Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Soon, Kang Rojun, Ha-young, and No. 10 stood on stage. Host Jang Dae-han threw in a quick interview. No. 10’s determination came first.

-["No. 1 is great at vocals, but I think I can beat him in dance! No, I will beat him!"]

-["Neither training nor No. 10 is really an obstacle."]

A close-up of Ha-young’s surprised face.

Viewer chat exploded several times over.

-No. 1 is really embracing in that villain roleㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-At this point I want to see No. 10 smack him down ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-But let’s be real, No. 1 is carrying the show angle-wise ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Every time it gets dull, he drops some villain energy

As always, the mood shifted and the real stage performance began. The bright stage lights faded to black, and the song info for 'brake' appeared at the bottom of the screen.

The beat of 'brake' dropped immediately. Lights slowly came up on the once-dark stage. Ha-young was the first to appear at center stage. She began with a subtle shoulder move. A powerful drum signaled the start of the verse. Ha-young’s dance movements grew stronger.

A short comment from the judges.

-["Ha-young’s pretty good."]

As the stage lighting shifted colors, No. 10 joined in for the first verse. His brightly dyed red hair stood out as he walked slowly and made brief eye contact with Ha-young.

The two showcased powerful dance.

-No. 10 is definitely the dance GOAT

-His attitude is a bit extra but damn, the guy can dance ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-When it comes to dance, No. 10’s the best among the contestants

A few seconds of Kang Rojun waiting offstage in profile appeared as a bonus.

-He must be nervous??

-You can’t read No. 1’s expression anymore ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Honestly, No. 10 is doing so well, even he must be a little tense

The perfomance grew more intense with brake's trademark flashy and aggressive vibe. Viewers started pouring praise on No. 10. His dance skills were indeed top-tier.

Then came the interlude signaling the end of the first verse.

Dozens of contestants were shown watching the perfomance from the waiting room.

Kang Rojun stepped onto the stage right after.

The lights focused on him.

-National exercise routine incoming!!

-If he's going to dance mediocrely, he might as well go all out with random dancing to make us laughㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Is he suddenly going to say "I'll pass on the dance"?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

In a performance-like move, Kang Rojun brushed back his jet-black hair. Then, a simple gesture like dusting off his outfit. He took large, deliberate steps to the rhythm. A faint smile on his face as the camera zoomed in. With a mix of smoothness and nonchalance, he moved to center stage.

He had already started the dance, and at this point, viewers sensed something unusual.

-Huh?? His dance lines are kinda nice though???

-The start actually feels okay ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Too early to say ㅋㅋㅋㅋ every trainee can do that muchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No way... does this guy actually have basic dance skills too?

-If he’s got top-tier vocals and decent dance, then No. 1’s just... a total cheat code

Regardless of the commentary, the beat, which had briefly softened, picked up pace again. After a short glance between Rojun and Ha-young, they shifted their positions. Now front and back, they initiated a rhythmical duet wave.

As the move ended, a piercing alarm-like sound exploded. Ha-young stepped back while Rojun moved forward, using his arms and legs to unleash fluid yet explosive moves. The screen filled with his serious, passionate expression.

Soon, the camera zoomed out to a full shot.

Rojun moved powerfully and intensely, while Ha-young danced delicately yet flamboyantly. The two performed dance that was similar in structure but completely different in feel.

-Wow, this bastard No. 1... his dancing is insane too??

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋinsane ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋhe's so good ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-??? whoa whoa whoa omg

-Where did all the people who were bashing No. 1 go?????

-No but seriously... isn’t he dominating even actual girl from a girl group despite being a rookie?

The open chat with over 200,000 people went wild, and in the conference room filled with key staff for ‘Rental Lover’, PD Jung Soo-ryeong involuntarily said,

A gasp slipped from her parted lips.

Her words were filled with genuine admiration.

‘That’s way beyond just “knowing how to dance a little.” That guy… is there anything he can’t do?’

Top actress Choi Rina, who had stopped eating her apple, murmured as if in a trance.

“Omg... what the heck, I got goosebumps.”

On stage, Kang Rojun dropped a nuclear bomb on the viewers.

And then, the climax.

-["brake! brake! brake! brake!"]

In complete trance, Rojun took control of the dance with fluid freedom. His control over tempo was perfect. All of this was reflected in the viewer feedback that exploded.

-Insane... he's dance GOAT too now...

-Why does the villain keep being ridiculously good tho

-No. 10 just got steamrolled, agreed??

-With this level of skill, he can ignore training alrightㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The hundreds of thousands in the open chat had no choice but to acknowledge No. 1, whether as a disruptive wildcard or a full-on villain.

-And on top of that god-tier visual ㅋㅋㅋㅋ No. 1’s just a monster, straight up ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

But this wasn’t the end.

-Sigh… I’m one of those people who desperately wants to see No. 1 do the entire dance for verse 1 and 2 of 'brake'...

-If that happened, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ No. 10 would just shatter into pieces

-I mean, even for No. 1, with that short amount of time, pulling off the full verse 1 seems impossible ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

There was still one move left to play.

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