Chapter 92: First meeting of the groups (2)
Accompanied by a familiar car engine sound, another black commercial vehicle stopped steadily on the side of the road next to the villa.
For a moment, the 20 people who were in a stalemate turned their heads and looked not far away.
In SEXYcode, the guy with the hair wax in a flowered shirt and sunglasses tilted his head and asked his teammate with a square face and a mustache: "Who is it?"
The other party shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Not far away, the car door opened.
The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of black and white canvas shoes, and then a thin boy with pink hair got out of the car.
The moment he saw the other person, Lei Lie was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, "Isn't this the boy who almost fainted backstage at the W music show?"
After he reminded them, the other members also remembered this matter.
Although the other person's face is a little blurry when I think about it now, the pink hair is still impressive.
"It's LEVELUP."
Mo Bei paused and said, "I didn't expect that the boy band we met backstage was actually them."
At that time, they didn't have much time to communicate because the program staff rushed them to go on stage. They thought it was just a chance meeting, but they never thought that fate would be so magical that they would meet again on this program.
On the opposite side, Kim Hyun Jae noticed the tall figure in the crowd in the distance as soon as he got out of the car.
Not long ago, they had met backstage at a music show in Country K. Unexpectedly, the other party was also participating in this show. For a moment, a happy smile appeared on his face.
Not only Kim Hyun Jae, but other members of LEVELUP also noticed Originore and came over at once.
Jiang Xincheng, who didn't know the inside story, quietly poked Sheng Yanyu's arm: "What's going on? Do you know each other?"
"I met him once when I was promoting my music in Country K a while ago."
Sheng Yanyu explained succinctly, "At the time, one of them almost fainted from hypoglycemia. Lei Lie helped him up, and Brother Mo Nan snatched a lollipop from Xiao Tie and gave it to him."
Hearing this, Jiang Xincheng nodded in understanding.
LEVELUP is a boy group that debuted in Country K last year, around the same time as FOREVER. Although both are newcomers, they haven't had much interaction due to their different regions. However, I heard they're quite popular in Country K, having recently won first place in their comeback promotion.
The brown-haired boy who accepted the lollipop and thanked Kim Hyun Jae was LEVELUP's leader, Min Jung Woo. He immediately recognized the tall boy with dark purple hair in the crowd opposite as the one who gave Kim Hyun Jae the lollipop. So he hurriedly said -
"Thank you for last time..."
Unexpectedly, the other party spoke in Chinese. Although with a distinct K country accent, I could still make out the specific meaning.
Lei Lie was a little surprised, "You can actually speak Chinese?"
“Alittle.”
Min Zhengyu smiled a little embarrassedly and held up three fingers: "Study... for three days."
"Only three days of study?"
Not only Lei Lie and Mo Bei, all the Chinese present were shocked.
To be able to speak to this level after only three days of study, his language talent must be extraordinary.
After the captain finished speaking, Jin Xianzai hurriedly said to Mo Bei and Lei Lie: "I also... thank you... you."
Compared to the team leader, Kim Hyun-jae was much more halting when speaking Chinese. He took a long time to finish a short sentence of just six words, and he often had to be reminded by the team leader.
After these two, the remaining three members also bowed to express their gratitude to the people who helped Kim Hyun Jae.
This unexpected experience gave the two groups of members, who were originally strangers to each other, a starting point for conversation, and their relationship began to gradually become closer.
Especially since there is Choi Jun-hee who can speak Korean and Mo Bei who can understand Korean but pretends not to, Originore reduces the loneliness of the five LEVELUP members in a foreign country due to language barriers.
With the help of the two, the five people not only gradually became familiar with the members of Originore, but also began to communicate with the members of FOREVER.
The only thing that is out of tune with this harmonious picture is SEXYcode.
In order to avoid embarrassment, these tough guys who looked like Japanese idiots at first glance had to pretend to be busy and look around the surrounding environment.
"すげー(so awesome)"
"So-敵なおhouse-shiki ですね. Private たちはこれからここにstay むんですか? (This house is really beautiful, shall we live here next?)"
"そうでしょう.でもprivateたちはいったいどの家に日んでいるんですかスタッフに文きますか (Probably. But which building are we staying in? Do we need to ask the staff?)"
Just when Yamada Soichiro was struggling with whether to seek help from the staff on the scene, he saw a brown-haired boy from Country K suddenly speaking to them in Japanese.
"Where do you live?"
Hearing the familiar language suddenly, he was startled and answered subconsciously: "まだ知らない (I don't know yet)"
Hearing this, the other party came over and told them that there were keys with the names of their respective groups written on them on the tree opposite, and there were also signs related to the group on the outer walls of each house.
