In the end, for the final live broadcast’s original song performance, Lee Hwayoung, Woo Kangwon, and Baek Kiryang were assigned to the first song, while I, Do Yuda, Lee Danbi, and Nagi Zen were assigned to the second song.
‘It’s reasonable to say we were divided in order of age.’
After the team members were decided, I immediately took Lee Danbi with me and began the practice in earnest.
It was expected that Survive IDOL would not have a big change in final rankings compared to other programs, as the popularity of the trainees was heavily centered on the top few, and their fandoms were firmly established. That was probably why Lee Danbi, uncharacteristically, seemed anxious.
But it was okay.
I wouldn’t have reached out to Lee Danbi if I wasn’t confident in the first place.
‘The table has already turned. Lee Danbi just doesn’t realize it yet.’
I will give Lee Danbi a sense of fulfillment on the live broadcast stage.
Among the stages planned for the live broadcast, the ballad song tended to assign parts and high notes primarily to the vocal position trainees from the start, leaving almost no room for Lee Danbi to join in.
So, I ruled it out of my coaching agenda and chose the first performance to focus on. Our time was limited, and Lee Danbi was, as he said, a guy who needed a lot of time, so I had no choice.
“You’ll only get one chance. Don’t miss it.”
And today was finally the day of the live broadcast.
We followed the production team’s instructions and headed to the stadium, where we were changing into our costumes for the theme song.
“Trainees, hold on!”
While we were busy continuing with preparations, the production team came in with cameras. I wondered why they had to come in when we were already so swamped, but the moment I saw the face of the person following behind them, I immediately understood and put on a pretty expression.
“Son!”
It was a middle-aged woman with a short haircut who looked exactly like Do Yuda. Her identity was obvious. Sure enough, Do Yuda, who had been sitting next to me, jumped up in an instant and dashed straight to the door.
“Mom!”
The people who barged into the waiting room were Do Yuda’s mother and father, whom I vaguely remembered meeting a few times before.
“Hello.”
“It’s Seungbeom! How have you been? You look like you’ve lost more weight.”
Do Yuda’s mother gently cupped my cheek with her palm as she greeted me, and I simply bowed politely in response.
And it wasn’t just Do Yuda’s parents who entered the waiting room. The parents of other trainees also came in in one after another, filling the room to capacity, making it clear that the filming was intended to secure more content.
“What about Seungbeom-hyung’s parents?”
“They’re busy with work. It can’t be helped.”
“Huuung, that’s okay. You have me.”
When I made an excuse that my parents couldn’t come because they were busy, Do Yuda looked at me pitifully with extreme empathy.
Stop it. I told them not to come.
Don’t look at me like that.
“Are they busy? It’s okay! Auntie will take good pictures of your debut.”
Do Yuda’s mother, who was smiling while looking at his son clinging to me, laughed and said she would take good pictures of my debut. This, despite the fact that several professional cameras were already set up in front of the stage. She was such a kind person that I could clearly feel who Do Yuda took after in terms of personality.
Just as I was reassuring Do Yuda’s mother that I was okay, the waiting room door opened again and a bunch of kids rushed in. Among the kids who scattered around, one of them approached me and began introducing herself.
“Hello. My name is Lee Jina. I am a student in Grade 1, Class 2, number 16 at Elementary School.”
From the way she spoke, I could already tell who she’d learned to speak in such a straightforward manner.
‘They must be Lee Danbi’s younger siblings.’
“Hello.”
“…..Pretty oppa.”
‘I’m not an Oppa, but an Uncle. This is a big problem.’
Since the outer appearance was that of a 20-year-old, I often found myself in awkward situations.
As I awkwardly smiled, the child looked at me intently and suddenly reached out her hand. She wanted to be held.
“Here you go.” I chuckled and lifted the child into my arms, away from the side with the microphone.
Then, the child snuggled into my neck, and I could feel a heartbeat against my neck. I couldn’t tell if it was mine or the hers, but the moment I felt that beat, a cherished memory surfaced in my mind.
It was a faint but treasured memory, from a time before I had even entered kindergarten.
“Yutae-ya, do you know what’s in Mom’s tummy?”
“It’s baby. Baby.”
“Right? There’s a baby in here. Yutae’s little brother is here.”
