Kapitel 8: Grade Evaluation (2)
Jisuk started the song.
Sayonara no mae ni let go
De mo kokoro no meiro no naka de mayou~
His vocals was accompanied by only a piano so his voice really stood out. The vocal mentors were amazed by how beautiful his voice is.
It was followed by Jiwoo. The transition in which the vocalist changed was smooth.
Sutereo kara Mono e, wakaremichi wa sou~
After a single line, Gangseok's rap followed. This is when the beats of the song were introduced to add background and depth. The tone of his voice really matched the song. And his natural groove gave life to the song.
Kore ga chiriyuku sadame naraba, My last letter
Tsudzuru kotoba, kaite wa keshiteru
Kimi e no omoi wa so many to let go, unpuzzle my lego
Moto no katachi ni modorenai level
So be it, don't cry, I'mma let you go and fly
After Gangseok's deep-toned rap, Wooin's rhythmic rap followed. The speed and volume of the beats intensified. In contrast with Gangseok's deep and strong voice when rapping, Wooin's voice was light so it almost sound like he's just singing fast. The combination weirdly worked well.
Sewashinaku suru hibi keeping myself busy
Magirawasu tame umekonda schedule
Demo wasurerarenai yo nouri ni yakisuiteru like tatto
Ana koro niwa modorenai ne
Dekiru koto nara call your name
No.. but uketomeru your blame
Hontou ni it's time to say goodbye
The beats were removed and only the piano remained, emphasizing Jiwoo's vocals again as he sang his part.
Sayonara no mae ni Let go
Demo kokoro no meiro no naka de mayou
Stereo kara mono e wakaremichi wa sou tsudzuku darou
After Jiwoo, Jisuk's voice exploded as he reached the peak of the notes. It was accompanied by fast beats that highlighted his vocal skills. His voice sounded emotional and it made the trainees and mentors feel something while watching.
Ima kimi no te o hanaseru you ni~/////
I gotta let you know~ that I need to let you go~
Hard to say goodbye demo nigenai
I'm ready to let go~
Because Jisuk was the last one to sing his part, they finished the song with him in the center. They were gasping for air as they sang live while dancing.
The mentors and trainees were just staring at them with wide eyes. They were left speechless by their performance. They felt that something is definitely special with Jisuk's voice as it was able to pierce through them with emotions. Although they didn't understand the lyrics as it was in Japanese, Jisuk etched a lonely emotion in them through his singing.
Just as they thought it was over, a second song played and the formation of the four changed.
A distorted sound played. It sounded similar to those of broken speakers. Then heavy and powerful beats followed. It instantly made the audience thought, 'Ahh this is gonna be a dance performance.'
To their shock, Choi Gangseok sang the first part. Yes, DAWN's main rapper sang! And it was amazing. He showed his spectacular rapping skills but they didn't know that he sings just as good.
She got me going crazy, woo
wae simjangi ttwini? Woo
neon areumdawo naui Goddess
dadhyeoitji Yeah, yeah
dudeuril teni nal deulyeo bonaellae?
gamchwojin seurileul julge
After Choi Gangseok, Wooin followed with his amazing vocals. The tone of his voice changed from being light, to something trendy and upbeat.
nundongjaui hogisime
imi neon ppajyeodeuleotgo
Don't be afraid, love is the way
Shawty, I got it
You can call me monster!
Their formation changed and their main dancer, Kang Jiwoo, went in the center. The beats exploded and then the four sang in chorus while dancing. Their voices completely blended.
I'm creepin' in your heart, babe
dwijibgo muneoteurigo samkyeo
geurae neol humchyeo tamnikhae
neol mangchyeo noheul geoya
Their dance moves were addictive and powerful. They were completely in sync and their sharp dance line were showed.
This time, Wooin sang his solo part as their outro.
ne mamsoke gakindoen chae
jukeodo yeongwonhi sallae
Come here girl, you call me monster
(You call me monster)
ne mameuro deuleogalge
They finished their performance. At this point, the mentors did not know what to say. All of them agreed that DAWN's performance was perfect.
"Wow, I got goosebumps."
"Hey, I think I just fell in love with Kang Jisuk."
