Chapter 200. First Live (2)
There was a perfectly valid reason why I had openly declared that I would take it easy for our first live performance.
“Hmm, what’s this… Slick back? Superconductor?”
“…Isn’t that something that flies?”
“It’s a bit old-fashioned, but some of it is cute. Look at this.”
“…I’m not cute, and I’m not sorry about it either.”
“I’m cute. The problem is I’m not sorry about it.”
“Hyung, please be quiet.”
“Okay.”
– Please do the Run All Mine Challenge, please, please, please.
– Oppa, do the Baby Challenge, please! ♡♡♡♡
– No, Hajin being treated like this, lololololol
– Did Hajin suddenly become baggage, lololololol
– We want you to “Devil Ride” Challengeeeee, plzzzzzzzzzzzz
– Let’s start with a light relay of the songs from the senior artists at the company, goooo!
First, we needed something sensational.
It couldn’t just be a cozy little interaction between us and our fans. There needed to be something that could go viral across the entire fan community. In that sense, a short-form challenge was a pretty decent idea.
Short, fast, and abundant.
Given that the two guys had already created a buzz with the “Run All Mine” challenge from Believer (those spinoffs who debuted with Seo Taehyun and Boy’s World), the effect was certain.
“Hmm… There’s a lot of talk about Run All Mine. Should we warm up with this? Yugeon, do you remember the choreography?”
“I don’t really remember. Do you have a video? Let me see.”
“I don’t know it. I didn’t do it. It’s unfair that you guys did the challenge without me.”
“…Grandpa, please be quiet.”
“Okay.”
Whether or not Seo Taehyun was startled by my ridiculous aegyo, Lee Yugeon, after watching the “Run All Mine” challenge by Believer a few times, placed his phone on the floor.
“I’ve got it. I roughly remember.”
As Seo Taehyun, acting like it was no big deal, played the song, Lee Yugeon started dancing with smooth control of strength. Watching him dance much more lightly and nimbly than when he did the challenge at the broadcasting station, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow…”
Even I, who watched this guy dance every day, was impressed, so there was no need to see the reactions of the fans who hadn’t seen him dance in a while.
– He’s insaneeeeee.
– That’s so awesome, wow.
– Seeing this after watching trot and breakdancing, it’s disorienting.
– Yugeon, you feel a bit unfamiliar…?
Second, we had to show off our abilities.
Especially, we needed to promote the talents of Yugeon, who was the most passive and had the least connection among us.
Since Yugeon’s choreography-copying ability hadn’t been highlighted on any broadcasts until now, I thought this was a good opportunity to show fans how well and quickly he could pick up dances.
That way, the fans could feel proud that Yugeon was a member of Kairos.
“Here, at ‘Run, run, baby,’ it’s supposed to be out instead of in with the hands.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. And the neck isolation is the key. You have to pay attention to this.”
If we could also showcase how professional and detailed Taehyun was, that would be the cherry on top.
Finally…
“What was next? Was it this?”
“Kick, then two waves. Plant your feet and place your hand down…”
“Oh, oh! This is it, this. Look at this.”
…Finally, by giving them a joint task that they had to solve together, I needed to naturally induce conversation between them.
I watched them with satisfaction as they smoothly moved on to the next steps without me having to intervene.
‘Good. Everything is going according to plan.’
Now, if we just added a little bit of entertainment seasoning, it would be perfect.
“Hajin-hyung, are you listening? You’re following along, right?”
“Mmm.”
“…?”
I shook my head with innocent eyes.
To the two who were looking at me with expressions like ‘What’s wrong with this guy…?’, I deliberately spoke in an even more childlike voice.
“Jjini didn’t understand anything!”
“What’s wrong with him for real…?”
“Just leave him be.”
Today, I planned to sprinkle a healthy dose of tension on top of the short-form challenge of these two geniuses.
* * *
“Swing your arm here…”
“Like this?”
“No, I didn’t mean to whip your arm like that…”
“Hyung, are you doing this on purpose?”
“I’m giving it my best, trust me.”
– It’s a mess, lolololololololol
– The challenge just went downhill, lolololololol
– Seo Taehyun’s special frustration button, Kang Hajin, lololol
– But, teacher, the pace is too fast.
– This dance is harder than I thought…
In the end, only Yugeon and Taehyun did the “Run All Mine” challenge, and after mastering the appropriate level of short-form challenges for about 30 minutes, we had shown enough of the essential cute and charming challenges that every idol must do. Now, we were raising the level to take on some real dances.
The starting point was the new idol’s national rule of ‘beating the senior artists’ songs.’
The song we were currently challenging was Utopia’s debut song and my audition song, *Wave.*
“Let’s try it one more time. It’s not that hard.”
“A talent’s smug statement…”
“No, really, it’s not that hard. It’s easier than our Daylight.”
“Let’s just match the beat without the music. You seem to have memorized the moves, but they’re not connecting.”
Yugeon started counting the beats, and the three of us moved our bodies in sync with the same movements.
From here, my role was crucial.
I had to show the image of an idol who ‘understands the moves in his head but whose body hasn’t quite caught up yet, looking slightly awkward, but still clearly different from an ordinary person in terms of dance skill.’
In other words…
[System Alarm: A scammer?]
[System Alarm: ◉ ㅅ ◉ ??]
‘…Pace yourself, idiot.’
If you dance too well, it’s not fun, and if you look too clueless, it doesn’t look cool.
