The morning after the showcase, Tuesday.
A makeup and hair salon.
“Guys, I’m about to order from the café. What does everyone want to drink?”
While the members received their hair styling and makeup, Manager Joo Dahong went around asking for their orders.
“I want an iced vanilla latte!”
“An iced vanilla latte? Not bad. I’ll have one too~”
“Um... I’ll have a mint chocolate latte...?”
“Wow... Yeeun, are you a mint chocolate person?”
“What’s wrong with mint chocolate? I should have one too, for the first time in a while~”
“Hana unnie too? This is unbelievable. We can’t associate with her anymore, can we, Seoyun?”
“Then I’ll have mint chocolate instead of an iced vanilla latte too.”
“Kim Seoyun, not you too...”
“I didn’t like it much before, but Dohee used to drink it a lot when we were trainees, so I came to like it too.”
“The whole world is on the mint chocolate side...”
“What about Chaerin?”
“I’ll have an Americano. Thank you.”
After taking down the older girls’ orders, Manager Joo Dahong came over to me.
“What do Dohee and Sera want?”
“Um... Would an energy drink be okay?”
“Of course~”
Considering all the schedules coming up, I figured I needed the caffeine.
I was already pretty tired from yesterday’s showcase.
“Dohee, you don’t drink coffee?”
“I don’t like bitter things.”
“Oh my gosh... Even your tastes are cute... Then I’ll have an energy drink too!”
“Good grief...”
In any case, the reason we had stopped by the salon was our schedule for the first week of the album release.
Not music shows, but appearances on variety programs.
Of course, the brutal first-week comeback schedule that supposedly killed idols placed a heavy emphasis on music shows.
-Mpulse (Mwave, Thursday)
-Melody Bank (KBC, Friday)
-Show! Music Center (MBS, Saturday)
-Popular Songs (SBC, Sunday)
-Simple Korean Pop (Korean TV, Monday)
-One Show (SBC MTV, Tuesday)
-Show Challenger (MBS Music, Wednesday)
Seven music shows packed into a single week.
Even excluding Simple Korean Pop, whose lineup mainly consisted of mid-level idol groups unable to appear on terrestrial broadcasts and rookie idol groups rather than highly recognized groups, there were still six music shows.
In particular, the stages for many artists’ first week of promotions were put together with impressive sets and production into which a considerable amount of capital had been invested.
Because it was extremely difficult to prepare such sets and production for a live broadcast, most stages were pre-recorded.
These pre-recordings took place on the day of the live broadcast—at dawn in the earliest cases, and by lunchtime at the latest. Taking into account the fact that the artists also appeared on the live broadcasts in the evening, appearing on music shows meant that their schedules ran from a visit to the salon at dawn until late at night.
In the midst of such a busy first-week schedule, the reason we could appear on a variety program today was simple.
We weren’t appearing on a music show today.
Our stage was scheduled to be unveiled for the first time on Thursday’s Mwave.
The reason was a tradition created by Mwave.
Back when there weren’t any music shows on Monday and Tuesday,
there were only four music shows: Mwave on Thursday, KBC on Friday, MBS on Saturday, and SBC on Sunday.
Naturally, singers unveiled their stages on the first music show of their comeback week, Thursday’s Mwave, and Mwave, a music-specialty channel, grew proud of the title of being the place where new stages premiered.
However, when music shows were later added on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mwave nearly lost its title of being the first showcase.
Mwave began penalizing singers who did not premiere their stages on the program, and aside from a few agencies that were on bad terms with them, most agencies—partly willingly and partly unwillingly—started their promotions on Mwave.
Besides, since SAVEN itself was a project girl group created by Mwave, we would have premiered our stage on Mwave even if there had been no such tradition.
Two days remained until our first music-show appearance.
Since we had lacked exposure in the media during our short one-month debut preparation period, these two days were going to be even busier.
***
Idol Zone, a variety program that introduced idols in the most literal sense.
As soon as we finished performing our title song, “I Fell for You,” the popular comedian serving as the MC, Joo Hyeondong, welcomed us with a booming voice.
“Idol Zoo~one! At last, these ladies have appeared! They’re the ones that the Chusers, myself included, have been eagerly awaiting! Their first TV appearance! That’s right! SAVEN!”
“Yes! We’ll introduce ourselves! Two, three!”
“I'm in seventh heaven, hello! We are SAVEN!”
“They’re rookies on their first day of debut! This is my first time inviting rookies on their very first day of debut, but these are the trending idols right after their debut! The seven girls chosen by the Chusers!”
After giving a long-winded introduction of the group at the MC’s prompting—
“Since this is officially your first variety-show debut! We’ll take some time to introduce you one by one~! Music, please!”
It was time to introduce ourselves properly to the music.
“First up, our Ion Sweat girl! The visual center! The baby bunny! Lee Dohee!”
I stepped into the center of the set, riding the groove just enough.
Then I struck the pose I had prepared, sweeping my long, straight hair behind my head, and delivered my line.
“Hello! I’m Lee Dohee, in charge of being cool and awesome!”
“Ooh~ A one-trick pony whose only talent is cuteness!”
