Chapter 11
December 28th.
The long-awaited day of the year-end evaluation finally arrived.
We were crammed inside the Starrex, swallowing our saliva nervously.
We were wrapped up in padding, scarves, and hats, but our bodies were still shaking.
We dealt with our tension in different ways: some shook their hand warmers silently, some licked their dry lips, some bit their nails.
I sat in the passenger seat, melting my cold hands with a hand warmer.
The car was cold.
We didn’t turn on the heater, afraid that our vocal cords would dry out in the middle of winter.
I spoke to Seok-hwan hyung, who was holding the steering wheel.
“Hyung, this feels like when I went to take the college entrance exam.”
“Are you that nervous?”
“No, it means I have a good feeling.”
“Wait a minute.”
Yoon Seok-hwan narrowed his eyes.
“Didn’t you not take the exam?”
“Oh, right.”
We looked at each other blankly and then burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, unlike the cheerful atmosphere in the front seat, the back seat was quiet.
If the youngest, who usually chattered excitedly, was silent, you could imagine how serious it was.
“Hey, Kim Bi-ju. What should I do? I have to do well this time.”
“Why?”
“My dad is bringing my grandfather too. He even rented a bus for the villagers.”
Kim Junghyun, who was always calm, sighed deeply.
Well.
I guess I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night either if the villagers came on a rented bus.
“Cheer up.”
Kim Bi-ju said.
“I was nervous when my sister came, but it was nothing compared to you.”
“I only have my younger sister coming.”
“I think my whole family is coming. My dad might be too busy to come, but I hope he doesn’t.”
As I listened to the youngest’s stream of consciousness, I thought of something else.
Come to think of it, we had been practicing happily for a month, but we didn’t know much about each other.
No, to be precise, unlike these guys who knew each other’s situations, I was the only one who didn’t know.
Seok-hwan hyung glanced at me.
“What did your grandmother say?”
“Huh?”
“Is she coming?”
“She said she’ll be at the terminal soon. I have to tell her the way later.”
As I checked the messages from my grandmother on my smartphone, Kim Bi-ju stuck his head out to the front seat.
“Manager.”
Bi-ju asked.
“Who are our judges?”
“Well, I don’t know exactly. I think Yoon Chan-hyuk will be representing our side. And… I think Jang Sowon will be coming from Hwai Entertainment.”
“Jang Sowon sunbaenim?”
“Why?”
“We’re in trouble.”
As if they were facing the end of the world, the kids looked worried. Seok-hwan hyung looked at me, asking for an explanation.
“One of the songs we chose for the year-end evaluation is Jang Sowon sunbaenim’s song.”
“Oh, that’s tough.”
Anyone who watched the audition program would know, but singing a judge’s song in a competition was a risky move.
A singer is a pro who gets paid to sing.
It’s not easy to sing in front of an expert who knows everything about music, especially the song that they know best.
To put it simply, singing Jang Sowon’s song in front of Jang Sowon was like a college student who had to do a PPT on the professor’s specialty in front of a Nobel Prize winner in economics.
Aye.
Thinking about it made me nervous too.
I straightened my hunched shoulders and shook my head.
By the way, Jang Sowon.
Come to think of it, I sang Jang Sowon sunbaenim’s song at the audition too.
I was nervous, but I was also a little excited to see the owner of Red Moon, the song I sang at the audition.
Jang Sowon.
She was a member of the girl group Sugarfish, which debuted when I was in high school.
Now, Jang Sowon, a former member of the disbanded group, is actively working as a singer-songwriter.
She is one of my favorite singers because I like her melody lines.
That’s why I chose her song as my performance piece from the beginning.
I was nervous but excited to perform in front of my favorite singer with her song.
“By the way, I had something to tell you guys.”
Yoon Seok-hwan said as if he remembered something.
“It’s nothing big. K-Net sent a cooperation letter saying they’re filming a reality show today.”
“Filming?”
Seo Ri-hyuk, who was sitting in the back seat, raised his eyebrows.
“What filming?”
“You know, right? Street Boys, the boy group that’s debuting from DNS. They’re coming to film their reality show and take a few scenes. It’s just one camera, so don’t be nervous. Haha.”
The expressions of the kids who were turning into plaster statues in real time were priceless.
There was no Agrippa that I saw in the art room.
Seok-hwan hyung coughed awkwardly and said, ‘This is not it.’
“Should I turn on the radio?”
His hand pressed the radio button and adjusted the FM frequency up and down.
" … This is a story sent by listener 5289. Hello. I’m a listener who has been listening to TBC Beautiful Morning for three years. As winter comes and the cold wind blows, I keep thinking about my eldest daughter who is abroad. "
A calm voice recited the story.
The tension that was tight like a string in the Starex interior loosened slightly.
"Such a big kid is taking an important test today. She won’t be able to hear me because she’s taking the test right now, but I want to tell her what’s in my heart using the radio. Seongeun, mom knows how hard you worked. It’s not about doing well, but doing your best until the end. Don’t feel pressured. Mom trusts you. "
It was a moment when Seongeun, who was abroad, became resentful in the situation where everyone was nervous because of their family.
The kids stiffened at the burdened tone of the MC.
