WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

I'm a Reporter, Please let me get off the Stage

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Chapter 37

Thanks to ‘Smart Sponge’, I managed to not forget the choreography I memorized.

Of course, I had committed all the movements to memory.

But I still felt anxious.

That was how terrifying it was to rely on sheer luck.

I didn’t doubt the effectiveness of the item, but until I confirmed that it actually worked, I would continue to feel worried.

It wasn’t my own skill after all, but just a crutch.

I awkwardly stood up and quietly slid to a far corner for a final review.

I began running through the choreography with small movements.

The opening formation was, me standing behind Gong Haram, place my foot over my right, shift my weight onto my right foot, and when the music starts, throw both hands straight up above my head, extending them forward, step back twice with my left foot, tap the ground lightly with my toes and repeat with my right foot. After that……

……

….

“Oh, looks like we’re about to be called up.”

“……”

“Yuyoung-hyung? Why do you look so tense?”

After that……

What came after that?

* * *

[<Challenge! 108 Times> : Practice the same choreography 108 times over two days to increase its completion level by 30. When used with ‘Smart Sponge’ memory increases by 30.]

Wait, come to think of it, how many times did I practice?

[<Smart Sponge> : Allows you to perfectly replicate memorized choreography.

*Note : If the memorized choreography is forgotten, the item’s effect disappears. This item is especially useful when your brain remembers but your hands and feet can’t keep up.]

Why are you telling me that now?!

So, even if I managed to pull off the dance using this item, if I forgot the choreography by the next day, it was all for nothing?

This was bad. This wasn’t like me at all.

Before I even realized it, extreme tension had gotten the better of me, and now the choreography in my head was turning into a jumbled mess

‘I need to calm down and sort this out.’

Taking a deep breath, I spun on my heels and started walking towards the door.

I heard Haedun’s voice coming from behind me.

“Where are you going?”

“Bathroom, just a sec.”

Afraid he might try to stop me, I leapt through the doorway the moment I crossed the threshold.

Currently IONER’s performance had just finished. Next up was VOV, and then it would be our turn.

If stage setup took about twenty minutes, I would have just enough time to gather my thoughts and regain my focus.

Reaching the hallway near the bathroom, I rummaged through my pockets.

A crumpled piece of paper fell out of my back pocket.

It was a memo pad filled with my practice log. It was half the size of an A4 sheet

It was marked with 108 hand-drawn circles. Every time I completed a full run through of the choreography, I would cross out a circle.

That item, being a buff item, didn’t even bother giving me real-time updates on my progress with completion or memory improvements.

To hit the target of 108 repetitions every two days, I needed to track my progress carefully. Since the time didn’t provide that, I had to rely on manually marking everything down like this.

“Weird. I’m sure I practiced enough.”

Yesterday morning, last night, and even while showering today, I had been reviewing the choreography.

I could clearly remember doing 80 repetitions yesterday, and 20 times this morning, which should have been enough, right?

I started counting the crossed-out circles on my practice log one by one……

‘Oh, shit.’

80 and 20?

The total I required wasn’t just 100 but 108.

‘Then what about the remaining 8?’

All the circles on the paper were crossed out.

There should have been 10 rows of 10 circles each, plus 8 more.

Damn it. I had only drawn 100 circles.

That was why I was missing 8.

‘How could I make such a ridiculous mistake……’

This situation was so comically absurd that I couldn’t even recognize myself.

Even back when I was a reporter I had never been this careless.

Sure there was that one time I sent an article to the desk with notes like:

<The actor was a bit reluctant to say this part, but we should just rephrase this a little and include it anyway>

And yes, I had gotten seriously chewed out for that.

But I wasn't the kind of idiot who couldn’t count correctly!

‘I guess I must have been seriously out of it……’

Now wasn’t the time to marvel at my own stupidity.

I had to complete those remaining 8 repetitions, no matter what.

Even if it meant giving up on my reaction shots while the other teams performed.

Now that I thought back on it, I realized that I often tended to forget things when I was under extreme tension, no matter whether it was facts, objects, or words.

(Quite) a while ago, during my college entrance exam, the same thing happened.

There was this trigonometric function application problem. I had solved similar ones so many times while studying that I could practically do them in my sleep.

Normally, I should have been thrilled encountering such a familiar problem, and tackle it with open arms thinking something like “Ah, my old friend~! Thanks for the feast!’

But instead, when I faced that problem, I completely blanked out going ‘What, this seems familiar, but what was a trigonometric function again?’

I eventually remembered how to solve it again after finishing all the other problems, so I rushed through it last minute.

It felt like someone had thrown a black veil over the information in my head.

The more nervous I got, the worse this phenomenon became.

The problem was, when I was extremely nervous, I could never recognize that I was ‘nervous’. So even now I had thought that I had everything under control.

Damn it, first…… First……

‘Alright, let’s eat something sweet.’

I popped a piece of Lotus chocolate into my mouth, my go to whenever I felt shaky from low blood sugar.

Oddly enough, these kinds of desperate situations could often be smoothed over by something as simple as a piece of chocolate.

If only they would have let me eat something during the college entrance exam, I wouldn’t have been in such a huge mess, right?

And fortunately.

As the sweetness spread across my tongue, I felt my vision clear up.

The foggy haze in my mind felt like it was starting to lift a little.

I only had to complete the song 8 more times fully. At roughly 3 minutes and 30 seconds per run-through, a focused 30-minute practice session would let me step onto the stage feeling much more confident.

I played the song quietly and began practicing with light movements.

