GIJS

Chapter 171 We Are Strange Beings

The atmosphere on stage dramatically shifted with seven white flames.

The calm percussion reminiscent of a traditional school disappeared, replaced by a beat composed of modernized traditional Korean instruments, booming across the stage.

Through the blue smoke, like a cloud, the boys, now transformed into Taoist priests, took a step toward their fans.

A fan on their right hip, a talisman on their left. Their attire was more crumpled and shabby than neat, but somehow, the torn costume still gave off a hip vibe.

Waaah—.

As soon as the atmosphere changed, the fans erupted in cheers. 7IN and Taoist magic? Scholar idols becoming Taoist priests? Though it seemed like an odd combination, no fan disagreed with the blend that somehow felt just right.

Most of all, Gunja's long hair sent a shockwave through every fan's heart.

"Gunja grew out his hair—!!"

"This is insane, it suits him so well—!!"

"Kyaaaah—."

The fans at the venue naturally went wild, and the online reaction was skyrocketing as well.

[Crazy] [ㅇㅁㅇㅁㅇㅁㅇㅁㅇㅁ] [Gunja Long Hair Gunja OMG OMG Gunja Long Hair] [I've been praying for this long hairㅠㅠㅠ] [Wow it's insane but so perfectㅠㅠㅠ] [Is that a wig? Why does it suit him so well??ㅠㅠㅠ] [No, is that his real hair? Did he grow it out by thinking naughty thoughts for a week?] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThat's too funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [But seriously, it's too pretty? This is insane?] [I've felt this way since the web dramaㅠㅠㅠHow can a guy be this pretty] [Look at that hair swaying, I'm all for this] [Long hair and on top of that, Taoist magic,,,] [Scholars are great, but this carefree concept is also amazing] [Are they always hitting my taste? Or have I just become a fan of anything they do now?] [Not really, imagine them doing Cyberpunk Ninja while going crazy] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [I don't know, I just love it, really] [Even the beat is crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠJi Hyun-su is a genius] [Honestly, I think he's the best at using traditional instruments in the country] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe spent a year just handling traditional instrumentsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Amidst the explosive reaction, the first chorus began. Centered around Gunja, who had transformed with long hair, the boys, now Taoist priests, formed a formation and began a group dance with carefree expressions.

We are strange beings,

With dormant power in our bodies!

Whales that turn the tides,

Mediums that summon spirits!

Pow! Pow! Pow—.

Midway through the chorus, the fans at their waists unfolded, covering the boys' faces.

Their expressionless faces disappeared behind the fans, but soon, seven faces emerged from the other side with mischievous smiles.

The playful choreography using fans made the audience scream.

Kyaaah—.

The stage for Guardians and Veloce was filled with intense energy. But 7IN's stage drew cheers from the start that overshadowed those performances.

However, the Taoist priests' stage had only just passed the first chorus.

Mystical beings, we are mystical beings.

In the palm of our hands, tornadoes and tsunamis,

Mystical beings, we are mystical beings.

We devour boredom, Killer Whale!

The latter half of the chorus was composed of melodic singing rap. Leading this part was 7IN's vocalist, Hyunjae, who had the most accurate pitch among them.

As if using an autotune microphone, Hyunjae struck each note precisely, with a bouncy damping effect in his voice that even impressed the judges.

"Hyunjae's vocals have improved so much since Ayu-ksi."

"They say he's addicted to practice."

"Really? He looks like he would be a bit lazy."

"This kind of damping effect can't be achieved without practice, even if you have talent."

"Ah, but this first chorus is already so good···."

Some judges exchanged impressed conversations, but most were just lost in admiration, watching the performance.

As soon as the first chorus ended, the vocal line, Hyun Si-woo and Yuchan, stepped forward.

Hyun Si-woo was adorned with large, luxurious accessories in jade and gold, but it didn't look awkward or excessive at all.

In contrast, Yuchan's outfit was plain, but today, he appeared with a playful mole under his eye, making fans smile.

[That's insaneㅠㅠㅠLook at Yuchan's moleㅋㅋ] [What is this visual combo? Insane;;;;] [They're both so pale and prettyㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Whose idea was that mole? Praise them] [Isn't it too cheeky????] [UghㅠㅠㅠHe's the youngest, but his physicality is overwhelming] [How does Si-woo still look so pretty with all that bling?] [He's truly a face genius] [It doesn't matter what they wear, they would shine even in random clothes from a laundry bin] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋLaundry binㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [That jade color is actually really hard to pull off] [True, if done wrong, it just gives off an old lady vibe] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWhat the heck is 'old lady vibe']
Yuchan and Si-woo, who captured the fans' attention with their new looks, began exchanging verses.

One day, strange power resided in my body.

Flying in the sky,

With no taboos or restrictions.

As Yuchan finished his part with a pure and clear voice, Si-woo took over the verse.

Si-woo's voice was also clean, but unlike Yuchan's pure white-like vocals, his had a touch of charm and playfulness.

It's all just a personal obsession,

Cut the chains that bind you.

You can't fly with a heavy heart.

Now, take my hand—.

With light steps and hand gestures that seemed to cast spells, Yuchan and Si-woo performed a 2-man routine dance. As soon as the verse ended, they suddenly ran forward and showcased aerial cartwheels to both sides.

Whoosh—.

The fans cheered loudly at the high-difficulty acrobatic moves.

Waaah—!!

"Wow, wow, wow! Did you see that—!?"

"Yeah, I saw it! That was insane!"

