Chapter 95
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 95
Chapter Title Judges Inspection and Showcase Surprise
The day after the midevaluation, Ha Sangpil showed up at the practice room.
There had been issues with maintaining the overall formation, and the individual skills of the team members were also a concern, so hed said during the midevaluation that hed personally come help out.
And now he was actually coming down to our practice room to check on our progress.
Have you all been practicing hard?
Yes!
Oh.
The moment he saw us, Ha Sangpils eyes lit up.
He tilted his head slightly and scanned the team members.
You all look way better than you did at the midevaluation?
Ah, haha!
Really?
Yeah. Back then, your faces were so dark and pale, like actual patients. But now you look full of life and motivation. Looks like practice has been going well, huh?
The second Ha Sangpil said that, everyone tacitly looked toward the same spot, as if theyd made a silent pact.
Ji Yooncheol flinched a little as countless eyes turned his way.
Representing the team, Chae Eungyu let out a hearty laugh and answered.
Yes! The atmospheres gotten so much better than before, and weve all been working hard to help each other out. Especially Yooncheolhe played a huge role.
Yooncheol did?
Ha Sangpils short question carried a ton of emotion.
You could tell from how his eyebrows shot up in an instanthe was incredibly skeptical.
Which made sense.
Ji Yooncheol, who never showed much emotion and seemed to have zero interest in others, had rolled up his sleeves and helped the team?
Even if I were a judge, thatd be shocking news.
Maybe sensing Ha Sangpils doubt, Ji Yooncheol nodded himself.
And he added words that would surely move Chae Eungyu deeply.
...I wanted to help the team. Responsibility isnt just on one person.
Oh ho. So thats how it is.
Ha Sangpil didnt show more surprise than that, but the bright gleam in his eyes said plenty.
Looks like youve all gotten your acts together and worked hard. So I can look forward to this, right?
Dont expect too much!
Haha, Ill keep expectations moderate. Alright, lets run it from the top.
The biggest worries were obviously Kang Donghwi and Heo Yubin.
Especially since I knew Heo Yubins personality well, I was concerned hed get nervous with an authority figure like Ha Sangpil right there.
But surprisingly, Heo Yubin wore a confident smile.
And after a quick runthrough up to the first chorus.
...Wow. You guys really put in the work.
Huff, huff. Thank you!
You didnt seriously pull allnighters, right?
We got about three hours of sleep, I think!
Ha Sangpil clapped, clearly more impressed than hed expected.
I dont know what kind of magic you pulled off, but the overall balance is solid now? Man, if you could fix it this fast, why not at the midevaluation? Makes me even more disappointed in that performance.
Thank you!
Yooncheol fixed a lot of that part.
Yeah?
Ji Yooncheol silently wiped his sweat and nodded.
Then he muttered in a quiet voice.
...If too much power goes into the lower body, it throws off the arm movements. So we fixed that first and practiced opening up the overall angles.
Exactly, spot on. The biggest issue was the kids on the left side flubbing the choreography. You nailed the problem. Good job.
...Thank you.
Ji Yooncheol bowed his head.
He was still trying to keep a straight face, but I caught his chest puffing out just a bit.
As expected, when youre in a good mood, it shows no matter how hard you try to hide it.
Basically, youve got the fundamentals down on what needs to be done. So today, lets focus on the fine details with me. Everyone ready?
Yes!
Great, I love that energy. Lets push hard till dinner.
Yes!
I couldnt help but smile as I listened to Ha Sangpils detailed instructions.
The guys next to me were doing the same.
We were probably all thinking the same thing.
Ever since Chae Eungyus heartfelt words, our teams vibe had completely turned around.
The harsh critiques from the judges had tanked our morale, but once we got the mindset that we could do it together, new energy sparked.
And with the results of our special training proving it now, that energy was only surging higher.
Weve confirmed our practice was on the right track. Now well build on this to create a truly perfect stage that everyone will acknowledge.
It felt like this chance would show exactly what human willpower could achieve when it ignites.
Redo the sabi here. Mess up, and its ten repeats of that move, so focus.
Yes!
Good, always loud voices!
Ughhh....
Patch. Wheres the patch?
In my room. Want me to grab some?
The team members returned to the dorm building.
Wed powered through a long, intense training session with Ha Sangpil, followed by Baek Chaehyuns vocal crash course.
