22. Debut (3)

22. Debut (3)

After arriving at the showcase venue, we headed to the space that had been made into a waiting room. As soon as we entered the waiting room, the hair and makeup staff and the stylist followed us in. The showcase staff knocked on the waiting room door and said,.

"We finished rehearsing yesterday, so today we'll just roughly match the route. I'll call you when we're ready."

We waited quietly for our turn among the busy staff. Hwang Bo-kyun and Baek Han-gyul couldn't stay still and practiced the choreography in a corner of the waiting room. I turned my gaze to the stage costumes and took a deep breath while closing the front of my long padded jacket. Lee A-ram looked at me as if he didn't understand.

"Is it that cold?"

"Yes, it is cold."

When did it get so cold? Even my joints ache. I'm sure Yoo Young is 18 years old.

I've always felt the cold, but I didn't know it would be like this even after my body changed.

As I sighed, Ahn Jungwoo, who was still unable to take his eyes off his phone, raised his head.

"Then, please wear something thick."

"What thick. The body will get warmer as we dance."

The cold is cold, and the stage is the stage.

Ahn Jung-woo nodded to my words and looked at his phone again. It's been like that since inside the van. I exchanged glances with Lee A-ram without Ahn Jung-woo knowing.

'Why is he like that?'

'I don't know either. It seems like he still can't believe he is debuting.'

I continued the conversation with my eyes and looked at Ahn Jung-woo's face. Fortunately, he looked calm. At least he doesn't seem to make a mistake on the showcase stage.

Baek Han-gyul, who had been caught by the staff and had his makeup done, came running. The guy with the beige hair color was still fiddling with the ends of his hair, as if he wasn't used to it.

I tapped Baek Han-gyul on the cheek.

"Stop touching your hair. They've worked so hard to style it, but you're ruining the look."

"Um...... It's not easy."

"Try not to touch your face or hair as much as possible during our schedule. Then it'll become a habit."

"Then what should I do when my hair or makeup gets messed up and needs to be fixed?"

"What should you do? Leave it to the staff in charge."

If you mess it up yourself, you'll get in trouble twice as much later. When I was a rookie, I touched my face, swept my hair up, set it up again, and got in trouble.

"Hyung-nim, but is it really okay for me to be the center for this album......?"

Baek Han-gyul asked with his legs shaking. He seemed okay when practicing the choreography, but when the music video was released and the showcase day came, he seemed anxious. I gently grabbed Baek Han-gyul's legs and nodded.

"Of course it's okay."

"But I still lack dancing skills...."

"Don't you trust me?"

Baek Han-gyul hesitated for a while at my words before opening his mouth.

"I trust you. But isn't this choreography really difficult......."

Isn't that obvious? No matter how easy choreography is to follow these days because of short videos, the flower of idols is group dancing.

"You have to be able to do that much to be an idol."

When I answered with a rare serious expression, Baek Han-gyul hesitated. I don't know if he has high or low self-esteem. I chose my words carefully, thinking that he might show it on stage.

"And the reason I put you in the main role this time is because I believe you will do well, so don't worry."

I don't expect to fail in the first place. The fact that I entrusted Baek Han-gyul with the center meant that I thought it would be okay.

Baek Han-gyul raised his head, opened his eyes wide, and opened his mouth. What, why, what. I frowned and then loosened my face. If you frown, your makeup will clump.

"You're doing well now, aren't you?"

"....Hyuung."

I gently pushed Baek Han-gyul away, who was clinging to me in excitement. No matter how cold it was, I didn't want to hug a man... no, regardless of gender. If it was in front of the camera, I would hug the members, but if it wasn't like that, was it really necessary?

Lee A-ram tapped my shoulder with a surprised expression.

"......Don't say anything, hyung."

"Okay."

After finishing our makeup, we greeted the staff and got on stage. After getting on stage, we greeted the behind-the-scenes cameras from time to time and changed our outfits.

"The MC has arrived!"

