Chapter 62…
Pop! Splash!
Pow-pow-pow!
[Wow]
[Wooooow…]
[…Ah]
[Ohhh…]
“…Jihan, you.”
Everyone held their breath, watching Lee Jihan’s dance.
The reason they couldn’t say anything was actually pretty simple.
Sway! Whirl! Swish!
[Seriously, you]
[Don’t dance, Jihan;;;]
[This isn’t it… this isn’t it…]
…How could a person be perfect at everything?
Even someone confident in using their body would find that dance and sports were two completely different things.
Lee Jihan was, literally—
flailing.
Like one of those inflatable tube men outside a newly opened store, flailing endlessly.
Because he was too focused on hitting the incoming notes, his body’s balance broke apart.
He missed the beat, shattered the rhythm.
It was absurd—how could someone who could control his body so perfectly not be able to dance?
The nonsense of it all was enough to leave everyone with a riddle, while he showed them an unbelievable mess of movement.
[LOOOOOOL]
[No, it’s worse because his face is so serious]
[LMAOOO it’s pissing me off! Pissing me off!]
[Jihan, please… please stop…!]
[What makes it worse is that he’s actually hitting all the notes;;]
[LOL it’s amazing he hasn’t missed a single one]
[He’s just staring at the notes]
[If you watch and time it, it’s easy lol (seriously)]
[LOL it’s funny enough he’s playing like that, but I’ve never seen anyone do it that way before]
[Who even plays Rhythm Poten like that! Ahhh!]
The chatbox ignited.
But already deep in over-focus, Lee Jihan paid no attention to the blazing chat, just glaring at each note and striking it down.
“Jihan, was I… wrong about you?”
Lee Piljae’s trembling voice.
But Jihan, as if he couldn’t hear a thing, kept flailing nonstop.
Like he was possessed, trapped in his own world.
It was infuriating for the viewers, but that was only their perspective.
Lee Jihan was simply dancing with all his might.
Ddan! Swish!
Ttaan! Jjaaan!
Pow-pow, whirl! Swish!
Ddan!
And then, the final move.
“Haa, haa…”
Lee Jihan struck an awkward ending pose, breathing lightly.
[His face alone looks like an ending fairy LOL]
[The process was too brutal tho hahaha]
[I never thought the road to the ending could be this long, hard, and painful…]
[LOL Jihan, please, don’t dance, okay? Please don’t dance…]
[Singing… yeah, maybe try singing instead]
Only then did Jihan glance at the exploding chat.
But humans, whether conceptually or physically, are creatures that cannot see themselves objectively.
“Why’s everyone reacting like that?”
Jihan tilted his head, puzzled at their intense reaction.
“Didn’t I do really well?”
His eyes were sincere.
He genuinely thought he had done well.
“Uh, Jihan. Well, objectively speaking…”
Lee Piljae stammered.
The notes had been struck flawlessly.
From a rhythm-game perspective, score-wise it was perfect.
“So… I guess you did do well.”
And this world was still a game world.
Because there were objective numerical scores, Piljae, with a pained face, reluctantly offered him vague praise.
[LOOOOOOL what do you mean “did well”]
[Well, he did do well, technically]
[Wow, looks like the devs didn’t program for this case at all]
[I’ve never seen Piljae act like this LOL]
[Is he crying or laughing?]
[Both?]
[Lee Piljae: I’m happy but sad, sad but happy]
[LOL too funny]
“But, Jihan… don’t take this the wrong way, okay?”
Piljae’s tone was very hesitant.
In the world of Rhythm Poten, “score” was the closest thing to a pass.
Scores were like ID cards proving a player’s worth.
So he couldn’t outright scold Jihan.
But after watching that atrocious dance, Piljae was visibly conflicted, carefully choosing his words.
[LOL just say it straight, Piljae!]
[You danced like absolute trash!]
[Jihan, please, let’s never dance again!]
“…Maybe work on the aesthetic side of things? Like the acting you showed earlier.”
After much thought, Piljae finally spoke cautiously.
[LOOOOL]
[First time I’ve seen Piljae roast someone so kindly]
[That’s not even roasting, that’s constructive advice]
[At this point he’s just patting him gently]
“Aesthetic side… Got it, I’ll work on that.”
“Y-yeah! Jihan! You’re someone who’ll do great with effort, right? We have to become idols, after all!”
At Jihan’s response, Piljae’s face brightened.
[But will he improve?]
[He’ll manage somehow?]
[He’s never danced before, so…]
“Then Jihan, how about we try singing next?”
And so the next tutorial began.
This time, the setup was similar: notes appeared with rhythm and beat, and he had to match pitch with his voice to hit them.
A very simple mechanic.
Plus, they had bought licenses for popular songs, so there were plenty of familiar and easy-to-sing tracks.
And the tutorial song? Naturally, the trendiest, hottest one these days…
[Oh damn]
[Jihan, do you… not know this song?]
[LOL but somehow he’s keeping up?]
“You’ve got me falling, I’m totally captured. My heart goes pop, pop, bursting.”
