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When I came out of the CEO’s office, the manager rushed after me.
“Hoyoon-ah, you’re really…”
“Manager.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Please don’t tell the members what I said over there.”
The manager’s eyes trembled. I emphasized it to the anxious manager once again.
“Even if you tell them, it will only shake the members’ minds. What’s important right now is our comeback.”
“…Yes.”
He still looked at me with worried eyes, but soon he nodded cautiously. I was satisfied with that look and entered the practice room.
The members were practicing continuously while playing the song received from Lim Hyunsoo.
Wait, practice?
How do you practice, when there’s no choreography?
When I returned, Jung Dajoon jumped and greeted me.
“Hoyoon hyung!”
“…?”
What is this sudden atmosphere?
Jung Dajoon ran over like a puppy. Sung Jiwon also turned off the song and smiled broadly at me.
“Hoyoon-ah, we’ve done our planning.”
“Already?”
“And I made the choreography, too!”
What are you talking about?
When I frowned, Sung Jiwon looked intently at me.
“CEO said he won’t give you additional support, didn’t he? He won’t even give the choreography.”
“How did you know?”
“Ah, as expected.”
Ah, as expected…?
How the hell had these bastards been treated?
Jung Dajoon babbled earnestly as he remained bitter.
“I thought about it after Hoyoon hyung went up. The CEO wouldn’t even think of giving us money, so how else can we get choreography here? So to shorten the time, we just planned it ourselves.”
“In 30 minutes?”
“Sunghyun suddenly went crazy.”
I didn’t expect that.
Jung Dajoon nodded eagerly and pointed to Kim Sunghyun.
“You have to see it now.”
“Hey, you were no joke, too.”
Kang Yichae said and gasped, sweating. Jung Dajoon brushed the back of his neck as if he was embarrassed.
I nodded and checked the atmosphere in the practice room. It was good to predict that far and worked it out themselves to shorten the time…
But… Isn’t that a little sad?
Jung Dajoon clung to me.
“The more I listen to it, the more it sounds like a masterpiece. I was so excited that I already made the basic choreography.”
“It’s all thanks to Hoyoon-ah.”
Sung Jiwon nodded and praised me. I rolled my eyes.
Guys, why are the hurdles so low all of a sudden?
They were overflowing with friendliness. Sung Jiwon smiled slightly.
‘Ah… I must have looked like a savior.’
Ah, I understood a little. From their point of view, I would look like a lifeboat.
Then, I recalled the system window.
[Sung Jiwon and Jung Dajoon are very friendly]
I tried to gain their trust, but I didn’t expect it to be this easy.
Guys, don’t go wrong and get yourself a warranty.
I was more worried than happy. At least, it was fortunate that Kim Sunghyun and Kang Yichae stayed still.
“Manager hyung, do we still have time before going to the planning team?”
Kim Sunghyun, who had been silent, asked.
“Uh, there’s probably half an hour left.”
“Great. I’ve already talked about planning… Let’s show Seo Hoyoon the choreography first.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Kang Yichae grinned.
“Come here. Take a look at the choreography we made.”
Kang Yichae dragged me to the mirror. I sat down and looked at them blankly, then Kang Yichae grinned and played the song.
The beat came out round, and round.
[Once again, this is the beginning, we
I will come back every time
This strange feeling of dĂŠjĂ  vu, you are afraid
No, there is no need to be afraid]
The movement was rough because the parts were not distributed, but the basic choreography was pretty good in my opinion. The movements were divided into small pieces to fit the beat.
I didn’t know this, but more than I expected… They were all good dancers. Jung Dajoon was a little behind, but he wasn’t bad either.
No, the other three were just too good.
[Let’s leave together now
I wanna be with you all the time]
‘…Isn’t this dangerous?’
The better their choreography, the more cold sweat broke out on my back. It was the first crisis I experienced after being possessed by this game.