" We’ll play listener 5289’s request song, Family Photo … "
Seok-hwan hyung switched the channel to AFN and a fierce rap flowed out, but the atmosphere was already as heavy as it could be.
At the same time, the distant view of the high school came into sight.
" … "
What are we going to do with this mood? Seriously.
***
Taehwa High School auditorium.
The empty auditorium was filled with coldness.
No one was there, so it seemed like we were the first ones.
“Hoo.”
The trainees started to warm up with heavy breaths.
Kim Bi-ju came up to me while I was stretching.
“Woojoo hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m worried, but will our stage really go well?”
I couldn’t help feeling anxious even though I practiced countless times for a month.
Well.
I made the performance together, but the arrangement was entirely my own work.
I wasn’t sure about that part.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Actually, I’m not sure either.
The stage is so unpredictable that I can’t tell what situation will unfold.
I just have to do what I can.
But I can’t say that to them who are anxious.
I smiled confidently, contrary to my inner feelings.
“Come on! Let’s match the lines in advance.”
The reason we came early was to check the harmony on the stage.
As we danced and hummed, our stiff bodies loosened up.
At first, I couldn’t show my skills because it was a strange place, but as I repeated, the way I did in the practice room came out naturally.
I wish I could do this much in the real thing.
I thought so and moistened my throat with warm water in the thermos.
Clank.
The auditorium door opened and bright light came in.
A group of men came in with loud laughter.
They wore oversized clothes, gold necklaces, and other hip-hop fashion items that caught my eye.
There was no need to say who they were.
Street Boys.
***
The boy group that was about to debut from DNS Media was our rival for the year-end evaluation.
The Street Boys, who were laughing and joking among themselves, seemed to notice us soon enough.
“…”
The eyes of the trainees from the two agencies met in the air.
The air felt cold on my skin.
For 0.5 seconds, there was a sharp exchange of glares.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
We greeted each other politely and passed by.
It would have been a disappointing scene for anyone who expected a confrontation, but that’s how reality was.
It might have been different if it was a scripted survival program.
But it was hard to feel any hostility towards people we barely knew. The only thing we felt was a sense of competition, because our agencies were rivals.
While we practiced in one corner of the auditorium, they also made their nest nearby.
They had nine members, and their atmosphere was quite different from ours.
They were lively, to say the least.
They had a lot of noise, not only because of their number, but also because they seemed relaxed.
They were a bit over the top, though.
It was probably because of the K-Net production team that came with them.
The cameraman with the ENG camera, the PD, and the writers.
While they practiced, they would act cute or wink at the camera.
And all of that was watched by our New Black members, who were bursting with envy.
“Hello, fans.”
The member with pink hair stood in front of the camera.
“We, the Street Boys, came to this Taehwa High School auditorium to prepare for the year-end evaluation performance.”
“Woohoo!”
The members filled the audio with their own applause, while the writer with a notebook asked a question.
“What is the year-end evaluation?”
“Well, the year-end evaluation is a monthly evaluation that is conducted by five agencies, including ours. It’s an event where we invite the company staff and family members and perform for them. We will do our best to show you a great performance today. Please look forward to it!”
As the leader finished his speech, the other eight members also made V signs or shouted “Peace!” at the camera.
“Go Street!”
As they all shouted their slogan, I felt the morale of our New Black members plummet below zero.
Maybe it was because of the trauma of losing our debut or the inferiority complex.
They kept shrinking.
The more they laughed and talked over there, the more our kids were conscious of it.
A vicious cycle.
What to do about this?
I was thinking of a solution when I felt a sudden change.
Even though I didn’t say much, their skills changed all of a sudden.
They were good.
Just a moment ago, I was the only one who was very passionate, but the rest of the members also started to do well.
Kim Bi-ju pulled off the choreography beautifully.
Kim Junghyun’s hand gestures were flashy in his rap part.
Seo Ri-hyuk hit a three-octave high note from his throat.
And the youngest, who performed the cute choreography with 120 percent.
They were really good, our team.
Yeah. I knew they could do it.
I smiled proudly, and then I blinked at what was happening nearby.
What’s going on over there?
The Street Boys’ side.
They also wiped the smiles off their faces and practiced twice as hard as before.
What was going on?
Why were they like that?
There were oohs and aahs of three-octave ad-libs and unnecessary dance breaks everywhere.
It was as if they all had a stim pack.
The mystery was solved soon enough.
“Director. Please capture the other trainees on camera too. Make sure the whole auditorium is in full shot.”
“Got it.”
“Wow. The trainees are really good.”
It was because of the camera.
Every time the reality camera of Street Boys pointed at us, Seo Ri-hyuk’s high notes exploded.
Kim Jung-hyun’s rap poured out like a machine gun.
I looked at Kim Bi-ju, who danced like a puppet, and Wang Ji-ho, who sparkled his eyes and acted cute.
I heard the admiring voices of the K-net staff.
“Wow. They are so passionate.”
“Youth is good.”
“Don’t they sweat if they do that already?”
Did they hear that?
As if they had practiced under the scorching sun, the trainees on both sides started to pretend to wipe their sweat.
“…”
I smiled happily as I watched the trainees who were sincere to the camera.
As expected.
Broadcasting is the best.