The press showcase ended quickly. It was a natural result since we had only gathered reporters for the press conference. The important thing was the main stage that we would present to the fans.

"Um, I was surprised because the first stage was different from what I had imagined."

"That's because only reporters come here. The actual stage will feel different, okay?"

After the reporters left, there was a short break. While the fans entered the audience, we took a breather at the back of the stage.

These guys must not be used to a stage in silence, so we had to lighten the mood.

The space where only the sound of music, camera shutters, and typing sounds can be heard is strange to those who are hearing it for the first time. The questions were short and concise.

It was natural for them to sit in the audience without fandom, but even so, the reporters would write very good articles, despite the reaction.

'These days, they say they do showcases through live broadcasts...'

We decided to edit and upload only the highlights. It was inevitable because the showcase itself was quite expensive. We have no choice but to give meaning to holding a showcase from our debut.

We glanced around. As the audience finished entering, the MC was going up on stage. The MC, who used to be an announcer but is now famous as a professional event MC, introduced the group with witty remarks.

In the meantime, the staff beckons to us.

"Come into standby. Three, two......"

***

"Yes, thank you for the wonderful stage!"

The pre-released song and two cover song stages were over. The cheers from the audience made them exhale hotly. While the staff set up the chairs on the stage, the MC turned the audience's attention.

"Wow, the atmosphere is hot. Nice to meet you, intro members."

"Yes, let's introduce ourselves. Put in love! Hello, this is intro!"

"Wow, powerful.... By the way, you are all so~ handsome. Aren't you?"

Shouts of 'Yes!!' and 'You're handsome!' could be heard here and there.

The members flinched at the sounds that were almost screams. It seemed that the atmosphere was completely different from when there were only reporters.

"Haha, I'm not the only one who thought that. Okay, then please introduce yourselves one by one."

We each gave a pre-prepared self-introduction. Starting with the leader Hwang Bo-kyun, Ryu Hyun-seung, Seol Yi-soo, Baek Han-gyul, Ahn Jung-woo, Lee A-ram, and Yoo Young. They explained their names and positions in the order they stood.

The MC passed the cue cards while observing the audience's reactions.

"Yes, I heard the charming introduction well. Then I can't not ask this, right? How do you feel about debuting in front of your fans and performing on stage for the first time?"

"First of all, I'm grateful that I can meet the fans who support us like this. It's amazing. We've prepared really hard. We have a lot to show you, so I hope you look forward to it."

"Wow, I guess that feeling got through to many people coming here. Are you all looking forward to it?......Wow, look at the cheers. It seems like everyone has a lot of questions about our intros. Should we sit down and talk?"

Perhaps because Hwang Bo-kyun had already met the reporters, he answered clearly.

After sitting on the chair prepared on stage according to the MC's guidance, the real questions began.

"Well, the intros have been a hot topic even before debut, right? Among them, the group name has raised a lot of curiosity. What does 'Intro (INT'LO)' mean?"

"Yes, our group name was given to us by our label's CEO Son Dong-young. 'Insert coin', a word commonly used in arcade games, 'Please insert a coin', and 'Insert love' is shortened to 'INT'LO'. In other words, it means that it works by putting in the love of fans."

"That's a fun meaning."

For a moment, I almost lost control of my expression. The meaning itself wasn't bad, but the forced explanation made me feel crazy.

The MC had already seen the answer on the cue card, so he was good at controlling his expression. He even packaged it professionally. Hwang Bo-kyun also spoke smoothly with a calm face. He probably didn't think much of it.

The MC's gaze turned to me, leaving behind the neatly wrapped and ribbon-decorated answer. I naturally thought of the next question.

"Intro's debut single album! 'GAME' was produced by Yoo Young, who was a trainee at the time, and it caused quite a stir~ As a producer, can you explain the highlights of this album and the title song 'LOVE OVER'?"

I quickly caught my breath and picked up the mic. I opened my mouth with a soft smile in response to the MC's nod. At the same time, the album and title image video appeared on the screen behind the stage.

