GIJS

Chapter 158 They acknowledge this.

Wowwwwwww—!!

Even though the stage had ended, the cheers from the fans showed no signs of stopping. The feeling of being unsettled by the word 'Pao-Cai was already a distant memory.

"You guys are the best—!!"

"I love youuuuu—."

The 7IN members were always portrayed as the epitome of sweetness on reality shows and social media live streams.

Since there was never a member with a sharp personality, and 7IN always got along well, there was concern about how they would fare in the harsh and provocative variety show formats. Moreover, since 7IN was the latest debut group, it seemed they would be even more intimidated.

However, as always, 7IN reminded everyone that the concerns for them were unfounded.

7IN did not hold back. If it was a provocation of the country's culture, all the more so. The stage, which perfectly managed the message, quality, and energy, received continuous cheers.

Once the applause and cheers finally subsided, the microphone was passed to the judges. As usual, the Korean judges were the first to grab the mic eagerly.

They were also quite annoyed by the rude keyword 'Pao-Cai. They couldn't help but praise 7IN for delivering a solid counter-punch to such a petty provocation.

"Wow... Is this really an Instant Mission? Did you prepare this stage in such a short time? It was a really energetic performance. First of all, I really liked the hip outfits and the free stage concept, which were different from the usual. 7IN is known for their sharp, precise choreography, right? But today, the movement seemed free, yet perfectly aligned during the group parts. It's much harder to balance freedom and precision like this from start to finish than to match sharp angles."

"Thank you!"

"The amount of practice really showed. 7IN is a team that practices a lot. I confirmed it once again this time."

As soon as the dance-focused judge's feedback ended, the rapper judge next to him snatched the mic as if he had been waiting.

"I have so many questions... First, I'm curious about how you felt when you received the keyword 'Pao-Cai. It might be a bit provocative, though."

Producer Ji Hyun-su from the 7IN side took the mic. The expressions of the boys who had just finished their stage were filled with joy and pleasure, with no trace of anger left.

"We didn't think too much. Since we got the word 'Pao-Cai, we thought we'd make a song with that word in it. That was our only thought. I'm not sure if the Teibo members are satisfied."

Ji Hyun-su then looked at the Teibo side and smiled. Though Ji Hyun-su usually had a blank face, today, it seemed particularly bright. The expressions of the Teibo members were contorted, but the judge who asked the question looked satisfied.

"That's a really great attitude. I've done diss battles myself, and it's not easy for young idol friends to respond so calmly and coolly to provocation."

"Thank you!"

"As an idol trainer and as a rapper, I found the stage very impressive. I'd love to bring these kids to make a real, genuine hip-hop album, haha."

After that, the judges' high praise continued for a while.

"Whose idea was it to use the Fang Xiang Shi mask? While researching various stage props for stage direction, I became interested in Korean masks as well. The Fang Xiang Shi mask is a tool used to ward off evil spirits, right? I thought this choice was very astute, given that the overall theme was 'diss'. Choosing such an aggressive item for a stage that sends an aggressive message was very clever."

Praise for the items used on stage.

"It seems like all the members have improved their rap delivery. And Han Siwoo and Hyun-su, who have always taken vocal parts, showed tough rap for the first time, and it felt very natural. I'm really impressed by the performance spectrum of this team. I initially thought they could only do oriental-style stages because they were called 'Confucian idols'."

Praise for the members' new attempts.

"Wow, Gunja, you're so handsome. Honestly, more than anything, Gunja's face is so, so handsome... The white hoodie looks so good on you. It really feels like Gunja's solo shot is raising our national prestige."

Unreserved praise for Gunja's appearance.

While everyone was exchanging judges' comments that were more like personal opinions, a few Chinese judges remained in deep thought with serious expressions.

Their intent was obvious. They were trying to find fault and belittle 7IN's performance. After much deliberation, the Chinese judges finally grabbed the mic as if they had found an answer.

"Hmm, overall, it wasn't a bad performance. However, there were some shortcomings."

"..."

"The Teibo keyword was 'Pao-Cai. But the song title was 'Our Power Difference'. They avoided the theme of the competition with wordplay."

"..."

"Moreover, the word 'Pao-Cai hardly appeared in the lyrics. A performance that does not adhere to the theme while just criticizing, I don't think I can give a high score to such a stage."

The Chinese judges confidently delivered their criticism, but as soon as they finished, the Korean rapper judge immediately grabbed the mic again.

"I knew it."

"?"

"I was wondering when you would say that."

"What does that mean..."

