“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No….”
Seong Jiwon opened his eyes wide as he practiced.
Looking at him again, he was too good to be in a small agency like this. His face was as handsome as a top idol, his singing was unquestionable, and his dancing was one of a kind.
It was clear. He must have wandered around after being noticed by a large agency, only to end up in a place like this.
Better to suffocate here than die over there.
That must have been how he felt before.
Seong Jiwon knew everything. He knew there would be nowhere to go if he was pushed out of here. That’s why he called it the last chance at first.
The world was cruel and dirty.
But there was no need to bring it up now.
“…I can’t quite figure out the pitch here.”
“Huh? You, Hoyun? What’s going on? You’re our pitch machine.”
“Just show me.”
As the subject changed, Seong Jiwon passionately explained everything while looking at the lyrics written on the paper on the practice room floor.
“You must accurately raise the last note here. It’s from La to Do sharp, but it would be nice if we had a piano– well, let’s just use an app to listen.”
Can you believe it? A talent agency without an electronic piano…
The more I looked, the more he seemed like a good guy. He passionately taught without showing any hint of displeasure.
…It’s kind of annoying for some reason.
While rubbing my forehead and thinking about yesterday’s conversation, Kang Ichae burst in with a loud noise, followed by a smug Kim Seonghyeon.
“Guys!”
“Hey, the practice room door is going to break. Are you going to fix it?”
“If the practice room door breaks, we’ll practice with it broken. It’d be nice and cool.”
Kang Ichae shamelessly walked towards where Seong Jiwon and I were sitting, then plopped down and opened the laptop he’d brought.
“I tinkered with it yesterday, you know? I even called composer Lim Hyeonsu and confirmed it. She said it was better than expected, although she did curse a little… Anyway, we got the final okay!”
“Uh, okay.”
Ding!
[What’s with the passion?]
While Kang Ichae seemed to be working hard, he was also leisurely and laid-back. He always had a bystander’s perspective and acted aloof, but this time, he showed a more proactive side for the first time.
“Listen to this. First of all, our debut single, ‘Glow.’”
As Kang Ichae played the song, even Jeong Dajun, who had collapsed in the corner, rushed over and pricked up his ears.
The song began with the sound of footsteps and a door opening. Following this, the melody gave off a more mature feeling than the original, refreshing with a lively high-teen vibe. It also had a unique charm and a slight twist at the end, which was appealing.
“And secondly, for our comeback song, ‘Second Chance.’ Oh, no, it should be called ‘Second Opportunity,’ right? Since that’s the concept.”
Kang Ichae grinned and played the next song.
This one had a completely different concept. It kept Lim Hyeonsu’s signature beats but added sound effects for a dreamier and more sentimental atmosphere.
The members who listened to the song fell silent.
“Why, why?”
Kang Ichae was visibly flustered by the silence filling the practice room.
“Don’t you like it? Should I make some more adjustments? I thought it was okay….”
“…Ichae.”
Lost in thought, Seong Jiwon called out to Kang Ichae. Ichae rolled his eyes.
“Are you… a genius?”
“Huh?”
“Wow– I had no idea Ichae had this talent.”
“Ichae, you really made a great choice. I can’t even believe it’s our song.”
As the compliments flooded in, Kang Ichae slowly blinked and then grinned. He put his hand on his chest and giggled.
“Ah~, I’m scared of my own talent… At this rate, won’t I be composing a Billboard No.1 song?”
“Ignore him.”
“Ichae’s always like that.”
Everyone joked about Ichae’s sudden mood swings, but the songs were genuinely impressive.
I thought about the ability stat that appeared on the system window.
Perhaps Kang Ichae’s characteristic was just that.
“I listened to Ichae’s arrangements first and thought about the choreography beforehand. We’ll start with these positions….”
Kim Seonghyeon explained as he drew lines on a piece of paper. As he did so, Jeong Dajun, who had been silently watching, suddenly raised his hand.
“Hey!”
“Yeah?”
“I can’t understand the dance moves from your drawings.”
“…Oh, fine, get up. I’ll show you myself.”
