Chapter 138
The Rock I Raised on My Back
The stage was filled with only a quiet stillness.
So deep was the silence that even breaths seemed to vanish. In the center, Lucian slowly lifted his head.
His eyes, fixed on the center of the stage, shone sharply.
Next to him, Kang Eun-gyeol stretched his neck from side to side.
The cracking sound of his joints echoed like they might shatter, and a dangerous smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
Baek Do-ha, Cha Eun-gyeol, Ha Jin-woo.
The three of them slowly assumed their positions.
The air felt heavy, pressing down on the stage, charged with tension.
“…What’s with that expression?”
One of the Spectrum members muttered in the waiting room.
Lumys on the monitor looked completely different from usual.
There was no gentle smile, no warm gaze—everything familiar had vanished.
‘Something… about him is scary.’
Someone swallowed nervously.
At that moment—
BANG!
With a thunderous sound, dubstep ripped through the studio, shaking the stage.
Through the flashing psy-graphics, the silhouettes of all 19 members appeared clearly.
“…!”
Members of Eternal and Harmonics, who had been scattered to the sides of the stage, all turned their heads at once.
Their gazes, sharp like blades, fixed on Lumys as if staring down an enemy.
THUD!
Baek Do-ha dashed toward the center of the stage.
The pounding of his steps echoed as the main dancer of Eternal stepped forward to block him.
“…….”
The two faced each other.
Eyes locked, a tense standoff unfolded.
A fleeting silence.
WHOOSH!
Baek Do-ha’s right fist shot forward.
CLAP!
The Eternal main dancer blocked the punch with his left arm.
WHOOSH!
This time, the Eternal main dancer’s hook flew rapidly toward Baek Do-ha.
WHOOSH!
Baek Do-ha spun his body and countered with a back kick.
His foot cut through the air, whistling sharply, and the Eternal main dancer leaned back, using the momentum to backflip and evade.
“Wow…!”
“This is insane!”
The waiting room buzzed.
Even knowing it was choreography, the intensity made hearts race.
“Yah!”
At that moment, the Harmonics main dancer charged at Baek Do-ha.
“!”
Then… the Eternal main dancer pushed Baek Do-ha aside and took the hit instead.
Weren’t they fighting just a moment ago?
Why the sudden teamwork?
Curiosity filled the eyes of Team Vertex members watching the monitors.
“Ughah!”
With someone’s shout, the rest erupted.
“Yahaa!”
The 16 scattered members surged toward the center like a wave.
In an instant, all 19 collided, and the fight scene exploded on stage.
“W-w! Watch out!”
“Careful behind!”
The overly immersed waiting room members shouted at the monitors.
Then.
Baek Do-ha placed his clasped hands on his knees to create a launch pad.
THUD!
The Eternal main dancer jumped off his hands.
WHOOSH!
Spinning once in the air, when he landed, Baek Do-ha, the Eternal main dancer, and the Harmonics main dancer formed a triangle back-to-back.
The remaining 16 surrounded them.
“……Oh.”
The Chinese stage director in the master seat widened his eyes.
‘Yesterday’s enemies… today’s teammates. Is that it?’
They stepped on each other, flew through the air, supported one another, and moved as one.
What they were showing wasn’t just fighting.
It wasn’t hostility—they were expressing cooperation.
After a brief pause, the action resumed.
“Ughaa!”
Cha Eun-gyeol charged at the Harmonics members but was pushed back by the wall they had formed.
“Eun-gyeol!”
The Eternal members shouted. Cha Eun-gyeol nodded and ran toward them; three Eternal members formed a platform with their feet.
WHOOSH!
Launched into the air, Cha Eun-gyeol jumped over the wall made by Harmonics, and Lumys members waiting behind caught him.
‘Alone, I’ll get stuck. I’ll collide. But…’
A smirk appeared on Baek Seo-yoon’s face.
‘Together, we can soar.’
It was so Lumys. A message true to them.
As the 19 idols moved continuously, borders, languages, and styles that once felt like barriers now became wings.
THUD!
The dubstep that tore the stage ended with a heavy kick drum.
All 19 dropped to their knees, one hand on the floor, the other on their chest, as if taking an oath.
The studio held its breath.
And slowly, Baek Do-ha raised his head.
WHOOSH!
As his hand reached toward the sky, the other 18 simultaneously extended theirs.
BANG!
With a massive explosion, the lights dimmed, and smoke rolled across the stage.
Idols in the waiting room watched the monitors silently, while the masters couldn’t tear their eyes away, pens in hand, scripts untouched.
