Chapter 71
"Please stand in line and enter~."
The air in April was still relatively cool.
However, the 500 national managers gathered in front of the KNet recording studio were sweating profusely.
'I guess I'll have to find a good spot. Should I stand in the center or move to the side to get a better view? '
This woman, stuck in the middle of the crowd, was also sweating like a waterfall.
She almost got a little angry at the thoughtless people who were shoving each other behind her back, but she took a deep breath as she thought about her friend's earnest face.
'Hold on, hold on.'
It's not like the woman was completely unaware of
Since it was a topic that came up frequently among her friends, she unknowingly heard various pieces of information about it.
Who made a huge splash in the most recent ranking announcement?
Who is her friend's favorite?
And she also received the news that the third round of competition was just around the corner.
She had some free time on her hands because she was on leave from college, so she came to the KNet recording studio at the earnest request of a friend.
Please go to the 3rd round of competition, watch the stage, and tell me what song my favorite Song Hyung-bin performed.
She can be trusted since she has a lot of experience being a fan of other idols and taking proxy photos.
The woman's friend was so desperate for spoilers that she even treated her to a super high-end Korean beef course.
Because she had experienced such sincerity, she applied to watch
She showed off her golden hand and won the prize.
'I feel a little embarrassed since I'm the only one empty-handed.'
All the audience members were holding colorful slogans in their hands.
When she looked closely at the names written on the slogans, she saw many trainees who looked quite familiar.
It wasn't for nothing that her friends were only diligently into majors.
'Song Hyung-bin, Ji Yoon-chul, Karis.... Oh, by the way, they said he came from abroad.'
The woman had no imagination.
Although there are many idols from Japan or China, she has never seen any idols from Western countries.
She was curious as to whether a trainee with a look so different from other Asians would fit in well with the other members.
She heard a lot that he was very handsome.
After a long wait, they were finally able to enter the filming set.
She tried her best to stand in the center as much as possible, but unfortunately, she ended up leaning slightly to the right.
'It's not too much of an issue, so I guess that's okay.'
During the break, she turned on the miniature recorder she had prepared in advance and tested it.
She brought it here to record the song instead of taking pictures because she thought security would be so tight.
It seemed like a better choice than carrying a heavy cannon.
'Okay, the sound quality is fine.'
A few minutes later, Choi Sia came up on stage.
"Hello, National Managers. We sincerely welcome you to the third round of
Everyone gave a big round of applause to the appearance of a well-known solo singer.
Choi Sia bowed and delivered the announcement while passing over the cue card.
"Before the actual competition, there are a few things to announce. The 3rd global vote has begun after the 2nd ranking announcement ceremony that aired on the 2nd. This time, just like the last vote, 'Fever Time' will be activated. The activation condition for the last fever time was to receive 1.8 million votes. In the 3rd global vote, fever time will be applied to the trainees who receive a total of 2 million votes."
It was something that she had also heard a lot about.
The conversations between friends as they exchanged urgent votes.
It was clearly stated that 'Fever Time', where the vote count doubles, would be activated when 200,000 votes per ability, or a total of 1.8 million votes, were achieved.
This means that the cut-off line has been raised even higher this time.
"In addition, the attendance rewards that you could receive on the KNet homepage and app will be enhanced. The previous 6 voting tickets given on the 7th day will now be increased to a total of 10. And if you attend for 7 consecutive days, you will receive a special bonus. You can additionally obtain a random package that gives you up to 5 voting tickets."
This is not bad news.
This means that the higher the fever time cutoff line, the more voting rights are given.
"Then, let's start the third round. The theme of this round is 'Concept Battle.' The trainees had to choose one of the five songs given by the best composers in the country and prepare a stage. If you, the national managers, thought the stage was good, please press the O button on the remote control and then vote for the number of trainees you personally felt did the best."
Choi Sia nodded with a smile.
"Let's take a look together to see what kind of stages have been prepared!"
The first stage was a Funk pop genre.
Judging from people's reactions and the members' names, they didn't seem to be very high-ranking trainees.
Still, they had fun on stage and left without any major mistakes that caught the eye.
'It wasn't too bad. Maybe it's because I didn't have any expectations when I first watched it.'
The woman pressed the remote control with a cold expression.
She only saw one team, and her legs are already sore.
She was just waiting for her friend's favorite, Song Hyung-bin, to come out.
"Next team. Deep house genre team! "
A number of great faces have emerged in the deep house genre.
'Song Hyung-bin and Ji Yoon-chul are on the same team? Wow, who on earth will be the center here?'
