Chapter 15

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 015th Chapter

Why is Malrangdalcom suddenly here...?

The audience, who were flustered, finally realized that this stage was not covering VTIC but the idols under LeTi, VTIC's agency.

"Wh-what is this...?"

Because it wasn't even a particularly famous song, intermittent reactions of annoyance appeared and disappeared here and there.

If it were a hit song like "POP☆CON," it might have been different, but most people only remembered the chorus of the debut song.

She, who was changing the camera settings, felt the same way.

'Should I just get the audience's voting greeting photo?'

Just as she thought this half-heartedly while hiding the camera from the security's eyes, the stage darkened, and the prelude began to play.

Woo-. Woo-. Woo--.

The eerie melody of the modulated synthesizer filled the stage.

Originally, this was the place where the orchestral prelude of a 2010s pure female idol group, played by strings and piano, should have flowed.

"Huh?"

Reflexively raising her head, she saw the participants enter, wearing white stage costumes with dark shoulder straps.

The formal attire, typical of male idols, wasn't new, but the lyrical atmosphere amidst the electronic sounds created a strange sense of dissonance.

At that moment, the participants began to move.

-Somehow, I realized

Wandering in the incomplete time, I

The participant who started the first verse had a handsome face and moved skillfully.

She instantly remembered his name.

'Was it Seonahyun?'

Even the choreography mixed with graceful and elegant dance movements seemed a bit... off.

-Can't escape this labyrinth of time

Save me, trapped within it

The moment the next part began, she realized.

'...Why are they all expressionless?'

All the participants except the one singing had no expression.

While it was common for the expressions to be less intense when it wasn't their part, it was rare for them to be completely expressionless.

Moreover...

'Their eyes are strange...'

Their gaze was fixed on the air, not the camera.

Only when it was their turn did their expressions and focus suddenly return, which seemed intentional.

If they couldn't make eye contact with the camera by mistake, it would be one thing, but idols were known to find the camera even when it wasn't their part.

...So it was an even stranger sight.

It was even more eerie when contrasted with the participant who smiled and shone during their part.

-Gradually withering

In this small space

Waiting for the day the flowers bloom again

Come and find me quickly

The static noise mixed with a lowered pitch MR was filled with a desperate voice.

The lyrics were clearly soft and poignant, but the prelude and staging made it sound like a trap.

If you heard someone crying in an abandoned school, wouldn't you feel more fear than the desire to help?

The stage was unfolding with such a chilling nuance.

-One step, two steps

The sound of you coming

Echoes in my ears

Don't hesitate, reach out your hand

Now I'm heading to a new world~

The high-pitched voice singing the lyrics "to a new world," the same as the song title, sent shivers down the spine.

The dissonance created by raising the key by a half-step made the clear and distinct sound sound strange and evil.

She, a participant, became more engrossed in the stage itself than in the singing skills.

-Come to me

Come to me

Blinding, your Paradise

At the chorus, the same strings as the original entered, clashing with the modulated synthesizer, creating a chilling effect.

Zzzz. Kkkk-

The addition of intense movements borrowed from ballet made it feel inhuman.

At that moment, she realized.

October 31st, Halloween... the night when evil beings come to the mortal world.

-Come to me

Come to me

The Melody of love for you (continues)

This is something non-human singing to enchant a human!

'Gasp!'

Her head was filled with an explosion of sound as she covered her mouth.

Of course, there were idols who used non-human concepts, but no one expected such an adventurous attempt in an amateur idol debut audition show, using a song by a female senior with a completely opposite concept...!

She didn't even have the time to evaluate it as "bold" and was instantly engrossed in the stage.

After the transformed and cut second verse, the song moved into the bridge.

And once again, something unexpected happened.

-Can't You feel me?

The arrangement suddenly returned to the original in the bridge!

Even the pitch returned. The clear voice of a young boy sang in the high key of the original, sung by a woman.

-The warmth of your touch

Lifts me, so beautiful

Spring garden

With the beautiful orchestral accompaniment and the lighting changing to a brighter color, it felt almost sacred.

-Ooh, Ooh…

But as the lighting brightened, something else became clearly visible. The details of the costumes.

The shoulder straps, which were thought to be simply dark, were actually white fabric with dark red dye splattered all over, creating a mottled appearance.

It even looked like it had flowed from the neck above the shoulder straps.

'They're vampires...!'

The moment this realization hit the audience, the bridge ended, and the modulated sound chorus resumed.

-Come to me

Come to me

Blinding, your Paradise

But this time, the dissonance with the orchestra was less, and the noise had mostly disappeared, revealing the poignant lyrics.

The artificial expressionlessness during non-parts also disappeared, making the atmosphere more dreamy than eerie.

The sound composition also gained a dream pop-like spatial feel instead of sharpness.

-Come to me

Come to me

The Melody of love for you (continues)

The modulated sound disappeared, and the sound ended with a violin.

Unlike the original, which ended with ballet movements, the song concluded with everyone collapsing after the chorus.

