Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Final Stage Begins
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The concert hall went dark once again, and shortly after, Wi Yeo-jun walked onto the stage.
Wi Yeo-jun stopped not at the center of the stage, but at the far left edge.
In the moment of everyone's confusion, five microphones rose up onto the stage.
The handles of the microphones were decorated with real flowers, a design reminiscent of bouquets.
“Waaaah!”
“There are only five microphones that lead to the path of debut.”
White lights shone from below the microphones, making their presence even more pronounced.
“Who will be the contestants to claim these microphones? Let’s start by checking the candidates.”
As Wi Yeo-jun finished his line, the hall went dark.
The screen on the main stage slowly lit up.
Haru’s face appeared on the screen.
[To be honest, I’m scared. What if I fail here too? Does that mean I can’t go back to Japan again? There’s really not much time left. Thoughts like that keep popping into my head. But I’ve decided to overcome them. If I just stay anxious, I won’t be able to do anything.]
Judging by the background, it seemed to be a clip from a personal interview.
[I want to work hard, thinking of this as my last chance.]
The screen changed, and this time, Lee Ho-jun appeared.
[This is the only chance I have left. I don’t want to cry with regret later. So I promised myself that I absolutely will not cry here.]
Next was Jung Eun-woo.
[I’m anxious and nervous. But right now, I’m just trying to think, ‘I will accomplish this.’ That’s all.]
All of these were scenes that had never been aired before.
[How do I endure tough times? Honestly, I don’t think there’s a special method. I just think that I have to do it, no matter what. I wonder if I’m trying to pretend I don’t know how hard it is for me. Saying it out loud makes me sound pathetic.]
And then Park Ji-ham.
The stories of several more contestants flowed by.
[I think I just sleep. It’s a form of escape, but even if I just shut my eyes for 30 minutes, I feel a little better when I wake up.]
It was finally Seo Yoon-seul’s turn.
Hearing the inner thoughts of all fourteen contestants, the audience in the venue and those watching the live broadcast couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for them.
[My heart aches for all of them.]
[Why am I suddenly crying?]
[They’ve all endured such difficult times. We know all of that. I think that’s why I care so much more.]
[If they debut, I’m buying their album. I can’t fully stan them since I already have an ult group, but as long as their promotions don’t overlap with my boys, I’ll stream for them too. I just want them to do well….]
Every single one of them was so desperate that it wouldn't be strange for any of them to make the debut lineup.
It was still unknown who would pass and who would be eliminated, but one thing was certain: even if the person they were cheering for debuted, no one in this space would be able to rejoice freely.
“Oh my. It won’t do to cry already.”
Wi Yeo-jun said, looking at the fans who had started sobbing after only seeing the opening stage.
“The tears are just flowing!”
“I don’t want to cry either!”
The fans’ playful complaints could be heard from all over.
“Still, you must hold back. Because the main performances are about to begin.”
Watching the fans hastily wipe away their tears, Wi Yeo-jun’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“Then, let’s meet the stars of our next stage.”
As he finished his line, contestants swarmed onto the stage.
Until they reached the center of the stage, they waved and greeted their fans.
“Before the performance, please give us a brief team introduction.”
Usually, introductions were done after the performance, but the order was slightly different this time.
The 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, and 14th ranked contestants were on one team.
“Hello. We are Team ‘Carrot’.”
They playfully pointed to the orange accents on their outfits.
“Did you become ‘Carrot’ because of your outfit concept?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The 7th-ranked contestant, who seemed to be the leader, answered Wi Yeo-jun’s question.
“That’s a cute team name.”
“Thank you.”
The interview continued in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
“I heard that this time, you formed teams with people you wanted to work with. Is there a special reason this group became a team?”
“We were all already close friends. As soon as we heard the mission, we stuck together like magnets.”
“In that case, we can look forward to your teamwork.”
“You can look forward to it as much as you want.”
The leader declared his ambition with a voice full of confidence.
“Excellent. Then, let’s enjoy the performance from Team ‘Carrot’.”
