EPISODE 17

The appearance of the MC disappeared, and Baek-Ya's face filled the screen.

♬♪♩♬♪♬♪♩♪

Baek-Ya's sweet voice resonated with a grand orchestration. Perhaps it was because his eyes were closed but Baek-Ya's voice sounded even clearer.

- WHOA-OH-WHOA-OH, OH-HUH

The camera, still focusing on Baek-Ya. As his closed eyes opened and met the camera's gaze, the cut immediately transitioned.

In an instant, the instrumentals changed. Starting with Min-Sung's singing, the choreography also began.

- SHUFFLE MIX, SHUFFLE THE CARDS

OUR GAME HAS BEGUN

A firm gaze. Hand movements as if shuffling cards. The choreography formation, starting with an A-shaped formation, was changed by Min-Sung as he moved.

- THE WHEEL OF DESTINY TURNS

FINALLY SURROUNDED BY PERFECT CONSTRAINTS

Then came Yu-Yeon's part, who maintained his center position from the beginning of the song. As the main dancer, he continuously held the core of the intricate opening choreography.

With flowing movements and relaxed facial expressions, he effortlessly portrayed his role. His skillful performance captivated the on-site director's attention, surpassing expectations for a rookie.

Yu-Yeon's face was captured in a close-up shot, and the camera smoothly followed his gestures as directed.

- IT'S TIME TO EXPLORE BABE

I'M HIDING MYSELF FROM YOU

Taking over the turn, Chung smoothly digested his own part as he stepped forward. The central axis of the formation shifted, bringing significant changes to the choreography.

At that moment, two people's eyes met. The bright, mischievous smiles exchanged between the two filled the entire display screen.

"Kyaaaah!!!"

Suddenly, screams erupted. The rapid surge in the live audience's reaction happened in an instant. It was an unprecedented scream that one could rarely expect to hear from a rookie group.

- BUILD A PYRAMID HERE

THIS IS THE FIRST AND THE LAST GAME

Continuing with Yul-Mu's part, who had been standing behind the group within the formation, he stepped forward confidently, capturing a close-up shot.

The group shots and individual parts of the members, as they flawlessly executed their performances, were captured in well-timed single shots, and the song was now approaching the chorus.

Dazzling lights illuminated DASE.

- NO GAMES, THERE WON'T BE A NEXT

YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME TO WIN

The explosive chorus burst forth.

Baek-Ya, who had consistently been on the sidelines of the formation after the intro, stepped forward for the first time. The other members naturally moved a step back, creating space around Baek-Ya.

Standing confidently in the center, Baek-Ya flawlessly executed the choreography, leading the song. However, it was only for a moment. Once again, Baek-Ya smoothly stepped back, becoming thoroughly integrated into the group.

- NO GAIN, DO YOU WANT THE HIGH GROUND?

IF SO, KILL ME

I'M READY TO LET YOU GO

HOW NAUGHTY

As the center of the formation split and shifted with Baek-Ya's movement, Ji-Han emerged with a rapid and energetic rap.

The ring on the hand holding the microphone was extravagant. Despite the flashy outfit, Ji-Han maintained a consistent and charismatic presence.

The enigmatic atmosphere emanating from his cold expression was captivating. Perhaps that was why, in the final verse, there was an intense close-up shot of Ji-Han's face.

Thanks to that, a scene from the music video was recreated at Imjingak.

One of his eyebrows slightly raised.

It was a brief yet powerful gesture.

The fans did not miss a moment of it. The social media response was explosive. However, it was an unknown fact at the time.

- NO GAMES, THERE WON'T BE A NEXT

YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME TO WIN

The chorus returned once again. The second chorus was Min-Sung's part. With his soft voice, he led the song with a different vibe from Baek-Ya.

The formation spread out around him. Once again, Baek-Ya was not visible. But this time, it was because he was standing behind Yul-Mu, not at the edge of the formation. Yul-Mu was also the tallest member among them.

The melody of the chorus flowed differently from the first verse. The beat broke down, and the dance break began. The demonic section, which drove Baek-Ya into a mental breakdown throughout the preparation of the debut song, was drawing near.

'As long as I don't make a mistake in the movement formation.'

Baek-Ya tightly gripped the handheld microphone and glanced at the two people at the head of the formation: Yu-Yeon and Chung. A showy group choreography centered on the two, who were in the dance position, continued.

