WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

[ Translation - Aren ]

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

________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 64

“…….”

Was that the end?

Kim Minjeong was about to cautiously call Jo Hayeon’s name.

Tap!

And then, the lights came back on.

And standing right in front of the camera

“……”

Was one person, staring straight into the lens with a murderous glare, jaw clenched tight.

“Whoa……”

Kim Minjeong let out a gasp without even realizing.

Because Yoon Sanho was standing there with blood covering his face.

* * *

[Yuyoung: Each person will take on one opponent in a standoff.]

[Yuyoung, sketching out the concept on paper]

[Haram: Question. So in the end do we all die?]

[Yuyoung: Yep.]

[Haram: Fans seem to have high expectations for the ending pose. Is it really okay if we collapse at the end without even showing our faces?]

[Haram looks concerned.]

[Tae Oh: I think it’s fresh and interesting though?]

[Ire: Right? It’s really unique! Personally, I think this is a great idea!]

[The other members seem to agree]

[In the end, Haram also nods]

[Yuyoung : We just have to collapse in a cool way.]

[Haedun : ……In a cool way?]

[Tae Oh: What does it even mean to collapse in a cool way?]

[Baekgyeom: Urgh, I’ve been shot…… Yoon Sanho, you bastard……]

[Sanho: Oh, I’m actually pretty good at shooting slingshots.]

[The members joke around]

[Yuyoung: Alright, focus. If we all fall one by one, it’ll be too predictable. Plus, we might trip over each other.]

[Sanho: Yeah, what if we accidentally kick someone?]

[Tae Oh: Uuh, that would hurt.]

[Yuyoung: That’s why…… we’re going to use lighting.]

[Haedun: ……Lighting?]

[Yuyoung: Yeah, lighting.]

After a brief post-performance meeting the scene cut back to the studio, where Lee Kyubin, the host, appeared.

[Host Kyubin : Alright, viewers. How did you all enjoy WEEKANIZ’ performance? That final scene was definitely unforgettable. Personally, I think WEEKANIZ really excels at these high-impact moments. Up next, we have Chenstin’s stage. Their song is……]

“……Jo Hayeon?”

“……Minjeong, I……”

Jo Hayeon had come to a decision.

Ahn Yuyoung was her ultimate bias.

Not that she had ever wavered before.

Still.

From now on

“I never want to wake up from this dream.”

……She would believe.

And to those who believe, profound emotions shall come.

<Welcome to DukDuk Forest>

[Search : RELOAD]

<Total search results : 150 posts>

<@ Thought my phone died at the end lolol>

<@ Wow, Yoon Sanho gave me chills. What the hell.>

└ YEAH, the way the camera just zoomed all the way in on Sanho’s face mad it even creepier…… *shudder*

└ He’s actually ridiculously handsome tho

└ I won’t like, I don’t really care about the song, but the staging carried hard

“……Sigh.”

I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead.

It felt cold.

It seemed like I was running a slight fever.

<Title : RELOAD is Actually Insane

Content : Okay, first of all, let me say this upfront. I’m a good and righteous Gong Haram bias. Don’t start any fanwars in my comments…… Now, let’s talk about this stage. Usually when idols do those gunfight-style choreos, they have backup dancers to make the deaths look dramatic. The main members always survive so they can keep performing lolol But these guys, maybe because they couldn’t afford any back up dancers, killed each other, which was creepy as hell! And that final shot of Yoon Sanho’s bloodied face, just staring straight into the camera. It felt like he was actually staring at me, so I was fully immersed. Whoever came up with this concept is a genius. I need them to do this exact performance at their concert someday. I have to see it live TAT>

<Title : WTF just happened? I got punched in the face

Conent : He’s instantly handsome >A< I never really thought of WEEKANIZ as a visual group (No shade, I swear) but that guy? He’s really got something special>

<Title : (Negative) Lowkey Kinda Cringe……

Content : Am I the only one who thought WEEKNIZ’ stage was a little cringe?...... It felt like they were desperately trying to make up for those childish lyrics…… Just my opinion, I also marked it as negative in the title>

└ Honestly, I kinda get it……

└ Since when did DukDuk Forest let people post negative opinions so openly? Lolol

└ I mean, OP isn’t swearing or anything, shouldn’t people be allowed to express this much?

<Title : Wait, Baekgyeom?

Content : I didn’t know he could dance like that. Was he always a dance member?>

└ Naaah……. Not at all.

└ Wow, did he just grin like crazy for this stage? Why don’t they ever show this in the broadcast?? T_T

└ Right? I’ve been a casual Baekgyeom fan for three months, and all I’ve ever seen him do is run his mouth on late-night LiveJet streams, but I had no idea he could actually dance like that …… This man is full of surprises

“Haah, thank goodness……”

I collapsed onto the couch, completely drained.

The <RELOAD> stage was finally over.

The members and I had just finished our interview with Lee Kyubin and returned to our waiting room.

Not that I remembered anything about the performance or the interview.

That was how nervous I had been.

Fortunately, this time, the production team had provided separate waiting rooms for each group, and they gave us access to our phones right away, so we could monitor the live reactions in real time.

Seeing posts pop up so quickly on DukDuk Forest, many of them positive, made the tension drain from my body.

As I relaxed, I suddenly felt a wave of heat rise to my face.

“Let’s monitor the performance.”

Haram called out to me as I lay slumped on the couch.

The members, still wiping away sweat and catching their breath, gathered around.

A small tablet pc had been set up in the waiting room so we could review the broadcast.

It lagged for a moment before, finally, our performance began to replay.

