On the evening of December 31st, M’s Big Music Match took place.
[SPECIAL STAGE OF THE MUSIC MATCH]
After a brief VCR showing the opponents drawing their match, the special stage began right away.
The rule was simple: pick one of your opponent’s songs and sing the first verse.
Of course, although it was called a match, no results were announced.
The groups that took part in rounds 1 and 2 performed safely, receiving moderate reviews. Since they weren’t particularly rivals, and their debut years or comeback dates were similar, even their fanbases didn’t get too heated.
Finally, the last special stage, the grand finale, Round 3, began.
[ROUND 3 – KICKS VS REVE]
When KICKS and REVE walked out from opposite sides of the stage and stood side by side, the cheers were noticeably louder than in the previous rounds.
– LOL, REVE wins just with their height.
– No need to see more. KICKS is going to win.
– I’ll turn off the TV after this stage, no need to waste electricity watching the rest.
– Yawn, so boring already. Someone ping me when REVE starts performing.
Of course, fierce fan battles were ongoing online.
As the lights went out, the stage turned dark.
Suddenly, a spotlight shone where KICKS was standing.
The song KICKS chose from REVE was REVE’s ‘One Chance’. In reality, there weren’t many other choices for them to select from.
Wearing white shirts, harnesses, and fingerless gloves, their stage outfits matched the song better than REVE’s original suit-based costumes.
– Wow, did they not remix this?
– The choreography has been completely reworked.
– Yeah, this is what fits this song: powerful synchronized dancing.
– Not a fan of either group, but this performance is definitely more eye-catching than REVE’s original.
KICKS incorporated acrobatic moves into the original choreography, emphasizing their strength in sharp synchronized dancing to create a performance-centered stage.
[The one chance given to you, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Always act as if only one chance remains.]
– It’s visually captivating but not so much for the ears.
– How low did they drop the key…ㅋㅋ.
– This isn’t how you should rap.
└ Yeah, the push-and-pull tension in the original rap part of “One Chance” is totally gone…
– All they seem to have going for them is the rap part, huh? LOL.
└ Not really, your main vocalist couldn’t even carry the vocal parts.
– The vocals aren’t satisfying. That feeling of release isn’t there.
While the vocals and rap were criticized, the reworked choreography, particularly during the chorus, received positive feedback.
– The angle precision is insane.
– As an outsider fan, I gotta say KICKS wins the performance round.
– They must have practiced a lot. It really shows, and I want to give them a vote for that.
– They look so cool.
– Is REVE watching this from right next to them? They must be feeling intimidated.
– I just watched REVE’s version, and their choreography feels kind of dull in comparison.
When the first verse ended, the lights on KICKS went out, and the lights on REVE turned on.
The members of KICKS quietly moved to the side and turned off their mics to whisper to each other.
“Man, we totally killed that stage.”
“I wonder what song they brought out?”
“It’s probably Watch out. It’s ours, but let’s be real—it’s not that good.”
Familiar notes started playing, and the KICKS members stopped talking and all turned to look to the side.
“No way… What are they thinking…?”
Why would he bring up a lame song when we have a well-made debut track?
The leader of KICKS muttered to himself without realizing it.
The song REVE chose was lame.
It was the title track of KICKS’ second mini-album, and among KICKS’ three promotions this year, it received the lowest ratings.
The stage outfits were similar to KICKS’, leaning into street fashion.
[Okay, entering the stage
The outlaws of this zone are coming
Those who block our path
Kick them out of the way]
After a brief intro, the rap opened with Eden, gripping the top of his handheld mic.
– Wasn’t this part originally not a rap?
– Did they write new lyrics? I don’t remember this line.
– Are they referring to KICKS? LOL.
– OMG, they just blew it away from the start.
– Wow, they’re really the kings of Korean hip-hop.
[Want me to tell you a fact?
You guys can’t compete with us.]
Pointing fingers at KICKS, Eden threw out the last line before turning his back and joining the formation.
Standing at the front of the V-shaped formation, Eden tapped his feet to the beat while the members in the 2nd and 3rd rows followed suit.
– Oh… not bad…
– You can tell it’s a group performance…ㅋㅋ.
– Why do they seem so casual and relaxed? Acting all nonchalant?
└ KICKS did the same thing. Go check it out yourself.
[Three, two, one, zero.
The countdown is over.
It meant nothing; just counted some numbers.]
Dobin smoothly took over Hajun’s part, casually counting the numbers with his fingers while making a cocky gesture toward the camera.
– Wait, was the original song this good?
– It feels like they’re fixing every part that felt off in the original.
– The arrangement is on point; they’ve kept just enough of the original vibe.
– I can’t listen to the original anymore… REVE, please redo the entire song and give us the second verse, too.
– When KICKS performed this song, it felt like they were just posing, but now it feels like an actual warning with some serious intensity.
└ Honestly, it’s all thanks to Eden. The others aren’t intimidating at all.
[Let this sink into your ears:
This is my final warning.]
A loud cheer erupted as Jae-hee hit a high note that wasn’t part of the original song.
– Wow, they handled that high note so well.
– Oh my god, they just killed it again.
– Right? The original didn’t have that high note, and I was disappointed!
[Watch out,
Watch out,
If you can’t handle it,
Step back while you still can.]
The song reached its chorus before anyone knew it.
The intricate choreography, perfectly synchronized with high-level moves, flowed seamlessly.
