"Woo-hoo!"
When he found out he succeeded in the first round of the competition, the tired and worn-out modern office worker happily spun around in the air.
"Yeon hoo, I'm coming!!"
Being a hardcore fan, he eagerly headed to the competition venue, trying to hold onto his fluttering heart on the day of the shoot.
"Hey, the traitor is here?"
"Hahaha, sorry!"
His friend, who was laughing loudly at the entrance of the competition venue, had once been a fan of high-five, just for a moment, like dipping a cow's foot once and calling it bone broth.
He had tried to distance himself from being a 'K-pop fan' while struggling with real life for a while, but suddenly found himself back in the scene, heavily influenced by a younger idol.
"But we get to come together again~. Promise to take me forever."
"Annoying... Okay."
Coolly agreeing, they entered the competition venue. Even though it hadn't started yet, the heat was palpable.
As he tried to calm his pounding heart and looked around, the MC appeared.
"Hello, I'm Ha Seoyeon~."
"Wow, look at Ha Seoyeon's aura as an actor."
"Such great acting!!"
The whispered praise for Ha Seoyeon quickly passed as the introduction was hurried along, and Verdi appeared on stage for the first performance.
"Wow!!"
"It's good~."
Even though he had expected the stage quality to be good due to the experienced cast, it was even more splendid than he had imagined.
"It's definitely better than last season."
"They've filled the lineup with top-tier songs."
Next, an old song by Black Call, which he had only vaguely heard of, started playing.
The stage wasn't bad.
But to the office worker and his friend, it didn't feel particularly appealing.
"Black Call should be doing stuff like that…."
Black Call, known as one of K-pop's top acts since their debut, had a weightiness to their stage presence that was unmatched, thanks in part to Joo Woo sung's existence.
"No matter what, it's just not compatible with lower-tier acts."
Thinking that it would be good to perform songs with high recognition, it was a huge misconception.
They were in danger of being swallowed up by the original song.
"Wow, it's hot, it's so hot."
"Hey guys~, summer is coming soon~."
With similar intense songs continuously playing, there was no break in the fiery stage effects.
Because of that, every time the flames shot up, it felt like even the hair was burning, leading to involuntary grumbling.
Their friend a Noeul, is not interested anymore, she secretly took out her phone to browse communities or watch from afar.
"Hey, when is Dajuni coming out?"
Meanwhile, as Versi, Try, and TEW performed consecutively, the attention of the working adults was entirely on high fives.
Then, as the fourth act, The Dawn appeared on stage.
"Hello!"
"??"
Upon seeing them, everyone at the venue was stunned, unable to close their mouths. Subsequently, the arena was filled with screams.
"Wow!"
Dressed in tight black leather pants and loose silk black shirts, each member was adorned with thin, sparkling body chains wrapped around their waists and thighs, or peeking out from their clothes.
"No way, are they crazy??"
Even Seo Hoyun had a long velvet strap tied around his neck like a choker in a ribbon shape.
"I'm gonna fainting…."
Furthermore, Sung Jiwon wore a garland adorned with white innocent-looking flowers, while Kang Ichae had braids intertwined with a few beads in a wet-looking hairstyle.
But the ultimate reason for the screams exploding out was...
"Damn!!"
The dancer line, Kim Seonghyun and Jung Dajun, appeared wearing ridiculously cute cat-shaped headbands made of black-painted iron rods!!
"Today's over! Hey! Everyone, let's disappear!"
"Wow, damn. This is crazy."
From leather pants to body chains to headbands.
The Dawn's blatant display of dominance ignited the working adults.
Beside them, his Noeul's friend abandoned her pride and cheered wildly, waving her support stick like crazy.
When Seo Hoyun slightly adjusted the slightly disheveled garland of Sung Jiwon, screams erupted once again.
"Hello, rising dawn, we are The Dawn!"
"Wow, the cheers are no joke?! The Dawn, what stage have you prepared for us today?"
Smiling brightly, the youngest member Jung Dajun was the first to pick up the microphone.
"The song we prepared today is 'Easy Tempo' by Lia Purple sunbaenim!"
