GIJS

Chapter 111 The strategy of strong-weak-weak-strong is the national rule.

"Did you... get cut off?"

The casually tossed question from Gunja hit the mark with excellent efficiency. A single question with just a few words managed to infuriate Park Young-jae thoroughly.

The truth is always the most painful. Park Young-jae's anger stemmed from the fact that he really had been cut off.

After the "Hanshi Incident" broke out, it took less than 24 hours for Veritas's agency, O2 Music, to contact Park Young-jae's management at Nations.

The message was simple: they could no longer perform a duet with Park Young-jae.

"What do you mean, suddenly pulling out? Mr. Hwang, what are you talking about?"

– I apologize. It seems that Hyejin's existing schedule conflicts with this one...

"What kind of schedule could possibly conflict? Did you agree to the invitation without even checking? Huh?"

– We weren't aware that this program required daily practice. For that, we apologize...

"How do you expect us to deal with this sudden decision? There's such a thing as business ethics!"

– We're sorry, but in any case, it seems impossible for us to continue participating in *Sing Along Duo*.

"Mr. Hwang!"

Chief Hong Hyun-seok raised a ruckus about business ethics, but he couldn't change the already determined mind of O2 Music. Their will to escape this mess, even if it meant facing criticism, was strong.

"Hyung, they really said they won't do it?"

"I don't know, they're making up all sorts of nonsensical excuses..."

"Is it because of this incident?"

"I think so. What the hell are these guys making such a fuss about over some unconfirmed rumor? Where did they even get this from?"

"..."

Chief Hong Hyun-seok took a step closer to the silent Park Young-jae.

"Young-jae, you need to be honest right now. Did you really never bully Yu Gunja?"

"...I don't know. I really don't think I did..."

"Don't just think. You better remember clearly. It was only four years ago."

"I didn't bully him, I swear I don't know anything about it."

"Really? Are you sure?"

Park Young-jae nodded. It was all just a joke, wasn't it? Right?

Maybe he felt a bit tormented at times. But bullying? And calling him a perpetrator just for that?

Moreover, he'd never been reported to the school violence committee, and nothing serious had ever happened until now.

It was impossible to accept that his budding entertainment career could be destroyed just for messing around a little with a classmate.

"Okay, then let's take this to the end. I'll start digging into Yu Gunja's background."

"Dig into Yu Gunja's background?"

"Yeah. If you think about it, isn't it strange? You were in the same class in the third year of middle school and the first year of high school, right?"

"Yeah."

"But why did he suddenly drop out of high school, and why are there no records of him entering an agency or auditioning afterward? Then he suddenly appeared out of nowhere at Idol Training Simulation with that crazy persona. Doesn't it all seem strange?"

"That's true."

"Maybe this guy has something up his sleeve too. We need to investigate and retaliate somehow, or I'm going to explode if we just keep getting beaten like this."

At Hong Hyun-seok's words, Park Young-jae nodded. He was also at his wit's end lately because of Yu Gunja.

If they could only find some dirt on Yu Gunja, it would be a huge win.

"Then what about the duet partner? Should I contact Hyejin privately...?"

"No, forget about Hyejin. There are plenty of others in our company who can do a duet with you."

"Understood."

"Actually, this might be for the better. You've already done a collab with Hyejin, so it's a bit repetitive. Working with someone from the same company makes it easier to schedule practices. It's a win-win."

"That's true."

Out of desperation, Park Young-jae had paired up with an idol from the same company to prepare for the stage. Although Director Hong said it was for the best, honestly, Hyejin was three times better when it came to both singing and dancing.

Boom, boom—

"Phew, let's take a break."

"Huh? We still have two more rounds—"

"I said let's take a break."

"...Okay."

Whenever they paused practice, Park Young-jae couldn't help but think of Hyejin.

Why did she cut him off? Was it the company's decision? If so, why? Do they know something? Or is she just being cautious? Or did she hear something about my past that I don't even remember?

Even Park Young-jae himself was confused by now.

By the day of the competition filming, Park Young-jae was already at his breaking point, both angry and confused.

And with people around him gossiping about whether he had been cut off or not, it was only natural for Park Young-jae to feel on edge.

But when he finally saw Gunja, there was one thing he was sure of.

How could a cocky jerk like this be a victim of school violence?

This guy is not a victim of school bullying. He's just a pathetic fool who's holding a grudge because of some pranks he played in middle and high school, and now he's trying to bury him.

"Now, it's the third round! Park Young-jae, please come up to the stage!"

With a small number of participants, it quickly became Park Young-jae's turn. Despite various ups and downs, Park Young-jae had practiced hard enough.

He had already lost face. Now, he wanted to restore his honor.

Buzz, crash—

He showcased his strengths in the arrangement. Based on an electric guitar sound, he added a 90s rock ballad vibe, with plenty of high notes that would stand out in the competition.

The stage was filled with a series of high notes and vibratos. It might have seemed a bit old-fashioned for an idol performance, but it was perfect for the competition. His new partner, Ha Yeonjin, also nailed the high notes, if nothing else.

"Whoa—"

"Kyaaaa—"

With a sense of relief, Park Young-jae finished the stage, which had felt more like a high note endurance contest. It wasn't a 120% perfect performance, but it still received a lot of applause.

Considering it was put together in a hurry, it was a pretty high-quality stage.