♪♫ – !
“She’s so bad, but she’s so attractive. Can’t take my eyes off her. She’s so bad!”
Cha Eun-gyeol’s soft voice echoed through the studio as the lights gradually brightened.
Baek Do-ha, the Eternal main dancer, and the Harmonics main dancer—the three main dancers—stood in the center.
THUMP-CLAP! THUMP-CLAP!
Heavy kicks and sharp snares played a rhythm the whole world had probably heard at least once.
“Uh?”
“No way…”
Han Jin-seo leaned forward.
♪♫ –
A dreamy pad sound erupted.
It was the intro to “Bad,” the legendary song by the pop legend “Miracle.”
The Harmonics main dancer on the left began slowly moving his neck in a circle.
His shoulders rolled back and forth, flowing like a wave.
His chest circled, hips drew a figure-eight—his joints moved freely, like a boneless creature.
The Eternal main dancer on the right joined in.
The same moves, but slightly different timing—sometimes half a beat late, sometimes half a beat early—creating a mesmerizing effect.
Finally, Baek Do-ha in the center joined.
Their movements were identical, yet the timing was subtly off, like a buffering video.
Sssss!
The beat muted briefly, and the 16 kneeling members at the back slowly began to move—one by one.
Slowly. Very slowly.
The Harmonics member in the back picked up a black fedora left behind and passed it to an Eternal member.
The Eternal member passed it to a Lumys member.
Hand to hand, group to group.
All 19 black fedoras floated across the stage.
Finally, everyone held one.
Second row. Zigzag formation.
WHOOSH!
All 19 pressed the fedoras down over their faces at once.
“She’s so bad!”
All 19 shouted forward together.
♪♫ – !
THUMP-CLAP! THUMP-CLAP!
With the explosive sound, the Eternal main dancer in the center spun on one foot, turning completely sideways.
WHOOSH!
The other 18 mirrored him. In zigzag formation, all 19 faced the same direction.
Slide—
Raising the right heel, pushing the left foot back, then switching—classic moonwalk.
“Wow!!!”
“Moonwalk!?”
While anyone can do it with practice, 19 moving together in perfect sync was breathtaking.
Perfect synchronization. Not a single misstep. Not a single break in form.
The camera shifted to a top-down view.
19 moving together, forming circles, lines, scattering again—a massive pattern.
Groups from different countries, languages, and cultures became one team in that moment: Team Alpha.
“…Amazing.”
“This is insane.”
Exclamations erupted in the waiting room, some gaping at the monitor in awe.
The outro approached.
“She’s so!”
The Eternal main vocalist spun once and shouted.
“She’s so!”
The Harmonics main vocalist hit impossible high notes, building harmonies that could pierce the ceiling.
“She’s so!”
Cha Eun-gyeol’s soft voice joined, blending with the other two.
“She’s so bad!”
As the 19-part harmony exploded, all movement stopped.
Everyone stood at attention, heads bowed, fedoras hiding their faces, adding a mysterious air.
Lights dimmed, and Team Alpha vanished into the darkness.
Team Vertex’s stage followed—and it was no less impressive.
19 members from Spectrum, Nova, and Revery took a completely different approach.
Like a musical, the stage focused on storytelling.
Past, present, and future.
The three groups’ struggles and growth were woven into one narrative.
Revery’s issue was cleverly used—they switched the military uniforms from their first stage into white outfits, expanding the story.
The message was clear: not denying the past, but stepping forward into the future. A redemption for Revery’s image.
“Honestly, I was worried at first. How could three groups with different cultures and styles harmonize…?”
The masters’ feedback followed:
“Perfect! They showed cooperation through dance, unity! Each group didn’t lose color; they shone from their own position…”
“The stage was well-structured. The focus wasn’t just performance—it was conveying a message…”
“Both teams captured this stage’s theme of ‘Collaboration’ in their own way!”
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
This was because of the unique system of RISE: Road to Global.
Episode 1 shows group identity; episode 2 focuses on collaboration; episodes 3 and 4 follow, with no rankings or eliminations.
Global fan votes alone decide the winner, so the masters only provide advice and feedback.
No eliminations—but there is a final winner.
After feedback for the two teams ended, the six groups sat in their waiting seats for the next stage.
BANG!
A familiar sound effect signaled new text on the screen.
“!”
Lumys and Spectrum members’ eyes locked in mid-air.
They had seen this theme in RE:VIVAL.
“REMAKE!”
The MC’s voice echoed in the studio.
“Here is the theme for the next stage!”
