~ February 25th, Friday ~
Your P.O.V.
- Hey (First Name), the camera wants to see you!
I looked up from my phone only to see a camera right in front of me. Happy Hyejin laughed behind the cameraman when she saw my confused face. She plopped down on the sofa next to me, making sure her every action would be caught on camera.
- They're filming behind the scenes material for WeTube, unnie whispered in my ear before starting to poke my cheeks and nose.
- Who's a good maknae? Who's a cute maknae? she cooed, enjoying my squirming.
- Stop it! I'm not acting cute!
I got used to the presence of the cameraman after a few minutes and continued what I had been doing a while ago, now talking with Hyejin.
- It seems we peaked at number one and then dropped three ranks down during the night. We are hyped but other songs are streamed more, I showed the chart to her.
Hyejin peered at the screen, probably getting upset to see how quickly our debut song had dropped because of 'better artists'. Because she was still conscious of the camera and didn't want to cause any suspicions she quickly changed the topic to the song itself.
- You sing a lot in this song, right? Especially the choruses.
Getting the hint I nodded.
- My favorite part is the high note I share with Yeongja unnie. At first it was so difficult and the producer shouted at me a lot but in the end it sounds pretty good.
Hyejin, being one of the 4D personalities, always found something funny in every situation. This time she just had to imitate the high line.
- I wanna have some fun, she sang in an off-pitch voice that cracked at the long, high note. I had hard time keeping the laughs to myself.
- No, do it like this, I said, singing the line like it was supposed to be done.
Hyejin tried again, not quite nailing it this time either. I laughed at her hilarious expressions and from the corner of my eye I could see the cameraman crack a small smile too.
The crowd behind the stage was hectic. Group after group and solo after solo the artists went through the mile-long schedule the show had for the evening. We were the third to last so we had time to wait for our turn to step in the spotlight. But the wait made it almost unbearable. This was for real, no rehearsals, no mic checks, no mirrors to perfect the hand movements. Even Jiwoo and Hyejin looked nervous, forgetting the smiles we were supposed to be wearing. I couldn't stay put and nervously paced a straight line in the limited space, scared I wouldn't be able to stand anymore.
- We have made it this far after all, Yeongja said when she noticed I was having bees rather than butterflies in my stomach.
- And if you fail you just have to fail big, she added with a mischievous grin.
I sighed at her, trying to look unfazed by her evil tongue, but smiled a little in return.
The group before us finished the song and the lights dimmed down. We had only 35 seconds to be in position, ready to sing for our lives. I rushed up the stairs, not even remembering my shaking legs anymore. The formation was ready in roughly 20 seconds, leaving 15 to catch the final breath. I looked at Haneul, who was two metres away from me, and I could see her smile, almost as if saying 'let's get it' right before facing the patiently waiting audience.
The three minutes before going back down went just like those 15 seconds. It might sound a cliche but I didn't even think what I was doing then the music started playing. All I could remember from the performance afterwards was the fans shouting a loud chant and the overwhelming feeling of music going through my body as if I had been possessed by an adrenaline demon. Thanks to the vigorous practicing there were no major mistakes and Mr. Park didn't look completely disappointed when he met us in the dressing room later at night.
- You did well. And congratulations on your debut, he said and carried a cake decorated with lit candles in front of us.
The exhaustion melted from my body and I could feel warm tears welling in my eyes. It didn't take long until the whole group cried in joy, relief and happiness, huddled in a tight hug.
~ March 25th, Friday ~
Four weeks after our official music show debut we were still promoting our song, relentlessly trying to catch everyone's attention. We had signing sessions and fan events. In these events I could see our fans in a more intimate setting and I could really feel the love they had for us. We weren't from a big company and we had just only debuted so I didn't expect to see tons of fans queuing right away, but it was about quality rather than quantity. I would never forget the face of the people who stanned especially me, they were either crying or screaming to see me up close. Of course all of them were Korean so I couldn't speak with them as much as I wanted to but people kept assuring me it's perfectly okay.
