Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: NicoleTempest
Chapter 235 A Series of Choices
I decided to reveal Yu-geon’s family history at the showcase.
It would be easy to make headlines if I did that, but I didn’t want to exploit the members’ personal lives like that.
It would be better to reveal it someday for Yu-geon’s future activities, but there was a big difference between saying it in front of dozens of cameras flashing and releasing it after the company’s editing.
‘And the former would be more sensational.’
I was grateful that Yu-geon offered to do it willingly, but I didn’t want to see him so anxious.
“No, I’m fine.”
Yu-geon said after a moment, taking a deep breath and pushing me away with a calm expression.
“We have to rehearse. Let’s get to our seats quickly.”
I still felt uneasy, but I stood in my place since he said he was fine.
Fortunately, the rehearsal was perfect and there was nothing more to fix.
‘Sigh...’
As I came down from the stage and headed back to the waiting room for the official opening of the showcase, I noticed a small Naru among the hyungs, who was half a head shorter than them.
“...”
He was usually complaining non-stop about this and that, but today he looked unusually quiet.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Could it be him too? As I approached him with no ill intention, Naru glared at me with his eyes at 10:10.
“No, I’m not!”
He should either speak formally or informally. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his absurdity, and Naru opened his mouth again with vigor.
“Don’t worry, the live performance will be perfect today.”
Was he still upset about the sound error he made at Bobbyam? It was only a minor mistake.
He had been tormenting the vocal instructor who came part-time, so he deserved some reward.
I snickered and headed to the stage to check on the MC for the last time.
“Hello, I greeted you earlier, but we’re about to start soon.”
As I approached the MC who was busy confirming the schedule with the director, he greeted me warmly with a bright smile.
“Ah, hello! I was too busy earlier to greet you properly. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, and I’m glad I have this opportunity! Why don’t you come to our channel too?”
The cheerful MC asked for a handshake, and I lightly shook his hand and let go, making a witty joke.
“Haha, I’ll go if you invite me. If you invite us this time, we’ll bring all eight of us. Just contact us.”
I meant it. The MC we hired for the showcase today was a multi-entertainer who was active in various fields in the entertainment industry.
He was a huge success as a singer, of course. He had to stop his activities for a while due to a vocal cord problem, but then he suddenly launched a solo show program and became a hot topic.
‘He probably didn’t expect his show to be such a hit.’
With his candid speech, gag sense, and thorough preparation, he established himself as a next-generation MC, and he had a lot of influence in the idol market that was dominated by female consumers.
We also wished that we could get Yeonjeong unnie to host our show, and our fans expressed their opinions at a fervent level, so we paid more and brought him over than other MCs.
We were willing to appear on his ongoing program ‘Yeonjeong Unnie’s Issue Time’ if he invited us.
‘But how can we go if he doesn’t invite us?’
I laughed and threw a straight pitch, saying please invite us, and Yeonjeong hit it back with a witty and playful expression.
“Oh, really? Then, if we contact you separately, will you appear on our show? Is it okay to make a sudden promise like this, CEO?”
What a regretful remark. We had to cancel everything except the music show schedule if he invited us.
It was a rare opportunity to appear on a show that had a fixed audience that overlapped with our target group.
“Of course, it’s okay. When is your schedule okay? We’ll try to clear everything except Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
“Oh, so sudden? Haha, okay. I’ll check the schedule with my team tomorrow and contact you right away.”
The cameraman quickly opened the closet and put on his clothes to go out. As he sighed for a moment, someone knocked on the window.
As the cameraman looked down from the window, Hwijin smiled shyly and held a bouquet of flowers. The cameraman immediately ran down the stairs.
Another knock on the door followed.
The cameraman opened the door and saw Yi-jun, who had parked his bike between his long legs and took off his helmet.
“Wanna ride? I’ll take you.”
Yi-jun threw the helmet to the cameraman and the sound of the bike engine followed. The pictorial video shot to match the concept flashed by like an old movie film.
And then the screen went black again and white letters were engraved in the center.
[GAME START]
The screen rolled up and the showcase stage began.
[Three, two, one. Shh-.]
With Yi-jun’s low metal sound, the spotlight shone on the center of the stage.
[The atmosphere here is too boring.]
[You turn away again with a bored expression, pretending to be indifferent.]
Yu-geon naturally took the intro part. He was the member who could expect the most firepower from the individual fans, and although he was not a main vocal, he had a solid voice and clear pronunciation that made the lyrics stick to the ears.
They all did their best, from satin to velvet to corden. The suits they had custom-made with special fabrics that gave a vintage feel made them look like high-teens who had dressed up for a special day.
[Hello, would a common greeting be too boring?]
[I came to pick you up today.]
And then Seon-woo switched places with him, spinning around with the choreography and standing in the center.
He wore a navy velvet jacket with suspenders and a bow tie inside.
He was our visual. Seon-woo, who had dressed up, shone so brightly. And the reporters couldn’t miss that, so the shutter sound was loud enough to pierce the in-ear.
[The most shining moment of tonight.]
[Right now, when our eyes meet.]
[Confessing that I like you is too common.]
Seong-won took over next. The other members lined up in a row with Seong-won in the center, then changed their positions by splitting into three and four on each side.
The next member to take the part in the center was me.
[One by one, I nod my head as if I’m thinking.]
[I secretly prepared a bouquet, I hope you like it.]
As I joined the back row with a hand gesture that looked like nodding my head, which was the point choreography, Naru popped out and jumped high with the rest of the members.
[I wish you liked me.]
[The words I whispered to myself in secret.]
[Tonight, I’ll confess my feelings properly.]
I prepared for this performance as if it could be the last one, because the choreography was basically very difficult.
Fortunately, Naru also pulled it off perfectly without any sound errors.
‘All that’s left is...’
Kyunghwa and Hwijin, I guess. Yi-jun had no rap part at all in the back, so he only had the chorus part besides that.
Kyunghwa calmly moved along with Yi-jun in a diagonal position and then ran to the front of the camera, following the camera across the stage.
[What style do you like? Tell me everything.]
[I want to be your handmade.]
Then he swiftly turned the camera to the side, pushing it towards the rest of the members who were lined up, and quickly joined the back of the line.
The eight of us stood in formation while the chorus part was going on.
‘Let’s do this.’
It was the start of the eight-person dance part that we practiced the most.