Chapter 91: Level Up (11)

"Uh... Yes? Yes! I-I'm fine."

Woo-yeon was flustered and couldn't hide his nervousness.

Meanwhile, the manager rushed onto the stage and checked Uyeon's ankle.

"Are you hurt? Did you sprain it? Move your ankle gently."

"Uh... I'm fine, sister. It doesn't hurt."

"You might not feel it now because you're in shock, but it could be a problem later. Let's put a patch on it."

Sssss­

The manager had thoughtfully brought a patch, which was immediately applied to Woo-yeon's ankle.

As the smell of the patch spread across the stage, Woo-yeon looked at the staff.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm really fine! But what about the stage? I made a big mistake."

He seemed more concerned about the mistake on stage than his own pain.

It was probably because he had seen something similar before the performance.

"The stage? Ha, wait a moment, I'll ask the PD."

Just then, the PD came onto the stage.

Woo-yeon's face turned pale.

He was so nervous that it felt like his heart might burst. The PD spoke.

"I checked the footage, and the fall was captured too well. We need to reshoot it. Can you do it?"

"...What?"

Is that it? He seemed to think.

"Does your leg hurt a lot?"

"N-No, no, no! I can do it! It doesn't hurt at all!!"

It was the same PD who had scolded the rookie male idol for their mistake.

But there was no anger on the PD's face when he spoke to Woo-yeon.

Only a small annoyance.

"Then let's prepare for the stage again."

"Yes!! Thank you, PD!!"

When Woo-yeon bowed 90 degrees, the music PD seemed to think he was not bad and patted Woo-yeon's shoulder, saying it was okay.

Woo-yeon was overly relieved that he hadn't been scolded.

"Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. I wouldn't lie about this."

"I'm saying this because you look terrible."

The manager continued to worry about Woo-yeon.

"If it hurts, be honest and we can just use the footage we shot."

"But we're getting a lot of attention because of the previous stage. And you want me to show my mistake? I don't want to. I want to do it again."

"You're scared of getting scolded, aren't you?"

You're scared of getting scolded.

The guys here need to grow up a bit.

They're too delicate.

'I wish they could live on Earth for a year. They'd change completely if they went to the military.'

He briefly imagined how Woo-yeon would change if he went to the military.

"Woo-yeon is amazing~ When did you become so mature? You even think about things like that."

"I made a big mistake today, so I'm not mature yet! I still have a long way to go."

The festival stage they had performed had become a huge topic, so many people would be waiting for today's stage.

And if Woo-yeon mistake was shown?

'They would be very disappointed, and there would be a lot of talk.'

Today's stage had to be a stage that satisfied the curious people.

The PD probably knew this and agreed to reshoot immediately without much fuss.

For us, it was a truly grateful thing.

After a short break, the stage lights came on again, and the title song began to play.

Uyeon was nervous about making another mistake, so I used the stamina pouch to fully replenish his stamina.

Thanks to that, Woo-yeon performed the second stage much better than the first.

I also felt more relaxed and moved better after doing the stage again.

Later, when we reviewed the two stages in order, the second stage was overwhelmingly better.

Woo-yeon's mistake had actually been a benefit for us.

"Should I praise you for making a mistake?"

"Ugh!! Don't. When I fell, I thought my heart would stop. I almost got stage fright."

I approached Woo-yeon, who was groaning, and asked quietly.

"Did you see that before the stage and get influenced?"

"I want to say no, but it did affect me a bit. When I fell, I thought about it for a moment."

"Oh dear~"

If only we hadn't gone to see the rookie male idol's stage.

"Good job."

The PD seemed very satisfied with the second stage and looked pleased.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you!!"

We automatically thanked the PD as soon as we heard his words.

As we came off the stage, all the tension disappeared.

I promised myself that as soon as I entered the waiting room, I would lie down on the sofa. I walked down the hallway with that determination.

"Hello! We are 'Rain,' here to make your hearts flutter!"

"Huh? Is that them?"

As we were moving to the waiting room, we heard the loud voice of the rookie male idol who had made a mistake.

They seemed to be going around to other rooms to greet people.

It's common for newly debuted idols to go around greeting their seniors.

As we returned to the waiting room, Eungyu couldn't hold back his thoughts.

"We used to do that too."

"Right? It reminds me so much of the old days."

"What old days? It hasn't even been a few months."

"Ah, come on. Anyway, you don't know how to read the room. You're a senior now. Senior!"

 Eungyu and Woo-yeon get along well and talk a lot, but Kang Jun often interrupts and teases them.

"Anyway, going around greeting people is so awkward. If someone doesn't accept your greeting, it's so awkward and embarrassing. We're lucky we don't have to do that this time."

"But you still have to do it sometimes."

You have to give your album to senior idols with many years of experience and ask them to listen to it.

