GIJS

Chapter 103 There are so many things to praise.

Surprisingly, the idea to incorporate waacking into the dance break section came from Cha In-hyuk.

In the practice room, while Yeonguijeong was loosening up with waacking moves, In-hyuk quietly remarked, "Senior, waacking is amazing."

"Oh, you know waacking?"

"Yes. I watched all of [Street Woman Fighter]."

"Really? I thought you only watched things like [Steel Troops]. That's unexpected."

Yeonguijeong, pleased, slapped In-hyuk's large shoulder and laughed. After all, Yeonguijeong's favorite program was also [Street Woman Fighter].

The waacking introduced to the public through that program was a genre often danced by women due to its emphasis on beauty, elegance, and delicate expression.

However, there's no reason men can't do waacking, provided they have the skill. In-hyuk, who had practiced waacking after watching [Street Woman Fighter], knew how to make a good impression from the start. With his long arms and powerful moves, even a slight arm rotation conveyed the right feeling.

"Wow."

"In-hyuk hyung, you can do waacking?"

"Yeah. I thought you'd only do krumping..."

Gun-ja also seemed quite fond of waacking.

"Master and Lady, please show us waacking once more."

"Sure."

Whirling gracefully, waacking with beautiful arm movements appeared to Gun-ja like a lotus blooming in a pond.

"Wow, it really looks like a lotus blooming in a pond under the pavilion!"

"Do I look like a lotus too?"

"No, hyung looks like a large Jangseung (a traditional Korean wooden totem) by the pond, shaking its limbs."

"..."

To soothe In-hyuk, who was dejected by Gun-ja's blunt comment, Hyeon-jae suggested a good solution.

"Shall we ask Teacher Go and Teacher So for help?"

"Teacher Go Seung-Jun and Teacher So-ye-jin?"

"Yes. They said we could ask for help anytime at the end of [A-Yuk-Si]."

"Great. I'll contact them."

Thus, Go Seong-jun and So Ye-jin joined 7IN's training camp.

With their help, the waacking part quickly improved.

"Good, In-hyuk! You're much more flexible now!"

"So, I don't look like a Jangseung anymore...?"

"Not a Jangseung, now you look more like an event balloon."

"Oh, teacher! Hyung easily gets hurt!"

Thanks to In-hyuk, who repeatedly got back up despite the setbacks, the skill gap between the members narrowed.

Finally, when the dance break began on stage, the 7IN members and Yeonguijeong all bloomed into a perfect lotus.

The movement of the arms fluttering like petals in the wind, and the exposure of the bare arms between large sleeves, made the waacking even more striking. The fluttering of the sleeves added a dramatic effect to the waacking moves.

The seated judges couldn't help but pay attention. Especially the dancer judges appeared particularly pleased.

"This is proper waacking."

"Indeed. And it's done well."

Although female idols sometimes incorporate waacking into group dance parts, it's rare to see male idols perform it so prominently during a dance break.

"Wow, they're such open-minded friends."

"Exactly."

"They seemed to be doing tutting last time too, right?"

"Yes, they used tutting to create a bowing effect."

Like the 'bowing tutting,' this time the boys' waacking had a special point.

Even while moving their arms spectacularly, they controlled their movements as if in slow motion when the bass dropped or the beat was muted.

This exquisite control of tempo gave the impression of traditional Korean dances like Seungmu or Cheoyongmu being integrated into the waacking routine.

"Waacking is this Oriental?"

"This is so refreshing."

"Even with the Taepyeongso melody, it still looks convincing."

The judges, inspired rather than merely judging, found the 7IN - Yeonguijeong stage full of newness, stimulating to artists.

As the beat varied and the dance tempo increased, the 7IN members formed a large Hakhikjin formation centered around Yeonguijeong. The moves of bending the waist and swinging arms in all directions evoked thoughts of traditional Korean drum dance.

"Wow, it looks like the movements are inspired by Korean drum dance."

"Who comes up with all these ideas?"

"Right? Even the dots on Yeonguijeong's face are fun."

Finally, the members, forming a V-shape, concluded the dance break with a series of large arm movements starting from the front.

The flawless movements, like a precise machine, ended as the lights and beat changed simultaneously, and the formation returned to its original position.

After Gun-ja and Hyeon-jae's hooks, Gun-ja stepped forward and began rapping.

Confucianism, Confucianism, Confucianism in my mind.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty in my life.

Confucius' words are my scripture,

Mencius' book is my law,

I dislike the Korean War, but I like Confucianism.

I dislike revelry, but I like elegance.

This time, instead of his usual fierce and combative rap, Gun-ja delivered funky, relaxed, and playful lyrics to a funky bassline.

Now, on stage, the faces of the fans were coming into view one by one. The blinding light was dizzying, but their faces, glowing with happiness, seemed even more intense.

Our fans, their teeth are really even!

Seeing the fans so excited, Gun-ja felt even more thrilled. Without drinking a drop, he already felt like he was completely drunk.

Parents' bedroom is my shrine,

Loyalty and filial piety are my life's vision.

100 million views, but humility is a virtue.

7 billion won salary, but frugality is essential.

Rent a club? No, read the Four Books and Five Classics.

Buy a supercar? No, build strength.

