Chapter 21

"When the December rain stops falling from the sky~."

"Gah!"

I rolled up the sleeves of my blazer to hear the crowd just let out a tremendous cheer.

So much for 'Rain in December'.

The title track of the 10th anniversary album of 'Cosmic', who is said to be Korea's number one idol.

Nine years after the song's release, it's still on the grapefruit chart's annual rankings.

Honestly, I was a little worried because 'December Rain' was overwhelming in terms of recognition, but I thought I should avoid songs that are too famous.

'Seeing the response, it might've been okay.'

Still, don't be fooled by all this fragmented look.

No matter how good the on-site response was, you don't know how the 'Cosmic' fanbase will react to it once it's on the air. It's best to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

"Isn't that a lot of people?"

"From what I've heard, the first round gets 200 people."

"Two hundred?"

Next to me, Yoo Ha-woon's eyes doubled in size as he nervously continued to fiddle with the end of the microphone.

He's never stood on stage in front of an audience that included more than a hundred people before, so he's understandably nervous.

I patted him on the shoulder, remembering my first busking assessment back when I was at Blacklash ENT.

"It's okay, you're nervous now, but you'll be fine once you've gotten up on stage."

"Is that possible?"

"Sure."

"Somehow, listening to you, I feel like it is!"

As Yoo Ha-woon was clenching his fists, a slender newcomer silently approached from behind.

"Brother. Can you check if those in-ears are right?"

"Surprising, big brother Haru, at least pretend to be popular!"

"Sorry."

As I skillfully tidied up Chae-haru's in-ear lines, Yoo Ha-woon said in a curious tone.

"By the way, Si-hwan, have you really never been a trainee? I haven't, but you're so good at arranging in-ears. I don't think there's anything you can't do."

"Ha, ha, it's easy, I just need to organize the tangles."

"That's what I can't do."

"That's not what I meant!"

There was a hint of mischief inside Chae-haru's normally lifeless eyes.

"I just thought I'd point it out."

"You should put that playfulness away for a while, the Center told me to put on a certain face."

"A manly, hard look."

"Yeah, I know. You can't relax your eyes at all, okay?"

"Yeah."

Chae-haru didn't call himself a genius for nothing.

He had been memorizing choreography and moves at such a monstrous pace ever since I gave him the proper study method.

Once he'd mastered the moves, he worked on the fingertip details.

Once we finalized the details, we slowly worked on our facial expressions.

I wouldn't say it's perfect, but the mood of the song itself is easy to express, so it's not a big deal.

I just need to take center stage and blow the fans minds with visuals ripped straight from the comic.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you so much for coming to see us, please do come again!"

It looks like the 'Rain in December' battle group is over.

As we race toward the end of the first round, there are only two songs left to deal with.

"You're all dressed up, aren't you, my dear?"

"Oh no, he's talking about his in-laws."

"Haha, aren't these gloves are a bit much?"

"Just put them on anyway."

Behind us, the four that was doing their final checks on the microphones began to move backstage.

When we met at the front of the backstage entrance, Kang waved his leather-gloved hand and spoke in a low voice.

"I'll finish first."

"Don't make a mistake and do it well."

"You too."

I took a short breath as I watched the back of the quartet that would be performing first on the 'Volt' stage.

"Okay, everyone, let's do one last final check and relax."

***

"Thank you!"

"Please vote for me 1 time!"

"Please vote 2, just once!"

With 16 groups in total, it was finally time for the latecomers.

It's not like KNet to always save the best for last, so the back of the pack was all filled with competitive trainees.

The songs were major enough that even if you weren't a fan of the group, you could sing along, so it was fun.

"Sis, wasn't 'December Rain' awesome? Aren't the girls crazy in their lacy white outfits?"

"Well, the clothes are definitely pretty."

"Exactly!"

Unlike Kang Eun-young, whose tension was already rising, Song Ji-won's excitement hadn't reached 100% yet.

Everyone did a good job. Well, it's their first live performance, so a few minor off-key notes here and there are inevitable.

But so far, I feel like they did a good job.

