Chapter 67
At first, it seemed like he was just following along.
"Okay, I've organized the schedule."
"Wow!"
The schedule that Chae Eun-gyu personally planned was simple yet tight.
Group route and choreography practice from 11am to 3pm.
Individual vocal practice is from 6pm to 10pm.
And then we gather again and continue practicing from 10pm until we go to bed.
"Min-ha and I will take the lead in choreography and movement, so until then, I think it would be easier if you all just watched it with your eyes and memorized it as much as possible."
"Yes!"
There were no problems in this area because Chae Eun-gyu had a lot of leadership experience.
I also continuously checked Baek Si-hwa during group practice sessions.
Baek Si-hwa still had a blank expression, but he wasn't doing anything special yet.
"I think it's important to keep the arm angle constant here. When you look from the front, if even one person's angle is off, it's noticeable."
Chae Eun-gyu checked our group dance with eagle eyes.
"Sihwa, I think it would be better for you to take a step forward during the pre-chorus part. I feel like you're falling behind a little bit right now."
"Yes."
Baek Si-hwa did not resist these detailed instructions and simply accepted them.
'Well, since he was already on the same team as Chae Eun-gyu in the second team battle, he probably knows that to some extent. If you speak carelessly to Chae Eun-gyu, who has built up a good image as a leader, you will end up with neither porridge nor rice [come to nothing; be good for nothing].'
So I thought I could feel a little bit relieved.
The problem arose during individual vocal practice time.
"You can practice individually anytime, but since today is the first day, let's all sing together and get used to each other's parts."
We sat in a circle in the practice room and sang the entire song.
The sub vocal part 1 that I chose is a part that is comprised of a range that does not produce explosive high notes.
Still, it was a bit difficult because I had to keep the beat well and keep the pitch right.
'It was definitely advantageous to have previously restored the singing ability stat to its original state.'
Previously, my singing ability had dropped to a B- due to a penalty, but I raised it back to a B+ through bold investment.
A decision made to avoid making mistakes during the live performance was right before my eyes.
But at the time, I expected that there would be significant benefits, even when looking at it from a long-term perspective.
And that prediction is now unfolding in a positive way.
Even if I only get a B+, I can show this much stability.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how much greater potential I will have once my singing ability stat reaches A level.
After I finished my part neatly, I looked at Chae Eun-gyu.
Then Chae Eun-gyu nodded at me with sparkling eyes.
Although he didn't show it on the outside, he seemed very satisfied.
Kwon Dae-hyun and Heo Jun-oh also sang their parts fairly well for their first attempt.
Soon, Yoo Minha's low voice entered the first chorus.
"Min-ha's tone is really low. I just realized it."
"Right? When I first heard it, I was surprised because it was so different from how it looked."
Kwon Dae-hyun said it in a surprised tone.
When Chae Eun-gyu, who was in a very good mood, nodded proudly, Yoo Min-ha smiled brightly.
"Hehe, I've heard that a lot!"
"I'm really jealous of the gap. It's something you're born with."
"No, Jun-oh nim, you have a really cool voice too!"
After a time of exchanging compliments, it was Baek Si-hwa's turn for the next part of the chorus.
And when Baek Si-hwa sang,.
'... It's short.'
This thought occurred to me immediately.
Before the part where sub vocalist 2 appears, there is a chorus that is about 15 seconds long.
After that, sub vocalists 3 and 4 come out and do a witty stage composition, so it feels like it was relatively buried.
Baek Si-hwa also seemed to realize this, as his eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Si-hwa matches neatly too."
"...Thank you."
Chae Eun-gyu, like a leader, gave praise to everyone.
But there was no sign of joy on Baek Si-hwa's face.
After singing a couple more times,.
Group practice began with Yoo Min-ha perfectly organizing the choreography for the first verse and chorus.
"Eun-gyu Hyung, I think the tempo here is a little slow."
"Okay, guys, when the first verse Karis part comes out, we need to move a little faster. Let's go again."
"Yes!"
Just like Kang Si-yoon and Song Hyung-bin, this time's leader, Chae Eun-gyu also didn't give us a chance to rest.
High-intensity repetitive practice continued.
"Five, six-. Sihwa, like I said before, you have to come in here faster. You're the only one who's a little late."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Let us start over from Karis part."
Baek Si-hwa was seen making a series of mistakes.
He had a hard time concentrating, and his mind seemed to be wandering somewhere else.
I tried to guess what was going through his mind right now.
'Unlike me, whose part is relatively light, Yoo Min-ha, who gets everyone's attention, must be the one who stands out.'
Considering his strange attitude towards Yoo Min-ha, this is a natural development.
A trainee who he was watching closely was placed in a higher position than him within the same team.
The more he keeps reminding himself that he was pushed out, the faster his mental strength will be consumed.
The first day of group practice passed like that.
"Okay, everyone worked hard! I feel good because it seems like we made a lot of progress even though it's only the first day."
