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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Showcase Reaction
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Today was the day of Manwol Boys' debut showcase.
I was lying in bed, waiting for the showcase that would be live-streamed on YouTube.
I'd stumbled across Manwol Boys' MV teaser by chance, got hooked after searching around a bit, and now here I was, tuning in for their debut showcase stage.
Ahead of the showcase, my heart had started pounding without me even realizing it.
'It's about time to start.'
I fixed my eyes on my smartphone screen, watching the chat messages scroll by rapidly.
- When's it starting?
- Is this live?
- Yeah, live stream.
- Kyaa it's 2 o'clock!!!
- Oh, it's starting
The black screen switched, and the Manwol Boys members standing on stage came into view.
The members stood in a line on stage, wearing silver jackets adorned with luxurious drapes.
'Crazy. They look even more handsome than in the teaser?'
- Whoa lololol
- Outfits are pretty
- Visual kings visual kings
The lights went out, and a VCR started playing on screen.
The members were shown standing in a garden bursting with flowers under a full moon. Then, close-ups of each member's face passed by one by one.
Surrounded by vibrant flowers, the members posed by kissing the roses in their hands.
- What's this VCR?
- Fr real visual gods ㅠㅠ
- Concept is insane
- DIEN's visual team went all out this time
I was excitedly typing away while watching the live chat when the lights came on and the stage began.
- Choreo is insane
- DIEN picked a good song this time
- Center guy's my type ㅠㅠ Who's the black-haired one?
I recalled the member reveal posts from Manwol Boys' official SNS and hurriedly sent a chat.
- Center is Jeong Eun-ho!
After finishing the intro choreo, Jeong Eun-ho smiled from the center and began singing.
- smile smile
Blue Sky Below, us
Always with that same smile from back then
Shall we laugh together?
'Whoa. Insane.'
Verse part.
As the start of the song, this was the crucial part for drawing people in with its vibe.
- Kyaaaaaaa
- Timbre is mind-blowing.
- Wow, timbre is so good
- Is this kid the main vocal?
- Vibe is hitting hard ㅠㅠ
How to put it—Jeong Eun-ho's voice definitely pulled at the heartstrings.
His unique, androgynous timbre—not too thick or thin—gave the song a mystical atmosphere.
Staring intently at Jeong Eun-ho on screen, I thought.
'Something about him is mysteriously captivating.'
Round eyes. Gentle smile. Neat features.
His youthful face somehow carried a mature air.
Looking into his deep black eyes, he seemed boyish yet ancient.
An gaze I'd never seen in any boy his age.
'Not quite childlike, I guess.'
Finishing his part, Jeong Eun-ho whipped his black hair as he moved to the back of the formation.
Next, the camera caught Cha Jae-hyun.
- Eyes blindingly
Those shining memories
So they don't shatter
'This kid's voice is no joke either?'
It was just as good as Jeong Eun-ho's from before.
Not as uniquely standout in timbre, but even casually listening, his vocal technique sounded solid.
Fitting for the leader, he had an intellectual, cool-headed vibe. Sharp features outlined in bold lines and fierce eyes that devoured the camera.
An exclamation slipped out before I knew it.
- So good
- Wooow vocal power
- Power wolf award
- Dances so refreshingly well
Next came Baek Si-woo's part.
Baek Si-woo smiled leisurely and threw a wink.
His golden hair and golden eyes sparkled even more brilliantly under the lights, his light and agile dance lines like watching a cat.
The comment section was already exploding.
- Ah so cute ㅠㅠ
- Great facial expressions.
- This one's cat award
- Basically cheese cat right?
- House cat energy lololol
Next, Song Yu-bin stepped forward.
You could tell at a glance he was the main dancer—the way he used his body in the choreo stood out clearly from the others. Clean movements and precise dynamics control.
'He dances well.'
But his facial expressions felt lacking. I'd thought the same during the MV teaser, but seeing his stiff face made me feel sorry for him.
'He's nervous.'
Plus, Baek Si-woo had just nailed the expressions in the previous part, making the contrast even starker.
- Looks nervous.
- Face is stiff.
