LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 81
Chapter 81
The day before yesterday, I finished practice early and went to Jung Ha-neul’s studio to record a song.
Jung Ha-neul praised me a lot, saying that I brought out the feeling of the song well in my own style.
Yesterday’s rehearsal also went smoothly without any issues.
Among the mentors who came to watch the rehearsal, Muk Hye-sung particularly nitpicked at me a lot, but he was always like that, so I gratefully accepted it as constructive criticism.
And today was the day of the much-anticipated third performance.
For the third performance, 2,500 spectators were expected to attend. It was definitely a larger scale compared to the first and second performances.
I heard they even set up a dedicated photo zone for the arrivals this time.
Although there were often photos taken on the way to work, this was the first time the production team officially set up a photo zone.
Later, I noticed that there were an unprecedented number of trainees who seemed to have stopped by the shop for a barely-there makeup look.
It seemed like they also received proper styling.
Maybe only the trainees who did that every time survived until now.
Of course, I didn’t do any of that and only applied sunscreen and tint.
Fortunately, I found some decent summer clothes deep in On Raon’s wardrobe to wear.
Since On Raon last sent these clothes during the summer, I had grown taller, so the length was a bit short.
But it was summer, so it should be okay.
Though I dressed up as best as I could, it seemed my charm had suddenly skyrocketed last night, reaching a level where I could stand alongside Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol without being out of place.
Even if someone called me handsome while I was next to them, I could confidently accept it as a matter of personal taste.
Of course, I wasn’t satisfied with just this much.
I didn’t know how much further I had to go to reach the level where my original face was a perfect score of 200 out of 100.
It was hard to explain exactly how my appearance had changed from the beginning.
“Has my complexion brightened up a bit?”
But it was clear that I had become more handsome.
That was enough.
If I seemed overly obsessed with my appearance, then yes, you’re right.
But this was unavoidable.
In the place where I originally lived, nothing was as effective in eliciting positive reactions as a good-looking face.
An objectively attractive appearance, beyond personal preferences and subjectivity, was my means of survival.
I knew this wasn’t the best mindset, and I felt I wouldn’t need to go to such lengths here, so I planned to gradually change.
“Guys. Do well.”
“Thank you!”
As I got out of Kwak Sang-hyun’s car, which always gave me a ride, I heard my name being called from all directions. The background sound of camera shutters was a bonus.
“On Raon!”
“Raonah!”
Every five seconds, I heard a booming voice that made my heart drop. The person had an incredibly strong voice.
The response was so enthusiastic compared to the previous performances that I realized I hadn’t earned the third place last time for nothing.
Although my ranking had dropped a bit to fifth place when they announced it on yesterday’s broadcast, it didn’t matter much.
Honestly, since I stayed away from the internet, it didn’t feel real.
“On Raon, you go in first.”
Although I came with the SEED trainees, we entered the photo zone separately by agency.
I went in first, followed by the SEED trainees.
I struck a few simple poses in front of the photo wall with the Pick Heart logo.
“Raon, do well!”
“Yes!”
After waving to a fan who cheered for me holding a slogan with my name on it, I quickly followed the staff’s guidance inside.
It wasn’t just because of the farmers’ shouts behind me that made me feel like a peasant uprising was happening.
Today, we gathered in the waiting room after receiving detailed hair, makeup, and styling and doing a final rehearsal.
“There are so many people outside. Even those who aren’t attending the show seem to have come to get slogans.”
“Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol’s fans even brought a coffee truck.”
“Was it Yoon-jae or Chan-bin hyung? Anyway, someone had a truck come to promote them. Fans are no joke….”
“We have to do well because of that.”
Na Yoon-jae said calmly.
The performance started at almost 7 PM.
Of course, we didn’t eat dinner to avoid looking bloated on screen.
The scene was shown on the TV installed in front of us.
– Hello. I’m Ji-hee from Rosetta, the host for today. Please take care of me.
Today’s host, Han Ji-hee, wore a refreshing-looking light blue summer suit.
After lifting the mood with a few simple comments, Han Ji-hee began to explain the third performance in earnest.
– In today’s original producing evaluation performance, 36 trainees will be divided into six teams of six and perform original songs. Vocal producing trainees participated in song production, and performance producing trainees participated in choreography creation.
Han Ji-hee continued.
– If you show a good performance today and survive the upcoming third ranking ceremony, you can say that debut is right around the corner.
Han Ji-hee explained the voting method.
The voting method was similar to the second performance.
After each team finished their stage, the audience voted for the trainee they thought performed best from that team. The first-place trainee in this vote would receive 30,000 votes.
Then, upon leaving the stage after the performances, the audience would vote for the team they thought did the best. The first-place team in this vote would receive an additional 70,000 votes, separate from the previous 30,000 votes.