“Oh, Baekgyeom-hyung, the main dancer~.”

Baekgyeom’s role had been crucial for this stage.

The production team’s definition of ‘main dancer’ was based on who took center stage during the first and second chorus.

And if the main dancer wasn’t solid during those sections, the entire stage’s balance would fall apart.

This was why Baekgyeom and I (as well as Seo Haedun, who I still had no idea what he was thinking) had been hula-hooping like maniacs.

[Name : Baekgyeom

Dance : A]

So this was what true emotional fulfillment felt like.

I wished Baekgyeom could see his own status window!

This was, without a doubt, the most satisfying stats window I had seen since coming into this body.

Thanks to his hula hoop training, Baekgyoem had handled his main dancer role smoothly, no, he even exceeded expectations.

Even Seo Haedun had seemed surprised during rehearsals.

His eyes had opened wide as he stared at Baekgyeom. That was real surprise right there.

The other members had also showered Baekgyoem with generous praise for his change.

Baekgyeom was surprisingly weak to compliments, so he pushed himself even harder.

I honestly thought that this was kind of amazing. Really.

“Hyung, you’re really great. Why haven’t you been practicing your dancing this whole time?”

“I don’t even remember this happening!”

Baekgyeom shouted in excitement.

The moment being replayed right now was the second chorus. It was a footwork heavy sequence where he had to use his ankles to execute rapid steps, then transition into a big turn to shift formation.

The choreo only looked good if both timing and angles were sharp, and he absolutely nailed it in the center.

If I were a Baekgyeom fan, I would have cried today. Seriously.

Even in the live reactions, there were a lot of positive comments about Baekgyeom and Sanho.

The comments about Baekgyeom said that he wasn’t just ‘good’ but even ‘unrecognizable’.

For four years, he had always been the background guy, and now he was finally front and center, dancing his heart out, so for longtime fans, this must have been totally surreal.

Honestly, even I had been shocked to see Baekgyeom get visibly better the more he did that ridiculous hula hoop training.

Everyone was still reeling from Baekgyeom’s performance.

“Wait is that…… really……Me?”

“Be honest, did you secretly train at night?”

Haram spoke warmly as he looked at Baekgyoem.

“No, erm, wait…… Yuyoung-hyung, no way. Did the hula hoop training actually work?”

Ah, crap.

“No, I mean…… that was just for warming up. You’re the one who worked hard.”

“Don’t you normally start by practicing basic moves, like hand and foot placements? Like, before debut, Sanho and I used to stay late every night, stretching our arms 100 times, spinning 100 times and so on. We always stayed behind to do that~”

“Wow, what a throwback. But why are you the only one who improved, Hyung?”

“You’re really good-looking, so if you just move kinda in time, it’s fine.”

Baekgyeom smirked as he defended Yoon Sanho.

Of course, in K-pop’s world of sharp synchronized choreography, having solid basics was crucial……

But if they stressed over that, Ultimate Idol wouldn’t be their biggest concern, because they would be heading straight for their beloved leader’s funeral before being made to disband without a word.

Right, wouldn’t it be better to use a tiny, little shortcut and be happy together rather than have people die?

I suppressed the tiny spark of guilt still lingering inside my heart.

“Wow, this directing. Woah, this is it!”

The lights had cut to black before turning back on again, leaving the camera zoomed in close on Yoon Sanho’s face.

This was the climax of our performance.

Sanho’s blood splattered face, his piercing glare aimed straight at the camera, created a strikingly cinematic moment.

FInally, when Yoon Sanho slowly turned and took a step forward, the other six members lying completely still behind him ‘dead’ were revealed.

Afterwards, Sanho himself collapsed ‘in a cool way’ among them, ending the stage.

“Why does blood look so good on you?”

Tae Oh nudged Sanho with his elbow.

Sanho smiled bashfully, probably satisfied with how his face turned out on screen.

The behind-the-scenes breakdown of this moment was as follows.

The lights had been off for only about seven seconds.

In that window, each member had fallen into position ‘in a cool way’.

As the others did that, Sanho pulled something out from the back pocket of his pants.

He quickly ripped open the bloodpacket he had and splattered its contents on his face.

(For the record, if too much got on his clothes, he would have to pay for the damages, so he had to be very careful.)

It was a delicate task, so Sanho had probably been extremely nervous.

Making sure not to stain his outfit while also losing sleep over how he should decorate his face with the fake blood to make it look as dramatic as possible.

Either way, once the blood was applied, he had exactly seven seconds to confidently stride toward the camera and lock in his expression.

And since this was a live broadcast, there was no room for mistakes, but luckily, everything worked out perfectly.

The moment the lights went out, the six of us immediately collapsed onto the stage in unison.

We had also experimented extensively on ‘How we should lie down to look the best’

We tried lying down in a single row, spacing ourselves randomly, lying sideways, lying on our backs, and even lying face-down.

But in the end, we concluded that the best choice was ‘stacking’.

If we spread out too much, the stage would look empty.

So, in the final performance, we gathered at the center, layering our limbs over each other.

Honestly it was kind of funny, because it almost seemed like we were doing a ‘sleeping mission’.

I followed the plan and quickly dropped onto Tae Oh’s thigh, using it as a pillow.

Fortunately, my night vision was decent enough, so I could make out the silhouettes around me.

Seo Haedun was lying sideways facing me.

Even in the darkness, I could see the subtle glint in his eyes.

I unconsciously ended up locking eyes with him.

Then, Haedun’s lips moved, silently forming words.

―What are you looking at?

……Geez, this brat.