Episode 31
'Winning two times in a row, is it really okay to be this lucky?'
Having succeeded in securing audience tickets for the 2nd competition following the 1st, Kim So-young arrived at the concert hall where the event would take place with a joyful heart.
'But why does it seem like there are way more people waiting outside than actual audience members?'
A massive crowd spread out before Kim So-young's eyes, making her truly realize the popularity of 'National Idol Season 2'.
It seemed like quite a few people had failed to win audience tickets but came anyway out of regret, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the trainees' faces.
'That just shows how winning an audience ticket is like picking stars from the sky.'
-I just arrived in front of the concert hall...!
-Wow! I'm so so so jealous ㅠㅠ
-Didn't you say you went to the audience for the 1st competition last time?
-Yes! That's right!
-Seriously amazing... You totally have the Midas touch...!
-This time, everyone around me failed to get one. The competition rate must be insane. I'm so jealous ㅠ
After subtly bragging in the open chatroom she usually frequented, she somehow felt like a winner.
Even in the chatroom where the number of members now exceeded the hundreds, those who won audience tickets could be counted on one hand, excluding herself.
'We agreed to meet and go in together.'
-Where are you roughly? I've arrived too.
-I'm under the streetlight right now. I'm wearing a white long padded coat!
A 1-on-1 chat message arrived.
Among the people in the open chatroom, there was someone she had promised to watch the competition with.
It seemed like she had just arrived and was looking for her.
'Is that her?'
Kim So-young saw a black object approaching her.
"Are you 'Mini'?"
"Yes, that's me!"
A woman wearing a black long padded coat with a black hat pulled down approached her and spoke.
Looking closely, a youthful face could be seen inside the hat.
'Come to think of it, didn't she say she's a high school senior?'
"Shall we go to the entrance waiting line now? We have to go quickly to get front row seats."
"Ah, the front row? Um... do we really have to go to the front row?"
"Huh? We don't necessarily have to, but wouldn't the front row be better?"
"Ah, I understand."
'Does she not like going to the front row?'
She didn't understand, but everyone has their preferences.
The way she talked in the chatroom seemed a bit unique, and meeting her in person matched the image she had imagined.
"Anyway, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I'm Kim So-young."
"You can just call me Min."
"Min?"
"Yes, my name is a single syllable."
"Aha, I see."
After finishing our introductions like that, the two of us soon headed to the waiting line.
After a long wait, we were able to enter the concert hall.
Of course, this time too, all electronic devices including cell phones had to be left behind.
'Still, just being able to see it is enough... I'll take plenty of pictures later after they debut.'
She didn't think she arrived that late, but the front seats were already completely full.
"Sigh, I'm not sure if we'll be able to see properly from here."
"I think the seats are fine right now. I like that it's far."
"Huh? You like that it's far?"
"Ah... no, I mean you can see the overall stage well... hahaha."
Inside the concert hall, because the staff asked her to take off her hat, Min was now hatless.
She seemed very conscious of the surrounding gazes, but hadn't Kim So-young been like that too when she was a high school student?
After taking her seat with Min like that, Kim So-young took out the slogan she had received upon arriving here from her bag.
-Let Seonwoo Rin debut!
She didn't know how they knew she was a Seonwoo Rin fan and handed this to her right away, but
it seemed like it would be useful for today.
"Did you bring a slogan too?"
"Yes, I got it as soon as I arrived. Here's one for you too, Min."
-I love you Seonwoo Rin♥
Kim So-young handed the slogan she felt a bit embarrassed to hold herself over to Min.
She had considered holding it herself, but she was worried about her age, which was now pushing thirty.
And she was also curious about what kind of reaction she would get when she handed it over.
"Um... am I supposed to hold this?"
"Yes, everyone else is holding them over there."
Just as Kim So-young said, most people were naturally holding slogans with even more excessive content than this.
"No, but this content is a bit..."
Before Min could finish her protest with a flustered face,
Kyaaaaah-
Waaaaaaaah-
A tremendous cheer erupted with Ria's appearance.
"Welcome everyone to the 'National Idol Season 2' 2nd competition."
As Ria began to speak, silence fell all around.
"The theme of this competition is 'Self-Producing'. From now on, the 7 stages prepared by the trainees by team will unfold right here."
"After all the stages are over, when you leave, please vote for the one team you liked the best, and the three trainees you think did the best, and then exit."
"Then, let's start the first stage right away."
