a/n: this time it was the manga that left a lot of things out haha, so this is going by the novel mostly. also now that this ff has basically caught up with the manga...how many of you here are novel readers? I'm debating on giving this book a short break after this arc and start posting again when the manga comes back (assuming it will go on hiatus after idol inc. arc), but it's all up to u guys! i just don't wanna spoil ppl but if u guys are novel readers or manga readers who want to keep reading anyway (since this goes with the novel)...
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[ Cho Seungmin's POV ]
It was the first time I've seen so many people gathered in one area.
I would always go out of my way to avoid this kind of situation.
"And yet, my heart is beating in a good way."
Everyone went into position as an 8-bit melody echoed in the theater. We glanced at each with nervous inhales.
The backstage screen opened, and we walked out with blue and red lasers sweeping around us. I tugged on my colorful harness archetypically.
A modulated, androgynous voice played.
[ Searching for a match opponent... ]
[ Successful, ]
[ Checking the location. ]
[ Entering the 13th round... ]
All kinds of classic game button sounds replaced the 8-bit melody to match the voice.
We incorporated unnatural popping movements to make us look like some kind of doll or robot. Behind each of us, the screen wrote, [ Insert coin to continue ]
And then, we all stopped.
The lights turned on.
"The victory you're holding in your hands," Ahyun hyung sang clearly, breaking through the modulations in the accompaniment. "I'll be the one to make it happen."
He shot up under the spotlight, and bursts of screams filled the hall.
"The stage is always thrilling. My heart is exploding," Sejin hyung sang the next verse, and then Kwon Heesung took over. Every time the sub-vocalists made their way to the center, the choreography complexified. We were no longer robots.
It was meant to look like choosing a character in a play window while they come to life. It was Ahyun hyung's idea. He wanted the stage to look fun.
"The weapon I'm holding in my hands, you know that I'm never letting it go."
It was the end of Kwon Heesung's verse. Raebin went to the center stage. He began singing first. He was both the 4th sub-vocalist and main rapper.
"Overflowing adrenaline, the surging power flew away. Final shot!" he rapped in a melodic tone. He pointed a finger gun at the camera and winked.
"Breathe in your excitement," I came from behind him, looking over my shoulder as we spun around. "Leave you shuddering...final round. Shoot and hit, final match!"
And then Moondae hyung took over the chorus.
"I'm the one who laughs at the highlights. The victory in your hands-! That's from me, you'll like it too~"'
The beat that was continuously rising temporarily dropped.
Now there was a heavy bass with the theme melody. I stood at the center of a triangular formation as I rapped.
"The victory in your hands, I'll be the one to make it happen. You can choose the challenger that you want..."
I tossed a fake coin from my hands to Lee Sejin hyungnim, who caught it nicely.
"I'm right here, it's me!"
During the bridge, Raebin did a short rap with Lee Sejin hyungnim's vocals in the background. And then, the chorus came again.
After a while, Sejin hyung took the center as the main dancer. This was the part that he was complaining about in the video. It was hard to practice, but it looked good.
This time, it was Ahyun hyung that danced the choreo at the center as he sang.
Moondae hyung took over the verse with the high notes. His blonde hair looked golden in the spotlight.
Kwon Heesung also sang a few lines with me as I exchanged a rap verse.
The melody of the demo song replayed as the electronic sounds from the beginning returned. The backscreen exploded with colors.
[ Mission Complete ]
We all danced rigidly.
[ Take this crown ]
The 8-bit melody sounded as if it were breaking. We were nearing the end.
As we stretched playfully and walked backstage while waving, the lights came out from behind the stage. I looked back and saw the shadow of our silhouettes cover the stage.
And then it faded.
We were supposed to be characters who had fun playing one last game and disappeared on stage.
At once, everyone shouted out our names and incomprehensible screams.
"Do you hear them?" Kwon Heesung blabbered happily. "Oh my god!"
"We did so good guys," Sejin hyung panted as he put an arm around my shoulder.
Ahyun hyung agreed cheerfully, and Moondae hyung nodded his head.
"We have some time to rest now," he said. "So let's change and hydrate. There are ads and two performances before the final stage."
Everyone agreed with heavy breaths as we walked toward the stylists.
There were some cameras following us from time to time to capture our reactions live.
"I want to sleep."
I sat in the chair as someone handed me a portable fan. I held it up to my face quietly and held back from closing my eyes. I focused on the sounds outside.
The cheers of the second stage weren't as loud as ours.
During the third stage, which was Eugene's team, it shot back up.
When they came down to their own stylists, I could hear a new encore above.
"How was the final team match prepared by the participants?" judge Youngrin asked.
The shouts got louder.
"Yes, it seems you enjoyed watching it...Now then, the SMS live voting period has ended. Before we reveal the rankings, I have a major announcement, which is the final debut team member count."
"How many do you think it'll be?" Sejin hyung asked Moondae hyung.
"You?"
"Umm ten people?" the taller hyung shrugged hopefully.
Raebin, who got his makeup finished just then, answered seriously, "I think it will be an odd number. Usually, considering the formation of an idol group, people tend to prefer odd numbers."
"That makes sense."
Moondae hyung turned to look at Ahyun hyung.
"W-well, maybe...7 people?"
"Seven?" Heesung echoed. "Isn't that too little?"
"I think seven is most likely," Moondae hyung added.
"I like even numbers," Eugene muttered beside me. He was waiting with us for the final stage.
"This time, Idol Inc. averaged the number of people shareholders wished to debut. And the number is...7.47 people! As a result of rounding, the final number of debut members is 7!"
Everyone turned stiff. Even above, the audience was booing.
"...No way," people were muttering.
"I guess Ahyun was right..."
Moondae hyung sighed as if he expected this. He brushed some of his front bangs as he looked at the mirror in front of him.
"Moondae hyung, let's debut together," I whispered as I plopped my head on the edge of his shoulder.
"...You'll ruin your hair," he muttered.
I obediently got off.
"Everyone, get ready for the recording," the staff announced.
As we waited in a line of random ordering, there was another VCR playing. It was a live video that we were filming below the stage. We were wearing light blue linen outfits, and others waved and laughed at the camera that came down.
[ Hello? ]
[ It's on! ]
Participants had to grab the camera one by one and take turns saying how they felt about the last broadcast before running off to the side. The audience would cheer for those they liked.
[ It's been fun, thank you. I will try my best to debut. ]
Even though I was saying this at the moment, hearing it echo loudly above was strange. I also ran off to the stage stairs where Sejin hyung was waiting.
Sejin hyung laughed about how monotoned I sounded.
I could hear Moondae hyung's voice echo from the video. I looked over to where the camera was. He looked awkwardly at the lens before smiling gently.
[ Thank you. I will definitely debut. ]
I smiled because I knew he would.
As the screen above turned dark, an acoustic version of the <Shining Star> faded in. The cameraman flipped the camera in weird ways before showing us walking up to the stage.
The people singing the first verse picked up their microphones. They laughed and sang their parts sincerely.
But then they started to cry. I couldn't hear the lyrics anymore.
I sang my part, and then Moondae hyung took over. I closed my eyes as I listened to his voice. It was calm and nice to listen to, like always.
I looked over as other people I knew sang. The child actor was crying.
Almost everyone cried as the song ended. They struggled to come down the stage from the afterglow.
The MC above did some ad-lib about the wistful environment before moving on to introduce another VCR.
"Please take a moment to watch the heartfelt moments between family!"