From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 335: Performance Day (5)

Because of his confident, outspoken personality, many people didn’t realize Ari was a complete novice in singing, dancing, songwriting, arranging, and more.

Everything he was doing right now was entirely out of his wheelhouse, and the last couple of months had been an insane crash course in trying to absorb as much information as he could.

While things had been decent, and he had been given freedom when arranging things, he still felt a bit restricted at times since he couldn’t thoroughly do everything he wanted to do.

So when he was given the platform to do basically whatever he wanted, Ari had three goals he wanted to accomplish.

1. A great song that reflected each teammate’s opinion and gave each person a chance to stand out while adhering to his vision.

2. A visually stunning performance that people couldn’t help but rewatch and talk about.

3. And a performance that was so unbelievably good that even the audience members and judges who didn’t like him had no choice but to put aside their bias and vote him and his team into first place.

And as someone who believed with enough research and effort, anything could be accomplished, the song had turned out well, but their midterm evaluation had turned out badly.

Why?

Was it that the team lacked practice?

Considering they practically lived in the practice room, definitely not.

Was it that it was an extremely difficult song to sing?

Not particularly.

The lyrics weren’t hard to memorize, and since the team had voices that covered all ends of the spectrum, the song key wasn’t the problem either.

Was it confusing to learn?

No. Ari had used Carlos to make the song guide as well, so that was fine.

So what was the problem?

To put it simply, it was a volume issue when singing live.

When making the song, Ari had split it into two parts: the main melody and lyrics, and the hymn-like chanting in the background that would give it an ominous, villainous vibe.

In his vision, he wanted to perform that part live rather than it being pre-recorded.

And that was the problem.

The chanting was meant to be sung in the vibe of a proper choir, with the dramatic highs and lows that would emphasize different parts of the song, like a highlight.

In the real world, the choir would follow the lead of a conductor.

In the studio version, it could be modulated on a computer.

But singing live while dancing and keeping everything else in mind wasn’t so simple.

During their midterm performance, it had been a mess.

Ari wasn’t lying when he told the judges that most of the problem was his fault, or more specifically, his voice.

Ari’s voice was not just loud; it was very distinct, and if he weren’t careful, he would easily drown others out when singing with them.

With the intense choreography and numerous parts he had to sing and harmonize on, he had difficulty moderating his voice for the background chanting and would sometimes drown out the main singer.

The same problem applied to another teammate as well.

Carlos also had a very loud, recognizable voice, and while he was much better at modulating his voice due to choir experience, since he was singing most of the high notes throughout the entire song, he needed time to catch his breath while still performing the choreography.

So they were at a standstill.

Give up his vision or figure something else out.

Maybe it was his inherent selfishness Chloé had mentioned, but he didn’t want to give up his vision after working so hard to create it, so he had to look for alternatives.

The production crew was unwilling to repeatedly adjust the microphone volume during the performance, and the two main vocalists were unable to stably contribute to one of the song’s most important parts, so the team had to rearrange things.

Ari and Carlos couldn’t give up their parts, but someone had to take the lead and step into the background to make sure the other part of the song was performed to the highest standard.

And the person who did that was Suzuki Rei.

The boy who had started off picking a fight with Ari in the beginning over a seat and a bed was now one of the hardest workers who didn’t mind not being in the center.

He volunteered to take a back seat and handle that tricky part because he was the only one who could.

While his voice wasn’t particularly distinctive, he was a good singer who could carry the melody strongly, a range of lower and mid tones, and lead the chant like a backing chorus without missing a beat.

With Daniel wanting to take a more vocal role this time, even though it wasn’t his specialty, and Levi focusing mainly on rap, Rei was the consistent cornerstone of the background chant, having taken less time in the center to play a supporting role.

He picked up the timing accurately and could help guide Daniel, who was important in covering the low bases.

And because of that, Ari wanted to make sure that Rei’s time in the center was as memorable as it could be.

