"We got this," Jaeyong said from behind June, causing a small smile to erupt on his face.
Yeah, they got this.
As the fifth performer of the night, it couldn't be denied that the audience was less energetic than the previous performances. The order of their performance wasn't really ideal.
June had been performing last on Rising Stars for a good reason—and this was one of them.
However, June thought this was the perfect time to have their performance. They had the honor of performing during the sunset. It was similar to the scene in their music video—hues of pink and orange across the sky.
The LED screen illuminated, transforming the stage into a virtual beach paradise, complete with palm trees swaying in the breeze.
The audience, who continued fanning themselves because of the relentless heat, was refreshed with the visuals presented to them.
Jia watched silently, her eyes sparkling underneath the darkening skies.
"Let everything go smoothly," she whispered, hoping the best for her favorite group and idol.
The light beat of their debut song echoed through the venue, and smiles adorned the members' faces.
As the first note of their debut song filled the air, EVE moved in perfect unison.
Then, June, their main vocalist, stepped forward, his face now shown on the large screen.
"Ooh."
It was the first time during the festival that the audience reacted in such a way for a boy group member. His face was practically glowing under the setting sun. Those who have seen him only on television were shocked by his real-life visuals.
Actually, it was already shocking to have a group filled with visuals.
"In the embrace of waves, where the sun meets the shore,
A life lived in water, forever wanting more."
June's voice resonated in the open field. Despite it not being the ideal venue to showcase their vocals due to its lack of natural reverb, June's voice still managed to fill the entirety of the field.
Some of the audience members who didn't watch Rising Stars and were originally not paying attention found themselves looking up from their phones to see the person who just sang.
"Was that live just now?"
"I think so."
"No, I don't think it's live. It was too stable that it sounded like a recording." Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: N♡vεlB¡n.
Jia turned around to a group of skeptical freshmen and smiled.
"It's live. It's most definitely live," she said with resolution.
Although Jia also found it hard to believe in the beginning, she caught a subtle breath in June's voice.
It was her indication that this performance was indeed live.
The tedious practice and the S-tier upgrade for his vocals did June a really good favor.
"Rise like the sun. Rise with the tides.
Hold on tight for this hot, wild ride."
Casper took the center and rapped in an equally stable voice. He rallied back and forth with Zeth, none of their voices faltering despite the jumpy choreography.
Ren and Akira harmonized during the pre-chorus, and it sent chills down the audience's spine.
"Hey, I don't think they have a backtrack," Soo-min said, amazed by their performance. "The other artists have one, and the second group who performed was even lip-syncing."
