As each stage ended, sharp evaluations were exchanged from the judges' seats.
"How do you feel?"
Among them were some harsh reviews.
"At first, I thought they were trying to appeal sexiness? But in my opinion, it's not sexy at all. Even the facial expressions are contrived."
"Do you think the kids are a little nervous?"
"I've seen people look at me cutely just because I'm a trainee once or twice. It's okay to be nervous. But you can't show that on stage."
On the other hand, there were also favorable reviews.
"Overall, everything is good. The voice, pitch, and tone are stable."
"I think they could use more confidence. If you look at your skills, there's no need to be that humble."
And there were opinions on which a general consensus was formed.
"Overall, the standard this year is high."
The judges nodded and looked at the progress table.
"Now there are only two left, right? Idol Rising and DNS."
"If it's DNS, aren't these guys debuting this time? Street Fighter."
"Street Boys, sir."
"Oh, I see."
"Who goes first? Ah, it looks like a Idol Rising."
"It's coming out now."
"Oh my, everyone is so handsome."
Five trainees each appeared wearing stage costumes.
Amid the usual applause as at a school performance, a handsome brown-haired man who appeared to be the leader took the microphone.
-One, two, three, hello! This is the new black.
-Please introduce yourself.
-My name is Raj Morningstar and I am a trainee who is now 22 years old.
Next, each person introduced themselves one by one.
Everyone clearly looked nervous.
Boys standing on stage holding microphones.
"Wow, it's refreshing."
"They are all my style. So Cute."
Chita and Lily Watson, who were exchanging such words, tilted their heads when the accompaniment began.
The music coming out of the speakers was trot.
They weren't the only ones who had that reaction.
The judges and officials present raised their heads at the sudden sound.
Everyone reacted with curiosity, but it was the audience who showed the most dramatic reaction.
The middle-aged audience members had been openly yawning until now.
At least they only focus when their own sons and daughters are performing, and honestly, they are not even interested in the performances of other people's children.
Idol songs were a culture that the parents' generation could not understand.
There are a lot of incomprehensible English lyrics, and the performance is just crazy and lacking in flavor or fun.
When the final two teams were left, parents were constantly looking at their watches.
When waiting for a boring performance to end.
Just then, when the trot accompaniment came from the speakers, they looked at the stage like bears waking up from hibernation.
It was a famous song familiar to the middle-aged generation, 'Please Be with Me.'
Although it was backed by a slightly modern arrangement, the main melody was the trot that everyone knows.
Trainees moving into stage formation.
While the long accompaniment continued, group applause began from the audience.
A sound that clinks to the beat.
It was a different reaction than before.
The members who were standing with stiff faces exchanged glances among themselves.
Then he looked at one person at the same time.
To those people, Seonwoo smiled and thought, 'See, I told you so.'
* * *
"Let's start with a trot?"
4 weeks ago, practice room.
Sunny frowned, He couldn't understand it.
This does not mean that Trot is ignored.
It's just that the younger generation is not interested, but the capabilities of the older generation Trot seniors are at a level that cannot be ignored.
However, that and the trainee performance were different.
"Are you serious?"
"It's fresh and good."
"There are degrees of freshness. The stage is no joke, and just like the attire, there is a time and place for performance."
"So, let's do trot even more."
Raj smiled.
"First, think about the performance time. Our stage is number 9 or number 10? By the last turn, everyone from the judges to the audience will be exhausted. For our family, we can do whatever we want, but what about other people?"
It was a logical in theory.
"It's not a bad idea to go safely like you said. However, the songs that trainees choose are only pop songs or songs with a lot of electronic sounds. Even if it sounds different to our ears, it will be similar to the audience. On the other hand, if we start with a trot, we win half of the audience."
Raj's words were persuasive.
In fact, a legendary singer once won the grand prize at a music festival in the past using a similar strategy.
While everyone was convinced, Raj's words continued.
"And this is about the performance location. Did you last perform at Barretto High School?"
"No. We did it at Milta High School."
"While you were discussing, I looked up photos of the Barretto High School auditorium. Look here. As you can see, the podium is smaller than you think, isn't it?"
That was a point they had never thought about.
While Sunny was expressing subtle admiration, Raj said as he uploaded a photo on his smartphone.
"If we do trot, it is basically possible to make the choreography movement smaller. The way I see it, other teams won't be able to take this into account and will stumble."
It was as he said.
The teams that have performed so far have made a series of small mistakes.
It was because of the narrow stage.
We created a lot of fancy and cool choreography, but there wasn't enough space to display it.
Even if I changed my movement line immediately after finishing rehearsal, I couldn't help but stumble if I changed the movements I had practiced for a month on the same day.
Then the facial expression changes.
They are so preoccupied with the movement that they cannot concentrate on the stage.
If the singer performing cannot concentrate, how can the audience concentrate?
But New Black was different.
Because I set my movements accurately in advance, I was able to fully concentrate on the stage, and this was reflected in the relaxed expression on my face.
The audience relaxed their bodies.
This was because, unlike the previous stage where there was something unsettling about the performance, a stage was finally presented that made the viewer feel at ease.
"Look at them?"
Lilly Watson smiled as looking at a bold junior.
"I don't know who the choreographer is for this group, but aren't they normal?"
"What?"
"Look at the movements."
"What's wrong with that… ah."
Like a professional singer, Chita also knew what she was saying.
"It doesn't stutter."
"Their skill at using space is quite good. Is there a smart kid on the team? It's a choreography that wouldn't be possible if they didn't research it in advance."
Lilly Watson rested her chin and her eyes sparkled.
"Maybe there could be an interesting performance."
Eventually, the accompaniment ended and the singing began in earnest.
The member who appeared as the first hitter was Avi Pandey.
When a middle school student with a youthful face appeared holding a microphone, Everyone's attention was focused on him.