Chapter 75 - Don't Take Your Eyes Off Me

N.A.N's hit song, 'Keep your eyes' (originally in English).

When this song was selected as the mission song for the final episode's Round 2, Baek Hyeon-woo felt troubled.

This was because it was displayed on the information window as having bad compatibility with Newstarz.

————

[Keep your eyes]

Public Appeal: SS

Lyrical Quality: C

Addictiveness: S

Completeness: A

Affinity with Newstarz (Main Vocalist: Yoo Jeong-ah) is 60%.

————

No matter how good a song is, its charm fluctuates greatly depending on who sings it.

In the last episode 4, Choux-pop chose a song that didn't suit them well, so the result was not good.

Meanwhile, Newstarz was able to sing 'Lonely girl', with its 90% affinity, and take 1st place in the judges' scores.

Therefore, the 60% affinity for 'Keep your eyes' was a number that stimulated anxiety.

‘On the other hand, the compatibility between N.A.N and 'Gravity' wasn't bad.’

————

[Gravity]

Public Appeal: A

Lyrical Quality: B

Addictiveness: B

Completeness: B

Affinity with N.A.N (Main Vocalist: Ha-ryeong) is 80%.

————

'Gravity', which N.A.N got to sing in the final episode's Round 2, had a considerably high affinity with N.A.N.

Yoo Jeong-ah's and Ha-ryeong's vocal styles are very different, so the reason it came out this high is probably thanks to Ha-ryeong's abundant experience.

‘No matter how hard Newstarz works, they're at a disadvantage... that's what I had thought.’

So Baek Hyeon-woo contemplated for a good while.

As long as he couldn't change the mission song, he had to come up with a countermeasure somehow.

In the middle of that, he found a solution in an unexpected place.

And that result was now unfolding on the stage of 'The Idol'.

“Keep your eyes peeled, get a grip and don't look away──♪.”

On the stage, a provocative and stimulating singing voice overflowed.

A bold emotion was carried in the voice, and an unyielding obsession was contained within it.

It was a singing voice that contained a charm separate from vocal ability... something that couldn't be found in Newstarz's stages until now.

Kim Do-gyun, flustered by that singing voice, finally confronted Baek Hyeon-woo.

“H-Hey.”

Kim Do-gyun was stuttering.

That's how much of a shocked state Kim Do-gyun was in right now.

“What on earth happened?”

“What about?”

“Stop playing innocent!”

Glaring at Baek Hyeon-woo, who was maintaining a composed expression, Kim Do-gyun pressed him.

“Why is Seo Na-eun the main vocalist! Your main vocalist was Yoo Jeong-ah!”

Baek Hyeon-woo smiled at that question.

“That's not it.”

“What?”

“Seo Na-eun and Yoo Jeong-ah are joint main vocalists.”

“……!”

Kim Do-gyun flinched in surprise and turned his gaze back to the stage.

“Keep your eyes on me, just make sure you only look at me──♪.”

The part that Ha-ryeun had led by herself in the original song was being shared by Seo Na-eun and Yoo Jeong-ah.

Kim Do-gyun, who realized that fact, his mouth hung wide open.

“To distinguish it strictly, one is the main vocalist and one is the lead vocalist.”

Originally, main vocalist and lead vocalist are similar in meaning.

However, in the Korean idol industry, there are times when main vocalist and lead vocalist are used separately.

In such cases, the vocalist who leads while taking charge of the song's intro is called the lead vocalist, and the vocalist in charge of the song's climax is called the main vocalist.

“When we tested it amongst ourselves, it felt like something was lacking. That's why I felt we couldn't just put Yoo Jeong-ah forward as the sole main vocalist.”

“……!”

Kim Do-gyun flinched in surprise.

N.A.N had also noticed that a Yoo Jeong-ah main vocal had bad compatibility with 'Keep your eyes'.

Originally, 'Keep your eyes' is a song that expresses a woman's intense affection and obsession.

The desire to be looked at by only one person is contained nakedly within it.

If you watch the original stage video, the main vocalist Ha-ryeong was perfectly expressing an intense desire like a woman crazy in love.

However, Newstarz's main vocalist, Yoo Jeong-ah, does not have that kind of expressive power.

Yoo Jeong-ah's vocal ability is outstanding enough, but she can't catch up to Ha-ryeong simply by singing well.