- Kyaaaa visual feast here
- Looks so cute lol
- Voice sounds a bit stuffy
After Song Yu-bin stared at the camera with a somewhat rigid expression, Eun Hae-sol's part followed.
Eun Hae-sol came forward to the front of the formation.
Silver hair, skin pale to the point of pallor, skinny frame. Dark circles under his eyes stood out.
'Fragile beauty character, huh.'
The camera switched to full cam.
Eun Hae-sol's dancing was lacking compared to the others. Unlike the other members' fluid moves, his were choppy and broken.
I checked the live chat. People seemed to feel the same disappointment as me, with chats pouring in.
- Whoa...
- Dance is kinda...
- Fragile beauty hitting
- Needs to practice dance lol
- Face is my type but disappointing
- Skin is super white
As soon as Eun Hae-sol's somewhat lacking choreo ended, I was once again sucked into the stage.
'Their skills are seriously top-notch.'
The members' flashy group choreo unfolded on screen.
The moment I saw the group choreo, I was left speechless.
'Insane.'
The razor-sharp group sync was of mad quality, and the comments were blowing up.
- Whoa insane ㄷㄷ
- Kyaaaaaaa
- Choreo is epic.
- Is this live? Can hear breathing. So hard to do live while dancing like that.
- Vocals no joke and performance is killer ㅠㅠ
I stared at the screen, entranced.
Just from the debut showcase stage, and I was already this hooked.
Internally, I was already yelling, 'My wallet is yours!'
Then the song's flow started to change.
'High note part coming up around here.'
Cha Jae-hyun slowly moved to the center of the stage.
'High notes by Cha Jae-hyun?'
As expected, Cha Jae-hyun grabbed one earpiece and belted out the high note.
'As expected, Cha Jae-hyun's high note part... Wait, hold up?'
The moment Cha Jae-hyun hit the high note, what sounded like Jeong Eun-ho's voice doubled it from off-camera. Caught off-guard by the sudden doubling, Cha Jae-hyun's slightly flustered face was captured on camera.
- High note insane.
- Wow real vocal power no joke
- Who doubled? Jeong Eun-ho right?
- From his reaction, ad-lib? Looked shocked hearing the double
I was puzzled too.
The doubling fit perfectly, like it was rehearsed.
So what was with Cha Jae-hyun's flustered reaction?
'Was it not planned?'
The song was nearing its end.
With just the last part left, the backing track gradually quieted.
Then the screen switched, showing Song Yu-bin frowning slightly as he sang.
- So we can always be blue
Song Yu-bin's voice cracked at the end. The note definitely slipped.
'Ah, what now...'
Embarrassment mixed with pity washed over me. No matter how good the first impression, isn't the last one what sticks most?
I let out a sigh and checked the chat.
- ?
- ?
- Uh.. lol
- Note slip just now?
- It's fine, it was cute
- Rookies can mess up lol so cute
Most viewers tuning into the live stream were fans of Manwol Boys, so there were no harsh hate comments or bashing. But that was just the live chat.
The day Manwol Boys' debut showcase stage aired, online communities lit up again.
* * *
The moment we got back to the dorm, everyone groaned and shuffled into the room. Only after finishing the debut stage did our tensed-up bodies finally relax.
I flopped my tired body onto the bed. Eun Hae-sol, who came in late, wobbled up to the upper bunk.
"If you're sleeping, say so. I'll turn off the light."
"I'm good."
I turned on my smartphone.
Time to check community reactions. Bad for my mental health, sure, but I needed to know how things were going.
I scrolled through the post list.
[Title]
Manwol's Boys Debut Showcase Today
'Already up. About 800 comments.'
My head was already throbbing. I took a deep breath and clicked the post.
[Comments]
- Oh
- Manwol Boys showcase today?
- These are those jjajangmyeon kids from before
└ That joke's stale now
- Jeong Eun-ho. Cha Jae-hyun. These two killed it.
- Song and MV way better than expected?
- Baek Si-woo so cute ㅠ Added to fave list
- Visuals are killer
- Hooked hard ㅠㅠ
Early comments weren't bad.
But as expected, toward the bottom, people started picking on Song Yu-bin's note slip.
- Note cracked at the very end, right..?
