Chapter 29: Survival Entertainment Show - Random Keywords (3)

After a while, one of the staff from UNET glanced at me and Park Yoon-Chan, who were drenched in sweat. He asked, “Did you switch on your self-cam during your practice? It probably caught some intense footage.”

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“Yep, it has been recording,” I replied.

“Great, Chronos has got the right idea. Don’t mind us; just carry on with your practice. We’ll be done here shortly.” The staff then turned their attention to setting up the new camera and discussing the best angles, while Park Yoon-Chan and I resumed our practice.

"You mentioned wanting to watch the video, right? Let's hurry up and watch."

"Oh, right. But hyung, shouldn't we turn the self-cam this way?"

"Oh, right... yeah." I adjusted the self-cam and framed Park Yoon-Chan in the shot.

"I’ve got the choreography video ready on UTube."

"Okay."

We spoke in small voices as we played the choreography video even though no one told us to.

"Yeah, I definitely missed that part of the choreography."

"I think you didn’t miss it at first, but the fast pace might have jumbled up your moves. It seems like you unintentionally changed the moves and just went with it. Let's pay attention and try it again."

"Okay. hyung, can you film me?" Park Yoon-Chan massaged his shoulder and got into position in the center of the practice room.

"Playing it now."

I played the music and started filming Park Yoon-Chan with the phone I borrowed from Joo-Han. Park Yoon-Chan was glaring at the mirror with determination. As the early morning practice continued, his attitude was clearly improving.

“Your form is slipping!”

He instantly corrected his form at my call-out.

“Match the tempo, stay sharp!”

Gritting his teeth, Park Yoon-Chan pushed to maintain his pace. Though slightly behind, he was quickly catching up. It seemed that we would have a smoother group practice later.

Three hours passed swiftly, and his choreography practice for “There is No Night for Me” concluded with the appearance of the brightening sky.

"That's it for now. Let's rest a bit until the others arrive."

"...Did I do okay? Phew, can I see the footage?" Park Yoon-Chan tried to catch his breath and took the phone from me.

"Hey, you did well. If you keep it up, there won't be any problems."

"...So it really does work if I give my all and go for it." Park Yoon-Chan looked a bit relieved as he checked the recorded video.

***

The first day of practice ended earlier than planned, thanks to Park Yoon-Chan. Despite initial concerns about him, he quickly grasped the choreography during practice. As a result, the choreography practice progressed quickly.

"We have plenty of time left. Shall we practice some vocals as well?"

"Shall we give it a try now?" Park Yoon-Chan agreed and immediately started preparing for the vocal practice, which surprised Lee Jin-Sung.

"Hyun-Woo hyung, what happened between Yoon-Chan hyung and you this morning? Why is he suddenly so passionate?"

"Nothing happened."

Park Yoon-Chan had found his stride, embracing the practice wholeheartedly. Moreover, this choreography was simpler than that of “Moon Sea,” so it allowed for faster progress—especially since the company had taken a hands-on approach with the arrangements.

Thanks to Park Yoon-Chan’s diligence, we could prioritize not only completion but also the caliber of our performance. Compared to the “Moon Sea” days, we were clearly better off in every aspect.

‘If we have this much time... Hmm.’

"Let's get a bit more greedy."

As soon as I said this, all the members' attention focused on me.

"What do you mean by greedy?"

"If Yoon-Chan is going to be the center, other than vocals and dance, he also needs to pay attention to his expressions."

I took the phone I borrowed from Joo-Han and played our performance of “Moon Sea.”

"Watch Yoon-Chan closely here," I said.

Despite being blurry from the live stream's poor resolution, the footage revealed the stark contrast between Park Yoon-Chan and the more experienced members. While Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung seemed at ease under the scrutiny of the camera, Park Yoon-Chan's expressions were rigid, and his movements were unrefined.

"Center stage demands more than just movement, Yoon-Chan. Your expressions are as crucial as the choreography," I explained, seeing his hesitation.

“...Facial expressions.”

This time, we needed to have a dignified and vigorous expression, as if we were kings who believed we were the best in the world. On the other hand, Park Yoon-Chan had a very uncertain look on his face.

However, I knew that Park Yoon-Chan was undoubtedly the best in terms of expressiveness. He just had not had the chance to discover his talent yet. Once he got the hang of it, none of us would be able to match his acting skills.

Of course, this was something for the future, but there was a saying that “a different start leads to a different journey.” If we put a little pressure on him, Park Yoon-Chan would slowly showcase a great level of expressiveness and performance.

Joo-Han then looked at Park Yoon-Chan with a stern face. "Yoon-Chan, it's not a matter of whether you

can

do it or not. You

have

to do it."

Goh Yoo-Joon nodded. "That's right. It is a really good opportunity."

"...I will, I will try."

Since the costume competition, we had all learned how to best support Yoon-Chan. Pressuring him was just part of the process necessary to seize the golden opportunity.

The role of a central performer was a privilege—a chance for Park Yoon-Chan to step out from the sidelines. However, the audience wouldn't grade on a curve; any shortfall would be met with criticism, not compassion.

The determination in Park Yoon-Chan's eyes spurred us into action even before our break time had fully run out. Our shared goal to elevate one of our own was strong, and not a moment of it went unrecorded.

Park Yoon-Chan nodded and stood up. "Let’s practice. I want to do well in this performance."

Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye. The day of the competition was soon upon us.

