AFTER lunch, Haneul and Robin went back to Olympic Hall. Their seats were moved forward to the empty spots previously occupied by participants who had already left. Since their numbers were consecutive, the two of them were still sitting together.
Once the one hour break was over, the audition began again regardless of whether all the participants had returned. It started from participants number 91 to 100. When number 91 started performing, Haneul happened to glance down and saw Robin tapping intensely at his leg.
"You'll be fine, Hyung," he said to the other in a low voice, so as not to affect those nearby who were watching the performance.
Robin seemed startled by Haneul's sudden comment. He turned to Haneul, initially looking puzzled. After a few seconds, understanding dawned on him. That Haneul said that to make him feel better. He smiled sheepishly.
"After this batch, there will only be one more batch before it's our turn. I don't know why, but I'm starting to feel nervous."
"It's normal to be nervous," Haneul responded. "I also feel the same."
Robin looked at Haneul's calm demeanour. "You certainly not look like it."
"I'm just good at hiding it," Haneul said with a smile.
In fact, the 10 years he spent working non-stop and being on his own forced him to control his emotions to an almost perfect degree. Having grown up suppressing his emotions, learning to control them was quite easy.
That's why his emotional outburst last week also came as a surprise to him. But then again, being thrust into this world, having his body altered, as well as the joy of reuniting with his family, all of it was just a bomb waiting to explode. Now that he had accepted these changes, he doubted the same outburst would happen again.
Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry that he might have an emotional outburst during the survival program.
Haneul looked at Robin and continued, "There's no need to worry, because I'm sure your efforts won't betray you."
Robin was silent for a few seconds. "My efforts won't betray me... I like that." A wide grin then appeared on his face. "I suddenly don't feel nervous anymore. Thank you, Haneul!"
Haneul smiled back. "I'm glad to be of help."
After the last participant of the current batch finished his audition, the next batch went on stage. The next performances felt like it lasted longer than the previous ones. Or at least that's how it felt for Haneul. Maybe because he had been anticipating his turn, that's why the performances felt longer than usual.
But after much waiting, the turn of the next batch finally came.
Haneul stood up, along with nine other participants, including Robin, when a staff told them to go on stage. Just like the other earlier batches, they lined up based on their number.
Number 121 was called to step forward. He did a decent performance. But it was, how should Haneul put it, too rehearsed? Because of that, it couldn't arouse any emotions from the audience.
The next one, number 122, was too nervous, so he made a lot of mistakes at the beginning. But he pulled himself together and managed to perform in the second half. Despite his mistakes, Haneul thought he performed better than the previous one.
Then it was Robin's turn.
"Hyung, fighting!" Haneul said to Robin in a low voice before the other walked forward.
Robin raised his clenched fists and then pumped them while saying 'fighting!' like how a native Korean would do. That made Haneul chuckled a bit.
Robin stood at the center and took a deep breath. As the first note of the song played, a bright smile instantly lit up his face.
Oh wow, this feeling's new
My heart's racing, it's all because of you
Can't hide, my smile is bright
Whenever you're near, everything's so right
As he sang the first verse, Robin's voice was clear and earnest, carrying the melody with confidence. His movements were graceful yet energetic, syncing perfectly with the rhythm of the music. With each step, he exuded joy, his expressions mirroring the upbeat tempo of the song.
Haneul was surprised by the song selection. It was a song titled [Oh!] by Girls' Ensemble - a 2nd generation girl group that dominated the late 2000s and the early 2010s. Their early songs during their rookie years were mostly bubblegum pop. Where everything was super girly and cutesy. It was even more evident in this song.
It's not like none of the previous participants performed a girl group song. But most of the songs performed had a girl crush concept, so it was much easier for a boy to digest it better.
But here, Robin was performing a super girly song that should show once's cuteness. There were only two ways this could go. Either it became comedic, or super adorable, to the point that everyone just couldn't help but smile.
Haneul turned to the judges. Based on their expression, it's definitely the latter. And that's understandable. Even he was smiling behind his mask.
Robin continued his performance, doing all sorts of cute expressions, winking at the right moment, and even giving finger hearts. When it was time for the song's iconic chorus, Robin's cuteness seemed to explode even more.
Oh, oh, I can't believe
You make me feel this way, it's like a dream
Oh, oh, my heart's on fire
With every glance, you take me higher
Haneul's smile never left his face until Robin's performance ended. With a performance like that, there's no way he would not pass this audition.
And now, it's finally his turn.