With Tae-oh’s weighty words, the grueling journey began. Once everyone resolved to commit fully, they began to grow ambitious. Cameras set up by the My Idol Stars team ran constantly in the practice room, while Chae Min-ju’s camera recorded them at their dorm. Aside from brief moments in the bathroom, they were always on camera, yet none of them—including Sol—paid it any mind.
When the unfamiliar cameras were first installed around the practice room, the members approached, waved, and made faces at them, but once the tight schedule took over, they no longer had the energy to worry about how they appeared on screen. This indifference was, of course, partly due to the effect of the penalty reduction.
On the first day after receiving the 1st ROUND mission, Tae-oh proposed a slight trick during the team meeting: they would perform D-Block's song "Hot Trick" for their debut stage, a track they had already learned for the weekend evaluation. This wouldn’t be a mere replication of D-Block's performance; though participating as trainees from YC Entertainment, they needed to display their own appeal and skills as a debut team.
With limited time to rehearse, Ga-ram suggested rearranging the choreography and offered to rework the music. Tae-oh’s idea seemed perfectly reasonable, given their ambitious goals within such a tight timeframe. Ga-ram immediately opened his laptop, waiting for this moment to share the files he had previously kept to himself.
Sol’s jaw dropped upon seeing the countless files neatly lined up in the folder. Recently, Ga-ram had been glued to his laptop, but there were far more files in it than Sol had imagined. Ga-ram’s earlier suggestion that Sol might someday sing one of his songs hadn’t just been idle talk. Impressed, Sol clapped his hands quietly. Ga-ram chuckled, a little bashful as he blushed.
“There are things I did for assignments... and things I did just because I wanted to,” he said, quickly scrolling down to hide some file names. Then, as soon as Tae-oh’s suggestion came up, Ga-ram double-clicked on a file titled D-Block - Hot Trick_ver.O. He had prepared it during their previous weekend evaluation session.
“I worked on this earlier this year. I’ll play it for everyone, and if it sounds good, I might polish it up a bit.”
Since this was the first time he was playing it for everyone—especially Sol—Ga-ram was nervous. His heart pounding, he gently rubbed his left chest with his palm. As the media player opened, a reverent chime filled the room.
D-Block's "Hot Trick" was known for its intense guitar riffs and fast tempo. The original stage and music video had a rebellious concept, featuring school uniforms combined with leather and chains for a slightly delinquent look.
Yet, none of that intensity was present in Ga-ram’s version. Instead, it felt like standing on a sports field under the bright sun, a cool breeze blowing. He kept the sharp, driving interlude and the quick beat, but infused it with a playful, innocent feeling, as if someone were running down a hallway in high spirits.
Ji-ho began to hum along, following the familiar melody that remained intact despite the complete change in style. Ga-ram, observing each member as they listened to the music in their own way, added some explanations.
“I kept the melody line mostly the same. During the process, I gave the beginning a softer, warmer feel, different from the original song….”
Ga-ram paused mid-explanation, and at the same moment, Ji-ho, who had been humming the melody of the original "Hot Trick," also stopped. This was because the section that originally featured a rap part had changed so much that it was no longer possible to follow the original melody.
The strong rap segment from before had been completely removed, and the chime that was heard when the interlude began rang out once more. However, this time, the atmosphere was entirely different. If the initial chime felt like the clock tower on a clear day, the chime now playing through the speakers had a dark, heavy tone, reminiscent of something suited to an occult theme. From this point on, the music took a drastic turn.
What followed was an intense minor-key interlude that created a feeling of unease, even more intense than the original "Hot Trick" by D-Block. In the background, there was the faint sound of a violin, as if it were tearing through the air, giving off an atmosphere perfect for a horror movie or Halloween. When the music ended, Ga-ram glanced around to gauge the members' reactions.
“So, what do you think? This isn’t the final version, but if you all like it, I’d love to hear your opinions so I can add more touches and refine it.”
“Wow…”
Sol couldn’t give Ga-ram the response he wanted to hear. Lacking any expertise in arranging or composing, Sol felt unqualified to give any technical evaluation or feedback. All he could do was applaud with a sense of wonder, like a kid seeing something amazing for the first time, letting out a simple "wow." However, even as an outsider, Sol had one clear impression: the "Hot Trick" he had just heard was no longer D-Block's "Hot Trick." It was unmistakably Kang Ga-ram’s "Hot Trick." And soon enough, it would become *their* "Hot Trick"—TEAM ONE's. The person who always lounged beside him now appeared in a new light.
