Chapter 106
"Alright everyone, 10-minute break!"
"Yeeeaaah!!"
"Phewwww!"
The members could be seen reacting intensely to the mention of a 10-minute break.
Though they looked a bit tired, their eyes still shone brightly even while resting.
Despite the daily repetition of recording and practice, the members' morale was always at its peak.
A new environment called America. And a month given to fully devote themselves to album preparation.
And the album production process that had been proceeding very smoothly since Park Hwan-hui's awakening.
Lastly.
'The atmosphere among the members, where everyone agreed to work hard together, is a big factor.'
Perhaps due to the influence of the characteristic, the internal solidarity of WeUs and the members' willpower had grown even stronger.
Our current mood was so good that it made me wonder when such a situation would come again.
'Even if it wasn't solely because of James Blake, coming to America was a good choice.'
Having experienced this kind of atmosphere once, it seemed certain to have an impact on our future activities.
Thinking about it that way, this trip to America was clearly a good choice regardless of the album's outcome.
Of course.
'The album obviously has to do well, though. But right now, I don't feel like it's going to fail at all.'
As I was thinking that and blankly watching the members.
Baek Si-hyeon suddenly walked up to me and spoke.
"Hey, Lin-hyung?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you happen to know where Yoo-jin-hyung went?"
"Yoo-jin...?"
When Baek Si-hyeon brought up Yoojin Kim's name, the other three members simultaneously turned their heads, focusing on our conversation.
Seeing the members like that, I tried my best to manage my facial expression, putting on a face as if I didn't know either.
'Hmm, I thought they weren't paying much attention. They must have been secretly caring about it.'
Actually, the WeUs members currently in the practice room were five in total, excluding Yoojin Kim and Park Hwan-hui.
Of the two members not here right now, Park Hwan-hui was in the middle of working on the final track, so he hadn't participated in the choreography practice yet.
That was because, in this regular album, he was composing a title track for the first time in his life.
Of course, it wasn't a solo title track; alongside the title track composed by Yoojin Kim, Park Hwan-hui was taking charge of one of the double title tracks for this album.
Even if it was a double title, from Park Hwan-hui's perspective, since it was his first time composing a title track in his life, his stance was that he wanted to focus more on the composition until the song was completely finished.
So Park Hwan-hui was still passionately working on the song in the studio right now.
And as for Yoojin Kim...
"Lin-hyung...?"
"Ah! Uhh, where did Yoojin go? Well, I'm not really sure. Maybe he dropped by his family home for a bit? He said it was close by."
"Probably? Still, it seems like he keeps disappearing somewhere without a word lately. Of course, it doesn't seem like anything's wrong, but..."
"Well, it's his hometown that he hasn't been back to in a long time, so there must be a lot of places he wants to visit."
Seeing Baek Si-hyeon nod at my words and return to his spot, I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
'Phew... I didn't let it show, did I?'
Unlike my worries, fortunately, no members were giving me looks of suspicion.
'Why do I have to lie...!'
Contrary to what I told Baek Si-hyeon, I knew very well where Yoojin Kim was and what he was doing right now.
It was more like finding out by chance, but anyway, I had heard it directly from Yoojin Kim's mouth.
'I understand him telling me not to say anything, but it seems like they'll find out soon anyway.'
I sighed inwardly, thinking about Yoojin Kim who must be filming somewhere right now.
Seeing how much the members were paying attention right now, I could clearly picture Yoojin Kim being pestered by them when he returned to the mansion.
But that was Yoojin Kim's business, so I put it aside for now.
"Alright, 10 minutes are up, so let's start again!"
"Yees!"
Right now, I should do what I can.
The two letters 'comeback' were slowly starting to come into view.
***
After WeUs left for America to prepare for their album, January was a time of tribulation for WeUs fans in Korea.
-Guys, is there nothing uploaded today?
└As if there would be hahahaha...
-I miss our kids so much ㅠㅠ
-They're doing well with the album prep, right?
It had been almost a month since WeUs, who could easily be found just by turning on the TV at the end of last year, could no longer be seen on broadcasts.
Although there were occasional SNS photos and WTube videos, compared to the endless stream of content during their active period, it was too lacking for the fans.
Enduring that tribulation of January.
February arrived, still a cold winter but one that gradually brought to mind the scent of spring.
