Chapter 14: The Technique of an Idol Who Never Fails

Over the past few days, I had been watching the choreography repeatedly, so I had a good grasp of it in my head. I put on my cap, pulled it down low, and stepped onto the stage.

My body knew the choreography better than I thought, and it moved effortlessly. Honestly, being on stage was exhilarating.

I had even mimicked the unique gestures of the Yellow Crane, which I had memorized from watching them so many times. I could hear the members, who had been looking gloomy due to the Yellow Crane's condition, laughing from the side.

I love the stage. I really do. I love it to the point of madness. I wished the song would never end.

* * *

At the hospital, the Yellow Crane watched the dry rehearsal video that UO's team leader, Zhang Jiaying, was recording via video call.

"Jung Hae-won really belongs on stage."

Hearing this, Zhang Jiaying said, "He'll be with you. Do you think he wouldn't want to? He looks so happy on stage."

"Really?"

- An opportunity has come to someone who thought they would never debut. If Hae-won misses this chance, he won't be satisfied with any job he gets in the future.

The Yellow Crane slapped his thigh. He should have persuaded Jung Hae-won exactly like that.

As soon as Jung Hae-won arrived at TRV, the First Light members became noisy and started expressing their opinions more. The Yellow Crane liked this atmosphere, and the company employees were even more welcoming of Jung Hae-won's presence.

After taking some measures and feeling much better, the Yellow Crane arrived at the waiting room of the performance venue. The First Light members immediately gathered around him.

"Bro, are you okay?"

"Shouldn't you rest more?"

Ignoring the members who were speaking one by one, the Yellow Crane looked straight at Jung Hae-won and said, "Jung Hae-won."

"Me? Why?"

Jung Hae-won, who had quickly become friendly with the staff and was standing with his hands in his pockets, laughing, came over immediately, thinking it was due to his poor condition.

"Can't you get on stage?"

"If you don't join our team now, when the company is pushing you, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

The Yellow Crane continued, "You'll think about it even when you're on your deathbed. Ah, damn, why didn't I do it back then?"

"Who gets buried these days? They cremate."

"Stop making excuses. Just think about this objectively. Will you regret it, or not?"

Jung Hae-won couldn't answer immediately and closed his mouth. The moment the stage was mentioned, the fire in his eyes died out. His face was pale, and his lips were blue, clearly showing how scared he was.

Seeing how terrified he was, the Yellow Crane hesitated, but Shin Ji-won helped from the side.

"Bro Hae-won, when did you become so timid? Just do it."

Min Ji-ho also agreed.

"If I were in your position, I'd do it even if I was angry. To show everyone I can succeed."

"Don't talk about others so easily."

When Han Hyo-seok spoke up, An Ju-won chimed in.

"Exactly. This isn't something you can decide on a whim. You can see how much he's struggled, so how can you say it so easily?"

As the atmosphere turned tense, Park Seon-jae, feeling his duty as the youngest, tried to calm the four of them down.

"Ah, you're fighting again. No, Bro Hae-won hasn't said a word, so why are you fighting among yourselves?"

Pointing to the argument, the Yellow Crane said, "See? How can I lead a group of kids who don't even get along?"

Min Ji-ho nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Bro Saebi is completely his way. He's worked hard."

"Do you know that and still not listen? You're the worst."

"You always take Han Hyo-sek's side. I'm hurt too."

"Are you really hurt over something like that...?"

The main topic of the conversation had disappeared, and the argument continued.

The Yellow Crane thought again that it was impossible to lead this group of members. It was always like this during meetings. Before any real conversation could start, arguments would break out, and with no extra energy, the Yellow Crane would get tired and step back.

Then Jung Hae-won spoke up.

"Yellow Crane, you're really biased. You always take Hyo-sek's side."

"Me?"

"But Min Jo, you don't want to take your own side, do you? You're too arrogant."

"Huh?"

"And Hyo-sik, stop picking fights with others. The most well-behaved kid is the biggest troublemaker."

"Bro, I'm Hyo-sek."

Impressed by Jung Hae-won's ability to point out everyone's faults, the Yellow Crane remembered that Jung Hae-won always cleaned up the mess during the National Selection A days. He remembered the performances Min Ji-ho had thrown out and organized them perfectly, even when Min Ji-ho had forgotten. During team missions, he remembered all the trainers' criticisms and relayed them to the trainees.

The National Selection A filming was always intense, but Jung Hae-won was the only one who tried to lead all the team members to the end. As a result, he fought the most, providing endless material for the show. However, the First Light members all had an instinctive understanding that Jung Hae-won should be the leader of the team. They believed he was the only one who could lead the self-centered members.

* * *

"I'll try to think more positively."

I said that first because the performance was approaching, and I needed to end the conversation quickly.

The atmosphere in the waiting room was charged as the fans filled the stadium. Even in the waiting room, where you couldn't see the audience, you could feel the presence of a large crowd nearby.

The members were satisfied with my answer and went on stage.

The members, ready to perform with their makeup done, had a completely different look in their eyes. They had the eyes of rookies, full of the determination to run around the stage until it broke.

