Chapter 111
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111
What?
EX Rank?
I stood there, unable to close my mouth at a rank I had never seen before, while next to me, I heard Kim Seong-hyeon talking to Jeong Da-jun.
"But why didn't Ju Woo-seong sunbae appear on the dance variety show? He's the main dancer."
"Ah, that... I heard he went to the States because he wanted to study dance more. Apparently, he told the company he was going for a 'rest' even though they tried to stop him."
[Me: Where u]
[Ju Woo-seong: Cali]
Only then did I remember the texts we had exchanged, and I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Ju Woo-seong....
So that’s why he was practically vibrating with excitement in front of me. He wanted to brag about this.
That’s why he hadn't been seen for a few months.
"There's a famous dance studio in California. I heard he worked incredibly hard there."
If you disappear for a few months, can you really raise your dance stat to EX??
Honestly, I was jealous of Ju Woo-seong. Here I was, working my ass off and suffering, while for him, the balance of life was so broken that he could reach EX-rank just by visiting California once.
Did you save the country in your past life or something?
At this point, it surpassed mere talent; I was starting to suspect Ju Woo-seong was getting some kind of item buff himself.
Moreover, there was a reason he had smiled so proudly while telling me to watch the stage. When we returned to the waiting room, Black Call’s performance was starting on the monitoring TV.
Even on the small, low-resolution TV typical of waiting rooms, Ju Woo-seong was... incredible.
[You can’t deny, a crack forms in the small gap
I’ll change everything about you]
True to his A+ Vocal and EX- Dance stats, Ju Woo-seong was even great at singing live. While finding the cameras with uncanny precision, he also knew exactly when to push and pull with his intensity.
[Don't run away, I'm by your side
If you reel, you know why…]
No, "push and pull" didn't cover it.
The guy was just born for the stage. Standing in the center, Ju Woo-seong flicked his hand upward as if throwing a ball, then quirked one corner of his mouth.
[It's Black Call]
"Wow...."
"……."
No hope....
To think he had the talent to do that, yet spent his time practicing half-heartedly and dating....
I wanted to grab Ju Woo-seong by the collar and shake him for all the time he’d wasted until now.
Is he insane? He’s terrifyingly good....
Even to someone who didn't know much about dance, it looked crazy; I wondered how it looked to Jeong Da-jun and Kim Seong-hyeon. Even Da-jun, usually the loudest, kept his mouth shut, staring at the screen as if he were being sucked in.
It was a song where the energy exploded even through a tiny screen. I couldn't even begin to imagine the shock the fans on-site were feeling...
The more I watched the stage, the more I lost my will to fight.
Where did my cute first place go....
And was it just Ju Woo-seong?
As the stage progressed, I began to feel a profound sense of betrayal toward someone other than him.
Im Hyeon-su, you're really...!!
Specifically, toward Cheong-beom.
After producing such a god-tier beat that practically reeked of money, she had the nerve to say what? That Kang Yi-chae was more impressive? That I didn't need to come to her anymore?
This was just deception, gatekeeping, and mockery.
"...Ho, Ho-yun? What's wrong?"
"Phew, I just got pissed off for a second...."
As I ground my teeth in fury, Seong Ji-won patted my back worriedly.
Whether it was Im Hyeon-su or Ju Woo-seong... there was no need to worry about or comfort these people.
Right, with my luck, who am I to worry about anyone else?
I vowed never to worry about others again.
I should worry about myself. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, anyway.
This irritated mood lasted all the way until the music show's first-place announcement.
"Congratulations! First place goes to Black Call!"
Bang! Confetti exploded.
Since the song and concept were so insanely well-done, I could see the Noeuls, who had come with high expectations, trying their best to manage their expressions. Since I couldn't compete with Black Call regardless, I gave the Noeuls a (barely) forced smile and greeted the surrounding singers.
"……."
Since Ju Woo-seong happened to be next to me, I was about to bow to him... but something was strange.
Holding the large trophy in one hand, Ju Woo-seong had a peculiar expression as he looked at his fans, whom he must have seen countless times before.
"Congratulations."
"...Ah."
When I spoke, Ju Woo-seong seemed to snap out of it, blinking rapidly. Then he smiled.
Even though there was no way the Ju Woo-seong of Black Call would act like that... he was behaving as if it were his first time winning first place.
"...Thanks."
Ju Woo-seong tapped my shoulder lightly and turned his attention to the other idols greeting him.
What was that?
Even the usually gullible Ju Woo-seong was a top-tier idol who maintained his image strictly in front of the cameras, so I couldn't see that expression again. I glanced at him briefly before turning away.
It wasn't my business.
"Good work, everyone!"
The members of The Dawn quickly descended from the stage to make room for Black Call’s encore, cracking their necks.
"Good job. We have another music show schedule tomorrow, so let's get some rest today."
"No!"
Jeong Da-jun, who had been spaced out for a moment, suddenly snapped his head up.
"L-Let's practice."
"Huh?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned around, startled by Da-jun's bombshell.
"Da-jun, no. You only slept three hours yesterday too."
"I don't want to. I still want to do a bit more...."
Having said that, Jeong Da-jun bit his lower lip slightly and stood his ground stubbornly.
Kim Seong-hyeon crossed his arms, looking conflicted between being proud of Da-jun and wanting to stop him.
Just then, Kang Yi-chae chimed in from the side.
"Shall we do that?"
