Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 164
“Hahaha!”
“Kyaa! Kyaa! Kkueuueu…”
“Hehehe!”
It was a bizarre scene.
Twelve idols were in the hallway, clinging to the walls or each other, laughing and crying at the same time.
The cameraman and the writer were no different.
They were all laughing so hard that Woojoo almost caught their laughter in the middle.Hanjo tilted his head and asked, “What’s wrong with them?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it was that funny.”
Woojoo asked Bijoo, who was holding Woojoo’s leg and sobbing with laughter.
“Bijoo, what’s so funny…”
“Kyahaha.”
“…Bijoo? Are you okay? Do you want to go to the hospital with me?”
“Kkueu, kkueu.”
Bijoo shook his head with a tearful face, when Rihyuk burst out laughing with his hand over his mouth.
“Ma, math… Pffft!”
“Hahaha!”
Jiho and Rihyuk pointed at each other and tried to say something, but they laughed again as if they were choking.
The Street Boys were the same.
Hanjo said seriously, “I saw something on YouTube a while ago. What country was it? Somewhere where laughter spread and they couldn’t stop laughing for months.”
“Really?”
“Yes. YouTube said it was true.”
“That’s bad.”
Thankfully, the laughter stopped after about five minutes.
“Ah, I’m going crazy.”
The writer fanned her face with her notebook. She scolded them with a half-smile.
“How can you say anything when I told you to say anything?”
“…Sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault. I should have written a script for you. Just wait a minute. I’ll give you a plausible line each.”
While the writer was thinking of a good line, they heard voices of blame from everywhere.
“Come on, how can you act so serious and then make it so funny? I thought I was going crazy.”
“I really kept thinking of sad things in my mind.”
“Can you have a normal conversation?”
It was unfair. Woojoo just said anything when they told him to say anything.
No.
He should have tried to say something bad in the first place.
They were blaming them for not being able to do it, but they didn’t even try it themselves.
Woojoo felt angry at the sight of his younger siblings.
So Woojoo wanted to say ‘You try it!’ but he thought about it and decided to admit that they would be worse than him.
“Okay, I have the lines ready.”
The writer handed them the revised lines.
‘Do you have confidence?’ ‘Let’s see.’ They were lines like that.
They all cooled down and finished the second VCR recording in one shot without having to redo it.
“Good job!”
The cameraman who was laughing at Woojoo and Hanjo left, and the writer also left. Woojoo and Hanjo followed her cautiously.
“Excuse me, Writer. About what we just filmed.”
“Yes?”
Woojoo was about to ask ‘That’s not going to air, right?’ but the writer said ‘Ah, ah!’ and smiled as if she understood.
“The footage you just filmed?”
“Yes! That one.”
“You were worried about that. Don’t worry.”
Woojoo and Hanjo smiled brightly when the writer said cheerfully, “I’ll upload it as a behind-the-scenes for sure.”
“What?”
“It was too funny to be buried, right?”
“No, we…”
“I’ll upload it for sure. As a behind-the-scenes!”
“No, wait. Writer-niiim! You should listen to people until the end…”
They collapsed on the floor with a lost look on their faces, watching the writer’s back as she walked away.
“We’re doomed…”
“We’re doomed.”
Behind them, their siblings were holding their stomachs and laughing.
Ilsan TBC Broadcasting Station.
Late at night, a group of people entered the studio where the recording was taking place with weary steps.
They were the fans of New Black and Street Boys.
“Ah, the delay is insane. Seriously.”
“Is this for real? Four hours…”
“Those bastards at the station are treating us like free spectators.”
Although they liked different singers, their faces had a surprisingly similar expression.
Fatigue and anticipation.
The fatigue was because they had to attend the recordings of not only their favorite singers, but also this group and that group all day.
And more than anything, the delay of two hours for each recording made them wait and exhausted them.
They all massaged their sore necks and shoulders, or lifted and lowered their numb legs alternately.
On the other hand, they also felt anticipation.
It was already announced a week ago that New Black and Street Boys would perform a joint stage.
But the information was scarce.
The only thing they knew was the weird unofficial name of Mint Choco-dan.
It was the result of combining the symbol colors of Street Boys and New Black.
Some of the fans even suggested a temporary fandom name of ‘Hawaiian Pizza’ in response.
Of course, it was quickly rejected and disappeared, but there were still some remnants who shouted ‘Hawaiian Pizza’ on SNS.
Anyway, they all had high expectations for the stage.
They had been waiting for it all day long.
“Oh, they’re coming out!”
As fourteen idols came up on the stage for the rehearsal, a roar erupted from both fandoms.
The fans’ eyes widened.
‘It’s a school uniform. Oh my god…’
‘The school uniform is crazy.’
The visuals of the two groups wearing blue jackets and striped ties were impressive.
They looked like characters from a webtoon about school life.
Among them, the one who had the most dominant school uniform fit grabbed the microphone as the representative.
