The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 154

「Oh, over that blue sky」

A light vocal tone rang out over the sophisticated beat of tropical house.

Riding on the blue lighting that captured a full sense of refreshment, Seong-hwi began performing rhythmic choreography with a playful smile.

「Like when I was young, lying still and thinking

I want to try catching clouds

Pure white floating dreamy days

I want to be with you yeah」

The bouncy tropical house melody and synthesizers harmonized appropriately, bringing a cool sensation.

As if intoxicated by the atmosphere CENTIX was creating on stage, Song Ji-won and the 500 MILLENNIUM tightly gripping their light sticks in their hands emitted sky blue light.

After light interactions with the backup dancers, Seong-hwi stretched his right hand high and pretended to grab something.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he opened his eyes wide and quickly disappeared to the right side of the stage.

「On my desk that I had forgotten woo

A single sheet of paper filled with countless wishes woo

On days like this, I always remember too late

What I wanted to draw together with you」

Chae Ha-ru, wearing a white beanie, filled the spot where Seong-hwi had disappeared.

The denim jeans and denim jacket set was a dangerous combination that could cause a tremendous fashion disaster, but for Chae Ha-ru, who showed increasingly radiant visuals day by day, it fit like he was born wearing it.

Just a few minutes ago, Chae Ha-ru had worn a torn jumper over a white shirt in 〈Find Me〉, creating quite a rough image.

To transform into the appearance of a gentle boy in an instant like this—there was no greater foul play than this.

As Chae Ha-ru’s verse approached its end, the remaining members who had been hiding behind the backup dancers emerged one by one, breaking through.

All were wearing outfits that emphasized refreshment.

Some members had adopted the same outfits they wore in the VCR, while others had equipped special items prepared specifically for this stage.

Song Ji-won was completely captivated by Ryu Si-hwan, who appeared from the edge of the stage loosely wearing a pink scarf, before belatedly spotting Kang Seon-woo standing in the center.

Looking at the reactions of other MILLENNIUM around her, it seemed everyone had turned their gaze at similar moments.

“What is that—!”

“Seon-woo, what did you come out wearing?”

“It’s a bunny hat, a bunny hat!”

Just before entering the chorus, the members changed formation with Kang Seon-woo leading, wearing a moving bunny ear hat.

「Childhood Sketchbook」

A sensation like sprinkling carbonation over the beat settled in.

The clear yet sweet mix of tropical house and future bass made them feel like lying under bright sunshine.

And in tune with that sound, CENTIX showed off much softer dance lines while executing easy-to-follow point choreography.

The charming movement of lightly waving back and forth while alternately stretching both arms refreshingly was captivating.

「Briefly leaving this tiring daily life

Take my hand

Surely it’s gonna be beautiful

The one you and I will draw again

Our Sketchbook」

The clear chorus melody subsided, and the backup dancers and four members retreated in unison like low tide.

Following the impressive synthesizer filled with electronic piano sounds, Kang Seon-woo and Ma Si-hyeok, who remained in the center of the stage, nodded their heads toward each other.

And their impressive pair rap unfolded.

「Those stars embroidering the blue sky

They’re swaying more than usual today

Like a dream I had before

I don’t even know when it passed by

Dreamy day, dreamy night」

The two members who unintentionally maintained the ‘fierce-looking’ image within CENTIX.

Moreover, Ma Si-hyeok’s build was by far the number one among recently debuted male idols, making him seem even more unsuited for such a bright and refreshing song.

‘……What is this, why are they so cute?’

Song Ji-won was engulfed in tremendous confusion watching him flash a bright smile like a child.

Clearly Ma Si-hyeok was a wolf who exuded scary charm just like his nickname.

Then suddenly, a memory from the past that she had forgotten came back to life.

‘That’s right, before being a wolf, he was a retriever.’

He was once again radiating the charm of a large dog that he had shown on 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉.

So what about Kang Seon-woo, who received Ma Si-hyeok’s gentle singing rap next to him?

「Close my eyes

Take a deep breath for a moment

This fragrance approaching sweetly like a dream

I feel like I can do anything

If only you stay by my side

So take my hand

I’ll take you anywhere」

Although 〈Sketchbook〉 had a slower tempo than 〈Find Me〉, Kang Seon-woo displayed his main weapon to the fullest by coming in off-beat.

But he equipped his face with an expression completely different from the intense skills packed into his rap.

Perhaps because of the much softer eyeliner than usual, the laughter he naturally radiated strangely had a cute taste like Ma Si-hyeok.