Kim Seonghyeon sighed deeply and pushed the paper and pen aside. He started to demonstrate the dance moves. We followed Kim Seonghyeon’s movements one by one, and soon all of us were in sync.
And all the while, Kim Seonghyeon kept scolding me harshly.
“Seo Hoyun!”
“Seo Hoyun, that’s not your spot!”
“Seo Hoyun!”
“…I know my name is Seo Hoyun.”
“If you know, then come quickly when I call you.”
“Ugh….”
It seemed like Kim Seonghyeon caught the practice bug from Seong Jiwon. I replied silently. And although I practiced tenaciously, I still couldn’t win Kim Seonghyeon’s heart.
Well, it’s because my stats were like this.
[You are viewing Seo Hoyun’s stats.
Seo Hoyun is a rookie idol in the Shining Star talent show who has recently gained some popularity.
Singing: A
Dance: D+
Variety: B+
??: ??
???: ???
Charm: B+]
What changed?
From D- to D+. A very small growth.
“Why isn’t it working?”
“Maybe it’s because Hoyun doesn’t have much stage experience?”
“Huh?”
“Well, the feeling is different when you’re actually on stage. He might not be able to get the hang of it because of the lack of practice in real situations.”
“But it’s not like we can go on stage right now.”
“Well, that’s true….”
Hey, quest window… Please help me out. Please…
Just as I was thinking that, I heard a notification for the first time in a while.
[Quest Arrived!
How pathetic!
This is a surprise gift from the system window taking pity on player Seo Hoyun. Hold a surprise guerrilla performance and gather 500 audience members.
Success: Dance D+ → C-
Failure: Dance D+ → F-]
I sprang to my feet.
If I couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity, I might as well become a member of Today.
“Hey, guys.”
“Yeah?”
“Why can’t we find a stage to perform on now?”
Everyone looked puzzled.
***
[Join us today at 7 PM at Sanghodong Hosan Park for The Dawn’s guerrilla performance! We’re looking forward to seeing you all there! #The_Dawn #더던 #GuerrillaPerformance]
“Let me check the mic over there!”
“No, save that outfit for later! How many people are gathered here now? Yes?”
The sudden guerrilla performance was being promoted through various SNS with group photos and promotional messages, spreading at an alarming rate. I kept murmuring the lyrics as Jihyeon approached me with a sly smile.
“Seo Hoyun, are you ready?”
“Ah, yes, Lee Jihyeon. Thank you for humoring us with this sudden request.”
“Ha… Hahaha. Let’s hope it goes well today!”
Despite knowing I shouldn’t expect much, I brushed it off lightly.
Is Jihyeon really good at her job?
When I brought up the subject at the office, she scrambled without hesitation to promote it on SNS. She contacted all the rental facilities and succeeded in securing a stage. These happened so quickly that a large company would never operate this way. It’s actually better to be a small one in some cases.
“Really, if it goes well today, I’ll make sure to tell the CEO to give you a bonus.”
“Seo Hoyun… you really know how to be mean, don’t you?”
The chances of a recently debuted idol asking the CEO for a bonus and receiving one were slim. Jihyeon knew this as she was on the lower end of the company hierarchy. Still, she didn’t seem to dislike my attempts to thank her in any way I could.
Seeing Jihyeon’s subtle smile as she refocused on her work, I looked around and chuckled. Everyone in the makeshift waiting room under the tent was busy reviewing their parts.
At that moment, a staff member rushed into the tent.
“The Dawn, are you guys ready?”
“Yes.”
As we gathered, Kim Seonghyeon looked at me.
“I knew Hoyun was reckless, but I didn’t think it’d be to this extent.”
“Sometimes in life, you must take off your shoes and jump in.”
“We’ll enjoy being on stage, at least.”
“Guys, guys.”
Jeong Dajun licked his lips, his face pale.
“It won’t be like last time, with no one there, right? At least ten people will show up, won’t they?”
“Uh….”
“Why? Do you remember our guerrilla performance after releasing our debut single? Did we even have ten audience members then?”
“Right, half of them were just passing by.”
“But it was still touching to have at least five people come and watch us.”
Seong Jiwon smiled gently, and the promotional team diligently captured his smile. Not too long ago, he used to be sweet and innocent, but now, he was starting to show a more mature side.
