Chapter 34: You Come Along Too

“Huff… huff….”

“Whew….”

Ragged breaths echoed from all corners of the practice room.

“Ha… haaa… huu… ugh…”

Hey, you. Don’t make those weird breathing noises. It’s unsettling.

When I turned to find the source, I saw Jo Seha sprawled on the floor, barely managing to lift his head.

“Ha… Hanama… I think I’m gonna die….”

Don’t talk. Just keep your mouth shut and breathe.

“If you have the energy to talk, drink some water and catch your breath. We’re going again in five minutes.”

“Huaaah….”

Jo Seha let his head drop, completely melting into the floor.

“Whew….”

Honestly, the rest of the team, myself included, wasn’t doing much better.

This song has a pretty high difficulty level.

That was the title of the song we’d been given. If you asked whether it was left over because it wasn’t popular…

It was the complete opposite.

‘It’s a problem because it was too successful.’

This was the song that let Essence9, currently the top boy group, break into the Billboard charts. It played a huge part in making Essence9 a Billboard No. 1 artist.

Of course, the problem was that the song’s difficulty was absolutely brutal.

Since it was made for top-tier idols to break into a top-tier market, there was nothing ordinary about it.

From the choreography and movements, to the vocals, even the emotional delivery—there was nothing lacking.

‘And they want a group of nobodies without an agency to pull this off on stage?’

If they gathered only the most promising survivors after a few rounds of filming, maybe it’d be possible.

But with our team’s current skill level, there was just no way we could pull this off completely.

‘If we don’t get cursed out by their fandom, that’ll be a miracle.’

So in the end, I chose this.

“All right, everyone up. Five minutes are up.”

“Uwaaa—!”

“Ah… No way… We’re all going to die at this rate….”

I was going to work them to death.

Cries of protest rang out from all sides.

“Hanama… Can’t we rest just a little longer….”

Jo Seha whined, but—

“No. Get up. We can’t change it.”

I had no energy to humor them.

“Ugh…”

Maybe Son Hyunseok thought we hadn’t picked a song because yesterday’s meeting fell apart. He was the first to get up and stand in front of the mirror again.

It’s always hardest at first, but once one person got up, the rest started finding their spots too.

“Everyone looks exhausted. I’ll show it once more like before, so watch closely.”

I glanced behind me, silently telling them to focus and not space out.

Maybe they were relieved we weren’t jumping right into practice, because their faces brightened a little.

The speaker started playing the song.

[In my blurred vision | want search you-J]

If there was one good thing about this song being famous and difficult, it was this—

[Passive,  effect is applied!]

[Passive,  effect is applied!]

Back in my Seo Jimin days, I used to listen to this song a lot, so I had some buffs kicking in.

Even though the “Otakus Get Lucky” trait’s effect was halved, it was still good enough to demonstrate in the practice room, if not on stage.

[I’m not anxious, soon we’ll be in each other’s sight-J]

The point choreography came up not long after the song started. This was the crucial part.

[Lock on & Lock on-J]

If someone were to get the first one-shot on stage, it’d definitely be at this moment.

‘Who should stand here?’

As fleeting thoughts passed, the song quickly moved on to the last line.

[So I only think of you. Lock in my mind-]

“Whew….”

I barely had time to catch my breath after finishing the demonstration.

“…..You’re really good.”

“…Yeah, seriously.”

The team’s evaluations followed.

Hey, I didn’t show you so you could judge me right now.

“If you’re that good in practice, how good will you be on stage?”

“Maybe we could win if Haram-hyung carries us?”

That’s not it. I just did my best—this is my best, actually!

Watching them still waiting for a free ride made me sigh.

“Instead of just being amazed, you should be watching the choreography and details.”

“Details, huh… You think we can all do it like you?”

From a little ways off, I heard a quiet, sharp comment.

That was Side-Eye #2.

“Grumbling won’t change anything.”

I meant it for #2, but it applied to everyone.

“No one wants to get eliminated, right?”

I turned around and looked at the whole team at once.

“I don’t want to get eliminated either, and if possible, I want to take all of you up to the next round with me.”

Even Park Mingwon, who’d kept his head down and zoned out, glanced up at me.

Maybe it was time for a carrot.

“And from what I’ve seen during practice, for a first run, we’re not doing that badly.”

The sudden positive message made everyone’s eyes light up a little.

“We’ve got four days left. Let’s give it our all, okay?”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Jo Seha, who’d been half-melted, straightened up and found his form.

“Fighting—! Fighting—!”

“Ugh—! I’ll do my best!”

Good. That should be enough motivation.

“So, with that in mind, memorize all the choreography by this afternoon. After dinner, we’ll do individual coaching, one by one. Sound good?”

“Ugh.”

There wasn’t much morning left, and with position-specific training scheduled for the afternoon…

It was an incredibly tight schedule.

“Uh… then, during individual coaching tonight, can we rest when it’s not our turn?”

Are you still saying stuff like that?

“The practice room is big enough. I’d like everyone to come out and do personal practice too.”

Get it together, will you?

I could feel a vein popping on my forehead without even realizing it. I bet there was a hint of menace in my smile right now.

