Second Try Idol

Chapter 37: Survival Entertainment Show - Unit (5)

It was our seventh day living together as new team members, and we had been practicing in the practice room for two days now.

"Right here. Engage the strength in your legs and waist," Ji-Hyuk instructed.

On-Sae lay flat on the ground and, with remarkable ease, lifted his body using only his legs and waist. His exceptional dance skills, combined with his slender figure, made even the most challenging moves seem effortless.

Silently, Kim Jin-Wook watched On-Sae's fluid movements, his expression turning contemplative before he ultimately shook his head in defeat. "I can't do this."

"But we really need to nail this," I urged.

On-Sae, much like Lee Jin-Sung, excelled at dancing but struggled to convey the technique effectively. This move could easily injure someone less adept at dancing.

"Um, On-Sae. I'm not good at it either. It looks cool, but... umm... Is there anyone else who can do it besides On-Sae?" asked Ji-Hyuk.

The duo from Street Center and I raised our hands. After all, our groups were known for having the hardest choreography among all the groups.

"Those who can do it should definitely try. I’m afraid I might hurt my back if I do it. Jin-Wook, you feel the same, right?" said Ji-Hyuk.

Kim Jin-Wook nodded, and then Woo-Jeong tilted his head, asking, "Then, what are you and Jin-Wook going to do when we are doing this?"

"We’re not going to use that move in the dance break, right? Both of us will prepare something for the dance break too. At least, Jin-Wook and I are at a similar dance level."

We couldn’t really compare Kim Jin-Wook and Ji-Hyuk, but Ji-Hyuk could probably come up with a choreography that looked difficult yet was actually easy. That would match Jin-Wook’s skill level.

However, I had a nagging thought about this discussion.

"So, have we decided on the song we're going to use?"

Perfecting the choreography was crucial, but selecting the right song should have been our first step.

"...Ah, that's right. We keep getting distracted from choosing the song."

"The idea of creating a zombie-themed dance is worrying me," one of the members admitted.

With four skilled dancers on our team and the guidance from our choreography teacher, we could refine a dance routine within days. Yet, finding the right song proved to be an even tougher challenge than devising the dance moves.

"An expressive song would suit us well. It doesn't have to be horror-themed, just something sad and lyrical. We can craft the mood with the arrangement."

What could it be? We gathered around the laptop to search for songs, and Kim Jin-Wook, who was standing at the back, said, “I have a song in mind.”

His cooperative tone and expression were very awkward, but despite hesitating under our gazes, he still approached and took hold of the laptop mouse.

“It’s a lyrical, dark, and sad song. Actually, I was thinking about this song while eating ramen before...”

Jin-Wook quickly shut his mouth as he started mumbling and fiddling with the laptop. He seemed unaccustomed to explaining things to the team members, but he still needed to show a cooperative attitude once a day until the day of the competition, as this was the condition that Ji-Hyuk had set in exchange for letting him take the YU special audition.

Jin-Wook seemed to be fulfilling Ji-Hyuk’s mission quite well, more desperately than he appeared.

“This is it.”

Jin-Wook played the song, and an unfamiliar song flowed out of the speakers.

“Who sings this?” Everyone was startled at first because they didn’t know the song, but they soon admired it and started to get into the rhythm.

“This is really good! Whose song is it?”

“Uh... It’s a song called 'Need' by a group called Eve. They’ve disbanded now.”

Jin-Wook didn’t show it much, but he was definitely more excited than usual. Come to think of it, their arrangement for “Goblin” and the second round’s song also had a vibe similar to Eve’s songs.

“Jin-Wook, did you arrange ‘Goblin’ and the second round’s song for your team?” I asked just in case, and Jin-Wook nodded.

“Yes. We don't have an arranger to help us.”

This revelation took me by surprise. He was already a professional composer. It was a mystery why he had signed with True Entertainment, but it made sense now why he was successful later on.

"You should've said it earlier. I was so impressed by those arrangements!”

Jin-Wook's admission sparked excitement in Ji-Hyuk. “We don't need to ask someone else for the arrangement. You do it, you do it. You’ve never touched the dance break part before, have you?”

“No.”

“You should be in charge of arranging the music. Gosh, our Jin-Wook is so reliable.”

Kim Jin-Wook frowned and got up after hearing Ji-Hyuk’s words.

‘Here we go again.’

“I will work on the arrangement.”

“Haha, nice. Then, let’s take a look at the original choreography since we can’t just play around while watching the arrangement in the practice room.”

The group Eve had no songs other than “Need”, which was selected by Kim Jin-Wook. Since they disbanded before appearing on a broadcast, the only footage available from them was a lip-sync performance at a local event.

"The song is good, but the dance part needs a lot of work."

While everyone chose their words carefully in front of the camera, the reality was that the dance was at a level of simple movements, a stark contrast to the complexity of the song. This was somewhat similar to Air Senior’s performance...

"Jin-Wook hyung, which agency was Eve signed with?"

"Uh... they were with True Entertainment before my group was formed."

That explained the sense of familiarity I had been feeling. They were indeed a precursor to Air Senior. The story of Eve—an idol group that disbanded before they could even debut on television—had likely influenced their company's cautious approach when investing in Air Senior.

"When the choreographer arrives, we'll work on the details together. For now, let's focus on the dance break."

We were divided into two subgroups: one with four members and the other with two. Ji-Hyuk and Kim Jin-Wook concentrated on the music arrangement, while the rest of us worked on developing the dance break.

Our different backgrounds initially led to a clash of ideas, but since our dance team was composed of relatively agreeable people, we managed to find common ground and made headway.

Despite initial concerns over our cohesion, we were slowly morphing into an effective team.

