“Ahhh! What should I do~! So cute~!”
A girl staff member was bouncing around as if she didn’t know what to do.
The other staff around me were looking at me with warm smiles.
Yeah.
I changed into a cute rabbit pajama that babies might wear.
I understand the staff’s reaction.
With my visuals in this outfit, how could I not be cute…
That’s why I wouldn’t normally wear something like this.
After letting out a sigh inside, I turned my head to look outside the room.
Three people were staring at me through the glass, intertwining their arms as if they were about to die from joy.
Hana, Ha-rang, and Sara Unni.
Looks like we have plenty of time.
I should tell them to practice, you know.
Sigh…
‘How did I end up with this image?’
Is it because I’m the youngest?
Or maybe because I still have baby fat?
It’s quite complicated.
I once read something about the psychology of cuteness.
People release a love hormone called ‘oxytocin’ when they see cute creatures, like a baby’s innocent face.
In other words, humans are designed to feel love towards cute beings.
So being cute isn’t a bad thing.
It means lovable.
Even guys would secretly feel pretty good about hearing it.
Somehow, I started thinking that way.
But if that’s the case, why does being called cute have to come with the added pressure of acting cutesy every time…
I want to let out a big sigh, but I can’t because I’m aware of the camera.
Today, I feel particularly pathetic…
Unaware of my complicated feelings, the assistant writer who had been hopping around in front of me asked,
“Do-hee trainee! Have you thought about how to act like a rabbit?”
Good question.
What on earth does acting like a rabbit even mean?
“No, I’m not quite sure…”
As a PR person, I have to do it properly.
But all I could picture in my mind was a rabbit munching on a carrot; no other ideas came to me.
“It’s okay! I have something in mind, so just wait a little!”
The writer dashed out of the room and quickly returned with a tablet.
What the writer displayed on the tablet was a video of the song “Mountain Rabbit.”
“I think you can do the actions along with this!”
Ah, I want to quit.
*
After finishing the arrangement meeting, it took less than two days for the production staff to hand me the ‘FATAL’ arrangement version.
Of course, I shared detailed ideas, but I didn’t expect to receive an arrangement this quickly.
On top of that, the music director had to pay attention to a whopping 12 parts.
They must have been incredibly busy just with the arrangement…
We went to thank the music director for getting it done early.
“Hey, did you listen to the arrangement? It turned out well, right?”
But when I actually faced the music director, their face looked quite relaxed and at ease.
‘Ah, this person outsourced it.’
That’s why it’s good to have plenty of production funds.
After saying some unnecessary thanks and receiving the arrangement version, we began serious stage practice.
And amidst the practice, ideas kept popping up.
“How about rolling up the suit sleeves after the introduction ends?”
“How about rolling up your suit sleeves after the intro?”
I flaunted my forearm muscles.
Perfectly defined forearms that were neither too much nor too little.
“Oh~ Not bad! I think it would be a great point of focus.”
Hana Unni agreed.
Then I noticed Hana Unni’s forearms.
The contours of her muscles protruded in 3D.
I immediately thought, I shouldn’t fight this unni.
But wait, she was a short track athlete, so why does she have such arm muscles?
…
After a whole day of continuous practice,
we finally returned to the dormitory at dawn.
“I’m so tired…”
Sara Unni collapsed straight onto the bed.
Our room’s occupants were, of course, still the same ‘FATAL’ group.
Thanks to that, it was good for building camaraderie among teammates, and we could continue practicing even after coming back to the dorm at night.
Of course, the production staff probably intended to capture some content while we were at the dorm.
First, I should wash up.
Even though we didn’t have any particular dance moves, practicing passionately all day left me sweaty.
I felt like my body was emitting a salty odor.
“Who’s going to shower first?”
Hana Unni said, pulling out a bunch of snacks from her bag.
“I’ll eat and then shower. Who wants some of this~?”
This unni probably packed her entire suitcase just with snacks, as they never seemed to run out since day one.
Meanwhile, Sara Unni, collapsed on the bed, reached out her trembling arm towards the biscuits Hana Unni was holding.
“I… want to eat…”
A pattern I saw every time during our dorm life.
Not a child, but if there’s food, just reach out.
“Unni, give me chocolate…”
Ha-rang Unni, who was sprawled not on the bed but on the floor.
Flopping around, she gave up on climbing up to the bunk bed and just laid down on the ground.
Both Ha-rang Unni and Sara Unni were on the verge of exhaustion.
Maybe they were already exhausted.
It wasn’t exactly because they lacked stamina, though.
Hana Unni, as the leader, had led us during practice…
Maybe she really thinks she’s still an athlete.
“Do-hee, aren’t you eating?”
Hana Unni waved a jelly pack.
“I’m trying to lose some weight.”
“Heh… Really? Why? You’re beautiful just as you are! You don’t need to lose any!”
What do you mean, why?
I’m trying to lose baby fat.
But one thing I was worried about was whether I would actually lose anything from my chest.
I’ve heard that when you diet, you lose your breasts first, right…?
“Right… So cute…”
I heard a mumbling voice from Sara Unni, who was buried in her pillow.
“Unni, go shower and go to sleep already.”
“I can’t…”
“Sigh… Hana Unni, what time are we getting up tomorrow?”
Since there were no special schedules before the mid-evaluations, our timing was completely free except for meal times.
Thus, deciding on the schedule was Hana Unni’s responsibility.
“How about we wake up around 7 o’clock? It’s one now~ We can sleep for 6 hours!”
But breakfast is at 10 o’clock…?
