Chapter 290
“……”
Kang Ji-woo stared into my eyes for a long time, considering deeply, before finally agreeing to let me take over the acrobatic choreography.
“Alright. Since you insist, I’ll trust you.”
[Kang Ji-woo respects your decision. Kang Ji-woo’s favorability +5, current favorability +100]
It wasn’t hard to sense from his voice that he wasn’t just reluctantly nodding his head, but genuinely decided to trust me.
“Thank you, Hyung.”
I spoke sincerely.
Kang Ji-woo then smiled awkwardly, as if apologetic.
“I’m sorry. Since I can’t do acrobatic choreography, it seemed more dangerous to me, and I was overly worried. Just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean you can’t.”
I shook my head.
“No. Why would you apologize for worrying about me?”
“Maknae…!”
Kang Ji-woo, with a pained expression, held my hands tightly, raising his favorability towards me significantly once more.
If I could convert Kang Ji-woo’s favorability into stamina stats, I’d probably be capable of running a full marathon by now.
After a short while, Gwak Sang-hyun, who had heard about our conversation from outside, asked me five times if I was really okay. He then confirmed three times with the acrobatic teacher and Seo Moon-gyeol, who had seen my practice before, before going to talk to the choreography coach for the cheering performance.
Shortly after, the choreography coach came to find me.
“To be honest, with more important things coming up, I thought Raon had more talent than Ah Hee-seop, who could hurt himself by overexerting. Now that it’s come to this, let’s do our best.”
The choreographer still seemed to hold a grudge from the previous argument with the OnlyBoys manager.
In fact, I disliked this choreographer more than Ah Hee-seop, who had unfairly glared at me last time.
“Yes. Understood.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to see him next year, but I decided to deal with him with a business mindset, smiling appropriately.
Because I’m a professional.
“If you’re confident, how about increasing the difficulty a bit more? Like what you did before.”
Because I’m a professional…
“I’m sorry, but if my manager Hyung finds out, he definitely won’t let me.”
“Oh, you can’t do it? Then we’ll stick with the current plan. But if you feel you might make a mistake because you’re not confident, tell me now. If you get hurt trying to show off with no skill, I’ll just get blamed by the fangirls.”
I’m a professional…
Forget it.
“Then I’ll just quit.”
I said without a hint of a smile. The choreographer, realizing I might actually quit, quickly backed down.
“You’re quite stiff for a young person… It was a joke, a joke.”
The choreographer hurried off to inform the other idols about the revised choreography.
I sighed.
‘I’ll have to find a way to make sure he actually quits after this ends.’
Just then, Rai, the captain of the Blue Team, approached me.
“Raon.”
“Rai Hyung.”
“I heard. You’re taking over for Hee-seop Hyung.”
“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
“I’m worried I might cause trouble for the team by stepping in unnecessarily, but I’ll do my best.”
“Trouble? Everyone’s grateful you’re stepping in for Hee-seop. Don’t worry about that.”
“Thanks. By the way, Hyung, after the cheering performance, during the interview…”
“Interview?”
“Could you mention that I wasn’t originally doing the acrobatic part but had to step in and modify the choreography on the spot? No need to mention Hee-seop Hyung’s injury.”
I planned to get as much out of this as possible.
The idol sports competition’s cheering performance was a stage significant enough that busy idols invested a lot of practice time for its publicity.
If I could show that I regained some of my old dancing skills on this big stage, it would definitely improve my image.
I was prepared to even mention that it was allowed by the company as a condition if Rai refused, but fortunately, he agreed readily.
“Of course. I planned to mention it even if you didn’t ask. Thank you so much. Without you, we really…”
“Thanks. We’re a team after all.”
I continued, mimicking the gentle tone of Ban Yo-han when he acted sweetly.
“As you said before, spending a few hours cheering with the team made me feel a sense of belonging to the Blue Team.”
“Raon…”
[Rai, who has a strong attachment to the Blue Team, is deeply moved by your words. Rai’s favorability +3, current favorability +38]
[You’ve completely convinced someone with words you didn’t even mean. Acting skill +1]
The effect was surprisingly good, leaving me flustered.