"Damn. How on earth can their main rapper sing better than me?"
"Right. Even their main dancer can sing better than me. I don't think I can confidently say that I'm a singer anymore."
"So all of them are all-rounders, huh? Damn I badly want them to adopt me."
"Do you think Wooin will give me a song if I ask him?" One trainee asked his friend.
"Of course, not. Why would he waste his songs for you? You should improve your skills first."
The trainees became noisy after witnessing DAWN's performance.
"Your performance was just WOW. Everyone of you was able to highlight their strengths. You planned your performance really well." Lee Seung-gi (mc) praised.
"I really enjoyed your performance. Your first song mainly focused on your vocals and it was an emotional song. Your second song focuses on your dancing skills and it was a strong and powerful song. You were able to show that you can do any type of concepts." Choi Young-joon (dance trainer) said.
"Thank you so much." DAWN said in unison.
"Did Kang Wooin produced these songs too?" Soyou (vocal trainer) asked.
"Ah yes. But the three of them helped me too. Gangseok gave me an idea about the beats cause he knows how to play drums. Jisuk helped me compose the lyrics. Jiwoo helped with eating snacks." Wooin said, teasing his brother again. The people on the set laughed.
"Come on hyung! How am I supposed to help when I was just 12 years old at that time." Jiwoo protested.
"12 years old?" The trainers and trainees looked baffled.
"Ahh... we made these song three years ago." Wooin clarified.
"What the hell..." The people reacted.
"You're a monster." Soyou (vocal trainer) commented. "Can I maybe receive a song after the show's over?" Soyou joked.
"Of course it would be an honor." Wooin said feeling happy and proud.
"Trainee Kang Jisuk... your voice was truly special. You were able to express and convey emotions through your singing. You truly shined in your performance." Lee Hong-gi (vocal trainer) said.
"You did great but..." Bae Yoon-jeong (dance trainer) started and the four felt nervous. "you need to improve your stamina. You were fine after 1 song but after finishing your 2nd song, you were all completely out of breath and you looked like you would lose consciousness at any moment. When you perform at your own concert soon, you need to be able to perform at least 4 songs. So you should work with your stamina." DAWN nodded at her words.
"Who made your choreography?" Bae Yoon-jeong (dance trainer) asked.
"I did." Kang Jiwoo raised his shaking hands.
"Why are you shaking? Do I look like someone who will eat you?"
"A-Ah y-yes..." Jiwoo honestly answered. To everyone's shock, the strict dance trainer actually laughed out loud.
"You're free to join my agency any time." Bae Yoon-jeong said. Again, everyone was shocked as this is the first time that she invited someone.
"Thank you very much!" Jiwoo felt happy that he was recognized.
"Trainee Choi Gangseok.. I really loved your rap and I hope to see you debut successfully and bring more attention to rap artists." Cheetah complimented. "And Kang Wooin.. It says here that you are the lead vocalist of the group. Although you probably prefer singing, I hope that you also practice your rap because you have great potential in it." DAWN thanked them every time they receive compliments.
"Hah.. with such skills, why haven't you debuted yet?" Lee Seung-gi (mc) wondered. "Let me announce the results. Congratulations! All of you received an A." The trainees clapped for them.
The four came back to their seats and the grade evaluation continued.
"Hello! I am Jung Chanwoo, 17 years old." The independent trainee introduced himself.
Wooin suddenly became lost in thoughts as the trainee's face and name was familiar. Jung Chanwoo debuted as a solo artist in his past life. In fact, he was popular. Alongside being a solo artist, he represented Korea in various figure skating competitions around the world. He has soft features and his skin is really pale. He was slim and sexy so a lot of controversies about whether he really is a boy or just pretending to be one. People made jokes about his physique.
Sasaeng fans then revealed that Jung Chanwoo is gay and because of this, he was sexualize a lot. A lot of men joked about wanting to b*ng him (sorry for the word).
[ a sasaeng, or sasaeng fan, is an obsessive fan who stalks or engages in other behavior constituting an invasion of the privacy of Korean idols, drama actors or other public figures]
Unable to bear the constant stare of people and their disrespectful remarks and actions towards him, Jung Chanwoo committed suicide.