The fans who looked up at him closely couldn’t help but gasp at his long eyelashes.
He was the leader of New Black who flashed a dazzling smile and greeted them.
“One, two, three.”
“Hello, we are the joint group Mint Choco-dan!”
While the staff prepared for the rehearsal, the singers threw witty comments to the fans.
“I’m the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th leader of Mint Choco-dan, Woojoo.”
“Yes, I’m the 2nd, 4th, and 6th leader and vice-leader, Hanjo.”
“I’m the 8th leader of Mint Choco-dan, who boasts the shortest term in history. I’m currently in charge of the second lowest rank, LB.”
Then, the others introduced themselves as well.
“I’m Junghyun, who is in charge of the lowest rank in Mint Choco-dan.”
“I’m a servant.”
“I’m in charge of the general affairs.”
The sound of laughter came from everywhere.
They seemed to have good chemistry, exchanging jokes with each other.
Woojoo and Hanjo smiled brightly as the representatives.
“We have prepared hard for this stage, so please support us today. Now, mint?”
“Chocolate!”
This time, Hanjo asked, “Mint?”
“Chocolate!”
“Alright. We will show you a solid stage like concrete.”
“Please cheer for us warmly like soufflé.”
Their timing was perfect as they delivered their lines, and then the staff signaled the start of the pre-recording.
The two groups moved away from each other.
They got ready for their stage as they created some distance, and then the stage lights went off as the camera rehearsal began.
‘What kind of stage will it be?’
Everyone waited anxiously for the upcoming stage.
Soon, a cameraman with a steadicam and an assistant stood in front of Street Boys.
As they slowly stepped back to get a full shot, the song started.
‘Wow…’
It was Street Boys who started with a strong rap.
The leader opened the rap as he walked towards New Black.
He walked confidently and casually, as if challenging anyone who could stop him.
The other members were the same.
LB rapped rhythmically and showed a confident smile.
You can’t do it
You don’t fit in
The words I hear all the time
The song they were singing was ‘Fate’, a hip-hop song from the 90s.
It was an old song, but it suited them as if they were wearing custom-made clothes.
The arrangement made it sound like a modern song.
It was an impressive arrangement.
And the performance was powerful and expressive, creating a great synergy.
But the fans of Street Boys had a slightly different emotion as they watched the stage.
The main lyrics of ‘Fate’ were about following one’s own path no matter what anyone says.
That matched surprisingly well with Street Boys.
They remembered the stories they had heard from the past reality shows.
-My academy teacher told me that I didn’t have the visuals to be an idol, so I should try to be a dancer or something else.
-There were people who said that they would lose money if we became idols.
-They said, what’s the point of having skills if you don’t have the visuals. I felt a bit… uneasy whenever I heard that.
But those who looked a bit downcast as they told their stories as trainees were gone.
Now, they had expressions full of pride in their skills, as if those words didn’t matter at all.
It was a touching sight.
As they reached the center of the stage, New Black also moved towards the center.
If Street Boys were heavy and intense, they were light and gentle.
As the lead vocalist Woojoo’s voice rang out softly, the concert hall was wrapped in his song.
If the rap before had spread its waves like a giant drum, the song now had caressed the audience softly.
It felt like the melody had a shape and wrapped around their bodies.
I thought I was dreaming
When this night passes and passes
It will be a dream that shatters into pieces
The main vocal added harmonies to the lyrics here and there, but the leader was the one who sang the song.
It was the same song as Trend’s ‘Sunshine’.
If ‘Fate’ was a song that came out in their debut with the theme of ‘We overcame these hardships and achieved our dreams!’, ‘Sunshine’ was a song that came out after Trend had achieved great success.
Unlike ‘Fate’, the theme of ‘Sunshine’ was not the difficulties or hardships they had gone through until they succeeded.
It was opportunity.
How hard it was to seize the opportunity to succeed after debuting in the entertainment industry.
The thing that came so easily and warmly to others, why did it not reach them in the shadows? They compared it to sunshine in the song.
Of course, the lyrics that Woojoo was singing now were the same as the original, but the meaning was a little different.
Unlike Trend, who had been at the peak of popularity at the time, New Black was now a rising star.
But the meaning was similar.
‘I really wanted to be on this stage.’
It was as if Woojoo was speaking for New Black.
His eyes were somewhere softly curved as he sang, as if he was engulfed in some emotion.
No one but himself could know exactly what it was, but everyone in the place knew it was close to joy.
Because they knew the story of New Black before their debut.
-It felt like the sky was falling. It seemed like a long time until Woojoo Hyung came in and we became a five-member group.
Four trainees who had spent two years in a gray day after their debut was canceled for some reason.
-You can’t achieve what you want, right? I think I thought that way before I met our members.
The leader of New Black, who had spent six years of hardship to stand on the stage of his dreams, but had given up on his dream altogether.
When he sang as the representative of the opportunity, it had to be special.
Soon, New Black walked lightly to the center of the stage and faced Street Boys.
