Chapter 68: Roy’s Impossible Dance Break

The faces of those struck by the innocent remark turned gloomy.

For this stage mission, each team had to prepare two performances.

One stage would be judged solely on dance, while the other would be evaluated comprehensively.

Voters could pick the team that put on the best stage, and for each stage, they could also cast one vote for the participant they thought did the best in each team.

“Hmm… I didn’t consider this kind of situation.”

Kim Taejin scratched his brow with his index finger, looking troubled.

In the end, even if the teams were different, it was most advantageous for each participant to get as many votes as possible.

Of course, it would be great if their own team won as well.

The production crew hadn’t revealed the exact rewards, but it was clear the outcome would have a significant impact on the next ranking announcement.

That was why Roy and all his teammates threw themselves passionately into practice with Kim Taejin.

Because of his packed schedule, Kim Taejin couldn’t devote much time to the mission.

“Let’s try going over the basic moves again for now?”

Still, he visited the island whenever he could to practice with the team, but an awkward situation occurred between them.

Kim Taejin brushed back his hair with an awkward smile.

His perfectly black hair scattered between his fingers, making the practice room look like a photo shoot set.

Normally, the others would have gasped at Kim Taejin’s appearance, but now everyone kept their mouths tightly shut, and an awkward silence filled the room.

“We can’t take this move out, so let’s just practice a bit more.”

“Yes!”

Roy was realizing firsthand why High Cycle wasn’t called the top Hunter Idol group for nothing.

High Cycle was so famous that Roy and the others had practiced their songs often.

Even Roy had recently practiced to High Cycle’s latest song during his time off.

“This doesn’t seem like something we can handle just by practicing.”

“Shh! He might hear you.”

High Cycle’s choreography was famously the most difficult among the Hunter Idols.

Even so, Roy thought he had gotten to a decent level imitating High Cycle’s moves during his own practice, but it turned out to be just his own misconception.

To Kim Taejin, who even choreographed some of High Cycle’s routines, Roy’s clumsy moves just didn’t measure up.

“Junyoung’s moves are the smoothest, at least…”

Fortunately, Min Junyoung was following Kim Taejin’s instructions reasonably well.

Even so, it wasn’t perfect, and Kim Taejin fell quiet.

Everyone was glancing at Kim Taejin, reading his mood.

There was also a subtle pressure coming from him that made people shrink back.

“This won’t do. Let’s take a short break.”

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Kim Taejin clapped his hands with a loud smack.

“Beeep.” (Contractor, are you okay? You look completely pale.)

“Foor—.” (The dancing here is so elegant and profound.)

While Roy was practicing, Ber and Aqua, who had been sitting in chairs sipping drinks, flew over to him.

[Hero, I think your dance grade has to be S to meet that guy’s standards…]

It was Roy who’d been judged as lacking, but Earth sounded even more dejected.

‘Status window.’

Roy pressed down a sigh that was about to escape.

He had raised his dance grade to A-, but compared to Kim Taejin, he looked like a flailing invertebrate.

Kim Taejin even asked his manager to bring snacks.

Everyone sat on the sweat-soaked floor of the practice room, catching their breath.

“I watched the entire Dangheon show recently.”

As everyone thanked Kim Taejin and quenched their thirst with drinks, Roy, feeling parched, grabbed an Ion Beverage, opened the cap, and gulped it down.

“Roy, your skills have improved a lot since the start of the show.”

Roy wondered why Kim Taejin kept glancing at him.

Turns out the conversation was about him.

After managing to swallow the Ion Beverage without choking, Roy set the bottle down.

“That’s right. I thought the same thing.”

“I can still picture the broom dance in my head…”

The contestant who brought up the broom dance quickly looked away when Roy met their gaze.

Roy didn’t say anything, but the silent pressure was enough.

“So, Roy, I’d like you to do the dance break for Part A.”

“…What?”

Roy, tense and wondering if the guy had realized Earth and the existence of the ability window, blurted out in surprise.

The dance break for Part A had already been agreed for Kim Taejin to perform.

No one else could handle it, since everyone was struggling with even the simpler moves, and A-part was the hardest.

Kim Taejin had always regretted that fact.

But now, out of nowhere, he wanted to hand it over to Roy.

“For some reason, I think you can do it, Roy. I just have this strange faith in you.”

That so-called faith.

If Roy let him believe in him one more time, his ranking would plummet for sure.

The dance break for Part A was the highlight of the performance.

Not only did you have to pull off the difficult moves flawlessly, but you also had to exude something that could command the whole stage—beyond just doing the choreography properly.

Roy hadn’t reached that level yet.