He even completed the finishing touch by pulling both bunny ears with his hands and acting cute at the exact point where his solo shot was captured by the camera.

‘They’ve gone crazy! No, why is everyone so cute!’

While Song Ji-won’s heart was still swirling in the unexpected consecutive developments, her happiness index rose through the ceiling seeing that beautiful scene.

Moreover, if Kang Seon-woo and Ma Si-hyeok came out with this concept as a unit.

Naturally, the other members appearing in the second verse would definitely be the same!

「I don’t know what to write

My heart kept feeling frustrated

Those past days when I lived putting down my pen

But if you’re here, I’ll be different」

The beginning of the second verse belonged to youngest Yu Ha-woon.

This concept was a color that suited him more than anyone else. This goes without saying.

Yu Ha-woon, wearing a striped t-shirt with blue suspenders, seemed determined to properly bombard the hearts of his sisters.

And the natural mischief contained in his facial expressions seemed to prove why irresistible affection pours out for the youngest.

〈Sketchbook〉, which entered the pre-chorus following Yu Ha-woon’s clean vocals, suddenly raised its pitch.

Even with the sudden change in notes, there was no discomfort at all for the listeners.

Only one person could display this high-quality vocal ability.

「I like that childlike smiling face

Even while looking, I keep wanting to look more

Your eyes on me

My eyes on you

Now take my hand

Let’s draw together」

The melody was no different from the first verse.

The beat and background sound were all the same.

However, the high notes ringing from Ryu Si-hwan’s throat rose exactly one octave higher than the other members, providing a different variation.

The charm of high notes unfolding within a moderate range never betrayed expectations.

Song Ji-won recalled the pink cone hat she had seen at Ryu Si-hwan’s birthday K-Live last year and cried out in her heart.

‘That hat then, and today’s scarf too! Why does pink suit him so well!’

At this point, her rose-colored glasses seemed ready to cheer even if Ryu Si-hwan came out wearing pink pants.

The atmosphere of the song, elevated to its peak by the main vocal’s capabilities, continued as it was.

Song Ji-won’s light stick, being remotely controlled via Bluetooth, seemed to feel the ripened atmosphere within the venue and changed from pale sky blue to brilliant purple.

Looking around quickly, all directions were filled with gem-like sparkling purple waves.

This was a sensation like falling into the middle of a flower field bathed in moonlight.

「Our own Sketchbook」

「Briefly leaving this tiring daily life

Take my hand

Surely it’s gonna be beautiful

The one you and I will draw again

Our Sketchbook」

The melody of the second verse chorus felt like it had some different components added.

However, due to the booming tropical house beat and synthesizers, it was difficult to distinguish exactly what differences there were.

「Close your eyes, now I’ll show you

The beautiful world you and I will create

I’ll hold your hand unchangingly」

After the chorus exploded like a volcano with Ryu Si-hwan’s ultra-high notes, the drum sounds that supported it were clearly audible.

Catharsis was felt in the thrilling harmony of sounds that seemed to require colorful fireworks rising together.

Though these were materials that would never suit each other when placed separately by genre, when magically mixed within the framework of K-pop, they provided this kind of eardrum shower.

Especially since it was Ryu Si-hwan’s part that easily leaped over the intensely ringing chorus melody and even consumed the AR, it produced an even fiercer sense of excitement.

The 〈Sketchbook〉 stage racing toward its climax entered the final dance break.

The members, who were definitely tired but maintained bright smiles, flew around the stage with flexible yet disciplined movements.

Though it was a song that gave the impression of relatively low choreography difficulty, CENTIX’s signature move appeared once again in this final dance break.

「I want to shout toward the blue sky

That I can go anywhere

With you」

When the ending verse came out, the formation that had been a simple W shape was instantly reversed.

Chae Ha-ru and Yu Ha-woon, who had been in front, threw what’s called ‘otaku’ hearts toward the camera while waving and retreating.

As Seong-hwi, who had been standing in the center, moved forward, Ryu Si-hwan and Kang Seon-woo on both sides playfully pulled his cheeks before running away with smiles.

And Ma Si-hyeok decorated the end of the dance break and claimed the ending fairy position in the very center.

MILLENNIUM, who had been holding back their overflowing hearts as they approached the end, released their pent-up feelings the moment the accompaniment ended.

“Waaahhh—!”

“You guys did so well!”

“So cute, what should I do!”

“Sniff sniff—!”