The thumping heartbeat I felt beneath her warm skin every time she did so was something I’ve never forgotten.
“Will Yutae pick a name for the baby?”
“Yutae pick?”
“Yes, Mom would be so happy if Yutae picks the name.”
When my mother saw me like that, she asked me to choose Seo Yuseong’s name.
“….Byul. I like stars.”
In the end, I ended up playing a part in naming him ‘
Byul
‘ as the birth nickname, and then ‘
Yuseong
‘ inspired by it
1
. Perhaps because I was the one who started the name
Seo Yuseong
, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility for him from that point on.
“…….”
‘With younger siblings like these, I wouldn’t be able to say I disliked it out loud even once.’
I wasn’t sure what his relationship with his parents was like, but the children were innocent and so lovable.
Recalling my memories of Seo Yuseong, I could understand why Lee Danbi had managed to endure and hold on without exploding in that household.
“Oppa, are you wearing makeup?”
While I was lost in my thoughts, the child in my arms asked me, and I replied with a smile.
“Yes, I am. I have to go on stage in a little while.”
“It’s sparkling. Pretty.”
I answered, trying to suppress my uneasy feelings, and the child giggled before reaching out towards my face. At that, Lee Danbi panicked and quickly pulled his sibling away from my arms.
“No. Jina, come here. You can’t be rude.”
Then, he held the child in his arms so naturally, gently rocking her. The sight was both tender and unsettling. But it seemed to be a very ordinary thing for Lee Danbi, as he bowed his head towards me with a casual familiarity.
“I’m sorry. It seems like Jina likes you, hyung. She’s usually very shy around strangers….”
“It’s fine. That’s just how kids are.”
“No. I’m just picky about faces.”
“…….”
I felt like I heard something I shouldn’t have.
While I was trying my best to pretend I didn’t hear it, Lee Danbi’s parents, who had been distracted by something else, eventually approached and spoke to him.
“Wow, if our Danbi debuts successfully this time, does that mean we won’t have to work anymore? Will we finally be able to receive some filial piety?”
“It’s time for Mom and Dad to stop living a life of just devotion and sacrifice, and start enjoying a life of luxury.”
I stepped in between them before Lee Danbi, who had a dark expression, could open his mouth. Then, with a casual smile, I answered in his place.
“Come on, Mother-nim, Father-nim. Isn’t it filial piety to be as independent and capable of taking care of himself as Danbi? There are hardly any kids like Danbi these days. He couldn’t be any more filial than he already is.”
I said it with the intention of telling them not to force any more expectations on him, since he’s already doing well enough. But they laughed and scratched their heads in embarrassment, as if they had assumed I was simply complimenting him.
“Is that so? It seems like Danbi is doing well outside. To us, he just looks like a careless child.”
“…….”
You must endure, Seo Yutae.
You must not destroy the family relationship that Lee Danbi had endured so hard to maintain. We must maintain the good relationship until he becomes an adult and can freely sign a contract of his own.
‘Damn … da … No. Pretty words. I’m Nicholas Hwayoung Lee. I don’t know any bad words.’
I cheerfully spoke with a wide smile on my face, “Of course. He’s doing well. So, please rest assured and let Danbi take care of things on his own.”
“Hyung…..”
I felt Danbi pulling the hem of my clothes with a light tug from behind. I tapped his wrist with my back to him and turned my attention back to his parents.
“We’ll be going on stage shortly. I think it would be best to move to the seats that the production staff have prepared for you.”
Get out. Get the hell out.
I don’t even want to look at you.
As I suppressed those feelings and spoke, Do Yuda’s mother, who had been watching the situation, nudged Lee Danbi’s parents and gave me a nod.
“Alright. Let’s not disturb the kids, let’s all move. Sons, fighting!”
I gave her a thumbs-up for her sensible response.
***
“From now on, we will begin the final broadcast of Survive IDOL!”
The live broadcast had already started, and with Yang Hajun leading the live broadcast, the group performance was approaching fast. I chuckled at the sight of Lee Danbi, who looked quite nervous as we were about to go on stage.
I could tell what the cause of that nervousness was.
“Everyone, get your act together. It’s the last day of the program, and you’re still messing up the dance break choreography. What are we going to do now?”
