Episode 22. Auspicious Occasion (2)
Following the staff’s instructions, Group 1 members moved together towards the studio to perform a group greeting before their stage.
Kang Yera could watch them in real-time through the monitor set up in the waiting room.
The other competitors were no different.
“The stage looks wider than I thought.”
“So, we have to go up there one team at a time and sing, right?”
“It looks really empty. Will it be okay?”
It even felt desolate.
That place was the same stage that would be used for the finals. That’s why it inevitably looked exceptionally large.
As they had to compete in the final preliminary round for a ticket to the finals, the participants were sensitive enough to express various opinions on even the stage space and minor lighting.
Kang Yera was just not speaking. There were quite a few things bothering her.
Among these, the person who garnered the most attention was likely Ahn Yeseul, who was placed in the same group as her.
Ahn Yeseul’s eyes were fixed on the monitor, but her hands were resting on her guitar.
Just like during the preliminary stage, she planned to perform an original song that she had personally written and composed, accompanying herself with an acoustic guitar.
It was a strategy to clearly highlight her strength as a singer-songwriter to the judges.
Kang Yera thought it was incredible that Ahn Yeseul had devised such a strategy.
This was because, during the preliminaries, the judges had clearly told her that her acoustic guitar playing was just mediocre.
At the time, her relatively lacking acoustic guitar skills didn’t act as a significant negative factor, thanks to her outstanding vocal ability.
This time, it was different.
They were competing for a spot in the finals.
Kang Yera was so impressed by her confidence in bringing her acoustic guitar, which was almost a weakness, to such an important stage once again.
Indeed. She thought that perhaps only someone with such a strong heart could grow into an artist representing South Korea in the future.
However, Kang Yera had no intention of losing.
This was because she had been able to come this far thanks to her family’s support.
And she had already promised Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon that she would arrange an interview shoot for them.
She wanted to be a daughter who always kept her promises.
A staff member came to the waiting room and said,
“Group 1’s stage greeting is over, and the evaluation will begin soon. The reactions of the participants in the waiting room will also be broadcast, so please take your seats.”
“Yes, got it!”
Following the staff’s recommendation, the participants filled their designated seats one by one.
Was it a coincidence?
Ahn Yeseul took a seat next to Kang Yera.
Ahn Yeseul offered a slight smile and greeted first.
“Please take care of me.”
“M-me too.”
Awkward and brief greetings were exchanged.
As they had almost no opportunities to meet and talk during filming, it was hard to find a friendly atmosphere between them.
In fact, Kang Yera wanted to approach Ahn Yeseul first and build a friendship. However, there was a reason she couldn’t.
It was because Ahn Yeseul was not the type to be outgoing.
Unlike when she was on stage, she was originally a very shy person.
So, she had no choice but to be cautious for now.
This was because if Kang Yera overstepped and tried to get closer to her, the distance between them might actually grow.
And the fact that she was in the same group as her.
Kang Yera felt that today’s recording was particularly difficult.
After the last participant from Group 4 finished their performance.
Finally, it was Group 5’s turn, who were receiving everyone’s full attention.
As the four members of Group 5 stood side by side on stage, a look of bewilderment spread across the judges’ faces.
“Wait a minute. Ahn Yeseul and Kang Yera. Are you two in the same group now?”
The two of them simultaneously raised their microphones and answered briefly, “Yes.”
In response, the judges sighed.
Of course, if both performed well, they could advance to the final stage as 1st and 2nd place respectively.
The moment even one mistake was made… no, if the remaining two participants were in peak condition today and delivered a one-time legendary performance for this stage.
Then, one of Ahn Yeseul or Kang Yera might face elimination.
One of the judges spoke with a wry smile.
“Group 5 will really have to be evaluated carefully. From what I see, this will be the most difficult group to evaluate today.”
“Me too.”
“Producer Kim, you coincidentally had the same thought as me.”
The other judges also seemed to have the same thought at that moment, expressing deep agreement one after another.
Ahn Yeseul decided to perform the first stage.
Kang Yera, who had decided to watch her performance with her own eyes from below the stage, watched Ahn Yeseul with bated breath.
Sitting on a fairly tall chair, she began to play her acoustic guitar.
Perhaps because it was an original song, the rhythm itself felt very unfamiliar.
However, this unfamiliar feeling quickly turned into familiarity.
This was because she used many popular chords.
The strengths of an original song are its individuality and freshness.
However, if these two elements are too excessive, they can go beyond uniqueness and create a sense of strangeness.
This is because it’s a song that has never been heard before, being performed for the first time on this stage.
Such risks always lurk in original songs.
So, Ahn Yeseul decided to use her head.
To install a safety device within the song.
That was to adopt many chords that are popularly familiar to the ear.
“As expected of my senior. She’s good.”
Kang Yera briefly forgot that Ahn Yeseul was her strong rival and praised her.
