Survival Audition: My Job is Idol 32

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Chapter 32

As soon as they arrived at the studio, they first held a lottery for the order of the 40 teams. Juha and Taeri drew 25th. It was around the time when the judges would be getting thoroughly bored.

Juha and Taeri entered the waiting room with the other trainees. A large screen was placed at the front of the spacious waiting room. The screen was live-broadcasting the studio. The first team was the ‘Park Dongeun-Park Hoseong’ pair. Because they were Class C, their stage ended after just the first verse. In the blink of an eye, the opportunity was gone.

‘Park Hoseong, eliminated.’

Right after the first stage ended and the masters’ evaluation, the eliminated trainee was decided immediately. When an eliminated trainee came from the first team, the waiting room instantly froze.

Each person was struck with anxiety that the back of a trainee who had to show their painstakingly prepared stage for just one verse and go home might become their own future.

Watching the eliminated trainee on screen, Juha flicked his nails. It was more brutal than he had expected. If Juha were standing in that position, would he really be able to accept the result?

When he thought of the past 6 years, he didn’t have the confidence to give up like that.

“It’s okay.”

Taeri, sitting next to him, comforted him while firmly holding Juha’s hand. Juha couldn’t say anything.

If Juha didn’t stand in the eliminated trainee’s position, Taeri would have to. He didn’t want to be eliminated himself, but thinking of Taeri being eliminated made him shudder instinctively.

It took about 4 hours for over 20 teams to perform. Lunch boxes came out in the middle, but he was too nervous to swallow the rice. He tried to turn his attention to other teams’ performances, but couldn’t concentrate.

He kept getting thirsty and drinking water, then Juha suddenly worried about the bathroom.

‘I’ll drink after it’s over.’

He didn’t know what mood he’d be drinking water in after it ended.

Juha smiled bitterly and put down his water bottle.

“Trainees Choi Taeri and Lee Juha. Please prepare.”

When the 24th team started, Taeri and Juha left the waiting room following the staff’s guidance.

Thanks to the stylist’s final check right before, both their outfits were perfect.

Juha had his hair neatly slicked back with pomade and wore a three-piece navy suit. The sharp lines of the suit that seemed alive, the impeccable hairstyle, and his pale face as if he had extremely avoided sunlight. It was a flawless appearance as if the word ‘paranoia’ had been embodied in human form.

Taeri wore basic formal wear with comma hair and a black tie loosely tied. Like a beast that only trusted his own body and instincts, his robust physique couldn’t be hidden within the ordinary attire.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

To Taeri’s question, Juha swallowed dry saliva and answered.

The previous stage ended and staff began clearing the stage. From the audience direction, the four masters could be seen drinking water and chatting.

“Whew…”

Juha lightly breathed and loosened his stiff body one last time. Now all that remained was being thrown onto the real stage.

“Trainees Choi Taeri and Lee Juha. Entering the stage. Please standby at your respective positions.”

When the staff’s guidance came out, tension intensified even more.

“See you on stage.”

Taeri brushed Juha’s shoulder and went to the opposite side of the stage.

“Whew…”

As he gathered himself once more and took position, meaningful looks were exchanged among the production crew. Soon, with an OK sign, the cameras lit up.

Tick tick tick

The stage began with the sound effect of clock hands turning urgently.

Juha used only his thumb and middle finger to pull up the white gloves on both hands over his wrists and took out a pocket watch from his vest pocket to look at it.

He looked languid, but if you looked closely, he had a sensitive and meticulous expression as if facing a decisive battle.

The pocket watch and white gloves were props Juha chose to express the ‘control freak.’

They represented confidence that he could control everything without directly touching it, and the control freak’s characteristic obsessive fixation on time.

Meanwhile, Choi Taeri standing on the opposite side took off his suit jacket and threw it on the floor, then loosened his tie and threw it off the stage. From the start, it was rough, beast-like gestures.

When lighting hit him wearing only a white shirt, the curves of his tightly muscled upper body were revealed.

As the prelude began, the two came to the center of the stage matching their respective strides.

[My one and only lovely girl. Every time I see her, my throat goes dry]

[The girl who smiles brightly looking at me. Every time I see her, my breath tightens]

While exchanging lyrics back and forth once each, the two glared at each other and slowly circled the stage.