As Wi Yeo-jun exited, Team ‘Carrot’ got into formation.
Soon, the intro began to play, and as a stage effect, soap bubbles started to float up dreamily.
—I missed you
It was a song about pretending to be okay after a painful breakup, a good choice to liven up the atmosphere with its bright melody.
—You still look as bright as ever
The first team’s performance was decent.
It wasn’t that their skills were lacking; rather, the skill level of all the teams had become standardized at a high level, so while they were good, they lacked something truly special.
Especially since the impact of the opening stage, ‘When the Red Moon Rises,’ had been far too powerful.
[They’re good, but… what is it? Maybe because we have certain expectations for RED CUBE, but it feels like something is missing.]
[RED CUBE has raised my standards too high. I need something more intense.]
[Wow. So I wasn't the only one thinking that. It’s like, they need to add something special, like for a year-end awards show performance. Like how they started the last stage with Haru’s solo dance and changed the choreography.]
[They worked hard and they’re good, but this isn’t the vibe we were hoping for.]
With standards that had already been raised to the limit, they didn’t receive criticism, but they couldn't earn praise either.
And so, the first team’s performance ended.
Next up was the team composed of the 8th, 9th, 11th, and 12th-ranked contestants.
—Don’t leave
It was a song about obsessing over a lover, and they incorporated a horror concept, perfectly hitting that provocative nerve the public desired.
[Yes. This is it.]
[Did you see that just now? Wow. He wasn't even holding a cigarette, but I thought my heart was going to stop.]
Since they couldn't show cigarettes on a public broadcast, they simply made a gesture as if they were smoking.
Even so, they succeeded in capturing the fans’ hearts.
[This arrangement is great too. It doesn’t feel like the original song.]
[Right. This is what I was hoping for.]
Suddenly, a bizarre violin sound pierced their eardrums.
The audience members either swallowed dryly or shivered as they felt goosebumps crawl all over their bodies.
The contestants on stage lowered their upper bodies like zombies in a movie and began to shamble around.
—I told you not to go
As the 8th-ranked contestant spoke in a low voice, the music cut off abruptly.
—Why would you leave me
—How could you leave me
—I can’t let you go
—How can I ever let you go
As the other four spoke in unison, the horrifying atmosphere was amplified.
Suddenly, the instrumental started playing again.
The contestants twisted their arms, showcasing bone-breaking.
[Wow. Just watching that looks painful.]
[How do they do that?]
[Wow. If that were me, I would have cried during practice saying I couldn't do it.]
It was a performance unlike any they had seen before.
—I love you.
They ended the stage by covering both eyes with their right hands, as if forcibly holding back tears.
* * *
“Waaaaaaah!”
The incredible cheers coming from outside made my shoulders and neck tense up.
“I saw it during rehearsal, but that was really amazing, wasn't it?”
Haru said with a face full of laughter, as if he wasn't nervous at all.
‘It was amazing during rehearsal.’
Since there were only three teams left, we had a separate mid-term check-in, so rehearsal was the first time we saw their stages.
‘The first stage was good too, but the second one was more impressive. The highest-ranked contestant in that group was 8th, I think.’
I found myself unconsciously recalling the ranks of the members in the second team.
“But is it possible for the concepts to be this different without it being intentional?”
“I know, right?”
Outfits and concepts completely different from the previous teams.
A special quality not shown by other male idols.
That was what we had aimed for when creating our stage in the first place.
“Should we put our hands in before we go on stage?”
“Sounds good.”
At Haru’s suggestion, everyone gathered their hands in the center.
“How about on the count of three, we say, ‘Let’s burn it up!’?”
“Hyung, you even know that phrase?”
“Yup.”
Haru replied to Jung Eun-woo’s question with a smile.
“We really need to question your nationality.”
“I know, right? The fans say that too. They ask if I’m actually Korean. Anyway, we don’t have time, so let’s do it quickly.”
“Okay.”
“One, two.”
“Let’s burn it up!”
Fired up by Haru’s cheer, they strode from the darkness backstage toward the center of the brightly lit stage.