The woman remembered that Song Hyung-bin came in first and Ji Yoon-chul came in third.
And since both of them have solid fan bases, it was hard to predict who would win first place in the individual vote.
Since it was her friend's favorite stage, she decided to watch it with a little more focus.
As a result of watching with her eyes wide open for 3 minutes.
'Song Hyung-bin gave up the center? I don't know if he gave it up himself or if it went to Ji Yoon-chul through an internal vote. But he's really good on stage.'
They weren't top-tier trainees for nothing.
Song Hyung-bin and Ji Yoon-chul had a presence that was almost like one against a hundred people.
While Song Hyung-bin showed off his all-around abilities and presented a stable performance, Ji Yoon-chul showed off his destructive appearance at the center through his visuals and dance.
The woman sighed, reciting the members in her head.
'I guess I can be a little more lenient from now on.'
She definitely watched the
She had already thought about how to say her review.
If the teams in the 1st and 3rd places were over, there wouldn't have been a special stage―.
"Next team. Synth-pop genre team, please come up on stage!"
The moment the trainees who chose the synth-pop genre
"Hey, awesome. Karis is on the same team with Chae Eun-gyu."
"There's even Baek Si-hwa and Yoo Min-ha? What's going on with their rankings?"
"2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 17th. This is the Avengers?"
Karis.
This is the name of the trainee she thought of while waiting outside earlier.
The woman turned her gaze towards the boy second from the left.
'Omg.'
The moment she saw the blonde hair swaying, her thoughts stopped for a moment.
A face that exudes a noble air.
Tall and broad shoulders.
Black eyes that shine like obsidian.
The impression her brain, which had stopped working for a moment, barely managed to recall was simple.
'F*cking handsome.'
She didn't feel any discomfort with white people.
And although her position was off to the right and she couldn't see Karis' face straight on, that didn't matter.
Even from a distance, its extraordinary appearance easily defies the law of angles.
"Greetings! We are
As Cha Eun-gyu, who seemed to be taking on the role of leader, began to greet, the rest of the members clasped and unclenched their hands.
It was a greeting full of freshness.
It also went very well with the blue and white outfit.
After waving to the national managers for a few dozen seconds, the
Darkness and silence fell.
Soon, the bright LED lights slowly came on, and the accompaniment began.
The gentle sound of waves broke the silence.
The trainees sitting on stage moved their bodies slightly toward the sound.
And as a rhythmic synth-pop melody began to play over the sound of the waves, they stood up on both feet and showed off brisk movements.
「A night when even the moonlight was shy and avoided its place
The moment our fingertips touch」
Yoo Min-ha, who showed off his flexible movements at the center, smiled brightly.
With a smooth turn, he extended his hand forward and clenched his fist.
Chae Eun-gyu, who came out while walking along the site steps next to him, took over the part after lightly bumping into his fist.
「Even the sand and air that touch the tip of our feet
It seems like it's just for us」
The trainees changed the direction of the formation.
As soon as Cha Eun-gyu, who was at the very front, moved to the end of the diagonal, Heo Jun-oh came forward and threw a ball heart.
「Every time the gentle waves crash
Feeling good vibes
(stay by my side)」
The trainees who sang the last verse together changed formation again into a W shape.
Heo Jun-oh stepped back and gave a high-five to the team member next to him.
Karis von Walden, who took over the central role, sang his part with a beautiful voice and a beautiful profile.
「Every time I see you, waves come into my heart
Chalangida, Stop then Now」
[찰랑이다
1. brim; fill to the brim - For a liquid to fill a container to the brim and begin to form small ripples and overflow.
2. slop; slosh - For hair, etc., to move softly like the waves on the shore, or to make something become such a way.]
The moment he sang Stop, Karis stretched out both arms to the side.
The synth-pop melody temporarily quietened down.
The team members next to him also stopped with their faces covered.
And then he put one hand forward with the last English lyrics.
Yoo Minha, who was behind him, jumped up and threw both hands high in the sky.
「Now is Starburst
Sparkling like popping candy
Starburst
(I want it more more more)」
As the chorus reached, electronic sounds filled with refreshing energy rang out cheerfully.
The trainees showed off perfect choreography without a single error.
Both arms moved smoothly from top to bottom, drawing an arc.
The trainees' jacket hems fluttered along with their powerful movements.
'... What are these?'
The woman gaped at the trainees, who continued to dance beautifully.
Everyone continued with smooth choreography without stopping.
But the woman's gaze was involuntarily drawn to one trainee.