It had been almost a month since WeUs left for America.
Although there was still complete radio silence regarding official news about the album.
Around the time when, based on their long experience of fangirling, anticipation that something would soon come out was running rampant within the WeUs fandom.
Suddenly, new news was delivered that felt somewhat out of the blue, not related to their comeback.
-Yoojin Kim appearing on the American version of King of Masked Singer?
It was the news that Yoojin Kim might be one of the participants on the American version of King of Masked Singer, 'The Masked Singer'.
Naturally, it wasn't official.
The Masked Singer, the American version of King of Masked Singer, runs in seasons, and this season hadn't even started yet.
Also, just like in Korea, the participants' identities couldn't be known until they lost a match and were eliminated, so the identities of the participants were currently shrouded in strict secrecy.
Yet, the reason such rumors suddenly circulated among the fans was.
-American King of Masked Singer? Yoojin is appearing there?
└It's not certain yet, but the voice that briefly passed by in the trailer sounded exactly like Yoojin's voice.
The trailer for the new season of The Masked Singer released a few days ago.
A fleeting scene from that trailer was captured by the fans.
Like that, the new news spread quickly within the WeUs fandom.
At the surprising news that Yoojin Kim might appear on a popular American audition program, fans were startled and tried to verify the truth, but.
Since the only thing released so far was a short singing scene of about 3 seconds in the trailer, most fans were trying to calm their pounding hearts thinking 'no way, no way' when.
Not long after the trailer came out, the first broadcast day of the new season of The Masked Singer finally arrived.
***
"Ugh... It's cold..."
7 AM on Saturday, the start of the weekend.
Kim So-young, who should have been deep in dreamland by now, opened her heavy eyes with difficulty and breathed in the cold morning air.
"It hasn't started yet, right...?"
The reason Kim So-young refused to sleep in on her precious day off and woke up early in the morning was, as expected, to see for herself whether Yoojin Kim really appeared on The Masked Singer, which was having its first broadcast in the US today.
Having woken up like that, Kim So-young, with the help of other fans who, like herself, had woken up early to watch the live broadcast, accessed the live stream link for The Masked Singer.
"Ah, it connected!"
The soon-visible text 'The Masked Singer'.
Whether she came in right on time, it seemed the broadcast was in the middle of introducing the judges for this season before the participants appeared.
The lineup of judges was glamorous, featuring famous pop stars that even Kim So-young naturally knew, but.
'I have no idea what they're saying.'
Since it was a live broadcast, she couldn't even expect Korean subtitles, and Kim So-young's English skills weren't good enough to fully understand the foreigners' free-talking.
'So when does the singing start?'
Since she couldn't understand a word they were saying, Kim So-young started looking up information about previous seasons instead of watching the broadcast.
'Hmm... It seems to be quite popular in America.'
She hadn't expected much since the original was a familiar show to us, but.
Looking up the show, it seemed to be one of the popular audition programs in the US right now.
The lineup of participants from previous seasons was also glamorous, with a few names that even Kim So-young, who didn't know much about pop, recognized.
'Can Yoojin appear on a program like this?'
The more she looked up the program, the more skeptical Kim So-young became about Yoojin Kim's participation.
No matter how Yoojin Kim was a runner-up on American Idol, he hadn't continued his activities in America.
From the Americans' perspective, WeUs would be an unknown group they barely knew.
She doubted whether it was possible to appear on such a popular show.
'If it's true that Yoojin is appearing, it would be really amazing, though...'
While Kim So-young was looking up information about the program with half doubt and half expectation.
Before she knew it, the introduction of the judges was over.
Two participants appeared on the stage.
'Oh! They're coming out right as it starts!'
Unlike the Korean version, the two participants were fully clad in flashy full-body costumes, not just masks.
One was a participant wearing a somewhat bizarre giant alligator head.
'Black Cat!'
And the appearance of the participant wearing the black cat mask, which fans were convinced was Yoojin Kim's voice after seeing the trailer, could be seen.
'I can't tell who it is at all just by looking at the outside.'
Because of the outfit that covered the entire body, she couldn't guess at all whether it was Yoojin Kim or not just by looking at the exterior.
'Still, I'll know if I listen to the song. Is it starting right now?'
