"You seem to be used to the accompaniment by now, so shall we take a look at the choreography?"
At some point, the accompaniment that had been looping on with no beginning or end cut out— and went silent. Producer Na Seung-pil didn't miss the brief gap and delivered his line.
Having drawn the trainees' eyes that way, producer Na Seung-pil stepped aside to one side of the stage, and soon an image came up on the stage screen.
The song's title, written in yellow letters on a black background.
Even though I already knew it, seeing it right in front of my eyes as a contestant did feel different.
Worn-out, weary pieces
Holding memories of once shining
The time we spent waiting under gathering dust
The song and the choreography start off a little slow.
Sometimes through the rough sorting
Sometimes inside the blazing furnace
We discover each other's worth
Together we overcome
The lyrics were still grand, but the beat and the choreography got lighter and lighter. With jumps into the air and high-fives with the person next to you, it seemed to show trainees full of playfulness.
It's okay to be broken
Gather up again and shine
Blooming from the ruins
A new story
And finally, the chorus I'd been waiting for came.
When I heard these lyrics before, I thought they were laying the backstory on way too thick, to the point my lips twisted, so why do they hit this hard now?
'Hey. Are you crying?'
I'm not crying. It'd be a problem if I cried already.
'Really? Everyone around you is crying, though?'
I was barely holding down the emotion welling up from deep inside when Super Strong Dragon cut in again. But everyone around me is crying? Really?
"......Wow."
I thought it was a lie to tease me, but it wasn't. Every trainee around me really was either pinching their nose or had eyes rimmed in red.
Aren't they all way too full of feelings?
'Look who's talking.'
Sadly, this was one remark from that Super Strong Dragon thing I couldn't argue with.
***
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
"Waaah!"
When the 3-minute-45-second song was over and the screen went dark, applause and cheers nobody had asked for burst out all over. It would be a stretch to say everyone did it with the cameras in mind; more than half of it was probably pure emotion.
"At this level, it's worth a shot."
Se-jun hyung's words beside me brought me back to reality.
Worth a shot. If Se-jun hyung is saying that, it means he's confident.
"I'm not exactly light on my feet, so I'm worried."
"Being light on your feet and jumping up are two different things."
"Are they?"
I'd feigned ignorance to change the subject, but hyung didn't seem willing to let it slide so easily. Of course, thanks to Super Strong Dragon's trials and tribulations, I already knew what the difference was, but I was just thinking I might hear him out this once.
"What's today's date?"
Producer Na Seung-pil grinned as he asked the date out of nowhere. The trainees looked at each other, then answered in unison.
"March 21."
"It's March 21."
He's asking the date all of a sudden?
"That's right. March 21. Then what's the date of Star Recycle's first broadcast?"
And before my question could be resolved, another question followed. The one difference from before was that a few fewer people answered this question.
"It's April 1."
"Correct. Thank you, Trainee Yu Yeon-su."
What? Yu Yeon-su?
At the welcome name, I stood on tiptoe and craned my neck as far as it would go, but sadly, I couldn't see Yu Yeon-su's face this time either.
At this rate, I might not run into him even once until the end.
"Yesterday, of course, and from now on, you'll be spending most of your time with cameras, except when you're sleeping."
Producer Na Seung-pil kept on talking. There'd be more people than you'd think who know that's a lie, though.
Because the long-standing tradition of survival programs is sneaking in while you sleep, filming you talking in your sleep, and airing it.
"And not just one camera, but dozens. Editing that mountain of footage down to just two hours takes quite a lot of time. It takes at least five days of work."
But is that in the script too? Most trainees and viewers don't know this sort of thing, so explaining it once isn't a bad idea, though.
Then again, it's something he has to say if he's going to say what comes after.
"What are we supposed to do with that?"
"Right. Why's he suddenly talking about that in the middle of talking about the song?"
But when the intro drags on too long, complaints are bound to burst out. Even I, who roughly knew what was going on, was getting bored, so they couldn't have thought today's impatient kids would sit quietly through this, could they?
"So!"
Luckily, it seemed the main point was finally coming before the murmuring could grow.
"Exactly 72 hours from this moment. March 24, at this time, in this place, we will hold a test. Only the fifty-four who pass will go up on the opening stage."
"Three days?!"
The problem was that my guess that they'd give at least 5 days or so was completely wrong.
They want us to master that song and choreography in just 3 days? Aren't they total crooks?
