“I’m back.”
We ran to greet Junghyun, who had returned after the n’s preliminaries.
“Wow, our first-place runner is here.”
“Kim Junghyun. Well done.”
“Junghyun hyung, you did really well. Do you want to massage your legs? I laid a blanket on the floor for you.”
Junghyun, who was pleased with the complints, soon looked puzzled.
“But why are you praising while looking at Rihyuk?”
“There’s a reason for that.”
Rihyuk was still shivering. He covered his mouth so the fans wouldn’t see him and said,
“Seriously, these people. How did I end up on the sa team with them…”
“Do you want to go to the other team then?”
“I’d rather go there…”
As Rihyuk turned his head.
“Ahh!”
LB was rolling on the floor.
‘I ca in third! Third!’ He was shouting, but the team mbers were rolling him around like a log.
“Let’s burn it! Burn this!”
Even Hanjo was crazed and his eyes were wide.
Rihyuk lost his words for a mont at the sight of the other team showing their intense affection for their mber.
“Isn’t it better here?”
“…”
“Right. At least we only tease you with words.”
“We’re so proud of you. Wangji… ah, Bijoo hyung! Stop whispering that I’ll be fine! I’m fine, okay!”
I wondered what Bijoo was whispering in Rihyuk’s ear as he crouched next to him.
Bijoo smiled gently and comforted him.
“It’s okay if you can’t run. Rihyuk. You can find sothing else to do.”
“Ugh, I hate you the most…”
“Huh? Why…”
As Rihyuk groaned and collapsed, Bijoo put his hands to his mouth and whispered ‘It’s okay~~’.
A grumbling sound ca back as if he had no energy to answer.
“I’ll never forget my sumo today.”
The fallen crane flapped his lips.
“Soday, when it’s snowing and cold in winter, and you co to and say, Rihyuk, I’m sorry for teasing you back then, I won’t forgive you and I’ll slam the door right away.”
“Then poor Jiho died on the street…”
“Hey, then I’ll beco trash!”
We chuckled as Rihyuk said ‘Ow’. Then we started to console him a little.
And the topic soon moved to sothing else.
“Wow…”
We examined the slogan we received from Minki hyung.
It was a cheering tool prepared by the Soufflés, with ‘Well done’ written in bold white calligraphy on a black background and ‘It’s okay’ on the other side.
“Wow. What a great idea.”
“It’s versatile. I think we can use it anywhere.”
“Let’s try it now. Hyung.”
Following Bijoo’s words, we turned our bodies.
We shook ‘Well done’ towards the fan seats, and the Soufflés laughed and shook ‘Well done’ back at us.
anwhile, as we exchanged telepathy with the Soufflés, the n’s 60-ter dash preliminaries continued.
“Look over there. Eunsung nim is running too.”
“…Eunsung?”
I turned my head and saw Eunsung standing in the third lane, stretching his legs like a crane with a relaxed face.
Then he imdiately felt pain.
“That’s unexpected.”
“Why? He can’t exercise?”
“No. He’s good at it, but he hates using his body.”
“…”
“I still find it amazing that he beca an idol.”
He was quick-witted but didn’t care about others, and he was good at using his body but hated it. That was him.
When the guy who had a na tag that said ‘Kevin’ on the screen winked.
The cara zood in on .
It seed to be conscious of the relationship that was linked by the nickna ‘Armyz’ in the second part of the last Shintoki broadcast.
I changed my expression right away.
I smiled brightly and said ‘Fighting’ in 0.1 seconds after making a nervous expression at the aegyo of my army junior, and laughter ca from the audience.
Even the MCs in the relay booth were laughing, so it seed like they were making a joke.
When I smiled awkwardly, Jiho, who was watching Eunsung from afar, whispered to .
“But he’s handso too.”
“Right?”
Alng was weird, but he had a good personality.
“He was so handso that he probably would have passed the audition even if he didn’t practice singing hard.”
“…”
“I don’t know. Him?”
“Yeah. He wouldn’t know.”
I said we should let him live as a happy main vocal who knows nothing, and Jiho nodded and demanded 100 ice creams as a tribute.
I threw it to Junghyun and watched the running preliminaries.
“Wow…!”
The boy group mbers ran at the sa ti as the starting sound.
But the first place was not Eunsung.
