Translator: Dreamscribe
‘Ugh... I can't believe I'm back here.’
It was still early morning, and the cold air that could freeze her ears wrapped around Ji-yeon’s body.
A time before sunrise, when everyone else would still be asleep.
Yet, in front of the cable broadcasting station MPlay, there was a long line of people like Ji-yeon waiting.
People divided into groups, each holding up placards in their arms with happy smiles on their faces.
They were none other than fans of singers waiting to enter the music broadcast Music Count.
‘Is this really okay...?’
Looking at those groups of fans, Ji-yeon suddenly felt a pang of loneliness as she stood there alone.
She recalled the times when she used to go see pre-recordings of music shows for G.G or more recently DP, together with other fan comrades she had met through fan sites or SNS.
But today, Ji-yeon was participating in a pre-recording alone for the first time.
‘I didn’t want to come alone... but still, I really wanted to see it, just once.’
The reason Ji-yeon was standing in front of the broadcast station at this early hour, skipping school.
It was to see the very first stage performance of Idol Ground 100.
At first, Ji-yeon felt resistance toward the unfamiliar format of an “idol survival program” and the overwhelming number of 100 participants.
But at some point, she found herself repeatedly watching the pre-interview videos of the participants.
‘There’s a reason they picked 100!’
At first, she wondered if picking that many was too much, but that was a stupid thought.
What’s the advantage of a large-member idol group?
It’s that there’s bound to be at least one person who fits your taste.
And because Idol Ground 100 had as many as 100 participants, there were quite a few that deeply appealed to Ji-yeon.
‘Today... I have to see them in person, no matter what!’
To see one of them in person, Ji-yeon came all the way to the broadcasting station in Sangam, which took over an hour from her house, despite the freezing weather.
‘Am I overdoing this...?’
Ji-yeon carefully clutched the placard in her hands close to her chest so no one would peek.
[Lee Si-on, you must debut!]
The very person who brought Ji-yeon here today, and the participant who had kept her glued to her computer monitor all week.
With five years of idol fangirling under her belt, Ji-yeon had even made a placard herself out of excitement over the chance to see Lee Si-on in person.
However, the reason she was feeling self-conscious was the worry that people around her might find it odd that she came to cheer on a participant from a show that hadn’t even aired yet and who hadn’t even debuted.
***
Ji-yeon’s worry was unfounded.
“Ryu A-yeon!”
In the audience area, people could be seen excitedly calling out names while holding placards.
And in their hands, just like Ji-yeon's, were placards with the names of Idol Ground 100 participants written on them.
Even at a glance, it was clear that a considerable number of people were here to support the participants of Idol Ground 100.
‘What the heck, all those posts on SNS said MPlay was going crazy again!’
Ji-yeon felt bitter about having worried she’d stand out for coming alone.
The internet was full of nothing but negative posts, yet even before the show had started airing, fans were showing up to watch the stage.
This meant that the interest in Idol Ground 100 was higher than she had expected.
“They’re coming out!”
And finally, it was time for the first stage of Idol Ground 100 to begin.
‘Wow, that’s a lot.’
100 people.
Compared to typical idol groups that have at most 9 members, seeing 100 participants entering made even their entrance look unusual.
The participants entered one after another through five separate entrances.
‘Huh? What is this!’
Ji-yeon couldn’t help but be shocked as she watched the participants step onto the stage.
Because the structure of the stage, which looked like it had been specially built for this performance, was extremely unique.
A special stage shaped like a five-tiered cake.
The participants positioned on the top tier of the stage had flashy lighting and were clearly visible from the audience seats, but the further down it went, the dimmer the lighting became and the harder it was to see.
Especially those on the bottom tier, it was so dark that their faces couldn’t even be seen properly.
‘What criteria did they use to divide them like this? Wait... no way, is it based on pre-interview views?’
Still, with some idol fangirling experience under her belt, Ji-yeon could tell that the production staff wouldn’t have divided the participants like this without a reason.
Assuming they had divided them by some kind of ranking or performance metric, Ji-yeon quickly began scanning the top tier of the stage.
“There she is!”
And upon spotting one of the participants standing on the highest level of the stage, Ji-yeon ended up shouting out loud without realizing it.
Lee Si-on.
The reason Ji-yeon came here today, and the face she had watched in pre-interview videos hundreds of times to the point that she even saw it in her dreams.
That face was right in front of her eyes.
‘Crazy! This is crazy!!!’
Ji-yeon couldn’t stop admiring Lee Si-on’s face in her mind.
Lee Si-on had already stood out in the videos because of how pretty she was, but seeing her in person gave off an aura that was hard to describe.
Especially.
‘Look at those eyes!’
Lee Si-on’s expressionless face calmly scanning the surroundings exuded a cold, sharp aura like a razor blade.
And that kind of atmosphere was exactly Ji-yeon’s favorite type, the so-called cold princess style.
In fact, Ji-yeon’s taste had always been consistent.
From G.G in the past to DP more recently, all the members she liked had exactly matched her visual preferences, which was why she had fallen so deeply into fangirling.
Because of this, everyone who knew Ji-yeon called her a serious looks-obsessed fan.
‘Looks are a virtue for idols too!’
Ji-yeon believed that, for idols, appearance was just as important as talent.
And by her standards, Lee Si-on fit perfectly.
“It’s starting!”
“Wow! With 100 people, it really is something to watch. How many cameras do they even have?”
“More than that, what kind of song are they going to sing? Don’t tell me 100 people are going to perform some other idol’s song?”
Finally, the stage filled with 100 participants.
Music began to play.
