“Woahhh!”
When the worn-out modern office worker found out she had successfully drawn a spot in the first round of the competition, she was so happy that she kicked her feet into the air.
“Yeonhu, your noona is going!!”
As a fan of High Five, she headed to the filming location on the day of the shoot, her heart fluttering.
“Hey, has the traitor arrived?”
“Hahaha, sorry!”
Laughing heartily at the entrance to the competition venue, her friend, who had been a fan of High Five for only a brief moment—as if dipping a toe in the water and calling it broth—greeted her.
Having been tormented by reality for a while and distancing herself from fangirling, thinking she had “escaped K-pop,” she was suddenly smitten by The Dawn’s maknae and found herself running around the scene again.
“At least we got to come together again~. Keep me with you forever.”
“So sick of this… Ok.”
They coolly came to an agreement and entered the competition venue.
Even before it started, the heat was palpable against their skin.
She tried to calm her fiercely pounding heart as she looked around, and then MC Ha Seoyeon appeared.
“Hello, I’m Ha Seoyeon~.”
“Wow, look at Ha Seoyeon’s actor vibe.”
“Acting is top-notch!!”
As they couldn’t take their eyes off Ha Seoyeon and whispered among themselves, the introduction quickly passed, and Bercy took the stage first.
“Oh!!”
“Not bad~.”
Looking at the list, it was expected that the stage quality would be good due to the performers’ rich experience, and indeed, the composition was not only solid but also spectacular.
“Definitely better than last season.”
They packed it with first-tier songs.
Next, a song by Black Call, which they had tasted long ago, flowed out.
The stage wasn’t bad.
However, it didn’t quite appeal to the office worker or her friend.
That’s something Black Call should do…
Black Call, with Chae Jeongwoo known as the god of K-pop, had a track record so impeccable that since their debut, mishaps could be counted on one hand.
Their stage presence was undeniable, evidenced by the sheer impact of Joo Woosung simply walking out onto the stage.
It’s just an inferior version no matter what.
It seemed like they thought performing well-known songs would be a good idea, but it was a big mistake.
It was easy to get swallowed up by the original.
“Ugh, it’s hot, so hot.”
“Guys~, it’s almost summer~.”
With a series of similarly intense songs continuing, the fiery stage effects hardly gave them a moment’s rest.
Because of this, they felt like even their hair was burning every time the flames burst forth, prompting irritated comments.
Meanwhile, her friend, the Nouel, lost interest to the extent that she sneakily took out a phone she had brought in to browse through online communities.
“When is Dajun coming out?”
While Bercy, Try, and TEW performed one after another, the office worker’s attention was wholly fixed on High Five.
Then, The Dawn took the stage as the fourth performance.
“Hello!”
“??”
As soon as they saw them, everyone at the venue was so surprised they couldn’t close their mouths.
Then, screams filled the competition venue.
“Woahhh!”
Dressed in tight black leather pants and fluttery silk black shirts, each member had thin, sparkling body chains wrapped around their waists or slightly visible under their clothes, creating a variety of dazzling effects.
No way, are they insane??
Moreover, Seo Hoyun had even tied a long velvet string around his neck like a choker in the shape of a ribbon.
“I’m just gonna faint…”
Moreover, Seong Jiwon wore a crown of delicate white flowers giving off a pure vibe, while Kang Ichae had a wet-look hairstyle with a few strands braided with beads.
But the ultimate reason for the screams was.
“Shit!!”
Dancers Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun appeared wearing super, super, super cute cat-shaped headbands made of black-painted metal!!
“This is it for today! Hey! Everyone, disband!”
“Wow, shit. This is crazy…”
Leather pants, body chains, and headbands.
Faced with The Dawn’s declaration of victory, the office worker felt a competitive fire ignite within her.
Next to her, the Noeul, was going crazy, waving the light stick and screaming, having thrown all dignity to the wind.
As Seong Jiwon bowed at 90 degrees and Seo Hoyun slightly adjusted Jiwon’s slightly disheveled flower crown, cheers erupted once again.
“Hello, we are The Dawn, the rising dawn!”
“Wow, the cheer is no joke, right?! What stage have The Dawn prepared for today?”