Karis, who looked like he was sitting on a throne just by looking at his appearance, winked leisurely and waved his hand.
It's impossible to paralyze a person's thinking with just one face.
This is foul play.
「Starburst
Starburst
Starburst
[Like a firework in the night sky」
The W formation was flipped upside down.
Kwon Dae-hyun, who switched positions with Yoo Min-ha to the center, finished the end of the chorus with a clean tone.
「Starburst
Starburst
Starburst
You make me shine]
The refreshing expressions of the trainees were added to the accompaniment that was full of coolness, making it a perfect match.
Of course, Yoo Min-ha, who seemed to be in charge of the center, and Chae Eun-gyu, who supported him, were also very skilled.
And above all, the noble gaze of Karis, who exudes a tremendous presence even when standing behind the formation, is a delight to the eyes of those who see it.
'This is a bit dangerous.'
The woman thought instinctively.
Apparently, she came to see Song Hyung-bin's performance at the request of a friend.
She had already thought of a review in advance so that she could tell her exactly what the stage was like.
However, because of the stage unfolding before her eyes, her previous memories were gradually being covered up.
「This is how I want it
You alone make me perfect」
Just before the chorus of the second verse, Baek Si-hwa waved his long bangs and shook his shoulders.
The gesture itself was fine, but it felt like Baek Si-hwa's decadent gaze didn't quite match the song.
He disappeared quickly because of the pair choreography of Chae Eun-gyu and Heo Jun-oh that came out soon after.
「Colorful times for you and me
We are getting closer and closer」
After the witty choreography, the exciting chorus returns.
As the mood of the song grew more intense, the woman found herself nodding her head without realizing it.
「Now is Starburst
Sparkling like popping candy
Starburst
(I want it more more more)」
The intense electronic sounds of synth-pop stopped, and reverse cymbals came in.
The trainees, who had been moving around vigorously, also stopped walking and walked slowly across the stage.
Chae Eun-gyu, who was at the very end of the large group, moved to the center and sang in a falsetto voice.
「The sparkle is just for a moment (for a moment)
Darkness comes again (comes again)
Even if it was just a dreamlike moment」
The trainees who had been lined up behind Chae Eun-gyu began to stand in a circle.
They bent their arms in a pose reminiscent of a flower.
In the middle of it all, Karis von Walden stretched out his hands towards the sky.
「I don't want to miss even a moment of breath
So let me know
The name of this emotion now is」
The hand stretched out to the sky came down to the chest.
Karis closed his eyes slightly and clutched his heart tightly, then quickly stretched out both hands forward.
The index finger is bent into a circle.
The stop is to extend a straight line.
Karis von Walden, making an unusual heart with both hands, hummed the last verse of the bridge.
「Love」
With a low, hushed voice, he took a deep breath.
As if sending a heart to the national managers standing under the stage.
The moment Karis' fingers spread side to side, an explosive fill-in rhythm came in, and the chorus rang out powerfully once again.
「Starburst
Starburst
Starburst
Like a firework in the night sky
Starburst
Starburst
Starburst
You make me shine」
The entire set was brightly lit by bright lights.
As the melody raced toward its climax, sparkling confetti flew from the end of the stage.
The trainees performed the dance with all their might until the end, wearing bright smiles.
It was truly a beautiful sight.
'... crazy.'
Now the woman's head had turned as white as a sheet of paper.
The refreshing and upbeat chorus of synth-pop music blasted through the speakers, but she was still there a few dozen seconds ago.
Karis, who created a heart with flexible hand movements.
Karis said 'Love' in a low voice.
Karis slightly lowers his eyes as the wind blows.
Karis von Walden, who showed off his explosive presence on the bridge, kept appearing before her eyes.
Yoo Minha, who came to the front of the V formation to decorate the finale, sang in a bright voice.
「Far along the horizon
We look at the same place
I will cherish all this time
I will leave it all in my heart」
The boys raised their hands to their hearts as they sang the last lyrics.
The electronic accompaniment of the synth-pop completely died down, and the gentle sound of waves heard in the intro returned.
Following that sound, the trainees returned to their original seats and sat down again.
The moment the song ended, a thunderous roar filled the entire set.
"Waaa ..."
"Guys, you did a great job!"
"Kyaaaah!"
Hearing the deafening cheers, the woman let out the breath she had been holding.
Even though she came here at a friend's request, she has to admit what she has to admit.
'... It wasn't for nothing that they all had high rankings.'
She looked back at Karis, who was still looking forward.
And then she quietly made a pledge in her heart.
'If he doesn't debut, I'll end up holding him in my hands.'
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