I don't know if it's because it wasn't my favorite, or if it was just a really mediocre performance.

Despite these thoughts, Song Ji-won steadfastly pressed the buttons on the remote control and carried out her duties.

And finally.

"The next group will battle for the upbeat 'Volt'. We'll start with group four!"

The words "'Volt' Round" appeared in large letters on the big screen, followed by an image of the "Group 4 vs. Group 9" matchup.

Yu Si-hwan's name, the one Song Ji-won had been waiting for, was proudly displayed at the head of Group 9.

"Wow, it's Kang Sun-woo and Yu Si-hwan, sis. This is going to be great!"

"It's about time I puffed out my chest magnificently."

"Don't make weird comments!"

The quartet greeted each other energetically as they took the stage to begin.

"Hi, we're Team 'Lightning Man', and we're going to electrify this entire stage!"

"We hope you enjoy it!"

Despite the strangely bad naming sense of 'Lightning Man', the four trainees struck some great superhero poses, drawing laughter from the audience.

'I'll have to be nervous since Si-hwan is their rival group.'

Song Ji-won thought that Ryu Sihwan's group could pose a threat, especially since they included fellow BK member Kang Sun-woo.

"I'll definitely protect you!"

I blatantly went off-key on the high notes that burst out in the bridge section.

"Oh no...."

"That was a little too loud."

"That's too bad, because that part is really tight."

"Well, if you're playing 'Volt' in the Asri group match, you'll have to do that."

"Mildly disappointed."

There were quiet reactions around us, a mix of sadness and disappointment.

It was an important part of 'Volt', and I remembered that Ahn Ha-seong, the main vocalist of the 'Upbeat', showed off his monstrous skills, so the effect was doubled.

Still, it was nice to see the trainees persevere and complete the final ending pose.

"That's a shame, but how was your brother?"

"He didn't have a shot. If only he'd popped up more on the bridge part...."

"Honestly, your brother can't wait to see your favorite stage, right?"

"That's right again."

Song Ji-won's plea was answered within five hours.

Stepping right into the spot where Team 4 left off, Team 9 stomped their feet twice in greeting.

"Hello, we're the 'Crash' team that's going to crash this stage and crash straight into the hearts of the managers!"

"Good luck!"

Yu Si-hwan waved his hand while shouting in a booming voice from the front.

His individual fans, including Song Ji-won, were stunned by the spectacle.

His dominant shoulders peeking out of his black blazer, his wet hair styled to look slightly damp, and his white skin glowing as if CG had been turned on.

"Si-hwan ahhh!"

"Handsome Yu Si-hwan!"

A pterodactyl called out to Yu Si-hwan from somewhere in the standing area, and Yu Si-hwan rolled his moist eyes like a desert fox and turned his gaze in the direction of the sound.

He smiled brightly and waved his hand lightly.

"It's the prince."

Song Ji-won suddenly felt her heart pounding in her chest.

Before she could calm her rapidly beating pulse, the lights went out on the stage and the Crash group moved to their respective positions.

'Here we go.'

I clasped my hands together and looked straight ahead.

With a crackle of electricity, a single spotlight popped on at the center of the stage.

"All I gotta do is to save you."

Among the crouching rookies, a trainee pushed himself up with an angular motion.

The participant wore his hair in a garma, secured with a black hairband.

The shadows cast by the blue spotlight on his face made it hard to get a good look at him, but his eyes were the first to break through the harshness.

Song Ji-won desperately searched her memory to find out what the contestant's name was.

'I've never seen a profile of a kid who looks like that before.'

She wasn't sure if her memory was failing her.

'I'll have to look it up when I get home.'

The bass and synth remix of 'Volt' began, and the rest of us scattered in unison, following the arm gesture of the trainee who stood up in the center.

"Everything stop. Stop. It's just that every time I look at you, I get thrilled."

Stop.

The bass beat momentarily cut out and then played again, in time with the English lyrics of Stop.

It's a short burst of almost a second, but in that needle-sharp moment, the participants cut off their arm movements with precise isolation.

The student who stepped to the center and sang her part was highlighted.

