December 28th.
The long-awaited year-end evaluation day has finally arrived.
We gathered in a huddle inside the Starex and swallowed our saliva repeatedly.
Even though I was wrapped tightly in padding, a scarf, and a hat, my whole body was shaking.
Each person was coping with the tension in different ways, such as silently shaking a hand warmer, licking their dry lips, or biting their nails.
I was sitting in the passenger seat, warming my cold hands with the hand warmer.
It was cold inside the car.
This was because I didn't turn on the heater even though it was the middle of winter out of fear that my vocal cords would dry out.
I spoke to Raju, who was behind the wheel.
"The atmosphere feels like when I go to take the CSAT, bro."
"Are you as nervous as you were then?"
"No, I'm not nervous as that time."
"wait for a sec."
Raju narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't you miss the test?"
"Oh right."
We looked at each other blankly and burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, unlike the cheerful atmosphere in the front seats, the back seats were quiet.
How shocking would it be if the youngest member of the group, who would usually talk excitedly, became silent?
"Hey, Gary. What am I going to do. I have to do well this time."
"Why?"
"My father said he brought my grandfather with him. They even chartered a bus for the villagers."
Samuel, who was always carefree, sighed deeply.
But...
Even if it were me, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if the villagers even rented a bus to come.
"Cheer up."
Gary said.
"I was nervous because my sister was coming, but It was nothing."
"My only younger sister, Is Also coming."
"I think the whole family will probably come from our house. My father may not be able to come because he's busy, but please I hope that no one else to come."
While listening to the youngest member performing the stream-of-consciousness technique, I thought of something else.
Come to think of it, we had a great time practicing for a month, but we didn't know anything about each other.
No, to be precise, unlike these guys who knew the situation among themselves, I was the only one who didn't know.
Raju glanced at me.
"What does your grandma say?"
"huh?"
"Didn't she said that she is coming up?"
"I guess she arrive at the terminal in a little while. I have to tell her the way later."
While I was checking messages from my grandmother on my smartphone, Gary stuck his head out to the front seat.
"Chief."
"Who will be our judges?"
"Well, I don't know exactly. Rajesh Kumar will probably leave our side. and… Did Joshi Entertainment say that Lily Watson will appear?"
"Senior Lily Watson?"
"why?"
"We're in big trouble."
Raju looked at me at and the group members with worried looks, as if it were some sign of destruction.
When he asked for an explanation, I answered.
"One of the songs selected for this year's year-end evaluation is senior Lily Watson's song."
"Oh my, you are going to have a hard time."
As anyone who has watched the audition program knows, singing the judge's song in a contest is all or nothing.
A singer is a professional who sings for money.
It is not easy to sing the song you know best in front of an expert in singing.
To put it simply, singing Lily Watson's song in front of Lily Watson was like the situation of an undergraduate student having to give a PPT in the person's specialty in front of a Nobel Prize-winning economics professor.
No way...
Thinking about this makes me nervous too.
I straightened my shrunken shoulders and shook my head.
By the way, it's Lily Watson...
Come to think of it, I sang Lily Watson's song during the audition.
Although I was nervous, I was also a little excited at the thought of being able to see the main character of Black Moon, which I sang during my audition.
Lily Watson.
Shes a member of the girl group Sunfish, which debuted when I was in high school.
Lily Watson, a member of the now disbanded group, is actively working as a singer-songwriter.
She is one of my favorite singers because she has a good melody line.
The fact that Lily Watson's song was chosen as the performance song from the beginning also reflected this taste.
I have to perform a song in front of my favorite singer.
I was nervous, but it was a pleasant feeling of excitement.
"Well, I had something to tell you guys."
Raju Shah said as if something had occurred to him.
"It's no big deal. Today, I-Net Hustle sent me an official letter of cooperation saying they were filming a reality show."
"Shooting?"
Sunny, who was in the back seat, raised his eyebrows.
"What are they filming?"
"You guys know, right? A boy group debuting on DNS called Street Boys. They said they were filming a reality show and asked for a few scenes from our boys Idol group. There's no need to be nervous because a camera will come and take pictures. haha."
The expressions on the group members faces as they turned into plaster statues in real time were a sight to behold.
There was no Agrippa that I saw in the art room.
Raju was embarrassed and said, 'Isn't this right?' and cleared his throat.
"Would you like me to play the radio?"
The hand pressing the radio button adjusts the FM frequency up or down.
『 … This is a story sent by 5289. hello. I have been listening to TBC Beautiful Morning for 3 years. As winter approaches and the cold wind blows, I keep thinking about my eldest son who is abroad. 』
A calm voice recited the story.
The inside of Starex, which had been tense like a taut string, relaxed slightly.
『 That big boy is taking an important test today. You can't hear me right now because you're taking an exam, but I'd like to borrow the radio and tell you what's on my mind. Shailesh, mom knows how hard you worked. It's not a trick to look good; you just have to do your best until the end. Don't feel pressured. Mom believes in you. ]
Everyone was already tense because of their families.
It was a moment when Shailesh, who was abroad, became resentful target of everyone here.
The guys stiffened at the MC's burdensome tone.
『I will listen to 5289's requested song and family photo… … 』
Raju changed the channel to AFN and a powerful rap came out, but the atmosphere was already getting heavier.
At the same time, the view of the high school began to appear in the distance.
"… … ."
What will the atmosphere be like? really.