Chapter 16
Huh-uh, huh-uh
Pant, pant
Hah-ah, hah-ah
Inside the practice room filled with heat.
When only the exhausted breaths of the trainees could be heard from within.
"Cheonwoo. Am I alive? Where is this? Who am I?"
"Yigeol, you still have the energy to speak? Shall we do just 10 more?"
"Hiik!"
At my words, the other trainees looked at Lee Yigeol with resentful eyes.
Under that chilling atmosphere, Lee Yigeol immediately shut his mouth.
"Alright, today's practice ends here. If by any chance your condition is reset to the beginning when we practice again tomorrow..."
I said, glaring and making eye contact with each of them one by one.
"You all know, right?"
"Yes, sir!"
It was the sight of trainees who had their discipline firmly set in just one day.
"Tomorrow's assembly time is 9:00 AM. What time?"
"9:00 AM!"
"Then, dismissed."
To the trainees who didn't understand the word 'dismissed', I translated it into each of their languages, and only then did vitality start to linger on their expressions.
'Everyone looks fine? I think I can make them do a little more tomorrow.'
While I was making that resolution in my mind.
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
I thought everyone would leave excitedly, but seeing them hesitating for some reason, I asked.
"Hyung. Aren't you coming out with us?"
"Me?"
Was it because I wasn't leaving?
"I'm not done yet. Why? Are you planning to stay and practice with me?"
"N-no!"
"Keep up the hard work!"
As I looked at the trainees with a smile, they recoiled in terror and left the practice room first.
"Hyung, are you really going to practice more?"
Wi Cheonwoo, the only one left, asked with a worried face.
"Yeah. I have something left to do, so you go rest quickly too, Cheonwoo."
I forcefully sent the hesitating Wi Cheonwoo away first.
"Phew, finally alone."
The practice room where everyone had left.
I slumped down against the wall of the practice room.
Shoulders slumped as if exhausted, an expression full of anguish, and even the position that would be captured best on camera—everything was perfect.
'Though actually, it's not that hard.'
I felt that at times like this, I needed to build up a narrative one by one, so that even if I ruined the stage, there would at least be a loophole for me to survive.
'I tried my best, but with my abilities, it couldn't be helped. I need to create that kind of scene in advance.'
But thinking positively, it was true that the current situation itself was difficult, but it wasn't completely desperate either.
'Because a crisis is an opportunity.'
Isn't one of the things the public loves the most a reversal created by the weak?
If I could just lead this team and create a truly successful stage.
'I could become the protagonist of this team battle.'
And there were a few reasons why I was making such hopeful predictions.
First, although I didn't know how long it would last, the team atmosphere was firmly in my grasp.
And the second was the status window.
'Status window.'
[Name: Sunwoo Rin]
Level: 4
Stamina: S-
Vocal: D+
Dance: C+
Appearance: B
Charm: B-
Remaining Points: 1
Traits
- Hatchling, Perfect Match, Rival, Novice Choreographer
After racking my brain all day today worrying about the choreography, the Novice Choreographer trait appeared.
- Novice Choreographer
You too are a choreographer starting today! (Probably...)
Although it had the word 'novice' attached to it. You can't expect to be full from the first spoonful.
And definitely, after gaining that trait, I could feel that my eye for choreography had improved significantly.
I wasn't sure if it was because of the newly added trait or if it was just time for it to rise, but my Dance stat went up a level to C+.
'Should I invest my stat points in Dance? Then it would go right up to B-.'
The level that increased by one step and the 1 remaining point from the last grade re-evaluation.
I started to worry about where to invest that point.
Vocal was still stuck in place because there was no separate time to practice. The Appearance stat I raised last time was now B, and Charm, which went up a level due to the Rival trait's effect from placing in a higher grade than Eugene Kim, was B-.
Of course, it was a Charm stat that had a high probability of returning to C+ the moment the rankings were announced.
'Right now is what's important.'
Raising the Dance stat right now to the B grade range would help with this mission.
'But for some reason, I feel like I can raise it up to B through practice.'
When the Dance stat, which was C- at first, went up to C+ just by practicing, investing points into the Dance stat somehow felt like a waste.
'But investing stats to make Vocal C- feels like an even bigger waste,'
I postponed investing the points for now.
Since I didn't know when or what stat would be needed, I decided to withhold my choice until before the stage.
I had rested enough.
Now I needed to modify as much of the choreography as possible so that the other trainees could digest it.
I wasn't sure if I could do it all before going to sleep, though.
Given that I had the Novice Choreographer trait, I believed it wouldn't be impossible.
'If it doesn't work, I'll just have to stay up all night.'
My shoulders felt heavy.
Since the moment I took on the role of leader, I felt that our team's fate was in my hands.
Whatever the reason, there were teammates who believed in me and worked hard.
'Then we absolutely have to win.'
It wasn't the time to stand still.
I had to work 10 times, 100 times harder, as much as I was lagging behind.
Of course.
'Where the cameras are.'
After checking if the practice room cameras were rolling well, I wiped away sweat that wasn't flowing and began practicing.
***
Before I knew it, the mid-evaluation day had arrived.
All the teams gathered in the large auditorium.
In front of the stage, vocal trainers and dance trainers sat preparing for their evaluation.
"Now, let's start with The King Team A first."
Starting with the first team, the mid-evaluation began.
'Everyone is about the same?'
Since the team selection process was conducted so that high-ranking trainees wouldn't be concentrated in one team, most teams consisted of one or two aces and a few members lacking in skill.
In the end, the key to victory seemed to be how well the aces performed.
And how well they pulled off the chosen song.
"This team is good because the center suits the song well."
"Thank you!"
Kang Ajin, perhaps embarrassed by the trainer's praise, bowed her head with a shy smile.