Back when it was Recycle, they gave a whole week, and put only 30 out of 108 on stage. And the other 78 ended up only providing their voices for the track.
And Jun-hyeok hyung was among the 78 who didn't make it on stage. Of the debut members I'd picked out now, the only one among the 30 was Yu Yeon-su.
'You mean the Yu Yeon-su you haven't even met yet?'
Yeah. That Yu Yeon-su.
"I didn't think they'd put up as many as half. That's pretty generous?"
With my insides boiling over Jun-hyeok hyung not making the stage, not getting to see Yu Yeon-su, and the time being cut by more than half, it was Se-jun hyung once again who brought me back to reality.
The past can change. Blaming myself for forgetting that important fact, I let out a small sigh.
"I know. They won't be able to get every single one on camera, though."
With 30, there'd been a chance for each of them to get caught on screen at least once in those 3 minutes 45 seconds. But 54 is a number where even if three or four get filmed together, it'd flash by in no time.
"You can worry about that once you're up there. Let's do well."
"Yep!"
No matter how I think about it, Super Strong Dragon and Se-jun hyung seem to play pretty similar roles.
'You're just lacking, I'm telling you?'
Ah, come on!
***
"The audio file and the choreography video have been sent to each of your personal phones. Anyone who wants to use a private practice room, please request it separately from the staff."
When producer Na Seung-pil went down and the staff's announcement dropped, the trainees hurriedly found their phones and picked them up. Probably to get it down even a second faster.
'So. Will you be okay?'
Super Strong Dragon asked me as I moved at a slightly more leisurely pace than everyone else. Come to think of it, Jun-hyeok hyung and the other trainees had already stuck earphones in their ears and fixed their eyes on their phones.
Naturally, I remember the choreography and the song. To be more honest, I only remember the key points of the choreography here and there.
To be exact, yeah! That triangle-shaped recycling-logo part Jun-hyeok hyung is making right now! Was the lyric 'redefining true worth'?
'I was thinking this while watching earlier, but that's really lame.'
Yeah. I agree wholeheartedly. It's so lame I can't believe this choreography isn't a hidden-camera prank.
But ironically, this choreography, which got the worst reviews as soon as it was revealed, stuck in people's heads for a pretty long time. And it would this time too.
'Hey, but you can pick up choreography at this level fast now, right?'
As I bobbed my head along, belatedly watching the choreography video that came up on my phone, Super Strong Dragon called me once again. It's just a little sad that I can't say yes to that question.
No. I think it'll take at least half a day.
'But Kim Se-jun over there seems to have picked up the whole choreography already?'
What are you talking about? Even playing it nonstop from the moment we got the link until now, even counting the video we watched earlier! It's only been about 3 times.
'It's true, I'm telling you? Go look before you talk.'
I could actually feel the muscles in my face scrunch up in an instant. But the thing wouldn't take my word for it, and in the end, I had no choice but to turn my head.
"......Is he even human?"
And I had to feel, painfully, the difference between me and someone born to dance.
-It's okay to be broken. Gather up again and shine.
Because just watching Se-jun hyung move with earphones in, I had the song playing automatically in my head.
"Whoa? Looks like he's already got the whole choreography down."
And it seemed I, who'd come back to the past knowing both the song and the dance, wasn't the only one who felt that.
"Was that guy an A?"
"I don't think so. Look over there. Doesn't it seem like even the Grade A people haven't gotten it all down yet?"
Because I wasn't the only trainee who couldn't take his eyes off Se-jun hyung's every move. Far from it.
-A new story, blooming from the ruins.
And what's with even that lame triangle move looking classy when hyung does it?
Wow. This time, I should ask Se-jun hyung for some help. We're roommates, after all, so he'd help me at least a little, right?
I heard Super Strong Dragon snort, but I made a point of ignoring it and went over to Se-jun hyung.
"Hm? Why would I?"
And the small hope I'd held was smashed to pieces by a single word from hyung.
While I stood there so flustered I couldn't say anything, Se-jun hyung patted my shoulder, added a word of encouragement, then faced the wall again and started moving.
Ah, I never imagined I'd get a reaction like this. I don't feel encouraged. At all!
'Heh-heh. Serves you right. Don't go thinking everyone's going to help you like I do.'
And you're just enjoying my misery, too!
This mission isn't going to be easy, it looks like.