Not the leader, but the maknae, Jeong Dajun, was the first to grab the mic with a bright smile.
“Today, we’ve prepared ‘Easy Tempo’ by our sunbae, Lea Purple!”
“Are you all ready to follow along with the tempo~?”
Seong Jiwon chimed in.
Just the slight curl of his lips brightened the surroundings, and the soft-looking Jeong Dajun exchanged glances and smiles with him, creating an incredibly cute moment, even from the perspective of a fan of another group.
“Let’s go!!! Even to hell!!!!”
“Calm down…”
Her friend’s excitement was unmatched.
But…
Giving up on trying to calm her friend down, the High Five fan, the office worker, thought about the song The Dawn had chosen.
Lea Purple’s ‘Easy Tempo’?
A boy group covering a girl group’s song did have its demand.
But it was usually something done at an end-of-the-year stage or fan meetings.
Even this song wasn’t that famous.
She only vaguely remembered that the outfits were quite revolutionary.
Did they arrange it? Or is there some other trick up their sleeve?
She didn’t realize it as she racked her brain, but the fact that she was already a fan of another group yet was this invested and defensive was proof that The Dawn were shaking up the scene.
“Easy Tempo One and Two
Easy Tempo One and Two…”
The lights dimmed, and an unfamiliar melody began to play.
Soon, the stage lit up again, and Jeong Dajun, sitting in a chair, leaned his head on Kim Seonghyeon’s shoulder as he started the introduction.
“Sitting next to you, I casually say, I feel a bit dizzy today.
You seem to know already, slightly smiling.”
“Please, Dajun…”
Her friend, whose favorite was Jeong Dajun, wobbled as if feeling dizzy from the first verse.
Seong Jiwon, who was sitting at the end of the table next to them, leaned slightly towards Dajun and chuckled.
“I get this Feeling, you see me as someone light-hearted,
But you’re already attracted to me.”
Wow, such confident vocals…
“But Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t rush without certainty.”
Seong Jiwon grabbed Seo Hoyun’s right arm, spun him around, and they danced a paired-choreography together.
“It’s okay to mistake me for an easy guy,
There’s plenty of time, take your time to cherish me.
Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t hurry.
Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t act hastily.”
“Are you crazy? Crazy? Hey!! Are you crazy??”
…Wow.
Shaken and screamed at by her friend, the office worker re-evaluated.
I thought the original lyrics were so-so.
It was precarious.
The slightly breathier voice, the sly squinting of the eyes, and the subtle smile seemed like an unparalleled masterpiece of teasing.
It’s providing a pretty good mood shift even for the tired audience after a series of intense songs.
As she critically assessed The Dawn’s performance with the discerning eye of a K-pop veteran…
“Don’t subtly push and pull, I’m different from the others you’ve met before.”
Kim Seonghyeon stepped forward, slipping his leather jacket halfway off.
The body chain that draped from his neck to his chest shimmered, and his muscular arms flexed in a wave.
“Yeah, you’re fucking different!!!!”
It was a thoroughly calculated move, but since many people liked it, it was classic.
“I know it’s frustrating, but I said!
Easy Tempo One and Two.”
His expression was lethal, his ears so red they looked like they would bleed if touched.
“Kraaaaaah!!”
The screams and frenzied shouts from the audience made High Five’s fans feel a sense of crisis.
These guys really want to succeed, damn it!
For a moment, she wondered if Kim Seonghyeon’s dance was a meticulously prepared part to make up for losing to some abs during the unit stage.
Then, Kang Ichae took the center, slightly crinkling his nose cutely before starting her rap.
“Ah, don’t look away, it makes me jealous.”
The rap fit the situation perfectly, chewy and exquisite.
“Don’t you know that I push everyone aside and run straight to you?
Baby, you are my one and only thrill.”
Next, Jeong Dajun walked in from the side, tapping his cat ear headband.
“The moment I saw you, I felt that you would change my everything.”
Then, under the blue lights tinged with pink, all members stopped, and only Seo Hoyun lifted his head.
“Pretend I’m an easy guy, there’s plenty of time.”
And with a wave, grabbed the ribbon around his neck…
“Love me slowly.”
And pulled it loose.