When Kang Yichae appeared in the second half by stepping on the back and even did a backflip, that thought reached its peak. My expression completely hardened.
After dancing to the end, they gasped in complete exhaustion but showed subtle anticipation. The manager was clapping frantically with teary eyes next to me.
“You guys are amazing!”
“Huft, huh…”
“Crazy, you guys… I can’t believe I asked these kids to perform pineapple…”
Excuse me, have you already known the pineapple was nasty?
“Is it okay?”
Yes, to be honest, the members were very good. Besides, Kim Sunghyun was said to be the main dancer and he was completely flying around. There were a few things I need to fix, but I wouldn’t have to worry about the choreography at this rate.
But.
“…”
As I stayed silent, Sung Jiwon looked at me and asked.
“W-What’s wrong, Hoyoon-ah? What’s weird?”
“Gasp, you don’t like it, Hoyoon hyung?”
“No, hmm…”
I shrugged.
“I like it. I do…”
“Then that’s fine! What’s wrong with you, I was scared.”
“That…”
“Come in for now. I have to match it with hyung.”
Kang Yichae waved his arms. And put me next to Kim Sunghyun. It seemed that my first starting line was here.
My pupils trembled even more.
Why am I next to the flying Kim Sunghyun?
Kim Sunghyun glanced at me.
“Just give it a try. It’s okay if it’s rough, so just move in line.”
I was more worried because Kim Sunghyun was more considerate than I thought.
Oh, this moment finally came.
“Let me play the song! 1, 2!”
I couldn’t say anything and just nodded. Kang Yichae glanced at me and started the song energetically. The same beat played out, and everyone started the choreography. Inside, I also raised my hand and copied them.
“…?”
Kim Sunghyun slowly pushed my back and taught me the movements. But the problem was, the more we went into the second half, the more it became like that. As the song progressed, the atmosphere in the practice room became colder. Kim Sunghyun finally said.
“Kang Yichae, turn off the music.”
“Yes.”
Kang Yichae noticed quickly and turned off the song. As I stopped moving and stood far away, Kim Sunghyun asked.
“Seo Hoyoon, why…”
“…”
“Why are your moves so awkward?”
‘Fuck.’
Here it comes. This problem was finally here.
I quickly avoided the members’ gaze, but it was not a problem that could be avoided.
I’d never danced before.
Of course. I only studied to become a producer. I sang to please my superiors. But not dance. How could an ordinary adult practice a boy idol dance?
“Isn’t it because it’s your first time?”
Sung Jiwon cautiously added his opinion. However, Kim Sunghyun was right.
My moves were awkward.
Hopelessly so.
“Let’s play it a little slower. If you learn it by breaking it down into small pieces, you’ll be fine.”
Sung Jiwon had some experience because his trainee period was long. I nodded silently.
Kang Yichae played the song slowly following his words, and Kim Sunghyun led the members in the front.
“Here, thump, tatatata, thump, thump, ta.”
Kim Sunghyun was right. And Jung Dajoon was a bit behind, but not as much as I was. I watched and copied Kim Sunghyun hard.
“Thump, thump, ta. Ta…”
Kim Sunghyun stared at me.
‘Gosh…’
I wanted to say that I might die from his pressuring gaze, but I couldn’t get it out of my mouth. By the time the slow-playing song was barely over, we were completely speechless.
“Why…are your moves still awkward?”
Kim Sunghyun asked curiously. Kang Yichae had the same expression
“Hyung, why are you so bad at this all of a sudden?”
“That’s…”
“I don’t think you were this bad in the past either.”
I had nothing to say. I shut my mouth and bowed my head like a sinner.
Ah, it had been a long time since I was rendered speechless like this.
“Sorry, I forgot everything.”
“…!”
“Really?”
“Is it because you were sick?”
“Uh, well… I guess it’s an aftereffect. I forgot all about dance.”
