“Do you know how hard I worked to convince our director to let us try this stage?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ugh… that annoying dongchimi.”
“How much!?”
“But what does dongchimi even mean? It doesn’t sound good. Oh, wait, is it baekchimi? Is that what it is?”
“Well, you know that.”
“No, no. Baekchimi means dumb, but dongchimi means refreshing.”
“Aha! Refreshingly pretty, huh?”
I shrugged it off and turned away, letting Chiyo Unni think what she wanted.
Cameras were being set up all around by the staff.
The truth was, Chiyo Unni didn’t want to be associated with the nickname “watery kimchi,” not because of its popularity or lack thereof.
“I mean, she introduced herself as Kim Chiyo in the first place, so what’s up with that?”
She just didn’t want to be remembered for that time she fell on stage.
Despite how she usually looked, she wanted to be remembered for her professional appearance on stage.
“Maybe it’s because she’s been dealing with more hate comments lately.”
I also didn’t want to just sit there watching my unni feel down.
In any case.
All we had to do was help the public forget the time Chiyo Unni fell on stage and give her a fresh new image.
It was simple. We just had to put on a performance similar to the last, but this time make it even more sensational.
Of course, it needed to feel natural and fit into situations common in the idol industry.
“If it becomes a hot topic, that could be a good thing too.”
Nodding, I dipped my feet into the water.
“Na-eun Unni! The youngest just called me a total dongchimi!”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Hehe, see it? This refreshing body? I’m totally a dongchimi, right?”
“…Um, did ‘dongchimi’ get a new meaning?”
“…Huh?”
“Huh?”
Chiyo Unni slowly turned her head to look at me.
“What?”
“It means refreshing, I’m telling you.”
*
Friday on KBC’s [Melody Bank].
Saturday on MBS’s [Show! Music Center].
Do-hee’s home mama, Bae Ha-young, had failed to get tickets for the pre-recording of Debonaire’s ‘New Vibes.’
“Do-hee said I absolutely have to hear her rap from the front…”
Bae Ha-young was waiting for new announcements.
That was for SBC’s [Trending Song] pre-recording notification.
Even though the competition was tougher since Do-hee was the MC for [Trending Song], she had to get those tickets somehow.
But contrary to Bae Ha-young’s determination and hope…
─There will be no pre-recording this week.
An irresponsible notice posted in the fan cafe.
“Wait, they said there’s no pre-recording in the first week…? Well, they must be exhausted from the Sweet Demon pre-release activities… But that means I can’t hear Do-hee rap…?”
She fell into a panic.
When she saw Do-hee showcase a hip style with neon coordination that she had never shown before, she felt so excited.
When I saw Do-hee showcasing her hip style, I was so excited.
And when I watched the charming rap performance by Do-hee, my heart raced.
Hearing on the news that all the rap parts were actually written by the members made me feel proud and exhilarated.
[New Hi-Teen Rising, Capturing Summer Freshness with ‘New Vibes’]
[Debonaire, “Happy to Adopt Lyrics Written Independently”]
[Comeback Debonaire ‘Do-hee, Chiyo, Woo-ah’ Making Their Own Raps]
[Rapper JO’s Apprentice Lee Do-hee ‘Perfect Rap Skills’]
Hip Do-hee.
Rapper Do-hee.
Lyricist Do-hee.
Each title was bursting with dopamine from Bae Ha-young.
But in the end, Bae Ha-young couldn’t join the pre-recording.
“Sniff… Topist, please just hurry up with the festival or event… I wanna go…”
A floating Sunday schedule.
Bae Ha-young decided to sleep in with an uneasy heart, facing work on Monday.
“Oh, it’s already 3 o’clock…”
She only woke up when it was time for Do-hee’s trending song to air, grumpily hitting the remote beside her with her fist.
Bang!
“Turn it to Friday…”
The TV was showing a message, almost urging her to wake up to reality.
[Where are you going on Sunday?]
[Trending Song!]
Just as the ad ended, the trending song started live.
[Do-hee, I think you should start with this today!]
[What? What is it?]
[What do you think!?]
[Wow~ It’s summer~]
“It’s a sailor outfit today~”
It wasn’t the perfectly tailored sailor outfit seen in the [Ocean] cover stage since she became an MC, but Do-hee appeared pure in a white cardigan and striped T-shirt.
Thinking about it, it’s already been a year since Do-hee became an MC. Time flies.
At first, the two MCs felt awkward, but ‘Lee Joo’s’ ease now created a comfortable atmosphere.
“They’re all seriously focused on their main jobs, so they probably don’t worry about dating. I hope they continue to host like this.”
Both were repeating numerous stage announcements and interviews, perfecting their hosting harmony today as well.
[When you think of summer, what comes to mind, Do-hee?]
“Oh, I think of bingsu or patbingsu~ cold noodles, cold noodles, cold noodles!”
[All food, huh?]
[Hmph! Then what about Seung-bin?]
Including the interview with Debonaire incorporated in the latter half.
[My sea~ My sky~ This is the song we covered last year!]
[Anyway! Summer wouldn’t be complete without summer songs, right?]
[Uh, let’s just skip to… ]
[Yes! Debonaire has come to take responsibility for this summer! Welcome~ Wow~]
Of course, it was just an ordinary interview.
