CH40

"We will now announce the positions for Three Months, Hundred Days."

Even though I've pretty zoned out from the whole idol scene, I still understand the concept of positions.

Main vocal, lead vocal, sub-vocal.

First, second, third.

Rappers and dancers also get ranked up in that same order.

But hey, there are no such things as backup dancers here, right?

Since all idol members have to dance anyway?

Back in the day in Western bands, there wasn't much fuss about main vs. lead vocals.

In the past, lead vocalists of bands were called "lead singers", and it was rare to refer to someone as the "main vocalist."

It seems like the terms for lead and main vocalists have become interchangeable over time.

But here in Korea, in the idol world, those terms seem to be used as a measure of singing ability.

But what if there's no clear champ in singing ability?

And what if we have teams rocking two main vocalists?

I should look it up on Namuwiki later.

(Korean's Wikipedia. The name "Namu" actually means "tree" in Korean, symbolizing the idea of growth and branching out, just like how knowledge and information spread on the platform.)

"I should just ask Choi Jae-Seong about it."

As I'm pondering about that, the positions are announced:

On Sae-Miro: Main Vocalist

Lee Ye-On: Lead Vocalist

Go Tae-Hwan: Lead Vocalist / Main Rapper

Han Si-On: Leader / Sub-Vocalist

Choi Jae-Seong: Main Dancer / Sub-Vocalist

I'm not the main vocal, but a sub-vocal?

By the old-school rules, that's like saying I can't, as well as the main and lead vocals.

There's no way that's true.

I'm confident in my abilities.

To be honest, two years from now, there won't be a singer in Korea with a higher overall score than me.

I say "overall score" because there are people better than me in specific aspects.

While no one's got the full package like me, there are singers who can hit higher or lower notes that I can't.

But if you score singing as a profession comprehensively, I'm sitting pretty at the number one.

Even right here, right now.

At least in this gymnasium, there's no one with a deeper understanding of the music vibe or the pipes like me.

That includes the whole lineup, BLUE, Yoo Seon-Hwa, Lee Chang-Jun, and Choi Dae-Ho.

So I shake off the wobble in confidence and try to be a bit more chill.

"They probably want to spin this look of mine for the cameras."

Hang on, this could work out.

What I want is a quick debut after Coming Up Next ends.

If I show I can handle any role the team needs without complaint, that's gonna play out well.

Plus, being the leader of the team, I get a say in the whole shebang.

Yeah, that's it. I'll flex my hustle.

I can't hide talent, so I might as well let Coming Up Next shove me into the spotlight.

An image of me flawlessly handling a useless part would be great, right?

Should I try to stir the pot with CEO Choi Dae-Ho?

I wonder what I'd have to say to really get under his skin...

As I'm thinking that, the positions for Take Scene are also announced:

Tune.On : Main Vocalist

C.U: Leader / Lead Vocalist

Fade: Lead Vocalist / Lead Rapper

I.Level : Main Dancer / Sub Vocalist

Re.D : Main Rapper / Sub Vocalist

I guess their slots were locked down ages ago.

So, looks like I'm going to square off with I.Level or Re.D?

It would be sweet to school Fade once more, though.

"If anyone has any objections to their position, raise your hand now. This is your only call."

When CEO Choi Dae-Ho throws that out, I feel the eyes of Three Months, Hundred Days on me.

Especially On Sae-Miro's intense gaze. Man, his look's speaking volumes.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and object to the position."

He seems to have a touch of a tsundere, does he?

CEO Choi and the production staff are also watching me intensely, and they seem to be waiting for me to say something at the moment.

I guess there's something I should say here.

I raise my hand, and as expected, the dear CEO points out as if he has been waiting.

"Yeah, go ahead, Han Si-On."

"I reckon my spot's a bit off."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Shouldn't our oldest member, Lee Ye-On, be the leader?"

"..."

"Can you give it another think…?"

Why's everyone giving me the eyes?

Turning down the leader badge is standard protocol in these showdowns, right?

**

Han Si-On did not mention anything about his sub-vocalist position until the end.

Even when the writer and camera dedicated to him went over (zooming in - it was shot from afar) and asked:

"Do you think you can do a good job as a leader?"

"Yeah, I think I can. It suits me well."

"Thank you."

"Are you okay with being a sub-vocalist?"

"Yes. That's fine."

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason? Every idol group has sub-vocalists, and they can be just as amazing."

Seeing Han Si-On's response, the writer trembled as he went back to sit next to the PD.

There was no way the writer could say that being a sub-vocalist was not an important position.

He would be berated by countless idol group fans across the country.

Zero from Dropout was a sub-vocalist but had topped the digital charts 4 times with his solo songs.

Ju Yo-Han, the sub-vocalist of NOP, received great reviews for the sophisticated R&B sound of their first full album.

"He's a freaking bozo. I definitely won't bring it up again. Ever."

"Did you see how he kept a straight face? There was no room to ask him anything."

"Should we have prodded him a little?"

"Prod him? He's a man of steel… No, a man of titanium? My nails would break."

"Ugh, I can imagine it. Me saying, 'But the sub-vocalist is...' and then getting beaten up by the Dolpans across our country."