Ha-ryeong expressed emotion using her entire body, not just her singing voice, but everything from her expression to her gestures.

That appeal, that persuasive power, is something the current Yoo Jeong-ah does not have.

That's why when Yoo Jeong-ah was the main vocalist, the affinity was only 60%.

“This current system is a plan to solve that limitation.”

“……!”

Making Seo Na-eun the lead vocalist, or joint main vocalist.

The trigger for Baek Hyeon-woo coming up with that idea was the incident where he was questioned by Seo Na-eun after talking on the phone with Ha-ryeong.

What Seo Na-eun showed at that time was an inexcusable possessiveness.

She showed an emotional attitude, thinking that her manager, Baek Hyeon-woo, was going on a date with another girl group idol.

Watching that side of Seo Na-eun, Baek Hyeon-woo had a thought.

Isn't that obsessive side exactly the emotion that needs to be expressed in 'Keep your eyes'.

So Baek Hyeon-woo tested it himself.

He played 'Keep your eyes' and imagined what it would feel like with a Newstarz where 'Seo Na-eun and Yoo Jeong-ah are simultaneously the main vocalists'.

And, Baek Hyeon-woo's information window showed the expected result.

————

[Keep your eyes]

Public Appeal: SS

Lyrical Quality: C

Addictiveness: S

Completeness: A

Affinity with Newstarz (Main Vocalists: Yoo Jeong-ah & Seo Na-eun) is 90%.

————

An affinity of 90%.

Having confirmed this number, there was no longer a need to hesitate.

Baek Hyeon-woo discarded the previous part distribution and entrusted Seo Na-eun with the role of the lead vocalist who leads the song.

As a result... a tremendously rich emotion was contained in the song.

It was something that had been difficult with only Yoo Jeong-ah, who is clumsy at expressing emotions.

“She was awkward at first, but as she began to properly express herself, she got drastically better. It seems it suited her aptitude.”

“B-But, was Seo Na-eun that good at singing? If you look at her stages so far...”

Kim Do-gyun raised a doubt again.

Originally, Seo Na-eun's vocal skill is less than Yoo Jeong-ah's.

If she were to be a main vocalist at the same time as Yoo Jeong-ah, the difference in vocal ability would be bound to stand out.

However, right now, she was leading the song well without any such feeling.

“On top of it being a song that suits her aptitude... it's because her condition is good these days.”

“H-Her condition is good? For that reason?”

Today… no, recently, Seo Na-eun's condition was at its highest level.

That result was also appearing on her status window.

————

[Seo Na-eun]

Vocal: A++

Dance: S+

Visual: B++

Potential: A

Body Condition: 85%

Mental Condition: 100%

– Mental Condition is very good.

– Plus corrections will be applied to Vocal, Dance, and Visual.

————

I will definitely defeat N.A.N and win.

That mindset was raising Seo Na-eun's Mental Condition to its limit.

This was a higher number than at the last Night-Bomb Festival.

As a result, Seo Na-eun was able to display a vocal ability and expressive power beyond what she originally possessed.

“K-heuk…”

Kim Do-gyun bit his lip, feeling a sense of crisis from Newstarz, who had shown an unexpected underlying strength.

After glancing at his face, Baek Hyeon-woo focused again on Newstarz on the stage.

Because Seo Na-eun, who had been the main dancer, came to take on the role of lead vocalist or joint main vocalist, the other members were putting that much more effort into their dancing.

Kim So-yeong was showing an impressive dance by utilizing her long limbs to the fullest, and Laura and Kanade were also showcasing a dance of their best efforts, as if not to be outdone.

While the other members were showing a performance with all their might like that, Seo Na-eun, with Yoo Jeong-ah's help, continued her intense singing.

“Don't look away anywhere, in this world, you just have to look only at me──♪.”

They were lyrics that could be interpreted in various ways depending on how you hear them.

If you think simply, they are the words a woman says to the man she loves, but depending on your perspective, they also sounded like words an idol says to her fans.

However, for Seo Na-eun, it might have contained a different meaning.

“Look here, don't look anywhere else, don't take your eyes off me, Keep your eyes on me──♪.”

Seo Na-eun on the stage moved her eyes.

