“That’s not the case. It’s not that serious, just a bit challenging, so I exaggerated a bit.”
“Oh, really? How about trying this, then?”
Sol said it as he always did. He lied with a smile, as if it were nothing. He was extremely skilled at lying, having done it dozens of times a day. His eyes were swollen and red, making his appearance quite amusing. Unfazed by Sol’s seemingly nonchalant laughter, Eun-gyeom narrowed his eyebrows, spread his arms, and examined his reflection in the mirror.
He stretched his arms, slowly moving from fingertips to elbows, flowing smoothly through shoulder joints, demonstrating a basic movement commonly known as a ‘wave’. When Sol tried to follow effortlessly, Eun-gyeom repeated the same movement, putting force into every joint, creating a stiff and popping motion. Sol quickly caught on without Eun-gyeom explaining, mimicking the movements.
It was Sol’s first time trying such movements, and repeating them made his wrists ache. After repeatedly moving various joints, including those in his chest and knees, Eun-gyeom turned to look at Sol. The earlier movements were the most basic foundations taught to trainees, but in a few repetitions, Eun-gyeom realized that Sol didn’t need such basics. It was the beginning of a lesson on the attributes of a true center in a proper choreography.
Blinding mystery
The maze-like deep night has now begun
You will surely lose your way.
Mysterious Trick, secretive Trap
YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, Gotcha
An upbeat guitar riff echoed through the tiny practice room, weighed down by a heavy bass. Eun-gyeom’s recorded voice, slightly husky and lacking embellishments, accompanied the music. Although Sol initially focused on the dance, the catchy chorus became familiar, and he found himself singing along unconsciously. While digesting the intense choreography and singing along, his breath caught, causing interruptions in the middle of phrases, yet his singing skills were not lacking.
Contrary to his current image resembling a large dog, Eun-gyeom’s debut song featured a rebellious concept, with him wearing a leather jacket. He appeared on stage wearing jeans, sneakers, and sports wear adorned with numerous flashy emblems, resembling a leather jumper or a jumpsuit.
Despite the relatively comfortable and elastic nature of the costumes, with many movements involving steps and jumps in the choreography, there was a moment when the pants of a D-Block member tore.
After the jump, he, who had executed clean turns moments ago without any flaws, stumbled this time, struggling to regain his balance as he couldn’t easily find his center.
“Stop for a moment.”
Sol, who seemed about to fall, corrected his center as Eun-gyeom stopped him. Even though the music had stopped, the melody lingered in his ears like a hallucination. Eun-gyeom, with a hint of dissatisfaction, grimaced at Sol in the mirror and locked eyes with him.
“Why? Why are you stumbling like this?”
“Uh... Maybe it’s because of nervousness.”
“No, it’s not about being nervous. I just don’t understand.”
Nervous? Sol focused his eyes in response to Eun-gyeom’s words. His eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, but then they lost focus again. Once Eun-gyeom was satisfied that he could handle the basic movements, he began to help him master the choreography.
Sol, who originally intended to repeat the dance video, marveled at Eun-gyeom’s near-perfect live performance before his eyes. Despite concerns about easily losing concentration, Sol grasped the choreography faster than expected. Even Eun-gyeom, who was providing guidance, was surprised at the speed. After all, having practiced and mastered dance for a lifetime, a few years of relaxation couldn’t crumble that skillful foundation.
The old blade may have dulled, but it hadn’t turned into junk. Eun-gyeom’s admiration was short-lived as the real situation began when they started moving their bodies.
“Surely, you don’t need to understand the details yet, but you’re comprehending and expressing the movements. But why is it so stiff?”
“Does it look weird?”
“No, it’s not that it looks very weird, but it looks weirder because it’s not that weird.”
[The trait ‘Unlucky Genius Dancer’ has been activated.]
[Due to the activation of the trait ‘Unlucky Genius Dancer,’ dance ability is reduced by 2 levels.]
Ignoring Eun-gyeom’s words, Sol continued to glare at the rising notification window. Sol was witnessing the real-time effect of a 2-level reduction in dance ability. Originally, Sol’s dance ability was ‘S.’ However, with a two-level drop to ‘A-‘, the connections between movements became less smooth, and subtle awkwardness began to show.
Sol furrowed his brow, thinking that even with an A-, it’s still a high grade. The ‘A-‘ rating made Sol’s dancing ability look relatively worse because, objectively, an ‘A-‘ was a skillful level of dancing. However, due to Sol’s outstanding dancing skills, when it was at the S level, it now appeared less impressive.
The constant stabbing pain also played a role. Though more bearable than initially, the discomfort persisted. Even if Sol tried to convince himself that the pain in his legs was a mere illusion with no real issue, his body still cringed. This discomfort, along with Sol’s uneasy gaze and the fear seeping into his eyes, contributed to a rigid posture, creating an even greater sense of dissonance.