[Why’s he singing it in full sentences with pauses??]
[LOL barely hitting the notes but it counts]
[And listen—he’s literally reading the lyrics word by word]
[LOOOL Jihan, you’re really far from music]
[Look at Piljae’s face hahaha]
[He looks like he has no idea what to say]
Jihan’s antics continued.
He read the lyrics like a Korean textbook—slight rhythm but flat, not off-key yet delivered with weird, foreign-accent tones.
Of course, the problem was—
[LOL omg]
[Aside from that weird “lagged” part, his score is insanely high]
[What was with that lag though, buffering??]
[Injecting lyrics.exe]
[Lee Jihan: Ah! I get it! This just repeats!]
[He might not get it—he’s just brute-forcing with raw skill]
[LOL how do you sing with raw physical ability?!]
And indeed, the viewers were right.
It was over-focus.
In that slowed-down perception, Jihan listened first and instantly reacted, doggedly smacking each note right on time.
An impossible scenario.
But what could anyone do? Jihan was always this bizarre monster of an athlete.
“…Jihan?”
From Piljae and the others’ perspective, none of it made sense.
The singing was atrocious, yet the notes stuck perfectly.
[LOL is he hacking?]
[I need to clip this and upload it]
[Ah nope, export ban on this clip]
[Jihan’s humanity is export-banned?]
[LOL protect Jihan! Protect him!]
[LMAO and his avatar looks so pretty too]
[Still, this is hilarious, right?]
[For real, it’s so funny. I’ll think about it when I go to bed tonight LOL]
[Wow, isn’t this too much though?]
[What if idol fans flood in?]
[We’ll apologize for him. “He’s just a pure kid who doesn’t know any better.”]
[Yeah, from now on, we have to protect him;;]
“Run to youuuuu.”
As the final lyric ended, most viewers seemed resigned.
Piljae probably wore the same expression.
“Jihan, so… idol, right?”
Normally, Piljae would’ve snapped back, “Are you really here to be an idol!?”
But once again, the “score” was the problem.
The score was solid.
[Dance: SSS Rank]
[Vocals: A+ Rank]
The system HUD floating before their eyes proved it.
[LOL what even is this]
[Jihan… let’s give up on debut…]
[No, maybe if he gets used to it he’ll be fine…]
[But isn’t this like hell difficulty? How’s he pulling this off…]
[We’re all wondering the same thing. He’s just crazy accurate with notes]
[Wow… this is insane. First tone-deaf idol??]
[LOL usually idols this tone-deaf don’t even get called idols]
[Jihan, I think being an actor would suit you better…]
Jihan ignored the buzzing chat and looked at Piljae with sparkling eyes.
For him, this was just pure fun.
His very first time singing. His very first time dancing.
For a moment, he felt so free.
“Music really has incredible power. I’ll work even harder.”
“Uh—huh? Y-yeah…”
They say you can’t spit on a smiling face.
Or maybe the fans knew his circumstances, which made it harder to be harsh.
[Yeah… as long as Jihan had fun, that’s enough.]
[Why am I tearing up at this…]
[It hurt to listen to, but if you enjoyed yourself, that’s okay.]
[LOL Jihan, let’s keep working hard… who knows, you might get better with practice!]
“Yes, let’s work hard. We’ll definitely debut, Jihan…!”
In the end, the victory went to the scripted prompt.
Caught between aesthetic perspective and objective “score,” Piljae chose the score.
[LOOOOOOL]
[What even is this situation]
The irony made the viewers burst into laughter.
But Jihan remained proud and unshaken.
“Music, huh. Seems like it could turn into a good hobby.”
For him, discovering music for the first time—
it was simply fun.
[?]
[What’s this?]
[??????]
[What’s going on?]
A broadcast like any other.
Except Rhythm Poten dragged on longer than expected.
[In just a week…]
[What the heck happened…]
But viewers’ reactions were totally different from usual.
Full of admiration. Amazement.
[Wow, this is insane]
[How does he even do this?]
Some were even overwhelmed.
The reason was simple.
[In just one week, his singing and dancing improved this much LOL]
His lyrics were delivered cleanly.
Unlike a week ago when he brute-forced the notes, now he adjusted pitch and carried the “intended melody” perfectly.
And his dancing? As if he’d been practicing, he nailed every move.
[Jihan, you win;;]
[You’re the victor.]
[Wow… this is human triumph.]
It showed exactly why he was a beast, a monster.
“…Jihan, I think—we really can debut! Jihan!!”
Of course, for Piljae, who was witnessing the monster Jihan firsthand, it was a whirlpool of impossible emotions.
“Haha, I practiced a ton! Every day I watched YouTube lessons, danced alone, sang alone!”
[Who even tries that hard!!]
[Jihan, it’s just a game! A game!]
[No, for him it’s literally a second life!]
The chat grew rowdy.
Jihan, seeing it, smiled gently.
“Anyway, I feel like I’m getting closer to debut now.”
Just like he said,
he was inching closer to becoming an idol.
Maybe it was just his own delusion, but his scores and progress were proof.
