Chapter 77
Chapter 77
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Brawl
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-So… is the next stage ready?
The MC asked the staff, not the camera.
Lately, they’d been using unedited long takes to create a sense of being there live, so this might make it to the final broadcast.
-Yes. I'm told they're ready. The team that fought a bloody battle with a narrow score difference last week, will they do it again this week? Let's find out! The final performance is JD Enter's Answer!
“Whoa.”
It seemed they had gained quite a few fans.
Compared to the soulless cheers Answer received during the first part of the recording this morning, this was much more hopeful. That's how overwhelming Seol-ah's vocal performance in the first part had been.
♪♬
Dung du-gu tak dugu-dugu tak
♪♬
A 16-beat drum intro kicked off a soul rhythm as the stage gradually brightened. Their long, ash-blonde hair came into view first, followed by white off-the-shoulder tops that revealed their smooth shoulders and denim skorts.
With their heads bowed, the two looked identical, like a decalcomania print.
“Ooh.”
Their appearance alone drew another small gasp, and as the 16-beat drum continued, people started grooving their heads to the rhythm.
A soul dance began, with a rhythm that conjured images of a classy jazz bar.
♪♬
Dung du-gu tak dugu-dugu tak
♪♬
Their wave movements, based on the groove, tantalizingly highlighted their exposed shoulder lines, creating a strange tension.
“…Yoo-jun, your mouth is hanging open.”
“Ah! Ah.”
Choi Yoo-jun licked his dry lips.
He's a guy, alright.
“Woah.”
What seemed like a simple soul dance turned into something more as their perfectly symmetrical movements created a decalcomania effect, drawing another quiet gasp from the crowd.
Incorporating parts of the Zero Two dance, performed slowly and deliberately, also drew a good reaction from the audience.
Of course, this wasn't the end.
♪♬
Dugudung……
♪♬
The music stopped just as Ro-si and Seul-bi's shoulders touched.
In the silence that suggested the performance was over, the judges and audience were smacking their lips in disappointment.
♪♬
Doom-chit doom-chit
♪♬
Suddenly, a drum beat erupted, and the two started doing the shuffle Rub step, crossing their feet back and forth to form an X.
“Woooah!”
♪♬
Bbi-bbi-bbi-ri-bip doom-chit bbi-bbi-bbi-ri-bip doom-chit
♪♬
Their steps were so uniform they looked like two famous choreographers, their bodies seeming to float as if defying gravity.
Hand movements were added, and their feet quickened.
The Crab Step and the Running Man were harmoniously added, their silver hair flying stylishly.
As Seul-bi and Ro-si danced with dazzling footwork and sharp hand movements, the earlier tension was gone. They were just as confident as when they had created waves of people in the club.
“Woooah!”
For their final ending pose, leaning against each other's backs as if against a wall, most of the judges and audience gave them a standing ovation.
“Haa… haa.”
Beads of sweat trickled down Seul-bi and Ro-si's faces.
They gasped for breath, staring blankly at the praise being showered upon them.
* * *
“……”
Watching Seul-bi and Ro-si's performance, Team Leader Park, Manager Jang, and the members of Your Girl were breathing heavily.
“What the hell are they?”
Team Leader Park, who prided himself on knowing everything about JD Enter's personnel, grumbled.
It was because Ro-si, who had been nothing special aside from her visuals, had achieved perfect sync with Seul-bi, who excelled at dancing.
“…You said she was nothing special… She's good too.”
“Yeah…”
Main vocalist Seyeon and lead vocalist Mi-ji looked at each other, bewildered.
“Waaaah!”
The roar from the audience as the performance ended sent an unpleasant shiver down Your Girl's spines.
“Ha, fuck, this is so embarrassing.”
Anxious at the thought of losing in the second part as well, the Your Girl members nervously picked at their nail art and bit their lips.
“Your Girl! Aren't you doing your interview?”
A staff member said irritably.
“Yes.”
But even after answering, the members of Your Girl couldn't bring themselves to move.
