TDOCD Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Crescendo’s Performance ​

"I really thought I couldn't do it."

Song-yi’s face remained expressionless during the interview, but her voice and tone clearly betrayed her distress.

"I agreed to this, so I need to do my part, but I'm worried I won't be able to. And this time, I feel like I won't have a place to stand. It's dangerous."

It was the first time anyone had seen Song-yi reveal such anxiety. The burden of the situation must have been overwhelming.

"Did you not expect the choreography to be this difficult?" asked the production team.

Song-yi nodded immediately.

"No, I had no idea it would be this hard. And it's not that everyone's struggling - I'm the only one who can't keep up..."

She let out a deep sigh. Finally, emotion showed on her face - clearly expressing regret over her decision.

Then came another member's interview. It was Min Ha-young.

"Song-yi seems to be having a really hard time," Ha-young said. "It's a difficult song. I think she just needs some time to get used to it. I... I just thought I should help her as much as I can. Song-yi is someone who can do it if she tries - I believe she'll succeed in the end."

The editing beautifully captured this moment of support. Ha-young's face showed genuine concern for Song-yi.

The scene shifted to show Ha-young practicing late into the night with Song-yi.

Unlike our team, which maintained a consistently harmonious atmosphere throughout the training camp, the Crescendo team seemed to operate more in distinct subgroups while still maintaining cooperation.

Perhaps that's why the VCR featured so many scenes of friendship developing between the groups.

Not just 5th May Rookie and I Meet You, but Ha-young and Song-yi as well.

As the training camp progressed, you could clearly see them growing closer through teaching and learning the choreography together.

Then came Song-yi’s interview again:

"Ha-young unnie helped me a lot. If she hadn't guided me, I really would have wanted to run away."

Song-yi hesitated for a moment before adding, "I'm grateful, but I'm not good at saying thank you usually... so, thank you."

How adorable.

The Flora members' lips simultaneously curved into smiles watching this. Ha-young, who must be watching the VCR on stage right now, was probably wearing the same expression.

The video quickly cycled through showing everyone's training camp impressions... Wait, what?

'Is this how it ends?'

I tilted my head, watching the video with disappointment.

From the atmosphere, it seemed the VCR was nearly over, but hadn't they missed the most important part?

What about Ha-young's decision to take on the rap part? And Song-yi’s fight... well, maybe that didn't need to be shown.

Still, I expected them to at least broadcast how Ha-young stepped up to handle the rap.

Why was that edited out?

They highlighted everyone else's parts one by one.

'Something seems off about this editing.'

And moments later, the VCR really did end just like that.

'Huh!'

Sure, I get that 5th May Rookie is predetermined to win. But does the screen time difference have to be this extreme?

The editing itself feels choppy and unnatural... Ah, could this be an unfinished version?

That might explain it.

If so, I'll have to wait for the actual broadcast, but if not, this is rather infuriating.

While trying to hide my dissatisfaction watching the dimming screen, the VCR finally ended completely, revealing the Crescendo members on stage.

Then, with brightening lights, the introduction to "Joyful" began playing.

Crescendo's performance was about to begin.

***

Pink cherry blossoms flutter in the air

You and I are smiling there

I capture your smile in a photo

You shyly lower your head

Cherry blossom petals gently descended onto the stage.

Just sitting still, my heart swelled watching Crescendo dance without rest on the pristine white stage.

Our most brilliant moment

Becoming a beautiful filter

Will gift us joy for a lifetime

Crescendo's performance was perfect.

Though the live vocals weren't entirely stable, all the staging elements blended perfectly with "Joyful," creating a truly immersive performance.

Then the stage ended.

The judges, trainees, and production staff - everyone in attendance erupted in a standing ovation.

'Wow, this feels almost like a finale performance!'

Song-yi, who had struggled so much with the choreography in the VCR, was excellent on the actual stage.

She did briefly pause during the dance break when her feet got tangled, but she executed everything else well.

Above all, Ha-young's rap was even better than expected.

And her confident dance break in the center position was undeniably impressive.

She had told us to watch her, and she certainly had the skills to back up that confidence.

This won't be an easy win.

I thought this while watching Ha-young's brightly beaming face, completely free of shadows.

Then came the judges' evaluations.

"I really enjoyed that. It was a performance that brought joy just watching it."

So-hae spoke with an obviously delighted voice.

"More than anything, your expressions were wonderful. You weren't smiling because you had to - your faces showed genuine joy and excitement about performing and singing on stage."

"Right. That was really wonderful to see."

Lee Sia strongly agreed and then went on to praise the specific details of the dance as an expert.

Given that the team had focused heavily on dance performance, Sia's praise flowed endlessly.

She commended them for not only handling but elevating the already difficult choreography of "Joyful."

"Of course, it wasn't perfect. I saw Song-yi and Jin make mistakes and freeze at points."

"..."

Song-yi and 5th May Rookie's Jin quietly lowered their heads.

Sia quickly waved her hand, indicating she wasn't scolding them.

"But I saw how hard both of you worked. As with everything in life, results aren't everything. You both gave it your all and showed tremendous growth."

These were the two who had practiced through the night and cried in frustration when struggling with the choreography in the VCR footage.

"Rather than pointing out every mistake, I want to praise your efforts. So don't let the mistakes get you down, okay?"

Sia comforted them. I had thought she was extremely strict about stage mistakes...

'Was I wrong about her?'

Now it seems she values the process more than the results.

Sia put down her microphone after finishing her evaluation, which was filled with obvious affection.

While the atmosphere suggested there would only be praise, there was some criticism too.

They noted that in focusing on the performance, the vocals became consistently

unstable and the sound levels were uneven.

Particularly Ji-hoon, who had declared from the start that he would focus on evaluating vocals, went so far as to say the voices were so shaky it was difficult to listen to.

"Focusing on your strengths was a good choice. But idols can't succeed on dance alone. I wish you had put even half the effort you put into dancing into your vocals. Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you!"

The screen showing the stage scene changed back to the logo as Crescendo left the stage with slightly disappointed expressions.

"Well, that was Crescendo's performance. They did amazingly, didn't they?"

"Yes!"

"They were awesome!"

The trainees responded energetically.

Usually, watching such an impressive performance would be intimidating, but today, the more the members on stage shone, the more excited the atmosphere became.

The groups with members in Crescendo knew their evaluation scores would rise with their success.

Even groups without members gave enthusiastic reactions for the sake of their own team members.

Thanks to this, the mood couldn't have been brighter.

MC Gyu-jin announced with a visibly pleased expression.

"The energy is fantastic! Let's keep this momentum going, shall we? Now, who's next?"

"Yes!"

"So, next up is...?"

The next team.

Thump-thump.

My heart rate accelerated.

​MC Gyu-jin energetically pointed at us with his cue card.