He figured you’d need Dance Grade S to pull off a stage like that.

‘So why was this happening now?’

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t think I can do it with my current ability.”

Roy took the risk of disagreeing with Kim Taejin.

He was worried about how this scene might be edited, but it was better than messing up the stage and getting bombarded with criticism.

“No, you can do it. Let’s try it together.”

But Kim Taejin was persistent.

He smiled again, spouting nonsense about Roy being able to do it despite the polite refusal.

Roy couldn’t help but suspect that Kim Taejin might actually be his anti-fan.

He was smiling like a nice guy now, but maybe deep down he was hoping Roy would drop in the next ranking.

‘He can’t really want me to fail, right?’

Otherwise, how could he say Roy could do something that was clearly impossible for him?

Among those gathered, Min Junyoung was the best dancer.

Suggesting this to Roy instead just felt malicious.

[Looks like it’s time for Earth to step in.]

Earth, who had been listening closely to the exchange between Roy and Kim Taejin, pulled out his trump card.

Earth was feeling anxious.

He had a reason for helping Roy summon Aqua earlier, even at the risk of a penalty.

Whatever Kim Taejin’s reason was for suddenly throwing a bomb at Roy, this was a chance to turn crisis into opportunity.

S -Time limit: Before going on stage -Penalty: Dance grade drops. A- > B+>

Roy’s eyes shook violently.

The achievement requirement was already tough at 20 hours, but the penalty was a drop in dance grade.

He’d worked so hard to raise his dance grade…

If he failed, he’d fall back to B.

One of the biggest reasons Roy’s ranking had risen so dramatically was his visibly improving skills as the show progressed.

But now, if his progress regressed, he could see himself leaving the stage with a defeated look at the third ranking announcement.

…I have a request, too.”

Roy clenched his fists and looked Kim Taejin straight in the eye.

Unwavering trust was an abstract thing—Roy wasn’t sure if he could earn it just by trying.

So, for now, the only option was to reach the 20 hours of practice together and hope to gain his trust along the way.

“Of course I’ll help.”

“Please practice with me, just the two of us. For exactly 20 hours.”

Kim Taejin was already squeezing in practice time despite his brutal schedule.

Not just Kim Taejin, but the other High Cycle members were also throwing themselves into practice and filming.

But giving Roy an extra 20 hours was a massive favor from Kim Taejin’s perspective.

“Hmm.”

A spark of interest flickered in Kim Taejin’s eyes.

Truthfully, he’d originally planned to have Min Junyoung do the dance break for Part A.

He never intended to take the highlight for himself from the start.

But as he spent more time practicing with them, his gaze kept drifting to Roy.

He might not be number one, but… I know for sure who’ll get the most attention.

Roy had a charm that drew people’s eyes.

He had an aura that made him seem far more impressive than his actual skill.

That was a huge advantage for a Hunter Idol.

It wasn’t something you could gain just by practicing.

Then, he happened to watch the early episodes of Dangheon.

Comparing Roy’s skills at the start of the show to now, Kim Taejin felt like he’d been hit on the back of the head.

‘His growth rate is unbelievable.’

The gap in skills was too wide to have improved in such a short time.

But in this world, especially in the Hunter Idol industry, effort and skill didn’t always go hand in hand.

It was a place teeming with geniuses.

Putting Roy in that category, his dramatic improvement made sense.

‘I should use this.’

But to be honest, Roy’s skills still didn’t stand out among all the contestants.

If he could showcase Roy’s abilities in this performance, it would definitely help the team win.

This was a battle of pride among the members.

Kim Taejin desperately wanted to win.

“Alright. But because of my schedule, I’ll mostly be available late at night. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I don’t mind pulling all-nighters.”

Anyway, the moment Roy got the surprise mission, he knew he’d have to cut down on sleep.

He grasped Kim Taejin’s outstretched hand, determination burning in his eyes.

He’d been flustered at first, but now that it had come to this, he figured it wouldn’t be so bad to use this chance to raise his dance grade to S.

“Whew.”

“I’ve never seen you this nervous before, Roy.”

While Kim Taejin was adjusting his clothes, he turned at the sound of a deep sigh from nearby.

Roy, wearing his mask, was taking shallow, rapid breaths, his chest rising and falling.

|| …You’re nervous, of course.”

[Hero, I think I can hear your heartbeat in my ears right now! Thump thump thump!]

Even Earth’s cheerful voice sounded distant in Roy’s mind.

He still hadn’t completed the surprise mission.

Currently, Roy’s team was on standby below the stage.

They’d already finished the rehearsal—only the real performance was left.