<b>Trantor: MarcTempest</b>


    <b>Editor: NicoleTempest</b>


    Chapter 235 A Series of Choices


    I decided to reveal Yu-geon’s family history at the showcase.


    It would be easy to make headlines if I did that, but I didn’t want to exploit the members’ personal lives like that.


    It would be better to reveal it someday for Yu-geon’s future activities, but there was a big difference between saying it in front of dozens of cameras shing and releasing it after thepany’s editing.


    ‘And the former would be more sensational.’


    I was grateful that Yu-geon offered to do it willingly, but I didn’t want to see him so anxious.


    “No, I’m fine.”Yu-geon said after a moment, taking a deep breath and pushing me away with a calm expression.


    “We have to rehearse. Let’s get to our seats quickly.”


    I still felt uneasy, but I stood in my ce since he said he was fine.


    Fortunately, the rehearsal was perfect and there was nothing more to fix.


    ‘Sigh…’


    As I came down from the stage and headed back to the waiting room for the official opening of the showcase, I noticed a small Naru among the hyungs, who was half a head shorter than them.


    “…”


    He was usuallyining non-stop about this and that, but today he looked unusually quiet.


    “Are you feeling unwell?”


    Could it be him too? As I approached him with no ill intention, Naru red at me with his eyes at 10:10.


    “No, I’m not!”


    He should either speak formally or informally. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his absurdity, and Naru opened his mouth again with vigor.


    “Don’t worry, the live performance will be perfect today.”


    Was he still upset about the sound error he made at Bobbyam? It was only a minor mistake.


    He had been tormenting the vocal instructor who came part-time, so he deserved some reward.


    I snickered and headed to the stage to check on the MC for thest time.


    “Hello, I greeted you earlier, but we’re about to start soon.”


    As I approached the MC who was busy confirming the schedule with the director, he greeted me warmly with a bright smile.


    “Ah, hello! I was too busy earlier to greet you properly. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, and I’m d I have this opportunity! Why don’t youe to our channel too?”


    The cheerful MC asked for a handshake, and I lightly shook his hand and let go, making a witty joke.


    “Haha, I’ll go if you invite me. If you invite us this time, we’ll bring all eight of us. Just contact us.”


    I meant it. The MC we hired for the showcase today was a multi-entertainer who was active in various fields in the entertainment industry.


    He was a huge sess as a singer, of course. He had to stop his activities for a while due to a vocal cord problem, but then he suddenlyunched a solo show program and became a hot topic.


    ‘He probably didn’t expect his show to be such a hit.’


    With his candid speech, gag sense, and thorough preparation, he established himself as a next-generation MC, and he had a lot of influence in the idol market that was dominated by female consumers.


    We also wished that we could get Yeonjeong unnie to host our show, and our fans expressed their opinions at a fervent level, so we paid more and brought him over than other MCs.


    We were willing to appear on his ongoing program ‘Yeonjeong Unnie’s Issue Time’ if he invited us.


    ‘But how can we go if he doesn’t invite us?’


    Iughed and threw a straight pitch, saying please invite us, and Yeonjeong hit it back with a witty and yful expression.


    “Oh, really? Then, if we contact you separately, will you appear on our show? Is it okay to make a sudden promise like this, CEO?”


    What a regretful remark. We had to cancel everything except the music show schedule if he invited us.


    It was a rare opportunity to appear on a show that had a fixed audience that ovepped with our target group.


    “Of course, it’s okay. When is your schedule okay? We’ll try to clear everything except Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”


    “Oh, so sudden? Haha, okay. I’ll check the schedule with my team tomorrow and contact you right away.”


    See? He didn’t say when he was free right away. But at least he confirmed his positive intention to appear, so that was good. I pulled up the corners of my mouth and smiled, taking a step back.


    “Okay, then I’ll leave it to you.”


    “Oh, no, thank you. Thank you for inviting me today and I’ll do my best.”


    “Yes, thank you.”


    As I finished the short greeting and turned to leave, Yeonjeong shouted at me.


    “Right! Congrattions on the chart!”


    And then he moved away without asking anything more.


    ‘What? What is he congratting me for? What happened?’


    I wanted to ask my manager to check my phone right away at the unexpected congrattions, but I couldn’t say anything since I was the one who suggested this group endurance of pain.


    ‘I can’t help it. Let’s endure.’


    At least the chart wasn’t terrible, so maybe he congratted me for that. I didn’t have to worry about a flop since it was confirmed that we weren’t charted out.


    ‘But this time, it wasn’t the time to worry about being charted out.’


    We had grasped the mass appeal, and it was the fastest follow-up debut song among the Floss members.


    It was the best time to create a buzz.


    But if we charted out after grabbing that opportunity, it would mean we had made no progress since Drink me, or even regressed!


    As I agonized over it, spinning my head around, time didn’t leave me alone to wallow in misery.


    It was almost time for the reporters to enter.


    I lowered the screen in front of me and yed the standby video I had prepared. It created a kitschy atmosphere that felt like watching a movie from the 2010s, typical of high-teen.


    I barelyposed myself and led the members.


