LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 235
Chapter 235
There was only one logo video attached without any additional content.
When the video played, unlike the relatively static “Liberation” or “Dream,” the orca leapt powerfully from the sea.
On its back, colorful paper confetti fluttered down against the high, blue autumn sky.
It was simple, but just watching it felt like being in the middle of a festival, making me happy.
The distant cheers of many people could be faintly heard.
If you listened closely, it seemed they weren’t just shouting but repeating a single word.
Since the sound came from such a distant place, unless someone with very keen hearing paid close attention, it was hard to understand.
From a slightly closer distance, there was the sound of a heavy ball, like a basketball or volleyball, bouncing a few times before rolling away.
And those who noticed that the sound contained more clues than expected, pressed their ears close to the speakers, not wanting to miss a single small sound, heard heavy breathing close enough to give them chills down their spines.
Experienced idol fans instantly grasped the concept of this album.
– Is this going to be a proper power-refreshing theme this time?
Winter Refreshing > Dreamy Refreshing > Power Refreshing????
They nailed it.
– Is Orca going for a sports team concept this time? Nothing’s out yet, but the logo is already exciting.
– Wow, I can hear the members’ breathing so clearly; Seed truly excels in these details.
– (Video) This part kind of sounds like a ball bouncing, probably not a soccer ball, maybe a volleyball or basketball??? If they put effort into the outfits too, I’ll pray for JuSummer to stay healthy and work long.
– (Video) If you listen closely to this part alone, it sounds like they’re saying “Again.”
┗ Wow, you’re right, if you listen closely, it’s “Again! Again!” I’m already emotionalㅠㅠㅠㅠ Let’s do it again, guys!!!!
– I can’t concentrate because of the breathing sounds; is it okay for Seed to post something so suggestive on the public account???
┗ The one who posted it on the public account is probably the teacher ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
┗ But listen!!! They approached me first . . .
– This means summer is just beginning~~~
Of course, as always, the response wasn’t all positive.
– Are they doing refreshing again? I’m tired of it.
– Because of the refreshing fans, it feels like they always do refreshing themes. I wish they’d all go away; I want to see something strong.
– I want to see various concepts, but they keep showing the same things, it’s boring.
– The concept… Orca isn’t great overseas, so they won’t gather international fans this time either.
– Probably won’t attract new fans; they’ve already gathered all the refreshing fans with Liberation and Dream.
– The logo was good during Dream, but this one lacks uniqueness and is too ordinary… JuSummer has lost her touch.
Among the criticisms, many expressed being tired of the refreshing concept.
Nothing besides the logo had been released, yet there were already complaints.
The comment about Ju Yeoreum’s sense being dead was the usual nonsense that came with every album, so Aeri ignored it appropriately.
– If you think all refreshing concepts are the same, you’re truly blind and deaf. Do the haters really think Liberation and Dream are the same..?
– I remember when people complained that Dream wasn’t refreshing enough and wanted real refreshing conceptsㅎㅎ..
– We don’t care if you don’t understand; we love refreshing concepts~
– Do you know when Ju Yeoreum was most successful? When the music video deeply incorporated the world view?
Wrong. It was when they came out with a simple, one-dimensional concept like Cranial Love. This woman truly has a knockout punch that appeals to both fans and the general public.
– I’m more tired of people always talking about attracting new fansㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Whatever they do, it’s always about new fans.. Why are you worrying about my idols on my behalfㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– When Ju Yeoreum gives us refreshing concepts, just take them quietly. In a little while, you’ll be begging for even a drop of refreshing. Speaking from experience.
* * *
Following the physical fitness tests for idol sports day team assignments, the pre-shooting for the sports day officially began.
According to the production team, we were on the Blue Team.
The Blue Team was the initial champion of the idol sports day.
Apparently, even though they had over 10 years of experience at the time of the first broadcast, Chronicle had made a significant contribution to the team’s victory for the sake of viewership.
And probably because of that, we were assigned to the Blue Team.
However, until about 4-5 years ago, the Blue Team was consistently a strong contender for the championship, but recently, it was evaluated as the weakest team after the perpetually last-place Red Team.
Since I’ve mentioned other teams, let me briefly explain.
The Red Team, mentioned earlier, was a regular fourth place finisher.
However, it was the most cheerful among the four teams, with the production team carefully assigning variety show idols considering the team’s atmosphere and characteristics, so although their ranking was fourth, they got the most screen time.
In a way, they were the true winners.
I heard they even had an active group chat for team members to socialize.
Cherrystin, whom I briefly teamed up with during the Idol Variety Battle, belonged to this team.
It was a pity to be separated this time, but knowing the desperate athletic abilities of those seniors, I felt somewhat relieved.
The White Team almost always ranked second or higher.
Particularly, the female idols on this team performed exceptionally well, almost always sweeping the women’s events.
