208 - Upki Girl

< The Joy of Watching Ripples > What were you doing just now with the Upkygirl members? “Ah... the pep rally?” “Yes.” Tina and Jisun responded with bright smiles on their faces. “Yona told us that you need this to feel at ease, Director.” “It’s become like a ritual we can’t skip anymore.” “We're just doing it for fun...” “Since you’re our manager now, shouldn’t we do something too? Something like that.” “I really want to test if it actually relaxes me or not, hehe.” Since my body is practically considered public property, I wouldn’t mind. But even for public property, it's limited to Upkygirl, right? I observed the Upkygirl members closely. They were like racehorses running straight ahead, or five generals marching into battle, heading unwaveringly to the studio. Even if the girls weren’t watching, hugging seemed too much. Maybe a high-five would do? Just as I was thinking that, Gaon, the lively spirit and mood-maker of Rippl, playfully snuggled into my arms. “I’ll do my best, heehee.” “Yes, yes...” It's different. The sensation that hits my senses with these Rippl girls is entirely different! Are you watching, Yoo Eunbit? This is what womanhood is all about! Not just another member of the family, but a female entity that stirs my senses and hormones! Once Gaon took the first step, the other members followed suit, hesitantly, playfully, and took turns hugging me. Or rather, it was more accurate to say they embraced me. Jisun, for instance, in her heeled ankle boots, was taller than me. Not knowing where to place my hands, I awkwardly hovered them near Jisun’s shoulder blades and remarked: “Wow, Jisun, you’re really tall... you’re taller than me, right?” “Aing!” Apparently displeased with my comment about her height, Jisun playfully pushed against my chest. Cute. There’s a unique charm in tall women’s playful gestures. Considering a woman in heels, I might have imagined my perfect type being no taller than 170cm, but this assumption seems a bit shaken. Despite Haeun and Tina being 171cm and 173cm respectively, the height difference was hardly noticeable due to their shoe heels, yet they exuded a delicate and cute feminine charm. Tina, the last one in the pep rally line-up, requested some words of encouragement before hugging me. “I’m really nervous. If we don’t do well, Upkygirl gets a bad rep too. You’re like the father of Upkygirl. Can you say something?” The father of Upkygirl? Now I’m embarrassed. When women take the first step like this, it makes me feel a bit timid. Looking away into the air, I gently patted her shoulder and mumbled words that bypassed my brain and came straight from my mouth: “Even if you slip a bit during rehearsal, as long as you nail the main stage, it's fine. Isn't it better to make mistakes during rehearsal if you're going to anyway...?” “Wow, amazing. It didn’t sound like just empty words—it genuinely hit home. It's really effective?” “Glad to hear that...” After the pep rally, they briskly headed to the studio. Jangwoo and I followed after them. The other teams in the hallway had witnessed the whole scene. Passing by the waiting rooms of Mayqueens and GIG, Yujin teased me: “Quite popular, huh? Anyone would think you’re the celebrity, not the director.” Honestly, I prefer this straightforward type. I exchanged a nod with the Mayqueens and GIG managers behind me, then casually replied to Yujin. “What, you want some too?” “No, thanks.” “How come you didn’t hang out in our waiting room today?” With typical candor, she answered. “What are you talking about? It’s a rivalry between GIG and Rippl over who gets eliminated today. You think I'd go in there?” “Oh, I see. Did you practice a lot?” “We've been going harder than usual. Feels like we might win today.” “Confident, I see.” “Uh-huh.” Yujin shrugged her shoulders, exuding her unique confidence. Following her was Hyejin, the lead girl of GIG and Yoo Eunbit’s complete model before Rippl, displaying her cute talent: “Director Myunoh, we want to stay one more week. Will you help us, pleaaase?” Not all playful gestures are the same. Hyejin’s skillful cuteness had a kawaii point +500 that resonated in my ears. I couldn’t help but smile like a doting uncle. Pretending to wipe my nose, I covered my mouth to hide my smile. But I was too late, and GIG spotted me, leaving me to become the butt of their jokes. “Oh? Director Myuno's got that expression again!” “Adding another meme~” “Just laugh easily!” Even being teased didn’t feel too bad. It felt like being a popular student teacher assigned to a girls' high school. Girl groups are always right. “What are you doing, oppa! Hurry up!” “Oh, oh! Coming, damn it!” The unintended slip of a swear word brought another burst of laughter. *** The collaboration by Upkybamm for the song choice was ‘Werther’ by ‘Unlimited,’ which had won Best Boy Group Performance at the year-end music awards. A moombahton genre song that was popular for the past two years, it features poignant lyrics inspired by Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, presented in letter form. Since the lyrics are from a man's perspective, a female perspective switch was needed. Hong took charge of rewriting the lyrics, reinterpreting them into a reply from Lotte to Werther, opposite to the original. The choreography adaptation was handled by Yona, Tina, and Riya, focusing more on highlighting the individual charm and style of each member rather than strict group synchrony. “Thank you!” “Oh, that was good.” The rehearsal for Upkybamm ended successfully with praise from the production team. Throughout practice, the members of Rippl were quite worried, but the reasons why I and the hum-humming staff weren't concerned were clearly showcased on stage. Their vocal abilities might not have reached the level of other teams, and they were considered elimination candidates because of their mature vibe. But when it came to performance, they were always among the top tiers. The Upkygirl members covered Rippl's lacking vocals and mature aura. The song ‘Werther’ itself emphasized sexy breathing techniques and emotional delivery over vocal prowess, allowing Rippl's vocal line to manage just fine. After the camera rehearsal of the four joint teams ended, main producer Kim Gyucheol and writer Wang also shared their positive views. “Hmm, wasn't Rippl surprisingly good? I feel like I saw a new side of them.” “Yes, I liked it too. I was particularly