"I'll ask Tae-woong again. There was a line in the chorus, 'Dog talk refutation, Oh, China level', right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"It was repeated from the first verse to the end. If you listen carefully to this part, you will see that the keyword Teibo gave is hidden in it."

"...?"

"'Refutation, Oh, China'. If you cut it down, it becomes 'Pao, Oh, Chai'. You can hear 'Pao-Cai. The next line, 'Blowing up the enemy, Oh, China level', has the same trick hidden in it. It's a wit created through the connection and sound of the words. Isn't it quite interesting?"

The judges who had missed the hidden keyword started murmuring and looking at each other's faces.

"They hid the keyword in the chorus."

"Wow, I didn't know that..."

"These guys are really something."

"No wonder, there wasn't much 'Pao-Cai' in the lyrics, but it kept echoing when I heard the song."

Seeing this, Tae-woong smiled proudly.

"Thank you for noticing!"

"Of course, you should notice, you're a rapper. Personally, I also liked the line 'Hanfu is an inferiority complex, Hanfu is sound'. It was a punchline using 'Hanfu', right?"

Current, who used the 'Hanfu' line, nodded firmly. 7IN's Instant Mission song, 'Our Power Difference', had elements cleverly hitting Teibo throughout.

"It's not easy for idols who are not used to rapping to prepare such a witty counterattack in a short time, especially with choreography and outfits. It was impressive, and as a Korean, I felt proud."

"Thank you!"

"Well, the criticism that the keyword wasn't used much is now incorrect, right?"

Thanks to the hidden 'Pao-Cai, the Chinese judges were left speechless.

Now, their only hope was Teibo's performance. If Teibo had prepared a decent stage, there could still be competition.

However, Teibo's subsequent performance was abysmally poor.

The choreography was full of mistakes, and main vocalist Pi Hou-kam ended up making three major pitch errors while attempting strenuous high-note ad-libs.

The camera captured the judges desperately trying to suppress their laughter at Pi Hou-kam's otherworldly singing style, oscillating between correct and wrong notes like a yodel.

"This is a complete mess."

PD Kim Seok-hoon's brief comment perfectly summarized Teibo's performance. Teibo was not in a mental state fit for the stage from the beginning.

Although they were lucky to have a chance to attack 7IN with a keyword, it turned out that 7IN was the lucky one. On the other hand, Teibo, who had been boastful about their decisive attack, had their morale shattered.

A scholar (君子) does not waver in any situation.

But a petty person (小人輩) will be elated or depressed over trivial matters.

The stages of 7IN and Teibo side by side starkly displayed the difference between a scholar and a petty person.

After Teibo's disastrous performance, the following stages were also unimpressive.

AKIRA rearranged their mega-hit song from 2008, but received criticism for not fitting the 'Instant Mission' theme.

Guardians presented a fairly decent live performance, but some members were so excited that they received criticism for having 'too high a tension'.

QUAN showcased a stage emphasizing their specialty in martial arts, but the main rapper forgot the lyrics and ended up freestyling sixteen bars.

"This is Yeo-san~ This is Yeo-san~ Yap yap yap—."

Seeing him only spouting Yeo-san while calling it freestyle, the 7IN members admired Gunja's fearsome freestyle rap ability once again.

"Gunja, how do you freestyle so well?"

"Hehe, a Confucian must always carry words in their heart."

"Even so, how do you manage to come up with that on the spot? You're really something."

"Who knows when or where someone will challenge you with words."

"...What kind of world did you come from?"

When it was finally Velocé's turn, the stage level improved. However, Velocé also showed weak performance in the 'Instant Mission' that required a lot of improvisation.

Their stage lacked the insane quality of choreography and perfect expressions, and there were a few minor mistakes.

Despite this, the overall judging feedback was excellent, though the judges were aware of Velocé's mistakes.

"Alright, all seven teams have finished their performances! Now it's time to tally up the judges' scores and audience votes to determine the stage rankings!"

The greater the anticipation, the greater the disappointment, but this time, the 7IN members couldn't help but be hopeful.

"Hyung, I think we might get first place this time!"

"Hey, don't say that. We can only move up one step at a time."

"Still, it feels like a good vibe this time..."

"Tae-woong's right, Hyun-jae. We should always stay humble."

Though gently admonishing Hyun-jae, Gunja himself also felt a small spark of hope.

Perhaps this time, they might be able to beat the Velocé hyungs.

As the boys' hope grew, the production team finally handed the cue card to MC Jeong Hae-jin.

"Now, we will announce the results of the second round of the competition—!!"