“Oooh… Kang Ga-ram, that’s impressive.”
Ji-ho kept making a drawn-out “oooh” sound as he ruffled Ga-ram’s hair playfully. Deuk-yong, despite not having been directly involved, nodded with a satisfied expression. But the words that followed were not just praise.
“This is really good. But where did the original rap part go? Ga-ram hyung… Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Oh, well, that’s something I need to refine… I’m thinking of making the beginning brighter to build more dramatic tension…”
As he organized his response to Deuk-yong’s remark, Ga-ram suddenly trailed off and scanned the faces of the members who were watching him intently, their eyes shining. He seemed a bit flustered, perhaps even shy, about all the focused attention. Though everyone waited for him to continue, Ga-ram just scratched his chin with an awkward expression. Finally, Tae-oh, who had been standing with his arms crossed, stepped in to take the lead.
"It sounds good. That’s what you wanted, to add a twist, right?"
A few days ago, there had been a subtle tension between the two, but now it was nowhere to be found. As soon as Tae-oh gave his approval, Ga-ram immediately responded.
"Yeah, that’s right."
As if Ga-ram understood Tae-oh’s intention precisely, his reply served as a signal, and their discussion resumed.
"Then, how about emphasizing something like the sound of a bell conceptually in the beginning to give it a sacred feeling from the start?"
"Hmm... That could work too. Since the costumes the company is providing are school uniforms, what if we go with a mission school or angelic image, and then at the sound of the second bell, we shift to a fallen, transformed look? Something occultish."
"Wasn't that the original concept anyway?"
"Yeah."
As Sol listened to their back-and-forth, an image began to form vaguely in his mind. He recalled the simple, neat school uniform of the SSR card he had drawn and realized that a pure, angelic image would work well with it. However, the occult aspect left him somewhat puzzled. While Sol continued to ponder, Tae-oh and Ji-ho kept exchanging ideas. After a long discussion, Tae-oh looked around at the members and asked,
"What does everyone think?"
"I'm all for it. Ga-ram, you’re really impressive."
In response to Tae-oh’s question, Sol looked at Ga-ram and replied. Judging from the atmosphere, everyone seemed to like the ideas the two had come up with. To Sol, Ga-ram’s accomplishments felt nothing short of extraordinary, so he had no objections or other ideas to add.
"I'm in, too. Give me the intro. I'll make it totally holy."
Ji-ho clasped his hands together over his chest like a saint in prayer, gently closing his eyes. He was already fully immersed in the concept. Deuk-yong also voiced his approval but added his thoughts on the yet-to-be-created rap section.
"I like it too. But hyung, for the second bell part where the music pauses—it’s a dance break, right?"
"Yeah."
"What if, there, we add a mumble... no, a whispered rap, layering it like a chant?"
Ji-ho and Ga-ram let out an “Oh!” of admiration at Deuk-yong’s suggestion. Tae-oh, too, nodded as if he thought it was a good idea. Only Sol blinked, eyes wide, at the sudden use of unfamiliar terms. In the past, Sol would have just nodded along, pretending to understand while watching others’ reactions. But now, things were different. Sol no longer hesitated to clear up his curiosity.
“What’s mumble, and what’s whisper rap?”
“So, whisper rap is pretty much like it sounds, rapping as if you’re whispering. And mumble rap is when you kind of slur the words… almost like you’re mumbling.”
Sol nodded along with Deuk-yong’s explanation. He still wasn’t sure he fully grasped it, but he thought he understood the basic concept and what they were trying to achieve.
“I think it’s a good idea.”
Deuk-yong smiled, pleased, when Sol nodded and smiled in agreement at his explanation. Then, leaning in close, he whispered to Sol, “I’ll play you a few classic examples when we’re back at the dorm.”
“Isn’t our concept a bit too niche?”
Ji-ho, who had been clasping his hands over his chest and imitating an innocent lamb for some time, voiced his concern, albeit timidly. But none of the members said anything more after Tae-oh’s response.
“…If we just go with the gentle image the company wants, we risk coming off as too bland. We’re going there to compete, right? We have to make a strong impression from the start. And above all, I don’t want us to be seen as just another D-Block clone.”
Sol covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, feeling as though laser beams were shooting out of Tae-oh’s eyes. His face might have been stoic, but the intense, determined glint in his eyes radiated a youthful competitiveness.