First Light went on stage, and I checked from backstage. The mini 2nd album title track, "First Proposal," started.

Today's performance included a choreography that Min Ji-ho and I had created during the National Selection A days, as suggested by Min Ji-ho. It was a fitting addition to the proposal-themed song, with a pair dance followed by a pinky promise gesture.

However, we had never performed this choreography on stage. The stage director had forbidden it to maintain the conflict between Min Ji-ho and me.

- The promise we made now is eternal.

During Min Ji-ho's rap part, he held a microphone in one hand and, after the pair dance with Han Hyo-sek, stood facing forward while Han Hyo-sek stood with his back to the audience. The pinky promise gesture was a hit.

The fans screamed in excitement. Even if there had been editing, anyone with a bit of insight would have noticed the tension between the two members. This made the reaction even stronger.

The cheers were a testament to the preparation we had done until the early hours of the morning.

* * *

The real waiting began after the performance. Our turn was almost at the front, but we had to go on stage for the final joint performance.

After finishing the joint performance and stopping by the dorm, I got home at 2 AM.

I fell into a deep sleep as soon as I lay down, but the ringing phone woke me up.

"Damn it."

Still half-asleep, I fumbled for my phone and checked the messages. The first one I saw was from President Park Hee-taek.

[Answer the phone]

[Chul-soon, answer the phone]

[Answer, damn it]

Ah, no sleep...

I picked up the phone.

Since I became the communication channel, President Park Hei-taek, frustrated by not knowing the members' situations, had been contacting me almost daily. He was almost a stalker.

Today is a bit much...

It's 5 AM. Even in the entertainment industry, where there's no day or night, waking someone up three hours after they've been dropped off is too much. I'll have to hit him in the back of the head if he becomes a mess at a drinking party...

While thinking this, I saw the status bar.

[1,284 views left to complete the mission]

[1,107 views left to complete the mission]

[983 views left to complete the mission]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[200,000 views achieved]

[A B-grade ticket for (Hit Song Maker's Red Roulette) has been granted]

I sat up abruptly.

Why now? What's going on?

Still groggy, I soon found the answer. I picked up my phone with trembling hands and searched for "First Light dry rehearsal."

As expected, the 16-hour-old video was at the top.

* * *

"This is the real troublemaker. The members' individual camera shots don't even reach 200,000 views, but this one hit it in just one day."

President Park Hei-taek of TRV was amazed as he checked the comments.

[Manager performing the dry rehearsal stage instead of the Yellow Crane]

It seemed someone had secretly filmed the dry rehearsal and uploaded it.

The video quickly gained views through word of mouth and algorithms.

[Definitely not a manager. Must be a TRV trainee.]

[These are not moves that can be done without training.]

[Even with a cap and mask, the vibe is undeniable.]

[Maybe he's not that great without the cap.]

[Cap handsome 😂😂😂😂]

[This manager looks like the dancer who was in Ji-ho's TikTok!]

[The dance style is exactly the same.]

[Even in casual clothes, he stands out.]

[This is national hate.]

[???]

[?? It's Jung Hae-won. First Light fans know he's been hanging out with First Light lately.]

[Oh... That's a shock. I thought it was just a preference...]

[Jung Hae-won seems to be flirting with First Light lately. 😂]

[First Light is suffering...]

[Even if he's a national hate, he's a great dancer.]

[Even knowing he's a national hate, he's still captivating. He seems to be a natural.]

While Jung Hae-won himself would be jumping with rage, the company couldn't afford to lose him. His very existence was a topic of discussion, and that was what First Light needed most right now.

Whether Jung Hae-won joined or was made a villain to unite the fandom, it was a win for TRV.

[His face was also good.]

[Not just good, but stunning. It's just his personality that's the problem.]

[What was he like in National Selection A?]

[Just a blood pressure treatment.]

[He watched National Selection A to see Jung Hae-won fail. 😂]

[His charisma is insane. Why didn't we notice it during National Selection A?]

[He has natural talent but is too lazy to use it...]

[That's too harsh.]

[Did you not watch National Selection A? Jung Hae-won wasn't just a national hate for nothing. 😂]

[Why is Jung Hae-won hanging out with First Light?]

[He's expected to join.]

[First Light fans are pitiful. They're already struggling, and now this.]

[There are always haters.]

Seeing the phone, a publicity team member said worriedly, "The reaction is stronger than expected."

"Ah, don't be scared by this."

Although he acted tough, he was secretly worried that Jung Hae-won might do something drastic after seeing this.

As soon as the publicity team member left, President Park Hei-taek called Jung Hae-won again. He was considering sending someone to his house, but fortunately, he answered.

"Chul, if you're not going to use your phone, why do you carry it around?"

- ...Yes, sorry.

He could sense the frustration in the voice. While Jung Hae-won thought he was handling it well, to President Park Hei-taek, he was just a temperamental twenty-year-old. Of course, he was better at dealing with situations than the average twenty-year-old.

"Did you see the comments?"

- No.

"Anyway, I'm worried you might do something drastic, so don't hang up and stay on the line."

- ...