Despite having relatively shorter limbs compared to other members, Baek-Ya diligently followed the movements with the utmost effort, even though he wasn't even captured by the camera.

And as the considerably lengthy dance formation ended, the members disappeared from the field of view, leaving Baek-Ya standing tall and alone.

- I'M BETTING EVERYTHING ON YOU, YEAH

Baek-Ya's ad-lib burst out like an explosion. The powerful and resonant voice hit people's eardrums at the climax of DASE's 'No Games'.

Overlapping with Chung's low-pitched part, the song continues, racing towards its end.

- NOW OR NEVER

Naturally aligning themselves in formation, DASE greeted the ending with a pose, tilting their heads slightly to the side while standing side by side.

"They killed it! This is crazy! Daaaebak!"

Yu-Kyung exclaimed with a thrilled face as his family member looked somewhat stunned.

"Insane. You're telling me that soft looking one with a sweet voice is your friend? That's ridiculous. You're fooling me, right? Right?"

Being caught off guard and assaulted in the heart, his family member denied reality.

"That kid who sings well over there is our Jae-Hyun's friend? He's cute~"

"In Dad's eyes, your friend doesn't seem to appear much except when he's singing."

"…"

Stunned, Jae-Hyun just sat with his mouth agape, staring blankly at the TV. On the screen, DASE members were shown in their ending pose.

Though their performance lasted less than four minutes, DASE poured everything they had into it, as if they could die at any moment.

White breath escaped through their panting lips, the meeting of their elevated body temperature and the freezing cold made the color even more vivid.

"But to dress them in just a shirt on such a cold day… Sigh, they must be suffering. They should have been dressed more warmly."

Jae-Hyun's voice, which was filled with sympathy, was heard.

Looking at it, DASE's clothes on the screen looked very skimpy. It wasn't about looking vintage, but rather about shirts with frills and accessories adorned with jewels. The clothes were very glamorous but too thin.

It went unnoticed as the group movements were smooth and none of them showed any signs of being affected by the cold. However, when the costumes of the next team, who were about to start, appeared, a noticeable comparison was drawn. Of course, they didn't look particularly warm either.

In particular, a friend named Yu-Yeon had straps intertwined in the middle of his outfits, which came undone during the choreography, ultimately revealing his reddened frozen bare skin.

- I just saw the rookies' spirits at Mstation. Just so you know the weather outside is minus 30 degrees.

- Look at the spirit of ID's boy group that debuted today… (DASE stage.jpg)

└ I admire their determination

└ They can do anything, these kids

- Idols who were exiled to the Imjingak stage wearing just a shirt at minus 30 degrees Celsius (DASE stage.jpg)

└ They're eoljuk idols ㅋㅋㅋ

- He looks like he came from Frozen the Movie (Yu-Yeon.jpg)

└ At that level isn't his upper body basically completely undressed?

The muggles were admiring DASE, who came out wearing only a thin shirt in this cold wave, saying this was the spirit of a rookie. However, their families and friends had slightly different opinions.

//TN: Muggles = non-fans/normies

Their fandom especially.

- Are they crazy? Does it make sense to not even let the kids wear coats on this cold day?

└ That's the music video outfit.

└ Who is their stylist? Have they gone mad from the cold?

- ID, are you beggars? Can't they afford clothes anymore now that they got a new building?

- I thought they were indoors for a second because they looked so unfazed ㅜㅜ

- The spirit of rookies… is there but I still think ID needs a beating.

Of course, this was all unfair towards the agency's stylists. It was because behind the staff, who were watching the stage in the waiting room, were six coats hung side by side.

Let's go back in time to a few minutes ago.

"You're not going to wear coats? Why on earth?"

"We played around a little intensely earlier, so it doesn't feel that cold… Plus, I think it will be uncomfortable to perform with a coat on."

That was DASE's argument. It was a reasoning that made no sense to Nam-Kyung at all.

It wasn't like they were only performing for one day as this was just the beginning. Despite his concerns about them catching a cold or getting sick, the members were adamant and refused to wear coats.

"Just this once. I really want to do this well. Please nuna, can't I?"

The stylist crumbled under Chung's selective honorifics and cute acts that only surfaced when he was disappointed.

"It's not like you can't… but wouldn't it be too cold, guys?"