- Did the last kid even practice? lolololol
- Not even that high and wow lololol
I'd expected some talk, but things were flowing worse than I'd imagined.
- Who was the one who cracked?
└ Song Yu-bin. He's just stiff-faced anyway
└ Rookie nerves maybe.
└ Nah, just no talent lol facial acting sucks, note slips, total liability~
- Rookies mess up too. Y'all lack humanity. You never mess up?
└ Don't stan kids with ruined faces from debut~
└ Looked like he didn't even wanna be there lol what mess-up
Scrolling down, one comment made me pause.
- How little effort to still slip like that?
Song Yu-bin didn't put in effort?
I'd watched him work harder than anyone during trainee days.
'Fucking assholes. No low too low for a kid.'
Something boiled up inside me.
I mind-controlled myself and kept scrolling.
- At 2:52, back guy's foot angle off
└ Choreo hole lol
Talk about Eun Hae-sol was starting too.
- Eun Hae-sol? Can't dance.
- Not just foot angle, skills are lacking
- Eun Hae-sol fragile beauty my type
└ Looks frail dancing lol
└ Why'd DIEN debut this kid
'Cause he's the chairman's son...
If word got out Eun Hae-sol was a nepotism pick, it'd be a headache.
- Eun Hae-sol. Song Yu-bin. These two ruin Manwol Boys' powerhouse image lol group with choreo hole and dead eyes is hell for fans..
└ Prophet has arrived
└ Yeah my words will come true~
└ Gonna come true for real;;
└ Overthinking much lolol
Putting Song Yu-bin on the same level as Eun Hae-sol?
'Must be humiliating for Song Yu-bin in every way.'
Comment section full of people tearing into him over one slip, even personal attacks.
'This is dangerous. Already getting the "no effort" image? One more slip and it's set in stone.'
What worried me most was Song Yu-bin facing hate so soon after debut.
With his personality, he'd probably take it to heart and blame himself.
At least the positives outnumbered them.
- DIEN gathered good ones
- Group with vocals and performance? Rare right?
└ These guys will make it
└ Yeah lololol
'Wonder what they say about me.'
I hit 'page search' at the top and searched Jeong Eun-ho.
Comments with Jeong Eun-ho popped up.
- Jeong Eun-ho main vocal
└ Knew it'd be like that lol
- Timbre one-of-a-kind
- Gonna stan cuz of Jeong Eun-ho
- Jeong Eun-ho and Cha Jae-hyun power main vocs
└ Doubled and heart stop
Not bad reactions.
Finished checking the Dakota community.
'One spot left...'
Celebrity gossip board.
A community mainly for malicious celeb posts, aka Yeonjapge for short.
Infamous for bad celeb PR, idol fandoms despised it.
'Gotta see what opinions are up.'
No need to look to know it's trash central, but...
I steeled myself and logged into Yeonjapge.
[Title]
Manwol Boys Who Cracked on Debut Showcase
Already mocking the name like that.
I scrolled down, checking reactions. Posts tearing into the debut stage crack were everywhere.
'No other topics?'
[Title]
Doomed Debut Group Failwol Boys Already Showing Flop Vibes
Clicked the post to check comments.
- Everyone's faces insanely ugly
- Ugh idol faces?
- Look at that skin and leave!
[Failwol Pores Closeup.jpg]
└ Eww went crazy
└ Gross hate pic warning
Mostly brainless personal attacks.
My mental was fraying a bit, but I'd peeked at reactions post-MV teaser, so immunity built up.
'Jobless fucks.'
Skipped reading comments, scrolled fast.
Any weird opinion shapers?
- Song Yu-bin looks like he got nose implants
[Song Yu-bin Side Shot. Obvious Implant.jpg]
'Natural nose, what bullshit?'
The photo had Song Yu-bin's nose bridge edited to bulge weirdly. Photoshopped to look unnatural on purpose.
Clever enough for unaware folks to buy "implants."
Devious tactic, but fans could counter with raw proof shots. The issue was...
[Title]
Manwol Boys Jeong Eun-ho Greedy for High Notes and Screen Time from Debut
Seemed like the serious one was about me.
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