If all the elements and concepts overlapped, the stage would naturally go towards similar results.
It might have been natural since Seon Ahyeon did the choreography and I took on the role of leader.
This performance was becoming more and more similar to the stage of the first team match of
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Hyung, here!"
"Thanks."
I wiped the sweat from my chin with a towel.
"Hyung, I guess you're good at this type of dance choreography! You're really fast at learning it and you're almost done. You're amazing…"
"I guess so. I got lucky."
Because I already knew everything.
There was nothing I needed to learn about the revisions to the chorus choreography that I was currently practicing. Because it was almost the same.
That wasn't all.
A similar phenomenon occurred while arranging the parts.
'… I didn't expect that this would happen.'
One of the experts in this survival show chose similar arrangements as I had done during
As the 'art' collaboration had to be completed in just one week, more in-house experts were hired to ensure stage quality than before.
And this was the feedback I received right before the mid-term evaluation.
"I think it would be nice to utilize the bride a bit more…"
"… Yes."
"Since your other two teammates did a lot of the dance parts, let's treat it as a collaboration stage. You should do a solo."
My solo.
I did the same thing in
In fact, it wasn't an understatement that this arrangement composition would be almost identical to the one I had already done.
"How is it?"
"I completely agree… !"
But no one protested.
"…"
I relaxed my hands and opened my mouth.
"Alright."
However, the arranger tapped his shoulder with a somewhat dissatisfied expression and blurted out something.
"Are you sick, Gunwoo? You don't look too good."
"… !"
This wouldn't work.
In a survival show, appearing lackluster was a landmine that could lead to controversy over attitude.
Voluntary tax payment was best.
I immediately raised my voice.
"No! I had some body aches… I'm sorry if my bad condition was revealed to you."
"No, there's nothing to be sorry about… You need to take good care of your body. Debut is just around the corner, you know?"
"Yes."
And on the contrary, the guys on both sides were whispering.
"I'm sorry, hyung. I didn't know you were sick…"
"Please at least drink some water."
"Thanks."
I got some water from Ju-Dan and let the situation go. The arranger asked again.
"Then, how about we arrange the bridge like that? To emphasize Gunwoo's vocals."
"Yes."
Resistance was prohibited. From now on, I had to show myself on camera with a more dedicated look so there were no variables.
'This is right.'
But this useless resistance was the problem. There was an unpleasant feeling that my skills weren't working properly throughout practice.
'Damn it.'
"Let's take a good rest and come back tomorrow…"
"If you work harder now, you'll sleep better at night."
"… … Yes."
I finished practice that afternoon, suppressing the crazy comments of my teammates, who were concerned about my condition, saying, 'Let's work hard and finish early and rest.'
I couldn't help but sigh.
'Am I crazy?'
If the camera was rolling and my skills depended on your mood, wasn't it right to quit?
Why couldn't I do it properly? I should have used my reputation points on upgrading my stats instead of trying to recruit companions.
"Hyung, will you eat…?"
"I'll leave after I finish this. You can eat first."
I headed to the restaurant after I stretched for quite some time.
After washing up and getting an intermediate evaluation, I planned to come back at night and refine myself. I felt like shit.
Dururuk.
Perhaps because it was not dinner time, there was no one in the restaurant. Except for one guy who was using it like a reading room.
"Hello, hyung. Sit here."
Cheongryeo.
I immediately checked the corner of the wall and the dining table. The guy laughed heartily.
"There are no cameras. So we can still talk, right?"
"…"
I put some food on the plate and sat down across from him. The guy who was checking the notes on the choreography moves asked me a question.
"You're not sick, are you?"
Since we were sharing a practice room, I guess he heard something there too.
"Why are you asking when you already know?"
"Hmm? No, I'm just checking."
He closed the notebook and asked in a light tone.
"Isn't this the first time that one of your pieces of work that was well-received ended up being used in a different context?"
"…"
"You seem to care a lot."
What the hell was he saying?
The words rose up to my throat, but of course, I didn't say them. Fuck, I couldn't help it.
"Are you thinking about that stage? The stage you performed during the first team match of Idol Inc.'"
"Yes."
"The first stages are always memorable. I still remember mine too."
This guy's first stage?
"Come to think of it… I also did it in a survival show. Here."
"…"
"We have quite a few interesting things in common. Yes?"
The guy was silent for a moment, staring into space, but then smiled.
"It's okay. Once you try this, you realize it's nothing. Weren't you saying that this isn't reality anyway? Rather, it would be vain."
"… Things like that happen, too."
I half-heartedly lowered the food on the plate to the side.
I couldn't believe I was saying this to this guy.
"But the problem is that the feeling of not wanting to do it is affecting my physical condition."
"Oh my."
The guy closed the notebook he was writing in. And he spoke quietly.
"Don't practice anymore today and go to bed early. And eat well."
"…"
"A person's ability to think is surprisingly influenced by their physical condition. Do you have any plans to take care of it?"
I nodded my head slowly. The guy shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay… If you don't think you can do it, think of an alternative."
"Why bother doing that?"
Clink!
I roughly put down a glass of water.
"There's a right way to go about things, and I can do it."
"I know."
The guy smiled and got up from his seat. And he pointed to my tray with his chin.
"Eat all of that and sleep."
"…"
I nodded. The guy went out.
"Hoo."
I felt like I had lost my appetite, which I never had to begin with.
[You really need to eat…]
Wouldn't it be better to just shovel sugar into my mouth rather than test the possibility of eating it and gaining weight?
[Is that possible!?]
I chuckled at the scared pop-up. I had sorted out what to do in the future, and my condition had calmed down further.
'Once I do it, it'll be okay…'
The problem was that that expectation was also unpleasant. Damn it.
After a few minutes, I put all the food on the plate on top. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling.
And by the time I got up after putting away the food tray…
Dururuk.
I heard the restaurant door opening. I didn't really look, but I heard a sound.
A voice.
"Ah."
"… !"
I turned my head.
The guy I saw two days ago was standing there.
Black-haired Seon Ahyeon.
"Hello. It's nice to see you again."
"…"
I lowered my head and then raised it. But the guy threw up his hand.
"It's okay if you don't do that…! I hope you can speak comfortably with me."
"You appeared as a mentor, so I can't do that."
"But we're not filming right now."
He smiled faintly, carefully closed the restaurant door, and came inside.
Why?
"Thanks to good traffic conditions and arriving early, I was able to wander around and end up here."
Really?
"Can I sit here too?"
I didn't think there would be any participant who would say no to their mentor.
"Yes."
"Thank you… !"
I didn't know what he was thankful for. It had become difficult to even get up. I was worried as I looked at the plate of food I had finished eating.
Then, a soft voice was heard first.
"I enjoyed the candy you gave me because it's a candy I eat sometimes too. Um, to replenish my stamina during intermission."
"Yes."
Yes. I remembered this guy pulling it out in the middle of the concert when it was time to eat.
Here… It was probably about the ballet performance intermission.
There was guaranteed break time during the intermission, so there wouldn't have been any need.
"…"
"…"
The conversation ended with a short answer and silence continued. However, this guy seemed to have no intention to stop talking and opened his mouth again.
"Actually, when I saw you in the hallway… You looked familiar, so I thought you might be someone I knew."
What?
"But when I got closer, I realized it wasn't the right time to ask that. You looked like you were in pain."
"Pain?"
Seon Ahyeon flinched slightly but nodded.
"Yes. You looked like you were in pain. Even now."
"…"
Very… I must have been wandering around in a chaotic state where anyone and everyone could read me.
'On camera too?'
No, I made the excuse that I wasn't feeling well, so it would be okay. I played properly without missing practice, and I never verbally abused anyone, so that was about it…
"You have no obligation to confide in me, but… Still, I hope you find someone to talk to. This is my counselor's number…"
"It's okay."
Stop it.
"… Yes, I'm sorry. I was too presumptuous."
Seon Ahyeon's face became blurred. I held back a sigh. And as I was about to exhale, I blurted out an answer without realizing it.
"It's not presumptuous."
"Yes."
"It's just… I've already done a stage with the same song and the same concept."
"… This stage?"
"That's right."
I lowered my gaze.
"…I had done this as a first performance with all my close friends who I can't see right now, so it doesn't feel right appearing on TV doing the same thing."
This was why I wondered if I was sane even after saying this.
Seon Ahyeon's face was hard to read. Did he have similar thoughts?
"Then… If it was hard, why didn't you tell me?"
Why?
"Because the results will be better that way."
"… !"
"The response to that stage was good. I'm not stupid enough to not use something that's been proven."
This reaction could be misunderstood as a month-end evaluation from another agency. I guess it didn't matter.
"…"
Seon Ahyeon looked at the table for a moment and said nothing.
But he soon spoke in a firm voice.
"Good results are not necessarily the answer. The answer is to make a choice that wouldn't lead to suffering."
"… !"
It was an unprofessional remark. However, Seon Ahyeon did not soften.
"Victory isn't only achieved if you go against your unwillingness head-on."
He hesitated, then added in a faint voice.
"I… I was also in pain because I lived with too much disregard for my heart."
"…"
"And Gunwoo can certainly put on a good performance even if you change your route. There is no right answer when it comes to staging and interpretation."
And it was sorted out gently.
"Therefore, it's okay to not insist on suffering on your own with the mindset that you have to overcome it. An alternative can also be the right answer."
I didn't know what the right answer was.
I wouldn't deny that his words were shocking and that I was instantly taken aback.
But there was one more thing.
'… I thought he was living well without any difficulties.'
A refined speaking style without stuttering, proactive communication in unfamiliar situations, and near-achievement success.
He was the one who already had everything that Seon Ahyeon was trying to get back in the original world.
Wouldn't it look like this guy was living well to anyone?
So why was he talking like that… No, he was talking about his pain to a guy he had never met before.
Please… …
[Hyung?]
'Ah.'
The silence was too long.
I barely answered.
"… Thank you. I will take note of it."
Although it was an answer that didn't confirm if I would follow his advice, Seon Ahyeon still nodded quite happily.
"It's nothing. You must have been surprised that a stranger suddenly said something like this, but thank you for accepting it like a grown-up."
"No. I… The advice was comforting."
"Then, I'm glad."
The atmosphere barely warmed up. I was just lucky that the cameras weren't rolling.
Seon Ahyeon suggested this with a brighter face.
"And… Our age difference isn't that big. You can call me as you please."
"Then, mentor, please speak comfortably first."
"Ah, um… You should start first."
The guy smiled vaguely. I knew this would happen.
And before I could say anything more, the guy's employee called him like last time.
"Shouldn't you go?"
"Ah, yes."
Only then did he stand up.
"Even if the song changes, I will say it was something that has been discussed already, so don't worry."
He then said something absurd and left the restaurant.
Still, perhaps because it was said by a guy called a mentor, I felt a little at ease.
'I don't have to….'
[Hyung… I think Ahyeon is right. If you don't like it, isn't it okay to not do it??]
That was separate from shock. If it was necessary, I should do it.
Deuddeuddeung!
The pop-up trembled.
'Stop.'
I wouldn't change my mind so easily.
Then this time, the pop-up shrank as if dejected.
[ㅠㅠ… Why don't you just think of it like a cover-stage collaboration? No, it's not like hyung is participating in Idol Inc. again! Just think of it as doing it with your juniors!]
It sounded like nonsense, but it was also a surprisingly persuasive statement.
Yes, it was definitely a different time and a completely different program. If I clearly recognized that the two were separate situations…
"… !"
Wait.
[Hyung?]
Okay.
'You're right.'
[What?]
I was mistaken.
〈Idol Inc.〉 and 〈Wise〉 were not the same program. Not only were the years different, but the process and appeal to the demand group were also different.
'In other words, the evaluation criteria are different.'
Moreover, wasn't the number of members together and the theme and composition of the performance different?
Even if it was a perfect answer in the first team match in
And if I recalculated the situation taking that difference into account…
'Ah… Stupid bastard.'
Did I only realize this now?
[I… then?]
I came to a clear conclusion.
'… I think I need to make some changes.'
[Oooh!]
I smiled and returned the tray.
And before starting the mid-term evaluation, I gathered the team members in the living room.
"Yes, hyung!"
"I heard you were taking a shower."
"I have something to tell you."
I spoke without hesitation.
"When I wondered why it felt so uncomfortable, there was one factor we hadn't considered."
"What?"
"Our mentor."
Yes.
This time, the mentor not only participated and advised on stage composition but also briefly participated in the stage.
Such as drawing pop art in the intro, then exiting and appearing by tearing up the painting, or even having an orchestra provide live accompaniment.
"Our mentor is a ballerina."
"That… That's right?"
"We have to stop him from out-performing us."
There were no cameras in the living room yet. I spoke without hesitation.
"So we can't do the same choreography. The correct answer is that we should create synergy with different feelings, making the stage more refreshing."
"Oh…"
They looked at each other, and Chaeyul spoke first.
"Then… Are we modifying it?"
"There are some elements to delete and add."
I closed my mouth for a moment, then opened my mouth subtly.
"Of course, it seems like it will be a bit of a forced march until the end… ."
The guy's face brightened.
"It's okay. It sounds great!"
"Let's try it. So what?"
They were indeed VTIC. I couldn't be happier that their yes-men personalities weren't going anywhere.
"Good."
I opened the notebook I brought with me.
And after the mid-term evaluation filled with confusion, anticipation, and worry at the mention of how our stage would be 'half-renovated'…
A few days passed.
The day of the performance had arrived.