"……!"
"It does make my stomach turn with envy, doesn't it?"
"...Eh?"
Even the practice machine Seong Ji-won widened his eyes and looked back and forth between the two.
"Was the kimbap I ate today bad or something...?"
"Hyung, isn't that a bit much?"
"Haha, it's just because it's so strange seeing you two like this."
If Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won were the types who had always looked only toward being idols and staked their lives on it, Jeong Da-jun was the type who complained but tried his best to keep up, and Kang Yi-chae was the only one who seemed to drift on the periphery.
Because he always seemed like someone who treated idol life as just a bit of fun.
As everyone watched with slightly shocked expressions, Kang Yi-chae gave an embarrassed laugh.
"...What? I'm human too~. Having it snatched away right in front of my nose makes my tummy go owie~."
"I guess Kang Yi-chae was really shocked this time."
"So Yi-chae can feel jealous too...."
"It's no fun if a person is perfect~. ...Wait, why is everyone ignoring me?"
Kang Yi-chae shrugged, draped an arm over Jeong Da-jun's neck, and led the way. Everyone's faces were filled with the single word 'PRACTICE,' fueled by the frustration of not winning first place despite their musicality.
Hmm, working hard is fine and all, but...
Is this something that can be solved just by practicing?
Ding!
[Quest Arrived!
If you think you can't do it, it's only natural to make it happen!
During this promotion period, win 1st place on a music show.
Reward: 3,000 Points
Failure: Significant drop in Vocal Stat
(A0 → C0)]
...A curse word escaped my lips automatically.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue once. I really didn't want to do this, but I sent a text to PD Kim Hee-yeong and shoved my phone into my pocket.
"Let's have an emergency meeting."
"Huh?"
Jeong Da-jun turned his head as if asking what I meant. I ground my teeth, thinking of Black Call’s still-shocking stage, the ungrateful Ju Woo-seong, and Im Hyeon-su.
"We have to get first place."
"……Whaaat??"
* * *
A chilly evening. Everyone had a serious face, except for Jeong Da-jun, who was munching on a yakgwa he’d gotten from somewhere.
"I will now begin the 1st Emergency Meeting of The Dawn."
I tapped the whiteboard. Kim Seong-hyeon raised his hand to match the atmosphere, as if he had something to say.
"Kim Seong-hyeon, floor is mine."
"Yes, go ahead."
"What kind of emergency meeting is this, exactly?"
"It's an emergency meeting to plan how we can achieve first place during our mini-album promotions."
"……."
Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyes glazed over slightly. His expression clearly said, 'Does that happen just because we have a meeting?'
But would just practicing work?
I wanted to solve this on my own if possible. However, since it concerned The Dawn’s first place, I couldn't do it alone.
"What do you think is the reason we couldn't get first place this time?"
"The cute, pretty, gorgeous Kang Yi-chae~!"
"I didn't catch that."
"Just Yi-chae."
Kang Yi-chae waved his hand lazily while keeping it halfway raised.
"The comeback timing was just too bad~. I didn't know Black Call sunbae-nims would overlap with us completely."
"Right. It's hard to delay the comeback too. We have schedules already booked afterward."
Everyone groaned. In the end, it meant it was best to go in a direction that avoided overlapping with Black Call as much as possible.
"Ho-yun, can we extend our promotion period a bit more?"
"It should be possible if we adjust things.... But we have schedules after this too."
If we just promoted for one more week, there would be a period where we didn't overlap with Black Call.
"Kim Seong-hyeon, floor is mine. Can we really get first place just by promoting for one more week? Black Call sunbae-nims win first place even without appearing on music shows."
"……What's the record for the most wins by Black Call sunbae-nims?"
"I'm not sure about all-time, but they got 13 wins during their last promotion. They swept the music show wins, and even after they stopped appearing, they kept winning...."
"13 wins??"
"Of course, they said they promoted a bit longer than usual for Black Call, but they swept that much...."
Sometimes... because Ju Woo-seong acted like such a pushover, I forgot that he was such a formidable guy.
The atmosphere plummeted instantly.
"Well, still, it's worth a shot. When do Black Call sunbae-nims finish their music show promotions? Is it next week?"
"Yeah, that's their last."
"Should we try to adjust and go for one more week?"
It would cost more money, but it wasn't a bad choice. Except for one thing.
"Yeolhwa is having their comeback right after that."
"...Ah!"
Yeolhwa was a group that had been candidates for Shining Star Season 1 but ultimately canceled their appearance because their status was already quite high. Currently, they were absent because they were promoting in Japan. Although they hadn't gained as much recognition as expected.
Hmm, overseas....
"Damn...."
Everyone fell into deep thought. Kang Yi-chae, swaying side to side on the sofa, rolled his eyes around before his gaze landed on Kim Seong-hyeon.
"Seong-hyeon hyung, wanna flash your abs once?"
"Will anything change just because I flash them?"
"Oh my, it'll change a lot~."
"You do it, you."
The two bickered with pointless banter.
Just then, my phone vibrated. It was PD Kim Hee-yeong.
[Shining Star PD Kim Hee-yeong: Yeah, that's right]
[Shining Star PD Kim Hee-yeong: How did you know? That the voting system is changing?]
"It's a good thing I've lived a virtuous life."
"What nonsense are you talking about now?"
"Let's go for one more week."
Since we’ve made a comeback, shouldn't we at least take home a first-place trophy?