“Don’t lie!”
...Shut up.
“Now, I’m the ENFP of this place! Jeon Harang!”
Harang unnie stepped into the center of the set and struck the exact same pose I had.
“Hello~ I’m Jeon Harang, the one who’s really in charge of being cool and awesome!”
“That one’s true!”
“Waaah!”
...You bitches.
***
-Hello...! I’m SAVEN’s boring one... Dohee says I’m boring... Am I boring...? They say at least my face is entertaining... Ah... Is that true...? Hello... I’m Park Yeeun, in charge of being boring...
-Hello, I’m, um... SAVEN’s main vocalist, Eun Sera~
-Hello! I’m Kwon Hana, the true leader with not a single ‘one’ shortcoming!
-You’re an outsider, aren’t you? Hello! I’m Kim Seoyun, the passionate girl from Busan!
-Hello! The main dancer who shines onstage more than in the dorm! I’m Gong Chaerin!
After everyone had finished their brief introductions,
the MC began looking over each member’s personal profile and chatting with them.
“Dohee’s special talent is aegyo?”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it...? I play the piano...”
The MC cut me off.
“There’s no piano here, so you can’t show that off. Let’s just go with aegyo! I saw the video too, and it was no joke! All right, cutie maknae, start!”
Ah.
After yesterday’s showcase, why did they keep doing this to me?
I should’ve debuted when I was a little older...
“Do I really have to do it...?”
The MC stared at me with a face full of anticipation.
When I looked behind me, the members were gesturing for me to get on with it.
The staff in front of me were all looking delighted.
If I refused, it was obvious the atmosphere would instantly turn awkward.
“I’ll do it...?”
“Yes, go ahead!”
I held my breath.
“Dohee came on Idol Zone, but she’s not going to give me a kiss...?”
“Aaah!”
“Waaah~”
“She’s so cute! Adorable!”
“Too cute...”
No matter how horribly twisted my feelings were, everyone else was having a festival.
Just kill me already...
-Ding-dong-dang~
The MC, who had been carrying on excitedly, played a ding-dong-dang on a xylophone.
“Oh, she’s absolutely adorable! So cute!”
Then he gestured toward the production crew.
“Now, it’s time to see her real special talent!”
Behind the partition the staff moved aside was an object.
Not a keyboard, but a wooden piano.
“No.”
Fuck.
“I heard about this too! Lee Dohee, the piano genius idol who won the overall championship nineteen times! From what I hear, there hasn’t been a broadcast that’s actually confirmed her playing yet. We can’t pass up the chance to verify it, can we?”
You fucking bastard.
.
.
.
After drinking in some cold water to calm myself down,
I sat down in front of the piano.
“What are you going to play?”
Liszt’s *Mephisto Waltz*, whose score I remembered.
“I’ll play the *Mephisto Waltz*.”
The MC looked at me as if he didn’t know what piece that was.
“You might not recognize it at first, but once you hear the climactic section, you’ll probably go, ‘Ah~ so that’s what it is.’”
*Mephisto Waltz.*
A piece composed by Liszt after he was inspired by Goethe’s *Faust*.
I gently placed my hands on the keys and began to play.
It began with a feeling that conveyed the terror or fear of coming face-to-face with Mephisto.
In other words, I pressed the keys consecutively—short and dry, indifferent yet forceful.
The image was that of striking a percussion instrument.
The first note had to be deep, but each phrase needed to grow lighter toward the end, as though finishing a slur.
The second section carried a slightly more excited feeling.
It had to give the impression of Faust being toyed with by Mephisto, by the devil.
The pizzicato technique used to pluck string instruments.
Pressing the keys in a pizzicato manner could create the sensation that even I, the performer, was being shaken.
As I myself began to waver, I played a little longer, as though performing a horn, laying down something like a percussive melody underneath.
The third and fourth sections had to feel vertical.
In other words, they had to suggest that there was something more.
They needed to feel like variations.
It might have been the same situation, but with a change in one’s state of mind.
I didn’t know what Liszt, the composer, had been thinking.
But I had to place myself in Liszt’s position and play as though I were performing a set of variations.
Now and then, amid the intense melody, I played softly.
Perhaps it was meant to express the devil’s sweetness.
Whenever the same notes repeated in the score, I changed fingers.
The tone and melody changed depending on the strength of the fingers.
And as I approached and delved deeper into the climax, I had to abandon the rigid structure and loosen up with a warm, improvised feeling, throwing away the emotion of trying to protect myself.
It felt like pulling my heart out.
My personal character came in and out, repeating itself as warmth and cold alternated.
But as I went deeper, I had to grow colder.
With the feeling that my very self was disappearing.
At that point, I reduced the root notes in my left hand and shifted to the higher keys with my right.
A high-pitched performance that felt like a fairy taking flight, a performance that felt like being toyed with by Mephisto.
I added even more movement.
And then came the climax, fortissimo.
I played as though releasing all my strength and setting my arms free.
“Wow...”
Once the climax ended, there was no need to continue playing.
All I had to do was remain silent and enjoy the applause and cheers.
“Why am I so cool?”
Huh.