In the 1st round, the two participants would sing individually in a 1-on-1 match, the winner advancing to the next round, and the loser becoming a candidate for elimination to compete again.
On the screen, after a short introductory video of the participants passed, the first match of the 1st round soon began.
The first stage wasn't the Black Cat's stage that Kim So-young wanted, but the Alligator's stage came first.
'Will they sing well...? If the Black Cat is really Yoojin, they at least have to win the 1st round.'
While Kim So-young was thinking that, rock music with an ear-piercing sound started playing on the stage.
Boom- Boom-
Zzzzzzzing-
A flashy intro flowed out, and soon the Alligator, holding the mic with green hands, was seen bringing the mic to its mouth.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-
A refreshing shouting that echoed from the very beginning.
The Alligator's stage, where anyone could tell right away that they were a rocker.
Kim So-young felt a sense of tension as she listened to the song.
'Setting aside whether it's Yoojin or not, isn't the Black Cat going to drop out from the 1st round?'
The Alligator's stage was so flashy and intense that it made her worry.
Wooooaaaahhhhh-
The final shouting echoed, and the Alligator's 1st round stage ended.
'It seems the judges' evaluation will only come after both of them finish.'
Without any judges' evaluation, the Black Cat's stage immediately followed the Alligator's stage.
On the screen, the Black Cat could be seen sitting demurely on the stage.
'Hurry up and start...!'
As if responding to Kim So-young's expectations, the music began.
The sound of the intro that could be heard.
But Kim So-young felt a bit puzzled as she listened to the intro.
'Blues? Jazz?'
She couldn't pinpoint the exact genre, but it was heavy and melancholic music.
'Hmm, is it okay to sing a song like this in a competition?'
While Kim So-young was worrying while listening to the intro.
The Black Cat finally spat out the first line.
-I need some me time
'Wow...'
Kim So-young let out a gasp inwardly the moment she heard the first line.
'The vibe is crazy.'
A slightly rough but warm voice that sounded like it was softly whispering.
Because she was listening intently, the resonance reached her even more delicately.
But.
'Is it really Yoojin?'
The voice was clearly similar to Yoojin Kim's voice.
It was a voice she had heard thousands, no, tens of thousands of times, so there was no way Kim So-young wouldn't know Yoojin Kim's voice.
'The emotion... feels too different from Yoojin's.'
The Black Cat's emotion, which seemed to have no commonalities at all when recalling Yoojin Kim singing WeUs's songs.
As the stage progressed, Kim So-young felt even more confused.
But at that moment.
-It's not easy to be me
In the latter half of the song, the section where the emotional line that had been building from the beginning exploded.
The moment she heard the ringing high notes, Kim So-young was convinced.
'It's Yoojin's voice!'
It was unmistakably Yoojin Kim's voice, to the point where the concerns she had until now felt foolish.
'It was true that Yoojin is appearing!'
Kim So-young, who had been thrashing alone in joy and gladness for a moment.
soon stared at the screen with sweaty hands, unlike before.
'Yoojin has to win!'
Since the previous opponent was so formidable, she started worrying about whether Yoojin Kim could win.
While watching the stage with her heart pounding like that, Kim So-young soon fell into a slightly strange feeling.
'Yoojin was this amazing...'
Yoojin Kim, filling the stage alone, showed a performance that exceeded Kim So-young's expectations.
For Kim So-young, who had wondered before watching the stage if Yoojin Kim was even qualified to appear on such a show, it was an unimaginable sight.
Like that, Kim So-young watched the stage with a slightly subtle feeling, wondering if she hadn't really known about Yoojin Kim all this time.
While Kim So-young was feeling that way, the Black Cat's 1st round stage soon ended.
-Waaaaaah
Along with the cheers of the audience, the two people on stage, the Alligator and the Black Cat.
And the appearance of the judges watching them was captured on the screen.
'Ah! I can't understand the judges' comments...'
While Kim So-young was lamenting that she wouldn't be able to understand the upcoming judges' comments.
On the screen, a judge who looked very excited was seen grabbing the mic.
[Black Cat!!]
At the words of a female judge calling out to her intensely, the Black Cat turned its body toward the judges' seat.
[I love you so much! You're the best! It was a perfect stage!]
Easy English words that Kim So-young could understand began to spew out of the judge's mouth consecutively.