surprised that they managed to shed that old-fashioned image.” “That’s why producing is crucial. Just setting the right color can make such a difference. The Upkygirl kids led really well.” “This week might be a turning point for Rippl.” “If they hit first place today and Upkygirl gives them 20 additional points, they might go another week. Upkygirl doesn’t really need the points, so they'd probably do that.” The production team knew exactly what our best-case scenario was. On the other hand, despite Yujin's confidence, Queen’s Dignity (the Mayqueens and GIG alliance) seemed to fall short of expectations. In trying to do too well, they ended up over-exerting themselves, which made it a bit overwhelming. Of course, if they corrected the problems seen during rehearsals and proceed with the main performance, it could turn out well, though it's uncertain how much feedback can be implemented in such a short time. It was a moment where the stage experience of Rippl, who appeared relaxed and natural once on stage despite feeling nervous beforehand, was rated highly. Nevertheless, GIG’s potential advancement was still significant. Even if we take first place and give them all the 20 points, they are currently 8 points ahead of Rippl, so securing just 13 points allows them to advance independently. After the final rehearsal ended, a bonus game recording with additional points at stake started on stage. Each week before the main performance, two bonus games are held. One is a simple recreation game, while the other is called ‘Luck is Skill.’ The latter distributes points based on luck-based games like ladder climbing or spinning wheels, irrelevant to talent as singers or entertainers. GIG took 5 points from these two games. This means that even if they place third in the main performance, Rippl would be eliminated. Mayqueens, who teamed up with GIG, also likely intend to pool their points in GIG’s favor. With everything drawing to an unpredictable conclusion, the production team and MCs were thrilled. “Wow. Looking at it this way, we really can’t tell how this will go.” “Yes, this is precisely why Rippl is a joy to watch.” “But hold on a second.” “Yes?” “Eunbit of Upkygirl hasn’t looked happy since a while ago. Eunbit, why do you look so upset?” “I’m frustrated...” “Hahaha, what’s making you so frustrated? You’re not still brooding over losing that game earlier, right?” “Yes...” “Hahaha!” The MCs were elated with Eunbit's candid answer. From Eunbit’s perspective, there was reason to feel that way. Today's recreational game was ‘Dibidibidip,’ a game where you lose if you mirror the same pose. Added was a rule where the person who wins rock-paper-scissors can choose their opponent for the game. The team we faced was GIG, and Hyejin, their representative, easily picked and defeated game-challenged Eunbit to secure victory. Eunbit must have felt awful losing to today's key rival, GIG. Words of apology tumbled from her to the Rippl members throughout the talk, catching the MCs’ attention in the end. “Well, what can you do? It’s because Eunbit isn’t good at games.” “Yes... if I were to blame someone, it would be myself. And of course, I would give credit to Hyejin for the victory.” “Hahaha! What honor suddenly! You should be congratulating her.” “Oh, congratulations! Haha!” So simple. Moments ago, she seemed downcast, now she was cracking up at her own verbal blunder. Thus, she grabbed another piece of the spotlight again. Recently, Eunbit earned a new nickname. Among Rippl's devoted viewers, she's called the ‘Bitt Coin’ for her incredible knack for mining screen time. The focal point of today’s show was condensed to Upkybamm and Queen’s Dignity. After the bonus game recording ended, the judges took their seats, and the main performance commenced starting with the first stage by the Love One and Your Girl alliance. Queen’s Dignity performed third. However, they failed to amend the forced strain criticized during rehearsal and faced harsh feedback from the judges. “Let’s hear from PD Song Hyunwoo first.” “Yes, I watched with interest. Um... my expectations for this collaboration were twofold. First, I hoped for a fusion of distinct energies from the two teams, generating unexpected freshness. Alternatively, I wanted to see a harmony and naturalness as if they were a single team from the start. But on Queen’s Dignity’s stage, I felt neither. It seemed like two teams were just doing their own thing. It wouldn’t matter if it were a friendly competition, but the desire to outshine one another was too palpable.” Indeed, expert assessment sheds a different light. They succinctly capture vague notions in precise language and expression. Taejin, fully agreeing with PD Song Hyunwoo’s critique, cleverly referenced their team name with a sharp, witty one-liner. “Everyone trying to be a queen turned the stage into a battlefield.” As a result, Queen's Dignity received the lowest score among the three teams, placing third. It was unexpected, but from our perspective, it couldn't have been better. Even if we secured just the second place, Rippl would advance to the next round. Then Upkybamm took the stage one last time. Having heard about Upkybamm's rehearsal stage, the judges naturally held high expectations, and Upkygirl had become a team that constantly exceeded those expectations. That’s the burden of being number one. Fortunately, Upkygirl and Rippl, being adept performers, demonstrated skills beyond their rehearsal level. "This is it. If you can't show freshness, achieving harmony as if you were one team is the best." "Thank you!" After PD Song Hyunwoo, Ra Yena took the mic, starting with a serious gaze directed at Eunbit. "Eunbit." "Yes." "Oh... I didn’t see it before..." "Yes...?" "You surprisingly have a sexy side, huh?" "Eeeek! Eeek!" Haha, she’s thrilled. Even if she won the grand final, she wouldn’t be this happy. "Now, announce Upkybamm's average score, excluding the highest and lowest marks!" 94.3 points. As expected from the critiques, Upkybamm topped the collaboration mission. Only one step remained: Upkygirl awarding all 20 points to Rippl, saving them from the brink. Everyone predicted this outcome. However, during a brief break, I made an audacious proposal to Rippl. It wasn’t based on any information window or aura, but solely on my own judgment. “Perhaps it’s better just to refuse the points and face elimination.” < The Joy of Watching Ripples > End