GIJS

Chapter 89 The Greatest scholarof All Time

The phrase "The Greatest scholar of All Time" was a meme created by Gunja's fandom after the third round of the audition, [Suit Up>.

Originally, "The Greatest scholar" referred to someone with great personal qualities, but in the idol world, it took on a different meaning.

[Wow, for real, the Greatest scholarfrom the 3rd round is my ultimate bias] [Is it okay for the scholarto be this sensual? Hahaha] [0:00 ~ 4:15 Key Points] [Lol, every part from start to end is a key point] [I wonder if anyone has only seen the Greatest scholaronce;;] [Looking at Gunja's practice amount, there's no separate 10 scholars] [Why is he so good at these sensual concepts? Hahaha] [So desirable] [I hope he does more of this in the futureㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [Yeah, we're all grown-ups now hahaha;;]

Gunja performing on a stage with themes that were more mature than 15+, that was another meaning of "The Greatest scholar."

Everyone in the [M Planet> studio seemed to be eagerly awaiting the Greatest scholar. However, Hwang Jeong-yun, who was seated, had a nonchalant expression.

"Why is everyone so worked up..."

She had no special preferences. She was just accompanying her friend who was so excited.

Although she liked idol music, she preferred to watch various high-quality performances or appreciate individual idol members rather than support a single team. She was a 'general fan.'

On the other hand, her friend, Hyo-rim, sitting next to her, was holding a support stick shaped like a calligraphy brush.

"Jeong-yun! Isn't this pretty? Cute, right?"

"Yeah, it's unique."

"First time seeing something like this, right? So fun, isn't it?"

"Mm..."

"Oh! No response, no response, no response~"

"?"

"No excitement, no excitement, no excitement~"

"??"

"Heeheehee-."

Well, as long as you're excited, that's fine. Jeong-yun just smiled at her friend.

In fact, she didn't understand Hyo-rim's excitement. She had watched a few clips of Yu Gunja and 7IN because of the buzz, but she felt no significant excitement after watching the videos and reviewing people's reactions.

This was especially true for the 3rd round [Suit Up> stage, which Hyo-rim was obsessed with.

The Greatest scholar or whatever, the reactions were crazy, but it wasn't her taste. She thought idols should have a refreshing vibe.

Therefore, among the new songs, she listened to Favorite's song the most. The tropical-sounding title track of Favorite fit perfectly with her taste.

While her friend Hyo-rim seemed to be only waiting for 7IN's stage, Jeong-yun was actually more looking forward to Favorite's performance.

When Favorite's stage started, it was as satisfying as expected.

Yes, this is what idol music should be.

As a 4-year veteran idol, Favorite's clean dance lines and skilled expressions were enough to captivate general fan Jeong-yun.

Today, just watching this was worth it.

While she was thinking this, 7IN came up on stage. Unlike the tropical outfits of Favorite, 7IN's costumes, boldly reformed into a hanbok style, were at least 15+ in terms of content.

"...As expected, cable music shows are different."

Until then, she was only impressed by the costume level. Although she was close enough to see the members' features clearly, there was no more than 'they're good-looking' feeling.

However, as soon as the music and performance began, something started to change.

First, she was amazed by the perfectly synchronized dance lines.

"Jeong-yun! Jeong-yun! Are you watching!? Our kids are doing perfect choreography!"

"...Yeah."

Jeong-yun, who had been searching for Favorite's fancams on her smartphone, was instantly captivated by 7IN as soon as the stage began.

A great performance is said to capture the audience's heart within 10 seconds. Whether her heart was captured or not, she couldn't help but focus on it.

The first thing that caught her eye was Hyun Si-woo and Yu Gunja's faces. They were already handsome, but their expressions during the performance made them look even more attractive.

How can such good-looking guys have such great hair?

Every time Hyun Si-woo smiled with a sexy move, Jeong-yun's heart raced. Her gaze followed the fluttering hair of Yu Gunja. Before long, Jeong-yun was becoming more and more like her friend Hyo-rim.

Ku-wung, ku-wung-.

As they entered the first chorus and the high notes came out, the vocals of Yuchan and Hyun-su shined. The two members with clean and trendy voices sang the A-B parts of the chorus.

The clear and high notes, without any messy habits, provided an auditory pleasure. Although AR was laid on, it was at a low volume, allowing her to fully hear the members' live performance.

"Wow..."

"How was it? Was it good? Our Hyeonjae sings really well, right?"

"Yeah."

Jeong-yun nodded. He could do well as a solo artist in the future too.

Before she knew it, the song was at the second verse. Although she preferred the tropical house sound of Favorite, the unique charm of [Origin] was stronger.

Hyo-rim, who kept talking about how the song was composed and arranged by a producer member, was right. The producer member, Ji Hyun-su, was singing the first verse of the second part.