Those two alone drained our stamina massively, but realizing the final live broadcast was right around the corner, the team decided to do extra selfpractice late into the night.
The result? Fullbody muscle soreness that made every muscle throb.
Put it here?
Yeah, just the lower back and shoulders should do it.
I neatly applied the patch to Chae Eungyus back.
He suddenly burst into a big, carefree laugh.
Now that I think about it, doesnt it hurt for you, Karis? Youre the only one not asking for patches.
Im fine. Pretty used to this intensity of practice.
How insanely did you train alone?
Hmm. Enough to build solid basic stamina.
No way I could say it was from swinging a holy sword nonstop in the game world to prepare for quests.
Thanks to that experience, a warm shower worked better than patches for quick recovery.
Ow, my poor body.
You sound like youre over fifty.
I dont have a single white hair yet? Youll get it when youre my age. Recovery slows way down.
I paused at his words, thinking.
Id spent ten years in the game world and barely cleared Grand Quest Saga.
But if Id failed and gotten stuck there forever, time wouldve just kept slipping away.
Ugh, just estimating the years gave me chills, so I dropped the thought.
Chae Eungyu flopped onto his bed with a groan.
Agh. Karis, you set the alarm?
Yes. For 7 a.m.
Why get up so early tomorrow before finals? Whats the plan?
No idea.
A lie, of course.
Having completed Idol Training Simulation to the end, I knew exactly what surprise the production team had lined up right before the finals.
But obviously, I couldnt say I knew the future, so I shrugged innocently.
The production team always pulls something unexpected. Kinda exciting and scary what itll be tomorrow.
Hmm. Even they like weird stuff, but you think theyd push overthetop content right before finals?
Hope not.
After barely getting two or three hours of sleep a day, we finally crashed for a solid five hours of sweet rest.
At the 7 a.m. alarm Id set, we got up, washed up quick, and gathered in the dorm lobby.
And right in front of us was a suspicious banner.
Final Live Broadcast Prep Showcase...? We have to do a showcase this early in the morning?
Yu Minha read the banner in a halfasleep daze.
The other trainees looked totally confused about what it meant.
Lets head outside first!
No choice but to follow the production teams lead.
Moving to the wide field, we spotted a big signboard.
Food names?
Kimbap, hamburger, pizza, steak, fancy buffet?
Suddenly starving.
We havent even had breakfast!
The signs listing various foods had extra details.
Like kimbap for 5 points. The toptier buffet was a whopping 20 points.
Hmm, guess we play games to earn points and buy food with them.
I think so too.
But why food now?
Chae Eungyu analyzed logically, then squinted.
His question got answered soon enough.
This afternoon, youll be doing a special showcase in front of guests weve invited. Think of it as the real stagegive it your all to show how much youve practiced ahead of the final live broadcast. And those items on the signboard? Theyre the food well provide to the guests. Meaning, the more points you earn from here on, the better the food your guests get.
At the production teams extra explanation, everyone slapped each others backs and stomped excitedly.
See? Told you its not for us.
Makes us have to do even better now? Serving guests nothing but kimbap would be total embarrassment.
Wish theyd tell us who the special guests are....
The overall setup was announced.
Now for the key part how to earn points.
Youll earn points through three simple minigames. First up Random Play Dance.
Random Play Dance!
Whoa.
News of Random Play Dance had tons of trainees hyped.
Especially, eyes poured toward members skilled in dance.
Siyoon, you gotta go!
With Yooncheol here, were guaranteed, right?
Teach us Random Play Dance!
Four trainees would rep the team for Random Play Dance.
5 out of 10 songs 5 points. 5 songs 7 points. 7 songs 8 points. All 10 10 points.
Yo, nail all ten and pizzas locked in at least!
Need good dancers and ones who know the choreo.
Gotta crush this and eat big.
The next minigame was simple yet tough.
Ladder climbing.
Pick one of ten ladders for a reward.
From 1 to 10 pointspure luck.
The final game tested everyones wits and quick thinking a peopleguessing quiz.
Five trainees go out complete a full roundtrip to clear.
Points awarded based on attempts needed.
I tilted my head thinking of the special guests.
Everyones gotta do well. If we end up serving them nothing but kimbap....
Yeah. Thatd be a nightmare scenario.