WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

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Chapter 54

We increased the tempo by about 30% and played it back.

It instantly felt like a proper dance track.

To be honest, I didn’t know much about composing music.

But wasn’t having a total amateur’s ear actually useful for making mainstream pop?

I patted Haram on the shoulder.

The fact that the arrangement was coming together so quickly was a good start.

“This is pretty good. We just need to refine it a little more.”

“……Is this really okay? Shouldn’t we try tweaking it a bit more? It feels kinda familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere before.”

Haram seemed a bit unsure of himself.

I shook my head.

“For a competition like this, we have to go for something easy to listen to and a fast tempo. And since this isn’t some trainee survival show, we don’t need to force a ‘new challenge’ just for the sake of it.”

“Hmm…… That’s true.”

Haram listened to me seriously.

“The important thing is to refine what we’re already good at…… To stick with our signature strengths.”

“What’s our ‘signature strength’ then?”

It was Yoon Sanho, sitting behind us, who asked.

“That would be……”

I slowly closed my eyes before answering.

“……‘Narrative’.”

A 4 minute performance that left a lasting impression.

That was my approach.

“You’re not seriously expecting me to do a monologue or something, right?”

Baekgyeom stared at me, eyes filled with fear.

I just gave him a friendly smile.

This program, this stage, this competition.

It wasn't about streaming numbers..

It was a battle of ‘views’ and ‘votes’.

As such, the music was just a tool to support the real fight.

“The important thing is”

“……”

I looked around at the six reckless idiots surrounding me.

“It’s all about how we frame it. If a ring is put through a nose, it’ll turn into a nose ring and if we put it through an ear it’ll turn into an earring. Right now, we’ve got props, bulletproof vests, and protective goggles.”

“……Are you suggesting we do a mind map or something?”

Baekgyeom grumbled.

“You just focus on emptying your head and memorizing the choreography.”

“That’s pretty unfair, you know?.”

Before we knew it, it was already 3 pm.

Haedun still looked deep in thought.

I had a sudden realization. I was doing exactly what Haedun’s fans hated the most.

But we had no other choice right now.

It wasn’t like Baekgyeom was going to come up with any decent choreography……

Baekgyeom’s fans and Haedun’s fans would figure out how to balance things on their own somehow.

“Pairs.”

“Huh?”

“We need pairs.”

Haedun’s voice was low, almost determined.

I pushed open the practice room door with confidence.

“That’s right. A shooter always keeps their eyes on their target.”

From behind me, Haedun let out a thoughtful hum in response.

It seemed like I didn’t have to worry that much.

Alright.

It was time for Baekgyeom’s training.

[Name: Baekgyeom

Dance : C+]

“Sigh……”

It took exactly five seconds for my confident ‘Alright!’ to turn into a defeated ‘Sigh……’.

This was beyond dire.

Was this guy really an idol?

What kind of idol couldn’t dance?

He should just lock himself in a studio and stick to producing!

……I could already taste the hate comments rising to my tongue.

Baekgyeom was clumsier than I had expected.

Sure, he had managed to push through <Totter> with sheer, soul-crushing practice.

But at best, his results were just barely ‘acceptable’.

What should I do now?

Should we just match Baekgyeom’s level and turn into a group of clumsy dancers?

Or maybe my system shop had something that could save him?

I opened the shop.

[Item Recommendation]

[<The Hoop of Talent!> : Spin a hula hoop 100 times, and for the next 5 hours, the chosen state will increase by 2 levels (*can be used on others).]

“……Baekgyeom, do you know how to hula hoop?”

“Hula what?”

“Hu. La. Hoop.”

“Uh, yeah? Why?”

Perhaps because this question seemed to come out of nowhere, Baekgyeom just blinked, confused.

……Right. His reaction was the normal one here.

How the hell was I supposed to convince him that he needed to spin a hula hoop 100 times right now?

Was this item designed just to test my persuasion skills or something?

“Baekgyeom, what do you think is the biggest thing you need to fix about your movement?”

“Hmm…… Honestly? I’m not that flexible.”

“Okay. Flexibility."

Flexibility? Perfect.

“I’m not that flexible either, actually. So I think you and I should do some special training.”

“What kind of training?”

“I’ll let you know after we finish today’s choreography.”

Because I needed time to get my hands on some hula hoops.

“Haedun, how are you setting up the pairs?”

I turned to look at Seo Haedun and asked.

He sat cross-legged, deep in thought, then finally spoke up.

“It’s better to isolate the ones who suck.”

“That’s harsh.”

But painfully accurate. I couldn’t even argue.

“We’re not going to start with pairs from the very beginning though.”

“Yeah, do what you want. I don’t argue with geniuses.”

I waved him off and shut the practice room door behind me.

As soon as I turned back around, I caught Haedun staring at me with a slightly startled expression.

“……What?”

“……Nothing.”

His blank expression quickly returned to his face.

What was his deal?

I brushed it off and stepped in front of the mirror.

“Phew……”

Anyway, I had to use another item.

The 108 Times item, the Memory Boost item, and now I had to hula hoop with Baekgyeom to buff him up. (The only way to make him do it was to drag him down with me.)

The song was finally taking shape.

The original Ahn Yuyoung had a pretty solid feeling for rhythm, so singing didn’t stress me out too much anymore..