“Uaaaaaaah!!!! Ah! Ah!!”
Damn!! Is this why he’s the only one with a ribbon?!
The fans might not know, but all of this was thanks to Joo Woosung’s meticulous nagging.
Grinding his teeth tightly, Seo Hoyun had awakened to the ability to break down his movements into 0.1-second intervals, setting his x-y-z coordinates and endlessly calculating where to place his body, allowing him to perfectly execute today’s performance.
“Arghhh!!”
Licking his red lower lip, Hoyun’s eyes sparkled.
“Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t hurry.
Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t come on too strong, okay?”
As Seo Hoyun spun his body and once again matched the paired choreography with Seong Jiwon, the triangular light sticks in the audience shook even more violently.
How could the Noeuls not get excited when someone like Seo Hoyun, who seemed to master everything, was asking to be loved as an easy man?
“Rabbit!!! I wanna go fast!!!!”
These guys are really, really, really possessed by evil…
They were the kind who knew what worked in the market.
The office worker who was a fan of High Five let out a sigh that sounded almost like a gasp, dizzy with anticipation for the upcoming ‘My Baby’ performance.
At that moment, Seong Jiwon’s high note exploded.
“No, Please I can’t stop!”
“…!!”
I thought he was following Chae Jeongwoo, but this is… just on Jeongwoo’s level?
Chills ran all over her body.
Everyone’s mouth was agape, looking up when Kang Ichae cut through the song.
“No Easy Tempo, the rhythm keeps getting tangled.”
It was a rap freshly added for this stage.
“Throwing away all pretenses, I want to go beyond with you,
My heart is burning black.”
Desire and affection were mixed in Kang Ichae’s eyes, which seemed to pierce through the screen, and the rap continued in a tone one notch lower as if chewing the words.
“Take My Tempo One and Two,
I want to consume all of you.”
Most of the Noeuls were almost fainting.
This stage solidified the reason he took first place with an overwhelming number of votes as a solo rap unit.
“Ddu du ru ru Ddu du ru ru ru.”
Damn…
The stage was completed after calculating everything from the outfit coordination, the balance of members’ abilities, to how to act according to the lyrics.
“Easy Tempo One and Two, don’t hurry,
Easy Tempo One and Two, take your time to cherish.”
It was a stage that couldn’t possibly fail.
The Dawn’s breath was rough after finishing flawlessly.
Pollen fluttered down over the members’ heads, visible through the screen.
“Easy Tempo…”
“…Wow.”
For a moment, Hoyun’s face, slightly reddened on the cheeks, was captured on the screen, and the office worker mumbled unknowingly,
“Wow. He’s really handsome.”
Even a die-hard fan of another group would say this much, so one could imagine how her Noeul friend beside her would see him without having to say it.
“Hey, hey…, is this a dream? If I faint, please put me in a taxi.”
“Watch High Five.”
She firmly held her staggering friend’s hand and spoke sharply.
Even fans of other groups seemed slightly enchanted as she looked around.
“This can’t be real… It’s like a dream….”
She saw her friend clasping her hands tightly in deep emotion, a calm face but tearful eyes, while inside, she felt a sense of defeat.
They’re hell-bent on succeeding. This is dangerous.
Indeed, private SNS accounts, hard to prevent leaks from, were already buzzing with crazy reactions from the scene.
[I just want to be buried here… with Seo Hoyun’s ribbon…]
[Seriously, if they weren’t idols, these bastards wouldn’t know shit about this stuff, it’s so fucking good…]
[Thank you!!! Really, thank you!!!! Who planned this??? Come out, I’ll bow to you!!!!]
It was Lee Jihyeon.
[The lyrics Kang Ichae added to his rap are insane… He really knows what his fans eat up…]
The Dawn, they’re really smart.
The office worker looked at the voting device in her hand.
‘Wow, I really can’t guess how the live vote will turn out….’
It was definitely a “competition,” with groups that had built up years of experience participating and various fandoms gathering desperately.
The previous groups, being conscious of that, seemed to have prepared powerful male idol songs for the stage.
That The Dawn was the only one to take a different route…
The one firm thought in her tangled mind was just that.
This is, damn, big trouble…
It was very, very dangerous.