To maintain the team’s concept, the production crew generally assigned female idols who were good at sports to the White Team.
Lastly, the Black Team.
The Black Team was the champion for the past two years.
It used to be a relatively weak team that didn’t stand out much, but over the past few years, they strengthened significantly by recruiting senior groups known as “athlete idols” from the same agency.
My intuition told me that Lifteen would somehow be assigned to this team.
I took out my phone and sent a message to a Lifteen member.
[Me] What team are you in for the sports day?
[Me] We’re in the Blue Team!
Since they weren’t working, I got a reply quickly.
[Ritz] We’re in the Black Team!
[Ritz] (Disappointed seal emoji)
[Ritz] But we won’t lose ╚(•⌂•)╝
[Me] We won’t lose eitherㅕㅕㅕ
[Me] Who’s good at sports in your team?
This time, the reply took a bit longer.
[Ritz] Sorry, we’re not allowed to leak information to the enemy.
[Ritz] (Apologetic seal emoji)
Seeing the precise use of difficult words and correct spacing, it seemed someone was meddling nearby.
I switched my keyboard to Japanese and responded.
[Me] [I thought we were good comrades.]
[Me] [I guess that was all my delusion…]
[Me] [Got it… Take care……]
[Ritz] [Sorry ┗( T﹏T )┛]
[Ritz] [Geo told me not to sayㅋㅁㅅㅓㅇ]
[Ritz] [Oh, I got caught]
[Ritz] [I’m going to get scolded now. Bye-bye]
[Me] [Goodbye… I won’t forget your sacrifice……]
Even though Nagase Ritsu was older than Go Kyung-yoon, seeing him get scolded implied that Go Kyung-yoon, along with leader Yoon Myung-soo, held the leadership in that group.
‘Well… Most of them made it to the final round of the survival show, so they probably won’t be too easily swayed.’
As expected, Lifteen was in the Black Team.
I thought it would be great if our Blue Team, which had been weak for a while, could defeat the strong Black Team, both for the team and for Orca personally.
I wasn’t sure if we could win, though.
This year’s events included 100m dash, group cheering contest, strategic tug-of-war, basketball, dodgeball, quiz contest, wrestling, and relay race, making up a total of eight events.
Among these, basketball was only for the men’s division, dodgeball was only for the women’s division, and the other events had both men’s and women’s divisions or were conducted as mixed-gender events.
Compared to last year, which included archery and horseback riding, this year’s events were more straightforward.
It was notable that soccer, a generally popular event, was excluded this year, and wrestling was revived after several years.
Gwak Sang-hyun explained that last year, the public outrage over a first-tier idol getting seriously injured during a soccer match couldn’t be ignored.
Now, we had to determine the hopeful participants for each event and submit our applications.
Just because you wanted to participate didn’t mean you would; the applications were reviewed, and the team captain, vice-captain, and coach would select the final participants.
We gathered in a circle in the middle of the practice room, lying on our stomachs, and started discussing who would participate in which event.
“For the strategic tug-of-war and group cheering contest, everyone has to participate.”
Kang Ji-woo wrote “strategic tug-of-war” and “group cheering contest” on an A4 sheet and wrote “group” underneath.
In the strategic tug-of-war, all team members had to participate, and although some might be exempt from the group cheering contest due to their years of experience, we had no choice as rookies.
“Wow, I’m already tired.”
“But what exactly is strategic tug-of-war?”
I didn’t quite understand how tug-of-war could be strategic. Isn’t it just a matter of pulling and having the stronger side win?
“Ah, until last year, it was just regular tug-of-war, but starting this year, it’s changed to strategic tug-of-war.”
No wonder I didn’t remember anything but the usual tug-of-war from last year’s Chuseok broadcast.
“What happens is, at the start, three ropes are laid out, and the team that pulls in two of the ropes first wins.”
“Oh…. Is that mixed-gender too?”
“Tug-of-war has always been mixed-gender, so I guess this will be too, but we’ll have to hear the exact rules on the day.”
“But if someone falls during this, won’t it be a disaster?”
“Yeah. From what I know, soccer was the first event to be considered for removal, and tug-of-war was the second. Someone fell and got hurt last time.”
“……Let’s make sure none of us get injured.”
“But if we’re too careful, we’ll get criticized.”
“If we’re going to suffer losses by participating anyway, isn’t it better to at least stay uninjured?”
“When do we start practicing for the cheering contest?”
“Probably about two or three weeks beforehand? We’re supposed to practice the choreography individually, then gather for practice once two weeks before, once a week before, and once two or three days before.”
The cheering contest, along with the relay race, was considered the highlight of the idol sports day, so the practice schedule was as tight as for end-of-year stages.
Of course, the fact that the idols preparing for it were worn out was none of the production team’s concern.