LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 41
Chapter 41
[Main Quest Activated!
When Jena announced the start of the competition on the TV screen showing the scene, a quest arrived for me.
[▶ Quest Description: The first performance in front of the audience has begun. Even if it’s just for a moment, leave a deep impression on many spectators with your singing, dancing, or expressions as an idol trainee. Additional rewards will be given based on the overall team ranking.]
▶ Guaranteed Reward: Some experience points
▶ Additional Rewards: Skill 《???》, stat points, or experience points (choose one)
▶ Penalty for Failure: ???]
[Y/N]
Oh, it’s a skill.
Although quite some time had passed since the game started, my skill window had nothing significant other than language skills like Korean, English, and Japanese.
There was no reason not to do it since I didn’t know when such an opportunity would come again.
I gladly accepted the quest after a long time.
In the meantime, nearly thirty trainees simultaneously left the cramped waiting room to prepare for the stage.
Nagase Ritsu, who was at the front, held out his hand to me, and I high-fived him. The trainees behind me did the same thing, making my arm ache and my palm sting.
“Do well.”
“Got it.”
9:15 AM.
Finally, the competition began.
The two teams that first covered Rosetta’s song were just dismal.
I could understand why the production team deliberately put them in the first order.
There were no popular trainees, and their expectations seemed low from the lessons.
The atmosphere became icy when the first team, which performed third, made a proper pitch error following the first two teams.
‘Do they think I’m here suffering just to watch this?’
Sometimes, the cold expressions of the audience seemed to say this.
Fortunately, the atmosphere revived a bit when Nagase Ritsu’s second team managed to do well.
As a decent stage appeared, the reactions of the trainees watching from the waiting room became more lively.
Before moving on to the next stage, a staff member entered and announced the order.
“Let’s move with Team .”
The trainees, including our team, got up from their seats. The waiting room briefly became bustling.
“Do well.”
“Good luck!”
Seo Moon-gyeol and Jing Xiao, who were sitting in the middle, along with other trainees, sent words of encouragement.
Just before going on stage with our in-ears and mics on.
In the dim backstage area, leader Kim Sejong spoke as a formality.
“Everyone, you’ve worked hard. Let’s do well.”
“Shall we cheer?”
“Shall we?”
We moved our hands up and down, completely out of sync, and cheered.
No matter how you looked at it, the atmosphere in Kim Jun-woo’s team seemed much more cohesive.
“I’m a bit worried about whether these young trainees can express it well on this stage.”
Jena was introducing us on stage.
“It’s a boy group that has been writing a beautifully shining chronicle for over a century. This is by the boy group Chronicle that mentor Muk Hye-sung belongs to. Teams, please come on stage.”
We went up on stage in the order designated by the staff.
One audience member saw Ban Yo-han’s face and unknowingly dropped another trainee’s slogan they were holding.
Yes, you must be shocked. You’d faint if you saw my original face.
I wished they would separate me from Ban Yo-han, but the production team seemed to have no such intention.
While the audience loudly cheered for the trainees they supported, Jena spoke.
“Could the first team introduce themselves?”
Kim Sejong timed it, “One, two.”
“If you blow on it, all the pain will fly away. Hello, we are the healers who cure your bodies and minds!”
We greeted by bringing our hands, palms up, to our mouths. Fortunately, it was something we practiced in advance, so the timing was good.
Jena, who smiled as if we were cute, watched the second team’s introduction and then asked me.
“I heard trainee On Raon came up with the first team’s name.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“The song title means ‘poison,’ but why is the team name ‘healer’?”
“Isn’t poison meant to be treated? We want to actively practice the old saying ‘give a disease and then a remedy.'”
[What are you saying… Ban Yo-han hopes for your elimination in disbelief. Ban Yo-han’s favorability +1 Current favorability +39]
Hey, didn’t I just forget about this guy? Why does favorability go up while wishing for elimination, you crazy guy?
Calm down. The camera is watching.
“It seems that trainee Ban Yo-han standing next to you doesn’t agree?”
“Huh? Yo-han hyung, do you?”
Not aware?
As I stared at him, Ban Yo-han soon smiled in agreement. The audience burst into laughter.
I regained my composure and spoke.
“Yes, we’ve just agreed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
Laughter erupted again among the audience, and this time Jena also laughed.
I was the only one who couldn’t laugh, damn it.
* * *
After the ritual exchange of competitive words between each team leader, the first team stood in formation to start their performance.
The song ‘TOXIC’ by Chronicle was something no one expected trainees, who were at most around twenty years old, to pull off well.
A song that once expressed pure love but turned into emotions entangling like poison over time.
Most people who knew the original song thought that only Chronicle, who had become mature and sophisticated in their thirties, could capture that feeling.
Until they saw the first team’s stage.
At first, it was just ‘okay.’