So he had him start them off.

With a bang.

What did that bang entail?

Well...if he was a villain, didn’t he need a cool entrance?

****

"What kind of concept was this?"

Esther couldn’t help but ask as she stared at the foggy stage with the sole robed figure standing there while a scary chant was going on in the background after the other robed figures disappeared into the red smoke.

Pray for me!

Pray for me!

It was like the intro to a horror movie instead of a song performance.

As the fog on the stage lifted slightly and the spotlight shifted and aimed at the figure at the center of the stage, who pulled back the white hood covering his face.

As the hood of the robe was pulled back, the face of a handsome young boy with a red-and-black two-block haircut was revealed.

It was Suzuki Rei who looked like he was back in his element and favorite color palette.

His monolid eyes were painted in red and black eyeshadow, giving him a sultry yet fierce look; his skin looked paler than usual, especially under the red lights, and on his red-tinted lips, a silver lip ring reappeared after a long time.

And as Suzuki Rei smiled, the red contacts in his eyes seemed to glow, and white, pointy fangs appeared.

Then, with a smooth movement, he ripped off the rest of the robe, revealing an outfit with a completely different vibe from the pure-white robe.

Tight leather pants that clung to leanly muscular legs, a black leather vest with buckles all over the front, and short leather gloves.

Combined with the hair, makeup, and fangs, it was a dark concept meant to seduce the viewer.

The moment Esther laid eyes on the unexpected outfit reveal, her hands, heart, and soul shook from shock, and she almost screamed!

’Was this a vampire concept instead of a mythology concept?’

’Actually, forget the concept! What was going on right now? These outfits...’

She could see defined, bare abs, a hint of a V-line, and...

’Wasn’t he just nicely covered up in a robe? So what was going on?’

Out of nowhere, she was seeing a piercing, the muscles, the tight clothing!

Even if he wasn’t her bias, her eyes were being treated to a visual feast since he was handsome.

’And if Suzuki Rei’s outfit under the robe is like this, does that mean that the rest of them are also like this?’

’.....’

Her mind began drifting to the person who was unofficially considered the most handsome contestant with green eyes would look in this outfit, but with a shake of her head, she remembered her bias.

’Daniel!’

’Where are you?’

’Please rip off your clothes too!’

’Noona wants to see it by any means necessary!’

Completely forgetting that she was supposed to be recording a fan cam, Esther began frantically searching the stage for Daniel as her hands began patting her chest.

But due to the fog, she couldn’t see anyone but Suzuki Rei, so, having no choice, she focused back on the only person on the stage as he began to sing in a soft, croonlike voice.

Leaving you impressed,

keeping you obsessed,

Play me on repeat,

I want to live in your head.

With a sexy wink while pointing at his head, Suzuki Rei, who was walking slowly toward the edge of the stage, squatted down while reaching out to the audience in an elegant motion.

Anytime you hurt,

Grab my hand and listen to my voice,

I want to be your sanctuary 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

As the slender, gloved fingers reached out to her, Esther almost reached out to hold his hand before snatching her hand back.

Her eyes seemed to meet his, and she swore he looked almost sad at the fact that she was pulling away.

’No!’

’Wait! I’m sorry! I’ll take your hand!’

As Esther’s hand began reaching out toward the stage so that she could grab Suzuki Rei’s hand, he bowed and disappeared with a dramatic wave of the white robe that had somehow turned black into the fog on the stage.

Before she could figure out where he went, a sweet, angelic voice came from the opposite side of the stage.

Know I’m the only one right now

Who cares for you as it all burns down

Turning her gaze to the side, Esther saw Carlos emerge from the fog.

Utilizing a similar motion to Suzuki Rei, Carlos swept off his white robe, exposing his outfit.

He was revealing his leather pants and a black leather shirt that was slightly open, exposing his bare, muscular chest, a silver cross necklace tapping against it.

