Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 129



Only Noblemtl

| Episode 129. 3rd Competition (2)

Lee Chung-hyun’s rap style was very K-pop-like.

A brief, hit-and-run feel as the song changes without any foul language, harshness, or popping notes.

Rather than showing off a strong presence, I seek to blend in naturally with the music.

At least the Lee Chung-hyun I know has never rapped in a style other than that.

The guy didn’t release a mixtape like other rap idols or try any particular style.

Lee Cheong-hyeon raps while wearing an all-black slim-fit jumpsuit, a harness, and a muzzle?

Honestly, I couldn’t imagine it. Rather, I was worried that I might be doing an unpopular concept that an idol shouldn’t do.

‘You didn’t pay too much attention to him because he was good at everything?’

I can’t bring down someone who’s already on stage. I’m getting more and more depressed.

Lee Cheong-hyeon’s words that he would tear up the stage lingered in my ears like a will.

The stage started, annoyingly leaving me alone while I was feeling uneasy.

Red smoke rose from the black scoreboard.

At the very front of the stage, Lee Cheong-hyeon, who had crawled out of the floor, raised his head with shining red eyes.

“Hear me? I’m barking.

Bowwow, wow!』

The moment I heard one verse, I realized the concept of this stage.

Cerberus.

A three-headed watchdog that guards the gates of Hell, ruled by Hades.

‘You’re saying that you chose Cerberus, the three-headed dog, because there are three of you right now?’

I don’t know if I should call this simple or intuitive. More than that, this isn’t about tearing up the stage, it’s about barking on the stage.

“I’m only aiming for one guy

That’s because I’m a guy

How could I be born like this?

Compared to the impact of the external performance, the lyrics, although mad, sounded like common rap.

『Give up and change your mind

Escape? Xkara, yeah

This board is like this

… … No, it’s a bit strong.

If this part had been given to Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was a minor, she would have barged onto the stage and lied down, whether it was a broadcast or something.

And he would have yelled at me to step on the stage and do it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do anything like that.

The problem was that the overlapping concepts, the simple yet direct lyrics… …were strangely pointing to one point.

It’s not a different myth, but the lyrics are about killing only one animal from the same Greek myth.

Anyone can see that this is a statement that only targets the Parthene team.

Moreover, there are two opposing teams, but you are only targeting one team?

In other words, it could be interpreted that the remaining team was not even considered. The double whammy that I had only heard of unfolded before my eyes.

Is this the world of rap? Is this competition…?

When I first entered the world of hip-hop, I wandered around, not knowing what to do.

Lee Cheong-hyeon threw away the gag, leaving the day in chaos.

“Speak with your mouth, not your snout.

I’m the only one who can bark

The dog whining is mine

Don’t look down on the stage

I’m the only one who can tear it apart

Wowed everyone!』

Raps poured out quickly and clearly from the speakers mounted on the wall.

While we were frozen in shock at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s transformation, we could hear cheering reactions from the waiting rooms on both sides.

Someone in the waiting room next door kept shouting, “It’s torn!”

It looks like Lee Cheong-hyeon tore it apart. Not on stage, but in a bag of Cheongyang peppers.

My ears were burning. For the first time since becoming an idol, I was afraid of monitoring.

* * *

“How was I?!”

“I thought you were a native of Hwangcheon.”

“nice!”

Lee Cheong-hyeon was greatly moved by my words.

“That was really cool, Cheong-hyeon. I was surprised.”

Jeong Seong-bin also smiled and praised it highly.

That’s how you should give compliments. I need to watch and learn.

Lee Cheong-hyeon must have felt somewhat relieved because he went around hugging each member.

My body felt really warm. I think I was pumped with endorphins.

On the other hand, Choi Je-ho’s expression, who was slowly getting ready to go out, was extremely cold.

He used to threaten to make me sleep at the front door if I didn’t smile when the cameras were on, so I guess he was a bit of a nerd, but I’ve been watching him for years and I know.

That new X wants to go to the dorms more than anyone else right now.

How can someone who doesn’t usually go on stage act like that?

I started to look forward to seeing what a great show Allover would put on.

* * *

Choi Je-ho’s unit was second in line.

This was after Sticky and Parte showed off their sincere pair dance performance and received a good response.

If the previous stage attracted attention with a small number of original members in the beginning and showed off a great group dance with a huge number of backup dancers in the latter half, Choi Je-ho’s team chose to fill the stage only with members.

And this was never a good choice.

There was nothing to do after watching it till the end. The balance was a mess.

Choi Je-ho is famous for grabbing attention once he is in the spotlight, even when he is on stage, and keeping everyone’s attention until the end of the show.

What would happen if you couldn’t do one serving with a guy like that next to you?

There is only one correct answer. People will only see Choi Je-ho.

Even I, who know absolutely nothing about dancing, could understand the comments saying that Choi Je-ho’s control of dynamics was amazing.

But if this guy monopolizes the view even when he’s pulling away to the side and losing strength, will the stage be completely visible?

When Choi Je-ho said he would only do his job well, I somewhat expected this to happen.

‘Still, it’s bad… … .’

The atmosphere that Lee Cheong-hyeon had raised to its peak suddenly sank uncontrollably.

Those Spark guys probably know Choi Je-ho’s skills very well, so this situation is even more regrettable.

Fortunately, Choi Je-ho returned with a refreshed expression after finishing the stage where his balance was completely off.

We were like X together, right? Don’t worry, we won’t see each other again.

* * *

“Wow, I think my throat is going to get sore… …!”