Ria gave a brief explanation about the song the trainees covered.
Then, the stage lights dimmed, and the trainees appeared on stage.
'It's Wi Cheon-woo.'
Wi Cheon-woo, who was Kim So-young's favorite until before the 1st competition, had now been pushed back by Seonwoo Rin and fallen from her interest.
'Still, I can vote for up to 3 trainees. I can't help it with the team vote, but I should at least vote for him individually.'
A famous pop song that you might have heard at least once flowed out.
'Not bad?'
It was an exciting arrangement with a completely different feel from the original, but it didn't sound awkward.
Everyone's dancing skills weren't bad either, so she could enjoy the stage joyfully without any anxiety.
"Um, there's nothing special about it."
"That's true."
Just as Min said, it was a stage with nothing special,
but the stages that followed after the first one weren't bad either.
She was worried that since it was self-producing, some ridiculous arrangement would come out, but fortunately, seeing the touch of professionals, it seemed highly likely that it was self-producing in name only.
'Still, there's no stage that really stands out, is there?'
Five teams' stages ended. Now, only two teams' stages remained.
There were no bad stages, but there wasn't a stage that felt like a first-place winner either.
'The team right before this was decent, right?'
"Which stage was the best out of all of them so far?"
"The stage right before this one."
As expected, everyone's eyes for judging are the same.
The previous stage was the team where Shim Sung-ha and Kang Ah-jin were together.
The stage itself was decorated cutely and quaintly, which was nice. The detail of each member wearing an animal accessory was also good.
'Especially Kang Ah-jin's puppy headband... was really cute.'
Kang Ah-jin, who dyed her hair blonde today, gave the feeling of looking at a Golden Retriever.
She thought Kang Ah-jin's ranking would probably go up another level once it aired.
While Kim So-young was imagining Kang Ah-jin's appearance again like that,
"When will oppa come out?"
"Oppa?"
"Ah, no... Seonwoo Rin!"
"There are only two teams left, so he'll be out soon."
Min had been fiddling with the slogan Kim So-young gave her earlier, showing a nervous appearance.
'Actually, I think I'm a bit nervous too.'
Thinking that Seonwoo Rin's stage was about to start, her heart started pounding.
'Come to think of it, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rankers haven't all come out yet.'
The probability that the last two stages were the highlight was very high.
'Could it be that Rin and Eugene Kim are on the same team? Then it's a guaranteed 1st place team.'
While Kim So-young was waiting, thinking of various possibilities like that,
"This team covered my song. It's the 'Dream Boy' team's stage, covering Ria's 'Girl of the Blue Sea'."
As if the concept was a school classroom, desks and chairs began to be moved onto the stage.
'It's Seonwoo Rin!'
Seonwoo Rin, with a few buttons of his school uniform top undone and a jacket draped over his shoulders, came out on stage and sat sideways on a chair.
'Park Han-hwi, Baek Si-hyun... with this, the members aren't bad?'
A shout loud enough to hurt the ears was heard.
And when all the trainees took their seats, the lights on the stage dimmed.
Ding-dong-dang-dong-
The school bell rang.
'Is Rin... a delinquent student?'
Even though the lights came on, Seonwoo Rin was seen sitting alone in the very back row, with his head buried in his desk.
And Park Han-hwi, who looked like a model student, studying even during break time.
When Baek Si-hyun, who was in the very center of the stage, was looking far away as if bored,
Bwam-ba-bam-
A brass sound echoed.
Bu Ji-seok and Bu Ji-hoon came in making a fuss and put up a poster on the chalkboard.
[OO High School Festival, Recruiting Performance Participants.]
Baek Si-hyun stared blankly at the poster the two put up, and the song began.
-If I close my eyes, it feels like I could catch it
Yesterday's dream is still vivid
As the song started, the trainees began to ride the rhythm in their respective places.
-Escaping the daily repetitive routine
I want to leave somewhere
'It's kind of like a musical, isn't it?'
As if the trainees were acting out the roles each of them was assigned.
Distinct characters could be seen.
At that time, the sound of drums getting louder as it headed toward the chorus was heard.
Baam- bababa baam- bababa
To the sound of the brass, the trainees started coming out to the front of the stage, starting with Baek Si-hyun.
And when Bu Ji-seok and Bu Ji-hoon brought Seonwoo Rin, who had been sitting until the end, out to the stage,
to the exciting swing jazz accompaniment, they all began to dance in unison.