I've been waiting for this moment (Oh yeah)
The light I’ve been hiding
Now it’s time to show it
You can't avoid my eyes
As the upbeat music began to echo, the audience instinctively bobbed their heads to the rhythm.
Even though it was a brand new song, the melody was intuitive and the vibe was so lively that people could easily get into it without resistance.
Moreover, watching 100 participants dancing in perfect sync to the music was a rare sight, so even the audience members who initially had no interest in the performance gradually started to focus their attention.
Maybe it feels like a dream
But I’ve made it real
Now it’s my turn
Make everyone remember me
‘Wow... I wasn’t expecting much since they’re just trainees, but they’re really good?’
Just like the other audience members, Ji-yeon was completely absorbed in the performance, staring intently.
But since Ji-yeon had seen many idol performances in person, she instantly realized that the level of this performance was far from ordinary.
Due to the nature of idol choreography, the difficulty of syncing movements increases exponentially even with just a slight increase in number of members. When 100 people are on stage together, it usually ends up a complete mess.
However, the participants of Idol Ground 100 were cleverly avoiding that pitfall.
‘At first, the lighting subtly focuses on the bottom-tier members, and as it heads into the highlight, the audience’s attention naturally shifts to the participants on the upper tiers.’
Pick me now, pick me wow
The name that will make your heart flutter
Among countless stars
Choose me- now!
Even just watching the section right before the current highlight, Ji-yeon noticed how the lighting was deliberately focused on the participants at the top of the stage, and the cameras were zooming in on them.
‘What? They’re actually good too?!’
Ji-yeon’s eyes caught Lee Si-on, fiercely dancing under the dazzling lights from the top tier of the stage.
Shine me now, light me up
Keep believing in me till the end
Although she was not the center, the fact that she was on the top tier meant she was a participant who, for whatever reason, had been highly evaluated.
Above all, the very fact that the broadcast staff were giving Si-on a solo shot during the climax of the song was enough to show that she was a participant they were paying attention to.
On top of that,
‘I felt it in the interview videos too... her voice is really good!’
Rather than being overwhelmingly powerful to the point of giving goosebumps, her voice had such a good tone that listeners naturally became immersed.
Moreover, even while dancing and singing live, her pitch did not falter even a little, remaining stable and even comforting to hear.
‘I can’t help it... I’m going to make sure you debut!’
While watching Si-on (19), Ji-yeon (18) hardened her resolve to immediately dive into SNS and community sites to push the hashtag movement #LeeSiOn_MustDebut.
“There is only one chance!”
As the song reached its final part, the lights went out, and a single spotlight illuminated only one person on the stage.
‘Wow... Ryu A-yeon is insane too. Well, honestly, who else besides her would take center?’
Out of the 100 participants, only one person had the role of completing the final ending scene.
That person was Ryu A-yeon.
The spotlight focused solely on Ryu A-yeon, who was standing confidently at the very front of the stage. Without showing the slightest tension under the spotlight, she sang the final part of the song with a bold expression and jumped up lightly.
-It’s me now, this is the moment!
‘Huh? Did Ryu A-yeon just slip?’
But what entered Ji-yeon’s eyes at that moment was Ryu A-yeon’s body suddenly staggering as she tried to strike the final pose during the ending, as if she were about to fall.
However,
Tak!
Right then, from behind her, Lee Si-on appeared at a timing no one saw coming and naturally grabbed Ryu A-yeon’s hand, helping her regain her balance.
***
‘Damn, that was sick.’
I almost let a swear slip out of my mouth because I was so impressed by my own quick reflexes.
Since I had a mic on, if I had actually said it out loud, it would not have ended with just a meeting with my aunt... thank goodness.
“You okay?”
“....”
It was not like we were Romeo and Juliet, but with Ryu A-yeon practically leaning into my arms with one shoulder touching mine, I whispered quietly toward her.
But she did not seem to hear, only catching her breath and maintaining a natural posture.
“Cut!”
Finally, the finishing cue from the filming director in front of the stage was given, and at that moment, all the participants who had been holding their pose relaxed.
“What! Why did you do that at the end?!”
“Hey now, don’t try to pry now.”
And immediately, Seo Ryu-jin ran over and asked what had happened.
Just by her expression, it was clear she had not seen exactly what occurred and was dying of curiosity.
“I’ll tell you later at the training camp.”
But since Ryu A-yeon was right in front of us, saying what happened directly felt awkward, so I told Seo Ryu-jin I would explain later.
“Don’t tell me... you rushed to the center because you wanted the ending shot?”
"Are you crazy?!"
“Fine, never mind.”
How sad.
Recently, I could feel my dignity being chipped away in real time.
Just looking at Seo Ryu-jin, who insulted me and confidently walked back to the waiting room without blinking, said everything.
She was definitely shy at first when we met, having a hard time even making eye contact with me, but now, if I so much as joke around, she glares and smacks my back without hesitation.
And that was not all.
Soo-yeon, Nara, and Ji-hye, who used to quietly listen when I talked about games or historical dramas at the dorm, had also changed their attitudes recently.
‘Unnie... everything else is fine, but can you please stop telling stories about that Legend of the Valley player Seiker?’
...I did talk about Seiker a bit long.
But is Seiker an ordinary player?
His gameplay is a treasure beyond Korea, worthy of being designated a world cultural heritage. Of course explaining him to girls who knew nothing about him would take a long time.
“...I could have done it alone.”
“Hm?”
While heading to the waiting room and reflecting on how the girls’ attitudes toward me had recently worsened, and on the collapsing Confucian spirit of Korea, those words suddenly came from Ryu A-yeon, who had been quietly walking beside me this whole time.
I was about to ask what she meant.
But she quickly walked past me and disappeared.
Kids these days really had no manners.
*****
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