And then.
‘…Huh?’
That was when the subtle variation of the song began.
The way they sang was the same.
Street Boys sang two lines, then New Black sang two lines.
But the gap between the lyrics they were singing was getting shorter. By the end, it was like they were exchanging one line each.
‘Fate’ and ‘Sunshine’ melted together like one song, but the people watching the stage didn’t notice the change.
At first, New Black and Street Boys didn’t mix well as they told different stories, like oil and water.
But as time went by, they blended together.
Soon, the members’ movements were one, regardless of the group.
The same was true for the song.
The lyrics of the two different songs alternated back and forth, but they fit together perfectly as one song.
When Hanjo sang a verse, Woojoo followed.
When Kiwon sang, Rihyuk added harmony.
The main dancers of the two groups stood at the center of both sides, capturing the attention of the performance.
It was a fantastic coordination.
Meanwhile, the message of the short performance became clear as the two groups merged in the latter half.
‘Thank you.’
To those who had sent them support and encouragement, despite their own shortcomings.
To everyone who had given them love and support, after they barely seized the opportunity to rise.
It was a message of gratitude from both groups to those who had been their pillars until they reached this far.
The original songs, ‘Fate’ and ‘Sunshine’, also had the same central theme of saying ‘thank you’ to each other’s members, so they matched well with the message that New Black and Street Boys delivered.
Their soft and sweet voices sang the chorus of each different song in a cross-over.
Come here and hold my hand
You were always my sunshine
Come here and look at me
I’ll wrap you warmly now
But to the audience in the seats, the meaning of the song didn’t matter anymore.
It sounded good.
‘Wow…’
As they sang the chorus and smiled at each other, the 90s-style song flowed into their ears with a modern and smooth arrangement.
‘The arrangement is really good.’
The song smoothly climbed up the curve.
As the song reached the highlight part, the main vocals of both sides handled the high notes.
The main dancers gestured softly at the audience on both sides.
The leaders of both sides reached out their hands to the camera in the center as the stage finally ended.
It was a two-minute stage that ended in an instant.
“…”
A moment of silence.
It was followed by the screams that burst out from the depths of both fans.
As the site director announced the end of the rehearsal, the members of both sides waved their hands with bright smiles.
They were different groups, and different fans, but the eyes and expressions that appeared on their faces were surprisingly the same.
After the rehearsal ended and they repeated the same stage four times, the pre-recording finally finished.
“Good job!”
They greeted and thanked the staff of both sides.
And then.
“Wow!”
“It’s over!”
The stage that they had prepared for almost two weeks finally ended, and a cheerful laughter came.
If they weren’t from different companies, they would have gone to a dinner party right away.
Hanjo and Woojoo smiled as they looked at the happy younger ones.
“You worked hard.”
“No, you did. Woojoo, you took care of our cute… unbelievably cute younger ones.”
“No, we were the ones who got a lot of help this time.”
They had the upper hand in vocal and dance, but they were better in the hip-hop aspect.
It was an opportunity to experience each other’s advanced culture.
As the leaders praised each other’s efforts, the younger ones hugged and cheered each other.
“No-Fun!”
“No-Fun!”
…It was a relief that they disbanded today.
“Wow, you really worked hard!”
“No, you did. New Black, you guys are so handsome, kind and nice.”
“Not at all. Street Boys, you guys were cooler. You even had a halo and everything. When LB rapped earlier, it was really dazzling.”
“That was the backlight.”
“Puhaha!”
As they said that you were great, no, you were greater, Junghyun gestured to Woojoo and Hanjo.
“Hyung, come here. Let’s take a group photo.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Soon, fourteen people gathered.
Their manager, Dowon, held Woojoo’s phone and took a group photo.
As the staff of both groups finished preparing to leave, they changed into casual clothes and said goodbye.
"It was really fun."
"Us too."
"I'll miss you."
"Us too…"
Someone from the other side asked, "Can we contact you when we get phones?"
"Of course. Mint Choco-dan may be disbanded today, but our No-Fun Family is still here."
"Then can we have your numbers?"
"Here you go."
"I'm looking forward to it. I'll definitely call you when I get a phone."
Woojoo smiled at their whispering so that their managers wouldn't hear.
Soon after, the two groups waved at each other as they were dragged away by their managers.
"Bye!"
"I'll miss you!"
Maybe it was because of the excitement of the stage, but they waved their hands earnestly with bright faces.
It was a poignant scene, as if they were parting for life.
As they headed to the parking lot by themselves, Bijoo said with a smile, "Hyung, I feel so good."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I'm happy to have made friends."
"Me too."
Woojoo also smiled, thinking that they had met some peers who got along well for the first time in a long time.
* * *
The next day.
"…."
"…."
New Black and Street Boys, who met at the outdoor special stage in Sangam-dong, avoided eye contact with awkward faces.
‘We're screwed.'
‘So embarrassing, so embarrassing.'
They had forgotten that they would meet again the next day.