There was a rookie who had a height of about 170 and a very fast speed. He was a mber of the boy group ‘Enoti’ that SNH Entertainnt launched this year.
“So they are Enoti.”
“I know them too. Hyung?”
I nodded at Bijoo’s question.
“Yeah. Wasn’t it a competitive audition program? The song ‘V’ that ca out from there was on the chart.”
“Ah…”
“The concept and the song were good.”
The purple-haired mber with the na tag ‘Dodo’ was jumping around with his teammates and high-fiving.
anwhile, Eunsung, who was saying ‘ah…’, walked over with a ‘hehe second place’ and gave a V to the mbers. The mbers started to pat his back with warm faces.
I looked at the scene where joy and sorrow were mixed and said calmly.
“But… there are a lot of people I see for the first ti.”
“That’s right.”
There were a lot of faces I hadn’t seen before.
If only so of the groups that debuted in 2014 participated in the last Lunar New Year, this ti, many rookie groups participated.
Especially, it was strange to see the groups that hadn’t debuted yet wearing uniforms and sitting nervously.
It was a similar feeling to when I realized I was in second grade when I saw the new first graders.
“By the way…”
Those rookie groups were glancing at us.
We gathered our heads and whispered to each other as we felt the eyes from everywhere.
“They seem to be looking at us, don’t they?”
“I thought so too. They’ve been peeking since a while ago.”
“It’s a bit uncomfortable.”
The eyes that peeked at us followed us every ti we moved.
It was like the eyes of an expedition that discovered the Galapagos turtles for the first ti, looking at a strange creature.
‘They are New Black…!’ That feeling.
They looked at us like they were amazing seniors!
We unknowingly put strength into our shoulders as we looked at their eyes.
We couldn’t disappoint their expectations.
“…”
I was the first to straighten my waist.
We straightened our waists and postures as we had been giggling in a crooked posture, and Street Boys snickered.
We looked at each other and hugged our shoulders.
“Hahaha.”
As we smiled warmly, Iris, who was wearing the sa color uniform as us, made an awkward expression.
We also waved our hands to the Soufflés with a hot-hot.
“…”
I turned my head at the feeling of a gaze sowhere.
The boys who were smiling brightly.
The Teen Spirit mbers gave us a sympathetic look.
The leader Hwiyun, who was holding a water bottle like a cheer, said with his mouth.
‘I know.’
We also raised Rihyuk’s hand and replied.
“Why are you raising my hand?”
“Because it’s wine-colored.”
“…”
If Rihyuk was a cat, we would have been scratched all over by his imaginary claws.
In reality, we only got hit by his gym clothes sleeve.
Bang bang bang-
As he was saying ‘oof’ in reverse to the dust that was rising from all sides, the won’s 60-ter final also ended.
The announcer held the microphone connected to the stadium speaker.
-The video judgnt result is out! Blink’s Darum beat Laviang Rose’s Joo Hyun and took first place.
“Wow…!”
It seed that Blink, from KM Entertainnt, who debuted with us, had won the 60-ter sprint.
As he was being interviewed with a happy expression and a gold dal around his neck, the production staff gestured to him.
As the male sprinters for the final round got up, Junghyun also brushed off his butt and stood up.
“I’ll be back soon.”
We all sent him supportive looks.
And we vigorously shook the slogan that said ‘Well done’ with the ‘ㅆ’ covered by our hands to make it ‘Do well’.
“Yes, this is the final for the n’s 60-ter sprint.”
“In lane one, we have Ace’s Pail, and in lane two, Daydream’s Jun.”
The announcers called out the nas of the idol mbers as they appeared on the screen.
The idols, wearing various colors of uniforms, flashed V-signs or winked at the cara, showing off their charms.
The fans’ cheers grew louder and quieter in turns, and then soone appeared on the screen in lane six.
“Yes, in lane six, we have New Black’s Junghyun.”
The person, who looked like a handso athlete, showed his index finger upside down with a serious expression.
The fans, who were startled by his gesture, soon shook the slogan that said ‘Do well’.
The announcers, who were also taken aback, chuckled.
“…Wow, that scared . I thought he was swearing.”
“It wasn’t the middle finger, but the index finger. Maybe he’s showing his determination to win?”
“It looks like he’s saying, even if I can’t be first, I’ll take soone down with .”
