27. Live (1)
Cheongmi let out a sigh and regret at the same time.
'Our Youngi, if you're going to produce it yourself, you could've taken Danb's part, but you're giving it to Ryu Hyunseung. What can we do when our kid is this good?'
If that were the case, the aggro would've been clinging to him like a swindler, saying he's monopolizing the parts, but it couldn't be helped that she was disappointed. How much did she writhe in sadness after seeing this Danb for the first time at the showcase?
Yoo Young didn't seem to care, but it was an important issue for Cheongmi.
'But Ryu Hyunseung really dances well.'
He's going to make it to the top tier with just his dancing skills. Even Cheongmi thought that way.
Cheongmi turned her gaze and looked for the other members waiting at the end of the stage. Yoo Young was looking at the stage with his hands on his hips, catching his breath, and she wondered what his small head was thinking.
'Oh, they're moving!'
Soon, Yoo Young and Hwang Bo-kyun approached Ryu Hyun-seung on either side. The two naturally mingled and matched with Ryu Hyun-seung. Rather than being outdone by Ryu Hyun-seung, Cheongmi felt dizzy at the sight of him properly doing the difficult choreography.
'F*ck, those guys who said they debuted with their faces after seeing the kids should watch this scene 50,000 times.'
It's called the law of conservation of aggro.
If they seem even a little popular or good-looking, they stick to them without thinking about the consequences and get on their nerves like cockroaches. From swear words that can't be uttered to rumors, she really couldn't see them in her right mind.
- A one-night fantasy that scattered in an instant
- Even if reality ends, even if it shatters, I'm still alive
- All of this space, scene, (Re)play right now
All the members who were waiting gathered, and the melody piled up like dominoes.
Lee A-ram sang the lyrics with a playful smile. Then Seol Yi-soo sang the backing vocals a note higher. The two voices that didn't seem to go together unexpectedly stuck together.
'They really use the vocals well in the right places.'
There's not a single part that doesn't suit each other. Even if you feel dissatisfied, you will be convinced when you listen to the song.
When the hook section came, Baek Han-gyul, who had regained the center, walked around the stage with a face that was all red. As the song came to an end, everyone stopped, starting with Baek Han-gyul.
- Right now, at this moment, us
Finally, even Yoo Young and Ahn Jung-woo, who were in the back, stopped moving, and the song was cut off.
Cheongmi screamed like a crazy person. She didn't have time to pay attention to her surroundings, and it must have been the same for everyone else.
After the members stopped to catch their breath, the director shouted, and the staff started moving busily. As if they got the okay in one go, Intro also bowed here and there and came down from the stage.
"Aahh! He's handsome!"
The left fence where Cheongmi was seated was close to where the artists went up and down the stage, so she could see their faces relatively close.
It seemed like she made eye contact with Yoo Young, who was passing by, but she tried to calm herself down, saying that it was just a delusion.
Meanwhile, backstage after Intro left the stage. The members sat on chairs and monitored the recording they had just taken while getting their makeup fixed. Yoo Young, in particular, focused on checking not only his part but also the overall stage composition and even the members who were on the screen.
"Let's take a 30-minute break and go to the gimbal right away."
A gimbal is a device that catches the shaking of a camera and is mainly used when a cameraman holds the camera and takes a video.
It is often called 'Ronin' after the series of devices.
Pre-recording usually consists of three parts: main recording, Ronin recording, and Jimmy Jib (filming crane) recording, and in between, makeup or costume modifications or feedback are often done.
Yoo Young said without taking his eyes off the monitor.
"Aram hyung, you were late checking the camera at the end. You were confused since the camera rehearsal, right? It's a little difficult to change the one-shot... You need to be quick with your gaze processing."
"Han-gyul, your gestures are good when you rap, but it's a little awkward when you're the center. Right? How about doing your hands like this? Uh, uh. Okay. Like that."
"Ah, Kyun hyung... Yes, you know."
"Yi-oo hyung, since your face appears in Aram hyung's part, you need to look at the camera without looking down. Even if it's not your part, you need to make sure that it's captured on screen."
"Hyunseung hyung, can you make your movements richer? It's not a big deal, but I'm a little disappointed. Thank you."
"Jungwoo, you just do this. Instead, take care of your throat."
He grabs each member and gives feedback.
The sight of him looking so familiar made everyone else, except for the members, speechless. He'd often acted out of the ordinary like this, but today was even more surprising.
His feedback was valid, sharp, and accurate. It was as if he'd been doing the same thing dozens, hundreds, thousands of times.
But he wasn't only pointing out the members.
"...Wouldn't it be better to bend my head a little more in that part? I should lower it about 15 degrees for the next recording."
It was so delicate that it was scary to mutter to himself and correct his movements. It was as if he would not tolerate even a single mistake.
The makeup staff who was wiping away Yoo Young's sweat and applying powder to his cheeks stopped when she realized Yoo Young was calling her.
"Teacher, I'm sorry, but could you make the blush a little darker? The lighting is causing my makeup to fall off a lot."
"Are we going to keep the color the same?"
"Yes, please. I'm sorry for bothering you."
"Oh no."
Yoo Young, who had already looked fresh by putting less effort into eye makeup and emphasizing the shading and color, closed his eyes as if he had made up his mind. The staff screamed inwardly and picked up the blush brush. She thought that she wouldn't forget this face even after ten years, even though she didn't put any selfish motives into her work. Lee Aram, who happened to be passing by, looked at Yoo Young and frowned, but fortunately no one noticed.