"Yes. Um... At first, I thought of 'youth'. There are various elements of youth, such as love and friendship. Among them, I chose school play as the theme. Most Korean students have encountered games at least once, and even if they don't enjoy them, you see one or two kids hanging out with their friends in class playing games."

"Ah~ I think I know. Something like 'Hey, let's meet up at a PC room after school!'?"

"Yes, yes. This album and the title song 'LOVE OVER' are songs that I came up with because I wanted to create and experience those memories of youth with fans."

"I see~ It has a lot to do with the group name?"

"That's right. It's a little embarrassing to explain it like this. There are also many hidden elements in the music video, so I think it'll be fun to look for them."

After finishing speaking, I blushed slightly, pretending to be shy.

If Im Ah-hyun had known this, he would have commented, "Hyung, you're really good at acting coy," but he didn't know, so it didn't matter. In fact, the intro members showed amazement with their eyes, and I ignored it. As long as it doesn't show to the fans, it's fine.

"Oh, good. Now that you say it, I have to watch the music video~ Have all the people here watched the music video?"

"Yes!!!!!"

"Thank you."

I put down the mic and looked around. I see people holding secret cameras among the people answering.

'Judging from the camera angle, that person must be a fan of Ahn Jung-woo, and the person taking pictures of Hwang Bo-kyun over there seems to be someone I've seen a few times at other events before... Oh, Nine's homma is here too. Someone with a similar style to Nine... Seol Yi-soo?'

Sometimes I memorize the hommas of idols whose activities often overlap or that I produce. I didn't specifically memorize them, but since my job involves meeting people often, I often have to remember other people's faces, habits, and characteristics. It's natural that they become familiar the longer I see them.

After checking the main characters, the face angle was adjusted to make it easier for those who are presumed to be Yoo Young's homma to take pictures.

The MC's words continued.

"Next... We did a survey beforehand, right? Questions for Intro! We picked out questions and put them on the panel like this. Should we pick them out one by one and answer them?"

From here, it's different from the reporter showcase. Since they need information that can be used in articles, the interviews are stiff.

Baek Han-gyul and Lee A-ram quenched their thirst with water. They look nervous.

Ryu Hyun-seung stood up at the MC's suggestion. He quickly walked over to the panel and took off a sticker after much thought.

The MC who received the sticker said.

"Let's see, Mr. Jjang-lover. You asked, 'Was there anything difficult while preparing the album?'"

The questions were a bit tricky from the beginning. I touched the microphone and looked at the members.

'If you say you don't have this, you'll get criticized for living comfortably, and if you say it was difficult, you'll get sneered at for talking about it while being proud.'

You might think that's too far-fetched, but such reactions really do exist. The world is wide, and there are many people with malicious intentions.

Moreover, I couldn't answer this question. Even without that, since I am a member and also the general producer, there are many people who are sensitive about things like part distribution. So I couldn't open my mouth here and cause trouble.

'What should I do........'

While I was thinking about it, Hwang Bo-kyun answered for me at the perfect time. He was such a smart guy.

"It was hard... but we overcame it by relying on each other as members. I'm so happy now that I don't really remember anything."

"That's right. When I see the fans, I forget everything."

Seol Yi-soo gently accepted Hwang Bo-kyun's words. The reactions from those around weren't bad either.

When the MC tried to continue, Ji Young-heon sent a signal from under the stage. It was to move on.

The MC saw the signal and naturally changed the subject. As expected, it was so natural that it wasn't obvious.

"Haha, your love for your fans is amazing. This is enough to make me jealous. Then shall we move on to the next question?"

"This time, I'll pick!"

Baek Han-gyul stood up, changing his tone to be more formal, as if it were an official position. Baek Han-gyul took off the sticker without hesitation and looked at the contents inside, then his face became pale.

The MC slowly recited the contents. Cheers erupted from the audience.

"Oh, this isn't a question... but since you picked it, I should read it, right? This is a request from Naedrim. 'Show some aegyo!'"

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