“Wow, looking good.”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize it when practicing haphazardly, but now that you’re all dressed in black like this, it feels quite group-like.”
As soon as the trainers entered the practice room, these were the first words they said. This was one of Tae-oh’s ideas.
In the morning, at the dorm, Tae-oh suggested coordinating the tone of the outfits to match each other. When asked why, he responded that if the outfits’ atmosphere and colors matched, it would create a sense of unity and would make them look quite well put together, like a decent composition. Sure enough, when the trainers saw the five people gathered together, they expressed satisfaction with their appearances.
One by one, seeing people sitting down with pens and paper, Sol bent his waist, rubbing his calves. He could already feel the unpleasant sensation of pain.
‘My legs are fine. There are no injuries. There’s nothing wrong.... Sung Sol.’
Sol tried to shake off the uncomfortable sensation by rotating his ankles several times and rolling his feet. He wanted to do well to not disappoint the four. His life also depended on the success of the quest. But such thoughts only made Sol more restless. It was natural. Who could be calm in the face of death?
Sol wandered around the practice room with slightly anxious steps. Although his movements weren’t large, he kept his body in motion enough to be noticeable. Suddenly, Tae-oh grabbed his wrist, causing Sol to pause his movements and look at him.
“Just do it like you practiced. Think of it as practice.”
“......”
“If you’re nervous, it’s better to concentrate on looking at the floor rather than trying to maintain eye contact.”
At Tae-oh’s words, Sol steeled himself inwardly and nodded his head.
“It’s okay to make mistakes, and you don’t have to push yourself too hard to do well. It’s your first evaluation.”
Perhaps because Sol’s face stiffened even more, Tae-oh continued to add explanations.
“The trainers will take that into account to some extent.”
“I’ll... do my best. I want to do well. I might not be able to do it perfectly, but I still want to give it my best shot.”
“......”
Sol tried to force a smile, which was getting stiffer. Sol’s words and smile left Tae-oh speechless instead.
“...Alright, go for it.”
Tae-oh, who had tightly shut his mouth, murmured in a very soft voice. His voice, unlike Tae-oh’s usual tone, sounded even stiffer than usual. Sol, who had been staring at the floor due to the slight pain in his knee, raised his head at the faint sound ringing above him. Tae-oh’s ears, poking out through his black hair, were redder than usual.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Welcome. Director Choi.”
Sol shifted his gaze away from Tae-oh and looked at the man addressed as Director Choi. The only two people registered on his new phone would be here. Director Choi and YC Entertainment’s representative, Baek Yoo-chan, had met Sol at the hospital and cast him. During that time, in reality, he had briefly visited both the psychiatry and orthopedic departments.
Director Choi, wearing glasses, looked younger than expected. It didn’t mean he looked young, but rather that he didn’t fit the typical style for his age group. As Sol glanced at the people gathered and seated, he stared at the empty chair. Baek Yoo-chan, the representative of YC Entertainment. Today was not only a crucial evaluation mission but also a day to confirm Baek Yoo-chan’s identity.
Sol was filled with equal parts of anticipation and concern. Even though the evaluation hadn’t even begun, like disciplined soldiers, all the members politely clasped their hands together and looked at the officials holding pens and notebooks.
“Representative.”
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, I did. It’s been a while. We don’t have much time. Let’s start quickly.”
Sol fiddled with his jacket button and stared blankly at Baek Yoo-chan, the representative who took the empty seat. He felt a subtle disappointment. It wasn’t quite like how Eun-gyeom looked similar to Ju-hwan, but to say the other was entirely different from Yoo-chan was ambiguous. Perhaps because of the age difference, the Baek Yoo-chan in front of him felt more like Yoo-chan’s father than Yoo-chan himself. If he had met him in person, he would probably have appeared exactly like that.
Between tension and excitement, his heart momentarily sank. It was fortunate that he could somewhat see Yoo-chan’s face in his slightly middle-aged appearance. Although he had internally not harbored much hope, it was difficult to conceal his disappointment now that things had turned out this way.
“Have you practiced a lot, guys?”
“...We’ve worked hard.”
“Alright, let’s see it. You have to do well, all of you.”
“Yes!”
“Do you want to start with dancing?”
“Yes.”
Representative Baek shrugged. Although his tone was relaxed, none of the members felt at ease listening to it. When Deuk-yong answered loudly with enthusiasm, both Representative Baek and Director Choi, along with everyone else, chuckled softly.
“Hyung, fighting!”
The members who were huddled together, then spaced themselves out evenly to form a line. Passing behind Sol’s back, Deuk-yong noticed Sol’s unusually tense face and lightly nudged his shoulder. In response to his message of support, Sol awkwardly nodded his head. Somehow, all his strength seemed to have drained away. He needed to focus, but his mind kept wandering elsewhere.
The mirrors lined up behind the evaluation panel seemed to shimmer. Sol felt dizzy for a moment. Regardless of his condition, the familiar bass reverberated in his ears. The accompaniment, with a rhythm akin to swiftly escaping, seemed to chase after Sol relentlessly.
In just a few days, Sol had assimilated into this lifestyle and become accustomed to it. However, the moment he saw Baek Yoo-chan, everything felt unreal. Unidentifiable shock and despair flooded over him. Despite feeling suffocated and the world distorting, his body continued to move with the accompaniment. Whether it was the strength of his dance proficiency at 100% or the movements ingrained completely in his body, Sol’s mind didn’t seem to care where it wandered.