'Ah, I should have been on the same team as Kang Ajin.'
Feeling unjust, I turned around and glared at Wi Cheonwoo.
"Hm?"
Seeing Wi Cheonwoo tilting his head innocently, I couldn't bring myself to say anything and instead talked to my team members.
"Guys, what did I say was the most important thing when we go on stage?"
"Confidence!"
"Right, first is confidence, second is confidence. Even if you make a mistake, never stop in the middle, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, our turn was finally getting closer.
"Off Team A. Come out and start when you're ready."
At Kim Nahee's words, Off Team A came up on stage and took their positions.
"Then we will begin."
Starting with the signal from the leader, Park Hanhui,
Off Team A's stage began.
"They're good."
"They're the best out of all the teams so far."
I could hear the surrounding trainees murmuring.
Led by two A-rank trainees, Park Hanhui and Woo Jungwoo, Off Team A had the best balance among all teams, with 2 B-ranks, 2 C-ranks, and 1 D-rank.
-There is no end
You and I in this GAME
Together forever
Waaah-
For the first time since a stage ended, cheers erupted among the trainees.
"This team has the best balance. It's not an easy song choice, but they did so well."
"This song doesn't particularly highlight the vocals, but when trainee Woo Jungwoo sings, the atmosphere of the song really comes alive."
With the judges' praise, Off Team A's stage ended.
"Next, Off Team B, please get ready."
Finally, it was our team's turn.
Perhaps because the previous stage ended with the trainers' praise, our team members' faces were full of tension.
Before going on stage, I gathered the team members.
"Guys, remember what we practiced? Everyone did their best. Right?"
At my words, the team members nodded with resolute faces.
"What did I say was the most important thing?"
"Confidence!"
"Right, confidence. Now let's go."
Going up on stage, I could feel the trainers looking at us with worried eyes.
And the trainees murmuring as they looked at us.
They were probably saying things like, 'They don't look like they can do it.'
"If you're ready, start right away."
We started the stage we had prepared to the music.
'This isn't bad?'
Beyond my expectations, all team members pulled off their assigned parts without mistakes.
Clap, clap, clap-
The sound of trainees' applause echoed in the auditorium.
The judges' reactions weren't bad either, compared to what I thought.
"I was really worried about Team B, but it seems like everyone worked really hard. You did much better than I expected."
Starting with the vocal trainer, who was called the Angel Trainer for always giving good reviews.
Reviews came out saying it wasn't bad, and that they did better than expected.
'Phew, I guess we've passed one hurdle for now.'
Right as I was breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.
"Since everyone is only saying good things, I'll give some harsh criticism."
When Dance Trainer Song Youngjun grabbed the mic and spoke, silence suddenly lingered in the auditorium.
"Team B. You did better than expected, but you know that doesn't mean you did the stage well, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"There's no distinctiveness, and I can't grasp the concept properly; it just feels like you merely memorized the choreography and performed it."
While the team members were still reeling from Song Youngjun's harsh criticism, Kim Nahee's follow-up punch flew right in.
"Kids, I know you worked hard. But a stage isn't something that can be stood on effort alone. Effort is the basics, you have to 'do well'."
As the team members' eyes filled with moisture from Kim Nahee's follow-up, the final KO punch flew in.
"In this current state, you will absolutely never beat Team A."
***
"Guys, I'm sorry."
In a gloomy atmosphere, we sat gathered in the practice room, and I offered my apologies to the kids first.
"No!"
"Hyung, you worked, really, hard!"
"It's because we're. Lacking."
At my apology, the team members waved their hands and spoke to me.
"First of all, one thing is certain. As Teacher Kim Nahee said, in this current state, we absolutely can't beat Team A."
At my words, the team members hung their heads dejectedly.
"But, since we know what we're lacking, we can fix it in the remaining time. Everyone, lift your heads!"
I looked at the faces of the team members who raised their heads and looked at me, one by one.
"Let's change everything. Let's go back to the very beginning and redefine the concept of the song."
We couldn't keep going like this.
Continuing to practice in this deflated atmosphere was meaningless too.
Right now, we needed a reversal.
"Think about it, what do we have that's better than Team A?"
"Something better than Team A?"
After saying that to the kids, I also fell into thought.
'What is it that I can do well? To beat Team A, we need something more standout, not just effort.'
The answer didn't come easily.
If I had something I was exceptionally outstanding in, stamina? Athletic ability?
But how could that be applied to the stage.
At that moment, Lee Yigeol raised his hand with a suddenly brightened face and said.
"What we're better at! I remembered!"
"What is it?"
"Our center is more handsome!"
At Lee Yigeol's words, the other trainees, including Wi Cheonwoo, sighed and shook their heads.
'Wait a minute.'
"The center is handsome. Right, we had that."
When I seriously pondered Lee Yigeol's words, I heard strange noises from beside me.
"Cheonwoo, Rin hyung is weird."
"It's because, we made him, suffer too much."
Ignoring the words I heard around me, I focused on my continuing train of thought.
Wi Cheonwoo's handsome face.
And my athletic ability.
Was there no way to apply both of these to the stage?
'No matter how much I think, this is the only answer.'
"Guys, I thought of something, so listen carefully."
"Hyung, as expected. You need rest."
"Yeah, we need to, rest a bit!"
'What is this? Talking back?'
"Gentlemen, pay attention. Attention!"
"Hyung, stop now... Attention!"
To Wi Cheonwoo, who still seemed out of it, I gently reached out and patted his shoulder.
Seeing Wi Cheonwoo come to his senses, the other team members also started to snap out of it rapidly.
"As of this moment, I declare Fast Pace. Repeat! Fast Pace!"
"Fast Pace!"
I said, looking at the team members who still had bewildered expressions.
"Our new operation name is, 'Bodyguard'."