Chapter 29: Survival Entertainment Show - Random Keywords (3)
After a while, one of the staff from UNET glanced at me and Park Yoon-Chan, who were drenched in sweat. He asked, “Did you switch on your self-cam during your practice? It probably caught some intense footage.”
“Yep, it has been recording,” I replied.
“Great, Chronos has got the right idea. Don’t mind us; just carry on with your practice. We’ll be done here shortly.” The staff then turned their attention to setting up the new camera and discussing the best angles, while Park Yoon-Chan and I resumed our practice.
"You mentioned wanting to watch the video, right? Let's hurry up and watch." This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
"Oh, right. But hyung, shouldn't we turn the self-cam this way?"
"Oh, right... yeah." I adjusted the self-cam and framed Park Yoon-Chan in the shot.
"I’ve got the choreography video ready on UTube."
"Okay."
We spoke in small voices as we played the choreography video even though no one told us to.
"Yeah, I definitely missed that part of the choreography."
"I think you didn’t miss it at first, but the fast pace might have jumbled up your moves. It seems like you unintentionally changed the moves and just went with it. Let's pay attention and try it again."
"Okay. hyung, can you film me?" Park Yoon-Chan massaged his shoulder and got into position in the center of the practice room.
"Playing it now."
I played the music and started filming Park Yoon-Chan with the phone I borrowed from Joo-Han. Park Yoon-Chan was glaring at the mirror with determination. As the early morning practice continued, his attitude was clearly improving.
“Your form is slipping!”
He instantly corrected his form at my call-out.
“Match the tempo, stay sharp!”
Gritting his teeth, Park Yoon-Chan pushed to maintain his pace. Though slightly behind, he was quickly catching up. It seemed that we would have a smoother group practice later.
Three hours passed swiftly, and his choreography practice for “There is No Night for Me” concluded with the appearance of the brightening sky.
"That's it for now. Let's rest a bit until the others arrive."
"...Did I do okay? Phew, can I see the footage?" Park Yoon-Chan tried to catch his breath and took the phone from me.
"Hey, you did well. If you keep it up, there won't be any problems."
"...So it really does work if I give my all and go for it." Park Yoon-Chan looked a bit relieved as he checked the recorded video.
***
The first day of practice ended earlier than planned, thanks to Park Yoon-Chan. Despite initial concerns about him, he quickly grasped the choreography during practice. As a result, the choreography practice progressed quickly.
"We have plenty of time left. Shall we practice some vocals as well?"
"Shall we give it a try now?" Park Yoon-Chan agreed and immediately started preparing for the vocal practice, which surprised Lee Jin-Sung.
"Hyun-Woo hyung, what happened between Yoon-Chan hyung and you this morning? Why is he suddenly so passionate?"
"Nothing happened."
Park Yoon-Chan had found his stride, embracing the practice wholeheartedly. Moreover, this choreography was simpler than that of “Moon Sea,” so it allowed for faster progress—especially since the company had taken a hands-on approach with the arrangements.
Thanks to Park Yoon-Chan’s diligence, we could prioritize not only completion but also the caliber of our performance. Compared to the “Moon Sea” days, we were clearly better off in every aspect.
‘If we have this much time... Hmm.’
"Let's get a bit more greedy."
As soon as I said this, all the members' attention focused on me.
"What do you mean by greedy?"
“Kyaa! Oh my gosh!”
A huge crowd rushed toward the car in an instant, leaving us stuck there.
“Wh-what is going on?”
“What are you talking about? Those are your fans. Stay in the car and wait.”
The stylist quickly removed the captain’s hat from my head, while the manager stepped out of the car to calm the crowd. Contrary to their initial rush, the crowd gave us some space after a brief conversation with the manager.
“Our fans?”
“Is this for real? Wow......”
The members couldn’t take their eyes off the fans. They were waiting for us, not knowing when we would arrive, and their number and cheers were incomparable to that of our last performance. It was a strangely wonderful feeling.
Having created some distance with the fans, the manager opened the car door for us. He then said, “Come out. They are your fans, so wave and smile nicely to them.”
“Wow...... Wow......”
The manager adeptly guided us to the filming site.
“Oppa! We came to see you!”
“We will support you! We will definitely make you number one this time!”
“We love you! Just trust us! Do well on stage today!”
The level of excitement was extraordinary, and we responded with awkward bows and greetings. After all, we weren’t accustomed to such attention.
“Thank you so much. We will do our best.”
Whenever a member said a word...
“You got this! You can do it!”
“Don’t get hurt and stay strong!”
“Oppa, we will cheer for you wholeheartedly!”
We received an array of enthusiastic responses. It was then that I truly understood how the Allure members drew strength from interacting with their fans. This realization was both new and profound.
"Chronos is making their entrance!"
Upon our arrival at the studio, the already assembling cast members turned their gaze toward us.
“......Hello.”
“Hello. We are looking forward to filming with you guys.”
The atmosphere in the studio was tense, perhaps due to the close vote counts from the last filming session.
***
“Wow, I never thought an idol competition would have this kind of vibe.”
Producer Lee Won-Jae was in awe of the studio's charged environment. The notion that such intensity could stem from a show featuring a rookie idol group exceeded his expectations. The combination of three top contenders for victory, three underdog teams, and the close vote counts post-broadcast created noticeable tension.
The once laid-back mood was now overshadowed by thoughts of “maybe we could outshine them” or “perhaps we could overtake one of the front-running teams.”
Despite the underlying pressure, Lee Won-Jae's expression was one of sheer delight. "Have you guys gathered the self-cams from each team?"
“Yes, I collected them and checked the contents yesterday.”
“Edit the contents to focus on scenes where they show a competitive spirit. Make it look as intense as possible. Also, highlight any disputes between the members, creating a story like, ‘Despite the struggles, we pulled through and delivered a fantastic performance.’”
“The popular choice, Chronos, dropped to third place in the viewer voting, right? There would definitely be good scenes to highlight from the three strong teams and Air Senior, whose ranking is at the bottom.”
However, the staff hesitated and said, “Director Lee, focusing on competitive scenes is a good idea, but if we do that, Chronos’s screen time will be significantly reduced.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Lee Won-Jae had expected that there would be interesting scenes from Chronos. So, he tilted his head, not understanding what the staff was saying. Did Chronos start to take it easy because they had secured first place in the competition ranking?
The staff shook his head as he grasped Lee Won-Jae’s misunderstanding. “It seems like the kids from Chronos are naturally gentle.”
The staff rubbed his neck. There was nothing. At least, from what the staff could see, they couldn’t find such competitive scenes from Chronos’s video.