Contrasting with Juha’s careful footsteps that made no sound, Taeri’s gait was full of wariness like a tiger with bristled fur prowling around.

Eyes gauging and exploring each other’s strength. While Taeri emitted intense power, Juha shot him cold, calm looks. Confidence that he had no intention of losing and no reason to lose was prevalent in his gaze. Unlike the opposing atmosphere, Choi Taeri’s low notes and Lee Juha’s mid-high notes created a stable tone.

[She doesn’t need you, she only seeks my embrace.]

[She doesn’t need you, she was just playing with you.]

Like sword fighting, their two arms clashed hard and separated with a thud. As he applied force, the blue veins running from Taeri’s back of hand to his arm rose masculinely.

Though he could have been pushed back by Taeri’s strength, Juha stepped back as if lightly brushing Taeri off. As if he hadn’t been pushed back by force but rather something dirty had touched him, he struck off the part that had touched Taeri with his white-gloved hand.

Their following dance was precise and rough like very well-choreographed action.

“Wow, Lee Juha’s dance lines are really pretty.”

“He must have learned from Taeri.”

“Taeri’s power is a bit weak today.”

Conversation went back and forth among the masters watching their stage.

As Juha cautiously approached step by step, Taeri growled as if he would bite his throat any moment. Juha, lowering his posture slightly, lifted his chin as if daring him to attack. Taeri showed threatening dance moves, roaring and enlarging his movements.

[You are mine and I am yours

You can’t escape. I’m the only one who can have you.]

Juha and Taeri on stage were already perfectly immersed in the drama. To heighten the tension further, Taeri went to the edge of the stage then ran toward the center where Juha was.

Meanwhile, Juha hid behind Taeri.

[Don’t think of escaping from my embrace.

You can’t escape. I never let go of what I hold in my hands.]

While Taeri looked around searching for the disappeared natural enemy, Juha slightly raised the corners of his mouth and lightly gestured left and right with both hands raised. Then, Taeri standing in front danced violently following Juha’s gestures as if he had become a marionette. When Juha flicked his left hand, his body moved as if falling to the left, and when he flicked his right hand, he jumped to the right side of the stage.

Juha looked at Taeri moving as he wished with amusement.

Beyond a doll moving at his command, it was movement like an order to stick by his side forever as his shadow. It was choreography containing possessiveness befitting the lyrics.

[Running to you. Running to you now.

The person you should wait for is me.]

[Running to you, running to you now.

The person you should wait for is me.]

While singing the chorus, the two danced the same choreography for the first time. Though it was the same movements, their dance lines were distinctly different. Unlike Juha’s relaxed, smooth dance lines, Taeri looked ready to destroy the stage.

After the first verse chorus ended, the interlude stopped. Instead of melody, bass that sounded like heartbeats began to resonate. It intensified the anxiety of those watching, not knowing what would emerge on stage.

Matching the bass sound, Taeri began his solo dance first.

Juha’s worry yesterday about not practicing was unfounded. Taeri’s dance was more spectacular and rough than usual. Each body movement was a beast itself, and when he extended his long arms, he also looked like a bird of prey like an eagle.

Meanwhile, Juha circled around Taeri in a semicircle, persistently observing him. It was an interesting expression as if planning the next training.

As if trying to escape the trainer, Taeri arched his back and jumped high, flying up.

It was the movement he had been practicing all along, the one that had made him twist his ankle.

‘Ugh!’

As he landed on one foot as planned, Taeri’s center wavered slightly. As expected, even with bandages, his weakened ankle couldn’t handle the landing. Taeri quickly stepped on his other foot to regain balance.

There was no way Juha, whose current role on stage was Taeri’s observer, would miss that scene. Cracks appeared on Juha’s face, which had maintained a cold expression throughout.

Juha suddenly remembered Taeri twisting his ankle during practice. At that time, even though Juha had checked dozens of times after the broadcast ended, Taeri said he was fine.

‘Don’t tell me he hid his injury?’

That was it. The reason Taeri had rested before the stage.

In an instant, all kinds of thoughts swirled through his mind. Knowing how important ankles are to dancers, the foolish reason he pushed through was to stand on stage with Juha.