"Eun-gyu Hyung had the hardest time."
"Min-ha too, had a hard time with the route!"
Everyone left the practice room in a friendly atmosphere.
I gulped down water and walked towards the dormitory.
I instinctively headed towards cell 12, but luckily I remembered the new room, cell 8.
"Karis, are you going to rest without eating?"
"Yes. I'm not hungry yet."
"Haha, you have good stamina."
As I opened the door and came in, my roommate, who shared the same cell with me, greeted me.
Chae Eun-gyu glanced at me while organizing his workout clothes.
"Is it too difficult to practice?"
"It was okay because Min-ha and Hyung-nim explained it well."
"If that's the case, then that's great. If you have any difficulties, please let me know at any time. I'll help you to the best of my ability."
"Yes."
How dare I make such princely remarks in front of that guy with such a nice smile?
Once again, the dark history from sports day came back to me vividly.
I shook my head quickly and changed the subject.
"Do you think there will be a good performance this time, hyung nim?"
"Since the members are so good, I think it's definitely possible."
Chae Eun-gyu smiled and zipped up his duffel bag.
"Of course, I need to try harder."
"I think you're already trying hard enough."
"Haha, aren't you being too kind? I still have a lot of shortcomings. I always try to twist my whole body to make sure those shortcomings don't show."
There was a strange emotion in his words.
Chae Eun-gyu, who had been making eye contact with me, lowered his gaze.
"... I always think that every moment is my last. That's why I can't tolerate even the smallest mistake. I have to do it perfectly."
It is very similar to the determination I had when I participated in
What kind of mindset did Cha Eun-gyu, who carries the label of a second-hand trainee, have when he came here?
I could feel the burden he felt as he always shouted that it was the last.
Chae Eun-gyu, who had been silent for a moment, soon laughed loudly.
"Haha, did I say something wrong? Sorry."
"No. I fully understand why you participated in the survival show."
"Thank you."
He stood up and stretched his arms.
"I'm going down to get something to eat. Is Karis going to continue resting?"
"Have a nice trip."
That was the end of the brief conversation.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes for a while.
To improve the perfection of the bridge part, thorough preparation and practice are necessary.
I probably won't be able to sleep much until the midterms.
'First of all, let's rest as much as possible when we can.'
* * *
After finishing individual practice until 3 am, I returned to Cell 8.
I heard the sound of Chae Eun-gyu showering in the bathroom, so I sat on the bed and waited.
About 10 minutes passed.
"Oh, you're here? You must be sweating a lot. Go wash up quickly."
"Yes."
After practicing for almost 15 hours, my body felt weak.
While I was relaxing my muscles with hot water,.
"Eun-gyu hyung."
Someone was knocking on our cell door, looking for Chae Eun-gyu.
I turned off the water for a moment and listened.
"Hey, Sihwa. Come in, come in. What's going on?"
"I have something to tell you about the part."
It's Baek Si-hwa.
And he came to talk about the part.
"About the part? Didn't it all end this afternoon?"
"I felt this while practicing alone in the evening: that the sub vocalist 2 didn't have much presence compared to the other positions."
"Aha...."
Chae Eun-gyu also sounded slightly flustered by the sudden situation.
"Do you want to change parts?"
"... Actually, I feel like I didn't show my skills properly when we were deciding on the center position earlier. Now that I've mastered the choreography perfectly, I can convey the feeling better. If possible, I'd like to try for the center position again."
"Challenge the center again?"
"Yes."
I doubted my ears.
It's absurd to challenge again when the center has already been decided.
It was also funny that the person who wanted to try for the center part came to talk to the leader alone in a place where there was no one.
'Common sense would suggest that Chae Eun-gyu would hit the brakes here.'
As I expected, Chae Eun-gyu answered in a very troubled tone.
"It's already been decided, and practice has already begun. I think it might be a bit of a difficult request."
"Can we re-select the center if the other team members agree?"
"If that's the case, we could try, but... I honestly think it's a matter of fairness. So I think it would be better not to do it if possible."
I was surprised that Chae Eun-gyu sent a signal that he would not do it more firmly than expected.
"It's already been decided, and I don't think it's polite to Min-ha. The judges didn't point out that we should change the center, and if we change our minds on our own, it could cause problems."
"Ah... Is that really so?"
"If Min-ha can't do the center, or if he talks about it himself, then okay. I'll be careful about bringing it up, but that's my opinion."
"You mean it would be difficult unless it was unavoidable? Yes, I understand."
"Thank you for understanding."
"No, thank you for stopping by in the middle of the night and talking to me so kindly."
After exchanging greetings, I heard Baek Si-hwa close the door and walk out into the hallway.
I turned on the water again and thought back to his last words.
'Unavoidable situation....'
And a few days later,.
"You want that much attention? What the f*ck, I worked so hard. I could have debuted properly at UbiQs, but you ruined it all and came back here? Don't you have any shame?"
The situation I was worried about occurred right before my eyes.
-