It probably wasn't easy to see because of the lighting, but she accurately found Baek Hyeon-woo, who was standing in a corner watching the stage.

Like that, looking not at the camera but at Baek Hyeon-woo, Seo Na-eun extended her hand forward.

As if yearning for something, filled with a desperate heart.

“I'll become your best—♪.”

It was a singing voice filled with a heartfelt appeal that could never be obtained through any lesson or training.

……

All the recording was over.

Now the production team of TVX will edit the stage video and air it on the afternoon's main broadcast.

The viewers who watch that video will vote, and the tabulated results will be revealed on a live broadcast to determine the final winner.

“I wonder if the 1st place candidates on music shows also wait with this kind of feeling?”

“I've never been a candidate for 1st place, so I wouldn't know...”

In the waiting room, Laura and Kanade muttered weakly, leaning their bodies against their chairs.

Perhaps because they had poured out too much energy on the two stages, all the members were exhausted.

“You all worked so hard. I think it was the best stage.”

Baek Hyeon-woo was proud of the Newstarz members.

Because they had fought more than an equal match against the popular group N.A.N, who has many fans overseas.

“Na-eun especially played a really big role today. As expected, there's no one but Na-eun to be the leader of Newstarz.”

The other members nodded at Baek Hyeon-woo's remark.

However, there was no answer from Seo Na-eun herself.

“Ah…”

Yoo Jeong-ah said, looking into the face of Seo Na-eun, who had her head bowed.

“Na-eun unnie… is sleeping.”

Was it because she had worked so hard on stage.

Seo Na-eun was asleep as if she had fainted.

“What should we do?”

“Let's just leave her be. There's a lot of time until the main broadcast anyway.”

Until now, Seo Na-eun had worked really hard.

While practicing desperately every day to perform the unfamiliar role of joint main vocalist, she also meticulously took care of the other members as the leader.

So for this moment, he wanted to let her forget everything and rest comfortably.

“You worked hard, Na-eun-ah.”

Everyone gave a performance with all their might.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the results.

……

The main broadcast of the final episode of 'The Idol' began.

While inserting the practice videos they had filmed in between, the Round 1 stage and the Round 2 stage were aired one after another.

Right after the final stage ended, the viewer voting began.

Because the TVX side had prepared countermeasures in advance, the voting system did not become paralyzed even when people suddenly flocked to it.

The internet communities were continuously abuzz.

In particular, N.A.N's fans went all out until the very end, going around and appealing for people to vote for N.A.N.

This meant that the N.A.N fans were feeling that much of a sense of crisis.

It was a completely different sight from when they had been boasting before episode 1 began that N.A.N would dominate everyone.

Many people watched the live broadcast and waited for the results announcement.

At Haram Entertainment, the employees, including Director Choi Tae-hyung, were gathered in front of the TV without exception.

At DP Entertainment as well, Director Seong Soo-ho was waiting for the results with his arms crossed, and in the Choux-pop dorm, Joo Ga-hee was in her room listening to the TV that Seong Hae-won had turned on.

Besides them, a considerable number of industry insiders who had formed a connection with Newstarz and Baek Hyeon-woo were watching the live broadcast and waiting for the results announcement.

“Hyeon-woo-ya, I'm so nervous.”

Meanwhile, Baek Hyeon-woo was waiting for the announcement in the studio with Baek Yeon-ah, who had come to the broadcasting station.

Park Yeong-ho had gone to another room with Kim Do-gyun to inspect the tabulated results.

“I think I'm more nervous than when I was first nominated as a candidate for 1st place on a music show.”

“You were nominated for 1st place many times, right?”

“I was, several times. 'White Waiting' couldn't get 1st place, but fortunately, the next song...”

While exchanging such small talk to relieve the tension, Baek Hyeon-woo looked over the Newstarz members on the stage.

They all had expressions just as nervous as Baek Yeon-ah's.

However, it was the same for N.A.N, whose expressions were also stiff.

The only one with a relatively calm face was Ha-ryeong, who was satisfied with having finished with a flourish.

“Ah, it seems the voting results are finally out!”

And, finally, the MC raised his voice.

“'The Idol', which determines the best idol! The one who captured the viewers' hearts and seized victory in this final showdown is...!”

The showdown between 7 groups that took place over 7 weeks.

The time had come for its final winner to be decided.