"I'll keep the coat with me and wear it when it's the countdown."

The staff members lost their resolve when even the docile Baek-Ya pleaded.

It was 6 against 1, and even Nam-Kyung, who was initially firm, eventually surrendered with a sigh.

"Ah, whatever. Do as you please."

As a result, the performance was a great success. They didn't push too hard, sticking to what they had practiced, so it felt even more satisfying as they came down.

"It's like you guys were flying on the stage! It was so cool!"

Nam-Kyung welcomed DASE back with a proud face. The staff also patted them on the shoulder, praising them for the hardship they've gone through. However, the members' expressions were all stiff.

"But… what's with your expressions?"

Nam-Kyung observed the members with a serious expression.

'Was there a mistake on stage that I missed? Is that perhaps why they're blaming themselves?!'

However, Chung's voice that followed only raised his anger.

"I-I'm cold. I'm a bit cold now…"

Long gone was the passion they had when they threw off their padded jackets during the snowball fight.

Well, it was obvious. They're human too, and it was impossible for them not to feel cold when it was minus 30 degrees Celsius.

"Get in the car right now!"

It was astonishing how they only now began to feel the cold. The rookie buff came to an end as soon as they finished the stage.

* * *

===========================

[ISSUE] Yesterday's legendary performance at Imjingak (feat. DASE)

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For idol fans, there is a sad legend that comes down every December 31st…

The so-called, ★Imjingak Legend★

It is a tradition of Mstation, which boasts a 60-year history, where about 10 years ago, they started sending rookie idols to Imjingak every year to instill them with the determination and tenacity to 'rise and succeed,' much like demon-like military instructors.

As usual this year, 4 sacrificial groups came out, and among them was a brand-new rookie group that had its debut stage at Imjingak…

They're called DASE.

It's a 6-member boy group released by ID for the first time in 8 years.

Their average age was 18.666, but with the change of the year, it became 19.666.

Anyway, they've been polishing their skills in ID, and they perfectly performed their 'debut stage' while performing 'live' with only one 'shirt' on in the 'cold of winter'.

I'm serious when I say I had to stop eating my fried chicken and stood up to clap when I watched it live.

(DASE Imjingak stage video)

This is truly the spirit of rookies.

And their splendid past events before taking the stage:

(Baek-Ya drinking iced Americano.jpg)

(DASE snowball fight 1.jpg)

(DASE snowball fight 2.jpg)

Thankfully, when they appeared for the New Year's countdown, they wore coats and didn't make fans faint.

I decided to post this because it's just fascinating to see these kids having so much fun on their 'exile grounds.'

Well, that's a lie. I'm posting this because I wanted to boast about our frosty baby peach.

(Baek-Ya closing his eyes.gif)

(Baek-Ya as the center of the chorus.gif)

(Baek-Ya breathing into his clasped hands.jpg)

===========================

- A rookie's spiritㅋㅋㅋ You can really see their spirits from their breaths

- It looks really cold, though? Despite that, it's amazing he's drinking iced Americano…

└ Drinking iced Americano in record-breaking cold weather, Baek-Ya's really something.

- The kids are so pretty that it hurts every time I see themㅠㅠ I take solace in the rumor that if you're exiled to Imjingak, you will hit it bigㅠ

- You can tell just by looking that it's not a live performance, what kind of 'live' is this ㅋㅋㅋ

└ You can clearly hear their sounds of breathing so how is it not live?

└ ('Do not feed the animals' meme)

- Vocal line: Baek-Ya, Min-Sung, Yul-Mu / Dance line: Yu-Yeon, Chung / Rap: Ji-Han. So, it's like this!

└ The dance line is insaneㅜㅜ (Yu-Yeon and Chung smiling at each other.gif)

└ ID's vocals are seriously no joke

└ DASE's rap is so smooth and satisfying

- They rocked the stage with just a shirt on, and when it was countdown time, they huddled together to keep warm; it's so cute ㅜㅜ

- I guess it's true that ID has been raising monsters for 8 years. Monster rookies have emerged.

└ Seriously, just enduring minus 30 degrees is monstrous.

- Isn't this beyond spirit and passion and just at the level of madness? If their next song is good, they will definitely make it big.

DASE's debut stage, being named 'the spirit of rookies', has become a huge topic with the start of the new year.