Chapter 40
“Ah… Judge Baek Seo-yoon?”
The MC, startled by her sharp voice, stepped in to mediate.
But Baek Seo-yoon raised her hand lightly, as if to say she was fine.
“What makes it different?”
Han Jin-seo looked on with a puzzled expression, and murmurs rippled through the audience.
“As I mentioned earlier…”
“Yes, it’s completely different from the original. But LUMIS has fully reinterpreted ‘Burn it up’ in their own narrative for this stage.”
Han Jin-seo narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.
“A stage shrouded in darkness, red lighting casting a shadow of despair, cold steel structures symbolizing a crumbling reality…”
Baek Seo-yoon took a breath and continued.
“I think all of this vividly represented LUMIS’s… no, all idols struggling to survive in this fierce competition.”
Her words began to change the atmosphere in the studio.
The MC adjusted his glasses with interest, and audience members were seen nodding.
“…Exactly.”
The judges’ panel was no different.
Seorin, who knew this industry best, nodded slightly, and the vocal trainer, who could only watch idols face such harsh realities, bit her lip.
“And within that despair, faint but persistent sparks of hope…”
Baek Seo-yoon paused briefly and looked at LUMIS.
The scene was still vivid in her eyes.
“Those weren’t just props. They represented the unextinguished spark of hope for LUMIS, despite ongoing setbacks and failures since their debut, and for every idol in similar circumstances.”
‘…Thank you.’
Lucian bit his lip.
He, who had planned the stage production, had doubted and feared it right up to going on stage.
‘Would anyone really understand this intention?’
But Baek Seo-yoon saw right through it.
She took a breath and continued with a slightly flushed face.
“What was even more amazing was the completeness of the stage direction. After the second verse, they removed masks and changed costumes, giving a sense of rebirth.”
Her voice grew more animated.
“Especially during the dance break, while other members stumbled in despair as if giving up, Doha danced alone, showing, ‘I will escape this hell,’ ‘I won’t give up until the end.’ And even more astonishing was Cian rising alone from the heart of despair.”
A slow smile formed at the corners of her mouth.
“Cian was the spark of hope rising even within these steel structures—this filthy reality. It was like the sun rising at the end of the darkest dawn.”
She shook her head in satisfaction.
“Wow… this is really what people mean when they say someone ‘shines.’”
Her joke drew a light laugh from the audience.
But one person, Han Jin-seo, did not smile.
“If you look at the stage so positively…”
“Not yet.”
Baek Seo-yoon cut him off firmly, and Han Jin-seo’s expression hardened.
“Unlike Blaze Seven’s original ‘Burn it up,’ which sought to burn everything on stage, what LUMIS wanted to ignite was…”
Judges and audience tilted their heads in anticipation.
“The frustrations, failures, and helplessness accumulated since their debut. And at the same time, they wanted to make the small, unextinguished sparks of hope burn even bigger, even hotter.”
A wave of admiration spread through the studio.
The production staff silently nodded as well.
“Burn despair into hope, burn giving up into challenge, burn the sparks of hope into success.”
Baek Seo-yoon smiled gently at LUMIS.
“Isn’t this LUMIS’s true ‘Burn it up’?”
In the waiting room, Luha’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
‘Baek Seo-yoon… still the same.’
As the saying goes, the real ones stick together.
She was one of the few ‘true’ people recognized by Do-hyun.
Baek Seo-yoon’s recognition in the industry had many reasons: overwhelming charisma, outstanding skill. But that wasn’t all.
At least to Jin Do-hyun, her true talent was different.
A sharp eye to find subtle details missed by composers, artists, or even producers, and reinterpret them with a completely new perspective—a true artist’s eye beyond dancers and choreographers.
“This stage was the most fitting interpretation for the theme of the third round RE:DEFINE, ‘redefinition.’ No, it was a stage for a fallen star to shine again. It perfectly expressed the slogan of RE:VIVAL.”
The studio gasped.
It was not a simple review—it was a sharp analysis hitting the heart of the song’s interpretation and stage direction.
Judges, idol members in the waiting room, and even the live evaluation panel nodded.
“The same song, but a completely different story. I thoroughly enjoyed LUMIS’s ‘Burn it up.’”
Baek Seo-yoon bowed sincerely toward LUMIS.
Applause erupted from the audience.
“Hah… Baek Seo-yoon is amazing!”
“Unnie! How did she give such a review? What am I supposed to do?”
The vocal trainer judge and Seorin raised their thumbs in admiration.
“Still, we can’t deny that the essence of the original song was diluted.”
Han Jin-seo picked up the microphone again.
