Chapter 147. 100% Sincerity
“But what can I do? I’ve already said it.”
Kang Hajin replied with a surprisingly nonchalant attitude for someone supposedly terrified.
In truth, right after speaking, he had wondered if he had been too emotional… But after watching what had happened to the Loving You team, he became certain that it was better to have said it, even if it meant getting scolded.
“I’ve already been scolded by Team Leader Suho today, so if you’re planning to nag, do it tomorrow.”
“Who said I was going to nag?”
“Let’s save the comfort and encouragement for tomorrow too… Maybe it’s because this old man’s stamina is lacking, but I’m really about to pass out today.”
“Grandpa, if you sleep here, you’ll catch a cold. It’s still chilly at night, you could just die.”
“Now you’re sending me off for good, huh?”
Whether it was because he was truly too tired or just didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore, Hajin muttered in a half-asleep voice. Tae-hyun shook him awake with an exasperated tone. Hajin, swaying back and forth under Tae-hyun’s grip, finally managed to get up with a heavy body. Truthfully, it felt like he could sleep for ten hours straight if he closed his eyes right now.
“I wasn’t planning to nag, so just go to your room and sleep.”
“Then what did you want to say?”
“Nothing much. I was just curious how you ended up saying something like that.”
Tae-hyun cut off his words as he stood up. Hajin knew there were still more thoughts and words in Tae-hyun’s mind, but he didn’t bother to pry further.
“Then I’m heading in first.”
“Yeah. Your performance today was great. You worked hard, so get some rest.”
“Sure. You should go to bed soon too.”
Still wearing a white face mask, Hajin waved his arms lazily as he left the lounge. Tae-hyun quietly watched Hajin’s retreating figure, then slumped onto the sofa, letting his tired body sink into it.
“What can I do? I’ve already said it…”
Tae-hyun muttered to himself, recalling Hajin’s response.
“That guy makes everything sound so easy.”
…Enviably.
Murmuring softly to himself, Tae-hyun got up from the sofa and headed to his room.
*Bzzzz―*,
At that moment, his phone vibrated lightly in his pocket. It was probably a notification from the community app where he had set up keyword alerts. Normally, Tae-hyun would have immediately opened the app to check the posts about them as soon as the notification popped up.
“…Yeah. What can I do? What’s done is done.”
But just like Hajin said, if it was something that was going to happen anyway, he wanted to sleep peacefully tonight.
Tae-hyun took out his phone and pressed the power-off button.
And so, the small, square world inside the screen went to sleep. Tae-hyun found the silence rather comforting.
* * *
Just as Tae-hyun and Hajin feared, the internet world after the guerrilla concert was nothing short of chaotic. Since it was a free concert held in an open space, reviews poured in from all directions.
[Is Joo Eunchan’s real appearance for real?]
(A slightly blurry phone picture of Joo Eunchan)
Does he really look like this???
– Wow, what the heck?
– Is this really a trainee’s face? The future of K-pop looks bright.
– I saw Eunchan in person, and he looks even more like a cold, handsome guy than in the picture. He’s even better-looking in real life. The aura? You just can’t capture it in a photo. Seeing him in person just makes you say ‘Oh my god.’
└ Are you saying he looks even better than that? That’s insane.
[Wow, look at the crowd at Miro Maze’s guerrilla concert]
(Photo of the packed audience at the guerrilla concert)
The crowd is insane.
[But Miro’s kids are really good at what they do]
I got curious and watched the online broadcast, and they were all so good, hahaha.
– Yeah, honestly, even the ones people say aren’t good would do fine anywhere else.
– Right, I haven’t heard a raw live performance like this in a while. It was live, so there shouldn’t have been any post-editing.
– The kids all speak well, and they have good entertainment skills, so I think it’ll be fun when they debut and hold concerts or something. I was surprised there weren’t many slip-ups even though it was live.
└ Exactly, they’re really good at broadcasting for trainees, and they have talent.
From the Destiny mission to the stages where each team’s color was evident, there were diverse reviews and praises flooding in.
The stage of the Youth Unbeatable team, to which Hajin belonged, also became a hot topic.
[What’s this song? Miro Maze]
*JeongShukream @ice_ciu*
I was watching on the subway
and suddenly I became a woman with a backstory…
The lyrics are so beautifulㅠㅠㅠ
(Video clip of the Youth Unbeatable team’s stage)
What’s the song where they sing, “Oh, butterfly” in the middle?
I got curious and listened to the original “Where am I,” but that part’s not in it. Is it an original creation?? I love this song so muchㅠㅠㅠ
-Anonymous1: I heard it was written by the father of Jung Siwoo, the trainee playing the guitar there! I’m also listening to it nonstopㅠㅠㅠ Unfortunately, it seems there’s no official audio releaseㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└OP: Oh, really? That’s a shame… I happened to come across it, and it’s exactly my style, so I wanted to download the audioㅠㅠ
└Anonymous1: If you’re okay with that version instead of the original, there’s an extracted audio file in the uploader’s feed! I’m listening to that too~
└OP: Wow, thanks!! I love that version tooㅠㅠㅠㅠ Thank you, thank youㅠㅠㅠ
└Anonymous1: Haha, glad I could help! Have a great day!