The choreography, which looked like a combination of modern dance and jazz dance, rather than being a K-pop choreography,
'Feels like watching a Broadway musical.'
It made her imagine the appearance of dancers in a musical.
-What is this feeling right now
I feel like I could fly
Like the protagonist in a novel in a movie
I want to go forward toward my dream
'Wow... it's amazing!'
Because this song was released in the early days of Ria's debut, it had a fresh feeling, but if done wrong, it could feel tacky.
But.
'The genre of the song has completely changed.'
While Kim So-young was admiring it like that,
At the timing when she thought the second verse would start, the stage suddenly darkened, and the spotlight began to shine on one spot.
With only the thumping drum sound ringing out,
Baek Si-hyun walked into the center of the spotlight.
And.
Ttak-tadak-tadak-
Baek Si-hyun's solo dance began.
'This is tap dance, isn't it?'
As Baek Si-hyun's tap dance began, the brass sound echoed as if communicating with Baek Si-hyun's dance.
Park Han-hwi and Seonwoo Rin appeared beside Baek Si-hyun, who was showing a solo dance as if possessed.
Like that, along with the increasingly loud drum sounds, the moment all 7 trainees participated in the tap dance,
Hwaa-
Multiple lights turned on in an instant, dazzling the stage.
And soon, as if the dance, lighting, and music were all communicating, they blended into one on stage.
Bwam-bababam-
Along with the brass sound signaling the climax,
The trainees' colorful group dance and the song's chorus began.
-What is this feeling right now
I feel like I could fly
Like the protagonist in a novel in a movie
I want to go forward toward my dream
'Heok!'
It felt like her breath was being taken away.
She was concentrating on the stage so much that it was hard to breathe.
The sight of Baek Si-hyun dancing right in the middle of the stage was too overwhelming.
And the moment the song ended.
Ding-dong-dang-dong-
Along with the ringing bell,
The other trainees who were dancing excitedly returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.
Baek Si-hyun, left alone, as if having made up his mind, took the poster from the chalkboard and walked off the stage; with that, the 'Dream Boy' team's stage came to an end.
"Phew..."
Kim So-young let out the breath she had been holding.
And.
Waaaaaaaah-
Baek Si-hyun!!!
I love you Seonwoo Rin!!
Park Han-hwi is the best!!!
As the cheers were heard, she could feel her skin vibrating.
'Crazy, this is definitely 1st place!'
In her excited state, Kim So-young raised the slogan high and shouted Seonwoo Rin's name.
Feeling something hitting her arm, she looked to the side,
"Waaaaaaaah!"
and saw Min shouting while holding the 'I love you Seonwoo Rin' slogan with both hands and shaking it.
"Uh... huh?"
Feeling her gaze, Min awkwardly put the slogan back down.
While the cheers continued without stopping for a while like that,
"Now, only the last team's stage remains."
'The trainee who hasn't come out yet is... Eugene Kim?'
She didn't know how great a stage Eugene Kim had prepared,
but the previous stage was so powerful that she didn't think they would lose.
'Even if she's 1st place, how amazing can she be? It's not like it's a solo stage.'
Kim So-young's thoughts, which she thought like that,
would change exactly 5 minutes later.
'This... we might actually lose.'
***
After all the performances ended, Kim So-young and Min were waiting to vote before leaving.
After Kim So-young finished voting for the team, she spoke while looking at Min, who was also voting for the Seonwoo Rin team like herself.
"Didn't the last team with Eugene Kim do a little better?"
"I liked this one better."
"Well, you were waving the slogan so hard earlier."
"Ugh... ueuugh."
Seeing Min trembling her hands, she felt like she was looking at a sulky youngest sibling and wanted to tease her more, but
'If I tease her any more, something big might happen...'
Kim So-young, who was now scared to provoke Min any further, approached the individual trainee voting box.
'Seonwoo Rin, Wi Cheon-woo, and... yeah, Baek Si-hyun.'
As Kim So-young finished voting for the three trainees, she saw Min hesitating in front of the voting box.
"Hm? Why are you hesitating so much?"
"Ah, it's nothing!"
It seemed she had already voted for two trainees.
Min was holding only the last vote in her hand.
"You have one vote left?"
"Yeah..."
After hesitating, Min put the last voting slip into the box and walked towards me.
"I'm done. Let's go."
"Kekeuk, yes let's go."
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Min's last individual vote was, as expected, Seonwoo Rin.