But the dancing was pretty stressful.

Plus, I had to focus on my facial expressions as well……

The other members were already stretching and warming up, feeling the weight of performing a brand-new stage.

And tomorrow was the first broadcast.

We needed to boost morale today. That way, even after watching the first broadcast, they would still be mentally solid.

I clapped my hands together loud enough to grab everyone’s attention, then looked around at the team and shouted.

“Just focus on not making mistakes!”

“……That’s kinda underwhelming, considering how dramatic you sounded.”

Tae Oh chuckled.

You don’t get it.

When one aimed for perfection, that was when one would mess up the hardest.

True success came when you weren’t even thinking about it.

* * *

And as such, we spent the next four hours in pure chaos.

Creating choreography, learning choreography, fixing choreography, adjusting formations.

By the time practice was over and we finished eating dinner, the individual interviews were still going.

We sat in the brightly lit studio, continuing to refine our stage layout and dance sequence.

I wasn’t dragged (?) into another interview, but Haedun, Yoon Sanho, and Chae Ire had all been called in.

I kept a close eye on Haedun’s expression, still a bit uneasy by what had happened earlier during my own interview.

But when he walked in and out of that room, his expression didn’t change a bit.

At least he didn’t go in looking constipated and came out looking relieved, so that was something at least.

When Haedun was pissed, it always showed, but when he was happy, it never did.

He didn’t look pissed, so…… was that a good sign?

“The first episode will air tomorrow at 7 pm. You’re free to practice until then, but please return to this studio by that time to watch it together.”

The staff member said what they came to say and left the studio without another word.

We kept brainstorming ideas.

Strangely enough, no one seemed sleepy or exhausted.

What was going on? How weird.

Before I knew it, the clock read 1:40 am.

Around us, only VOV and Chenstin were still lingering.

If we wanted to book the practice room for the afternoon today, it might be a good idea to get some sleep now.

Just as I was about to suggest that we call it a night a shadow loomed over me.

I raised my head to look at its source.

It was Chenstin’s leader, Yuho.

“……You guys are working really hard.”

“Ah, yeah. Hello. Chenstin’s been working just as hard.”

Yuho looked a little tired but still managed to smile.

“What song are you guys doing? You picked a B-side track, right?”

“Ah, well…… Even if I tell you, I don’t think you’d know it, haha.”

“Haha. Still, you’re really amazing. Choosing a B-side isn’t an easy decision.”

“Well, you could call it a new challenge, I guess…… Haha.”

The moment I said that I felt a sharp glare from my side.

It was Baekgyeom.

I could practically feel him thinking ‘Didn’t you literally say earlier that we shouldn’t take on new challenges?!’

This is what you call strategy, you punk.

What kind of fool spills their entire game plan to the enemy’s general?

“We’re about to head to practice.”

“Practice? Choreography?”

“Yes. Our session got split into two. One hour in the afternoon and three more hours from 2 am to 5 am.”

“Ah……”

“When we tried to book in the morning, all the slots were already taken, haha.”

……This bastard.

Now I knew why he had come over with that smile plastered on his face.

So Chenstin was the one who got screwed over.

They were the poor souls forced into that awkward, one-hour gap between Loop7’s and WEEKANIZ’s sessions……

Which meant, he was here to throw some shade!

‘Clever little snake……’

I glanced around.

There was only one camera running with no staff members around, and none of us were wearing microphones.

This punk had already made sure of all that.

So he knew that whatever he said right now would never make it to broadcast.

“Ah……I see.”

But Yuho, if you think you had the upper hand here then you were dead wrong.

I knew now as well, you know? I know everything, okay?

Keeping my expression as pleasant as possible I smiled at Yuho.

“……Hmm, then how about this? Want to come with me at 6 am next time? I only got three hours of sleep yesterday to go make that reservation, you know?”

“Ah, so that’s why WEEKANIZ got the 3 pm slot.”

He already knew everything, yet he still brought it up again.

Well, honestly, kids who have been through all kinds of battles are a lot scarier than jaded old corporate workers like me.

“Yeah…… that’s right. We just went with whatever time worked best for our members. I’m sure the same goes for Chenstin, too.”

“True. I guess I was too complacent. But now…… I feel like you don’t really have to do that anymore.”

“Yuho-hyung! We’re heading to the bathroom. Come with us! This place is creepy as hell!”

Ooh.

Yuho glanced back toward his group and replied.

“My members are calling me, so I should get going. You guys don’t really need to push yourselves so hard anymore, okay? I mean, it makes sense for us to keep practicing, but for you guys, how about just taking it easy now?”

“Ah…… Well.”

“Anyway, see you around.”

And with that, Yuho quickly walked off toward his members.

“Yuyoung-hyung?”

Still sitting there in a daze, I turned to look at Yoon Sanho..

“What were you guys talking about? Wow, they’re heading to practice now? That’s rough. Seriously, we’re lucky you handled it for us, Hyung.”

“I was there too.”

“Yeah, but you went there for atonement.”

Yoon Sanho and Baekgyeom started bickering again.

I just sat there, unable to shake off the irritation bubbling up inside of me.

What was his deal? Coming over to poke at us like that……

‘What an annoying little brat.’

Yuho, true to his nickname, prodigy elementary schooler (which I gave him), had an uncanny talent for getting under my skin.

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