Given that internet voting had changed from voting for ten trainees at a time to voting for three, reducing the absolute number of votes, 70,000 votes were not insignificant.
– Additionally, we have the trainees who unfortunately got eliminated and the debut members from Season 2, Lee Saet-byeol and Yoo Hana, joining us here today.
The camera showed the eliminated trainees and the members of Yours, Lee Saet-byeol and Yoo Hana, in the front of the standing section. Each was holding cheering tools.
Kyle was also there, and seeing him holding a bunch of slogans and fans from his energetic team made me feel sentimental.
– It looks like they will be cheering hard for their juniors who are walking the same path.
After a while, the first team to perform, ‘ready 4 you’, was introduced by Han Ji-hee and went up on stage.
The atmosphere in the venue heated up instantly.
* * *
“Rewind team, move out!”
Our team was third in line. Being in the middle was not bad.
“This next stage features a song produced by Sky Jung, the same person who composed the signal song ‘Heart Attack’ for Pick Your Heart Season 3. The ‘Rewind’ trainees, who will show a refreshing yet wistful performance perfect for summer, please come up on stage.”
When we went up on stage and greeted as we had practiced, the cheers were loud enough to bring down the gym.
The time taken for individual interviews was longer than before. Each trainee received two or three questions.
Everyone knew that most of it would be cut from the broadcast, but Seo Moon-gyeol and Ban Yo-han still sincerely participated in the interviews.
Ah, I saw a second-floor audience member, who was diligently taking notes in a notebook, getting caught by security and being escorted out.
‘People will memorize everything and take photos to post online anyway, so why not just let them be?’
After finishing all the interviews before the stage, we stepped down to give final cheers while the set was being quickly assembled.
Kim Jun-woo led the cheer much more naturally than Seo Moon-gyeol had last time.
“I believe our team will do well. Practice… It was really tough, but let’s do well since we practiced so hard. Fighting!”
“Fighting!”
There was no special quest given today.
It was disappointing not to receive any rewards.
But so what.
My desire to do well enough to be satisfied with myself hadn’t changed.
* * *
A diligent office worker disguised as a farmer, who had smuggled a camera into the performance hall through meticulous body searches, began to seek a god he didn’t believe in as Seo Moon-gyeol and Ban Yo-han walked up on stage together.
‘Crazy…. Are they really doing this together?’
The Rewind team trainees were dressed neatly in clean, predominantly white outfits. The material was light and fluttery.
Their makeup was relatively light compared to the other teams.
Because she pushed Seo Moon-gyeol’s sexy concept, she felt a bit disappointed when she heard about the refreshing and wistful concept. However, looking at the face that never disappoints, she pulled herself together.
Just standing next to Ban Yo-han, who was overflowing with idol vibes day by day, made her happy enough.
The friend next to her, whose camera was covered with a slogan that read “Raonah On-Ranghae,” looked like she was about to cry.
This friend had taken a break from her fandom activities due to the social scandal caused by her favorite idol and her suddenly busy work schedule. She became a fan of On Raon after the second performance.
She was also the one who introduced the SEED trainees to the office worker farmer, feeling she couldn’t die alone.
After the office worker farmer learned about the treatment SEED trainees received at Pick Heart, he naturally lashed out at his friend with coarse language.
“After chanting ‘refreshing, refreshing’ like a mantra, you finally got your wish. Congratulations.”
“Today is just, oh, simply legendary… huh… Raonah…”
Among the Rewind team trainees, there were many strong contenders in terms of appearance, like Seo Moon-gyeol, Ban Yo-han, and Na Yoon-jae.
They were good enough to be called the “second face genius team.”
However, the trainee who embodied today’s concept the best was undeniably On Raon.
‘Wow… 4 minutes and 59 seconds of wistfulness is still here.’
On Raon stood there in the calmest manner anyone had ever seen him.
Everyone who knew the usually energetic On Raon found his demeanor surprising.
They instantly understood why his first nickname that made his name known to the public was “4 minutes and 59 seconds of wistfulness.”
The reason his youthful face, steeped in gentle sorrow, didn’t seem contrived but genuine was that he still hadn’t completely shaken off his lingering attachments.
Even just standing there, On Raon’s fans felt like they were about to cry.
It was even more so because of his slightly damp-looking hairstyle, glassy eyes, and faint smile.
‘Ah, just breathing is enough to recognize his wistfulness…’
Faced with the perfect concept, most people naturally accepted his enhanced appearance in a short period.
The trainees went down from the stage to set up the props.
Soon, the set, utilizing props like billowing white cloth, white windows, and paper airplanes, was fully installed.
The trainees climbed back onto the stage, which was covered in a low-lying dry ice fog.