As soon as the stage ended and I returned backstage, I collapsed onto the spot.
“Haah…, haah….”
The fatigue and tension from this whole time felt like they were crashing down on me all at once.
Thump.
Even though it had already been a few minutes since the stage ended, my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
It made sense, really.
This stage was…, the first live performance I had ever showcased in front of an audience of regular people.
Even now, my heart was pounding, so I couldn’t imagine how it felt during the performance.
‘I was scared….’
The gazes and cheers directed at me.
Dancing and singing in front of that massive wave of shouts wasn’t easy.
But I did it.
And….
‘It was fun.’
It felt so enjoyable that all the hard work became a cherished memory.
It wasn’t just me; the other team members gathered around me, out of breath but with excited faces.
“Everyone…, you all worked so hard…!”
Among them was a team member who was crying at the thought that we would have to part ways after the next competition.
“I… it was so much fun…, I’m kind of sad. Sniff.”
“Hey, unnie. Even if we won’t be on the same team next time, it’s not like we won’t see each other anymore, so don’t cry~.”
At that moment, Park Yoo-jung comforted the sobbing team member.
But then, one of the lower-ranked members spoke up, her voice filled with concern, slightly deflating the mood.
“But… did we really do well? I mean, it seems like we did, but… what if we end up in the bottom 6?”
“……”
“……”
Her words dimmed the atmosphere a bit.
However, I could understand her feelings too.
If we truly ended up in the bottom six, it would almost guarantee elimination.
Not to mention, questioning if we did well….
“……”
I couldn’t readily reply to her question either.
I felt like we had done everything we could, and I personally thought the performance was high-quality.
But since we were the first group, it was hard to objectively compare with other stages, and I couldn’t be completely sure how the audience viewed our performance….
Just when negative thoughts were creeping into my mind,
“Did we do well? Are you seriously asking that, unnie? What a dumb question!”
Our team’s youngest and leader, Seo Yoo-jin, made a face of disbelief and…
“Can’t you hear that sound?”
She pointed towards the stage.
From where she pointed…
Waaahhhh!
“Insane!!”
“You did so well!!”
Encore!!
The audience was still shouting for us.
“Ha Ye-rin, you’re so pretty!!!”
“Lee Hye-jeong, fighting!!!”
“You all did amazing!!!”
It was as if they heard our worries and were shouting back, assuring us we did well.
Thump.
Hearing those cheers made my heart start racing again, filling me with assurance.
“Yoo-jin is right.”
“……”
“Our…, we must have done super well this time.”
Upon hearing my words, the team members looked at me with blank expressions for a moment before breaking into smiles.
“Unnie, did you know?”
“Hmm? What?”
“You just smiled really big! Like, really wide.”
“…What?”
At that, I immediately touched my lips.
Maybe because I was conscious of it, my lips felt cold and stiff as usual.
I hadn’t truly smiled since being born into Ha Ye-rin’s body.
So, my cold expression had become like a default setting for me….
‘Didn’t even use Sky Demon Enchantment and I smiled?’
Fidget.
“……”
I fiddled with my cold lips and said to the team members,
“It seems like having the stage with you guys and the unnie made it more enjoyable than I expected.”
“Ye-rin….”
“Unnie….”
The team members looked at me as if they were touched, not believing I could say something like this.
Beeeee-.
Just then, the camera turned towards us.
I looked at the camera and realized, with familiarity, that this was the broadcasting angle.
“It was even more enjoyable to have the audience respond and show us love. Plus…, since this is our last performance, shall we gather our hands together?”
Swish-.
As I said that and stretched my hand towards the center, the other team members smiled and placed their hands over mine.
“No, we’re not kids; why are we doing something so cheesy… come on…”
Swish-.
Seo Yoo-jin only pretended to complain but secretly placed her hand on top at the end.
Once she placed her hand, I immediately opened my mouth.
“We did so well today, and it would be great if we could all debut together like this next time too. Now, when I say ‘moving forward’, please raise your hands and shout ‘fighting’.”
“Wait a second, unnie. But this should be done by me, the team leader…”
“Moving forward-!”
“Fighting-!!”
Waaaahhhh-!!
“Everyone worked hard-!!”
No matter how much it was for the broadcast, I normally found this kind of thing cringe-worthy.
But before I knew it, I was leading the cheer and clapping happily.
Na Ah Ah…, the team members, the stage, the audience had changed me.
Yeah, thanks to being an idol, I was transforming.
‘If I keep changing like this, will I someday be able to smile like everyone else?’