Thus, the stage ended, leaving a poignant rather than a terrifying impression, as if the non-human singer of the song had truly fallen in love with a human.

"......Oh!!"

People who suddenly came to their senses sent enthusiastic cheers.

From the shock at the beginning to the poignant ending, it was a stage that stimulated the audience's emotions in various ways.

If done poorly, it could have been a disaster.

However, the participants of this team did it well.

'Really insane!'

Among the audience shouting, many caught the point that the participants' skills were above average, and their appearance and style were good, making it possible.

Excited voices of the audience who had already made up their minds could be heard here and there.

The participants, who had risen, patted each other's backs a few times and then smiled and bowed to the audience.

"Thank you!"

"T, thank you."

It was an action that other teams also did, but the stark contrast with the stage made it feel cuter.

"So cute..."

She, who had been directing the camera, also murmured warmly. The member who sang the high-pitched bridge especially caught her eye.

That high-pitched bridge would definitely keep coming to mind even at home.

She had amazingly well digested that high-pitched sound, breaking through the pronunciation, and had a trendy, cute face. Moreover, she didn't even break a sweat despite the excessive concept.

'I'll definitely remember her name when the voting greeting comes up.'

She kept her gaze on Park Moondae, who was retreating backstage, and then suddenly realized the camera in her hand.

And she was shocked.

'Focused on the stage, I completely forgot about the camera...!'

She was so disappointed at not being able to take photos, but at the same time, she was grateful for being able to see it with her own eyes without worrying about the camera!

This was the first time since the old idol.

A chill ran down her spine.

It was a clear sign of over-engagement.

* * *

After finishing the stage and coming down, the team members, whose legs felt weak, leaned against the wall or slumped down.

I leaned against the wall and thought.

'It was... more fun than I expected.'

It was strange.

Honestly, I never expected it to be fun.

I just did it because I had to, to avoid sudden death.

I had never danced and sung in front of anyone in my life, let alone with makeup.

...Until the moment I sang "Popcorn," I only felt like I had to do it.

'I thought I'd get a post-performance crash... why is it fun?'

Even though I felt like my breath was about to burst out of my throat.

'It's harder than practice.'

It seemed to be more intense because it was the real thing.

And probably, the others who went up with me were also out of breath.

They were still panting.

But their expressions were clear.

Because the cheers were so loud they almost burst their eardrums.

"Wow!!"

"Encore! Encore!"

Even now, some people were shouting for an encore from behind.

'There weren't that many people.'

The results were better than expected.

It was even better than the cheers received by the teams in 1st and 2nd place.

Could it be that it was fun because of the overwhelming response right in front of me?

"Everyone... really, really worked hard! We did great! Really!"

As the camera approached, Daesejin spoke up.

While he couldn't say he wasn't aware of the camera, his words seemed sincere.

It's true that anything looks better when the results are good, and the team members, hugging each other, started to thank each other.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"T, thank you..."

I should say something too.

"Thanks to you... it was fun. Thank you."

"Moondae..."

"Wow, Moondae can say such things."

What do you mean?

These guys are so moved by anything.

Even the usually stoic Daesejin was moved and joined the atmosphere.

"...Good job."

"Wow. Sir."

"It's touching."

The team members looked at Daesejin with warm eyes, without even being aware of the camera.

The atmosphere was like the ending of a shonen manga.

I recalled the past practice process.

-Bro! Shouldn't we make it more intense, more scary? So we don't lose to the pure concept!

-Right? I thought, what about a serial killer!

-Oh~ Intense!

-...But it might overlap with real people, so how about a more fantastical creature?

-G, ghosts...

-...Ghosts?

-Y, yeah, if we move like this... it looks magical, so...

-Hahaha! Lots of good ideas~ Let's vote democratically!

...

...I only remembered the process of diplomatically rejecting the excessive and unrealistic claims of the talkative ones.

At this moment, I was grateful for Daesejin. He was great at swaying public opinion.

In the end, the arrangement mostly followed my and Daesejin's intentions. I pushed for a gentle vampire, and he supported it.

Even if it was a ghost or a serial killer, a proven popular element was better.

Ghosts, sure, but a serial killer? Are you planning to get trolled on SNS?

Anyway, by appropriately placing horror and purity, we achieved good results, which was satisfying.

And honestly...

It was fun.

I understood why so many people wanted to do this job.

Taking a deep breath and standing up, the team members included me in their embrace.

I shrugged. If I didn't, the atmosphere wouldn't be the same.

It was also necessary to show team spirit to the camera, so I didn't leave.

"Let's definitely go to the next team battle."

"Yeah, let's do it again next time!"

"Y, yeah."

"To be honest, our teamwork was the best."

The compliments continued, and when there was nothing more to say, we moved to check the other team's performance at the staff's guidance.

Upon arriving at a room with a monitor, the other team's "Sanjun" stage began shortly after.

"Oh..."

These guys are probably just being polite, but they must have realized.

The significant difference in the audience's cheers.