‘GreenBee’, one of Vanguard’s debut songs, spread across the entire Gocheok Do, where a grand stage had been constructed. At the sa ti, Vanguard mbers including Kang Rojun and a dozen or so dancers from the choreography team began their routine.
Vanguard’s first rehearsal at the Gocheok Do.
There were no lights or filming, but the sound was powerful enough to shake the do. As soon as Vanguard began dancing.
-♬♪
Vanguard’s YouTube filming team got busy. From the preparation process to this rehearsal, all of it was content to be dedicated to their fans.
‘GreenBee’ was characterized by smooth and sensual wave movents.
Including Rojun and the other mbers, all the dancers on stage clustered together and spread out again like blooming flowers. Then, perfectly tid, Do-kyung stepped forward for the rap part. For reference, this first rehearsal focused more on choreography than vocals, and for both Vanguard and the choreography team, considering it was their first ti on the Gocheok Do stage, their adaptation was quick.
As he controlled the tempo and added wave movents with both arms, Rojun thought to himself.
‘This is intense. It’s totally different from doing it in the practice room.’
He realized clearly that commanding this grand stage was no easy task. The practice room they trained in was large, but compared to the Gocheok Do, it was like a tiny room. That’s how massive this stage was.
‘I’ve heard that you need to make your movents bigger and more defined on stage, and we did practice that in the latter half. But this feeling… is it pressure? A sense of being overwheld?’
Kang Rojun’s choreography was, of course, perfect. He had practiced countless tis and had even learned through ‘AI Automation’. However, environntal factors couldn’t be ignored. It felt like this enormous stage, the endlessly spreading Gocheok Do, was pressing down on his body.
Maybe it was because it was unfamiliar.
Though he had perford on stages before, like the hall from Produce That 100! or mini concerts, he had basically leaped straight to the Gocheok Do without any middle step.
‘My body feels a bit heavy.’
There were more things to consider than expected. The wider stage flow, the spacing between mbers and dancers, timing, line of sight, and so on. He was learning more than any other rehearsal, and it was that much more challenging.
That made Kang Rojun trust himself all the more.
On this vast battlefield, his only weapon was himself. This stage was undoubtedly overwhelming and full of discomfort, but even so, Rojun had to approach it with tension as if to devour this Gocheok Do.
“Phew-”
Align your breathing, extend your arms, plant your feet.
‘Trust what resides in my body. Focus.’
Kang Rojun’s concentration surged. It was the sa for the other mbers, but because the enormous space was unfamiliar, there were small mistakes in various parts of the choreography.
Starting with Si-hoo.
‘Ah! I should’ve moved out a bit more here!’
Even Do-kyung and Kang-min.
‘Ah- damn it, focus!!’
But since it was the first rehearsal, the run didn’t stop even with the mbers’ mistakes. The decision was to at least push through to the end. Fortunately, no major errors occurred. The choreography rehearsal continued through the second verse of ‘GreenBee’.
-Swish.
Vanguard mbers and the choreography team gathered at the center of the stage. Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung bowed first and apologized.
“We’re sorry!”
“We’re still not fully adjusted, so our bodies feel a bit stiff, sorry.”
The choreography team smiled as if to say it was fine.
“It’s okay. Everyone’s like that at first, that’s why we rehearse.”
“For a first ti, it wasn’t bad! We just need to refine it by repeating this process. Let’s go again!”
Once again, ‘GreenBee’ spread across the massive stage.
They repeated this process several tis.
Once, twice, three tis.
What was interesting was that the more the choreography rehearsal went on, the more visibly improved Vanguard’s movents beca. Perhaps riding the flow, the mbers’ expressions also brightened. Among the dozens of staff mbers watching Vanguard, Manager Kim Ki-baek stood near the floor seats around the thrust stage.
Watching Vanguard quietly with a subtle expression.
‘They’re good. Quick to adapt too. At first, the coordination was off, but now they’re like fish in water. Well- it’s mainly because the kids are just really talented to begin with.’
Kim Ki-baek then fixed his gaze on Kang Rojun on stage.
‘That one’s definitely born with it. It’s his first ti on the Gocheok Do stage, and yet there are no mistakes, no sign of pressure either. Rather… he seems to be soaring even more than in the practice room.’
