Chapter 189
“W-wow! Jeong Yeon Woo Seonbae actually prepared a special song for us. This is amazing. I’m really… really happy!”
“I’m just glad there’s no choreography…no! I mean, it’s rare to have a song where you can really focus on vocals like this. I’m at a loss for words, honestly.”
“This is insane. Gao Yan can’t even memorize all the choreography, and now he’s got an extra vocal song? This isn’t a gift, it’s… eugh!”
“Shh, Gao Yan. Shh! That’s not something to say right now!”
Word has it that except Gao Yan, outwardly, the other trainees were shrieking with joy, but behind the scenes, they were all weeping tears of blood.
“Gao Yan was the only one who actually said out loud it wasn’t a present….”
Honestly, I also thought it was more like a curse than a gift. But saying that out loud and keeping it in your head were two different things.
“…Hoo.”
Wiping away the sweat from the intense practice, I thought back to the message Yeon Woo hyung had sent me yesterday.
The answer to my question of why the hell he’d added another song was there.
– Jeong Yeon Woo: Well, it’ll mean a bit more practice…
– Jeong Yeon Woo: But the longer the performance, the happier people will be, and it gives them more time to vote, too. ^^
It was hard to argue with that.
A longer show meant more live voting time, and more votes coming in for sure.
Still, why did hyung have to worry about that… he knew I knew, but wouldn’t say it out loud.
I really couldn’t figure him out sometimes.
“Yong Yong hyung, what are you thinking so hard about?”
“…Oh, Hwa Sung.”
Hwa Sung cut in so brightly, like he’d known exactly when my focus had wavered.
Man, I don’t even know if I should be grateful for this.
“I think… maybe we just need to run it one more time, then call it a night. The live broadcast’s tomorrow, and we’ve got to take care of ourselves too. Plus… we’re doing really well right now, you know?”
“Oh? You think you’re doing well?”
“Ah, hyung, don’t tease me again. I meant our whole team, not just me!”
The slight regrowth at the roots of his blonde hair spoke volumes about how much time had passed since Targeting Star had begun.
Maybe it embarrassed him to see me staring at it, because Ji Hwa Sung soon scrubbed at his crown and mumbled sulkily.
“Ah, jeez. Hyung, the important thing right now isn’t my roots, is it? It’s our team’s chemistry, okay? It’s the last performance, and we’ve got to make sure we’re in sync.”
“Yeah… you’re right about that.”
Our gazes both settled in the same place.
On the hoodie that someone had left behind, still draped across the mirror where they’d stood all day.
That light blue hoodie looked so much like its owner.
Even though it had been worn often, the shape was still crisp, but if you looked closely, you could see the wear it had been through.
“…….”
“…Ahem.”
I made brief eye contact with Hwa Sung and let out a short sigh.
“It’s an honor to be able to stand with all of you trainees until the very end. Now… I’ll announce the final debut evaluation teams!”
The debut evaluation teams were supposedly chosen based on ‘the trainees who fans thought would have the best chemistry.’
Of course, it was a well-balanced division to avoid the usual complaints of one team having too many debut contenders.
For instance, right now, whispering to me was Targeting Star’s rap ace trainee, Ji Hwa Sung.
And lounging in the middle of the practice room, warming up his voice, was Yu Chan hyung and Lee Chae Hyuk.
“Ah, seriously. This—why! Why can’t I dance this right!”
Even Kim Joo An, who was practically growling through his choreography, seemed to fit right in.
However, there was one other person besides me who brought a strange tension to it all.
“…Hasn’t Liu Wei stopped coming to practice since two days ago?”
“Hahh, yeah. So we’re honestly more used to doing it as five than as six now. We’ll be fine either way, but still.”
The fact that they’d deliberately put two dance-position trainees on the same team.
And that only our team had been quietly told to ‘also be ready to perform as five if it comes to it.’
Only we’d been told, but rumors like that couldn’t help but spread in the trainee dorm.
So yeah.
The rumor that Liu Wei might drop out before the live broadcast because of the fiancée scandal and all the other issues.
I’d been watching the PD Joo’s and had a hunch, but I didn’t expect to see it actually happen.
“…….”
Anyway, ending up on the same team as him again meant I couldn’t help but be distracted by his presence.
No, thinking about it, it was obvious. Tomorrow would decide whether the next chapter of my atonement would even begin.
And he was the one holding the biggest key to that chapter, so it was only natural for me to pay attention to him.
I squared my shoulders, rotated my neck a couple of times, and then casually draped my arm over Ji Hwa Sung’s shoulder.
“Argh! Hey, heavy!”
“What are you talking about? You’re way taller than me.”
I was talking to my member, my younger brother in all but blood.
I couldn’t say it out loud right now, and maybe I’d never be able to say it at all.
But I sent the message in my heart, that I’d kept running for this moment all along.
“Hey, Hwa Sung. Let’s run it one more time before we head back.”
“With all five? We’ve done it with five a ton already….”
“Mm, just in case. Let’s also run it once as six. We should at least have that muscle memory.”
My drifting gaze found its anchor again.
Live broadcast, debut.
Liu Wei, and Arrows.
Rrrrrr―
The relentless ticking of the second and minute hands lined up at midnight.
…Even if I wanted to, there was no turning back now.
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