The memory of how they had confidently provoked the Answer members who barged into their waiting room this morning kept replaying in their minds.
* * *
-Yes! We've just seen Answer's final performance! It was truly jaw-dropping. The standing ovation from the audience already hints at a good score. I'm curious to see what the judges thought.
-Yes. First of all, it was a really great performance. Soul is a slow, but soft and smooth dance. In fact, it's like a simple appetizer that could be called the root of modern dance, but not just anyone can bring out its unique rhythm. It comes from the soul when body and mind are one…….
The judge with the "TMI" concept rambled on with unnecessary details, but his expression showed he was genuinely moved.
-…I highly praise the fact that such an amazing dance was performed not by one person, but by two, symmetrically, like reflections in a mirror. Also, giving the audience, who thought it was over, a surprising twist with a much more difficult shuffle…….
The judge lavished praise on Answer's performance, even adding personal comments that surely weren't in the script.
-Thank you. Next, we have to hear from Director Kim Bong-guk, a former stage director. What did you think?
-…Hooo. *Tsk*. Yees.
I had a gut feeling that Kim Bong-guk was involved with SJ Enter. It felt like he would invent faults where there were none.
-The composition was good. The two had great chemistry. But it did have the drawback of lacking artistry.
The audience grumbled at the sight of him forcing criticism because he couldn't find any real flaws.
-Well. Of course, looking for artistry in pop culture might be absurd, but…….
What's he talking about now?
Is he saying the people who like Seul-bi and Ro-si's dancing are just mindless animals? What a piece of trash.
Just then, I noticed a judge, a former singer, glaring discontentedly at Director Kim Bong-guk, who was nitpicking.
It was Jin Yang-soo, the one who had barged into the waiting room earlier asking for a cigarette.
‘Fuck, he's talking bullshit.’
I could clearly read his lips.
Kim Bong-guk must have heard him, as he glanced back mid-sentence.
Suddenly, the strategy of pitting two enemies against each other came to mind.
I suspected that at least one of them had been lobbied by SJ Enter.
Gyeon Sang-jin had always operated that way.
If they gave Answer a low score and Your Girl a high one, winning the first round would be impossible.
Will it work? Please, work.
From the system's item window, I selected 'Let's Fight (C),' an item I got from completing the quest 'Hungry Girl Group.'
[Designate the battle opponents.]
I connected Jin Yang-soo and Director Kim Bong-guk with the designation line.
[Battle Probability 77%]
[Use item ‘Let’s Fight (C)’?]
[Yes/No]
It was a one-time use item, so I hesitated for a moment, but I was confident I could achieve my goals even without it.
It was childish, but my immediate wish was to see those two annoying guys beat each other up.
If I was lucky and they got kicked out, it would be a huge advantage for Answer.
[Yes]
The moment the item was used, Jin Yang-soo's body flinched.
[Designated target is resisting.]
Resisting? With a 77% probability? Is the item just going to be wasted?
Maybe he was exercising superhuman patience because it was an important variety show.
Just then, Kim Bong-guk cracked his neck from side to side and looked back at Jin Yang-soo.
-If you just copy things without any originality, how is that any different from stealing someone else's work? Right?
[Designated target has given up resisting.]
[‘Let’s Fight (C)’ successfully used.]
Nice!
I unknowingly tensed my arm, and when Choi Yoo-jun looked over, I just cracked my neck and acted like nothing was happening.
“What! Why are you saying that to me? Huh? Are you dissing me right now?”
As Jin Yang-soo yelled, countless startled eyes turned toward them.
-Did I strike a nerve? Why—Ugh!
Jin Yang-soo's plastic bottle full of coffee hit Kim Bong-guk square in the forehead with a *thwack*.
“You crazy bastard!”
Enraged, Kim Bong-guk threw the microphone he was holding at Jin Yang-soo.
*CRASH!* *SCREEECH.*
“Aack!”
The microphone hit Jin Yang-soo's cheekbone, and a sound like a bomb exploding echoed through the speakers.
