Debut or Die

The woman who came to the audience at the request of her friend managed to sit in the middle seat with a good view.

‘I feel a little awkward.’

When the woman who had never seen such a spectacle alone felt embarrassed, the person sitting next to her spoke up.

“Who are you here to see?”

“What? Uh… Park Moondae?”

“Ah… yes.”

The person next to her, who was holding the slogan <Kim Raebin Debut> in one hand, looked up and down at her, and then quickly turned her head away while looking at her smartphone.

She felt strangely bad.

Feeling like coming here was a waste of time and emotions, the woman began to watch the first stage in a sullen mood.

“The first stage is… It’s <Fingerprint> from ‘Rolling Couple’!”

Along with the MC’s loud introduction, the stage of ‘Rolling Couple’, a mixed-gender idol group who failed after two activities, was briefly shown on screen.

It was shown under the pretext of ‘consideration for the audience who wasn’t familiar with the song because it was a hidden masterpiece’ and ‘respect for the original singer.’

However, in fact, it was intended to contrast the old idol’s tacky stage with the current participants’ stage.

“And the participants who reinterpreted this stage… They are Ha Iljun, Ji Taewoo, Lee Sejin, Seon Ahyeon, Choi Nahoon, Seok Heekang, and Choi Wongil~ Team ‘Gigantic’! Please come in!”

The stage screen showing the original song suddenly turned off, and the profile photos of the participants filled the screen one by one according to the MC’s call.

Then the screen gradually turned off, and the stage was illuminated.

– Feel it when you put your hands together∼

Keun Sejin’s smiling face filled the screen.

Tta-tta-tta-

And with the fast beat of the electro-house accompaniment, a splendid group dance unfolded on the stage.

‘Wow…’

Unlike seeing it on the screen, it felt more powerful in the field because the sense of space in the choreography was alive.

It even felt a little shocking for the woman who was directly watching an idol performance for the first time.

‘Should I have gone to a dance singer concert instead of a ballad singer?’

She unintentionally regretted it and enjoyed watching the stage in front of her, immersing herself in it.

“Thank you!”

So by the time she applauded the participants who left after the stage was over, she was completely excited.

‘This is actually kind of fun?’

It was boring to wait for the preparation in the middle of the stage, but watching the stage while the broadcasting equipment was running tasted different.

It was regrettable that the team’s skills fluctuated depending on the participants.

‘This team is a bit… Yeah.’

The second team was disappointing, and the third and fourth teams were quite fun.

Since the woman had never done the so-called ‘fangirling’, she forgot about it and only a lumpy feeling remained rather than a detailed appreciation of each stage.

First of all, the first team did the best so far, that was the impression left in her head.

‘I was told to vote for the two best teams on the way out, right?’

Saving a spot for the first team, she continued watching the stages.

The next teams also had their own concepts and were fun, but none of them left an impression as big as the first team.

‘Um, I’m a little tired.’

In fact, the teams in the second half were not inferior to the first half.

Looking at songs she didn’t know well one after another, the freshness she felt in the beginning disappeared and she started to get bored.

Moreover, the participant requested by her friend to watch had not yet appeared.

‘Isn’t it the last team now?’

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Resisting the urge to turn on her smartphone, she barely listened to the introduction of the next team.

“This performance is… It’s <Burning Like the Sun> by the band ‘Sun Island’!”

And a video that looked like a music show from about 10 years ago appeared on the screen.

‘Oh, this song.’

This was the cheering song she heard at the baseball stadium she went to with a friend who liked baseball.

‘It was originally sung like this…’

Well, it wasn’t as exciting as it was at a baseball stadium. She just thought it was a difficult song with a lot of high notes.

She sang the passionate vocals on the screen without much excitement and was startled by the MC’s roaring voice.

“And the participants who reinterpreted the stage! Ryu Chungwoo, Lee Sejin, Kim Yujun, Park Moondae, Yoo Jiho, Kim Rae-bin, and Cha Eugene!”

‘He just said Park Moondae, right?’

She hurriedly looked back at the screen. Profile pictures of the participants appeared on the screen.

‘Oh, I know them.’

It was the last team because it had a lot of famous participants.

She repositioned herself with her anticipation rising again. The cheers that were several times bigger than before pierced her ears.

‘Oh my gosh, they’re really popular.’

“That’s right, the ‘Hero’ team! Coming in now-“

Before she could think the name was tacky, the stage went dark.

It was a dark stage with no screen lights.

The moment a ray of blue spotlight hit it.

A participant holding his index finger up to the sky like a gun was revealed.

A tall black jumpsuit with a racing suit-like pattern absorbed the intense blue lights.

In that hand, a red finger suit glistened in the light.

And she heard a low voice.

-Yah, yah-” Hero Time

[HERO TIME!]

In an instant, the same letters filled the screen.

Screech!

The intense bass began to tear the speakers apart with a blatant glitch sound.

All the lights on the stage came back as if they were exploding. And the seven people began moving in unison.

“…!”

