NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 30
Chapter 30. First Monthly Evaluation (2)
“Huh, finally!”
Yoon Taehee, who had been waiting for the song more than anyone else (and who found the Boost Camp boring), was the first to react. Like a predator in front of its prey, he wriggled impatiently, wondering why I wasn’t playing it already.
‘There’s no reason to delay.’
Without hesitation, I played the sound file Lee Doha had sent me early yesterday morning. Soon, the speakers connected to my phone started playing the completed piece that Lee Doha had poured his heart and soul into over the past week.
Ooh―, Woah―
The main instrument, the strings, were retained but used differently. The main melody, previously played by the strings, was transformed into a powerful, rough chorus. The strings, which Lee Doha had ambitiously layered, supported the secondary lines that enriched the song and filled the gaps in the beat.
Begin―, our brilliant scenario
Knight tearing through the night, hoping for a new morning
“Hey? This voice.”
As soon as the song began, Yoon Taehee, who had sharp ears, reacted. This voice… wasn’t Doha’s. He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Is this you?”
“Yeah.”
“No way, you sang this?”
“…That was the condition for the arrangement.”
I nodded, thinking of Doha, who was probably knocked out asleep right now. On the first day of the monthly review meeting, he had grabbed me when I came out for a drink of water, having been locked in his personal studio for hours, and said the first thing to me.
-I can’t sing it.
-Huh?
-I have something in mind… but I can’t pull it off. So I want you to do the guide vocals.
-…Oh, sure. Not Gongseok hyung?
-No. Not him.
He was incredibly adamant, looking at me like he’d been waiting for this moment. So, I just agreed right there. It was my first time doing guide vocals, but it was quite fun.
“Wow… the song is really good.”
“It’s my first time hearing Doha hyung make such an intense song.”
“Yeah, it’s really good.”
When the song ended, the trio (still lacking a better nickname) clapped and expressed their admiration. It was objectively a good song, not just because I was involved. Plus, Doha’s composition skills improved by 5% while making this song.
‘5% in a week…. Is that even possible?’
There might be a specific criterion for this increase, but I decided to put that aside for now.
“Oh, it’s Doha hyung!”
Just as I was about to play the song again to familiarize myself with the melody, the practice room door opened, and a still-drowsy Lee Doha stumbled in.
‘He looks like a bear waking up from hibernation.’
“Hey, Doha! Good job.”
“As expected, our ace!”
“You didn’t have to come; you could’ve slept more.”
“It’s fine.”
Having pulled several all-nighters, the guy, who had lost some weight, sat down among the team members. Even though I told him to rest today… he’s a real workaholic.
“So, are we practicing with this song now?”
“Uh, but there’s no choreography yet, right?”
Gongseok and Yoon Taehee, who had been eagerly reading the lyrics, raised a concern. Gongseok, who had expressed his anxiety to me earlier, looked worried again. He was probably scared of the possibility of having to learn choreography in just three days since he had already wasted a week on the song, despite being primarily a vocalist.
And that will never happen.
“We have the choreography.”
“What? Already?”
The two (and even the surprised Doha, who hadn’t fully opened his eyes) stared at me as I patted Kim Wonho, who was sitting next to me with an awkward expression, on the back.
[Kim Wonho (Affiliation: Miro)]
Vocals: 89% (Rap 34%)
Dance: 62%
Expressiveness: 92%
Special: Choreography Creation (86%)
Appeal Points:
‘A TO Z’
-Fast Learner
‘Special. Choreography Creation 86%? It would be stupid not to use this.’
“Our Wonho has already choreographed it. Let’s give him a round of applause.”
“Ha-ha…. Sorry for not telling you earlier. Kang Ha hyung told me not to.”
“Really? When? We’ve been practicing together all the time.”
“In the mornings and after practice at night… I just did it in my spare time. There’s still some work left on the ending.”
Kim Wonho, unaccustomed to the praise, awkwardly expressed his embarrassment. Although he said it lightly, he had started preparing from the day Doha delivered the first guide as promised, so he had worked just as hard as Doha.
I let Doha and Wonho receive all the praise they deserved. After the atmosphere settled down, I spoke up again.
“So, now that we have Wonho’s choreography, we’ll go through the song again. While looking at the lyrics, note the parts you want or can’t do, and mark them. For reference.”
“This time, will you really take our feedback? Last time, all my rap suggestions were rejected.”
“I believe Doha kindly explained why they were rejected that day.”
“…Tsk.”
Ignoring Yoon Taehee’s complaint, I found and played the choreography guide video we recorded this morning on a tablet PC for the monitor.
“…….”
There wasn’t anything unusual about the choreography. Since it wasn’t possible to express the entire composition alone, we filmed the video with the two of us, with Kim Wonho dancing the parts assigned to the members and me dancing the unassigned parts.
And inevitably, there were parts where the two of us danced the same segment.
“Ah, the dance break.”
“For this part, not everyone will dance. The main vocal will step aside for ad-libs, so two of the remaining four will dance.”