***

The competition was just around the corner.

"Huff... huff... just a bit... let's rest for a bit."

After an exceptionally grueling practice, we all collapsed as if we had passed out. I was more exhausted than I had been during the “Moon-Sea” rehearsals. After all, our concept that mixed zombies with soldiers called for a dynamic and rapid choreography.

The internal rivalry within my original group, along with the competition from other teams, intensified the pressure on us. My T-shirt, drenched with sweat, clung to me uselessly. Despite the clock reading only 2 PM, my legs already shook, and I struggled to maintain my posture.

"...Ah, I can't do this anymore. Let's take a break for an hour. Rest up, everyone. I will go to a coffee shop for a bit." Ji-Hyuk left the practice room with On-Sae. The duo from Street Center lay down for a while and then left for the break room, saying that they would take a nap.

Kim Jin-Wook and I were the only ones left in the practice room. However, I was so drained that even speaking was a struggle. I barely managed to crawl and lean against the wall.

"Ah... I'm dying."

Fortunately, I was used to hardcore dancing thanks to Lee Jin-Sung and was in a slightly better condition than Kim Jin-Wook, who was experiencing such intense dance for the first time. He could barely lift his upper body and seemed almost dead.

I stared at Kim Jin-Wook for a while and then stood up. My legs were trembling. "Hyung, do you need some water?"

As soon as I blurted it out, Kim Jin-Wook looked at me and shot me a small nod. I didn't intend to take care of Kim Jin-Wook, but it seemed like he would collapse at any moment. After I brought him water, Kim Jin-Wook finally managed to sit up.

"Wow, not even a word of thanks to the person who brought you water."

"...Thank you." Kim Jin-Wook spaced out for a moment before sitting up.

"You should just lie down and rest."

Kim Jin-Wook didn't respond and placed the empty cup on the table. After that, he started fiddling with his laptop again, and I just leaned back against the wall and looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's practice one more time."

"...Aren't you tired?"

"I'm not tired. Just rest and don't mind me."

His legs visibly trembled even from a distance. However, the results of this stage were pivotal for his admission into YU Entertainment, which explained his extraordinary effort and cooperation. Understanding his determination, I leaned back and allowed myself a moment to recover while he started the music and resumed practicing.

The music started again. Although Jin-Wook looked exhausted to the point of depletion, he had improved a lot compared to when we first tried the choreography. I heard that he came out of the dorm deep in the forest whenever he had a chance to practice dancing, and it seemed like it was true.

Kim Jin-Wook occasionally glanced at me while dancing. I observed for a moment and then mentioned, "Hyung, the angle of your arm has completely dropped."

"Ah."

Kim Jin-Wook willingly changed the angle, but it still wasn’t in the right position, perhaps because he was out of energy. I massaged my legs a bit to relax my muscles and stood up.

"Ugh!"

I never imagined that I would be helping Kim Jin-Wook with choreography.

"Here, it needs to be at a right angle. Spread your legs a bit more, a bit wider than your shoulders and slightly bend... Yes, that's right."

I put my hands on him and kicked his legs a bit to spread them further.

"It's tough to fix this part because you’re tired, but let’s get the angles right. If all the dancers match and you alone stand out, it won’t look good."

"How am I supposed to know how high to lift my arms without looking in the mirror?"

"You can feel it. Since you always go lower than the original position, just lift your arms higher than you think. Try it now. One, two, three."

I was so out of energy that I was probably giving choreography instructions in a very listless and emotionless voice.

"That's good. Now, try it without looking in the mirror. Turn around, one, two, three. Good, well done."

Even to my ears, my voice sounded utterly soulless as I praised him. However, Kim Jin-Wook was seemingly unconcerned and tried to match the choreography a few more times.

"Do you give choreography instructions to your group members too?" he asked.

"Me? No. We have a hardcore dancer in our group, so I get scolded all the time."

"I thought you were the best dancer in your group."

"If you said that in front of my group members, they would laugh so hard at me."

Kim Jin-Wook snickered, "Are you mocking me? I should stop helping with the choreography."

"Take a break then." I mouthed the words and slumped against the wall.

'Wow, no mercy,'

At some point, I started blatantly showing my displeasure. At first, Kim Jin-Wook glared at me fiercely, but after living together for a few days, he ignored me as if it was nothing.

Kim Jin-Wook turned on the music and tried matching the choreography a few times before looking back at me.

"Hey, why are you looking at me? I told you to take a break," I said.

Complaining had become a habit for me now. This time too, Kim Jin-Wook ignored my complaint and gestured for me to come over. "Stop resting and match the moves with me just once."

"...Wow, my legs are shaking right now,” I said.

"You are the vice leader, aren’t you?"

"...I should’ve just gone out with the other hyungs."

Ah, my back, legs, and shoulders. The conversation and requests were dry, and the only thing dying were my joints.

I staggeringly walked over to Kim Jin-Wook and asked, "Should I stand next to you? Or should I stand in front and mirror the moves for you?"

"Next to me."

"Alright, you turn on the music."

When Kim Jin-Wook played the music, I realized how scary habits could be. Just a moment ago, my body was complaining, but as soon as the music started, it started to move on its own accord. Although I felt a creaking sensation in my joints somewhere, I was able to match the moves perfectly with Kim Jin-Wook.

"Oh, you guys are practicing again? Isn’t it tough? Let's take a break for an hour. I brought coffee." Around the chorus of the song, Ji-Hyuk and On-Sae came in and placed the coffee on the table. Then they started dancing along with the music, resuming practice naturally.

Time flowed as we cycled through the routine of practice, returning home, practicing again, and once more heading home, all inching us closer to the competition day.

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