"Is everyone ready to follow the tempo~?"
Then Sung Jiwon chimed in.
With just a slight lift of the corners of their mouths, Sung Jiwon brightened up the surroundings, and the fluffy Jung Dajun exchanged smiles, making even a fan like themselves think they were incredibly cute, but,
"Let's go!!! We'll follow them to hell!!!!"
"They were no match for their friend, who was excited to the tips of her hair.
'Calm down…."
He wasn't as excited as his friend, who was on the verge of exploding with excitement.
'But…'
As he tried to contain his excitement but ultimately gave in, the office worker thought about the song he had chosen.
"Easy Tempo" by Lia Purple?
There was quite a demand for male idols to cover songs by girl groups. However, it was usually something done at the end of the year on special stages or fan meetings.
Moreover, this song wasn't particularly famous.
He vaguely remembered that the outfits were very flashy.
'Did they arrange it? Or do they have some other trick up their sleeve?'
Although he hadn't realized it himself while racking his brains, the fact that he, as a fan of another group, was paying so much attention and scrutiny was evidence enough that he was shaking up the game.
[Easy Tempo One and Two Easy Tempo One and Two…]
The lights dimmed, and a unfamiliar melody flowed.
Soon, as the stage brightened again, Jung Dajun, leaning on Kim Seonghyun's shoulder at the beginning, opened the introduction.
[You sit next to me and quietly say you're dizzy today -
Do you even know that you're laughing so much]
"Dajun, please...."
His friend, whose favorite was Jeong Dajun, sobbed as if feeling dizzy from the first verse.
Sung Jiwon, sitting on the edge of the table next to him, leaned slightly toward Jung Dajun and smiled.
[I get this feeling that you see me as a light girl,
but you're already attracted to me]
'Wow, confident vocals....'
[But Easy Tempo One and Two, don't rush without certainty]
Sunng Jiwon grabbed Seo Hoyun's right arm and twirled around, pairing up for the choreography.
[You can think I'm an easy guy, but there's plenty of time, take it slow, save me Easy Tempo One and Two, don't hurry Easy Tempo One and Two, don't act hastily]
"Are they crazy? Are they crazy? Hey!! Are they crazy??"
'...Here we go.'
While being shaken and held by his friend, the office worker was reassessing.
'I thought the original lyrics were nothing special.'
It was precarious.
With a slightly deeper breath than usual, the subtle glances and mouth movements seemed like a 'unique touch' that no one else could imitate.
'Amidst the series of intense songs, they're providing quite a good mood change for the exhausted audience.'
As he, a K-pop connoisseur, was judging The Dawn's performance with an even more discerning eye, [Don't push and pull subtly, you're different from anyone else you've met so far]
Kim Seonghyun stepped forward, half-dropping his leather jacket. The body chain, cascading from his neck to his chest, swayed, and his muscular arms, revealed by the sleeveless shirt, rippled along with the waves.
"Yeah, you're fucking different!!!!!"
"It was a tactic of aiming, aiming, and aiming again, but it's classical because many people like it.
[They may be crazy about it, But I said!
Easy Tempo One and Two]
Their expressions were deadly, and their ears were as red as if blood would gush out with a tap.
"Waaaah!!"
The high-five fan felt a sense of crisis amidst the screams and crazed shrieks around them.
'They really want to succeed, damn it!'
It almost seemed like Kim Seonghyun's dance just now was a part prepared to make up for the 2nd place he lost during the unit.
Then, as Kang Ichae, who had replaced him in the center, playfully wrinkled his nose, she started rapping.
[Hey, don't divert your gaze, making me jealous]
It was a perfect and sticky rap that suited the situation.
[Don't you know that I run straight to you, leaving everyone else behind? Baby, you are my one and only thrill]
This time, as Jung Dajun walked in from the diagonal, he tapped his cat-ear headband.
[I felt it the moment I first saw you, that you would change everything about me]
At that moment, a faint pink hue seeped into the blue light. While all the members stopped moving, Seo Hoyun alone lifted his head.