The female judges screamed, and Jin Yang-soo, in his fifties and on a higher tier, launched himself at Kim Bong-guk. His awkward flying kick missed Kim Bong-guk, and he ended up crashing butt-first onto another judge's table, falling over.
*Clatter.*
“Kyaaak!”
“Pfft!”
Choi Yoo-jun burst out laughing at the absurd situation.
Startled staff members rushed toward the two.
The two took off their shoes and threw them at each other before finally grappling and rolling on the floor.
Their minds were those of flying 20-year-old fighters, but in reality, the fight between two 50-year-old artists was a complete farce.
-Ah… what is happening…….
The MC's dazed mumble echoed through the hall.
“You bastard who takes bribes!”
“You're the one who leeches off your juniors!”
The staff struggled to pull them apart.
“Stop it!”
“Let go!”
The hall descended into chaos, and the recording was halted.
“Holy shit, this is insane. The two most annoying guys are fighting?”
“Seems so.”
My reaction must not have been what he expected, because Choi Yoo-jun blinked and asked again.
“You don't think it's funny, hyung?”
“…Violence is a bad thing.”
Choi Yoo-jun pouted as if to say that was ridiculous.
* * *
-Dong-hoon, take out two seats and ask the judges to move closer together.
I heard an assistant director giving instructions to another staff member.
It was because the two men, one with a bloody nose and the other with a split lip, had been forcibly removed.
I didn't know how influential they were in the entertainment industry, but it would probably be a long time before they could show their faces on TV again.
The scene was cleared up in exactly ten minutes, and recording resumed.
It was Answer's turn for their backstage interview.
“Great job.”
A staff member gave Answer a thumbs-up.
It was a far cry from the atmosphere when we first arrived at the station today.
-You've finished your performance for the second part of Round 1. Are you satisfied?
“Yes!”
Thanks to the farce between those two eyesores, the Answer members seemed to have completely cheered up, answering brightly.
-Ah, it seems you got the results you prepared for.
“Yes! We were just glad we could get through the performance without any mistakes.”
-Are you confident you'll win the first round?
“Well……”
Seul-bi glanced at me cautiously.
She seemed to be asking, ‘Can I say what I think?’ and I shook my head.
“Your Girl's performance was also outstanding and fun, so I'm not sure.”
-How humble. Who came up with the idea for this stage?
This time, the question went to Ro-si.
Ro-si gestured toward me politely with both hands and said.
“We all planned it together, but our manager deserves most of the credit.”
“*Whew!* Whoo!”
Choi Yoo-jun whistled and cheered loud enough for the mic to pick it up. I raised a hand to stop him, but the guy was incorrigible.
-Ah… is that your manager? He's very handsome.
“Yes! Our managers were also Yeonseupsaengs.”
-Ah… is he the manager who almost debuted with Fire Emblem?
“Yes, yes! That's him. He's a great singer, a great dancer, handsome, smart—he's good at everything!”
A handheld secondary camera focused on Choi Yoo-jun and me, and Yoo-jun gave a double thumbs-up below my face.
This wasn't exactly a welcome development when Answer was supposed to be in the spotlight.
I playfully covered my face with both hands.
-Are both of you their managers?
“Yes! One is our Timjang-nim. Our managers are handsome, right?”
-Shouldn't the managers get their own fan club?
“Hehe! We'll be the presidents!”
The fun, heartwarming interview ended, and Answer returned to their seats.
All the members looked happy, but for a moment, I thought I saw a dark expression flash across Yi-na's face.
The MC talked for a while with a staff member who came up on stage, his tone one of disbelief.
It seemed to be about the fight between the two judges.
The staff member went back down from the stage and gave a hand signal.
-Are the judges' results in?
At the MC's words, the girl groups lined up at the bottom of the pyramid could be seen wiping their sweaty palms on their clothes or holding each other's hands.
It was a foregone conclusion that either our Answer or Your Girl would occupy the pyramid's peak, but no one wanted to be relegated to the shabby, chairless space at the bottom.