As the broadcast jokes went back and forth in the booth, the main MC, announcer Baek Sang-jung, asked the comntator next to him.
“Comntator, how do you see this n’s final?”
“Hmm…”
The middle-aged man answered.
“I think there’s a high chance that New Black’s Junghyun will be first.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Usually in sports, if the weight class is the sa, the skill and experience determine the outco. In other words, in running, the one who has run more tis does better, and the one who knows how to run well does even better.”
“Does Junghyun fall into either of those categories?”
“Not at all.”
The comntator shook his head.
“Junghyun’s movents are more suited for middle or long distance. When the others are running 100 ters, he’s running a marathon by himself. It’s a bit inefficient.”
“Then why…?”
“Junghyun has one advantage that surpasses skill and experience.”
“…?”
The comntator raised his fist.
“He’s incredibly strong.”
“Comntator, please don’t use such non-standard words on the broadcast…”
“There’s no other way to say it.”
The comntator’s eyes sparkled with passion as he looked at Junghyun, who was warming up below.
“He’s insanely strong. When others jump one ter, wait and see, he’ll jump three ters by himself. Look. Even when he’s bouncing in place to loosen up his body, he’s jumping like Inspector Gadget, isn’t he?”
“Oh, I see.”
“I was so sorry to see him on n on a Mission. Oh, if I had t him 20 years ago, I would have taken him and raised him as a promising wrestler. With that face and that body…”
The MCs burst into laughter at the comntator’s words, who was a forr wrestler with a lot of affection.
Soon, the shooting equipnt was set up and the runners took a deep breath.
“Hoo…”
The idol mbers swallowed their saliva.
They felt the cold sweat on their palms and the eyes of the fans who were watching them from the stands.
‘I have to do well.’
‘If only I could be second sohow…’
But no one dread of being first.
It was because of the existence in lane six.
‘How can I beat him.’
When the others were breathing hard with tense faces, he was the friend who was fiddling with his ears.
A peaceful face that showed no sign of nervousness.
They all nodded their heads at the mory of him performing a victory dance with that gentle face of a monk.
‘My dream is second place.’
The fans who were cheering for them also had the sa thought.
‘Just don’t get hurt.’
‘Just don’t collide with that friend.’
‘Please, please be safe.’
Although there were idols who were bigger in size, Junghyun looked like a truck squeezed between motorcycles, because of his image as a tough guy.
Then the starting signal rang.
As everyone ran with their teeth clenched, there was soone who ran with a calm face, making a pat-pat-pat sound, and the fans exclaid at the sight.
“Wow…”
He zood past like an F1 car, making a whooshing sound. I felt a gust of wind as if he had created it.
One of the idol fans who was turning his neck to follow his speed exclaid.
“He’s so fast…”
“He should have gone to the hospital from the special forces.”
“He’s the talent that left Taeryung…”
While the second and third place runners were neck and neck, Junghyun was comfortably widening the gap.
He was so fast that he even passed the cara that was filming along the rail.
The cara director was like “…?” when Junghyun had already crossed the finish line as the first place.
He waved his index finger like a soccer player who scored a goal and did a ceremony. The mbers of New Black and the Soufflés scread “Wow!”
The idol mbers who ca in second and third place were panting and holding their thighs. They gave Junghyun a thumbs up as if to show respect.
Junghyun and the other runners exchanged shoulder taps and greetings as if to say they did a good job.
And then the interview followed.
-How do you feel about winning the first place?
-First of all, I want to dedicate this honor to my team mber, Rihyuk.
-To Rihyuk?
-Yes.
Rihyuk showed a touched expression and the mbers of New Black behind him shouted “Good job!”
Behind them, nine mbers of Street Boys were backing them up as dancers.
-Did you get a lot of help from Rihyuk?
-No. Rihyuk didn’t do anything for , but…
The audience burst into laughter at his sowhat absurd answer.
-For so reason, I feel like I have to give the honor to Rihyuk. He won a silver dal in the short distance last Lunar New Year.
-Ah, I see. You achieved the goal on behalf of your mber.
-Oh, that’s right.
Junghyun nodded as if he hadn’t thought that far. He smiled warmly and held up his gold dal.
Then he spoke to the cara.
-Rihyuk, I have a gold dal.