The sa sentint was shared by the promotion, marketing, and A&R teams standing on either side of Manager Kim Ki-baek.
“Thankfully, he’s finding his groove quickly.”
“The kids practiced like crazy, but even aside from that, they’ve always had exceptional instincts.”
“Maybe it’s because they co from that variety audition show. They were thrown onto stages from the beginning.”
“Rojun… I feel like he already has that leader’s aura. Is it just ?”
“I totally agree. Even though the other mbers are making little mistakes, Rojun holds the center so firmly that the others quickly get back on track.”
At that mont.
-Swish.
While the floor seats were buzzing with staff evaluations, a man in a full suit exuding an aura of power approached. It was CEO Ha Seo-hwan, accompanied by his secretary. As soon as he appeared, the staff imdiately bowed in greeting, and CEO Ha Seo-hwan stood beside Manager Kim Ki-baek with his arms crossed.
His eyes were fixed on Vanguard on stage.
“……”
Ha Seo-hwan, well-built, said nothing as he quietly watched Vanguard. The group had just started the choreography for ‘Windveil’ following ‘GreenBee’, and as he silently observed the coordination between the mbers and the choreography team, CEO Ha Seo-hwan slightly curled the corners of his lips.
“If they’re performing at that level on the first day, there should be no problem. The fans will love it.”
Then, turning to Manager Kim Ki-baek, he asked in a low voice,
“The release date for the track is set?”
Unlike the CEO, Kim Ki-baek responded in a voice lacking energy.
“Yes, it’ll be released at 6 p.m. on the day of the debut showcon, April 5.”
A few hours later.
After spending the entire morning rehearsing the choreography for their debut songs, Kang Rojun, the mbers, and the choreography team were gathered in the backstage waiting room for a short break. They had just finished monitoring the parts they had rehearsed and discussing areas for improvent. Now, they were each doing so ntal prep while waiting for their lunch boxes.
The waiting room was noisier than expected.
In the midst of it all, Kang Rojun sat alone at the end of the sofa, looking at his phone. Taking a free mont to check the ‘AI Simulation’ app.
‘A reward ca in? Hell yeah.’
While Rojun had been in the middle of rehearsals, the ‘AI Simulation’ had sent a notification.
-[You have achieved the Hidden Mission: ‘First Rehearsal on the Debut Stage!’ A reward of 15 coins has been granted.]
Rojun smirked quietly to himself and scanned his status.
-[User: Kang Rojun / Age: 24 / Height: 186.5 / Desired Occupation: Idol / Coins Owned: 1,692]
-[Passive: Overwhelm / Limit Break]
-[Titles: (Evolved) All-Round Entertainer / (Evolved) World Star / Global Genius 2 / Instrunt Master 2]
-[Side Jobs: [1] Screenwriter, [2] Actor, [3] Lyricist, [4] Composer, [5] Producer]
-[Global Languages: [1] Japanese, [2] English]
-[Instrunts: [1] Acoustic Guitar, [2] Piano]
Suddenly, his eyes lingered on ‘Desired Occupation: Idol’ in his status.
‘Will that change once I debut?’
Rojun was briefly curious, glanced around at the other mbers, then quietly moved his index finger to spend coins on enhancing his stats.
-[Appearance (150/150) │ Singing Ability (97.1/150) │ Rap (90.2/150) │ Dance (90.1/150) │ Eloquence (48/150) │ Acting (61.8/150) │ Lyrics Writing (150/150) │ Composition (75.8/150) │ Arrangent (0/150)]
His stats had grown noticeably. He could feel the difference in recent practice. Singing, rap, dance, everything had improved, and his instincts and knowledge had expanded as well. It was as if he had sharpened in the details.
‘Just about to break into the 100s.’
Kang Rojun was now a full-fledged idol, equipped with outstanding skills.
‘Still, it’d be a sha to be satisfied here.’
Soon lowering his phone, Kang Rojun joined the other mbers and the choreography team to eat their lunch in small groups. Forty minutes later, they were back on the Gocheok Do stage.
-♬♪
They were scheduled to rehearse all day. Of course, this process would be repeated for over a week. For now, the focus was on choreography, but gradually, vocal rehearsals would be included to prepare for the live stage.