His brown eyes had a smoky black shadow around them, and his thick hair was slicked back except for a single curl that fell on his forehead.

As he stared intently at the audience, walking with an unusual cocky swagger toward the center of the stage, Carlos’ recognizable, clear voice rang out.

More than power, more than gold,

Yeah, you’ve given your blood,

Now I’m here for your soul

As Carlos trailed his hand from his neck down to his chest, while undoing a single button of his shirt with one hand, Esther wanted to simultaneously cover her eyes but also move closer to get a better look.

His hands continued to trail down his torso, and hearing the girl beside her shriek while covering her mouth, Esther struggled to regain her composure.

Sure, they looked and sounded good, but so what?

She was only cheering for them because Daniel was on the team.

She wouldn’t lose her composure over a bit of seductiveness even if the seducer was extremely attractive.

As she was resolving herself, a distinct, slightly raspy voice that caught the ear and made the listener want to listen even more than was humanly possible sounded from the center of the stage.

I’m thе only one who’ll love your sins

Eyes wide, Esther whipped toward where the sound was coming from.

In her heart, she knew who it was, but she was waiting for visual confirmation.

Then, he came out.

The first thing she saw was the distinct sea-green cat-shaped eyes, which had reddish-purple eyeshadow on his eyelids and along his bottom lashes, giving him a slightly tired look and making the surrounding skin look quite pale.

His lips were redder than usual, and as Ari opened his mouth with the microphone held to his lips, fangs were exposed.

Watching him smile and step fully into the light, Esther sighed happily as she stared at the beautiful face.

Handsomeness was handsomeness, and she could admire beauty when she saw it.

But when she saw him lick his red lips and his red tongue flick the fangs in annoyance, Esther had to look away as she felt her face begin to burn red.

’That face is dangerous!’

’Focus! Focus on the outfit!’

As her eyes went down, Esther couldn’t help but gasp.

Like the rest of his team, Ari wore leather pants and, over them, a black mesh turtleneck that clung to his body, highlighting his lean muscles, a blood-red mini-cropped jacket, and two studded belts hanging loosely from his waist, as if they would fall off at any instant.

Ariel was the one contestant who never showed bare skin if he could help it.

The most that she had seen were his arms and legs, and he almost always wore baggy clothes, which made his clothing now even more special.

Because even though he was technically fully covered, seeing the flashes of bare skin and how everything fit him well and hugged his body, Esther grudgingly admitted that it looked great on him.

She heard the girl beside her gasp, choke, and then whisper.

"Who the hell allowed you to expose your slutty waist, Ariel?!! Are you trying to kill me? Do you want me to die?"

As if he heard the whisper, Ari’s eyes flickered over as he continued to sing, in that slightly raspy voice of his.

Feel the way my voicе gets underneath your skin

Meeting those green eyes, Esther felt seduced, especially as his finger pointed at her.

As Ari paused and smiled that mischievous smile, he raised his hand, and the wind suddenly blew all of the fog on stage away, exposing the rest of his teammates, standing in dramatic poses.

The blood red lighting changed into plain natural light, allowing the audience to take in each of the contestants.

Dressed in leather, lace, belts, and studs, the outfits were dark, appealing, and extremely seductive.

But all their attention was on the red-haired boy who waved his free hand like a conductor and continued singing.

Because I’m-

(Pray! For! Me!)

As if they were actually a choir, the adlib was sung as a blended yet distinct harmony, allowing the listener to identify the voice of each boy.

Preaching to the choir

(Yahhhhh!)

Fwoooooosh

Matching up with the backing chant, Pyrotechnic flames flared into the air, lighting up the entire stage and making it look briefly like the whole place was on fire.

As screams rang out in the audience, the red-haired mastermind seemed to laugh, while waving his hand as he continued singing.

Can I get the mic a little higher?

(Yahhhhh!)

Fwoooooooosh!

Even hotter red flames rose up on stage.