Despite looking a bit sluggish before the performance, Ji Hyun-su didn't seem to be a weak link at all once the stage began.

As the song transitioned to the dance break of the bridge, the modern and sexy electronic pop suddenly took on an Eastern vibe. However, it didn't feel abrupt. The main melody still had an Eastern instrument feel.

As soon as the bridge began, the clothes tied around the members' chests loosened, revealing their collarbones and sculpted chest muscles.

Even Jeong-yun, who wasn't usually interested in such performances, gasped in surprise.

The members, instead of discarding the loosened clothing, used it as blindfolds.

So this is why they call it 'Adult scholar'...

Feeling her blood pressure rising as if she might have a nosebleed, Jeong-yun swallowed hard. It seemed like the age rating was about to go up.

The performance continued with impressive precision and power.

It wasn't just the revealing outfits that made it sexy. The perfectly coordinated choreography, clean breaths, and well-defined bodies added to the excitement. Jeong-yun was now more engrossed in the stage than Hyo-rim.

In the parts that emphasized physicality, Tae-woong and In-hyuk stood out.

Their broad shoulders and muscular builds made Jeong-yun's blood pressure rise.

In the final part of the bridge, when Gun-ja stood in the center performing, Jeong-yun felt like she might actually have a nosebleed. Tae-woong and In-hyuk were great, but Gun-ja was exceptional.

"Wow, these guys, wow."

"Awesome, right? Didn't I tell you?"

"Wow, I didn't know I liked this kind of thing."

How could every member be so captivating without any flaws?

Watching 7IN's performance, Jeong-yun discovered a new taste she didn't know she had.

So this concept isn't bad?

As the performance ended and the members struck their final poses, Jeong-yun couldn't take her eyes off them. She finally understood a bit of Hyo-rim's excitement.

"How was it? How was it?"

"... It was amazing."

"See? I told you so!"

Confirming with a quick check that she didn't actually have a nosebleed, Jeong-yun gave Hyo-rim a meaningful smile.

"Hyo-rim."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome~"

Even though she was always grateful for her friend, she was especially thankful today. It felt like she could finally properly focus on one artist instead of being a casual fan.

* * *

"Phew, phew-."

The first music broadcast performance ended in a whirlwind. After the stage, he finally had a moment to think while staring at the camera.

Come to think of it, this was 7IN's first stage in front of the public.

Of course, there had been a showcase, but it was a small, private event. It was somewhat different from a full-scale music broadcast.

Thinking about it made Gun-ja feel a bit emotional.

The help from Min Kang-hoo was significant in managing the tension. His advice helped a lot in overcoming the nervousness.

"Hyung! Kang-hoo hyung!"

He looked for Min Kang-hoo to express his thanks, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Did he go to the restroom...?"

Reluctantly, he opened the waiting room door, and a burst of fireworks exploded.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Haha, you're really surprised."

The members who had arrived early, along with manager Lee Yong-jung and Solar System's team leader Seo Eun-woo, were preparing a congratulatory cake. It was to celebrate 7IN's music broadcast debut.

"Oh, a cake!"

Gun-ja loved cakes almost as much as chocolate. After such an intense performance, he felt hungry as soon as he saw the cake.

"... Is it okay if I have a piece?"

Noticing the knife and plates, he quickly cut a piece of cake and put it on a plate. But Hyeon-jae's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh no, this is bad."

"What do you mean bad?"

"That's a cake sent by fans."

"W-what?"

"You didn't even take a photo of it."

"!"

"You ruined the cake, Seonbi hyung."

Gun-ja's expression turned blank as he realized his mistake.

"... What did I do..."

He had made a huge mistake just because he couldn't resist hunger!

Seeing Gun-ja kneeling and trying to fix the cake, Hyeon-jae and Tae-woong laughed heartily.

"Haha-."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing? I'm trying to fix my mistake..."

"We already took all the photos."

"?"

"Just kidding, just eat it."

"??"

"Are you really not angry?"

After calming down Gun-ja, who had been insisting not to play around anymore, the members happily shared and enjoyed the cake that the fans had gifted.

"By the way, Seonbi hyung, your expressions were really good."

"... I don't know, you punk."

"I was worried during the 'Me-Rong' part, but you're really strong in practice."

As the cake plates emptied with casual conversation, the staff from [M Planet] peeked their heads through the waiting room door.

"7IN, please wait for the ranking announcement."

"Ah, okay."

At the mention of the ranking announcement, the members put down their plates, quickly touched up their appearance, and went back on stage.

All the artists who participated in today's [M Planet] were gathered on the large stage. Of course, Favorite was there as well.

"Let's announce the top 1 candidates for the second week of July [M Planet]!"

It was the moment when 7IN's first performance results since their debut would be revealed.

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