The Evil Member Has Returned! Chapter 133
The moment the soft green spotlight slowly turned white, and the album name
*Six-Leaf Clover*
appeared on the screen in italics.
♪♬♩♬♪―
A beat that made the A&R team's all-nighters worthwhile resounded through the venue, and a stage showcasing the true worth of idols from Survivor Idol began.
♪♪♩♪♬♪!
Unlike other idols, ToZ’s debut song ‘Hide and Seek’ was born amidst a tight schedule and a short timeframe.
“We’re short on time, and it might be busy and difficult… but I’d like us to really put a lot of care into our song. Would that be okay?”
“That’s what I was hoping for! You know, I’ve always really, really loved making songs.”
“I’d like that too. The company people really respect that kind of thing. If we want to, we can do it. I’ve even choreographed a few times before myself.”
“Yeah. Let’s give our best as far as we can.”
It seemed difficult to incorporate the members’ opinions in that process, but the unique trait of AG’s agency—which prioritizes the artist’s views—shone brightly.
“You absolutely have to decide between Plan D and Plan H. Please…! If you keep saying both songs are good at 3-to-3, we’re in trouble, okay?”
“Oh, but… it’s true that both are good! Listen. Especially, this Plan H. Don’t you think it’d be great if the bass were laid down one more time here? Mixing in the drums too, like, boom, ba-boom. That kind of feel.”
“W-we also think so… but… you have to choose just one, we said!”
“Haha, don’t be like that. It’s just that both are so good. So good it’s hard to pick.”
“Umm… well, in that case, it’s not like there’s no way…”
“Ah! I get it! You’re planning to sample one side, right? Haha, I saw things like this being compiled during school days. Mm, if you’re going to sample anyway, I think the bridge from Plan B could also…”
“Aaaah! You have to choose just one! Somehow, we keep getting convinced!”
Especially, the meeting between the A&R team, who had their own ambitions to create something, and a few members with a better ear for music than others, literally created synergy.
“…
Please have a listen. This is our masterpiece. Really! Parts we worked on with Logan in the middle, and sounds extracted from Plan H and Plan B, all put together…”
“A-are you alright? Your dark circles…”
“We’re fine! Because we made a song like this!”
And the result, well. It was beyond words.
Amidst an overall lively beat, a bass sound subtly yet meaningfully inserted here and there.
And the kick of string sounds reminiscent of 80s to 90s Britpop, making the song mysterious and full of anticipation, fitting the title ‘Hide and Seek’.
- *On such a dazzling day*
*One step to find you*
*Hi, Hi. But Hide tightly*
The song’s opening was done by Jang Siu.
Standing at the center of the split formation, he stepped lightly and sang with a slightly tense, bright voice.
- *I count numbers*
*One to ten*
*Ready or Not, Here I come*
*Far away, the sound of your laughter*
Under Moon Yunha’s philosophy that ‘only fools who know nothing act childish to show their age’, Jang Siu, wearing the most classic Boy Scout uniform with not a single edge shortened, exuded freshness.
And naturally, that appearance added to the song’s meaningfulness and liveliness.
“Urgh….”
A groan burst from the press section, who had been looking on with indifferent expressions, thinking ‘There’s no way a hastily prepared song could be good, so let’s just write a lot comparing them to Lady’s Swan or whatever.’
[ToZ vs Wis, Their Fate Decided at Today’s Showcase?]
[Jang Siwon’s Younger Brother to Debut? “No Younger Sibling Outdoes the Older”]
Even if they’d only written provocative articles to farm clicks, they hadn’t spent that time in the entertainment industry for nothing.
It meant they could at least distinguish between a good stage and a bad one.
Even with the same formation, the viewing angle from the front and the way positioning was adjusted could make things look completely different.
“U-uh, Chunyong… hyung. About this opening part… if the formation splits diagonally… there are some parts where we can’t see each other.”
“Hm? Oh, you’re right? …
You monitored all of this?”
“Ah, yes.”
“You really are a genius, huh? Got it. I’ll tell Dasol-ssem and try to reflect it as much as possible.”
And the one who paid more attention than anyone else in that process was Jang Siu.
The members’ movements, the shape of the stage, the audience’s gazes.
Checking every single thing and coordinating opinions, it was perhaps only natural that he took the opening.
So, such sincerity naturally showed.
*‘He’s good? Seems a bit different from his brother.’*
*‘Need to watch a bit more, but this is….’*
Their murmuring didn’t stop there.
- *Feels like I’m dreaming, this moment now*
*Sparkling, as if I saw you under the sunlight*
Because the one who appeared next was none other than Bang Yuchan.
The skills of the top admitted student of the Korean National University of Arts’ vocal department, called a ‘miraculous master singer without a face for singing’, hadn’t gone anywhere.
- *Oh, No! Where you go*
*One Step, my steps are too slow*
*Faster toward you, carefully*
A booming volume that seemed to shake the live hall, a warm tone appropriately adjusted to match Jang Siu’s earlier vocals.
And the acting of his gaze, expressing secretly following someone, was a bonus.
- *Two steps to find you*
*Hi, Hi. But I wanna find you*
*Before this time ends*
The eldest brother, with his neatly combed forelock and even a beret, finished a light paired dance with the starkly contrastingly styled Jang Siu, and rejoined the formation.