A typical script and a line from the chorus.
But the last comment held deep significance.
[Na-eun: Actually, we have prepared a really refreshing special stage today!]
[Joo Seung-bin: A special stage!?]
“…A special stage!? So that’s why they didn’t pre-record!?”
It seemed that after two or three more stages, it would be confirmed soon. Now the broadcast time was almost up.
I thought I’d be able to check it right away. The broadcast time is almost up now.
It’s a stage from a group I’m not interested in.
“Wow, both the top spots are our older sisters?”
Just casually watching the music chart situation graph.
“I think Sweet Demon will be first until this month, but starting next month, will New Vibes take the top spot? Hmmm.”
And finally, the intro VCR of Debonaire flowed onto the screen, a special stage!
“Oh, this is really special… Huh?! Aerial shot?”
Bae Ha-young was momentarily speechless at the footage that looked like it was shot by a drone.
“What the heck.”
So, she hurriedly picked up her phone to check the Debonaire Home Mama’s group chat.
For the first time, she saw a ton of chat messages piled up while she was sleeping.
The contents were all the same.
─(Video) I heard the kids went back and forth this morning.
─Hey, it’s showing now, lol!
─Wow, insane outdoor stage, how many years has it been?
─Execution power is insane, lol! Topist!!! I believed in you!
What was on the screen now was a large water park.
Members with their feet submerged in the wave pool against the backdrop of a massive crowd.
I never even thought about it.
Outdoor stages had appeared occasionally in past music broadcasts, especially MBS’s [Show!Music Center], but it had been completely phased out since the PD changed 6 years ago.
But our older sisters are standing on an outdoor stage.
Especially on [Trending Songs]!
“Is Trending Songs going to do outdoor stage specials from now on!?”
This was definitely going to be the talk of the town.
The resurrection of the outdoor stage after 6 years!
And the moment the members were close-up.
Bae Ha-young stopped to think for a moment.
‘This is insane!’
Honestly, it was already going to be a topic of conversation without any further explanation.
Summer songs, girl groups, and swimming pools.
There wasn’t a single corner to pick on the members.
“Crazy, Do-hee that coordinator!”
The style was brought straight from the music video’s outfits.
Before long, Debonaire stopped greeting the camera and the crowd, swaying to the cool guitar riff.
Do-hee walked to the center.
[To the Deb to the Deb!]
It was the opening that signaled the start.
[All the lit girls get down with Deb hey-!]
And the members moved more rhythmically today than ever.
The waves in the background seemed like they didn’t care.
As if they were following the lyrics, with their own vibe.
It was the perfect refreshment.
Barefoot, they looked free.
Each step soaked their ankles before the water splashed up beautifully.
Above all, the crowd’s reactions didn’t even need to be checked online.
The biggest characteristic of music broadcasts and outdoor stages.
Every now and then, shots of citizens enjoying the performance.
Some clumsily dancing along and having fun.
A guy so busy staring that he doesn’t notice his girlfriend glaring at him.
Little kids cutely watching side by side.
It was a perfectly planned guerrilla underwater performance.
*
─Today’s number one is.
─Sweet Demon! Congratulations Debonaire!
Running around since morning, pre-recording ‘New Vibes’ at a water park, returning to the studio for MC rehearsals and live broadcasts, and finally, the Sweet Demon encore stage for number one.
What a tiring day.
“Do-hee!”
But I ran into the main director in the hallway, and he looked even happier today.
“Ah, PD!”
Feeling both sorry for the outdoor stage recording and wanting to express gratitude to the staff, I was caught off guard.
“The reaction today was really amazing. Instant ratings hit 3.2%!”
The director grabbed my hand.
“…Really?”
With all three music shows struggling below 1% lately, hitting over 1% in instant ratings was clearly a jackpot for music broadcasts.
“Yeah, we had to rush to arrange the venue! It worked out! You’re so clever!”
“Ah, it’s all thanks to you, PD.”
“Is that so? Well, I guess!”
“It really is.”
“Right, right. If we’d announced it in advance, the ratings would’ve been even higher. But still, the YouTube views will be huge! Right, Do-hee?”
The PD, feeling good about the rare ratings spike, kept repeating himself.
“Oh right! I almost forgot. Do-hee must have worked hard running around since morning too… Hurry and get some rest at the dorm!”
It took me five minutes to finally escape.
And finally, I returned to our members’ waiting room.
“Hey, did the youngest arrive?”
I approached Chiyo Unni, who was still making eyes around, and kneeled down.
The band-aid on my knee was turning red.
“How am I gonna do the knee choreography next week…”
The water park floor had prickly bumps to prevent slipping, and dancing with my knees on that floor was a recipe for skin peeling.
“It’s stinging…”
Especially since Kim Seo-yoon, who was doing the same choreography, was in long pants while I wore shorts, I felt a bit unfair.
“I-I’ll huff and puff for you…”
Nevertheless, bringing my face close to the knee and blowing air felt cute.
“Hoo- hoo-”
‘Well, I guess I’ll have to let it slide.’
Of course, there was one uninvited sister ruining the mood.
“Chiyo, can you move your face? That’s not gonna heal anything.”
“…No way.”
Na-eun Unni gently re-applied the medicine on my knee.