For a moment, the SEXYcode members who had felt helpless suddenly felt saved.
After hurriedly thanking the other party, Soichiro Yamada and his teammates went to get the key belonging to the group.
Just as they took the key and before the five of them had time to look for it, they saw a tall boy with purple hair pointing diagonally across the street. Following his finger, they saw a palm-sized stick figure of a muscular man taped to the wall.
Compared with the signs on the exterior walls of the remaining houses, it is obvious that this one is the one that best represents SEXYcode.
After thanking Mo Bei, the five of them immediately started to drag their luggage into the house. This time, the other members were very considerate and stepped forward to help.
Sometimes, all it takes is a small gesture to break the ice in a relationship.
The awkward atmosphere between the two sides disappeared at this moment.
For a moment, Yamada Soichiro couldn't help but think: "この子たちはいいですね. (These children are so good.)"
Just as Originore and FOREVER were helping the newly arrived members of LEVELUP and SEXYcode with their luggage, members of the fifth and sixth groups also arrived one after another.
The first to arrive were the Kansai men, a group of seven. As their name suggests, they all hail from the Kansai region of Japan. It's said that the people of this region are known for their outgoing, outgoing nature and love of socializing, often more sociable than those east of Japan's capital.
It turns out that all seven members of Kansai Men are socialites.
As soon as they got off the car, the members took the initiative to greet everyone enthusiastically, saying "Hello" and "An Ning Hasayo". After seeing the SEXYcode, the most enthusiastic blond handsome boy rushed up to give a warm hug to the big brother in sunglasses, Soichiro Yamada.
Takahashi had acted in a TV series with Soichiro Yamada in the past. He didn't expect to meet him again when he came to China to record a variety show, and he was a little excited for a moment.
Soichiro Yamada was obviously a little embarrassed to hug the other person in front of so many people, and quickly patted Takahashi Ang on the back to indicate that it was enough.
Not long after the Kansai men arrived, the last group of guests, Freez, finally appeared.
Unlike the enthusiastic Kansai men, the members of Freez seem to be much more reserved. Unlike SEXYcode, who give off an unapproachable impression due to their appearance, the members of Freez have a sense of alienation.
Very polite, but not enthusiastic enough.
They are the most popular group internationally among the six groups participating in the show. Even SEXYcode, who debuted ten years ago, may not be as popular as them in Japan.
Songs, looks, singing and dancing skills, members' creative ability, stage choreography, every aspect of them is the best in Country K. Even if no one says it explicitly, they are now the undisputed number one boy band in Country K.
As soon as Freez appeared on the stage, LEVELUP, a new idol group from Country K, immediately became nervous.
Having debuted for less than a year, they only met Freez at the year-end awards ceremony. The difference was that they received the Best New Artist award, while Freez received the Best Male Group award.
Freez has won this honor for three consecutive years. If nothing unexpected happens, this honor will continue this year.
Having already won the Newcomer Award, they will now compete for the Best Male Group Award that the other party won.
Although this idea may sound a bit beyond their capabilities, it is a goal they have to challenge.
This is not only what the company expects of them, but also the reality.
The competition in the market is very cruel. If they cannot increase their popularity, more newcomers will debut in the future and squeeze out their living space.
This time, he came to China to participate in this stage competition variety show to prove himself to his fans and to challenge Freez.
As newcomers, losing wasn't shameful, but if they were lucky enough to win once, it would definitely be worth it.
After all the performers arrived, the production team asked them to get back on the bus and move to the studio.
The "Idol Battle" studio is even more spacious than the "Youth Project" studio, and the entire stage is shaped like a regular hexagon. The stage color is a fiery, passionate red. The tense atmosphere of the stage competition is immediately felt upon entering the studio.
Rows of stepped seats were set up around the hexagonal stage, which served as seats for the performers. Each side represented a group.
Under the guidance of the on-site staff, everyone found their respective areas and took their seats. Then, three lines of words appeared on the big screen on the stage, one in Chinese, one in Korean, and one in Japanese - Please introduce yourself.
Obviously, this is the self-introduction segment arranged by the program team.
While the vast majority of viewers recognize the performers, there are also some who are completely new to the show and don't pay attention to the entertainment industries of other countries. Furthermore, some of the performers have debuted for less than a year, so we can't expect everyone to know them.
This is not only an opportunity to get to know the performers, but also an opportunity to introduce yourself to the audience.
So starting with Originore, who debuted the latest, everyone introduced themselves with the same enthusiasm they had when they first participated in the "Youth Project" auditions.