We still haven't completely shed our rookie image.

"I really don't understand. Why don't they accept greetings?"

"I would never do that. I would accept greetings from anyone who greets me."

"Only a few groups survive, so even if you're nice to them, you might not see them more than a few times before they disappear."

"Wow, Kang! You're so cruel…!!"

No matter what the kids say, I couldn't hide my fatigue and lay down on the spacious waiting room sofa.

"Oh, my back..."

"Me too! Let me lie down!! Here we go~!"

Eungyu followed me and took a spot on the sofa.

Soon, the other members joined us on the sofa.

"Massage my leg a bit."

Eungyu put his leg on Kang Jun's thigh and said, and Kang Jun responded by pinching Eungyu's calf, starting a playful fight.

Kang Jun is usually calm with others, but he's particularly rough with Eungyu, maybe because they're the same age.

"Hey, but why didn't the PD scold me? I thought I would get yelled at when I made a mistake. But she never got mad at me."

"Is that so surprising?"

Of course, it is.

"Hey, do you know why?"

"I know."

"Tell me!! Why did she scold them but not me when we both made mistakes?"

"Do you want to hear the reality or a fairy tale?"

"...Do I have to choose?"

"Yes."

"Um, I want to choose the fairy tale, but reality, please."

I knew he would say that.

Besides, there's not much to say in a fairy tale.

"The reason is the difference in agencies, popularity, and finally, their attitude. I think the fact that they couldn't finish the stage properly after making a mistake was bigger than you think. You got up right away and finished the stage. A pro has to finish the stage they started, no matter what."

"Ah…"

"In that sense, what you did today was very good. You deserve to be praised."

"Aww, no praise please!!"

When he fell, he must have thought a million things.

But he got up and finished the stage, so I had to praise him.

As I was praising Woo-yeon, Eungyu looked at me and said.

"I've always thought this, but Hae-sol, you seem to understand adults very well."

"You're more mature than Gyeong-tae."

"Hey, what's wrong with me?"

Gyeong-tae looked sulky, but everyone seemed to agree.

This experience helps the members understand reality and grow up.

And people call that 'growth.'

S.K.Y was growing day by day.

•••••••••••••••••••

"It's up!!"

It feels like surfing on a wave.

You never know when you might fall, which is nerve-wracking, but the thrill of riding the wave is so exhilarating that you can't stop moving.

1. Mojito – Jellynyang

2. Fanfare – Jellynyang

3. Remember – S.K.Y

4. Super Woman – Jellynyang

5. Nightfall – Down

6. Girlfriend – S.K.Y

The song that hadn't made it into the top 4 finally broke through and reached number 3.

And that's not all.

The track "Girlfriend" jumped to number 6.

The agency predicts that this is just the beginning and that there will be even more significant reactions.

"Let's go for number 2!!!!!!"

"Are you investing in stocks?"

"Ahh!! Number 2! Number 2!!! We have to hit number 1 since we made a comeback!"

"You said you'd be satisfied with number 3, but now you want number 1."

The kids are making a fuss, but I understand their feelings.

I felt the same way.

Especially since this rise was because our stage was recognized, it felt even better.

As our rankings rose, our schedules became a bit more special.

"You guys will start individual activities."

"Individual activities!"

"You'll still do group activities and variety shows, but starting this promotion, we won't restrict individual activities. If there's a good opportunity, we'll take it."

"Wow!!"

After the festival stage, the company's attitude towards us changed a bit.

They started to trust us.

Instead of just protecting us, they started to trust us and give us responsibilities.

Being trusted by the staff is a very happy thing.

Being able to do individual activities is also a sign of trust.

"And when you go back to the dorm, there will be gifts from fans waiting for you. We've checked and sorted them, so you can use them safely."

"Gifts?! Yes!!"

Gifts from fans.

Sometimes they send incredibly expensive gifts, and sometimes they send thoughtful gifts.

Personally, I love letters the most. Reading them gives me strength, so I keep them precious.

"Um... Hae-sol."

"Yes?"

"There's a personal gift for you, but it's a bit special."

"Special?"

"Um, do you have a driver's license?"

...A driver's license?

Asking about a driver's license for a gift is a big hint about what the gift is.

The other members were also surprised.

"Eek?!"

"Did you get a car as a gift?!"

"Wow~ Amazing."

"I struggled with whether to accept this or not, but the sender hired someone to deliver it anonymously. They said they would never reveal who sent it.

"A car as a gift? It seems too much."

"They said if you don't accept it, they'll scrap the car. We had no choice. We don't know who sent it."

"So, do I really have to accept the car?"

"You can't use it right away. You need a driver's license, and we need to check the car for hidden cameras or bugs. And most importantly, we need to check the car for any defects at a repair shop."