“Drink some water, Cheong-hyeon.”

As the recording got longer, one by one, their throats started to get sore. Lee Cheong-hyeon also quenched his thirst with the water bottle that Jeong Seong-bin offered.

‘I bet the people performing on stage have a hard time?’

Kim Yi-wol had just left the waiting room. Lee Cheong-hyeon’s gaze naturally turned toward the door.

“I wonder what song they will sing.”

“therefore.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon also took an empty chair, agreeing with Kang Ki-yeon’s words.

“Has anyone heard what song Lee Wol-hyung chose?”

Lee Cheong-hyeon asked a question, but no one raised their hand.

He kept it confidential, confidential, but he really is a tight-lipped guy.

“Still, I’m looking forward to it. You’ve practiced a lot, hyung.”

Jeong Seong-bin said with a smile.

In fact, among the three members who competed in the third round, Kim Yi-wol practiced the longest.

Kim Yi-wol’s recent routine was to come in just before dawn, take a quick nap, and then head to UA to practice individually, saying, “Green Line is great because the practice room is open 24 hours.”

It would be nice if people knew how poisonous that gentleman is.

These are the things that Lee Cheong-hyeon always regretted.

Although the poison was proven through an unexpected means, such as the college entrance exam scores.

The conversation that had been going on for a while about what kind of stage Kim Yi-wol would show was put on hold for a moment as the vocal position stage began.

Kim Il-wol and Berion, who were the first to come on stage, were captured on screen.

“Every time I monitor, I feel that Lee Wol-hyung is really standing upright.”

“that’s right.”

Choi Je-ho nodded at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s words.

Kim Iwol always maintained an upright posture.

Although they had been living together for over a year, none of the members had ever seen Kim Yi-wol sit with his legs crossed or with his legs crossed.

That’s why Kim Yi-wol always stood out when there were many people standing around.

That’s why dance teachers tell you to straighten your shoulders and back, Lee Cheong-hyeon muttered to himself.

The four people on the screen cheerfully finished their interview with Yuri and prepared for the stage.

As the four people lined up and held hand microphones, a white light came on on the scoreboard.

At the same time, the accompaniment that everyone in the waiting room had probably heard at least once flowed out.

『The blowing wind

Beckon to me

It’s time to go on an adventure.

“It’s a ‘New World’ song.”

Kang Ki-yeon muttered the title of an animation that was once popular.

After listening, the characters’ costumes felt like that. Lee Cheong-hyeon, who realized it belatedly, clapped his hands and said, “That’s right!”

The simple, upbeat drum beat and rhythm guitar accompaniment were almost identical to the original song.

‘Did you intentionally put little effort into the arrangement?’

It was the complete opposite of the bold revision of the song in the second round. Lee Cheong-hyeon’s upper body, which was sitting, leaned forward.

Kim Il-wol is not a great person who would work less because he finds it annoying.

So there must be a reason for this choice!

And finding the answer was like homework and a game to Lee Cheong-hyeon.

‘What is the reason? To make the harmony stand out? Or… … .’

Even while Lee Cheong-hyeon was contemplating, the song continued to flow.

Although the parts kept changing, there was no awkwardness. The original song was sung by one singer, but now there are four people sharing the same song, and it didn’t feel awkward.

After Yeo Seong-chan opened the song brightly, Kim I-wol continued the rising atmosphere until the highlight.

The highlight that everyone sang along to was taken by Cha Se-han.

Until the first verse, Moon Yeon-gyu’s performance was not prominent, but from the second verse onwards, the harmony and ad-lib gradually became richer and Moon Yeon-gyu showed his presence.

Especially in the chorus of the third verse, Moon Yeon-gyu’s ad-lib shined.

But Kim Il-wol stood out the most.

Kim Eui-wol, who doesn’t like to step forward, was seen taking on various parts as the number of vocalists decreased and the skills of his colleagues declined.

“In my heart

I guess there’s a map

The map to your dreams

My heart leads me

I’ll be running without any time to stop.

Moreover, Kim Iwol’s strong yet soft voice had a talent that reminded me of the OSTs of that time.

Even though Kim I-wol didn’t come to the forefront, the feeling of the original song came alive just by singing along.

At the same time, Lee Cheong-hyeon realized why Kim Yi-wol had decorated the stage so closely to the original, and why Kim Yi-wol had willingly accepted his part no matter how poor the circumstances were.

For the public who hopes that memories will not change.

In other words, it meant respecting the emotion that the original song gave.

The costumes and songs are also based on the stories from the cartoons we saw at the time.

Rather than showing something new, it focuses on evoking nostalgia for the past.

The singing style and tone are also close to the original song. So, it creates the most natural sounding appearance.

So that the listener is not disturbed while listening to the song and reminiscing.

‘It’s absurd when the song suddenly changes while I’m preparing to sing a high note.’

Lee Cheong-hyeon chuckled to himself.

If it had simply copied the original song, it could have been evaluated as not much different from a coin karaoke.

Not stopping there, Kim I-wol’s team maximized the strengths of the original song.

In the part that came out with the flashy animation, the four of them built up harmony to the maximum to enrich the music, and in the electric guitar solo part that many people consider to be the part that makes their hearts race, the guitar sound was louder than in the original song to create a more intense impression.

“Let me jump in

Heart pounding

To a new world』

In it, the members sang like the original song, or even more plainly than the original song.

Not to try to add something to the memories, but simply to serve as a medium that brings back memories.

“You really are like yourself on stage.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon rested his chin on his hand and laughed.