Chapter 296
Chapter 296
Even on the day the agency concert announcement and ticket schedule were released, a joint performance practice session happened to be scheduled.
Thanks to that, I was able to check the reactions during the latter half of practice.
To sum it up... it was exactly as expected.
A whirlpool of anticipation, concern, annoyance, and interest.
It couldn't be helped. A televised agency concert was a unique case, and it carried both risk factors and high expectations.
Moreover, since it featured three teams from a hit audition program, the public appeal was high.
With the broadcast scheduled on the Tnet channel, accessibility was great; anyone interested could just flip the channel and watch.
On the other hand, it was rare to find someone who liked all three teams under this agency.
‘So, only one thing is certain.’
The team that lagged behind the most among these three Idol Inc. groups would likely be torn to shreds by universal ridicule.
Since the fans didn't exactly have pride in or affection for the agency, they certainly wouldn't cover for each other.
‘That would eventually lead to resentment and exhaustion.’
There was no need to add fuel to that fire, so this joint stage with Mirinae was no different.
Besides it being a co-ed performance, there was one more factor to consider.
‘I had to avoid a stage structure that invited direct comparison.’
And the stage had already been formatted that way.
...Though I didn't expect it to become this intense.
"Here, here! Don't you think it would look so cool if we added this step right when we land?"
"If it's okay with you, I was thinking... what if we emphasized the freeze at the end of the first chorus more...!"
"Ah~ Shall we all take a look at this part together? We're doing really well right now, but don't you think it would look ten times cooler if our heights were perfectly aligned in a straight line when we enter the bridge? It'll look so clean~"
Since the other side was also ambitious about the stage, the difficulty level for everyone skyrocketed as they scrambled not to be outdone.
In the end, the physical exertion just kept escalating.
‘Should I finally raise my dance stat?’
I hesitated while looking at my remaining points, but I decided against it, conscious of the fact that leveling up via the system was no longer possible for me.
The moment for natural growth would surely come. With my current stats alone, I could handle this much.
"Whew, shall we go one more time?"
"...!"
So, the conclusion was that we were rolling around as if we were in boot camp, all to create a single special stage that people usually expected to be just a half-hearted performance.
I acknowledged this after checking the state of my teammates.
‘At this rate, it should be fine to release the practice behind-the-scenes footage.’
Regardless of gender, there were so many dancers involved in this mess that it was practically endurance training. I wiped my sweat-drenched temples.
‘Still, the picture will turn out well.’
"Oh~ the synchronization is good here now."
"Wow, I'm really proud of us!"
I just hope the agency doesn't get any delusions of grandeur after seeing the stage.
"Shall we finish it up today?"
"Yes!"
I shrugged and resumed practice without a word.
And the remaining time flew by in an instant.
*
Backstage, where the cheers of the audience and the sound of music thundered.
‘I have to do well.’
Park Min-ha, the unofficial leader of Mirinae who debuted in 2nd place, swallowed hard.
Performances were fun. However, for a performance where "failure means the end," the problem was the time leading up to the start.
This was because an overwhelming pressure, enough to make her head spin, was crashing down on her brain.
‘If it weren't for the herbal tranquilizers... what would I have done?’
What were the others doing? She suddenly turned to look beside her.
There stood Park Moon-dae, leaving his face to the staff.
Sweat was dripping nonchalantly from his fair face and tall frame. He pointed to his waist with a finger.
"Here. The mic fix came loose."
"Yes, yes!"
‘Wow...’
Park Min-ha was about to admire him for a moment before she snapped out of it.
He certainly had a handsome face, but she had seen and heard too much to feel fluttery.
Even now, it was playing in surround sound in her head.
Whenever the company talked about TeSTAR or some incident that broke out, it felt like they were talking to a ghost.
‘Just how much did he know...?’
He was a strategic type of person, someone whose vision was hard to even guess.
‘How does a person grow up to live like that?’
Recalling how she had thought Park Moon-dae was cute during the Idol Inc. Re-listing season, Park Min-ha felt like banging her head against a wall.
Past me, that’s not it!
Just then, a pleasant voice spoke from right beside her.
"Let's head up~"
"...! Yes!"
At Lee Se-jin's words, Park Min-ha immediately returned to reality.
‘The stage!’
Meanwhile, Lee Se-jin, who was smiling, gave a hand signal and started running while talking to Park Moon-dae.
"......"
To be honest, that senior was scary too. Park Min-ha recalled their past practices.
‘By the time I realized it, I was doing exactly what he said...’
Looking back now, she even felt that the elements they supposedly decided on together were actually things they had been swept into.
Are all audition alumni like that? If so, why is everyone in our group so naive...?
"Phew."
"Min-ha, let's go!!"
"Ye-yes!"
Park Min-ha trotted along, matching the tempo of Jung Yul-gi, who was excitedly pushing her back. She had many worries.
However, right behind the stage.
Waaaaaaah!
"......"
The smell of dry ice, the metallic scent of the stage structure, the feel of the costumes and lenses.
The air of the stage had a magical power that made a person awaken.
So, Park Min-ha also thought:
‘Still, I’m confident on stage.’
She could do well.
‘I won't be pushed back.’
Turning her head, she saw the faces of the other three, who were clearly thinking the same thing.
And there, the countdown ended.
"1!"
Thus, the four-person stage began.
First, what filled the hall was a vast electronic bass derived from piano sounds.
The accompaniment melody was a song the audience knew well.
‘It’s Attack.’
It was an intense OST by a co-ed band that had hit the theaters in an action movie series during the latter half of last year.
Whenever K-pop idols happened to do a special co-ed stage, covering a famous pop song wasn't uncommon.
It might sound strange, but it was because there was less resistance than when doing a co-ed stage with an idol song.