The whole nation grieved for him. A lot of people, specially females protested and demanded that government should implement a law against such defamatory actions.
The government then created a law that protects the rights of people against sexual acts.
The Korea improved but they cannot bring back a life that was sacrificed for it.
It was a truly an unfortunate and sad event. Jung Chanwoo's name brought honor in Korea through his participations in figure skating competitions. He brought home with him a lot of awards. And he was also an amazing artist. He was an all-rounder (can sing, dance, and rap). A lot of people who worked with him also praised his attitude and dedication towards his work. The nation really grieved for the loss of such a talented and genuine person.
Wooin willed himself to help Jung Chanwoo this time. Wooin firmly believes that a person's sexual orientation should never be a hindrance in achieving their dreams. Rather, people should accept them as they have done nothing wrong. They are just being themselves.
Wooin wanted to debut with Jung Chanwoo as he also admired Chanwoo's talent. And if they debut together, Wooin would be able to look after him and make sure that he would not commit suicide this time.
Jung Chanwoo was put into B class. At this time, Chanwoo is still nowhere near the level he achieved in Wooin's past life. It was understandable as Chanwoo debuted when he was 20 years old. And right now, Chanwoo is just 17.
'I'll help him improve so he can debut with me.' Wooin thought.
Wooin recalled the people who he wanted to debut with..
Choi Gangseok (his bestfriend) - main rapper
Kang Jiwoo (his brother) - main dancer
Yoo Jisuk - main vocalist
Jay - vocalist and potential leader
Lee Hajin - dancer
Jung Chanwoo - visual or face of the group
Kang Wooin (himself) - producer
'Exactly seven... I just hope that we will be the winners of this survival show.
"THE GRADE EVALUATION ENDS HERE. Congratulations trainees!" Lee Seung-gi (mc) cued. "Now then, please listen carefully for the camp rules."
"This is a two-story building. Here in first floor, we will film ranking announcements as well as eliminations. The second floor is an empty and wide space that we would refer to as the Main Hall. That place is where all of you will gather for mission announcements."
"Beside this main building is a huge building that will serve as your home during your stay here."
"There will be 5 practice rooms, one for each class. Don't worry cause the practice rooms are wide and spacious. It would be more than enough to accommodate all of you. Now, we made a rule that prohibits you to visit other practice rooms aside from yours. For example, trainees in B class cannot go to the practice room of A class, C class, D class, and F class. But! A class trainees are exempted from this rule. They are free to visit any practice room during their free time."
"Your rooms will also be inside the building. 4 trainees will share a room. And take note, you will sleep in double deck beds. So I advice you to be fast in choosing whether you want to be on top or bottom as it's gonna be first come first served basis. Again! A class is an exception cause they will be roomed by pair only. And they will have single beds."
"There is only one canteen, but the dishes served will also be based on your class. Now that you've known how privileged A class is gonna be, I hope that you work hard to dethrone them." The set was filled with noise.
"A class just you wait!"
"Yeaaaah! We're gonna replace you!"
"Now, I'll give you time to assign your roommates. Remember, different classes are not allowed to share the same room. So a B class trainee can only share a room with their fellow B class trainee." The mc finished explaining.
"We can't let the two of you be in the same room. Just thinking of how chaotic the two of you are gonna be, makes my head hurt." Gangseok said, referring to Wooin and Jiwoo.
"Yeah. I'm gonna share a room with Jiwoo. Wooin-hyung should share with Gangseok-hyung." Jisuk agreed with Gangseok.
"Wooin-hyung wants to share a room with me and Jisuk also wants to. Ahhh it's so hard being popular." Jiwoo rubbed the sides of his forehead, faking a headache.
"As if I would like to! Stop assuming!" Wooin retaliated.
Gangseok and Jisuk ignored the two. They still can't understand how the relationship of the two works. Sometimes they (Wooin and Jiwoo) stick to each other and act like lovers and sometimes they are like enemies and continue bickering.
The trainees all slept early as they were certain that tomorrow's gonna be a long day for them.
*Songs used:
Let go by BTS
Monster by EXO
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein