It was the day when the LeTi survival show presented an ambitious performance stage with the theme of 'art'.
In the backstage…
"Shall we cheer first?"
"Yes!"
Following the teammate who responded loudly and held out his hand, Ryu Chungwoo also held out a hand.
"Team D, everyone is good, let's do well!"
It was participant Shin Jaehyun who smiled and asked for a slogan. Also known as Cheongryeo.
Although he was the leader of VTIC, he was also the person who was now caught up in this strange situation.
'I never thought they'd be on stage together like this.'
It was an unexpected thing for Ryu Chungwoo. The same went for the situation itself, where he returned to the past and went to college with Ryu Gunwoo.
'It's like a fantasy.'
He never dreamed he would face such a surreal situation. But he managed to accept it as a kind of different life experience.
The stage preparation with this VTIC leader went extremely smoothly.
'Greatly… Everything is used in the right place.'
From participants to trainers.
It was surprising. The process of putting together the pictures that were already in his head one by one was so solid that it gave him goosebumps.
It was a bit mechanical, but… It seemed like he was a leader who was more capable of commanding the stage than he was.
'I need to train more on what I'm good at.'
Ryu Chungwoo decided to do so instead of smiling bitterly at his desire to win.
"You can be on standby now."
"Yes!"
The manned camera that recorded the exchange left in search of different people, leaving only the installed camera behind.
Because their performance was the last, Ryu Chungwoo watched the entire performance from the waiting room below.
'Good job.'
Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin were torn apart and moved into different groups one by one, each showing great contributions.
-Yeah!
He recalled Cha Eugene, who was the center of the Action Paint performance, and Kim Raebin, who led the arrangement almost alone while chatting excitedly with the orchestra conductor.
'Especially Raebin, he's really great.'
The growth was almost visible.
It felt like that even when they were in
"Hmm."
And right before him, the third stage was about to unfold before his eyes.
The stage of Park Moondae and the other VTIC members.
It was a combination that would have made people faint in real life, but that wasn't the problem now.
'… It'll be okay.'
As soon as he saw the team's first choreography in the practice room, he remembered what Cha Eugene had whispered to him.
-That's the stage! 'October 31'!
The stage of the first team of
'We were destroyed without mercy.'
That team competed with Ryu Chungwoo's team. If they were lucky, they could have been on the same team but were split up with a single button.
'I pretended it wasn't the case at the time, but it was actually quite disappointing.'
Ryu Chungwoo almost smiled vaguely as he recalled the memory of that time, which now felt like a memory, but he stopped.
This was because while practicing for this stage, which was exactly like that stage, he was reminded of Park Moondae's condition.
To put it bluntly, he looked completely dead and sunken.
-Are you okay?
-Yes. I'm okay.
-Are you sick?? Where does it hurt?
-No. It's not painful.
His complexion was at a level where he had no expressions on at all.
To put it mildly, even though they were from different teams, he and other TeStar members snooped around on them a few times.
However, it was difficult to say anything as everyone (except Kim Raebin) guessed the reason.
Because they couldn't just say 'what you should do or what you shouldn't do' about a stage that wasn't theirs.
This was especially true for those who, while appearing on a survival program, promised themselves, 'We will definitely win the grand prize and get out of here.'
'But if he had been like that for a few more days, I would have tried to talk to him more.'
The situation had changed a bit since the mid-term evaluation.
Park Moondae changed the stage composition.
-There won't be time…
-Still, we think it's worth the challenge.
As Park Moondae said that, the light returned to his eyes and he seemed to have regained his usual firmness.
It didn't shake.
Cha Eugene neatly summarized his position.
-We think about Moondae hyung too much, so we need to practice doing less this time. We will still be watching him anyway.
Although Cha Eugene was one of the youngest members, he was also a member who knew how to hit the nail on the head in unexpected ways.
So Ryu Chungwoo decided not to interfere with Park Moondae this time.
And the results were scheduled to unfold on that stage now.
He planned to take a closer look at the stage where all the sets were installed, but…
"Hyung is always good on stage."
"… ! Yes. That's right."
The leader of VTIC started speaking next to him.
The other person, who was younger than him now but could not bear to say anything, was looking at the stage with quite joyful eyes.
"He prepared something like this."
"…"
Ryu Chungwoo turned his head.
The stage that started was already projecting a snowy birch forest.
-…
A bell rang on a slowly darkening stage, and a yellow moon rose.
And there was a ringing female chorus.
-Ah- ha ha Ah- ha ha
It was a beautiful minor harmony.
And in keeping with that unsettling chord, a seal was revealed between the trees.
Three slim silhouettes wearing black hoods appeared.
Their arms began to move. A short and intense intro performance with overlapping white arms clad in linen.
-Woo! Oooo oo, oo
And to the final chorus, the three stood tall again. Their hoods were passed one by one in order of formation.
The chords with the revealed white face rang the stage like a stream of water.
-It's cold outside
Come here, come in!
Let's drink with us, tonight
"… !"
It was a carol.
Last year, the English title of LeTi agency's joint winter special album.
The retro 19th-century carol didn't do well in the public, but it also created a cult on the Internet.
The classic and warm melody met with an exaggerated orchestra accompaniment turned into an elegant and secret feeling.
That was why it was possible…
'The accompaniment is To a New World.'
Yes.
There wasn't a restriction in place that said they could only use one song.
Park Moondae borrowed the accompaniment of the original song instead of completely using To a New World as he did in
The dark melody met the melody of an elegant orchestra that promoted the fairy of the flowers.
And the song changed to a rhythmic tune made for the dance.
-This night
A bell that was heard outside the window
Ding-dong Ding-dong
The first verse sounded like a ballad.
The two members held the waist of Chaeyul and lifted him up. It was a big action that caught the eyes.
Ryu Gunwoo's bass chords, which supported Chaeyul's vocals, were rounded like water droplets.
-Ding-dong Ding-dong
The first verse started with storytelling and idol choreography.
The participants did not smile for the mood as if they were acting like vampires, but they still performed all other expressions with gestures.
Instead of screaming 'I'm a vampire' with fangs or blood makeup, indirect methods were used, like costumes, choreography, and gestures.
The hooded robes flew like cloaks and revealed a costume with a gorgeous chain in it.
-Sound of beautiful winter
Ding-dong Ding-dong
The voice of winter
The red lining of the robes rippled.
After the choreography during the pre-chorus, in which they held their necks with both hands and turned their upper bodies, the chorus of the group dance that controlled the strength and weakness was exquisitely unfolded.
The dark and dense orchestra became magnificent again.
-Tonight!
In the middle of winter
Lalalalalala!
The moment the three participants were done at the end of the first verse with the impressive movements that flipped their bodies, the accompaniment began to play on top.
The piano melody slid Into the center of the empty stage.
- ♬ ♩ ♪ ♩ - ♬ ♪ ♪ - ♩
And what started was… It was the melody of a verse from To a New World.
A new figure appeared here.
A white hand appeared behind the tree in line with music.
Soon, the arms reached out and the whole body was revealed on the stage.
-♩♫
It was a black-haired ballerino mentor wearing a white costume with silhouette.
He did a light turn, and then a Grand Jute.
The operation of the air was not overly controlled, and he had a balance like a doll in the snow.
And a voice was heard.
-Can't you feel me?
One of the participants, who wrote the hood again on the left side of the stage, turned around.
"… !"
Ryu Gunwoo.
He grabbed the head microphone with both hands and sang softly.
-Your warm hands
It raises me. It's beautiful.
Spring garden
The lighting was warm with beige, and the atmosphere of the winter disappeared for a while.
The perfect ballerino moved beautifully and powerfully.
He did an arabesk.
-Umuum, umuum…
The end of the bridge arrived, and the moment the orchestra drove back to the song…
The ballerino lept out of the stage as if he ran away.
And in a moment, three people were caught again.
Colorful performers who took off their hoods and pushed.
Cold lights filled the stage as if it was bursting again.
-Woo! Oooo oo, oo
And the choreography of the chorus started again. This time, however, new movements were mixed in the line.
Turn and jumps that the Ballerino did just before.
It was just clever.
'It feels different.'
It was as if they were imitating him, but it was a different genre of dance-pop motion.
It couldn't be compared to the mentor directly, so the observers could feel the quality of the stage.
-In the snowy garden
In a teacup, in a sugar bowl
The stimulating idols and gestures for close-ups appeared.
And there was a powerful ending.
-The Bell Rings
Ring Ri-Ring
Ring-Ring-Ring
The static composition reached its end as they turned their head in a different direction.
It was mixed with the torn arrangement, and all the sounds were gathered together with the high-pitched ad-lib vocals.
And finally, the participants raised their arms and smiled.
-The Winter is… in !!
The music ended.
And on the stage where all movements stopped…
Wow!!!
Applause and cheer poured out. Even screams.
Good job!
The participants readjusted their robes, fixed their posture, greeted the audience, and smiled.
It was a dizzy, intense, and dark stage.
It was a bit difficult as if it was on purpose.
If it was another stage, there would have been a risk of being criticized for ignoring the popularity.
But this keyword was 'Art'.
It would be a little different for the audience and the judges to expect.
"Hmm."
Ryu Chungwoo turned his head slightly and looked right in front of the audience.
Not surprisingly, the president squeezed his mouth and lifted his thumb.
As if it were very good.
'Wow.'
It was fun!
Ryu Chungwoo knew that the next was his turn, but eventually smiled and sent a big applause.
• * *
The stage was over.
"Hoo."
I took off the hood and grabbed it in my hand.
It was cool.
'What.'
The feeling of liberation was enormous. Anyone who saw it would have thought that we had just won the grand prize.
I folded the hood and gave it to the staff.
'I passed.'
I knew even if I didn't see the score. We had done well. My head, which was in disarray, finally started working.
'It's a direct hit.'
The stage adrenaline was nothing like this.
I swept my forehead.
"Hyung!"
At that time, the man who took off his painted outfit ran to me.
Cha Eugene.
"You were great. It was so cool! "
"Ack."
No, wait… Why was this bastard putting all the strength in his arm around my neck?
Was this American football-crazy guy trying to blow my head off? I managed to get out after repairing my almost broken neck.
Then a quiet voice was heard.
"Hyung, I will tell you in advance."
What?
"You can use the stage you originally did however you want. It won't matter!"
"… !"
And he alternately pointed to his head and chest with the arm that almost broke my neck earlier.
"Our stages are here. And they're also in reality. Even if you use it in the multiverse, it will never disappear!"
"…"
"You must not forget that. Okay?"
If I had heard this a few days ago, I would have interpreted it as 'so do it properly' and would have been gritting my teeth and pounding my head against the wall.
But after it was over, after my head was clear, I listened to it… There was no other feeling quite like this.
'Was it me who forgot?'
I never thought I would be the first to taste it in this strange situation. I laughed and hit the guy on the shoulder.
"I got it."
"That's enough!"
The guy grinned.
"And I will also use it however I want. Get ready to see!"
"Yes, okay."
As I watched him being taken away for the interview, I even changed my clothes.
And after a while, the guy who came down after finishing his performance also spoke to me as soon as he arrived in the waiting room.
Ryu Chungwoo.