Since it was a perfect stage without a single mistake visible on the surface, it was a foregone conclusion that it would end in one take.

While the members were breathing heavily, Song Ji-won soothed her regret while moistening her already hoarse throat.

‘I want to see 〈Sketchbook〉 one more time. Since they prepared choreography like this even for a B-side track, I’ll be able to see it on music shows too, right?’

This time too, a music show tour seemed inevitable.

The moment she thought they might not go to the backstage like before for stage reorganization.

Rather, Ryu Si-hwan picked up the hand microphone and called out to the fans in a loud voice.

“MILLENNIUM! We really worked hard preparing this stage, so how was it? Was it okay?”

“Of course—!”

“It was so amazing!”

“Cute and sexy, why are you doing everything alone!”

From somewhere in the left corner of the set, a MILLENNIUM’s cry with tremendous vocal power was heard.

Not only the other fans, but even the members who were still catching their breath on stage laughed heartily.

“Thank you so much for saying that. Whew, so! To repay MILLENNIUM’s feelings, we hear there’s going to be a special event!”

“Are we ready? If you’re ready, please come in quickly!”

A special event?

Song Ji-won was very curious about what the event could be, but when she saw the staff pulling out a large spinning wheel, she immediately understood.

Dud, signed Polaroid, signed album, signed light stick.

A spinning wheel filled with items that would literally make the eyes of all MILLENNIUM across the country spin arrived on stage.

And the CENTIX members were given 2 darts each.

“Yes, everyone. Now you’ve all figured it out, but for us to give out prizes, we need to work hard!”

They had to spin the elephant’s trunk five times and hit the spinning wheel within just two chances.

Guidance was given that all 6 members would throw darts, and lottery drawings would be held after today’s pre-recording for as many items as were finally hit.

Looking back at the self-content and variety shows that had come out so far, CENTIX was generally excellent in athletic ability.

So she hoped that as many super-rare items like signed light sticks or signed Polaroids would come out as possible.

“Hey, guys! Stop picking duds! At this rate we’ll all die!”

“It, it’s not something I can control—.”

“We’re screwed, aren’t we? What do we do about this?”

At the point where only 2 people remained, the confirmed prizes were only 1 signed album, 1 signed Polaroid, and 1 signed light stick.

The remaining 4 members’ darts had found their targets but landed on duds with amazing precision, drawing everyone’s sighs.

The fifth thrower, Kang Seon-woo, finished preparing to spin the elephant’s trunk with an extremely nervous expression.

“Why is it me again in this kind of pinch. I’m really bad at this stuff.”

“Strong will that doesn’t break is important, Brother Seon-woo! Fighting!”

“Brother, I’m not asking for much, just throw it inside the spinning wheel.”

“Chae Ha-ru, you’re too realistic at times like this!”

Thus, Kang Seon-woo’s dart, CENTIX’s official physical comedy representative, cut through the air.

The result was…… catastrophic failure.

Ryu Si-hwan gave not-really-comforting comfort to Kang Seon-woo, who trudged to his seat as the last person up.

“It’s okay, at least you hit one dud. I thought you’d miss both.”

“Wow, what a comfort, friend. Thanks!”

“Don’t mention it.”

The relaxed conversation between the two peers once again filled the set with laughter.

But when Ryu Si-hwan’s eyes completely changed and he stuck both darts precisely into the signed light stick and signed Polaroid with tremendous wrist strength, the venue instantly became quiet.

“……”

“……”

“Why, why is everyone speechless—?”

“Si-hwan, thank you!”

Breaking the momentary silence, Kang Seon-woo rushed out barefoot, followed by tremendous cheers filling the comeback show set.

“Ryu Si-hwan! Ryu Si-hwan!”

“No, why does he seem to be good at everything?”

“He’s been good at throwing since dodgeball.”

Song Ji-won nodded and quietly agreed with another fan next to her.

Ryu Si-hwan had also claimed first place in dodgeball and punch king on 〈ISL 2〉, showing off his monster strength.

That strength seemed to still be intact even after debut.

Thus, CENTIX was able to complete the comeback show pre-recording only after presenting 〈HIT〉 as the final stage of the comeback show and having a brief talk with fans.

MILLENNIUM, who sent enthusiastic applause, then checked the announced list of prize winners with mixed emotions.

Song Ji-won, who confirmed that someone two spots behind her number had won, swallowed the bitter taste of defeat along with her bottled water.

‘I will definitely get a signed Polaroid during this comeback!’

The time had come to generously spend the money she had been saving.