Right there, in the middle of the hallway……

Thankfully, the sections that had previously been blanked out in my mind were starting to come back into focus after watching the practice video one more time.

“……Yuyoung-hyung?”

“Ah.”

I turned around toward the voice calling out to me.

Standing there in the hallway was a tall, dark silhouette.

It was that guy.

Heerae.

“Aren't you coming? They’re starting the recording in two minutes.”

“Ah, yeah. You go ahead first. I’ll catch up.”

“You said you would be doing a new song today, right? Are you still practicing?”

“Pretty much. I’m just a bit behind……Haha.”

“You can’t stop dancing even while talking to me? That’s some crazy passion, Hyung. I’ll be looking forward to it!”

Heerae grinned mischievously, then disappeared into the studio.

……That little punk, was he teasing me? He definitely was.

But what should I do? I didn’t have any other choice here. I couldn’t stop mid-song. Only uninterrupted full run-throughs counted.

I had only managed to do three so far.

[<Challenge! 108 Times>  Upgrade Progres: 5 practices left to reach Level 5. Maximum upgrade level is Level 5!]

So if I finished this, I would have mastered <Totter>, right?

“WEEKANIZ, please stand by.”

“Erm, that’s……”

“Yes!!!”

By the time I rushed into the studio like a madman, the other members were already standing on stage, looking utterly confused.

If I had been even a little later, the recording schedule might have been delayed again. And if that had happened, who knew how this show would have crucified us for this.

Still, I managed to make it just in time. Small mercies, I guess.

“We’re starting recording now. I will go first.”

Maybe it was the sugar kicking in, but…… I felt oddly calm.

I spotted Lee Kyubin picking up the mic to open the interview segment.

“WEEKANIZ’ <Totter> is being premiered for the first time here on  <Ultimate Idol>. What made you decide to debut this song on our show?”

One of the staff handed me a handheld mic.

“Ah, yes…… By the time the song was almost complete, the recording for this show was just around the corner. The timing was just right, so we thought debuting it here would make it a special gift to our fans. That’s why we decided to do it like this.”

‘Well…… We didn’t have the budget or time to do anything else, so this was the only decent option.’

People in the know would probably already get that, but whatever. Broadcasting was all about how you package things, so I had no other choice but to talk it up a little.

“I see, I hope it truly becomes a special gift for your fans. Hmm, among the viewers watching this show, there will be fans of other groups as well as WEENANIZ fans. How do you think they could enjoy this stage?”

That was a tough one. No matter how I answered, I was bound to get criticized.

“Ah, yes. To be honest, it’s not like we’re approaching this stage with the mindset of ‘We’re going to win over every single fan’. Of course, we’re confident, but, uhm…… This song is really for our fans who have waited patiently during WEEKANIZ’ long hiatus. We hope they’ll be satisfied with this song first and foremost.”

“Oh, that’s such a leader-like response, prioritizing your fans!”

“That said, we don’t want to get on the bad side of other groups’ fans either, haha. We’d be grateful if you’d view us kindly.”

“What kind of song is <Totter>?”

“Yes. <Totter> is a fast-tempo dance track built on intense synthesizer and 88-bass lines. It starts with a bright piano melody, gradually incorporating richer drum beats and pronounced 88-bass sounds.”

“I see, What should fans focus on while watching the performance?”

“Yes, we’d love for you to pay attention to the catchy chorus and the powerful choreography. The choreography was created by our member Haedun, and Baek Gyeom participated in the composition.”

“Ah, uhm……”

Suddenly, Baek Gyeom leaned forward and spoke up.

What was he doing? I felt uneasy, but handed him the mic.

“Yuyoung-Hyung also participated in the composition. If you check the credits on streaming platforms, his name will be there as well.”

After saying that, Baek Gyeom glanced at me and…… winked.

His sparkling eyes were practically screaming ‘I did well, right?’

I couldn’t really bring myself to smile proudly, so I just let out an awkward chuckle instead.

Somehow, the atmosphere had become incredibly heartwarming.

“Oh, what a talented group! I’m really looking forward to this performance. Now, here’s WEEKANIZ with <Totter>!”

The stage dimmed.

I took my place next to Haram.

<Totter>, a legendary masterpiece.

……Though it had stumbled a bit as a hit, because of its overly edgy, dark concept.

So, I decided to completely change it.

We went with a clean and elegant white-toned uniform concept.

While the white itself could serve as the focal point, since it was a stage outfit, relying on just a single tone alone wouldn’t cut it.

The stylist that Chae Ire had arranged (?) and I held several meetings to ensure the patterns and accessories would stand out as much as possible.

Actually, the stylist initially wanted it to be even more extravagant.

However, knowing how the previous dark and overly edgy concept had tanked this song in my previous life, I stood firmly against it. Eventually, the stylist gave in.

The final outfit consisted of lace shirts embroidered with rose patterns, uniquely designed jackets that only covered one half of the body, and ribbon decorations on the wrists and neck.

I had been against the ribbon decorations, but the stylist insisted that they suited the look so well that they went ahead and just added them.

However my real self was just a regular middle aged guy……

I was so embarrassed during the first visual rehearsal that I couldn’t bring myself to look in the mirror properly.

It wasn’t really me, but still, this body moved based on my will, so I felt kind of complicated about this.

[Special Buff! : Congratulations on completing <Challenge! 108 Times> in one week! A random buff will activate during the main stage performance!]

What?

“Standby!”

I didn’t even get the time to figure out what that random buff was.

The stage already began.

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