As their outstretched limbs hit the floor and their bodies were bent, an elaborate group dance like a sword unfolded.

They were all dressed in black jumpsuits with different patterns.

Cha Eugene, located in the middle, started singing.

My heart is burning

as bright as the sun

A participant who stood up from behind took over and sang.

– It reaches far and high up in the sky

So that I can fly further and catch you

In the accompaniment where the typical band sound should flow, there was a heavy and intense dubstep sound, leaving only a rocking feeling.

WOB- WOB- WOB- WEEEB-I

BRMMMM-!

And the group danced again.

Participants who reached out with one hand moved as if they were doing martial arts.

She looked at the stage with her mouth open. The more intense movement caught her attention.

The choreography consisted only of large and solid movements without any small movements.

The composition, which might seem monotonous and excessive, just became powerful thanks to the change of movement in the blink of an eye.

-There’s one thing that saves the world

A burning passion

Ryu Chungwoo, wearing a navy headband, sang the pre-chorus.

The moment she thought there was a strange and wonderful choreography that seemed to shoot at something, the chorus burst out.

Fly away! Until the end~

Until the day that shines like the sun!

The hair color of the participant, who sprinted forward and stretched a high-pitched tone, was shiny blonde.

A bright yellow glossy choker matched as if it had been made from his own hair.

With that high note, the participant was grinning.

‘Crazy.’

Is that Park Moondae? The woman reflexively covered her mouth.

‘Y-You’re so bad at taking pictures…!’

He looked nothing like the picture her friend showed her!

That’s not how you take a picture of someone who’s good and cute!!

Beating low expectations had tremendous destructive power.

In addition, there was no business that could win over preference.

‘I had similar tastes with her…!’

As she was getting a new realization, the stage entered a new phase.

Kim Raebin entered the seat where Park Moondae had sat down.

Goggles with purple lenses shook near his collarbone.

-Rising like a star

Shining like the sun

‘Huh?’

The high note of the chorus continued in the original song, but for this part, rap came out instead.

However, the remaining chorus melody didn’t disappear.

Instead, it was treated as a synthesizer like a sampler, adding a lively sound to the hip dubstep accompaniment.

When the rap was put on top of it, the momentum of the high notes did not die off. Rather, it felt easier to listen to.

Besides, the lyrics in that part were old, so the rap lyrics translated directly into English made the song more modern.

– It’s flying away! Right now~

It’s burning like the sun, time!

-Take your wings

And fly up

Let’s catch up

To the moon!

‘Wow…’

The woman who was not familiar with the original song only felt the impression that ‘this one is better’, but she certainly heard that the arrangement was much better than the other teams.

And most of all, the stage was just cool.

By the time the final chorus came out, she was leaning toward the stage, almost bewitched.

– Fly away! Until the end~

This time, Park Moondae and Kim Raebin sang the chorus as if they were exchanging at the end of the formation.

The choreography that moved as if it were a single body looked like a wave.

Under the blue-purple laser light, the black jumpsuit doubled the feeling of a sci-fi comic character.

And the last chorus with the super high note.

– I’ll save your world!

“Oooh.”

She swallowed a groan that was about to come out of her voice.

Park Moondae, who raised his head in the white pointing lighting, seemed to be able to save the world any time.

No, it was clear that he was saving the world…!

On the stage, Cha Yu-jin came out with the last dance break and back tumbling.

The body cut through the air and landed on the stage floor like a sequence in an action movie.

Thud.

It was a very symbolic, superhero landing.

Over the remaining accompaniment of the top line, narration like a glitchy announcement flowed out.

– Thank you for flying Hero Air today…

The boys on the stage slowly turned back.

And as they all raised a thumb-up together, the song ended.

Only then she realized that the surroundings were filled with tremendous noise.

“Aaaaah!!”

“Uwaaaah!!!”

All the cheers and screams that she unconsciously ignored while focusing on the stage rang in her ears.

What was even more surprising was that she was also screaming.

“It’s crazy!! Crazy!!”

The person sitting next to her was screaming as if she was about to jump out of her seat.

The slogan in her hand was already crumpled and shaken recklessly, so she wasn’t able to fulfill her original role at all.

In her head, images of Park Moondae smiling, Park Moondae pushing the high note all the way, and Park Moondae turning his back were playing endlessly.

At the same time, in order not to miss a single shot of Park Moondae leaving in front of her eyes, she thought with her eyes wide open.

‘Vote!! I have to vote!’

And above all, she was sure of one thing.

‘First place no matter what! Definitely the first place!’

This team is the winner!

* * *

After the stage was over, the ranking announcement began immediately in front of the empty audience seats where the audience had left.

With participants lined up in front of each team, the MC announced the next ranking.

“Third place… ‘Hero’ team, which reinterpreted <Burning Like the Sun>!”

“What?”

“Hey, that’s ridiculous.”

As soon as the MC’s presentation was over, the place was filled with murmurs from all directions.

I looked at the screen with cold eyes.

‘I knew this would happen.’