-hyeon, who relied on his sheer memory.
And then there was me, sandwiched between them, only just having adapted to Spark’s power dancing.
I recalled the brutal practice schedule right before our debut. It was time for a "Finding Our Roots" project for these idols in their tenth month since debut.
You poor idols with no seniority to speak of.
Once the year-end season passed, I was going to protest to UA and squeeze a vacation out of them. I would secure a hiatus for Spark, mark my words.
Even though I was the one who pushed for five comebacks in a single year... anyway.
Venting my frustration in the wrong direction, I activated the Labor Support Service.
"Guys, let's practice!"
"Whoa, you scared me. Why are you shouting all of a sudden?"
"Let's practice! I'm going to master the entire first verse today!"
"Hey, it's not that urgent!"
"It’s urgent for me! If you guys aren't going to practice, let me go first!"
Kang Gi-yeon stopped me, practically slamming his laptop down on the sofa. It was an evening fueled by madness.
Jeong Seong-bin and Lee Cheong-hyeon had quickly divided the parts for IRREGULAR themselves. They even went to get feedback from Teacher Oh Eun, who reportedly gave them the OK on the first try.
Furthermore, I intended to reach out to Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae in advance to ask for her understanding, but...
Me: [Hello, Sunbae. This is Kim I-wol.]
Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae: [I heard the news~]
Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae: [What position did you end up taking, I-wol? LOL]
...The rumors had already spread. Thanks to that, I was hit with a preemptive strike before I could even finish typing my message. It seemed the news had reached her through Teacher Oh Eun.
Me: [Please check it out at the Music Grand Festival~!]
Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae: [LOL]
Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae: [I’ll have to watch the live broadcast with Eun.]
Ha Seo-myeong Sunbae: [I’m looking forward to it.]
Whatever Sunbae was expecting, we were going to show her even more. After all, the costume sketches from the Planning Team had just arrived.
"Let's look at the outfits together!"
Jeong Seong-bin called the members over. I finished my greetings to Sunbae and approached him.
On the tablet screen were sketches of six men decked out in hot pink.
"Wow."
Kang Gi-yeon let out a short exclamation of awe.
The tablet was filled with styles that Spark had never worn during their promotions... no, probably never in their entire lives.
Spark had established strict principles for covering IRREGULAR.
First, as always, approach it with the utmost sincerity and effort.
Second, strive to perfectly recreate the seniors' stage.
Third, appropriately blend in Spark’s own color.
As part of this, we had previously discussed "recreating the seniors' costumes exactly."
From tops to bottoms, shoes, and accessories. While we needed to distribute them according to the number of members, the foundation was strictly based on the original stage.
They say fashion goes in cycles. Pink Carat’s stage outfits had a sensibility of that era, to the point where people might say they were aiming for a retro concept if seen today.
While wondering how to melt Spark’s unique color into this, we decided to add subculture-inspired points, drawing from the fact that our most recent album featured a conceptual fantasy music video.
For instance, chain chokers, beanies with pointed ends like cat ears, furry leg warmers... things like that. Teacher Oh Eun was a big help in selecting the items.
"At least it'll go well with our hair!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon shouted with a positive mindset.
Well, of course it would. Your hair is sky blue.
I hurriedly searched for my name on the sketch.
I discovered that my share consisted of a fluorescent pink cat-ear headband, a pink turtleneck, slightly faded dark gray cargo pants, and black walkers. There were also pink suspenders attached to the pants for some reason, even though I wasn't going to wear them over my shoulders.
"Hey."
Choi Je-ho, who had been quietly looking for his own outfit next to me, called out.
"Aren't the names swapped on this?"
Choi Je-ho pointed to a flamboyant drawing of a man. Instead of answering him, I tagged the Planning Team on Do-shun and left a comment: 'Could you please double-check if the members' names were mislabeled on the coordination sheet?'
Regrettably, the answer came back that there were no errors.
For about two weeks, Spark was busy enough to make our eyes spin. It was because our promotions overlapped with the year-end stage preparations.
We’d go to the shop at dawn for makeup, film a pre-recording, go to a fan meeting or fan sign event during the downtime, film the ending stage, move to the company, practice while watching the fancams uploaded by the broadcasting station, and then practice for the year-end stage until it was dawn again.
Even when the schedule varied slightly, it was just a matter of getting hair, makeup, and coordi at dawn, attending one event, filming a light variety show, and after the live music show stage ended, communicating with fans for a couple of hours during a live stream in the evening before heading back to the practice room.