“Put your hands together.”
“Alright… but we still haven’t decided on a slogan, huh?”
“Let’s just come up with something quickly to lift our spirits.”
“I don’t like this kind of haphazard operation.”
Jeong Dajun grumbled with a pout. We were surprised that he knew the word “haphazard.”[1]
We all gathered our hands, laughing.
“Let’s go, let’s go, fighting!”
“Then let’s go.”
As we left the tent, hairspray followed us.
When we stepped outside, the staff handed us microphones and guided us to the stage.
The moment we stepped on stage, we were honestly… astonished.
“Wowww!”
“Guys!”
“The Dawn! The Dawn!”
Countless people were filling the park. Hasty staff members were struggling to hold back the crowd, sweating profusely.
Our appearance was met with even louder cheers.
This crowd… wasn’t just a few hundred people.
At least a thousand or more seemed to be present. Some people appeared to join the crowd out of curiosity, but more than half were our fans as they waved our banners.
“…”
“Guys, let’s greet them. Greet them.”
Kim Seonghyeon quickly gathered himself and encouraged us. We hurriedly brought the microphones to our lips and bowed.
“Hello, we are The Dawn!”
“Wowww!”
After we each finished our greeting, Kim Seonghyeon seemed somewhat tense, licking his lips with his tongue.
“Today is cold, and we appreciate you all gathering here.”
“To be honest, we didn’t know if you would come… It was quite a surprise.”
“A while ago, Jeong Dajun couldn’t decide whether ten people would come or not….”
“Ah, no! That’s not it, that’s not it!”
Jeong Dajun’s face turned pale, and Kang Ichae corrected him.
I glanced at the staff and began speaking to the audience.
“You’ve all come in such great numbers… I’m sorry that we don’t have many songs to perform for you today.”
“It’s okay! It’s okay! Just seeing your faces is enough.”
“Hoyun! Did you eat yet?”
I laughed at the words that burst from the audience.
“Well, being Korean, I eat three meals a day.”
“Hoyun-hyung is always nagging us to take care of our meals.”
“That’s right. Every time we meet, he asks if I’ve eaten.”
Of course. No matter what you’re doing, you should always eat.
As I shamelessly shrugged my shoulders, Seong Jiwon picked up the microphone.
“We’re taking good care of ourselves, so we hope our fans eat well too. Now, we’ll show you our comeback song, ‘Second Chance.'”
The place was covered in cheers as soon as the words “Second Chance” were mentioned. We bowed and turned around to get into position.
It was a beat that we must have heard thousands of times by now. Although it probably wasn’t visible to the audience, Kim Seonghyeon was mouthing along with the fan chant.
Kim Seonghyeon, Seong Jiwon, Seo Hoyun, Kang Ichae, Jeong Dajun.
As Seong Jiwon caught a glimpse of him, he chuckled. Then, at the start of the song’s first verse, he grinned and sang with gusto.
“Give me, Give me, Give me Second Chance.”
“Seong Jiwon!”
“Inside my head, this ringing sensation, say it again, I’m back.”
“I’m back” – the lyrics fit perfectly.
As if his earlier tension had disappeared, Seong Jiwon’s performance brought excitement to the guerrilla performance. Unlike on music shows, he whispered softly and slowly folded his fingers.
“I can’t miss this chance.”
With Seong Jiwon’s return, it was now my turn. The cheers, perhaps more suffocating than during the music show, filled the air.
I added a gesture of shuffling cards and picked one up.
“Don’t worry about the low chances, there’s no need.”
“No need!”
“It’s okay, I’ll lead you.”
The song’s highlight was coming close. Suddenly, the sound became distorted and cut off. Kim Seonghyeon’s face turned stiff.
Damn it.
A sound accident.
It was a common accident at concerts, especially hastily organized events like this. And it just had to happen now.
[1] Dajun used the word “주먹구구” to describe what was going on. A better translation would be “slapdash,” but “haphazard” is still okay. It describes something done quickly and carelessly, without much attention to detail. Although the Korean phrase is still relatively well-known, it is mostly used by young and older adults.
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