Chapter 128
Today is the day Music Box’s M Stage airs.
Therefore, it was a day without any music shows for us.
Moreover, yesterday was also originally a day without any music shows, so for two days, we could sleep in without having to wake up early.
As a result, my condition was the best it had been since we started our music show activities.
In fact, we didn’t just rest for two days; there were other preparations going on at the company…
But whatever it was, the intensity of the work itself was much less than that of music shows, which was a common sentiment among the members.
Today, we were appearing on a radio show called ‘Han Ji-hee’s Relaxing Night.’
Han Ji-hee, who was a mentor at Pick Heart, was the DJ, and the show aired for two hours from 10 PM to midnight.
It was also set to be broadcasted live on YouTube and a radio-specific app as a visual radio.
We arrived early and listened to various explanations from the writer.
“We’ll do our best.”
“Yes, thank you.”
We also greeted Han Ji-hee, who was dressed casually like us, and presented her with our pre-prepared album.
“It feels different seeing you like this compared to seeing you as a company junior. Congratulations on your debut.”
Han Ji-hee, whom we hadn’t seen in a while, warmly welcomed us.
A little before the broadcast started, we entered the quiet radio booth and sat down as directed by the staff.
“What if my voice suddenly cracks while talking?”
Seong-ha, who seemed nervous in front of the unfamiliar concept of radio, murmured anxiously, drinking water every five seconds.
“If that happens, I’ll laugh naturally so it won’t be awkward. And stop drinking water. What if you want to go to the bathroom in the middle?”
At 9:58 PM, following the staff’s signal, we each put on the headsets in front of us.
Around that time, we appeared on the screen.
We checked the script one last time before the broadcast started, and we watched the chat speed up on the monitor in front of us as our appearance was broadcasted.
– Kyaaaaahhhh
– What are Seong-ha and Raon talking about ㅠㅠ
– Am I the only one experiencing lag in the live broadcast? ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
– Seriously, the lag is too severe.
After the commercial ended, the logo song of Relaxing Night played, and the broadcast began with Han Ji-hee’s opening comment.
“…Today on Han Ji-hee’s Relaxing Night, we have with us the five boys of ORCA, who have debuted with the album ‘Free Winter’ and are beautifully embellishing the cold winter.”
* * *
The live YouTube chat for ‘Han Ji-hee’s Relaxing Night’ was bustling with fans of Han Ji-hee and ORCA. There were even occasional foreign language chats.
– Ji-hee, please take good care of our kids!!!!!!!
– They all look so handsome!
– On Raon is so insanely cute; I want to kidnap him.
– cuteee
– It’s less laggy now.
“Can we start with a group greeting?”
“Of course.”
“Yes. We’ll greet you.”
“On and on, ORCA!” The group greeting echoed pleasantly.
Han Ji-hee smiled and said.
“It’s wonderful that all five of you are here. While I know that ORCA is a very talented and cool group, there might be some listeners who aren’t familiar with ORCA since you just debuted. Could you please introduce the team?”
The task of introducing the team fell to Seo Moon-gyeol, who was usually the least talkative.
“ORCA means being a strong presence in the rough seas of the entertainment and music industry, like a powerful killer whale. As we said earlier, ‘On and on,’ we aim to be a team that continuously strives and improves.”
“That’s a great meaning. But I heard that ORCA wasn’t the team’s initial name. Could you share some of the other candidates with us?”
“Well…”
Eventually, the embarrassing names that the company had kept quiet about to save face were revealed on air without shame.
– Hahahahaha
– Kraken, Geos, and then ORCA.. calm
– Sea Pearl..
– How scared must the kids have been when they heard the other names from the company lol
The members, having experienced the potential disaster of having weird names, shared their stories vividly, making for a lively start.
“I actually heard that ORCA is a very cheerful team. I’m already worried if I can keep up with their energy today.”
Han Ji-hee continued naturally, her voice still light with laughter.
“It’s been about a week since ORCA debuted, right?”
“Yes. We debuted last Thursday, on the day of the college entrance exam.”
“You’re fresh rookies. Although your bodies might be tired from the debut activities, your hearts must be full of joy. How does it feel to debut?”
The members all expressed how happy they were.
“Speaking of the college entrance exam, I heard that one of ORCA’s members has an extraordinary history of scoring perfectly on the exam.”
“That’s me.”
“Then, could the beloved genius, Yohan, please introduce yourself to the camera?”
“Haha. Hello, I’m ORCA’s fox-like deer, deer-like fox, Yohan. Nice to meet you.”
“I think I understand why you’re called a fox and a deer.”