*KangHadi @kang_HD*
My kid’s settings were over-the-top, like a youth manga protagonist
I’m struggling too
But Hajin, ReboSha was a bit much;
(Preview of Hajin playing the piano)
(Preview of Hajin singing while playing the piano)
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[The Youth Unbeatable team’s stage was pure youth itself]
The setting sun, the white-blue outfits…
Playing the instruments was so cool
When they harmonized while looking at each other, I was genuinely moved
Personally, I’ve gained a new appreciation for Seok through this stage
He’s always been likable for working diligently, but I hope this stage will help him rise in popularity
– I cried tooㅠㅠㅠ The lyrics just felt like my story
– The other stages were good too, but this folksy vibe? I think I liked it more because it’s been a while since I’ve seen a stage like this. Combining the two songs was truly genius.
– Did they really play the instruments live??? Wow, I thought it was hand sync for sure.
└ Nope, they really played them. They did a sound check at the venue, and when Seok stopped playing momentarily because he was crying, the violin sound cut off.
Not only were there compliments from those who watched the stage live, but even the original composer of “Where am I” uploaded a long review on their Winsta after watching the clip. The praise and reviews for the Youth Unbeatable team flooded the internet, to the point where it could be called an overwhelming success.
However, among the three stages that were performed at this guerrilla concert, there was one team that received the most overwhelming support and reaction.
– Lee Doha tore up the stage.
It was none other than the Loving You team’s performance, which was the last one.
*Harang @dohajin_luv*
Is Lee Doha a madman???????
(Video of Doha rapping, shot on a phone)
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[How was the Loving You team’s reaction at the venue today?]
I watched the clips, and they were so good. I’m curious how it was in person.
– It felt like I was at a rock festival because people were screaming so much.
– To be honest, the mood was a bit tense before the stage, but on the way home, everyone was just talking about them, hahaha. They were so good.
– Lee Doha didn’t just tear up the stage; he put it in a blender and shredded it.
– No, you have to listen to this live. The atmosphere was insane. Didn’t Doha make the beat too? He’s a genius.
Destinies (fans) poured out heated reviews, laced with some intense language.
Numerous hip-hop channels on iTube made shorts from the Loving You team’s stage, which then went viral in amateur hip-hop communities, causing the buzz to grow.
Among them, the most popular clip was this one.
<A boy group survival stage that’s even more impressive because it’s not staged ㄷㄷ>
The Loving You team’s stage, which was conducted in a cypher format.
It was a scene capturing the moment when Yugeon’s part transitioned to Doha’s part.
Due to the lack of stage LED screens
, only the basic broadcast screen was running, making the stage a bit dark. Yugeon made a gesture in sync with the gunshot in the beat and turned around. Then, as Doha, standing in the center of the stage, lifted his head and grabbed the microphone, the surroundings suddenly lit up with a *bang*―!
It was the time of the evening.
The countless streetlights surrounding the square happened to turn on right at that moment.
– Not having LED on their stage was the best choice. It gave off a real street cypher vibe.
– How did those streetlights turn on at that exact moment, hahaha?
– I thought Yugeon was amazing, but Doha completely overshadowed him.
– I never thought I’d see real hip-hop like this on a boy group survival show. Damn, bro, don’t become an idol.
Additionally, when Shin Kyungho, who had been feeling pressured, stumbled a bit over the lyrics, Yugeon, who seamlessly caught the timing and doubled it without a hitch, also received reevaluation and heated up the community.
With the darkening sky and the powerful beat, coupled with Doha’s growing potential, the interest in their stage soared endlessly.
This naturally led to some inevitable questions.
[But why didn’t the Loving You team have any stage effects?]
I noticed the other teams had LED screens and stuff, but why did they only have lights???
– It was a mission reward, but they didn’t get it because they failed.
– They failed the mission, so yeah.
– They only managed to get the stage lights because Yugeon and Doha barely succeeded.
People began to question the relatively sparse stage setup for the Loving You team compared to other performances.
The statement that “the Loving You team failed the mission and didn’t get the items” was, in fact, true, so on the surface, there seemed to be no issue.
[Hahaha, they say they failed the mission, so they didn’t get the items]
Who do you think made them fail the mission, hahaha. Not being popular is such a crime.
– Ugh, I know, it’s so frustrating.
– I’m so upset and disappointed right now.
– Anyone who was there knows it’s a lie to say the kids couldn’t get the items, haha. It’s not that they couldn’t, it’s that they weren’t allowed to.
*Rossy Day @rossy_1017*
I’ve kept quiet for so long, but I’m so annoyed that I have to say something.
I know this whole survival show is fan-driven,
and that there are a lot of young fans here,
so I’ve been just enduring it,
but after what happened today, I can’t take it anymore.
Just because you don’t support a trainee
doesn’t give you the right to treat them poorly, curse at them, and criticize them.
Even interfering with missions that directly affect the stage?
That’s just too much, isn’t it?
…See More
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However, the truth beyond the facts wasn’t so free of problems.