CH41

As the curtain dropped, I was hit with a wave of feelings, all crashing in at once.

The folks from Three Months, Hundred Days seemed to find some comfort, while PD Kang Seok-Woo was like, "Well, that's that."

And, for some reason, the broadcast writers were all stirred up—typical, I guess.

But, no surprise, TakeScene made the biggest splash.

Even though I crushed it and scored through the roof with Fade, TakeScene just wasn't feeling it. I kind of saw that coming.

The song "At the End of the Dawn" by Wead? Yeah, it's totally one of those songs.

Didn't someone in the audience say something similar in their review?

Skill: He sang an easier old song, so it was hard to tell his true skill level, but it sounded really good. Ah, it's tough to give a score, maybe an 8 or 8.5?

Sounds like something a fan from Drop Out, who got my autograph, would write—exactly what you'd expect from the typical crowd.

And TakeScene? If we're talking about listening skills, they're pretty much in the same boat as the general public.

Seriously, boosting your listening chops is way harder than improving your singing skills. Some folks never manage it in their whole lives.

Anyway, I really wanted to say that TakeScene is finally getting a clue about my talent.

And would you believe it, Fade looked utterly flustered.

"Thank you."

Behind me, Goo Tae-Hwan, who was the last in order, sang a song, which was quite interesting.

"You sing the intro."

"Intro?"

"The intro has to be impressive, so. With your sense of rhythm, it's plenty."

Looks like he took a page from my playbook, trying to sing every part like it was the opener.

Of course, nailing it right off the bat? No chance.

And sure enough, Goo Tae-Hwan messed up the stage halfway through, but I kinda loved it.

'Cause Goo Tae-Hwan's effort? That's exactly the right move if you're shooting for the big leagues.

Once TakeScene and Three Months, Hundred Days wrapped up all their performances, the next mission was revealed.

A position battle where the same roles from both teams go head-to-head.

Main Vocal - On Sae-Miro VS Tune.On

Lead Vocal - C.U VS Lee Ye-On

Lead Vocal - Fade VS Goo Tae-Hwan

Main Dancer - Choi Jae-Seong VS I.Level

Sub Vocal - Han Si-On VS Re.D

Is Re.D, TakeScene's main rapper, treated as a sub-vocal here?

Or am I singing and Re.D rapping?

It turns out it was the latter, according to Blue.

Genre doesn't matter; just belt out whatever you wanna.

Hmm. If I were Re.D, I would choose to rap and die an honorable death.

Right as the briefing on the next mission was wrapping up, CEO Choi Dae-Ho grabbed the microphone.

"What I want to say to you all is to have awareness as a pro," he says out of nowhere.

"To be honest, all of the stages just now were below expectations. Even taking into account that they were sudden stages without notice."

Choi Dae-Ho ramps up the tension, continues,

"The first broadcast is coming in 2 weeks, and commercials for the program will air tonight. Not only on M Show Channel but also on subway, bus, taxi, outdoor ads, etc."

"...."

"That's not all. From now on, not only will we be judging, but we will also recruit public auditors for all stages and expose them to the public's harsh evaluations."

Music to my ears.

I always find performing in front of real people way more fun than just officials.

Officials come with their political measures and judgments.

But the public? They keep it real.

And that honesty still gets me pumped.

"I look forward to future developments."

With CEO Choi Dae-Ho's speech ending, a short break time came.

Then, On Sae-Miro approached me and blurted out a random question.

"Is it okay if I'm the main vocal?"

"No worries. You sing well."

"I'm not as good as you."

Feels like we had a similar chat during the B team prelims.

Pretty sure it was when I declared I'd do the rap part.

People are complex creatures, but sometimes, they are simple animals.

Trying the same line in a different setting? Likely, it's their real intention.

What's On Sae-Miro trying to get at?

Jealous of me?

Or maybe keeping me in check.

Or it could be he just dislikes me.

These are all too familiar feelings I get from 'my teammates.'

No matter how nice I am, those jealous will always feel that way.

Jealousy usually shows as competition, and when that fails, it turns into hatred.

Yeah, no reason On Sae-Miro would be any different.

Been through this enough times—even the most meticulously selected folks, you can't expect noble aspirations from teammates met on a show.

Let's see what On Sae-Miro's got to say.

"What are you getting at?"

"Just as it is. I was wondering why you didn't aim to be the main vocal when you're better."

"What if I had?"

"Then, it would've been a showdown. Just us two."

"And how do you think that would've turned out?"

"I would have lost to you."

"Then isn't it good how it turned out? Kept the main vocals, right?"

"Instead, I lost without even competing."

It's a bit confusing.

Did On Sae-Miro want to compete properly with me?

Is he regretting not being able to do that?

For a moment, my expectations rose.

The expectation is that On Sae-Miro might have a high level of competitive spirit and desire for improvement.

But...

That can't be possible.

Well, for now, it could be possible.