Postpone practice? No, diligence is key.

Facial fillers? No, hip up with squats.

Until now, the focus had been on pouring everything prepared onto the stage. But now, it seemed I had a better understanding of what it meant to 'play' with the fans on stage.

Watching Yeonguijeong roam the stage as if it were her own living room made it even clearer.

Of course, when performing synchronized movements like in a group dance, one must not move randomly.

With a sense of ease, expressions would become more natural. As his gestures became lively and his enjoyment was conveyed, the fans would surely feel it too.

"Waaaah—."

Confirming Gun-ja's thoughts, the fans in the audience, even in small numbers, created a roar that overwhelmed the entire studio.

After Gun-ja's verse ended, the stage of [Confucian Woman] concluded with a final repeated chorus.

While 7IN and Yeonguijeong struck their ending pose, the fans' cheers did not cease. The judges also stood up and gave a standing ovation.

"You're the best!"

"Yeonguijeong! I'm a fan—!!"

"Are the judges allowed to be so biased?"

"Of course! It's Yeonguijeong!"

Seeing the overwhelming cheers and the satisfied expressions of the members, Gun-ja felt a rare sense of regret that the stage was ending.

He wished he could enjoy this stage for just one more minute!

* * *

[Sing Along Duo] results are tallied based on the judges' scores and audience votes. The lowest two teams are eliminated in the first round, the remaining two teams are eliminated in the second round, and the final two teams compete in the third round.

The gap between the top and bottom scores was overwhelming. Two participants who failed to make an impression were quickly eliminated.

Among the remaining four teams, Park Young-jae's team performed relatively well, but it was insufficient to catch up with 7IN's score.

Throughout the judging, the judges spared no praise.

"I liked the introduction of this song. Was the beginning a tribute to [Confucian Woman]?"

"Yes, it was."

"The familiar melody immediately raised my expectations. And then Yeonguijeong appeared, so... it was basically decided from the start. Was this sampling Ji Hyun-su's idea?"

Producer Ji Hyun-su, embarrassed, scratched his head and bowed. He had been producing hit songs without a single failure since his time on A-Yuk-Si.

"When Yeonguijeong appeared, we were all really shocked. She's someone you rarely see on TV. And then she even added dots to her face. It was a clever pun, changing 'You Go Woman' to 'Confucian Woman,' and it was impressive. There was a presence to it."

"Oh, aren't you over-praising?"

Yeonguijeong waved her hands and laughed it off, but the praise kept coming.

"And the pipe dance move in the chorus... that was really cool."

"Me too! I thought that was so impressive."

"A pipe is a kind of cigarette, right? It must have been hard for rookie idols to choose such an item, but you did it really well. Especially, Yeonguijeong really nailed the balance."

"Everyone captured that decadent feeling so well. Do any of you smoke...?"

"No! I don't smoke!"

"Ha ha, stopped when going to Jeju Island~"

The mix-up between 7IN and Yeonguijeong's answers caused another round of laughter. For Park Young-jae's team, it was a humiliating moment. While he received a few lukewarm praises, 7IN's performance was showered with dozens of enthusiastic compliments.

"Wow, look at this. I was writing good things on paper, but eventually, there was no space left."

"But we can't skip talking about the waacking."

"Oh, it was so good."

"I wish more men would do waacking. It has a unique charm when men do it. And it wasn't just done vaguely; it was really well executed."

"I thought waacking wouldn't suit Cha In-hyuk at all, but he expressed it beautifully."

"!"

As In-hyuk fumbled with the praise, the members gathered around and patted his back.

"Ha ha ha, In-hyuk is in a good mood~"

"Hyung, what did I tell you! You can do it."

"Ah, it's really like a Mexican gang."

"That's not it."

At this point, determining first and second place seemed meaningless. MC Jeong Hae-jin, without wasting any time, announced the results.

"[Sing Along Duo] first round winner is... Congratulations, 7IN – Yeonguijeong!"

The first round ended with an overwhelming victory, but the atmosphere online before the broadcast was a bit different.

Fans of Park Young-jae, who had cast Hye-jin, were still confident, while 7IN's fans, with no news about their partner, were anxious.

[Ah, I'm so excited for Young-jae and Hye-jinㅠㅠㅠ] [Heard they're doing tango] [Wow, doesn't the Latin vibe sound great?] [Hye-jin's red and black outfit is perfectㅠㅠㅠ] [Is it real that 7IN's partner news is missing?] [Why is there no spoiler this time;;;] [Lol, looks like Young-jae and Hye-jin will crush it this time] [Yeah, Young-jae and Hye-jin's dating scandal ending~ㅋ] [N, look at how ugly she isㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [N, the agency already cleared it up~] [N, obviously malicious trollingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [I attended the audience and 7IN's partner is Yeonguijeong] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [ㅋㅋㅋYoungㅋㅋㅋㅋYoungㅋㅋㅋ] [Yes, actually, Young-jae's partner is Yi Sun-sin] [ㅇㅇ That's right, they'll be performing the Myeongnyang, Hansan, and Noryang trilogy] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [The Yeonguijeong jokes are really ridiculousㅋㅋㅋ]

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, [Sing Along Duo] episode 1 was finally released to the public.