Those were the words of the writer and main writer who had come to interview Han Si-On in turn.

It was a slightly different interpretation of Han Si-On's true thoughts, but it was not entirely wrong either.

Han Si-On genuinely did not care about being a sub-vocalist, but he also did not want to come across negatively to viewers by reacting a certain way after being assigned that position.

In the end, the production staff decided to put off getting Han Si-On's true reaction for the time being as they resumed filming.

They planned to try again when he was more physically drained, and his real feelings might slip out.

The next segment of filming was the "self-introduction stage."

Take Scene and Three Months, Hundred Days had not properly seen each other's stages yet.

In the noraebang mission where they took turns, those going later heard the earlier performances, but it was debatable if those counted as proper stages.

Since they would be competing against each other going forward, they needed to gauge each other's skills.

For his stage, Han Si-On chose a very recent song released just 1 year ago.

SINCE's <Never Play Around.>

It was a pleasant song with an addictive chorus that had instantly given the unknown group SINCE public recognition.

It hit #1 on the charts for a day and ranked in the top 50 monthly charts.

However, aside from this song, all of SINCE's other songs flopped terribly. And even <Never Played Around> itself failed to gain a fandom due to the group's terrible live performances.

People were puzzled when Han Si-On chose this song.

The song itself was undoubtedly good. Even those who had never heard of the group SINCE would likely recognize the famous hook.

It had been played so much on the streets.

However, the original stage performance of this song was really bad.

Everything from the music video to the choreography was just bad overall.

Up until now, it had only been viewed as a joke, but the male narrator's confession that he "never played around" with his crush…

'It's a song that really makes the viewer feel cringe.'

Because in the MV, the SINCE members overacted outrageously in an excessive, cringeworthy way.

It was so bad that the top comment on the official music video was this:

If someone confessed to me like this, even a thousand years of unrequited love would cool down People who like this must be perverts who want to feel a sense of sympathy.

Of course, those comments were quickly reported and removed, but in that short time, they received a surprising number of likes and became a meme.

That was why Han Si-On's song choice was strange.

It would be strange to just stand there and sing, and it would be impossible to change the choreography of a senior group's song.

However,

가벼운 스킨십, 과격한 농담

지루한 표정 연기로 함께 보내는 시간

아무것도 아닌 척했지만 난-

단 한 번도

장난 친 적 없어

Light skinship, harsh jokes

The time we spend together with bored expressions

Pretending it was nothing, but I-

Never once

Play around

Han Si-On was simply skillful and perfect on stage.

First, he only did half of the choreography.

Not that he followed half of the full choreography.

He only danced with his lower body while lightly keeping rhythm with his upper body as he sang.

Especially in the original choreography for the chorus of this song, it had a five-step dance around the crush....

Han Si-On limited his movements while giving a slight smile.

Yet his footwork remained smooth and graceful.

As a result, the choreography that had created a sense of loneliness now felt like it was expressing shyness.

Of course, this style of performance did carry some risk.

Only doing half the choreography was certainly an element that could draw criticism.

The senior group's stage must've been really lame lol. Are u just showing off? Bruh this guy never respects the original throughout the show. He's just doin whatever he wants

There are always people looking to attack others, and idols make an easy target.

But in this case, it was a bit ambiguous because,

봄이 되면 (되면) 난 (난)

꽃을 보고- 싶어 우리 (둘이)

When spring comes (comes), I (I)

Want to see the flowers- with you (two)

Because Han Si-On was sick. He was sick to the point that he could precisely copy all the vocal parts meant for the full 7-member group.

There were even sections filled in with AR because the backing track was hastily put together, but he fully recreated the original harmonies.

It was hard to criticize him for dancing a little poorly when he had perfectly performed a section that would make the listener gasp for breath.

No, to be precise, it would be possible to criticize him but…

Did someone hold a knife to his throat? How else could he not skip a single syllable? The knife-threat technique lmao Ah, the destroyer. He is [respecting] his seniors INDEED. Oh, it's the part with AR? Then, I'll copy the harmony of my senior!

- Han Si-On probably Oooh, that part has two harmonies? Then, I'll try to produce the exact combined sound of the two harmonies!

- Han Si-On is probably A music maniac! The SINCE are complaining that he is executing his senior's choreography too poorly lol LOL just leave the overly obsessed fans to be

It would then be unable to elicit empathy.

Of course, if he had done this half-assedly, it would have just ruined the stage and earned mockery.

But his skills really were that overwhelming.

아무 것도 아닌 척 했지만 난-

단 한 번도

장난친 적 없어

Pretending it was nothing, but I-

Never once

Play around

The delicate vocal processing, crisp high notes, precise enunciation, and the emotional line expressed through those.

It was definitely an easy-listening song based on house music that was not easy to show off one's skills with, but when Han Si-On belted it, it felt like a masterpiece.

Listening to it, you could feel the fluttering youthful excitement.

The writers who were watching Han Si-On's stage had blank expressions.

'Is he protesting right now? Is he saying that he's the sub-vocalist?'

'He really is a freakin' bozo...'

'That protest really packed a punch...'

And so, amidst a little misinterpretation, Han Si-On's self-introduction stage came to an end.