We had been to six different music shows, performing in each for two or three times. The more time I spent in the large broadcasting stations the more I got used to the hassle of staff and cameras and fellow artists. Friday was apparently the official Popping Weekly day so we were in the familiar dressing room once again.
- I had heard promoting as an idol is actually kinda boring but this is killing me.
Haneul was an honest person but this time she really didn't think twice. Songmin shot an angry glance at her.
- So now you're complaining? Didn't you know what was at stake when you put your name on the paper?
- Of course I did! But all this is... Different from what I imagined, Haneul had gathered the curious members around her in the waiting room.
- It's not like I dislike being with fans or being on TV or anything, but this is too much of a routine. Where's the excitement of a musical career?
I could understand Haneul's point of view, back in the day when I used to longingly stare at the idols dancing on my computer screen I didn't really think what happens behind the scenes of all that. Every once in a while you would hear rumors about someone being rushed to hospital because of extreme exhaustion or serious scandals about someone dating or bad-mouthing someone else. But what about the times when nothing great happens and you just keep going through the cycle of promoting, preparing for a comeback and promoting again?
- We will go back to training in a while. You can then lean back and think about this more, Jiwoo commented, she was the one with most experience in routines.
- Yeah, today they will reveal the winner of this month, isn't it? Yeongja chimed in, lifting the mood a little.
- What if we win an award?
We had been all the way from first to tenth this month, constantly moving up and down the national charts. No one was sure if we could finish in the first place today. This would be the first award we would have even a small chance of winning so we were truly nervous.
- If we do, we celebrate. If not, we will learn from our mistakes. In any case we need to keep working hard, Songmin said, earning nods from the others.
After the last performance all the participants gathered on the stage, ready to hear the one and only winner. Lucky Number was standing in the front row so our every move was monitored. The hosts were explaining the the viewers how the system of ranking would work. The screens at the edge of the stage were clearly visible and the graphics slowly revealed the all the ranks, except for the top two.
- It seems Lucky Number and XIV are in the top two! the other host excitedly informed.
I didn't understand what was going on as we were asked to move in the center next to the famous boy group who had had several comebacks before. We were against them? Well, maybe the second place wouldn't be that bad after all.
- We will now reveal the best artist of March 2016.
A suspenseful music started to play in the background, making my heart beat. I stared at the screen where the scores of each group was growing, not clear enough to see which was actually higher.
- And the winner is...
The music suddenly changed. It sounded familiar. But the voice singing in the song wasn't a man, it was... Me? I looked around me, confetti flying all around, covering the heads and elbows of my fellow members. The song was ours.
- The winner is Lucky Number!
A small, colorful trophy was given to Jiwoo and the audience went wild.
- Alright, get ready to sing! Songmin shouted as the other participants started streaming down the stage to let us sing the winning song. I had so many mixed emotions swirling inside me I didn't know if I actually sang my lines correctly as we all jumped up and down and ran around the stage, probably screaming more than singing.
Before we would realize what had just happened we met Mr. Park and our producer backstage. They both looked proud like dads watching at their small kids.
- You totally deserved it, Mr. Han gave me a high five.
- And the best part is that this was just your first album. First of the many.
The car dropped us at the dorm when it was already too dark to see outside. We were more than ready to get some sleep after all the emotions of the long day. As we were settling down and changing into pajamas, I could overhear Songmin discussing with Hyejin in the hallway.
- Don't worry, the win today really gained us more attention. If we keep up the good work we will win tens of trophies more in no time! Hyejin seemingly comforted Songmin.
- I know, I trust the members. But I have a bad feeling it will be a long ride. A long ride full of trouble.
//Hello everyone, how are you doing? Thank you for supporting me and this story! Did you notice the first chapter was released on July 21st, 2017? This means the story had its first anniversary not that long ago! Lucky Number has had its first era as well. The pre-debut era took a long time because I wanted to thoroughly go through the first steps the girls took as a group. But as the group grows up they will face so much more and I'm excited to share my little schemes with you.
//I would also appreciate if you took this quick, updated reader survey! Its purpose is to help me create content you hope to see. See you there --> https://www.quotev.com/quiz/9902344/New-Morning-Reader-Survey-20-UPDATED