While Vanguard was pouring everything into rehearsals.
The idol scene was in chaos.
Many rookie boy groups and girl groups had debuted.
《Rookie girl group ‘Ronara’ unveils 6 mbers… Off to a great start!》
《Here to take over the boy group scene! Rookie ‘Leonel’ debuts at No. 21 on the digital chart / Photo》
《[StarTalk] Rookie idols are flooding in, the idol scene is literally a war zone》
Including Neos, several popular idol groups had made cobacks.
《‘Neos’ wraps up successful coback showcase / Photo》
《‘Neos’ releases official MV, surpasses 2 million views in no ti!》
《[Issue Pick] The digital chart ruled by ‘Polaris’ gets flipped with the arrival of ‘Neos’》
《So many great tracks since the beginning of the year… From Polaris to Neos, Essence, Luminis, the digital chart is on fire》
As a result, the music shows at every broadcasting station were packed with rookie or returning idols.
《‘Neos’ kicks off music show promotions today (22nd) with their new song / Photo》
《‘Polaris’ hits No. 1 on music shows right after coback!》
With this, Vanguard began to be ntioned more frequently everywhere.
There were many factors drawing attention, for better or worse, but the more chaotic the idol scene beca, the more curiosity there was about Vanguard’s performance. With the scene in such a state, YouTube was flooded with idol content, and the dostic digital charts were more active than ever.
[1 (new!)] Bloom / Neos
[2 (↓1)] Pink echo / Polaris
[3 (new!)] Zero Gravity / Neos
[4 (↓1)] Afterglow / Polaris
[5 (↓3)] Dizzy! / Essence
[6 (-)] Whisper Pop / Ronara
[7 (new!)] Galaxy Flower / Neos
[8 (↑1)] COTTON SKY / Luminis
.
.
.
.
From ranks 1 to 10, the chart was nearly all filled with rookie or coback idol tracks, and the competition for the top spots on various charts was becoming more intense. Songs related to Produce That 100! were still in the TOP100, but now they had dropped to the mid-rankings or lower.
The only song still holding ground was ‘Bold’, staying at 28th place.
What stood out was Big Star Entertainnt’s Neos. Upon releasing their song, they hit No. 1 on several charts. Neos’s current title track was ‘Bloom ’, composed by the renowned producer Pineon.
Thanks to Neos, composer Pineon was also frequently ntioned.
《Digital Chart No. 1! Neos’s title track ‘Bloom ’, as expected from top composer Pineon》
As the idol industry grew increasingly cutthroat, ti seed to lt away.
While the scene overheated, Vanguard remained unwavering, devoting themselves entirely to rehearsals. Kang Rojun’s routine stayed the sa. He always woke up at 4 a.m., completed his daily missions and necessary tasks, then joined the mbers to head to Gocheok Do.
Of course, the mbers, who noticed Rojun leaving at dawn, also joined him.
“Rojun! Let’s go together!”
“Hyung, too.”
“I’m going too.”
They began moving with Kang Rojun from 4 a.m. The mbers, unlike Rojun, started with personal practice.
And just like that, a week was gone.
To be precise, a week and a few days. Before anyone knew it, March had ended and April had arrived. People walking outside wore noticeably lighter clothes, and the wind was growing warr by the day.
And Vanguard’s rehearsals were reaching their end.
-♬♪
Piano notes spread across the Gocheok Do stage. Sitting at the white piano was Kang Rojun. After finishing his rehearsal performance, Rojun passed the baton to Do-kyung, who was up next for the solo performance, and began heading to the waiting room where the other mbers were gathered.
Then he paused.
-Swish.
He turned his head and took in the entire Gocheok Do with his eyes. The setup for the debut showcon was already complete. Around the seating from the first to the fourth floor, large Vanguard banners that hadn’t been there before were now hanging prominently.
‘…We’re here.’
Today was April 3rd.
Until Vanguard’s debut.
《[Star Photo] ‘Vanguard’, sparking a syndro, just two days away from entering ‘Gocheok Do’ / Photo》
《Debuting Vanguard, on the brink of dominating the music scene… Will they beco idol legends?》
Only two days remained.
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