Over there, Ji Youngheon looked at the members and called out to Aram.
"I'll check your outfit, Aram. Come this way!"
And here. In this situation, there was only one person who was calm.
It was Yoo Young himself.
Yoo Young closed his eyes and felt the texture of the brush against his cheek, thinking.
'As expected, they're all good for rookies.'
All the points I've pointed out so far aren't about skills, but rather small details that come from not being used to broadcasting.
It's like a trick that you'll learn if you keep working.
Yoo Young opened one eye slightly and looked at Baek Han-gyul. He repeated the hand movements used in the choreography, as if he was recalling the scene he had monitored.
'Baek Han-gyul... He definitely has a sense.'
The secret to putting the quick-witted Baek Han-gyul in the center was nothing special.
It was none other than emphasizing gestures.
'That guy has great stage presence. He mixes his movements better than you'd think, so that they don't feel out of place.'
Originally, idols have to have a person in the center who can do intense dancing and live or lip-syncing at the same time. Skills are divided by whether or not they can dance live.
On the other hand, there were cases where they stopped while singing or did simple movements.
At first glance, the second method seems easy, but it requires a lot of effort and talent because you have to fill the stage even when you stop.
Even ballads rarely stand still like wooden dolls, and even more so for idol dance songs.
But Yoo Young trusted Baek Han-gyul.
It wasn't that he blindly believed in uncertain possibilities and growth. It was a conclusion that came from thorough calculation.
'When Lime's monthly evaluation was held, he received a strong response not because of his dancing skills, but because his response-inducing and stage manners were good.'
Stage manners come from either learning through experience or natural talent. And Baek Han-gyul was strictly the latter.
That's why Yoo Young was able to decide to put Baek Han-gyul in the center.
'A ttuk-ttak with natural talent. What a strange combination.'
There was also a downside to this method.
Standing still on stage is an action that surprisingly draws a lot of attention, so it can't be used at any time. In short, it means that choreography cannot be omitted in other parts.
Through practice, it was made into an act like a human dance, but nowadays, the fancams are so good that Baek Hangyul's dance skills will be revealed quickly.
'It's not possible to improve your skills in a short period of time, and if you want to get rid of the title Ttuk-tak-i, this level of risk is unavoidable.'
Yoo Young felt bitter, but he didn't regret it because he knew that Baek Han-gyul had done his best.
In fact, it's a miracle that a rookie can connect the stage so naturally.
".....?"
Baek Han-gyul flinched as he suddenly felt a gaze. He calmed his trembling voice.
"Hyung, did I do something wrong?"
"...? No. Why?"
"But, why are you looking at me with your eyes wide open?"
As he said, Yoo Young was staring at Baek Han-gyul with his eyes wide open, only turning his pupils. He didn't even smile, so he looked like a madman.
Yoo Young spoke with barely any movement in his lips, as if he was performing a ventriloquism.
"That's because I'm putting on makeup. If I suddenly turn my head, the teacher might feel uncomfortable."
"It's, it's okay to be uncomfortable!"
"No. Unless it's unavoidable, we should be considerate of each other when we can."
When Yoo Young added something, the staff praised Yoo Young for being deep in thought, and Baek Han-gyul shook his head. When he does that, he seems like a really kind and gentle person, but he's strangely hard to figure out.
"Then, could you at least keep your eyes straight ahead?"
"...Is it that strange?"
"I think it'll appear in my dreams."
When Baek Han-gyul said it bluntly, Yoo Young shut his mouth tightly. It seemed like he wanted to frown but was holding back. Even though he seemed like a difficult person, his thoughts were obvious now. Maybe it was because it was a situation where it didn't matter if he knew what he was thinking.
"Recording will start soon. Everyone, please gather."
Ji Young-heon, who checked his watch, gathered everyone's attention by clapping. Intro members had been preparing to keep their bodies warm gathered in one place. Some people were stretching in the gap.
They went back on stage at the staff's signal.
Yoo Young thought that maybe because the stage and the stands were close to the broadcasting station, the faces of the fans seemed to be particularly clear.
'As expected, there are many people who have been staying since the showcase, just like I saw earlier.'
The time slot was ambiguous, so they must have been tired to come in succession.
Yoo Young also faced the faces of the fans one by one.
Cheong-mi hit her forehead hard with her palm when she saw that. She had thought it was a mistake earlier, but it wasn't.
'We just made eye contact, right? Right?!'
He definitely made eye contact with Cheong-mi with those moist, affectionate eyes... Cheong-mi herself felt that way.
She wanted to wave the cheering stick while he was there.
At that time, she felt sorry that Intro is a rookie. There is no fandom name, no cheering stick, and no official fan club!
If you wait, they will come out one by one, but like a Korean with an impatient personality, Cheongmi grumbled inside.
'Oh my, I have to get him to see this.'
She held up the unofficial slogan that was torn and tattered every time she got excited. It was a slogan that Yoo Young's favorite fans had made together.
Yoo Young tilted his head as if he saw the slogan that Cheongmi was holding. He pointed to the slogan once and clapped both hands together. That means the slogan was crumpled.
Cheongmi's mind went blank for a moment. She lamented the fact that she couldn't capture this scene in a photo.
'This isn't a delusion. No, even if it's just a fan's delusion, it's fine.'
As if reflecting those feelings, the pitiful slogan became even more crumpled. If the slogan had an ego, it would have cursed, saying, 'I know you're excited, but relax your hands a little.' In the end, the only word visible in Yoo Young's name was 'You', and the slogan was never released until all pre-recordings were finished.
-