Lee Ye-On might also want to have a friendly competition with me, Goo Tae-Hwan, and Choi Jae-Seong as well.

But that's because I haven't shown them what I can do yet.

What I've shown so far on Coming Up Next has only been singing decent songs at the right time.

Under the Streetlight?

It just had the right timing.

I just remembered the song I heard in a taxi when thinking of a song that suited the pre-mission rule to just sing the first verse.

Flowers Bloom? Boy Scouts?

Same thing.

They were just decent songs that could get attention on an idol show.

So, On Sae-Miro does not know what I can do.

That's why he's under the illusion he's just a step behind me.

Seen this type more than once.

"Hey, Si-On. Isn't this enough? Stop pushing so hard ."

"Yeah. You know how much is in our accounts. Let's take it easy."

"Life is fucking good."

"Don't suffocate us, just enjoy it a bit."

I no longer hold expectations for people.

I invest my expectations in talent.

Those with a hundred million in the bank still can't stand not putting something out there.

People are so filled with talent they can't choose a life not showing it.

Only those can be my teammates.

At least On Sae-Miro is not one of them.

"...."

I bit back the sharp words threatening to spill.

This is not On Sae-Miro's fault.

What would a twenty-year-old kid know?

Wanting decent success and decent happiness is not wrong either.

What is wrong is my fucked up situation and twisted mind.

So, I ended the conversation with the best words I could.

"It's just three months. Let's do our best. If we nail it here, we'll all find our places."

"....Okay."

Staring at me silently, On Sae-Miro nodded at what I was thinking.

As On Sae-Miro left and I was left alone with my thoughts, I got the idea that maybe I've been a little lazy so far.

If I were in the States, I'd be busy.

Preparing demo tapes, scheming to hire top agents, recruiting producers.

At the same time, I'd need to play the media right dive into YouTube or SNS for some recognition work.

But staying in Korea, challenging this damn idol thing, I've been too passive, using ignorance as an excuse.

Especially since being on Coming Up Next.

Of course, I still don't really know the idol industry.

Although For the Youth's memories pop up here and there depending on the situation, I do not know the shortest route to the top of the industry.

But if there's one thing I do know for sure...

It's that I'm really good.

The song I will sing in this mission has been decided.

I finished talking with PD Kang Seok-Woo about singing a full rearrangement version of Under the Streetlight.

So I have to show what I can do.

And I have to turn the tables.

I have to make Lion Ent and Channel M Show debut me instead of TakeScene.

Even if business logic says it's impossible, I'll make it possible.

A week had passed.

Goo Tae-Hwan had moved into the lodging at Coming Up Next, and he started to get along and chat with Choi Jae-Seong.

Goo Tae-Hwan is known for his quick perception, while Choi Jae-Seong has the advantage of reading social atmospheres well.

As a result, whenever Choi Jae-Seong acted to match the atmosphere, Goo Tae-Hwan would compliment him almost as if on cue.

"Thanks to you acting that way, everyone is getting along like this."

"Did you do that last time with this in mind?"

From Choi Jae-Seong's perspective, actions that were instinctive seemed quite plausible when interpreted through Goo Tae-Hwan's eyes.

It was not hard for the two to become friends.

Lately, their most frequent conversations revolved around two main topics.

First, training.

"Wow... I think I am going to throw up."

"Do all the major agencies train like this?"

"That is probably why everyone is so good."

Since moving into Coming Up Next, their training had been relentless.

They would wake up to Pilates, learn individual choreography, study singing, practice team choreography, undergo physical training, meditate, and learn singing again...

"I do not know about the other stuff, but I wish we did not have to learn foreign languages."

They were even learning foreign languages.

In truth, it was not necessary for them to learn foreign languages, but Lion Entertainment intentionally provided training identical to that of TakeScene.

If they differentiated between the two teams, one team would be controversially deemed the winner.

Additionally, it could serve as a billboard saying, 'Our Lion Entertainment offers this systematic and advanced training.'

That is probably why the CEO, Choi Dae-Ho, often visited to direct the members on their growth direction.

For Goo Tae-Hwan...

"You show potential as a lead vocalist, so let us focus on expanding your vocal range and diversifying your expression."

This advice felt somewhat different from what he had heard from Han Si-On.

Han Si-On had advised maximizing rhythm by singing comfortably and creating an immersive focus.

Of course, judging by the results so far, Choi Dae-Ho's directing was correct.

Goo Tae-Hwan, who had completely botched his self-introduction stage, was gradually improving.

However, despite the improvement in skill, he felt he should consider Han Si-On's advice.

Although his skills were improving, he felt like he was becoming a common vocalist.

It felt like trimming his uniqueness to fill in the weaknesses.

He could not exactly explain it.

But then again, he thought, why not just ask Han Si-On?

"Has not Si-On been incredibly scary lately?"

Their second most frequent topic of conversation was Han Si-On.