Chapter 70
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 70
Chapter Title MidEvaluation Feedback
Even though I had put on strong pressure, I still felt a bit uneasy.
Because I had no idea what kind of attitude Baek Sihwa would show.
No matter how messed up in the head and loosescrew that guy was, he was currently in the same group as me.
Our primary goal was to safely get through the third round performance.
To do that, all the team members had to sync up and put on a decent stage.
Since tomorrows the midevaluation, lets practice as much as we can.
Yes!
During the group practice session, I kept a close eye on Baek Sihwas face.
He still had that blank expression, but at least he wasnt acting out.
He didnt pick fights in unnecessary places either.
Looks like hes barely realized that things will end up neither here nor there if he keeps this up.
He must have realized there was nothing more he could do about his parts, even if he wasnt satisfied with them.
Chae Eungyus effort in yielding the dance break center to him probably helped too.
But the water was already spilled.
All the selfish crap Baek Sihwa had pulled over the past few days would have reached the production staffs ears intact.
Confirming there were no other issues on our side, I checked on Yoo Minhas condition.
She must have been pretty shocked after nearly getting assaulted at dawn.
Minha, you okay conditionwise?
Yeah! I didnt sleep much so Im a bit tired, but otherwise Im fine! Hehe.
Yoo Minha quickly bounced back to her usual energetic self.
In fact, she seemed even more full of energy when dancing the center choreography.
Hit it here with a boomchaka, boomboomchaka! Thats it, guys! Exactly!
Our sync just now was perfect, right?
It was awesome!
Thanks to that positive energy, the team could practice in a much brighter atmosphere.
Chae Eungyus solid leadership had a huge impact on the mood too.
If a trainee was lagging in a certain part, hed take them to the back of the practice room for oneonone coaching.
And if a new idea popped up for a specific section, hed bring it up right away and come up with various tweaks.
Karis, have you thought about how to handle the end of the bridge?
Yeah, I worked it out while practicing alone yesterday.
He even personally checked on my bridge right before the climax.
After going through the overall choreography for the bridge part, Chae Eungyu tilted his head slightly.
You kept it mostly in line with the existing choreography overall.
Since changing other parts isnt something I can decide on my own.
Hmm, yeah, fair enough.
Chae Eungyu instructed us to run the bridge choreography again.
After checking it a couple more times, he snapped his fingers and grinned.
I just had a great idea. Starting from the fleeting breath part here, instead of a straight line formation, how about a circular one?
Circular?
Yeah. And for the final lyrics, Karis would
I listened to Chae Eungyus idea and slowly nodded.
It definitely felt more alive than just tweaking my personal choreography while leaving the rest of the given routine intact. This changed the overall picture.
Sounds good.
Really? Its just my thought. Youre the owner of this part, so its fine if you stick to your original plan
The revised choreography you just suggested captures the songs vibe way better. As expected of experienceborn expressiveness.
WWow, saying it so directly makes me embarrassed for no reason.
Chae Eungyu blushed in a way that was unlike him, and everyone burst into laughter.
Baek Sihwa was the only one who showed no reaction, just staring off into space.
Alright, then lets practice this version again?
Yes!
Throughout practice, I clicked my tongue inwardly watching Baek Sihwa, who seemed lost in thought elsewhere.
Why do you keep selfdestructing like that?
Kids, long time no see!
You all practiced hard?
We did!
Good, good. Then I can look forward to it a bit?
Midevaluation day.
We bowed to Baek Chaehyun and Ha Sangpil as we entered the practice room.
There was a man Id never seen before sitting between the two judges.
This is PurpleLips, composer Park Seungju, who wrote the song. He wanted to see the stage in person, so he came.
Nice to meet you all. I was so excited I could barely sleep last night. Im really looking forward to what kind of cool stage youll put on for the song.
WWell work even harder to meet your expectations!
For the third round, the composers of our assigned songs join the midevaluation.
I remembered the composer for the mission song I did last time having a very solemn and serious vibe.
But this composer was staring at us with sparkling eyes, unable to hide his anticipation.
Ha Sangpil flipped through the papers clipped to his board and spun his pen.
Leaders Eungyu, centers Minha?
Yup!
Oh ho.
Ha Sangpils sharp gaze swept over us.
When our eyes met, his eyebrow seemed to arch oddly.
As if asking, Why arent you the center?
I responded with a calm smile.
Minha, this is your first time as center?
First time ever!
We voted among ourselves, and Minha brought out the songs vibe the best. She mastered almost all the choreography on her own, so we were super grateful.
Didnt know Minha had that kind of talent.
Baek Chaehyun shot her a surprised look, and Yoo Minha giggled while scratching her cheek.
Hehe, no. We all pulled together and practiced hard thanks to that!
Yeah, I praised your dancing when I first saw you.
