Chapter 128:

Chapter 128:

[The first frost of dawn, the sound of breaking ice echoes-.]

The first verse began with Shim Naru, one of the two main vocalists.

Since it was a rehearsal, they all wore casual training outfits.

[The flowing river, my heart frozen in despair, where is my beloved-.]

Contrary to what I expected, the song that Floss chose was not Kang Hee-sung’s. What? Did Kang Yu-geon endure because he wasn’t fully recovered?

[My face reflected in the moonlight, I call your name in sorrow-.]

This was the OST of a movie that was released 20 years ago and won the grand prize at a famous international film festival. It was about the life of a famous singer in the 19th century.

Of course, this was also a legend in its own way, so it fit the theme...

‘It’s surprising that it’s not Kang Hee-sung.’

It was a staple item to make the first place in the survival show with the parents’ story. Anyone would think that they were calling their parents who had passed away, even though they were alive.

It was strange that they didn’t choose the song of their father who had left a huge mark on the music industry and had really passed away.

Was the broadcasting industry a place where they could afford to choose what to use commercially and what not as a human being?

Maybe Floss, who was a top-tier group, could do that. I watched the stage without erasing my curiosity.

[Ah, this painful heart, I have nowhere to leave it, please take it back-.]

The clothes were training outfits and the choreography was just loosely matching the lines, so I couldn’t tell what they would look like on the actual stage.

Since it was oriental style, maybe hanbok? Lately, they wore durumagi a lot. The style of a guard warrior was also steadily popular.

Finally, the arrangement reached its climax. The big ones scattered like soldiers in a historical drama.

[This cold winter, where are you going again, my feet are cold, what should I do-.]

With Hwijin in the center, they acted like warriors who followed the king’s command and pulled out something from their waist.

‘Is it a sword dance?’

It wouldn’t have been easy to match it in this short preparation period. The choreography was barely shaped, so I could only imagine the result in my head.

And right after that, the lines changed a few times and Hwijin and Yu-geon spun around with a gap as if they were sword fighting.

What would happen next? I couldn’t take my eyes off it as if I was watching a musical.

“Wow... Floss is really Floss.”

Seon-woo, who was sitting next to me, stared blankly at Floss’s stage and uttered an exclamation without knowing it.

“We’ll be great too.”

Yi-jun puffed up his cheeks and poked Seon-woo’s back.

“We worked hard too...! We have to show them our cool side!”

Seon-woo nodded his head vigorously and answered.

I was glad he was in a good mood. If Floss had done their rehearsal with full power, and we were the next batter...

We might have come down without checking half of what we prepared, overwhelmed by Floss’s stage.

It was light, but Floss’s stage had that much pressure.

No matter how much the members didn’t get along, Floss was Floss.

‘Was the next one P2CK?’

I glanced at the place where the next batter was waiting and they seemed to have lost their mind already.

Did they come lightly today, thinking that they would just match the lines to the song for the rehearsal?

Finally, Floss’s rehearsal, which was quite long but didn’t feel that way, ended and the camera director gave the OK sign.

“OK-! I’ve checked the movements and you did a great job! If there are any changes, please let me know before the filming rehearsal!”

At the camera director’s satisfied OK sign, P2CK, who had been waiting for their turn, approached the stage stairs nervously.

“Can we go up?”

They looked a bit anxious from the start. And sure enough, there was a difference between them and Floss, who had come with a light heart.

Of course, Floss had also acted casually to hide their cards, whether it was their costumes or choreography.

But hiding your cards when everything is perfectly prepared and having nothing to show when you’re not ready are different things.

That bastard Hwijin, he made such a fuss about how hard it was, but it was all an act.

I was sure of Hwijin’s act when I saw the result of P2CK’s rehearsal stage.

I felt a faint sense of betrayal and glared at Hwijin.

I looked down at the front of the stage and saw a 200-seat auditorium clearly.

‘If it’s 120 people, it’s more than half full.’

I gauged how big 20 seats were among these many people, and they looked very small.

That small number of audience members came to see us. And there must have been 100 or so other teams cheering in the seats.

‘We have to do a great stage that other fans can enjoy too.’

A bit of anxiety and anticipation touched my heart.

‘I can do it.’

I clenched my fist for the last time and bowed my head to the staff in the direction they were.

“Thank you very much!”

As soon as I gave my OK sign, the MR started.

[Dazzling white sand, pure white sea. I want to go with you-.]

The center of this stage was Yi-jun. He was the one who had the most basic fandom base, so I didn’t think he needed to be pushed.

But our purpose of appearing was first and foremost to raise awareness, so it wasn’t bad to put out the most famous guy.

[The foam is like white snow-. The bells ring, where am I, who am I.]

We made the most bright and happy expressions with the swimming-like playful choreography, and the reaction was good with a different feeling than the Floss stage.

How should I put it... If the Floss stage was overwhelming and the audience became spectators, our stage was one that made them sway along with us?

[You always held me when I was shaken. Our precious memories come back like waves-.]

Kyunghwa came forward and swung his arms as if he was playing with a water gun, and thankfully the staff reacted as if they were hit by a water bomb.

A cheerful rhythm, bright and positive lyrics, and a bright light.

We also had to hide our costume concept because we couldn’t show all our cards, but I was already looking forward to the day of the reveal.

This much was not a bad staff reaction.

[Stay with me as pure as the white snow that never changes-.]

[I hope you’ll always be by my side-.]

As I followed the center who kept changing his position along the stage, I heard a buzz from below.

“They nailed the concept for the finale...”

“I was curious who would sing the carol song first. It’s a bit early, but it’ll be fine when the song is released in early December, right?”

The song release would only be possible if we ranked in the top three, but it was a nice compliment anyway.

[Christmas in the summer, a whispering song in my ears-.]

[This is not a dream, a memory to cherish forever.]

Finally, when the bell rang and the carol-like variation came, Yi-jun made a ring over his head and smiled playfully.

[Our unforgettable memories, please keep them-]

[Everything is dazzling, this moment shines brightly-, just you and me.]

“Is he an angel? He doesn’t fit in, but he’s cute.”

The rehearsal ended with a giggling laughter.

We were just going to do a light run-through, but everyone seemed to work hard as usual, and we breathed heavily.

We broke the ending pose and got up, sighed lightly, and bowed.

“Thank you!”

It was a disappointing stage where we couldn’t show 100%, but tomorrow the real stage will begin.

Let’s make it to the top three. Top three.

I suppressed my regret and came down from the stage.

“Zuaaa-!! Let’s go, guys-!!”

Oh, my ears are ringing. The noisy group, Vesper, was going up on the stage.

‘Hmm... I wonder if they can show something unexpected.’

Vesper and AtoX were already well-established groups, so I didn’t think they would show a drastic transformation from the first stage.

‘What I’m curious about is the other side.’

My eyes turned to the back of the waiting line, where Playground was still looking nervous as always.