After one round, the next one is FOREVER, who are also from the Chinese idol camp.
"I'm Jiang Xincheng, the captain of FOREVER."
"This is Liu Yuan, the high-pitched singer in our team. The one in red is our main dancer, Feng Ziyu. He's a great dancer, not inferior to Brother Yanyu."
"The one who looks the cutest is Song Keyu, the youngest on our team. The tallest guy next to him is Yao Zhaoyuan, the most athletic one on our team. He's really good at basketball."
Hearing this, Zheng Xingye immediately became excited and said, "I can play basketball too. We can play a game later."
The program team arranged real-time translation for the self-introduction part, so there was no communication barrier.
After FOREVER finished the introduction, it was the turn of the contestant from Country J.
First up was SEXYcode, the group that's been in the industry the longest. The leader, Soichiro Yamada, was a man in a floral shirt and sunglasses. With a square face, a mustache, and a thick chain around his neck, he looked like an unlikely figure. But in reality, this man, Takaya Yamashita, was the group's lead vocalist. He was not only a talented singer but also incredibly skilled at housework. In Japanese parlance, he was full of feminine energy.
The shortest guy next to him, Naoto Okayama, is the main dancer of the team. He is good at hip-hop and has won many awards in international dance competitions.
The other most handsome man in overalls is Shuichi Kazama, the team's other vocalist and face. The last guy, whose features aren't very distinct, is Mine Uzaki, the team's other main dancer. He's said to be quite good at popping.
Compared with the first three groups' standard self-introductions, the Kansai men's performance was much more unconventional.
They seemed to have prepared their introductions beforehand, introducing themselves and their group in a dramatic way. While the language barrier prevented them from catching the jokes, they seemed quite happy. If nothing else, they were definitely the most impressive group to have introduced themselves so far.
As for the remaining two groups of performers from Country K, Freez's popularity is evident, so their introduction is relatively brief. However, when it comes to their works, many people have already come across some of their songs on short videos.
Leader Song Kang-ha is the true heart and soul of their group. Not only is he a talented singer-songwriter, but his stage presence is also exceptional. It's worth noting that he wrote many of their songs.
Of the remaining four members, Kwon Min-woo is the most popular face of the group. He is known to the general public in China for starring in a popular idol drama.
Ivan is a citizen of M country with K descent. His real name is Han Sangyeop and he is the rap leader of the team.
Baek Soo Min is the team's youngest member and main dancer, while Hong Seung Hee is the team's lead vocalist, known for her solid singing skills and infectious live performances.
Each of the five members of LEVELUP is a very good singer, and their average vocal level is better than any other boy group active at the same time. Even Freez, as a senior, cannot match their vocal skills.
It is precisely because of their outstanding singing skills that the foundation of the LEVELUP music boy group was laid.
Among these people, the most outstanding vocal skills are those of the youngest member Kim Hyun-jae and the lead singer Lee Jae-hee.
The former excels in tone and technique, while the latter excels in natural physical function and stability in live performance.
After all the performers had introduced themselves, the lights in the studio suddenly lit up.
I saw subtitles with the Three Kingdoms language starting to scroll on the screen -
【Welcome to "Idol Battle" everyone. 】
[You will spend a fulfilling time here in the next two months.]
[The stage is the soul of the idol profession. A qualified and outstanding idol must have excellent stage performance skills.]
[In the next week, you will need to prepare for the first round of stage competition.]
【The repertoire of the performance will be decided by you.】
【It should be noted that this must be the group's own representative piece.】
[One week later, everyone will be performing on this stage for all the viewers watching the live show.]
[Of course, don't be too nervous, as no one will be eliminated in the first round.]
Seeing this, the originally tense atmosphere at the scene suddenly eased.
Fortunately, they were given time to adapt and not eliminated right away. Otherwise, it would have been so embarrassing.
It's okay for newcomers; losing to seniors isn't shameful. But if veterans who have debuted for years lose, especially to opponents from other countries, then the shame isn't just a matter for the group.
Of course, as idols who have debuted for many years, they do not allow themselves to fail.
This matter concerns the honor of the group and the self-esteem of each of them.
But the program crew is still the program crew after all, so they will naturally not miss the opportunity to make trouble.
The next sentence on the screen instantly ignited the atmosphere at the scene -
[Now let's announce the order of appearance for the first round of performances.]
[Friendly reminder: The order of appearances in this performance will be determined by the number of followers each member has on mainstream social media platforms in their country (only official group accounts will be counted; personal accounts are not included in the calculation.)]
Everyone: “!!!”
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