As Ahn Yeseul’s performance ended, the judges began to give feedback quickly.
“Your guitar skills have improved a lot. We feel that our nagging last time here was worthwhile.”
“Most of all, I want to give you bonus points for bringing back what was pointed out as your weakness, but now having it supplemented.”
“Ahn Yeseul has a competitive spirit, indeed a competitive spirit.”
Positive evaluations continued from the judges.
In response, Ahn Yeseul maintained a poker face until the end.
“Thank you.”
This was because she hadn’t yet secured her spot in the finals.
Next, following Ahn Yeseul, Kang Yera went up on stage.
As participants who were vying for 1st and 2nd place in terms of buzz within “On The Stage” came up on stage one after another, the judges couldn’t help but feel dizzy already.
“Hello. I’m Kang Yera.”
“Yera, what song did you prepare?”
“I prepared the song I’m best at.”
As soon as they heard Kang Yera’s words, the judges immediately grasped what genre of song it was.
A dance song. It was the genre Kang Yera was best at and most confident in.
In some ways, it might seem ordinary compared to Ahn Yeseul.
However, the judges tended to acknowledge that Kang Yera was taking a more difficult path than Ahn Yeseul.
This was because they knew it was extremely difficult to stand on stage, dance, and sing live at the same time.
Kang Yera had continuously showcased live performances, which even active idols found challenging, every time they filmed.
Naturally, this stage was also highly anticipated.
Just as she had done so far, Kang Yera once again tried to knock on the judges’ hearts, leading with her main weapon.
However.
In the middle, a sound accident occurred where the MR suddenly cut out.
The PD shouted “Cut” and hurled harsh words at the sound team.
“What would you have done if this was a live broadcast! Didn’t you check properly beforehand?”
“S-sorry, PD-nim!”
Due to the sound accident, Kang Yera had to perform her stage from the beginning once again.
However, perhaps this incident put pressure on Kang Yera, as a slight pitch error occurred in the hook part during her second performance.
She inwardly thought “Oh no,” but realizing that panicking there could lead to a string of mistakes later, Kang Yera quickly decided to forget her mistake from her mind.
Thanks to that, the rest of her performance concluded without mistakes.
It was a situation where one could only say she had bad luck.
However, a mistake is a mistake.
The judges viewed these aspects of Kang Yera with regret.
One judge conveyed what he wanted to say to Kang Yera before the cameras started rolling again.
“Perhaps due to the accident, there was some off-key singing. It wasn’t something that would severely bother the ear… but if you debut, you could experience such accidents at any time. Don’t worry too much. We will also take it into maximum consideration when evaluating.”
“Yes, Judge. Thank you.”
Whether “taking into consideration” was a positive or negative meaning.
Kang Yera couldn’t tell right away.
However, one thing was certain.
Today’s stage was not at a level Kang Yera herself was satisfied with.
Kang Dae-oh, who returned home after finishing work, once again found his daughters gathered cozily in the living room.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t asked Yera yet if she made it to the finals or not.’
Judging by the unusual atmosphere.
He felt anxious, thinking it might be better to prepare for the worst outcome.
He asked Kang Yera in the most cautious tone possible.
“Daughter. How did the finals qualification go?”
A sigh escaped Kang Yera’s lips.
However, a moment later, the answer she gave contained content that completely contradicted her facial expression and sighing behavior.
“They said I passed. I, I advanced to the final stage.”
“Oh. Really? Then why do you have such a serious expression? Dad was so surprised, thinking our daughter had been eliminated today.”
It was a relief, but she hadn’t secured her spot in the finals smoothly.
Kang Yeyoung clearly explained the part Kang Dae-oh was curious about.
“They said there was a rule where only the 1st and 2nd place from the group evaluation would advance. I guess unnie gave up 1st place to Yeseul senior.”
In the end, Kang Yera finished today’s journey in 2nd place.
As Min Seung-yeon had said before, 2nd place was also a very good achievement.
However, Kang Yera couldn’t help but feel regretful.
Especially the thought that the sound accident had hindered her held Kang Yera back.
Still, Kang Dae-oh didn’t mind it much.
“Just advancing to the finals is a big achievement. And there’s still one more chance left, isn’t there?”
“What kind of chance?”
“The chance to challenge and win against that person named Ahn Yeseul again.”
This time, on a bigger stage. And on a live broadcast stage, not a recorded one, Kang Yera would face her again.
Therefore, Kang Dae-oh believed Kang Yera didn’t need to be downhearted about losing.
This was because the main game hadn’t even begun yet.
“Don’t forget that the one who laughs last is the winner.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Thanks to Kang Dae-oh, Kang Yera was able to regain her spirits.
Now, there was something Kang Dae-oh had to do.
“What should I wear for the interview shoot?”
To change the heavy atmosphere, Kang Dae-oh asked his wife and daughters about the fashion for that day.