“I don’t want to… Ugh…”
Sara Unni buried her face in the pillow, expressing her resistance to getting up.
Thanks to that, her voice was muffled by the pillow, and Hana Unni couldn’t hear her at all.
“Please… can we get up for breakfast… okay?”
At least Ha-rang Unni, who was collapsed on the floor, tried to resist.
“Hey, our youngest is holding out this well, so what’s wrong with you guys? Back in my day, I couldn’t even sleep for 4 hours.”
Sigh… I guess I should wash up first.
As I got down from the bunk bed and headed for the bathroom, someone grabbed my ankle.
It was Ha-rang Unni, who was sprawled out on the floor.
“Do-hee… help me up… I want to wash up, but it’s so hard…”
Hana Unni, the mastermind behind this chaos, was casually munching on Choco Pies next to us.
“Why do you want to eat? Want me to share?”
Ha…
It was a routine that repeated every day.
After practicing all day, we’d come back like this in the early morning, chatting over snacks.
And somehow, everyone managed to wash up.
We would all harmonize until we fell asleep in our beds.
In the end, we were still practicing even after coming back to the dorm.
Perhaps we were even practicing in our sleep, as Hana Unni was endlessly shouting for ‘one more’ in my dreams.
*
Yoon-jeong Teacher, sitting in the judging seat, began to speak.
“Wow, this is a total super team.”
I knew those words were coming.
“Oh, I’m so excited!”
“Right? I love this song, I wonder how they set the concept.”
The three trainer teachers chatted a bit before the evaluations began.
“First off, it seems like Hana is the leader, so who’s doing the killing part?”
I raised my hand.
“I’m taking care of that.”
“Oh~ it’s Do-hee? Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange no matter who does it in this team. How did you pick?”
Hana Unni said with a smile.
“Actually, only Do-hee applied!”
In the arrangement version, the killing part was shared while harmonizing, so everyone generously passed it onto me.
That’s why I only had an impactful position during the first verse, which didn’t have any harmonies.
The teachers still didn’t know that.
“Oh, really? That’s surprising.”
“So how did you decide on the concept?”
“The original song is a strong dance beat, but for the arranged version, we’re changing it to a groovy R&B style.”
“Oh~ just hearing it sounds great! Do you have any ideas for the performance?”
Soo-a Teacher, the vocal trainer, asked.
“Yes, everyone had so many ideas that we actually had to narrow it down!”
“Definitely a super team, love it!”
“Okay, then should we see it now?”
A familiar instrumental track started to play.
It was the original version, not the arranged one.
Since this was part of a mandatory mid-evaluation segment for broadcast, we had to show the stage in the original to avoid spoilers.
So, there were plenty of parts we couldn’t showcase.
“I guess it’s a bit disappointing.”
But after finishing the performance, the trainers were smiling in admiration.
“Wow, this is the unarranged version?”
“What? It’s already so good?”
“What do we do? It’s already great!”
Before laying out detailed feedback, it was clear that the praise was genuine.
“Let me give my feedback first.”
First up was Vocal Trainer Sua.
“Honestly, I was blown away the moment I heard it. The harmonies were so great that it didn’t feel like a trainee stage, but like a professional performance! Wow… It seems like everyone did a great job highlighting each person’s vocal strengths from low to high notes. Who composed this? Don’t say it was all together, someone must have taken the lead.”
Sua’s excitement was palpable.
At times like this, it was important to stay humble.
After all, the truth would come out through the broadcast.
Still, my body seemed to twitch as if it wanted to raise a hand immediately.
Luckily, Ha-rang unni, understanding my feelings, called out loudly for everyone to hear.
“Our youngest, Do-hee, composed it!”
If only “youngest” wasn’t mentioned, it would have been perfect.
“Oh~ that’s why they say the foundation of music is the piano. What’s different about a piano genius, right?”
I wanted to immediately agree.
But the virtue of humility was always important.
“No way! Unni, you helped so much that we basically did it together!”
I didn’t think that was an insincere statement.
I always thought this way.
I’m an incredibly humble person.
Yeah.
Humbly genius at piano visuals, Do-hee.
Wow~ insane.
Sua chuckled at my obviously visible modesty and said,
“Right, right. The harmonies were so ticklish that it made me feel good the entire time. I expect the arranged version to be even better.”
“Yep!”
Then it was Yoon-jeong’s turn.
“Hey, guys.”
It was rare to see Yoon-jeong smile.
Yoon-jeong was actually smiling.
“Yes!”
“You all did really well. It was fun to watch the entire time. Especially when the four of you locked eyes and matched harmonies, I got immersed too. I have nothing else to say, and you all must have felt a lot of pressure since I’ve been calling you a super team, but you all did great.”
“Thank you~!”
Finally, it was Moon Jin-woo, the dance and performance trainer’s turn.
“Honestly, the gestures and glances were just amazing. The guy being seduced in the track isn’t me, right? Because I feel like I’ve already been won over.”
Sua, who was listening, jumped in with a tease.
“Oh~ Jin-woo, stop saying stuff like that.”
“Why? It’s a compliment.”
“Jin-woo will become an idol!”
“I’ve been far from that for a while now. It’s all good~.”
Jin-woo joked around, but regardless, all the evaluations and feedback were positive.
After saying our goodbyes, we left the room to cheers and applause from the teachers.
Hearing compliments throughout the evaluation made my heart feel like it was floating.
“Wow, Do-hee, you’re really red.”
“Right? Why is he so red, haha.”
“Adorable…”
What, do they think they’re not?
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