"I knew Yuchan was good with his body, but how did that paper-thin Si-woo pull that off—!!"

The two boys, who perfectly executed the aerial cartwheels, had a slightly proud look on their faces. Online viewers at home didn't miss that proud expression.

[AhhhㅋㅋㅋLook at Si-woo and Yuchan's facesㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [So cuteㅋㅋㅋThey must be proud] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋThey have every right to be proud] [When did they practice that acrobatic move??] [Even if they're good with their bodies, that's really toughㅠㅠ] [Looks like they poured everything into preparing for the competition again] [ㅠㅠㅠㅠIt's so good but also worrying but so goodㅠㅠㅠ] [How can these kids be so professional] [How can you not love them] [Right, they're cute, cool, and lovable all at onceㅠㅠㅠ] [Yuchan – Si-woo Cartwheel GIF] [ㄴWowㅋㅋㅋㅋAlready a GIF] [Sorry for the bad quality, made it quickly] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋBut you can still see their proud facesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [So cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
The fans' captured "proud faces" were indeed real.

'···We did it, Si-woo hyung!···.'

'Ahaha, we nailed it~'

After successfully executing the cartwheels, Yuchan and Si-woo exchanged a proud look with each other.

The core element the members prepared in line with the concept of 'freedom' was 'Taoist magic.'

To portray freely navigating the air without being bound by gravity and freely using their bodies, the members prepared acrobatic moves.

After Yuchan and Si-woo's artistic cartwheel, a lift device rose from the center of the stage. Dry ice was also installed on the lift, making it look like a flying nimbus in the sky.

And standing on top of it was 7IN's tallest member, Chah Inhyuk.

Boom, Boom, Boom—.

Matching the rhythm of the large drums beating heavily.

Boom—!!

Inhyuk jumped down from the airborne lift, performing a fantastic superhero landing like Iron Man.

The impact of landing perfectly in time with the drumbeat amplified the intensity. Despite jumping from a height of over 3 meters, Inhyuk calmly unfolded his fan and began his powerful rap.

Our stage is a riot,

Unleashing charm in the front row!

Dressed in five-colored clothes,

Launching three seconds of aegyo!

Inhyuk, who was always suspiciously obsessed with aegyo and cuteness, delighted fans by showcasing his signature aegyo during the 'launching three seconds of aegyo' part.

Talented in many ways, versatile,

Confident regardless of T.P.O!

Transcending imagination,

Rebelling against norms and rules!

Waaah—.

The fans cheered at the powerful verse filled with a refreshing, simple rhyme structure.

Any 7IN fan knew which member wrote a verse with this rhyme structure. It was the style of Taewoong's rapping.

As expected by the fans, Taewoong soon appeared. Known for his incredible athleticism, Taewoong made a flashy entrance with a dazzling backflip and performed choreography that seemed to exchange martial arts moves with Inhyuk. It looked as if they were either fighting or performing a synchronized duet routine. The combination of Inhyuk's large physique and Taewoong's agile movements made for a visually satisfying spectacle.

They wandered the stage with their mystical powers,

Spreading love in all directions!

Love is my only creed,

And I'm a hedonist through and through!

Sometimes I'm cheeky and rebellious,

But I'm always polite!

And occasionally, I'm just a bit too bold,

So minors, close your eyes for a moment!

At the line, "Occasionally, I'm just a bit too bold," both Inhyuk and Taewoong ripped open the chest of their Taoist robes as part of the performance.

Though it wasn't an extreme exposure, the impact of tearing the costumes left the audience gasping, with some even covering their mouths in surprise. The live audience watching from home also reacted with explosive enthusiasm.

[This noona... This combination... Is my ultimate bias...] [Ahh, just look at those collarbones and chest lines, it's driving me crazy!] [Am I a pervert? Are we all perverts?] [No, no, even my boyfriend blushed watching them!] [LOL, wait, that's a little weird, right?] [LOL, girl, keep an eye on your boyfriend! LOL] [The 'muscle guys' and 'chest guys' are killing it!] [As a late 20s woman, there's no way I can disapprove of this combination...] [I'm a high school senior, but these 'chest guys' are so good, what should I do?] [As expected of a high school senior, you're learning well, huh? LOL] [LOL, this is hilarious!] [Ah, just look at those powerful movements!] [Even the dance is all about physicality, with such large frames moving so fluidly, the visual impact is insane.]

After Inhyuk and Taewoong's verse, which left everyone positively shocked, the long-haired scholar stepped forward again as the second chorus began.

We are strange beings,

With latent power within our bodies!

Whales that overturn the chaotic world,

Mediums that summon spirits!

"We are strange beings!"

"With latent power within our bodies!"

Even though it was only the second time the chorus was being sung, the fans had already started singing along, enjoying the moment with the members. As the fans began to sing along in unison, the members' excitement grew even more.

Monstrous beings, we are monstrous beings.

Tornadoes and tsunamis in the palm of our hands,

Monstrous beings, we are monstrous beings.

We swallow up boredom, Killer Whale!

As Hyunjae led the next part of the chorus, the enormous V-shaped formation created with backup dancers was flawless without a single deviation.

The thrilling, precisely aligned formation dance itself seemed to cast a spell. However, there were still many surprises the boys had prepared.

As the second chorus unfolded, a new piece of equipment had been quietly brought onto the stage.

"Oh, oh?"

"That thing, could it be...?"

The judges' eyes widened as they noticed it.

Was it really possible to use that device after already surprising them with the backflips and superhero landing?