There were no trainees awkwardly standing out because of clumsy dancing, and the live performance wasn’t too unstable, perhaps because the song wasn’t overly intense.
The electrifying shock spread from the audience’s heads to their toes when On Raon’s part started.
I don’t intend to run away, so
Just do as you please
Even within the intense melody, his distinctively delicate voice stood out.
Some people recalled a line from ‘Heart Attack’ that they had listened to repeatedly.
‘So that was his voice…’
On Raon, wearing a black vest over a white shirt and neatly tied with a gold ball tie, exuded a different atmosphere that made people wonder, ‘Is that the dreamy guy at 4 minutes and 59 seconds in Heart Attack?’
As the choreography changed, On Raon and Ban Yo-han faced each other.
When the two locked eyes in the center, the cheers of those who knew the upcoming choreography grew louder.
As expected, On Raon wrapped his hand around the other’s neck without hesitation.
With those hands holding everything of mine
End me completely
The decadent gaze, enhanced by makeup, reminiscent of Muk Hye-sung at some point.
As On Raon’s hand moved from the slender, long neck to the chest.
Ban Yo-han, instead of pulling away, cleverly kept a smirk somewhere between contempt and disdain, creating an ironic atmosphere.
Now, even breathing is exhausting
On Raon sang as if whispering, signaling the start of the group dance.
The ensuing sharp group dance sent the audience into a frenzy.
* * *
When the first team’s stage ended, the atmosphere was heated.
Before the stage started, the audience’s attention naturally went to Ban Yo-han, who seemed to have just stepped out of a chaebol drama.
From the middle of the stage, attention shifted to On Raon, who perfectly played the role of the center, drawing everyone’s gaze.
Towards the end, due to chronic stat deficiency, his breathing became labored, and his live performance wavered a bit. However, thanks to wisely distributing his remaining strength, the overall mood didn’t break.
Some even felt it was better that way.
It seemed like he was clinging to the stage that much.
Especially on a stage where the overall chemistry felt oddly lacking as if the team members weren’t that close, the naturally humorous interaction between Ban Yo-han and On Raon left a strong impression on the audience.
“Wow, isn’t that the dreamy guy?”
“Crazy….”
The excellent performance of the first team intimidated the second team, where Kim Jun-woo had to drag everyone along by himself, and their stage ended.
Chronicle member Muk Hye-sung took the microphone.
“I watched the stage well. There are a few things I’d like to say. For the first team overall….”
Perfectionist Muk Hye-sung was about to start a thorough feedback session regardless of time and place when Joo Yeon-ho pulled on his sleeve with a smiling face.
Then, he whispered something into Muk Hye-sung’s ear.
Muk Hye-sung frowned and pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“…I’ll just say it later. Yeon-ho here is better at giving good comments, so I’ll leave it to him.”
After the laughter from the audience subsided, Joo Yeon-ho took the microphone.
“Even the oldest here is only in their early twenties, right? So I was a bit worried about whether they could capture the song’s vibe or if it’s appropriate for such young kids to perform this song….”
Joo Yeon-ho smiled, pausing.
“Both teams picked excellent centers.”
The praise lit up the faces of On Raon and Kim Jun-woo.
“They have slightly different vibes, but the first team’s kid is particularly young, right?”
“Eighteen years old.”
Muk Hye-sung confirmed the age.
“Wow, really young. He wasn’t even born when we debuted.”
Feeling a sense of time’s passage, Joo Yeon-ho continued.
“I mentioned during the lesson that it would be good if Raon showed his unique vibe. I think I saw that. It felt like a daring younger guy
blindly devoting his youth to someone he loves. While the original song gave off a sexy vibe, this stage felt dangerously pure. Yes, that’s it.”
“Thank you!”
“Jun-woo felt more mature and desperate. I think the stage showed well the image of Jun-woo as a leader and as a center. His vocal was also refreshing and pleasant to hear.”
After briefly adding overall feedback, Joo Yeon-ho put down the microphone.
“Yes. Thank you both for your comments.”
After that, the trainees were given time for individual appeal.
“Hello, representatives! I’m individual trainee On Raon.”
When On Raon’s turn came, the cheers were noticeably louder than for the previous ones.
Momentarily wide-eyed at the unexpected reaction, On Raon regained his composure only after Ban Yo-han subtly pulled his fingertips.
“I was happy to perform a song by the Chronicle seniors I respect… Was it okay? I didn’t seem like a rookie, did I?”
After an excellent stage performance, the audience, amused by the choice of the word “rookie,” laughed and collectively denied it.
Among the Pick Heart audience, many preferred trainees who, though slightly lacking in skills, were fresh and lively, rather than those who were already polished, given it was still early in the program.
On Raon, who met those exact conditions, smiled brightly and said he was relieved.
“Muk teacher, I really respect you. And representatives! Please give our Healer team your vote. Thank you for coming today!”