[Trait ‘Unlucky Genius Dancer’ has been activated.]
[Current fatigue level: 69/100]
[Please be mindful of fatigue management! Penalties will occur if fatigue level exceeds 70.]
Countless alert windows reminiscent of warning signs appeared before his eyes.
[Current fatigue level: 70/100]
[Warning! Fatigue penalties will occur. Please be cautious of abnormal conditions.]
[Abnormal condition: Muscle pain]
[Current fatigue level: 75/100]
[Current fatigue level: 78/100]
[Abnormal condition: Dizziness]
Mint-colored windows filled his vision, but Sol didn’t dismiss the system window. The translucent window constantly overlapped, informing him of his fatigue level and penalties, obscuring the faces of those who were staring at him, making them appear blurry.
[Current Fatigue Level: 82/100]
[Abnormal Condition: High Fever]
[Warning! Fatigue penalty will be incurred. Please be aware of abnormal conditions.]
[Warning! You are currently in a state of trauma. It is recommended to use potions for fatigue recovery and stability.]
Sol couldn’t make out any of the words. The music reverberating in his ears spread out, reminiscent of the stretched sound of a cassette tape. Barely managing to catch sight of the word ‘High Fever’, his body suddenly felt scorching hot, as if burning in flames, almost unbelievably. Fatigue rushed in as if his eyeballs were about to burst, and his arms and legs, moving on their own, felt as if they were not his own.
[Current Fatigue Level: 89/100]
[Abnormal Condition: Difficulty Breathing]
[Warning! Fatigue penalty will be incurred. Please be aware of abnormal conditions.]
His mind was foggy. The sound of his own breathing in his ears seemed louder than the stretched music, resembling rough thunder. His slightly bent waist felt like it would elongate and his head would hit the ground.
‘Am I doing this right? I have to do it right... or else...’
He would die. Just like that day.
Suddenly, feeling dizzy under the strong spotlight shining down on him, his vision swam. It was pitch black in front of him, and he couldn’t see any of the audience’s faces. Suddenly, someone clapped their hands in the darkness.
The music disappeared, and the person who clapped smiled and said something to Sol. His voice sounded distorted and unclear. Finally, Sol looked down at his motionless body. It felt like his arms and legs were infinitely elongating. Too heavy, endlessly falling.
[Warning! You are currently in a state of trauma. Please use potions for fatigue recovery and stability.]
[Current Fatigue Level: 100/100]
[Your fatigue level has reached its limit.]
[Abnormal Condition: Fainting]
A notification window appeared, shedding light in the darkened vision. After bowing his head, Sol, who stood alone, fell to the ground.
“Sung Sol!”
“Hyung!”
“Yeong-ho-ssi, quickly call for an ambulance!”
“Sol-ah!”
After the performance ended, Tae-oh, who was standing directly behind Sol, quickly caught Sol as he started to collapse forward. Tae-oh, who looked like he was grabbing a falling scarecrow, hastily laid Sol down on the ground. Although Sol was always tense and stiff during practice, today his face was excessively pale, and his behavior worried everyone who had been keeping an eye on him.
Considering how he had consistently persevered in similar conditions before, they had assumed he would follow suit once the evaluation began today. However, from midway through, he seemed unusually agitated, and his movements gradually lost strength and became sluggish, which Tae-oh and the other members had noticed. Having watched how he moved his body consistently over time, the contrast was unmistakable.
The representative, along with Manager Yeong-ho, who had been lingering near the door, was also taken aback and quickly gathered around Sol after he collapsed. Drawing from past experiences in similar situations, Tae-oh swiftly laid Sol down and checked his breathing first. Bringing his face close to Sol’s cheek, he could feel the warmth emanating from it.
“Sol-ah, wake up! Why is he so hot?”
“Well, if he wasn’t feeling well, he should have said something instead of enduring it.”
“Is that the problem right now?”
The trainers each chimed in with a word or two. Tae-oh sharply countered Yeong-ho’s words, then grabbed the collar of Sol’s hoodie and pulled it out. It revealed the T-shirt underneath, soaked in sweat.
“Let’s just take him to the hospital.”
“Should we? Alright, let’s do that.”
Although Yeong-ho appeared to be hastily calling 119, it seemed quicker to carry Sol to the hospital at the nearby intersection. As Tae-oh spoke, he lifted Sol and dashed out of the practice room. Ga-ram and Manager Yeong-ho followed behind. Ji-ho could be seen holding onto Deuk-yong’s frozen shoulders.
They had just finished dancing, and Tae-oh didn’t even have time to catch his breath before he took off running, carrying Sol. With his long legs, he swiftly leaped out of the building, only to find a crowd gathered near the entrance, presumably fans. For a moment, Ga-ram’s steps came to a halt. Tae-oh passed through the crowd without looking back, leaving Ga-ram standing there as if there were an invisible barrier in front of him.
“Sol-ah?”
Eun-gyeom’s voice came from behind Tae-oh, but he had no spare energy to pay attention to such things. Although Sol was breathing properly, the other’s body in his arms felt as hot as a blazing fireball.
T/N: If you're enjoying this story and translation, please do give it a good rating on Novel Updates. >_< --> Link. Thank you!^^
Noooooo mi niño 😠ojalá que esto no afecte a los demás y la evaluación, sino siento que volverán casi al inicio y no quiero eso, ya estaba comenzando a mejorar su relación aunque sea un poco.... 💔
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