“Viewers these days are really sensitive. They can immediately tell that you’re not doing the dance break properly, which means we can’t get a good full shot. But we can’t just film only the top 7 trainees who are performing it well. There’s a lot of criticism about why the lower-ranked trainees aren’t getting proper screentime to showcase their dancing skills.”
Just as I feared, the trainees couldn’t properly perform the difficult choreography even during the camera rehearsal, and the production staff expressed their frustration.
— Are these guys going to die if the camera moves away from them? Why are they only doing close-ups? haha Is this a close-up reporting
2
?
└ Jay made the choreography so difficult that a full shot would make everyone look terrible. That dance break part is becoming a viral challenge … does this make sense?
└ Jay’s skills are pretty obvious, but seeing the trainees struggling like that, isn’t it best to just avoid choreography created by idols after all? The final episode is live, so I’m curious to see if they can pull it off haha
└ The production team originally asked him to make it so difficult that the trainees couldn’t dance it, but you’re bashing Yoo Jay here. So what if you see if it?
└ It’s his fault … it’s because it was choreographed according to his own standards. Choreography that the God Jay found difficult will literally kill the trainees……
└ It didn’t look that difficult haha he just genuinely thought that was the appropriate level of difficulty. People have been mocking those kids more harshly ever since Yoo Jay’s demo video went viral. That was seriously insane. His dance lines are exactly the same as Seo Yutae’s.
└ Hmm … even if he made it difficult on purpose, designing the choreography so that only a few out of the 77 trainees could perform it seems like a bit much. It makes me question his qualifications as choreographer. If he has pride, shouldn’t he have rejected the production team’s request and created choreography that the trainees could handle? Honestly, it’s obvious he just wanted to show off his dancing skills, not caring whether the trainees would ruin the stage or not.
└ Oooh, are you quite the critic?
Just as the production team stated, the public was already aware of all the behind-the-scenes struggles.
Since their tricks had already been exposed, they would probably want to avoid using the same approach if possible.
So, I saw it as an opportunity and had Lee Danbi thoroughly practice the theme song while the other trainees were focused on and practicing the new original songs.
Lee Danbi was a guy who, from the very beginning of the grade re-evaluation, followed me around and invested an incomparable amount of time practicing the theme song compared to the other trainees. That’s why I was really confident about the first performance.
“But right now, other than Danbi, there isn’t a single trainee outside the debut zone who’s doing it properly. Do you want to go home without earning a debut spot like this? We, the production team, want to give you a chance, but what are we supposed to do if you act like this?”
I was confident that Lee Danbi would be able to satisfy the production team and the public.
I lifted the corners of my mouth as I looked at the people filling the audience spots.
“Trainees, standby!”
Please pay close attention, everyone.
The main character of the live broadcast’s first performance will be Danbi.”
“Danbi, you’re going to have a lot of solo shots, so be prepared.”
“…Thank you!”
Opportunities usually come to those who are prepared.
And I was the top-tier instructor who pointed out exactly what needed to be prepared.
“Yutae-hyung, can I take a video of you dancing?”
“Why?”
“I want to watch the video in slow motion and analyze it. How talented people dance. Then, maybe I can at least try to imitate your talent.”
There were testimonials from successful student as well.
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Translator’s Corner:
Birth (/baby) nickname (태명) is a name given to a baby before they are officially named. Basically when the baby is still in the belly and just born, parents didn’t choose a name right away right. The “Baby name” is used to temporary call them. Here, Seo Yuseong’s baby name “Byul”, and then later his official name is “Seo Yuseong”. MC said he likes star so he named the baby “Byul”.
별 ( Byul / Byeol ) means “Star”, meanwhile 유성 ( Yuseong ) means “Shooting Star”
↩︎
The “close-ups reporting” used here is 밀착 취재, it’s a type of journalism when you knew … the reporter is very close to the subject of the news. Like if you saw a news and they’re basically shoving mics into the person’s face and the camera is really close. ↩︎
Jina … you’re so me … me too … Seungbeom, I want a hug too …
omg I was stuck on this chapter for hours because I kept tearing up when I reached the part of baby Yutae and his mom … I cant do this, baby Byul i love you …. please give your older brother to me