I continued to learn the dance, balancing on the fine line between amateur and professional.
“Shall we try it with the music now? Hyung, are you ready?”
“I’ve got the marking down. I’m still working on the details.”
“Then play the music. It’s faster to learn by matching the music with your body.”
“Mmm… Alright, I’ll play the music.”
Thinking that we were somewhat ready, Taehyun played the music on his phone.
Before we entered the chorus, I laid down a preparatory remark while looking at the broadcast phone camera.
“Destinies, this is my first time doing this dance. Please understand if it’s a bit awkward, really.”
And then, the chorus started.
Can’t you see it?
The moon and sun reversed
A new universe awakens
The first step taken will soon become history
I then dropped the act and performed the choreography with all my heart.
With everything I had.
– That’s so awesomeeeeeeee
– He’s insane, lol
– My heart is beating so fast
– What did Han Sewon do in his past life? Was he King Sejong or something?
– The fact that all three of them have different dance lines is amazing, ㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜㅠ
– OMG OMG OMG OMG
Practice was for fun, but the results were serious.
It might be a bit sly, but we needed this level of production to make it worthwhile for the fans to watch the live.
“Can’t you make it? Can you come this far―”
As I danced, I got excited and even started singing along, lifting the atmosphere. Seeing me like that, Taehyun and Yugeon also got more into it.
“Last one, legs! Swing your arms while stepping!”
“Aaargh!”
After completing the most difficult dance move, I began to get out of breath, and my movements started to get confused. Using my advanced peripheral vision skills to sneak glances at the two guys in front of me, I managed to finish the choreography safely, and when it was done, I felt my legs give out and had to lie down right there in the practice room.
“Okay! Done! I did it! I made it!”
I shouted proudly, and Taehyun, who was also sitting beside me, laughed and slapped my leg. I saw Yugeon, still standing, smiling at us as well.
Taking a moment to catch my breath, I rolled over slightly and laid my head on Taehyun’s leg to start some small talk.
“This was my audition song when I joined Miro.”
“Really? You sang this song? Not Ria-sunbae’s song?”
“That was Renes. I sang this song for Miro. Seo Taeil-sunbae was even one of the judges.”
– OMG Audition story
– Sing it (clap) Sing it (clap)
– I’m so glad Hajin joined Miro, ㅠㅠㅠ♡
– I’m curious about the other members’ audition stories too
– Do you know *Moro*? Sing the song *Moro*
.
– Taehyun and Yugeon, tell us too!!!
– Devil Ride Challenge Devil Ride Challenge Devil Ride Challenge Devil Ride Challenge
I couldn’t believe how many months it had already been.
As I realized how much time had passed, I tossed out a conversation topic to bring Yugeon and Taehyun into this nostalgic talk.
“Do you guys remember your first impressions of each other? To be honest, I still don’t know how you two became close.”
“Us?”
At my question, Taehyun and Yugeon’s gazes met in the air. Whether they were reminiscing about the past or wondering how much they should honestly say, Taehyun let out a small “Hmm…” sound. Then, sitting slightly apart, Yugeon opened his mouth first.
“I don’t remember our first impressions… But we became close because of him.”
“Me? Because of me?”
When Taehyun pointed at himself with a puzzled expression, Yugeon nodded as if asking if he didn’t remember and continued.
“Remember that time after practice when I was working part-time at the barbecue restaurant, and you came in with your family, and we ran into each other?”
“Oh, yeah. I remember that. I was so shocked that my eyes were shaking.”
“What? So did you say hi?”
“No. Back then, we hadn’t even talked to each other… But it was awkward since we were in the same practice group. So I just pretended I didn’t recognize him.”
“So, so. You pretended not to know each other, but how did you become friends?”
– Listening to the younger members’ bonding story like it’s a teacher’s first love story, an immature hyung.
– Yugeon worked part-time while being a trainee…ㅠㅠㅠ
– Were the K3z originally close? I had no idea.
– Yeah, yeah. It’s awkward when you’re working and someone you know comes in as a customer.
“After that, when we were preparing for the first weekly evaluation, I couldn’t practice much because of my part-time job. So it was hard to team up with anyone, and I didn’t know anyone well… But then he came up to me and asked if I wanted to do it together, and we got close while working on that.”
“Ooh, Seo Taehyun~”
“…No, it wasn’t really like that. Ah, stop teasing me!”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes are full of thoughts to tease me right now, hyung!”
“No way. Hyung has absolutely no intention of teasing you about how our shy Taehyun made the amazing move to pick you for his team… …Ah!”
[System Alarm: The system shakes its head, thinking the regressor is the type who digs his own grave….]
In the end, I got smacked on the back by Taehyun. He just clicked his tongue and looked at me indifferently as I groaned in pain.
After that, the stories kept flowing out: how Yugeon first got Taehyun his favorite diet ice cream when he was working part-time at a convenience store, how Yugeon’s brothers were accidentally introduced to Taehyun when they met, and how Yugeon took Taehyun out to cheer him up when he was feeling down after a tough practice.
‘…They have more stories than I expected.’
I was surprised by their unexpected bond, and the atmosphere became warm and cozy.
This should be enough, right?
Looking at the two who were now drenched in nostalgia, I threw in another bombshell.
“But why did you guys fight?”
“…Huh?”
“…What?”
“You guys fought recently, didn’t you? Why did you fight?”
[System Alarm: Are you out of your mind…? (Are you out of your mind…?)]