Next up was the combination of 7IN and Yeonguijeong.

Their first stage, [Confucian Woman], had been shockingly good, but there was no way their second stage could match that quality. Park Young-jae was confident about that.

The first stage could have been rehearsed like they were preparing for a year-end award show, but for this stage, they only had about two weeks to prepare. Plus, their collaboration partner, Yeonguijeong, lived in Jeju Island.

How much could they have practiced?

However, as soon as 7IN and Yeonguijeong's stage began, Park Young-jae's confidence started to crumble.

On a dark stage, the clear sound of a vibraphone (a melody percussion instrument similar to a xylophone with a very clear sound) began to build the main melody.

Doooong, daaaang—

The clear and clean sound of the vibraphone captured the audience's ears from the start. As soon as the first loop (two measures) of the vibraphone performance ended, the vibraphone sound quickly transformed into an 8-bit game-style MIDI sound that started to lead the song.

The song developed as if passing through a dreamlike tunnel and falling into a game world.

When the beat based on the game sound sample was fully developed, the members dressed in techwear, like characters from a near-future FPS game, came out and started singing the chorus.

"I Got 10 New Virtues, 
I Got 10 New Virtues. 
Imma a courteous person, 
This might be our law."

Although they used 8-bit sound samples to give it a playful feeling, the solid bassline and catchy melody held the atmosphere of the song. Above all, Yeonguijeong's presence in the center of the stage was like a cheat code.

"I Got 10 New Virtues, 
Not 10 New B**ches. 
Imma a courteous person, 
You and we are in a heavenly bond."

Because the theme was a game, 7IN and Yeonguijeong choreographed the chorus with popping movements as if they were polygons. Despite the short rehearsal time, the choreography was flawless.

The members' choreography fit together as perfectly as a game graphic. As with the previous performance, the audience stood up as soon as the first chorus ended.

Waaaaaaah—.

Amidst the loud cheers, Gunja quickly took the center stage.

"Even without virtues, it's my merit. 
If there are ten virtues, it's one virtue."

"Of course not, Nico Nico Ni, 
It's ten virtues with ten moral principles."

Everyone was cheering for Gunja's performance, but Park Young-jae couldn't shake off his discomfort. Gunja kept glancing at him every time the lyrics "one virtue" were repeated.

"One virtue? Iljin?"

Why did he write the lyrics like that?

Despite Park Young-jae's discomfort, the studio's excitement was building.

"We are the 천덕꾸러기 with a thousand virtues, 
A bundle of disgrace for you."

"Two ragged clothes are my greed, 
The gut rhythm is our force."

As soon as Gunja's verse ended, filled with strong vocal projection and rhyme, it was Tae-woong's turn.

"강강약약* is the motto of life!  (*Kang-yak-yak-kang)
강약약강 brings pain!"

Following Gunja, Tae-woong's gaze also kept landing on Park Young-jae. Especially when he spat out the lyrics "강약약강," Tae-woong's angry stare was extremely uncomfortable.

"That bastard..."

But it wasn't easy to look Tae-woong straight in the eye. Despite wearing techwear, Tae-woong's large build was intimidating enough for Park Young-jae.

"강강약약 is the motto of life! 
강약약강 brings pain! 
Strong against the strong, 
A puppy before the weak."

"강강약약 is the motto of life! 
강약약강 brings pain! 
Tough against the tough, 
Like golf queen Park Seri."

"강약약강 doesn't exist in this world, 
강약약강 is the rule of thumb!"

The lyrics were a bit aggressive for an idol song, but Tae-woong didn't care. As always, he just wrote whatever he wanted to say directly into the lyrics.

Although he was supposed to look at everyone on stage, Tae-woong kept locking eyes with Park Young-jae. Even when Park Young-jae tried to avoid his gaze, Tae-woong stared intensely at the back of his head.

"강약약강 doesn't exist, no tears. 
강약약강 is the unwritten rule."

It's okay if someone is bad at something, but not trying hard enough is unacceptable.

Weak people should be protected, but 강약약강 cannot be tolerated.

Tae-woong's loyalty, having watched The Avengers 17 times, couldn't stand Park Young-jae's cowardice.

Tae-woong's verse, which was like an assault in itself, ended, and the chorus began again.

"I Got 10 New Virtues, 
I Got 10 New Virtues. 
Imma a courteous person, 
This might be our law."

After the second chorus, the beat gradually faded, and the stage darkened again.

Clank, daaaang—

With the sound of a winding spring and the vibraphone, a spotlight fell on the performer's head. The clear vibraphone performance was by Nauri.

Although he was now more familiar as "Yeonguijeong's husband," Nauri was originally a talented musician who could play dozens of instruments.

Doooong, daaaang, daaaang—

With the smooth vibraphone solo, 7IN and Yeonguijeon began moving like wind-up toys. When the performance stopped, they froze as if their batteries had run out, and when the performance started again, they moved like polygonal figures brought to life.

Before long, Nauri's hands moved from the vibraphone to an electronic marimba that could express more diverse sounds. The dance break part with the electronic sounds he created on the spot had begun.

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"강약약강" (Kang-yak-yak-kang) is a Korean term that describes a rhythmic pattern or musical phrase with alternating strong and weak beats. It literally means "strong-weak-weak-strong" and is used in traditional Korean music and dance to create a dynamic and engaging rhythm.