“Hello! I’m ORCA’s leader, Ji-woo. Although I’m not as good at studying as Yohan, I can sing a bit and cook a bit.”
“Not just a bit. I know Ji-woo can sing very well, so I bet he’s also a great cook.”
“Yes, he is.”
On Raon chimed in.
The other members nodded in agreement.
“Oh, then have the members tried Ji-woo’s cooking?”
“Many times.”
“Ji-woo hyung has a Korean cuisine certification. His cooking is good enough to sell for money.”
“Before we started our activities, he cooked for us a lot, but now that we’re busier…”
The camera captured On Raon’s sad expression, lamenting not being able to eat Ji-woo’s food.
“Ah, hello. I’m Seong-ha. This is our first radio show today… We’ll do our best.”
“Don’t be nervous. Just relax and enjoy your time here.”
“Hello. I’m Gyeol, the stoic man in charge of kindness, excitement, and tranquility in ORCA. Nice to meet you.”
“I think I understand why you say excitement. Everyone is going crazy over how nice your voice sounds, Gyeol.”
“Thank you.”
“Listeners are asking, ‘Please make Gyeol oppa talk more…’ As your senior, I’ll do my best to keep you talking today. Lastly, Raon.”
“Yes, hello. I’m Raon, ORCA’s youngest, your cutie pie, and lovey-dovey Raon.”
“You’re emphasizing that you’re the youngest with your whole body right now.”
Of course, it wasn’t that the members were able to deliver such cheesy lines from the start without any hesitation. It was all thanks to the training from Director Ju Yeol-eum.
The members succeeded in creating an idol persona after enduring hellish training.
After the self-introductions, the album and song introductions continued.
“Let’s read a text message now. Gyeol, could you read it for us?”
Seo Moon-gyeol leaned forward a bit and read the text on the monitor.
“#9506. I went to the mart and saw an idol mini fan meeting by chance. The voices were so good that I watched for a while without knowing who they were. Later, I found out it was ORCA. I’ve never liked an idol or celebrity before, but I was so captivated that I even dropped the tangerines I was holding and bought the album. The members’ voices are so nice that I hoped they’d appear on the radio, and I’m thankful you’re here tonight.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who read the long message in one go without breaking his breath, looked back at the camera and said.
“I think I know who this person is.”
“Me too. I know who this is.”
“Oh, really?”
On Raon and the other members nodded.
“Yes. We don’t know their face or name, but it was recent. It was impressive to see several tangerines rolling around…”
As Seo Moon-gyeol finished speaking, Ban Yohan explained the situation at the mini fan meeting in a pleasant way.
Han Ji-hee, after hearing the whole story, spoke in a soft voice.
“Indeed. It would be strange not to remember. There’s a saying that love is about timing. It seems this person’s timing was perfect.”
That was true. The members smiled happily, expressing their gratitude to the person who sent the story.
“Since this is fate, we should give a gift. Let’s spin the roulette once. Who wants to spin it?”
“For things like this, our lucky charm Yohan hyung should do it.”
Ban Yohan spun the roulette and immediately landed the best prize, a department store gift certificate, eliciting cheers from the members and the listener at home.
“So, since ORCA is here to promote ‘Liberation’ today, I think it’s time to play it… But first, you have to answer a quiz prepared by Relaxing Night for us to play ‘Liberation.’”
“If we get it wrong, you really won’t play it?”
“Yes, we really won’t play it.”
The members tensed at Han Ji-hee’s firm words.
Having come this far, it would be a shame to leave without playing their song even once.
“Raon, what’s your birth date?”
This one was easy.
Thinking it was just a given, the members promptly answered correctly.
“January 30, 2000!”
The members looked at Han Ji-hee with eyes that seemed to say, “We got it right, so play the song quickly,” but she just smiled it off.
“Yes, Raon was born on January 30, 2000. Now, here’s the real question.”
“Oh no…”
“What is Raon’s Chinese zodiac sign? And Raon, you can’t answer this. Please cover your mouth with both hands.”
While On Raon covered his mouth as instructed by Han Ji-hee, the opinions were divided.
Some said dragon, while others said rabbit.
Seo Moon-gyeol and Gyeon Seong-ha insisted it was the dragon, while Kang Ji-woo and Ban Yohan shook their heads, saying it was the rabbit.
“I’m a 1999 rabbit, so Raon must be a dragon.”
Claiming to know because his younger sibling was a dragon, Gyeon Seong-ha insisted he was right.
“I won’t say much. If I’m wrong, I’ll call Gyeol and Seong-ha hyung for a week.”
At Ban Yohan’s lighthearted remark, Gyeon Seong-ha changed his stance.
“I’ll go with the rabbit.”