“Eek… okay… y-yes….”

Judging by their reactions, I must’ve been right.

“All right—let’s play the song!”

Practice continued.

—

“Man, I’m wiped out…”

That night, in the practice room.

The other team members were whining about being tired, but honestly, the one who felt closest to death was me.

“Wait. I can’t feel my legs.”

Sitting dazed on the floor, my mind wandered as I poked my thigh with a finger.

Thank goodness. I still have feeling.

Maybe because I’d been standing all day, my legs were swelling up.

‘How many pillows do we have left in the dorm….’

Thinking I’d stick on some cooling patches and prop my legs up to sleep, I patted myself on the back for working hard today.

‘That was really tough….’

Most of the team was made up of D and F grades, so teaching them was no easy task.

“You did choose dance position, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“…Why?”

“Because I like dancing. Is that weird?”

“No, well….”

Side-Eye #1 and #2 looked like the type to break into hip-hop dance when they’re sad, and their skills were truly something else.

Just in case, I tried making them sing once.

“Um… never mind. You can stop.”

“Why?”

“No, it’s just, I’m sorry.”

Their singing was so bad I stopped the music without thinking.

No wonder they like dancing. It’s the only thing they can like.

“Unbelievable, seriously.”

Wow, for a second I thought that was my line. No, what’s unbelievable is your skill level.

Their attitude annoyed me in many ways, but I could still get them to practice, somehow.

“Your movements are too small, so it looks awkward. There’s no sense of speed. Try making your moves bigger, like you’re really pushing it.”

“L-like this?”

“That’s right! Now match it to the beat. I’ll count for you. One, two, one, two, one, two, ta-ta-ta… No! It should end on ta-ta-ta!”

“Why are you yelling!!”

“I’m not yelling!”

I just raised my voice, that’s all?!

There were about six team members at this level, including Son Hyunseok and Kim Sanggyun.

At least Jo Seha, a C grade, and our only B grade, Yu Taewoo, were much better off.

“Wow, Jo Seha, you’ve improved a lot since this morning! What’s up?”

“Really?! Wait, let me try again! Watch me! You have to watch, okay?! I’m going, okay?!”

“I’m watching, I’m watching. …Oh, nice! But here, the step—if you pay a little more attention to the step, it’ll be perfect.”

“Step?! Got it, just watch. I’m going right in!”

That’s about what Jo Seha was like. Ever since we started individual coaching, he was so motivated that teaching him was easy.

He was a little too easy to handle, honestly.

As for B grade Yu Taewoo…

“Um… Taewoo, your position is dance, right?”

“Yes.”

He was a big guy with a solid build.

I worried his size might make his moves sluggish, but that concern was unfounded.

“Oh, you’ve pretty much memorized the choreography already… If you just work on the details, you’ll be set.”

“Yes… I really like Essence9 sunbaenim, so… I’ve practiced a lot.”

“Ah, I see.”

Hmm… I might not need to do much for him… Since this song focuses more on dance than vocals, he should be fine on his own.

“Um….”

“Yes?”

While I was lost in thought, Yu Taewoo spoke up first.

“About yesterday’s chicken… thanks, it was really good….”

He spoke in a deep, slow voice and chuckled softly….

‘A bear…?’

It felt like I was facing a gentle moon bear.

‘Still, I managed to check in with almost everyone….’

Since it was the first day, I thought it was important to get a sense of everyone’s skills, so I’d pushed myself a bit.

The problem was the “almost” part….

‘Park Mingwon, that jerk….’

Right after dinner, Park Mingwon disappeared.

‘That guy’s no pushover either….’

Even if his chosen position was rap, the way he’d looked in the morning was… pretty bad.

‘He might even be worse than F grade in dance.’

Not that there’s a grade lower than F, but…

It was a shame I hadn’t been able to open Park Mingwon’s status window yet.

After massaging my legs for a while, the fatigue was mostly gone.

“Ugh-cha—”

Guess I’ll go find him.

I can’t just leave someone out. I’m a Park Mingwon-ist, after all.

It wasn’t hard to track him down after leaving the practice room.

“…What do you want.”

Behind the main filming building, in the smoke area, I found Park Mingwon.

“You smoke?”

“…Is that not allowed?”

Honestly, I already knew. You always reek of cigarettes when you come back inside.

“How long have you been smoking?”

I asked, standing next to him.

“Why do you care.”

I figured he probably didn’t start as soon as he became an adult. Would he be offended if I said that?

“Just curious.”

Standing beside him, I quietly looked up at the sky. The late summer sky was peaceful.

“…What are you doing.”

“Ah, are you done smoking?”

Park Mingwon stubbed out his cigarette and answered.

“No, I mean, what are you doing.”

“If you’re done, let’s go. Come on.”

I grabbed Park Mingwon’s wrist and started walking briskly.

“Hey, what are you doing!!”

“What do you think!”

When he tried to resist, I pulled him along even harder.

“We have to go practice!!”

I know he’s a guy who probably deserves to be eliminated.

But unfortunately, I’m not ready to give up on Park Mingwon just yet.