Chapter 110. Things Will Explode (10)
Even though the Candy Crush team had left the stage, the excitement among the audience showed no signs of dying down.
“Did they say… a collar?”
“A collar?”
“What’s with the collar?”
Everyone wondered how anyone could top Dan Haru’s confetti-filled performance or Seo Taehyun’s crazy stage with cat ears.
A collar? And with Lee Yugeon, of all people?
Even if not everyone present liked Yugeon, the combination of the words “collar” and “Lee Yugeon” triggered a strong visual attack that stirred everyone’s instincts.
“No, seriously, what kind of concept involves a collar…?”
Soda, too, despite not having seen it yet, covered her mouth in shock at the thought of the shocking visual.
But what shocked her even more was what Gwajam, who had been lost in thought, said next.
“Guys, listen. Remember I told you earlier that I split up the members’ arrival times?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah.”
“But now that I think about it, the members in the first car… they were all from the Candy Crush team, right? But, no, wait, then… that means….”
Gwajam couldn’t continue. She wasn’t confident enough to handle the impact her words would have.
However, Soda and MalangGgom were already piecing together a certain logic in their heads.
<Lee Yugeon wore a collar on stage today.>
<Members who rode in the same car are on the same team.>
<Lee Yugeon, Kang Hajin, and Lee Doha rode in the same car.>
The conclusion that this logic proved?
“Whoa. Does that mean Doha and Hajin…!?”
“Sis, my hands are shaking.”
“Guys, no, it might not be true. Calm down first.”
Gwajam managed to calm down the suddenly overexcited MalangGgom and Soda, though MalangGgom still sulked, saying, “What about our Siwoo then?” but it was quickly brushed off.
“Uh…?”
When the stage setup was complete and Seo Taeil stood alone in the center again, the audience was already ablaze with a purpose (or madness).
‘…What’s going on?’
Seo Taeil sensed something was off, but quickly assessed that the atmosphere wasn’t particularly problematic or disruptive to the recording and smoothed out his expression. Following the PD’s signal through the intercom, he delivered the next line in the right tone and pace.
“It’s time to make another choice!”
The audience’s cheers were about an octave higher than before. Taeil, slightly startled, smiled softly with wide rabbit-like eyes, then shrugged as if he finally understood the situation.
“Whew, the collar’s impact was really intense?”
“Aaaah!!!”
“Both remaining performances will be just as enjoyable, so you won’t be disappointed. Will you all anticipate them fairly?”
“Yeeees~!”
“Great. Let’s reveal the next choice!”
This time, the new options appeared on the LED screens on either side of Taeil, rather than the keyword shown earlier.
“The two keywords are the names of the remaining teams. Now, please choose which performance you’d like to see next!”
The murmurs in the audience grew louder.
Even though the impact of “Lee Yugeon collar” was significant, they all knew that it was just a matter of deciding whether to see it now or later—they wouldn’t miss out on it entirely. Despite this, the Destinies found themselves seriously deliberating.
A moment later, everyone had made their choice.
“Great. Let’s watch the second performance you’ve chosen!”
‘Who will it be?’
As the stage set was rearranged, familiar darkness enveloped the area.
When the word **Chain** appeared on the top LED screen, a few people reacted, seemingly equating “chain” with “collar.”
Drrrrr― Pam, Pam!
With a fierce drum count and dazzling electronic sounds, the music hit their ears with intensity.
Yeah―!!
An electrifying high note burst forth as an air shot went off. In the bright lights, the trainees appeared.
But contrary to people’s expectations, Yugeon wasn’t among the trainees. Nor were their outfits anything like what one might associate with collars.
“Wow, who’s doing the ad-libs?”
“That guy, Gong Seok.”
Gong Seok was a member who hadn’t been particularly highlighted in episodes 1 and 2. Even though he was the main vocalist for Team B, the spotlight had been entirely on Hajin.
Gong Seok’s storyline began to stand out from the second mission onward. However, since the episode covering that content, episode 4, was set to air tonight at 9 PM, the Destinies in attendance were caught off guard by Gong Seok’s sudden high note.
Let’s go! C’mon!
“Gong Seok is good too.”
“This song is pretty catchy, huh?”
The second team’s song was a representative track from a male solo artist who had his heyday in the ’90s. It had an upbeat, hopeful melody and lyrics, often played at sports meets or festivals to liven up the atmosphere.
While the original version had a strong musical show number vibe with a prominent brass sound like trumpets, the Silver Chain team’s rock arrangement added a sophisticated touch and stirred emotions.
‘Not bad.’
As expected from a team that picked a ’90s song, the members’ outfits—a mix of goggles, padded vests, and ski jumpers—matched the era well. However…
“…It’s a bit lacking, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. Seok’s doing all the heavy lifting.”
Soda commented, and MalangGgom nodded cynically. Although the song was lively, the trainees’ abilities didn’t quite capture the sharpness of the original vocalist’s performance.
The oversized, baggy outfits were cute, but perhaps a more sporty look would have better suited the song? The stark difference became more apparent, especially after the previous stage, which was perfect in terms of styling and the trainees’ attitude.
For our life! To our life!
‘…What’s going on?’
As these thoughts swirled in her head, Soda noticed that one of the trainees kept making eye contact with her. He had been looking in her direction since the song started, and it seemed their gazes kept meeting. But when she looked closer, she realized he wasn’t looking at her, but rather at the person next to her.
‘Oh. Is it because of the slogan?’