With that thought planting a new seed in my heart…, our first team competition stage came to an end.
Of course, just because the stage ended didn’t mean we immediately parted ways.
We returned to the waiting room to watch the stages of other teams on the screen.
“Oooh…, they’re doing well.”
“Wow…”
Other teams also showcased skills hard to believe for trainees in the first team competition.
But….
‘Compared to our team…, they’re not that great?’
I couldn’t shake off this feeling of disappointment.
The more I watched their stages, the more I could spot mistakes and concept misfires.
“Everyone seems a bit off from what I expected.”
I wasn’t the only one who thought so; Park Yoo-jung whispered to me, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Are we really going to end up in first place?”
“……”
First place….
Objectively, I thought it could be possible.
But….
“…I think we need to see the next team’s stage?”
Isn’t there still the final boss left?
“Alright, then from now on, we will start the Veggie Sandwich team’s stage-!”
Han Si-woo, in the waiting room screen, announced the start of the Veggie Sandwich team, which Yoo Seol was a part of.
At that, the other team members pulled their chairs closer and concentrated on the screen.
Even if there hadn’t been a team that surpassed our stage so far…, Yoo Seol’s stage would surely be different.
I had no choice but to feel nervous.
“What was their team’s song again?”
“Isn’t it from the Bumbler Black seniors? ‘Thank you very much’.”
“Oh, right.”
The song of Yoo Seol’s team was the only boy group song in the first team competition.
‘Back then, I thought Yoo Seol’s team was a bomb, but Yoo Seol seemed fine.’
What kind of stage had she prepared?
I moved as close as I could to the screen and focused.
With everyone’s gaze concentrated, the stage began….
Wheeeeeeeeng-!!!!
“……!”
The piercing siren that created a sense of crisis began to attack our ears.
“What, what’s happening?”
Everyone, including me, was startled by the sudden siren sound.
“Was there originally a siren sound in the intro of this song?”
“No, there wasn’t…. It seems like it’s been arranged.”
As we spoke, the lights came back on the darkened stage, revealing Yoo Seol’s team.
As soon as I saw their first appearance, I immediately understood the concept.
‘Brats.’
Originally, Bumbler Black’s group concept was “brats.”
It seemed that Yoo Seol’s team was clearly going to carry on the original concept and vibe.
Or rather?
Since they added a siren sound that wasn’t originally there to the intro, it seemed they were going for an even more bratty vibe than Bumbler Black.
I couldn’t help but cock my head in confusion.
Brats. It was a concept that originally didn’t match Yoo Seol’s image.
Could she pull this off?
However, once the first verse started, I immediately realized that this concern was unfounded.
-There’s no seat for you here.
-Everything in front of me is mine.
“Wow….”
“Holy…”
I’d forgotten that her acting skill stat was 99.
Yoo Seol immediately stole the stage with her overwhelming expressions from the very start.
With deeper makeup and styling than usual, Yoo Seol embodied the essence of a brat.
And even….
-If you’re confident, come up to me.
-Let’s have a round here with me.
‘She can rap as well…?’
Showing off her outstanding rap skills, Yoo Seol proved to be an all-rounder.
In the first place, Yoo Seol wasn’t the main vocal for this stage.
She was the center.
She drew attention with movements reminiscent of a b-boy while also calling for audience reactions during her rap parts.
As a result, from the audience seats….
Waaahhhh-!!
“Yoo Seol-!!!”
A tremendous roar erupted.
Seeing that scene made me realize I had been completely wrong from the start.
Ninety percent of the audience seats were filled with women.
And what female fans, commonly known as “Yeodeoks,” were crazy about was….
‘…Girl Crush.’
Honestly, our team’s stage had tended to cater more to male fans.
However, Yoo Seol was already tearing apart the hearts of the female fans as if she understood the essence of the team competition.
Moreover, there was also the issue of timing.
We were the first stage, but Yoo Seol’s team was second to last.
It was natural for audiences to remember the performance at the end.
“……”
“……”
The other team members seemed to have noticed this as well, with their words dwindling as they watched Yoo Seol’s team perform.
In the meantime, Yoo Seol flawlessly carried on with the stage, leading her team.
-Leave everything you have behind.
-Everything of yours is mine.
-I’ll use it well, thank you very much.
To be honest, until a moment ago, I had hoped our team might come in first.
But….
‘This team’s stage is too strong.’
The more I watched Yoo Seol’s team, the more my expectations began to crumble bit by bit.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.