By stretching their arms out in front of them and then cutting them off with a click, click, click, it was much easier to draw attention to the member in the center.

From the beginning, the audience cheered at the explosion of swordplay.

'The choreography is so good...!'

"Step by step, I approach you and seem to catch you, but you move away."

The beat of 'Volt' is much faster than the usual K-pop pace.

It's not a pretty picture if you're even slightly off pace, thanks to the inherently frenetic bass/synth combination and the upbeat tablature that never lets up.

As if to put those worries to rest, the 'Crash' group rushed forward in a tight formation that didn't let up.

"In this atmosphere, everything is going to POP! I don't want to lose you."

The contestant, with his pretty face and delicate voice, tilted his head sideways at the fans as he showed off his cute dance skills.

'Oh, that face looks familiar, is that Ha-woon?'

It was definitely the youngest of the contestant profiles, so it stuck in my mind.

With his smoky makeup and leather jacket, he looked like he was trying to steal his sisters hearts.

"In this electrifying air, yeah yeah, shout out to you, come back to me, I don't think I can ever get away I only want you~"

The long-awaited slap.

As if waiting for this moment, 'Crash''s formation quickly switched.

The rows of trainees spread out to the sides, forming a V-shape.

In the middle of it all, Yu Si-hwan, who boasts a flawless appearance, came out with a clean voice.

"Crazy, crazy!"

Just like during 'HIT', his refreshing voice exploded as if he had opened 100 cans of sparkling water at the same time.

Even though it wasn't a high note, Yu Si-hwan's voice rose so much that it created the illusion of a high note being sung.

Anyone who's ever watched an idol performance knows that stage ear mics are very unreliable.

However, thanks to Yu's insane vocal volume, the power of his voice was transmitted to the audience, even those sitting in the back of the stands.

Song Ji-won couldn't take her eyes off of him for even a second.

His voice never faltered as he led the members through the group.

Piercing eyes that went perfectly with his smoky makeup.

For a brief moment, Yu's eyes were not on the camera.

Even in the midst of the chaos of the stage, he made eye contact with the people who were cheering him on.

How could anyone not fall in love with Yu Si-hwan after watching this stage?

As Song Ji-won gazed in awe at her one-pick, Kang Eun-young was smacking her forehead with a hand fan.

"If it wasn't for you, I'd be taking a picture of this legendary stage, my foot traffic!"

"I want you to be quiet, little brother!"

The song moved beyond the two-verse chant and into the second half of the play.

It would soon be time for that treble bridge.

Sweat beaded up on Song Ji-won's palms as she contemplated the difficult bridge that their rival Cho had failed so miserably just moments before.

'Please, you have to do well!'

The lights that had been flashing around the entire stage suddenly converged on the center.

Once again, the trainees dropped to their knees to the throbbing bass beat.

A natural path was formed, as if they were worshipping the emperor.

"I'll protect you."

A white spotlight enveloped Yu Si-hwan's new prisoner like a glow.

At that very moment.

With his eyes tightly closed, Yu Si-hwan hit the high notes of the bridge part with such ease that everyone could see it.

"Oh, oh, oh...!"

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

He held the high note for three seconds, whereas his previous rival, Cho, could only hold it for a second.

It's amazing that he was able to hold that high as a trainee and not a professional idol.

Suddenly, the pitch of the bass beat changed slightly.

Very slight, but noticeable to the ear.

Following the slightly raised accompaniment, another voice rose from Yu Si-hwan's mouth to the ceiling.

"Uh, uh?"

"What the hell."

"Si-hwan, are you playing a higher note now...?"

The 200 people in the KNet studio could only stare with open mouths.

Just moments before, another student had fallen to his knees on the same bridge that he struggled to sing at the original pitch.

Yu Si-hwan went up a notch and hit a two-step high note.

"..."

"..."

Song Ji-won and Kang Eun-young said nothing. No, they couldn't.

They just basked in the catharsis that filled the room.

A shiver ran down their spine.

Author Note: I apologize for falling asleep, i didn't realize i'd fall asleep so early 😭~