[You can think I'm an easy guy, but there's plenty of time]
Then, holding the ribbon around his neck with one hand,
[Love me slowly]
he pulled it tight.
"Waaaaaaah!!!! Ahh! Ah!!"
'Damn it!! Is this why he's the only one with a ribbon??!'
The fans might not know, but all this was thanks to Joo woo sung's meticulous grooming.
Seo Hoyun, who was meticulously calculating his every move down to 0.1 second increments and setting x, y, z coordinates to decide where to place his body, was able to perfectly perform today's stage.
"Waaaaah!!"
Seo Hoyoon, licking his red lower lip, rolled his eyes.
[Don't rush Easy Tempo One and Two, Don't come quickly, okay?]
While Seo Hoyun, spinning around, synchronized his dance moves with Sung Jiwon again, the triangular cheer stick waved even more vigorously.
How could Noeuls not get excited as someone who appears to be a master of everything, asks to be loved as a simple guy?
"Toggang!! I'm in a hurry!!!!"
'They're really, really, really killing it....'
They were the guys who knew what would work in the market.
The office worker, a high-five fan, exhaled a sigh like a sigh of admiration, dizzy with the thought of the next 'my baby' stage.
At that moment, Sung Jiwon's high note exploded.
[No, Please I can't stop!]
"...!!"
'I thought they were following Chae Jungwoo, but this… is just Chae Jungwoo-level?'
A shiver ran down my spine.
As everyone's mouths hung open, Kang Ichae cut into the song.
[No Easy Tempo, the beat keeps getting messed up]
It was a rap newly added for this stage.
[I want to swallow everything about you as my heart burns pitch black]
Desire and affection mixed in Kang Ichae's gaze, pouring out steadily in a tone lower than before as the rap continued.
[Take My Tempo One and Two I want to swallow everything about you]
Most of the fans were on the verge of collapse.
The reason she went out alone for the rap unit and won first place by an overwhelming number of votes became firm with this stage.
[Ddu du ru ru Ddu du ru ru ru] 'Damn it….'
The coordination was insane, the balance of the members' abilities was staggering, and they calculated how to act according to the lyrics.
[Easy Tempo One and Two Don't rush Easy Tempo One and Two Love me slowly]
Could this stage ever fail?
As Ddu du ru ru reached its climax, the Dawn's s breath was rough.
Pollen fell like snowflakes over the members' heads on the screen.
[Easy Tempo…]
"…Wow."
In an instant, Seo Hoyu's slightly flushed white face appeared on the screen, and the office worker muttered without realizing it.
"Wow. He's really handsome."
If even a hardcore fan of another group like himself could say this, it was evident how his friend, also a fan, would react without even saying it.
"Hey, hey…, Is this a dream? If I faint, please call me a taxi."
"Look at the high-five."
He firmly held his staggering friend's hand, speaking sharply. Even the other fans around were slightly spellbound.
"Is this really happening… in the real world?"
He looked at his friend, who was still in awe with a blank face and tears streaming down, but deep down, he felt a sense of impending doom.
'They're risking it all to succeed. This is dangerous.'
In reality, uncontrollable reactions were already flooding in from private SNS accounts, which were difficult to contain.
[Just bury me here.....
With Seo Hoyun's ribbon...]
[Seriously, if these guys hadn't been idols, they wouldn't have known any of this shit, but damn, it's so good.....]
[Thank you!!! Seriously, thank you!!!!
Whoever planned this??? Come out and get a hug!!!!]
This is Lee Jihyeon
[Kang Ichae's rap with the added lyrics, it's insane.. This guy really knows how to please the fans...]
'The Dawn, they're really smart.'
The office worker looked at the voting device in his hand.
'Wow, I really have no idea how the on-site voting will turn out….'
It was definitely a 'competition,' with seasoned groups participating and various fandoms gathering. It seemed like the previous groups were also conscious of this, staging their performances with intense male idol songs.
And then there was The Dawn taking a completely different route all by themselves….
Amidst the tangled thoughts in his mind, one thing stood firm:
This, The Dawn, is a big trouble....'
They're very, very, very dangerous
--