The fans watching below were going crazy.
*‘Wait, the song is insanely good? Do we not need to mute and stream? This is it, seriously it is!’*
*‘The youngest and eldest combo. Moon Yunha is a learned pervert, indeed.’*
*‘Bang Yuchan is so f*cking sexy….’*
A round of applause had already burst out over the concept photos showing them paired in twos, and that was being extended in the opening?
Well then, of course….
- *Hide carefully, or your hair might show*
*I Heard your voice*
Meaning it would be like that on stage afterward too.
- *Run, Run, this is a game just for us two*
*A game that won't end if you're okay with it*
Different physiques, same outfits.
Calmly subdued black hair, and neatly set blonde hair.
Delicately knotted, shining walker boots, and red sneakers that seemed to show the wearer’s personality.
- *This moment is Never Ending*
*Owl, Nightingale, Mockingbird*
- *Close Your Eyes*
*And Counting Stars*
*Count stars, not numbers*
Aaaaah!
At the contrast between Son Jaeha and Ji Hwaseong, from big things to trivial details, fans who had been stifling their voices couldn’t help but let out cheers.
I mean. Our idols’ debut stage is this amazing, how can we hold back?
Later, anonymous posts like [ToZ Showcase Cheering Fiasco is insane lololol they think they’re the only ones watching the showcase;] were destined to pour out, but for now, they struggled just to hold onto their dazed senses.
A good stage by anyone’s eyes.
A good song by anyone’s ears!
The flushed response filled the live hall, and that influence naturally reached the members on stage.
The conviction that they were doing it right.
The confidence that they could make an even cooler, even better stage.
And thus, the moment they fully adapted to and melted into the stage.
―――!
Firecrackers burst at the front of the stage, and the highlight began.
The highlight where the strings and bass peak, mixing with the bouncy beat, and the tune of ‘Hide and Seek’ we know plays like a variation.
- *Hi, Hi. Hide and Seek*
*See, See. In my eyes, I only see you*
*Hi, How was your day?*
*At the end of this curiosity*
*I found you, I saw you!*
Logan, who took the center of the highlight and had a profound influence on creating this song, looked utterly delighted.
From his lightly permed hair, the red scarf tied alone over his uniform, to the oversized clothing fitting his tall stature.
Proudly showing off the look of a large dog out for a stroll in the playground called the stage, he smiled at the audience, mouthing a word.
‘Xenia,’ it was.
That word was a gift containing Logan’s sincere feelings.
It would come up later during the album introduction talk, but it was a gift born from the desire to tell you first.
That was clearly conveyed to the fans seated below.
“Logaaaan…!”
“Crazy, seriously crazy….”
The fact that he prioritized them over the numerous agency personnel and the journalists in the press section naturally brought elation to the fans.
- *Hi, Hi. Hide and Seek*
*See, See. I can only see your hand*
*Hi, How was your day?*
*At the end of this maze…*
And then, the moment Logan finished the highlight and moved into the formation for the second verse’s opening.
“—Ah!”
Someone caught his hand when he almost slipped due to sweat on the stage, and smoothly turned him around in a move that looked like a choreography.
With red hair like the scarf Logan wore, and wearing the Boy Scout uniform as if it were loosely thrown on carelessly….
- *I hold, hold you. I caught you!*
…
Kim Chunyong.
For anyone else, it might have been different, but this was something only Kim Chunyong could handle.
It was obvious.
Because right now, all the choreography ToZ was performing was made by Kim Chunyong and Jin Dasol.
“When we go into the highlight, I think it might be good to leave a little room for ad-libs. I mean, the members might have things they want to do in the moment.”
“Is that… so.”
“Ah, yes. That looks good to me…”
“Let’s do it, then. I’m fine with anything, it seems… looks, fine. This is, Chunyong… ssi’s, debut… song… choreography, after all.”
*‘More than anyone, he can do it well, right.’*
The faces of the audience thinking it was just more dramatic pair choreography and rejoicing, the flashes bursting from the press section.
The upcoming dance break with Kim Chunyong at the center, and the second verse just as good as the first.
“Whoa….”
Kim Chunyong, picking up the slightly bewildered Logan’s left hand and *smack!* giving a high-five over it, murmured with his mouth.
*‘You should be careful.’*
Having stylishly handled a stage accident that almost happened at the showcase—their first time showing their debut song to the public—Kim Chunyong put on a stern expression then smiled brightly.
It was only just the beginning.
The showcase scheduled for one hour and thirty minutes had not yet passed even halfway, and….
- *“On such a dazzling day*
*One step to find you*
*Hi, Hi. But Hide tightly”*
“Whoa, sh*t… what is this? What’s the MV quality?”
“No, Mom! Look at this. Is this really Kim Chunyong? This is your son?”
“Oh my… he looks like a different person. How wonderful.”
Because the music video, released simultaneously with the showcase opening, was being played by countless hands.
[ ToZ - 1st mini album ‘Six-Leaf Clover’ Premium Showcase (Viewers: 124,742)]
[ ToZ - 1st mini album ‘Six-Leaf Clover’ Title “Hide and Seek” MV (Views: 1,532,007)]
The moment ToZ officially threw their hat into the entertainment industry ring, it began like that.