The praise for Yoo Minha kept coming.
I glanced sideways at Baek Sihwa.
Sure enough, the corner of his mouth was twitching faintly.
His hands were behind his back, out of sight, but he was probably clenching his fists.
To lose control of his emotions like this truly a pity.
After going through the checklist items one by one, Ha Sangpil nodded.
Alright, lets see what youve prepared.
The backing track started, and we showed off our clean group dance as practiced.
Everyone sang their parts without mistakes and displayed smooth, clean dance lines.
Except for one person.
Who wants to go first? Chaehyun?
Baek Chaehyun scribbled something down at the end before speaking.
Hmm, vocals looked fine overall. Good grasp on the lyrics, and I was surprised at how faithful you were to the concept. Especially Karis.
I snapped my head up at the mention of my name.
Baek Chaehyun smiled brightly at me.
I was a bit worried if you could pull off this freshness since youve only done dark songs so far. But your tones on the lighter side, so it suited you perfectly. The bridge was great too.
Thank you.
Main vocal Daehyuns solid too at this level. Just work on the ending notes a bit. One regrettable thing, Sihwa.
Yes?
Baek Sihwas eyes widened.
Pitch and such were fine. But you alone had this dark vibe, which was a shame. The other members sang with a fresh, bright feel, but you seemed detached from it all.
Ah.
Brighten your tone. Keep working on your expressions too. Otherwise, itll feel like youre singing a different song up there.
Oh, I wanted to mention the vibe too.
Composer Park Seungju raised his hand.
As Chaehyun pointed out, this song has a simple yet solid theme. Its about making beautiful memories watching fireworks at the beach with the one you lovefull of freshness and youth. What I really want to emphasize is mistakes are okay, but expressions must be bright no matter what. The trainee at the end, Baek Sihwa, right?
Yes.
Id love if Trainee Sihwa paid a little more attention to that.
Yeah, Sihwa.
Finally, Ha Sangpil spoke up.
Spinning his pen, he didnt look pleased.
Did I overhype you? Youve been a trainee a long time with tons of experience. So why make amateur mistakes like this?
Im sorry.
I heard from Eungyu you revised the second verse bridge choreography yourself. Everyone else adjusted to it, so why are you still doing the old version? Thats a focus issue, right?
Id slipped off his radar for a bit, but as expected, he was even harsher than Bae Kangwoo.
Like Chaehyun said, expressions too. Not fresh at all. If youre the only one sulking up there, whos gonna immerse themselves in the stage? Lack of focus and bad mindset spell big trouble. Not kidding.
Ill keep it in mind.
Everyone except Sihwa was good. The revisions showed originality, which I liked. Center Minha looks like shes finally wearing the right clothes. Practice hard till performance day and make it great, kids. Got it?
Yes!
I shouldve paid more attention as leader. Sorry.
Chae Eungyu threw in an apology at the right moment.
Ha Sangpil chuckled, Itll be tough, but do your best, wrapping up the midevaluation.
Was nervous, but glad they liked it.
Yeah!
As everyone sighed in relief, Chae Eungyu kept comforting Baek Sihwa on the side.
Anyone can mess up, so dont beat yourself up. Lets practice harder for the remaining time. Just nail it on the main stage. Ill help you along the way.
Thank you.
Baek Sihwas voice lacked strength.
A far cry from when hed yelled at Yoo Minha dredging up her past.
PDnim. What are we doing with this?
Hmm.
Executive PD Shin Cheolwoo watched the footage the writer had pulled up intently.
Then he checked his phone for some info.
This has been going on throughout the third round?
Yes. Reports of bad attitude, and even trying to hurt another trainee.
The writer crossed her arms and sighed deeply.
Thought he was normal, but is he crazy? Trying to hit a kid in the practice room?
Hes definitely not right in the head.
Shin Cheolwoo peered at his phone, then took off his glasses.
Baek Sihwas rankings keep dropping, and hes not gaining fans. Probably drop more at the third round reveal. With this footage showing personality issues too, well.
Gonna edit it out?
Nah, opposite. Air all his practice disruptions as is. Hes a product thatll soon lose its juice anywaymight as well use him for lastminute agro.
Silence fell over the meeting room.
In the footage the writer had on, Karis von Walden was talking to Chae Eungyu.
That works too.
Huh?
No, just thought of a good teaser.
What teaser?
After hearing Shin Cheolwoos brief explanation, the writer frowned slightly.
Itll definitely pull agro, but is that okay?
In what way?
Interest pouring in all at once brings other problems.
To the writers concern, Shin Cheolwoo replied.
Viewers these days arent idiots theyll figure it out. We just snag the ad revenue from the buzz.
Yes.
The writer reluctantly nodded at Shin Cheolwoos words, but a seed of worry still sprouted faintly in her mind.