Perhaps it was because the sense of distance coming from the difference in language and sentiment reinforced the feeling of it being a "performance."
So, the audience gave a plain reaction, thinking it was a "plausible choice."
Until right before the singers appeared.
Swish.
The first to take the stage was a group of dancers.
Dressed in strange, achromatic clothes that covered their entire bodies, the dancers performed a synchronized routine based on repetitive movements.
‘Oh.’
At first, it was grand. But repeating a short routine throughout the interlude gradually made people bored.
Even the lighting was monotonous.
The moment everyone became accustomed to it all, just 15 seconds into the intro.
Riiiiiiip—
With a sudden, sharp, tearing sound, the black crowd stopped.
And into the center, the footsteps of four conspicuous figures burst out in a line, fast and relentless as if trained.
Pinpoint lights followed them.
They wore stylish jumpsuits with silver, loose rider jackets draped over them.
While the black crowd behind them stared intently at them.
Thud.
At the very front of the stage. The four of them threw something black they had been carrying on their shoulders to the side and stood with firm postures, chins tilted up.
[Ooh]
Then, the song with its massive sense of space returned like a storm.
This time, with all the colors and accompaniment at once.
[Sometimes it doesn't matter]
Amidst the colorful lights and electronic sounds popping brilliantly, Park Moon-dae’s well-projected vocals cut sharply into the song.
Behind the large, intense, and sharply defined choreography, the black dancers attached themselves like shadows.
[if the world comes to an end]
[or not.]
They were arranged in a formation that mixed men and women based on physical balance, but there was no pair choreography.
Instead, the parts, distributed solely considering vocal tone and the lines of the choreography, rushed in without a moment's rest.
[Wherever I go
This feeling survives
The mood is all right]
Following Lee Se-jin, who quickly executed the complex, long-reach choreography that brought out the true flavor of the dance, the high notes exploded again.
[Then I'm gonna jump into the fire]
Electronic sounds and beats five times flashier than the original played out, accompanied by a similarly flashy but rough group dance.
The moment the song was caught in a hook as white noise swallowed the accompaniment.
[Like a bomb]
Lasers exploded with the drop.
[Yeah-ahahahah]
Jung Yul-gi burst to the front, swept the floor, and picked up a black object.
It was what they had thrown aside when they first appeared.
An ambiguous rod with no particular specificity.
However, as Lee Se-jin, who had burst forward again, took a firing stance with that empty rod like a gun, lasers burst out from it like fireworks.
To be precise, the timing and angles were matched to make it look that way.
Subsequently, movements that looked like swords, bazookas, or guns poured out as the choreography connected.
And colorful lasers exploded like the recoil of weapons.
The choreography exquisitely matched the angles, making the lasers and LEDs look like reactions to the dance moves.
The black dancers fell to the colorful lasers, and all sorts of sci-fi effects crossed the stage.
Moreover, thanks to the camera work being exquisitely tuned to draw the viewer in, those watching on TV could also experience a unique flavor.
With the person in the center changing with every move, it felt like a one-take shot from a well-made action movie.
By finding the most effective movements for each person despite their differences in physique, they enhanced the flavor of every changing center.
[Like a bomb
Light up tonight.]
The moment the 1-minute and 55-second composition, which ran like crazy, ended.
"Huff."
Park Min-ha knew instinctively.
Mirinae hadn't "won," but this stage was a success.
[Yeah-ahahahah]
In the middle of the fallen black crowd, the four people, with the objects draped over their shoulders again, sang the final note in different tones, and the song ended.
*
‘That was insane.’
Park Min-ha thought blankly as she stumbled down to the backstage.
A stage where she poured everything out until she felt like vomiting was somehow gratifying. Since the quality was high enough to feel even while on stage, her heart felt like it was going to burst.
‘And because we used props, the lack of unity in the choreography due to our different sizes was completely resolved...’
Park Moon-dae’s idea was brilliant.
Unable to suppress the urge to offer praise, she whipped her head around.
Jung Yul-gi and Lee Se-jin had already run off with the staff due to makeup issues.
Then at least to Senior Park Moon-dae...!
"Hmm."
However, Park Moon-dae was drinking water and looking elsewhere with sunken eyes.
‘Is... is he not impressed?’
Did he mean that he could create a stage of this level on a daily basis?
Park Min-ha was somewhat shocked, but she soon realized that wasn't it.
‘Ah, he’s watching the next stage.’
He was looking at the monitor. The stage immediately following theirs was a TeSTAR song covered by the Idol Inc. debut team.
And that stage currently playing was...
[Go on picnic~]
‘It’s not bad?’
They did better than expected.
Park Min-ha nodded, thinking that the choice of arrangement played a big role, just as she had thought during rehearsals.
Because they had chosen Picnic out of all of TeSTAR’s conceptual and impressive titles.
Excluding the recent Promise, that song was the most popular among TeSTAR’s tracks, so inducing a sing-along seemed like a wise choice.
Because their skills wouldn't be directly compared.
Curious about his thoughts, she inadvertently looked to her side.
‘What does he think...’
"...!"
"Hmm."
Before she knew it, Park Moon-dae was watching the monitor with a faint smile.
But it wasn't a look of pride or a look directed at a rival.
Instead, a flash of something like a sense of victory seemed to pass over his face.
Or perhaps, conviction.
‘Uh...?’
But there was no time to think about it for long.
"Moving out!"
"...! Yes! I'm coming!"
In a somewhat confused state, Park Min-ha gave a bow and ran off to prepare for the next stage.
‘What was that...? No, never mind! Let's not worry about it.’
She decided not to try and dig for anything more than necessary from Park Moon-dae.
And a few dozen minutes later.
This Idol Inc. debut team and Park Moon-dae would meet in the hallway.