Everyone seemed convinced by that statement. No, actually, Kim Sunghyun seemed a little doubtful, but I said I was sick, what else could he do?
“This is serious. There’s less than a month left until our comeback.”
“But I can improve my dance skills within a month…?”
Jeong Dajoon asked carefully.
Hey, what kind of dance skill is that? I glared at him, but Jung Dajoon was sincere.
Kim Sunghyun also seemed to be seriously thinking about what to do with me, and Sung Jiwon just stared at me.
I’m going to pierce your face, you bastard.
“Wait, Hoyoon-ah. Let’s try it with me.”
“…?”
“You go first, okay?”
Sung Jiwon played the song again with an ambiguous expression and watched me dance.
For now, I danced as I was told, but Sung Jiwon’s expression gradually became strange.
He fast-forwarded the song.
“What about here?”
“…Uh.”
I paused for a moment to remember which part it was, and soon I danced as I remembered.
“…”
Compared to the members, what I did was at the level of rhythm, but it was okay.
Seong Jiwon repeated the song several more times before muttering something to himself. Only then I could finally stop dancing like a puppet.
“Wow.”
“What’s wrong?”
Sung Jiwon licked his lips. But Kim Sunghyun seemed to have noticed.
“You memorized all the dance in the midst of that.”
“…!”
Everyone was surprised. Jung Dajoon jumped.
“Hyung, you memorized all that?”
“Uh…well.”
“How?”
“I can memorize it just by looking at it.”
Then Jung Dajoon looked at me as if I was some kind of monster. Kim Sunghyun nodded.
“It was strange for some reason. He kept dancing with the movements to the right.”
“So, did Hoyoon already memorize everything when we were demonstrating?”
“How is that possible?”
Three minutes and forty seconds was quite a long time.
They chatted among themselves, leaving me alone, as if they were participating in an auction and evaluating a freshly caught tuna.
“Sometimes there are kids like that. Kids who have been dancing for a long time can memorize it after seeing it once or twice.”
“But Seo Hoyoon can’t dance.”
“That’s true…”
“Hey…”
Sung Jiwon agreed quietly. It was true, but I got a little pissed off when they said it in front of the person concerned.
Kang Yichae nodded to the members and added.
“Then hyung… He has a very good memory.”
“That’s it!”
Laughter flowed out. The light joke relaxed the atmosphere.
Sung Jiwon took advantage of this and clapped his hands as if trying to set the mood.
“Then it’s not completely impossible.”
“Hyung, can you say that even after watching Hoyoon hyung’s dance?”
“Kang Yichae, be quiet.”
Kim Sunghyun unexpectedly stepped forward and cut off Kang Yichae. Sung Jiwon nodded.
Strangely, eyes burning with passion poke into me.
“You can do it.”
“Um…”
I don’t think I can.
“Seo Hoyoon, you said it too. You’ll make The Dawn successfull.”
…I lit the fire on purpose, but the sparks fly like this.
I kept my mouth shut.
Ah, if this scene appeared on my program, it would have driven me to a growth story through soul-crushing editing. It was a pity that I wasn’t a producer.
“I will, no, we will teach you well. So that you can follow us.”
Sung Jiwon said cautiously.
Korean idols had to be good at everything. Even if you have everything from singing, dancing, face, talent, and a sense of entertainment, you had to follow your luck to become successful.
Now that I was an idol, it was right to follow that law. To Sung Jiwon and the members, who were burning with passion, I spoke more slowly.
“I am not good at it.”
“Yes.”
“So…teach me. Please.”
When I said that, everyone widened their eyes. The members slowly brushed their arms as if they had goosebumps.
“Wow, it was really awkward….”
“It was really awkward to be like that after watching you act like you haven’t done anything for several days.”
“Instead of that, you should have just asked us.”
What happened to my image…
Jung Dajoon, the only one who didn’t say anything, asked carefully while looking at me.
“Hyung, did you eat something wrong…?”
This punk.