By the end, everyone except Choi Je-ho and me was practically melting.
Lee Cheong-hyeon was in the worst state, having eventually given up on his final exams due to the rap making for IRREGULAR and the music arrangement for the Music Grand Festival.
He was wandering around with unfocused eyes like a genius possessed by madness, so I once suggested he go in and sleep first...
"This is a promotion I sacrificed my finals for. I’m going to make it a success even if it kills me."
...He refused. Even Jeong Seong-bin couldn't stop him.
It was a pity the others were turning into puddles, but my condition was getting better by the day. It seemed that resting while the others were grinding had played a part.
The fact that minor worries had decreased also had an effect.
Take this year-end stage, for example. I had only decided on the song, the standards, and the direction, but when I checked the progress, costumes were being procured smoothly and several graphic designs were already coming out. How amazing was that?
With fewer headaches and a renewed zest for work, my complexion had improved from a "corpse cool tone" to a "semi-corpse cool tone." Even during the What I Want to Say promotions, the staff members told me it was a relief that I looked much better.
Normally, I would have been losing my mind doing the year-end settlement.
It struck me anew how much the things making up my life had changed. In ways I could never have imagined before.
My face was reflected in the dark car window. It was definitely my face, but everything except the features felt unfamiliar. The snow-white hair color, the clothes I was wearing, the accessories on my wrists.
Suddenly, it all felt foreign. Even though just moments ago I had been checking the monitor to see my white-haired self dancing and taking a group photo together to show off the new costumes.
After living like this, will I be able to go back to being an office worker?
Previously, I had thought that life after achieving the KPI would naturally be like that. That I would leave Spark and return to where I originally belonged, or at least live a stable life equivalent to that.
But now, I have doubts. Whether this time will feel like a void to me. Whether it truly means nothing to me.
I know it’s unsightly to be greedy for a position that doesn't suit me.
And I’ve never even been greedy for that position.
I’m scared.
Scared that I might become unsightly.
It would be best if such a thing never happened.
"I think we should reconsider Je-ho Hyung and I-wol Hyung wearing heeled shoes."
"That's true. Especially Je-ho Hyung—he’s already 190cm even with just a little bit of a heel."
Just as I was getting sentimental, Kang Gi-yeon and Jeong Seong-bin raised their voices.
"Then what, you want me to go out barefoot?"
Choi Je-ho asked, sounding incredulous.
"I’m saying we should lower the heels a bit. The Pink Carat Sunbaes matched their heights, but we’re all over the place."
"But it’s also Gi-yeon-ssi’s fault for not growing while everyone else did."
"Does blaming me change anything? We need a plan. Or give me some height-increasing shoes."
"As if I-wol Hyung would ever let you wear those."
The 100-minute debate shifted to Kang Gi-yeon and Lee Cheong-hyeon. The manager chuckled, saying they certainly had a lot of energy.
"I'll consider platform soles. Tag me on Do-shun and ask them to look for different shoe designs."
"Should I look for some first and ask them to get something similar?"
"The stylists will find them much faster. It’s not like we know much about height-increasing shoes."
At my words, Kang Gi-yeon nodded and took out his phone.
They really do have a lot of energy. They don't give a person a moment to dwell on other thoughts.
It felt like any other chaotic year-end, but a chuckle escaped my lips.
Kang Gi-yeon’s request to change the shoes was quickly accepted. Other minor requirements were also gathered, and the coordination side could be considered to be in the final stages.
First, the procurement of clothes was finished. I heard that thanks to the retro boom, finding fabrics or items wasn't too difficult.
The shoe situation was also easily resolved. I had wondered if we’d have to buy combat boots online if there were no walkers that fit these grown men, but fortunately, there’s nothing you can’t find in this world nowadays.
'They make these kinds of shoes in our size?'
'Yeah, I found them at a cosplay shop...'
The staff member avoided my gaze, so I didn't ask for details. I just trusted that they had found something where the soles wouldn't burst and the heels wouldn't break.
And now that all preparations were complete.
'This is the first time we're dancing in shoes with this much of a heel, right?'
'Right.'
'Then shouldn't we have a rehearsal?'
To prevent any potential risks, Spark ended up practicing in full attire (Year-End Special Stage ver.) under my lead.
In outfits that made me wonder... if this was really okay.