Idol Revive: If I Don't Debut, I'll Disappear

The group then returned to their waiting room, their eyes burning in passion. As soon as they entered, Plotter immediately noticed the lights in their eyes.

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah. Those bombs actually looked down on us!" Xi Huan exclaimed.

"Bombs? You mean ATOMIC? Did you have an altercation with another group before you even debuted?"

"Not really," Adrian said, explaining the encounter earlier.

Suddenly, Plotter smiled. "Well, well. Don't you just have to teach them a lesson?"

"That's what I told them!" Xi Huan said.

Plotter nodded in satisfaction. Immediately, Rayen felt a bad omen coming.

'What the hell are you planning?'

"Anyway, the fans sent you lunch boxes. Make sure to thank them."

Upon hearing the news, Rayen's eyes immediately lit up, his earlier annoyance thoroughly vanishing in oblivion. Before anyone even reacted, he was already in front of the stacked lunch boxes.

'Lunch boxes in the morning? Edens are really good!'

Rayen was just about to dig in, when suddenly, Yeo Haru stopped him.

"Hey, hey, hey, bro. Don't eat yet!"

Rayen glanced back at him. "Why not?"

"We need to take pictures first! Oh, I will be the one to upload it, okay? No one will take away my role of uploading pictures!"

'No one was even planning to do that.'

"Just hurry up! I'm hungry!" Rayen complained.

With Rayen's urging, Yeo Haru hurriedly took photos of the food for a gratitude post. Yeo Haru also took a bunch of selfies and then asked his teammates to line up and strike a pose with the lunch boxes in their hands. Later, he would upload it to their IdolVerse account.

Then, Mr. Big News also remembered the request he received on Y and specifically asked Adrian if he could take a separate selfie with him.

Once Yeo Haru and Mr. Big News were done, Rayen immediately pounced on the food.

'Wait, am I forgetting something?'

But then, with the food before him, this thought quickly got shelved at the back of his mind.

...

A few hours and practice trials for the Rookie of the Week's performance later, the live broadcast of Top Song finally began.

Edens silently waited for SEEDZ's turn on the stage. Among them was Minji. SEEDZ Official announced that the group had been chosen for the Rookie of the Week Segment and also posted the qualifications for the live-broadcast audience.

[Audiences will be chosen from fans who:

1. Must be a registered member of the official fan club.

2. Voted at least 100 times for a SEEDZ member during the show.

3. Must have bought all versions of the physical album.

4. 15 years old and above.

...

Please submit proof of all the above requirements in the online application form.]

'Whew... I barely made it.'

When she learned that she's qualified for broadcast viewers, she willingly skipped school today just so she could see SEEDZ's first-ever showcase! No way she would ever miss this core memory stage!

She could afford missing a day in school, but she couldn't afford missing this once-in-a-lifetime performance onstage.

As Edens filled the whole venue, the starting time silently arrived. Since they still have no official lightstick, Minji just brought a green cheering light she bought from a random shop, which she customised according to her own wishes.

Looking at the fat lightstick, she was reminded of cactuses, so she just drew a flower crown at the top using a red marker. She had also wanted to add some thorns, but feared it might get confiscated, so she refrained.

Now, she has a mini Rayen cactus!

Well, except for the flower crown, everyone from Eden brought the same colored light sticks. This was what they agreed on the forums, after all.

Not only were Edens watching out for SEEDZ's performance. Even the other idols in the backstage area quietly waited for the live broadcast to begin.

Finally, one by one, the members of SEEDZ ascended to the stage. As soon as everyone gathered around, they were met with an ocean of green lights. The screams were also deafening.

They thought they were already used to the audience back in their survival show days, but being on this stage seemed different.

They weren't participants now, and these people weren't here to support just a single member. They were here to support the whole group.

"SEEDZ! SEEDZ!"

When the crew signaled for the start of the live broadcast, the fans quietened down and the hosts immediately began with their work, chattering in idle talk according to the script in their hands.

Just when Xi Huan and the youngest lines were about to get bored waiting, the two hosts finally shifted their attention toward them.

"Now, let us meet our Rookie of the Week!"

On Adrian's cue, Rayen and the others stood alert. Raising their hands to their chests, they simultaneously clapped and pointed to the sky.

"Shining every era! Hello, we are SEEDZ!"

Since this segment is all about introducing a rookie group, especially to non-fans, they all mentioned their names and stage names, intently staring into the camera.

Once again, Edens screamed in support.

"Wow! Edens sure are enthusiastic!"

The fans and the idols laughed alike.

"How about gracing them with a few short words before we begin with your performance?" One of the hosts handed her mic to Adrian.

Upon receiving the mic, Adrian faced the fans below the stage. "Edens!"

"Navin!!!" Edens echoed.

The two groups laughed.

"As always, thank you for the support! I will not waste more of your time! Please watch our performance carefully!"

Then, he handed the mic back to the host, who only awkwardly received it. When she said 'offer a short word', Adrian really did it.

What an efficient leader!

'This guy is being lazy again...'

Edens had already sensed this, but they only laughed and cheered in response.

"Leader, stop being lazy and give us a good performance!"

Even though the group felt overwhelmed by the support, when the song started, they all became different people. The fans instantly went quiet.

As the first segment of the song filled the venue, Yeo Haru sang first.

"Don't want, don't want, don't want it.

I'm not ready.

No, not yet."

The group danced according to the way they practiced. They practiced this almost a thousand times; it was already ingrained in their very bones.

Soon, the fans also joined them with their synchronized chanting.

Just hearing this much support from the fans made the whole group even more enthusiastic. Coupled with the provocation they received earlier, it felt like they were on fire. The fire transformed into a boundless energy.

Yet as the group gradually ascended to the peak of their performance, on the fans' side, as well as the backstage area, a contradictory aura seemed to emanate from the depths of their chest.

Gradually, a new scene emerged before SEEDZ's eyes.

Squirming black lines stretched out from the unknown. These lines were connected to each of the people listening to the song, filling the whole venue.

'What the hell is this?'

Despite this sudden change, though, Rayen didn't make any mistakes.

"But I don't want to!!!"

At the same time, Mini Plotter's distorted voice sounded from his head.

"Fan resonance activating… starting cleansing."

Rayen resisted the urge to stop singing. He had already seen a decaying body hanging in the ceiling, as well as people disappearing into motes of light. In a sense, these black lines seemed ordinary.

As the song continued and the fans kept on chanting, the black lines wriggled, as though they were resisting something. However, Rayen was pretty sure that it was their singing that was affecting these things.

"Don't wanna wanna wanna"

Gradually, the song approached the bridge part. The members assumed their new positions, dancing in waltz with the air. With every step they took, the wriggling black lines jerked according to their direction.

Suddenly, when Rayen screamed for the second time, some of the lines snapped.

"....."

Rayen retreated back to the formation and observed his teammates. Just like him, they seemed to be looking at the black lines.

Along with the song's finale approaching, the snapped lines gradually faded in the air.

Before, the black lines were almost on everyone's head, but now, 3/4 of those lines had disappeared. The moment the music stopped, Rayen once again heard Plotter's voice in his mind.

"Fans Resonance deactivated. Calculating merits..."