"Stop! You can't let it out like that. You're singing with just your throat. You want to sing one song at a concert, lose your voice, and fall back on AR?"
"No, I don't!"
"Good. Keep your core tight, just like that!"
The vocal training I got from Team Leader Seol was more exciting than ever.
To be honest, Team Leader Seol, who had mostly stepped back from hands-on work since becoming team leader, was at her coolest back when she was active. She'd started in a group, later gone solo and found her own voice, and topped the charts every time she released a song. I'd always envied that path.
And even after Team Leader Seol left the stage to become AP's exclusive vocal trainer, she remained a legend.
I'd joined AP wanting a lesson from that legend just once, and I was so sad to learn that Team Leader Seol had stepped away from hands-on work entirely the very year I came in.
"Lee Jae-min, thinking about something else again?"
"Sorry!"
So I can't waste this precious time. Get it together, Lee Jae-min!
"Thank you!"
In the blink of an eye, an hour of vocal training had flown by.
Team Leader Seol gave me a few points to watch out for, said she'd get in touch again after adjusting her schedule, and headed back to the main building.
"Huaah—"
I'd only sung for 1 hour, but my whole body was drenched in sweat. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'd been doing nothing but dancing again.
I was leaning my back against the wall, catching my breath and idly wishing everyone knew how draining it is to sing with every ounce of strength and focus.
"Come on, come on. Now you've got to go a round with me too, right?"
Super Strong Dragon, which had appeared who knows when, was flapping its teeny wings in front of my eyes. What was even more absurd was that, at some point, the place I'd been in had turned into a dance studio.
Using the wall to push myself up, I muttered.
"......I guess resting isn't an option."
"Want to rest? Then I could let you rest forever."
Can't have that. Since I've started, I've got to see it through.
"I'll pass on that. But let me drink some water first."
"Okay."
Super Strong Dragon's training, which started like that, now went a step further than before and began playing K-POP songs that were supposedly famous.
Among them were quite a few girl group songs I'd never expected.
For me, having practiced only hard-hitting boy group songs for a while, tempos laced with softness were no easy feat.
"My body just doesn't move like this!"
"Can't even do this much, and you want to be an idol? Just quit."
But whenever I grumbled because I couldn't keep up with moves that needed to be light, sharp words came right back without fail.
"Who said I can't? Dammit!"
Then I, with nothing left but guts, would stubbornly dance that song all the way through.
[Dance C]
As a result, my dance rank rose several steps from D- to C.
See that? I've climbed all the way to C!
Knowing I could never have done it with AP's usual dance lessons, I thanked it without a fuss.
"Hey. It's all thanks to you. Thanks."
"This isn't how it was supposed to go......."
Was Super Strong Dragon's lukewarm reaction because its pride had cracked? Either way, I'd mastered every song it showed me at C or above.
Glancing at Super Strong Dragon, still muttering with dazed eyes, I added something.
If my biggest cheat code checks out, I'm the one in trouble, after all.
"Anyway, I'm counting on you from here on out too. I've only just made it up to C, and there's a long way to go to reach A."
"Hmm— the likes of Lee Jae-min, aiming for A. Greedy, aren't you. Fine. I'll help as far as I can."
Super Strong Dragon soon crossed those short arms and jutted its chin up.
Way simpler than I thought, and...... obnoxious. But whatever else you can say, I'm grateful it's helping at all.
"Thanks again."
"Cut that out."
Seeing it still get irritated at being thanked, was it just embarrassed?
"What's with those eyeballs? Want me to gouge them out?"
I don't know what kind of look I was giving the dragon, but harsh words came right back.
And were they just harsh? Wasn't that a comment that could make everything go up in smoke?!
"Hey. If you gouge my eyeballs out, I can't debut!"
"Is that my problem?"
"......."
Yeah. It's right. It's right, but.......
For the rest of my life, I'm never thanking that dragon bastard again.
***
"It's tomorrow already, huh."
At the words of Jun-hyeok hyung, who'd once again come to the annex carrying my lunchbox as well, I nodded silently.
It had already been a month since I came back to the past on February 12 and decided to appear on Recycle.
Which meant the first recording day of 'Star Recycle,' March 19, was tomorrow.
"I know. I haven't gotten anything done, so I'm in big trouble."
"Haven't done anything? Team Leader Seol says your vocals have gotten way better, you know? If you get even better, how am I supposed to keep up?"
"Aw—"
In reality, after first cutting my lessons, Chief Park never allowed me a single hour of lessons. Thanks to that, the instructors who felt sorry for me even started visiting the annex behind Chief Park's back.
Some of them had never paid me any attention before, which surprised me. Just how much bad karma is that Chief Park bastard piling up?
'You'd hurt my feelings if you left me out, you know?'
Of course, of all of them, our Super Strong Dragon was the biggest help!