When she looked at the person next to her, who had been maintaining eye contact with the trainee, she noticed they seemed oddly uncomfortable for someone attending the performance. Wearing tight black leggings, jeans, a necklace, earrings, bracelets, and, above all, heels.
‘Who in their right mind wears heels to a standing-room-only performance?’
As soon as Soda had that thought, the woman grimaced, clearly showing she was uncomfortable. And not just showing it to herself, but making a crying face directly at the trainee on stage.
‘…Ah, shit. I’ve got a feeling.’
This had to be a girlfriend or someone close.
Honestly, the odds were 99.99999% that she was the girlfriend, but since she’d recently had an epiphany about Yugeon, she reluctantly left open the 0.00001% possibility that she might just be a close friend.
‘It could be a sister, or maybe she’s a really famous fan who’s gotten close to them…. No, Yoon Se-eun, stop trying to cling to hope.’
But the truth was too obvious to deny. She caught the trainee sneaking a quick, apologetic glance at his supposed girlfriend as he moved slightly to the side while another trainee took over the center part.
‘Wow…. What if a fan is watching? How can he be so bold?’
The spot where Soda stood just happened to be in direct view of the trainee, but if there were any fans in the audience who had come specifically to see him, they would have noticed how blatantly obvious he was being. It seemed like he was a little too excited to have invited his girlfriend to see his performance for the first time.
“Hey, Ggom.”
“Yeah?”
“The woman next to me… she might be Shin Kyungho’s girlfriend.”
“…What? Really?”
“They’ve been exchanging signals with their eyes since earlier.”
The trainee in question was Shin Kyungho, who had been paired with Lee Doha for the second mission in episode 3.
Soda couldn’t help but keep glancing at the person sitting next to her, rather than at the stage, until the performance and the following talk session ended.
‘Where do all these girlfriends learn how to act in public?’
They all behave the same way. If only they didn’t make it so obvious, fans would quietly keep the secret.
With these thoughts, Soda felt sympathy for the nameless Shin Kyungho fan who had probably made the slogan that his girlfriend was holding.
* * *
“Wow, that girl finally left.”
“It’s the usual rule.”
Shin Kyungho’s supposed girlfriend eventually left as soon as the second team’s performance ended, squeezing through the crowd. Not long after she left, an announcement was made about a break, so the three of them took a breather under the shade of a tree near the studio.
“Hey, come over here.”
“Why?”
“That’s the smoking area. People will start coming here to smoke soon.”
Gwajam led them to a secluded spot in the parking lot. They couldn’t go too far since the guards would soon call everyone back for the next recording session.
Once they were settled, MalangGgom, her face flushed with excitement, grabbed Soda and asked her urgently.
“No, unnie, are you sure? My friend’s top pick is him.”
“Well, I just saw it from the side, so I can’t say 100%. But I’ve got a feeling.”
“Then it’s 100%. She’s always spot-on when it comes to relationships.”
“Why only with relationships?”
“Because she can’t detect other things like drunk driving, abuse scandals, or other illegal activities.”
“Hah…. Let’s stop talking about this. It’s starting to get depressing.”
But as Gwajam mentioned, Soda’s intuition when it came to relationships was usually spot-on.
Hadn’t she said it before? She’d even known about her ex’s shotgun wedding before the articles came out.
“I kept making eye contact with him from the stage! And seriously, who wears heels to a performance?”
“Whoa…. But you’ll keep it to yourself, right?”
“Of course. It’s not like he’s my top pick or someone who threatens my rankings. Why would I bother? Besides, his fans will probably find out soon anyway. He made it way too obvious.”
Shin Kyungho wasn’t a trainee in any of their top picks, so the topic soon shifted to “Idols’ Ordinary Girlfriends.” But even that wasn’t something they could discuss openly in a place full of idol fans, so as they returned to the studio, they changed the topic to something they all had lots to say about.
Their favorite subject in the world—”Our Babies.”
“So, all the remaining members are on one team?”
“Yeah. Siwoo, Doha, Yugeon, Hajin…. Who else is left?”
“Eunchan and Wonho. Isn’t this basically an Avengers team?”
“And then Yugeon with a collar…. Ugh, what if Doha shows his abs? What do I do?”
“What do you mean ‘what do I do’? You’ll scream, shout that Doha is being unfair, and open your eyes wide.”
After everyone had re-entered the venue, Soda noticed that the number of people hadn’t decreased much. Usually, after a break, a lot of people would leave, but it didn’t seem that way this time. It was probably because all the remaining members were top-ranking in popularity and also because of the anticipation stirred up by “Lee Yugeon’s collar.”
“Wow. There are so many banners for Hajin.”
“But they’re all pretty similar, right? Wonho has quite a few too. I was worried there might be a big difference.”
From the audience’s perspective, it was clear that Hajin had the most banners. Next, in frequency, were Siwoo and Eunchan. Doha and Wonho’s names appeared here and there, sandwiched in between.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few banners for Yugeon as well. It wasn’t so much that his fans had come in droves, but more likely that everyone, out of loyalty and due to the recent events, had brought his banner along with their main pick’s.
After a process similar to before, Seo Taeil stepped onto the stage.
“Those who seek to reach the sun, soar high. This is the third journey to become the Icarus of Miro.”
The atmosphere was even quieter than before. Taeil seemed to know exactly what the audience wanted, and with a lazy smile, he spoke.
“Finally, we have the last performance ahead of us.”
‘Ah. I’m getting dizzy.’
Only five minutes left until she’d get to see her ultimate bias in person!