No wonder he worked so hard that people joked he became an idol just to participate in the Idol Sports Competition.
“Ahaha, if you thank me too much, I’ll get embarrassed. I just wanted to try if it was something I could do.”
I wasn’t embarrassed at all, so keep praising and thanking me more.
“Our manager Hyung tried to stop me, and honestly, it’s not like it’s not burdensome to do this suddenly during the active season, but I know how hard other seniors worked, squeezing in time to prepare.”
Don’t treat someone offering kindness like a pushover!
Having gained a lot of favor from the easy-going Rai, I returned to the team members.
While they appreciated how quickly I resolved the problem, there was still a palpable worry that something bigger might go wrong.
Unlike with the choreographer, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
“Raon, will you be alright? It’s good if you can do it, but you don’t have to push yourself too hard.”
“After showing such an embarrassing side last time, I practiced a lot on my own. Please trust me just this once. Today, I’ll show you something truly impressive!”
“!”
[Most of the Blue Team members are moved by your intense passion and enthusiasm. Blue Team’s overall favorability +5]
Riding the momentum, I even cheered.
“Blue Team, fighting!”
“Fighting!”
“Everyone! Spring may pass, but youth never fades! Youth undefeated!!”
“Oooooh!”
“Youth undefeated!!”
[This scene looks familiar… Gyun Seong-ha from the Hyesung class laughs cheerfully. Gyun Seong-ha’s favorability +1, current favorability +66]
True to the spirit of the Idol Sports Competition, which fosters camaraderie, a female idol approached me amidst the chaos and said, “Raon, you were amazing last time too,” with subtle affection, but I desperately pretended not to hear for the sake of my intelligence.
The production team adjusted the order, considering the unexpected situation of Ah Hee-seop’s injury. The Blue Team, initially scheduled second, was moved to the last position.
They said we could use the extra time to revise any choreography or adjust our positions if needed.
The most significant change was undoubtedly me.
As a result, I was the person the Blue Team members were most concerned about.
“Raon! Have you memorized all the revised positions and choreography?”
“Yes, I’ve memorized everything.”
“Already?”
“Yes.”
During the group practice, I didn’t just memorize my choreography but also familiarized myself with the entire cheering routine, so understanding the overall flow made it easier to handle minor changes.
“Blue Team, please wait here!”
Following the staff’s instructions, we moved.
* * *
– We will now begin the group cheering event of the Idol Sports Competition.
“……”
As the wrestling mat, installed at the center of the stadium, was removed, the announcement resonated, quieting the previously bustling venue as everyone waited.
The most anticipated event at the Idol Sports Competition was the group cheering performance, featuring dozens of top idols in a grand finale of the first half.
Of course, in terms of scale and completion, it was a spectacle unmatched by year-end stages, purely a product of the broadcasting station’s dominance.
Fans, who knew this well, ground their teeth whenever they saw their idols struggling with tight schedules.
Regrettably, the group cheering event, one of the major attractions of the Idol Sports Competition, seemed unlikely to disappear as long as the broadcast itself continued.
– Opening this year’s group cheering event is the White Team with their summer song medley! Please give them a big round of applause and cheers!
The White Team, dressed in plain white soccer uniforms, took their positions at the center of the stadium.
For the record, the Idol Sports Competition strictly prohibited preparing separate outfits for the group cheering event.
A few years ago, one team had donned dazzling costumes and won first place with what was derisively called a “costume win,” prompting strong protests from the other three teams’ fans about the unfairness.
Since then, teams were required to wear the same outfits for both competitions and cheering events.
If necessary, small accessories or props could be added with prior approval from the production team.
Given that cumbersome outfits for cheering would hinder competing in various games, team uniforms (except for the humor-centric Red Team) naturally stayed at the level commonly seen at student sports meets.
Following the White Team’s cute and adorable stage to popular summer songs, the Black Team presented a stylish performance fitting their grim reaper costumes.
Third up was the Red Team, delighting the audience with a playful and humorous stage.
Now, the only team left was the Blue Team, which had been a bit unsettled after Ah Hee-seop’s departure.