Even from Sol’s perspective, who was aware of the situation, it seemed odd, but from Eun-gyeom’s perspective, who was unaware of the circumstances, it didn’t seem to make sense. Sol was clearly capable of performing much better, and until just a while ago, he was doing well.
The sudden stumbling of Sol, who was gracefully soaring through the sky like a bird, felt awkward and out of place, like a bird suddenly awkwardly walking on two legs without a mate. It’s natural for a bird to walk, but it feels more unnatural than waddling and flying.
[D-Block - Hot Trick Dance Proficiency 21%]
[Current Fatigue Level 35/100]
[Be mindful of fatigue management! Penalties will occur if fatigue exceeds 70.]
Sol wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand. Unfortunately, the sweat on his long hair was not from passionate practice to the point of drenching, but rather cold sweat. The sweat soaking his body was all tepid.
The hand that wiped away the sweat that trickled down the nape of his neck trembled ever so slightly. The fatigue level was a new notification. Similar to what happened in the van when it was telling him that his health was decreasing, the +1 kept appearing in the corner of his vision, indicating the accumulation of fatigue.
Sol felt stress building up again at the word ‘penalties.’ What exactly was he supposed to do? The system was truly dirty, not allowing him to practice continuously even when it demanded passing the quest. The system’s intentions were frustrating.
“Do you want to take a break?”
While dripping with sweat, Eun-gyeom, checking Sol’s pale and exhausted face through the mirror, asked. Despite singing and digesting the choreography, Sol seemed very tired. When the repeated D-Block’s Hot Trick ceased, Sol finally hid his trembling hands and sat on the floor. His entire body trembled very subtly, as if experiencing convulsions. It was the kind of tremor that even Sol had to concentrate to feel.
“Are you sure you’re not overexerting yourself? You need to build up your stamina.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I moved like this.”
It wasn’t that kind of fatigue, but Sol nodded to Eun-gyeom, hiding his trembling fingers even more.
“You’re still doing well, though. I was a bit worried since you said you only started being a trainee yesterday.”
“Haha... Compared to others, it’s probably nothing.”
“No, there are no major issues with pitch, and you catch up quickly with the choreography. At this rate, you might be able to take the center position soon.”
“It’s overrated.”
“Really, if you say it like that, you would get sworn at.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“People would think they’re just unlucky and were born that way.”
Eun-gyeom turned his body around, facing Sol, and burst into laughter. It was a refreshing laugh, like a puppy out for a walk, and Sol couldn’t help but laugh along. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as Eun-gyeom said, but the truth was, he had to face it. Even though he was practicing alone with Eun-gyeom in a small room, there would be many eyes on him during the evaluation.
He might end up feeling pain again like last time, rolling on the floor in agony. No, he didn’t even have to wait for the evaluation. Practicing with the other members in the afternoon could pose a problem. As the thought ‘I have to endure somehow’ crossed his mind, impatience crept in, fueled by an anxious heart.
“Let’s take a break for a bit. It’s lunchtime.”
Sol checked the clock on his phone at Eun-gyeom’s words. Although it had started slowly, the clock hands had already passed 1 o’clock.
“I want to eat together, but I have a prior appointment for lunch.”
“It’s okay. I’m not really hungry, so I’ll just practice a bit more.”
Sol replied with a slightly trembling voice while controlling his breathing. He didn’t eat dinner yesterday, but he wasn’t particularly hungry. And above all, eating something now in this condition might lead to serious indigestion. Sol thought it would be better to stay having an empty stomach and nodded. Eun-gyeom looked worried as Sol’s dedication to practice without having a meal seemed excessive.
“Aren’t you being too ambitious from the beginning? You don’t need to be so impatient.”
“I shouldn’t cause trouble for the other members.”
“Trouble? Who do you have in your group?”
“Uh... Yoon Tae-oh?”
“Oh, Tae-oh and Ji-ho. Them?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, they’re perfectionists. Sorry about that.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“The weekend evaluation is being held because your schedule got delayed. It’s probably because of me.”
As if recognizing a familiar name, Eun-gyeom smiled coolly and raised his eyebrows. He didn’t have a strong desire for solo activities, but a song that sparked his interest came into his hands. The moment he heard it, he felt the desire not to just perform it as part of a group, but to completely digest it as a solo artist.
Now, in his 5th year, his early solo activities compared to other idol groups were notable. In fact, it was an opportunity he could obtain because he was the famous ‘Eun-gyeom.’ He was the most well-known within D-Block, and undeniably a blue chip. Even when D-Block didn’t receive much attention, Eun-gyeom distributed the profits earned from his individual activities to the team, contributing to the current success of D-Block.
This solo activity was a gift from the team and the company to Eun-gyeom, who endured such hardships. Although he didn’t show it, Eun-gyeom, who had been feeling a sense of thirst, enthusiastically welcomed this proposal.
“The A&R team is all assigned to me. Just because I suddenly decided to go solo.”