***

Our uniforms struck the perfect balance between individuality and cohesion. Park Yoon-Chan's jacket was styled to stand out, while my uniform boasted a captain's hat, enhancing the leadership aesthetic. On the other hand, Jin-Sung and Yoo-Joon wore more subdued outfits than mine, all designed to complement each other superbly.

“They all have uniforms of the same genre, but since Yoon-Chan has a big part, we added some flair to his jacket. Hyun-Woo has gold trim and a captain's hat, while Jin-Sung and Yoo-Joon have a more standard look,” said one of our stylists.

“Wow, it’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, the captain's hat on Hyun-Woo is a stroke of genius.”

“Right? Oh, I was wondering what to do for Joo-Han, but we decided to go with a fancy shirt and a pin. Don’t you dare button up the jacket!”

The stylists seemed to have put a lot of thought into creating these outfits, trying hard to make everyone look different while maintaining a sense of unity. Thanks to them, the stage performance would be quite a feast for the eyes.

“Alright, is everyone ready? Let’s move to the car,” said our manager.

Time passed by quickly, and the second competition was about to commence. In the car, while Park Yoon-Chan kept murmuring the lyrics with a pale face, the other members were casually talking and keeping a relaxed atmosphere.

“How are you feeling?” asked the staff in charge of the behind-the-scenes camera.

With a light smile, I answered, “Last time I was anxious, but today, I'm actually looking forward to it.”

“I see.”

“Yoon-Chan seems nervous. He practiced a lot, so I hope he can perform well, given all his hard work.”

After a brief interview, the camera quickly moved to another member. The staff also knew that Park Yoon-Chan was sensitive, so he wisely chose not to ask him any questions.

“We are here. But don’t get out just yet, wait a moment,” warned the manager as we finally arrived at the filming site. He usually told us to get out before parking, but today, he did not unlock the doors and looked outside for a while.

“What is going on?”

“Just a moment.”

It appeared as if the manager was on guard.

"Why is he doing that?" I wondered and exchanged glances with the other members. That was when I realized the reason.

“Isn’t that Chronos?”

“It's Chronos! Chronos!”

“Kyaa! Oh my gosh!”

A huge crowd rushed toward the car in an instant, leaving us stuck there.

“Wh-what is going on?”

“What are you talking about? Those are your fans. Stay in the car and wait.”

The stylist quickly removed the captain’s hat from my head, while the manager stepped out of the car to calm the crowd. Contrary to their initial rush, the crowd gave us some space after a brief conversation with the manager.

“Our fans?”

“Is this for real? Wow......”

The members couldn’t take their eyes off the fans. They were waiting for us, not knowing when we would arrive, and their number and cheers were incomparable to that of our last performance. It was a strangely wonderful feeling.

Having created some distance with the fans, the manager opened the car door for us. He then said, “Come out. They are your fans, so wave and smile nicely to them.”

“Wow...... Wow......”

The manager adeptly guided us to the filming site.

“Oppa! We came to see you!”

“We will support you! We will definitely make you number one this time!”

“We love you! Just trust us! Do well on stage today!”

The level of excitement was extraordinary, and we responded with awkward bows and greetings. After all, we weren’t accustomed to such attention.

“Thank you so much. We will do our best.”

Whenever a member said a word...

“You got this! You can do it!”

“Don’t get hurt and stay strong!”

“Oppa, we will cheer for you wholeheartedly!”

We received an array of enthusiastic responses. It was then that I truly understood how the Allure members drew strength from interacting with their fans. This realization was both new and profound.

"Chronos is making their entrance!"

Upon our arrival at the studio, the already assembling cast members turned their gaze toward us.

“......Hello.”

“Hello. We are looking forward to filming with you guys.”

The atmosphere in the studio was tense, perhaps due to the close vote counts from the last filming session.

***

“Wow, I never thought an idol competition would have this kind of vibe.”

Producer Lee Won-Jae was in awe of the studio's charged environment. The notion that such intensity could stem from a show featuring a rookie idol group exceeded his expectations. The combination of three top contenders for victory, three underdog teams, and the close vote counts post-broadcast created noticeable tension.

The once laid-back mood was now overshadowed by thoughts of “maybe we could outshine them” or “perhaps we could overtake one of the front-running teams.”

Despite the underlying pressure, Lee Won-Jae's expression was one of sheer delight. "Have you guys gathered the self-cams from each team?"

“Yes, I collected them and checked the contents yesterday.”

“Edit the contents to focus on scenes where they show a competitive spirit. Make it look as intense as possible. Also, highlight any disputes between the members, creating a story like, ‘Despite the struggles, we pulled through and delivered a fantastic performance.’”

“The popular choice, Chronos, dropped to third place in the viewer voting, right? There would definitely be good scenes to highlight from the three strong teams and Air Senior, whose ranking is at the bottom.”

However, the staff hesitated and said, “Director Lee, focusing on competitive scenes is a good idea, but if we do that, Chronos’s screen time will be significantly reduced.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Lee Won-Jae had expected that there would be interesting scenes from Chronos. So, he tilted his head, not understanding what the staff was saying. Did Chronos start to take it easy because they had secured first place in the competition ranking?

The staff shook his head as he grasped Lee Won-Jae’s misunderstanding. “It seems like the kids from Chronos are naturally gentle.”

The staff rubbed his neck. There was nothing. At least, from what the staff could see, they couldn’t find such competitive scenes from Chronos’s video.