– What the heck? Did they just bring KICKS’ choreography without changing it???
– Oh my god, our kids did a synchronized performance! Our kids did a synchronized performance!
– Yehyun!!! I knew you could do it!!!!
– See?! REVE can perform too!!!
It was inevitable that the response would explode, given that REVE, who had always done free-spirited and relatively easy choreography, pulled off a precise, synchronized performance.
The stage ended with REVE’s ending shot, each member striking poses to look as rebellious as possible, standing or sitting with an arrogant slant.
– Come out, anyone who said our kids would lose their confidence!
– I think it’s KICKS that’s dead LOL
– Oh my god, they killed it. Vocals, rap, choreography—everything was a win.
– They did really well, for sure.
– Wow, I don’t even remember the earlier stage.
There was no vote, but the outcome seemed clear.
* * *
Yxxtube
(Video)
KICKS Special Stage ‘One Chance (Original Song: REVE)’ | 20XX MOO Big Match
Views: 2.13M
☝ 100K ☟
Meccuri • 2 days ago
It’s all good, but they really need to do something about the rap and high note parts.
Likes: 1.5K
sakf242 • 1 day ago
The stage was cool, but honestly, listening to the song kind of drained me.
Likes: 809
└ jjongjjong • 17 hours ago
They shouldn’t have done the original version, they should’ve at least rearranged it…
Ugal • 1 day ago
KICKS’ performance was definitely the winner.
Likes: 37
└ pot • 8 hours ago
Let’s be real, it wasn’t a total win. REVE’s performance was good too.
Yxxtube
(Video)
REVE Special Stage ‘Watch Out (Original Song: KICKS)’ | 20XX MOO Big Match
Views: 4.79M
☝ 190K ☟
Turningpoint • 2 days ago
They killed it.
Likes: 2.4K
3522 • 1 day ago
Went to listen to the original, but came back again. Can we get a rearranged version for the second verse?
Likes: 1.8K
└ Kim Seohyun • 18 hours ago
Honestly, I can’t listen to the original version. It’s too bland and boring.
└ adskl • 15 hours ago
Agreed. The feeling isn’t there.
└ key白 • 7 hours ago
Isn’t this kind of disrespectful to KICKS? Without the original, this stage wouldn’t exist.
└ 3522 • 5 hours ago
Key白, I’m just choosing to listen to a better version, why are you picking a fight?
Mayday • 11 hours ago
This stage showed REVE’s potential for synchronized choreography.
Likes: 912
└ dreamday • 11 hours ago
This stage showed Yehyun’s potential for growth in dance skills.
└ HyuneeHoney • 10 hours ago
How much did Yehyun practice to nail such a difficult choreography without a single mistake? ㅠㅠㅠ
Satisfied with the flood of comments I’d been hoping for under the video of the KICKS stage and the view count more than double ours, I collapsed onto the dorm sofa with a smile.
The months of hellish work on the rearrangement and choreography practice had finally paid off.
It had been worth choosing a terrible song just to rearrange it.
“I expected the rearrangement to be praised, but I didn’t expect the performance to get this much praise.”
“People like seeing someone who was bad at something suddenly do well more than someone who’s always been good at it.”
“Are you saying we were bad?”
“Let’s be honest with ourselves. I hate those KICKS guys too, but to be fair, ‘One Chance’s choreography was better than our original choreo.”
“How could you say that, Hyung? You of all people…!”
I tapped Kim Dobin on the forehead as he looked up at me with a shocked expression, as if I’d just betrayed him.
“Is wishful thinking going to feed us?”
Wishful thinking wouldn’t get us anywhere.
It was better to accept our shortcomings and improve on them.
Seo Yehyun, who usually would’ve reacted by getting defensive and snapping back at me, was oddly quiet this time.
With a thoughtful expression, I couldn’t tell if he had realized something or was preparing for a meltdown. I hoped it was the former.
REVE had abandoned intense performances mostly because of him.
Still, the fact that he didn’t make a single mistake and kept up with the high-level choreography this time was worth praising.
It seemed like his skills dramatically improved whenever we were up against KICKS on stage. Maybe we should schedule our comeback around the same time as KICKS in the future to push him to his limits.
I seriously considered this for a moment but then abandoned the idea, realizing that if we kept running into KICKS, my blood pressure would rise before Seo Yehyun’s skills did.
“By the way, even though it’s two days late, happy new year.
Me? Yeah, I was on stage doing a countdown.
What? As if you watched it anyway.
Come on, I know you too well.
Anyway, I’ll be on break soon, so let’s catch up.
Yeah, see you.”
As I fielded New Year’s greetings from friends over the phone, I mentally counted the days.
Once we were done with the Naon Chart Music Awards on January 27th, we’d have a break before starting preparations for the next album.
Of course, we’d need to shoot enough reality show content before the break, but I wasn’t about to drag a camera around during my vacation.
The door opened, and Gyeon Hajun walked in, his hands full of shopping bags.
Behind him, our manager followed with a stack of boxes.
Seeing Gyeon Hajun loaded up with gifts, I asked him, “Huh? What’s all that, Jun?”
“Oh… these are birthday presents from fans.”
Frozen at the mention of birthday presents, I quickly checked the date.
January 3rd.
Today was Gyeon Hajun’s birthday.
Damn it, the quest penalty countdown had begun again.
***
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