    “Let’s go up.”


    We climbed up to the stage behind the screen as nned and took our positions. Soon, the reporters started toe in from the entrance on the opposite side of the stage.


    The showcase finally began. Yeonjeong, who was in charge of the hosting, sat on the MC seat in front of the screen and announced the start.


    “Hello! Thank you foring today. I’m Song Yeonjeong, the host of <Offbeat Debut Showcase>. The order of the showcase today is: we’ll start with the opening stage that Offbeat prepared ambitiously, then have a photo time and a Q&A session.”


    As Yeonjeong introduced the schedule, the screen showed the vintage-style photos we had taken while preparing. The shutter sound continued.


    ‘This shutter sound… It will only get louder when the stage starts, not quieter.’


    I thought so and suddenly felt a surge of strength in my hand.


    When we released Drink me, we didn’t have the resources to do a showcase. We had to run to the streets, saying we couldn’t fail with just a live broadcast or a live stream.


    But a lot had changed as we grew from unknown idols to somewhat famous ones in Mangdol.


    We gained more experience and widened our range of abilities.


    We didn’t have to shut our mouths in front of the PD’s warnings, not advice, and we were achieving one thing after another.


    ‘Maybe I’m not far frompleting the quest goal.’


    Of course, there was still the huge mountain of 300,000 initial sales.


    But a lot had changed and we had aplished a lot.


    ‘Let’s cheer up.’


    The goal that I had thought I might not be able to do, but I had to try anyway, became clear.


    It was no longer an unknown world.


    “Then, let’s start the showcase stage of Offbeat’s debut single <Between Us>.”


    As Yeonjeong announced, the lights in the audience and the MC seat went off and the screen lit up brightly.


    The intro of ‘Between Us’ was modified and the video started to y.


    [Click, ck…]


    The video had a fake home video vibe and was edited to create a vintage atmosphere.


    Someone holding an old camcorder rummaged through the room in a hurry. Everyone held their breath and watched the screen.


    The cameraman quickly opened the closet and put on his clothes to go out. As he sighed for a moment, someone knocked on the window.


    As the cameraman looked down from the window, Hwijin smiled shyly and held a bouquet of flowers. The cameraman immediately ran down the stairs.


    Another knock on the door followed.


    The cameraman opened the door and saw Yi-jun, who had parked his bike between his long legs and took off his helmet.


    “Wanna ride? I’ll take you.”


    Yi-jun threw the helmet to the cameraman and the sound of the bike engine followed. The pictorial video shot to match the concept shed by like an old movie film.


    And then the screen went ck again and white letters were engraved in the center.


    [GAME START]


    The screen rolled up and the showcase stage began.


    [Three, two, one. Shh-.]


    With Yi-jun’s low metal sound, the spotlight shone on the center of the stage.


    [The atmosphere here is too boring.]


    [You turn away again with a bored expression, pretending to be indifferent.]


    Yu-geon naturally took the intro part. He was the member who could expect the most firepower from the individual fans, and although he was not a main vocal, he had a solid voice and clear pronunciation that made the lyrics stick to the ears.


    They all did their best, from satin to velvet to corden. The suits they had custom-made with special fabrics that gave a vintage feel made them look like high-teens who had dressed up for a special day.


    [Hello, would amon greeting be too boring?]


    [I came to pick you up today.]


    And then Seon-woo switched ces with him, spinning around with the choreography and standing in the center.


    He wore a navy velvet jacket with suspenders and a bow tie inside.


    He was our visual. Seon-woo, who had dressed up, shone so brightly. And the reporters couldn’t miss that, so the shutter sound was loud enough to pierce the in-ear.


    [The most shining moment of tonight.]


    [Right now, when our eyes meet.]


    [Confessing that I like you is toomon.]


    Seong-won took over next. The other members lined up in a row with Seong-won in the center, then changed their positions by splitting into three and four on each side.


    The next member to take the part in the center was me.


    [One by one, I nod my head as if I’m thinking.]


    [I secretly prepared a bouquet, I hope you like it.]


    As I joined the back row with a hand gesture that looked like nodding my head, which was the point choreography, Naru popped out and jumped high with the rest of the members.


    [I wish you liked me.]


    [The words I whispered to myself in secret.]


    [Tonight, I’ll confess my feelings properly.]


    I prepared for this performance as if it could be thest one, because the choreography was basically very difficult.


    Fortunately, Naru also pulled it off perfectly without any sound errors.


    ‘All that’s left is…’


    Kyunghwa and Hwijin, I guess. Yi-jun had no rap part at all in the back, so he only had the chorus part besides that.


    Kyunghwa calmly moved along with Yi-jun in a diagonal position and then ran to the front of the camera, following the camera across the stage.


    [What style do you like? Tell me everything.]


    [I want to be your handmade.]


    Then he swiftly turned the camera to the side, pushing it towards the rest of the members who were lined up, and quickly joined the back of the line.


    The eight of us stood in formation while the chorus part was going on.


    ‘Let’s do this.’


    It was the start of the eight-person dance part that we practiced the most.