"Jae-min? Did you hear what I said?"
"Huh? Ah, sorry. I guess I got nervous now that it's actually tomorrow."
While I hurriedly boosted Super Strong Dragon's ego, hyung called me. His face as he looked at me was full of worry, as if he'd said something before that.
"Nothing much. Just finish up early today and get a good night's sleep."
"Haha. Okay. But hyung! I won't start stuttering in front of the camera tomorrow or anything, right?"
Ahh— this day really is coming.
Truth be told, even as a joke, you couldn't call my current state okay.
I was acting confident, but it was my first time going up on a stage to shoot in front of real cameras, under the lights. Wouldn't it be weird not to be nervous?
"No way. You've done camera tests a few times. And you already filmed and sent in your pre-introduction video, too."
Hyung patted my shoulder lightly and nodded, and as I found myself nodding along, one word that had just flashed past stuck with me.
Pre-introduction video.
The moment I remembered the video I'd sent to MTV a week ago, words burst out of my mouth on reflex.
The pre-introduction videos released starting ten days before a survival program's main broadcast. They weren't just simple self-introduction videos.
Because they were also a way to get your name and face out to viewers and secure fans before anyone else!
"Right! That's already out, right? Hyung, did you look up the reactions? Honestly, I wanted to check, but I got scared and haven't looked yet."
"Uh-huh....... Well, your pre-video is kind of a shock."
But even at my rapid-fire words, Jun-hyeok hyung only gave a faint smile.
And that reply doesn't even match what I said! Isn't hyung the one who wasn't listening to me?
'Maybe it's more that your video was just too shocking?'
Right then, as if it had been waiting, Super Strong Dragon cut in.
Sure, the chief and the trainers in front of me when I filmed it did have unusual looks on their faces! But you've got to do at least that much to grab attention!
"But Jae-min. Are you really going to be okay?"
"With what?"
Hyung seems a little weird today. If he suddenly asks if I'm okay out of the blue, how am I supposed to know what he means and answer?
I was aware my own face muscles were twisting. But I had no intention of hiding my expression.
In the end, hyung sighed and got to the point.
"Hoo— that video. The pre-introduction video. I'm asking if you're really okay with it going up like that."
Wait, wasn't that conversation already over? Why's he bringing it up again? Was it that weird?
But I couldn't react like that to hyung, so all I could do was pull up the corners of my mouth with all my strength.
"Yes."
"Really?"
At the repeated question, the corners of my mouth slowly started to tremble. Somewhere, Super Strong Dragon was laughing like it was about to run out of breath.
Swallowing a curse, I squeezed out every last ounce of strength I had and smiled at hyung.
"Of course. If I weren't okay with it, I wouldn't have filmed it in the first place. But why do you keep asking? Was it really so weird that you'd say this much?"
"......."
What? Why isn't he answering? Is hyung, of all people, allowed to do this to me!
'Pfffhaha!'
Unable to stand the injustice of being the only one who had to hear Super Strong Dragon's laughter ringing through the silence, I changed the subject.
"......Anyway, about the judges they just announced. They really gathered some amazing people, huh?"
"Ah. Yeah. They sure did."
Luckily, hyung followed right along with the new topic.
Wow— but isn't hyung nervous at all?
As far as I remember, Jun-hyeok hyung is in his 5th year as a trainee as of now, but this was his first survival program too.
Survival being a first meant being on TV at all was a first too, so how could he be so fine? Is this the majesty of Leadership rank A?
Or is it that my intro video, which we were just talking about, is the bigger shock.......
"Anyway, you calm down too. Here, have some water."
"Thanks, hyung. Aagh!"
Grumbling inwardly and pouting, I was looking with respect at hyung, who calmly handed me a water bottle, when I suddenly screamed.
Because the uncapped water bottle had poured straight onto my thigh.
"You okay? Sorry. My hands are weirdly shaking....... Haha!"
Looking at hyung's hands, shaking even more than mine, I muttered quietly.
"......So you're human too, hyung."
"What kind of obvious thing is that to say? I'll be right back from the bathroom."
Wiping my pants, I just nodded slightly at hyung's words.
Come to think of it, why hadn't I noticed?
That hyung, who'd met up with me at 8 in the morning to see the CEO, had gone to the bathroom more than five times by now, with the clock hands pointing at 9.
"Super Strong Dragon, you there?"
"Yeah."
Watching Jun-hyeok hyung's back as he ran to the bathroom, I called Super Strong Dragon. And, as if it had been waiting for just that, the blue, stubby dragon appeared before my eyes.
Hyung, who'd fled to the bathroom unable to bear the tension, would be back soon. So I had no time to waste.
Instead of beating around the bush, I quickly stated my purpose.
"Could you show me 'that' just once, maybe?"