The idol fans in the audience chuckled at his teasing tone.
The screen on the scoreboard changed.
Seori Hyuk was sitting on the floor with his hand on his forehead and the mbers of New Black were surrounding him and shaking “It’s okay” slogans.
And behind them, the mbers of Street Boys were dancing cheerfully.
After the 60-ter dash, the opening ceremony was held.
-Oath.
The second-generation idol seniors stood on the podium and recited the oath.
The representative mbers of each group ca out and said “We will make a fun broadcast without getting hurt today.”
-This concludes the oath.
As soon as I wished the oath wouldn’t end, the senior singers ca down from the podium.
The production staff gestured to co up.
“…”
I looked at my brothers.
‘Fighting.’
‘Co on, hurry up.’
Rihyuk smiled mischievously and said ‘Hurry up’ and winked at .
Hanjo clasped his hands and smiled happily.
While the Street Boys were giggling, Eunsung’s head, which was towering like an ostrich, was mocking .
-Next is the warm-up ti. You have to do the exercises correctly to avoid getting hurt, right? As a demonstration, New Black’s Woojoo will join us!
“Wow!”
The people around clapped their hands and said ‘Woo woo~’. They were all happy that it wasn’t their job.
I denied reality for a mont and walked up to the podium with a smile.
The broadcasting station said ‘New Black, we’ll give you a lot of airti. Co!’ and it wasn’t a lie.
The problem was that it wasn’t what I wanted.
“Ahem.”
I got on the podium and looked around.
They wanted to squeeze out the popularity of Sagan, so I was assigned to be the assistant for the warm-up today.
I was glad to get so airti, but it was kind of embarrassing.
Below , the fellow idols in eight different colors of uniforms looked up at and sparkled their eyes. And in the audience, the Soufflés waved ‘It’s okay’ slogans.
Two dancers ca up behind while I held the microphone and smiled cheerfully.
“Yes, we will start the warm-up now!”
I might as well do it well.
I felt the eyes of the whole stadium and the cara as I played the national gymnastics dley.
The dancers followed every ti I showed a move.
“Alright, neck exercise~”
As I changed my movents, the idol mbers standing below the stage stretched their bodies with groans.
I could feel my muscles loosening up every ti I did the stretching.
I had to hold back the ‘ouch…’ sound that almost leaked out of my microphone.
“Good job, everyone!”
“Good job.”
I bowed to the dancers who had joined for the five-minute exercise, and quickly got off the stage.
The other idols clapped their hands and smiled.
As I returned to my original seat, my younger siblings greeted .
“You did well, hyung.”
“Hyung, but your expression was so funny. You looked the most relieved every ti you stretched…”
“Did I?”
“You looked like a sparkling grandpa.”
I smiled warmly, thinking that was true.
Well. I wasn’t embarrassed or anything by that anymore. I just thought I would go on the broadcast anyway.
I didn’t have to worry about the people who knew teasing until much later.
As I was thinking that.
-Next, we have a congratulatory performance.
I rembered the slot on the cue sheet that simply said ‘congratulatory performance’.
I wondered who would co.
Since the participating singers were not written, everyone looked around with curiosity.
anwhile, the MC’s voice echoed in the stadium.
-Although they did not attend the ‘Idol Sports Festival’ today, they ca a long way to support their junior singers. Please welco them with a big round of applause~!
As the fans and singers applauded, the stadium lights dimd slightly and the intro music started.
It was ‘Hand in Hand’, the the song of the 1988 Olympics.
Soon, a man wearing sunglasses walked out of the stadium entrance.
“Oh, him…”
He was The Moon, a ballad singer.
He sang the first verse of ‘Hand in Hand’ with his unique vocal style, and then the other singers appeared to take over the next verses.
They were mostly people I had only seen on TV screens.
There were also so retired first-generation idol seniors in the middle, and it was amazing to see them in person.
When the seven singers who ca for the congratulatory performance gathered in one place.
A loud cheer of ‘wow’ ca from the fan seats.
I turned my head with a bad feeling and saw two people who ca out of the west entrance.
“Ah.”
It was TNT, who had missed this Olympics due to their schedule.
Han Taehyun and Jang Han-byul of TNT were singing a duet as they walked out.
“…”
They both squinted their eyes as they t mine.
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