Taeri, sensing that Juha’s mental state was shaken, made eye contact with him.

‘Focus.’

Taeri spoke with his eyes. The stage was still continuing.

Thump thump thump thump. The bass sound that echoed the heart heightened the tension of the stage.

After Taeri’s solo ended, it was Juha’s turn. He needed to maximize the character who controlled the beast without movement.

The scene of Taeri’s landing failure replayed in Juha’s mind, and the bass sound increased the confusion. However, at least on stage, he couldn’t show anything.

Choi Taeri was just a beast to be tamed, and Juha was just an arrogant trainer obsessed with control to a pathological degree.

‘Stay calm.’

Since this was the stage Taeri tried to protect even while hiding his injury, Juha’s shoulders felt even heavier.

Juha walked to the center of the stage with one hand in his pocket according to the pre-arranged movement. His chilling footsteps that ignored even the bass beat carried contempt for everyone.

Standing in position, Juha tilted his head bit by bit as he looked at the four masters sitting in front. One by one, Juha bound them with just his gaze, making them unable to move. At least on this stage, they weren’t judges and participants, but all just sacrifices that had entered Juha’s control.

As if everyone was ridiculous, as if he could handle them all with just one fingertip. Juha’s gaze toward the masters was that of one who reigned over the law of the jungle.

“……”

The four masters held their breath as they watched Juha. Even the production crew who had been chattering that he had too little presence despite his high photo ranking froze at his eerie gaze.

Finally, Juha met the camera’s gaze as if mocking it, smirked, and turned his head away. As if it were an old habit, he took out the pocket watch from his pocket to check the time, then walked toward the back of the stage.

Simultaneously, Taeri leaped to the center of the stage and the second verse lyrics began.

“Ha ha, wow, what’s with Lee Juha? I got goosebumps.”

Dance Master Niki burst out breathing and made a fuss.

“To create that kind of atmosphere without even dancing during the dance break?”

Rapper and record producer Hisan tapped the judging materials with his pen and muttered to himself.

All four masters had at least 10 years of experience in this tough broadcast industry, so they wouldn’t lose in a battle of wills anywhere. Yet they had all been dragged into the stage with their bodies frozen by the gaze of a trainee who wasn’t even a current idol but had just turned 20.

Lee Cheong sitting in the center crossed her arms and smiled with amusement.

[Stop it, she’s only thinking of escaping you now.]

[After knowing me, she’s never thought of you once.]

[Where my lips touched, your lips are touching]

The more intense the lyrics became, the higher Taeri’s choreography difficulty rose.

After confirming that Taeri had failed his landing, Juha tried his best to maintain focus on the stage. Since most of Juha’s choreography involved observing and controlling Taeri, he could examine his movements in detail.

His movements were definitely slower than in the first verse, but not noticeably so.

‘Just hold on a little longer, Choi Taeri.’

As the music reached its climax, Juha loosened and disheveled his tie. It was the first dishevelment shown during the 5 minutes on stage.

Like a tiger that couldn’t catch a mouse, Choi Taeri, overcome with anger, grabbed his shirt with both hands and tore the buttons.

As Taeri’s shirt opened to the middle of his upper body, his prominently risen pectoral muscles repeatedly rose and fell.

Now only the last ending remained. Taeri was supposed to jump and then lie down on the stage floor, while Juha would wrap his tie around both hands and step on his chest.

But jumping in Taeri’s current condition was too much. It was already amazing how he had managed to handle all that dancing until now.

‘Don’t do it…’

Juha looked at Taeri and slightly shook his head. It meant not to do the final jump. Though Taeri’s eyes widened slightly in understanding, Juha’s gaze was firm. If he jumped any more here, Taeri’s ankle might really break.

‘Please…’

Despite Juha’s desperate signal, Taeri prepared to leap and gathered his strength.

He couldn’t just watch. Juha had to stop Taeri.

The moment Taeri tried to jump, Juha ran with the tie he was holding.

‘No!’

Juha instinctively wrapped the tie he was holding tightly around the neck of Taeri who was about to soar.

As the control-obsessed trainer perfectly lassoed the neck of the beast trying to leap up, the music ended.