Baek Seo-yoon glanced at him and then responded with a relaxed smile.
“You know ‘Burn it up’ was the song that gave Blaze Seven their first 1st place, right?”
Han Jin-seo trailed off, saying, “Uh…”
“They were desperate once, just like LUMIS.”
Baek Seo-yoon turned her gaze to LUMIS.
“Today, LUMIS didn’t just show a stage. They showed ‘will.’ Don’t worry. Even the Blaze Seven seniors would applaud if they saw this performance today.”
She set the microphone down and clapped energetically.
The audience followed suit with another round of applause.
“Th-thank you!”
The LUMIS members, who had been standing dazed, hurriedly bowed.
Their eyes shone brightly under the lights—the true stars of the stage.
And shortly after,
“Now, we will begin the live evaluation panel voting!”
The MC’s voice rang loudly.
The final stage by Starvolt marked the end of the third round RE:DEFINE.
Six groups stood in a line on stage.
Their faces revealed a mix of confidence, relief, anxiety, and forced neutrality under the spotlight.
“Please give a warm round of applause to the six groups who gave wonderful performances!”
Thunderous cheers erupted, heating the studio with fan excitement.
“Thank you!”
“We love you!”
“Really, thank you!”
“Thanks!”
The idol members waved and clapped toward the audience.
The warm moment lasted briefly.
“Today’s scores are 40% judges, 40% live panel, and…”
The MC looked straight into the camera.
“20% from peer evaluations among participating groups. The final ranking will be determined by this combined score.”
The audience murmured.
The same evaluation method from Round 1 <Who We Are> was applied again.
The idol members who had completed all evaluations remained silent, staring straight ahead.
“All six groups gave excellent performances, but… unfortunately, the first elimination occurs today.”
The camera quickly scanned the faces of the idol members on stage.
The previously bright expressions were gone, replaced by tense, hardened looks.
“The first eliminated group of RE:VIVAL in the third round, RE:DEFINE!”
The MC took a deep breath, raised his arms, and shouted:
“Here are the scores!”
The huge screen behind the stage lit up.
The RE:VIVAL title disappeared, and the screen split into six sections.
Below each group’s name, a ‘0’ blinked ominously.
Everyone held their breath.
Idols, MC, judges, audience, and waiting room staff.
“P-please…!”
Manager Choi Eun-bi held Luha’s small hand tightly in her arms.
Drdrdrdr—
100… 200… 300…
Like a spinning roulette, the numbers quickly climbed with sound effects.
Thud!
With a tremendous sound effect, the stage lights flickered once.
The numbers stopped.
[Chrome – 866 points]
[Beat12Y – 842 points]
[Starvolt – 831 points]
[LUMIS – 828 points]
[Spectrum – 748 points]
[Toybox – 705 points]
Sighs of relief and soft gasps mixed together.
“All group scores are revealed. The first eliminated group of RE:VIVAL is…”
The MC paused. Silence.
“…Toybox.”
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed in the studio, as if hearts dropped to the floor.
A red line was drawn roughly over ‘Toybox’ on the screen, and the bright letters turned gray and blurred.
“Brother…”
“You worked hard.”
“It’s okay.”
“Ah… the stage was really good…”
The survivors on stage approached Toybox one by one.
Hands patted shoulders, eyes glistened red, lips pressed tight.
They had been fierce competitors minutes ago, but now they were comrades sharing the same dream.
The camera moved diligently to capture this touching scene.
“Toybox, please come to the front of the stage.”
Toybox members walked to the center.
Their leader stepped forward, trembling as he received the microphone.
“Ah… uh…”
He finally lowered his head.
“Oh no, what to do…”
Choi Eun-bi covered her mouth.
The relief that LUMIS survived lasted only briefly.
Watching the young people who chased their dreams face disappointment always weighed heavily on one’s heart.
“Please give a big round of applause to Toybox, who has been with RE:VIVAL so far!”
The monitor repeated the MC’s voice.
Idols, judges, staff, audience, and waiting room crew all applauded sincerely.
Toybox repeatedly bowed and then disappeared into the darkness.
Though only a few meters away, this stage was a place where light and shadow coexisted.
“Lu… Luha!”
The small body jumped from Choi Eun-bi’s arms.
“Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.”
Luha answered briefly and hurriedly ran out of the waiting room.
Squeak, thud—
“Oh… even that little one seems to feel pity.”
“Yes, her expression hasn’t been good since earlier.”
Choi Eun-bi and the staff clicked their tongues, watching the little figure.
For a five-year-old to empathize with someone else’s pain, it was both admirable and pitiful.