Because Doha had set the concept of this song as something like ‘The Rebellion of the Losers,’ we needed a performance that would explode at the climax. No matter how much Wonho and I tried to adjust the difficulty of the dance break, that part remained challenging.
‘Not that I wanted to compromise anyway.’
And then I saw the eyes moving quickly. They were wondering who would handle the high-difficulty acrobatic performance. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to Kim Wonho.
“Ah, I can’t. My part builds up right before this.”
“…….”
“I agreed to help with the choreography in exchange for one solo part.”
With that, everyone’s gaze turned to me. Yeah, it was obvious I’d be next.
“I can’t do it either. Taehee and I don’t match in height.”
“Oh, so I’m automatically one of them?”
“Seok hyung can’t do it.”
“Oh, then….”
With only five members, three were already out, and one was confirmed. Naturally, everyone’s eyes turned to the remaining member.
The youngest and unnecessarily tall one who had no chance of becoming the main vocal.
“…Doha hyung?”
“…Me?”
[System Alert: The system expresses considerable concern and worry.]
“Doha.”
“…….”
“Have you ever heard of the hellish Boost Camp?”
Lee Doha. You’re doing the dance break!
* * *
The dormitory used by Miro trainees.
Jung Siwoo waited until all the other trainees finished using the bathroom before taking his shower. For some reason, when he came out, he saw Doha sitting on the living room sofa instead of in his private practice room, and he was a bit surprised.
“…….”
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Towel-drying his hair, Siwoo almost walked past but sensed that something was off with Doha’s expression. Doha was seriously watching something on his tablet.
“…Ah, it’s the monthly review practice video.”
“Oh, you guys are interesting. Kang Hajin? The guy Team Leader Ji brought in.”
Doha nodded at Siwoo’s words and added.
“I’m doing the dance break.”
“Oh, really? …What?”
Siwoo, who usually wasn’t easily flustered, stopped at those words. So shocked that he didn’t even notice the towel falling, he stared at Doha.
Doha, who was neither composing nor producing, and not even rapping… was doing what?
“A dance break.”
“As a group?”
“No. It’s not a solo, but it’s just the two of us.”
“With whom?”
“Yoon Taehee.”
“…Why are you doing a dance break with him… Did Kim Wonho break his leg?”
Unlike Doha, who had little interaction with the general trainees, Siwoo, who was familiar with most of the trainees at Miro, asked in disbelief. But Doha, equally disbelieving, shook his head quietly, and Siwoo instinctively felt there was no point in probing further.
Instead, his curiosity shifted in another direction.
“Kang Hajin, your leader.”
“Yes.”
Kang Hajin. The one who made a splash when he joined the company.
Even someone like Doha, who usually wasn’t interested in people or the world, showed curiosity about this trainee.
Siwoo guessed that this unprecedented event of Doha doing a dance break was also orchestrated by him.
“What do you think of him?”
“…….”
As Siwoo picked up the fallen towel and changed his wet clothes, Doha remained silent. Siwoo knew this wasn’t an avoidance or displeasure but Doha’s routine of taking time to organize his thoughts before answering. So, instead of rushing him, Siwoo calmly waited for his answer while doing his own tasks.
Soon, Doha gave his overall impression of Kang Hajin.
“He doesn’t seem to lack desperation.”
“…….”
“But I don
’t know why he doesn’t show ambition despite his skills.”
Doha’s thoughts drifted back to a few hours ago.
After the initial reaction to
-Um, I….
-Yes?
-I want to be the main vocal.
Gongseok, who had been hesitant since the dance break discussion, finally spoke up.
Doha frowned at that moment. Although Gongseok had excellent vocal skills, Doha thought Hajin was more suitable for the main vocal. He became more convinced while guiding the song.
-Yes, go ahead.
-…!
-R, really? Can I do it?
-…? There’s no reason why you can’t.
But Hajin easily gave up the position, as if he had never considered it his own.
-But please help Taehee and Wonho with the vocals. I’ll be too busy with the performance.
-Oh? Sure. That’s not hard…. Thanks, Hajin. I’ll do my best.
-Yeah. Good luck, hyung.
Hajin’s tone didn’t seem polite for formality’s sake. He genuinely had no complaints about Gongseok taking the main vocal. Doha found it puzzling.
“He doesn’t seem unambitious. He insisted on being the leader…”
“Does he lack confidence in his abilities?”
“…That’s how it seems when it comes to himself.”
Doha felt strangely upset by Hajin’s attitude. Watching him with curiosity, Siwoo shrugged and replied.
“Maybe it’s the opposite?”
“The opposite?”
“Maybe he doesn’t care because he can do everything well.”
“…….”
“If he’s not truly unambitious, then he’s confident he can be in the top ten without the dance break or main vocal. In that case, he’s probably the most confident among all Miro trainees.”
Siwoo laughed, stood up from the sofa, and left the living room, saying he was curious about Hajin’s team.
“…Maybe.”
Doha muttered as he continued to watch the choreography video. On the screen, Hajin, who danced as well as, if not better than, Wonho, was performing. Doha kept replaying the parts he had to perfect.
It was a night filled with thoughts.