Falling for the Omega Idol

Chapter 243: DANCE PERFORMANCE (I)

A STAFF member stepped into the waiting area and announced that the teams performing [Heart Skip!] should prepare to move to the backstage area. The contestants from those two teams stood up from their seats, some checking their outfits one last time while others took a few deep breaths before following the staff out of the room.

Haneul watched them leave. It seemed the performance was about to start. He took a slow breath to calm himself and turned his attention to the screen at the front. Just as he expected, the black screen flickered on.

Lily appeared on the screen, standing at the center of the stage with a bright smile. She waved at the audience and greeted them warmly. The camera then panned across the crowd, showing rows of people holding banners, picket fans, and light sticks. Compared to the vocal live performance, there were far more fans holding signs now, each one showing support for their favorite contestant.

"Hello, everyone," Lily said, looking warmly at the camera. "Today, our contestants will show you the dance stages they’ve been preparing. They’ve spent a lot of time working on their performances, and now we finally get to see what they’ve come up with. I’m sure each team will do their best to impress you. So let’s sit back, enjoy the show, and cheer them on. Now, without further delay, let’s bring out our first two teams."

The two teams walked onto the stage, and the audience greeted them with loud cheers. Banners and picket fans waved from the crowd as the contestants lined up in front of the stage. Lily stood to the side, waiting for the cheers to settle before she spoke.

"Our first two teams will perform [Heart Skip!] by Double U," Lily said as she looked at the camera. As she spoke, the large screen behind her lit up, displaying the song title in bold letters. She turned to face the contestants on stage. "Before we start, why don’t you both introduce yourselves to our audience?"

The two teams began their introductions. The first group went one by one, each adding a small, cute gesture as they said their name and looked toward the camera. Once they finished, the second group stepped forward. This was Park Mirae’s team. When Park Mirae introduced himself, the reaction from the crowd was noticeably louder. Compared to the other contestants who had spoken before him, the cheers for him were much stronger.

Park Mirae’s smile grew even sweeter, and he pressed his hands together to form a small heart over his chest, drawing another wave of cheers from the audience. Once his teammates had each introduced themselves, the group said their team name together.

Lily turned to the camera with a bright smile. "Well then, let’s not keep everyone waiting any longer. Let’s watch the performance from our first two teams."

The performance didn’t start right away. The two teams went backstage while staff members quickly rearranged the stage. Soft pink and pastel blue lighting washed over the floor, and a few heart-shaped props were placed near the front. Streamers hung from the sides of the stage, catching the light as they swayed gently. The setup was bright, playful, and full of energy, fitting the cheerful feel of [Heart Skip!] perfectly.

Once the stage was set, the performance began. The first team started on their own, moving through their part of the song with bright, energetic movements. When the chorus hit, the second team joined them on stage, and the eight contestants danced together. After that section, the first team exited, leaving the second team to perform their part. They came together again for the final chorus, just like they had during rehearsal. Neither team made any mistakes, and both leaned into the cute, playful vibe of the song. The audience ate it up, their cheers loud and constant throughout the performance.

When the performance ended, Lily walked back onto the stage as the two teams positioned themselves on either side of her.

"What a fun performance," Lily said. "I was smiling the entire time."

The two teams said their thanks to Lily and bowed slightly to the audience.

She then turned to face the audience. "Now it’s time for you to vote. Earlier, you were each given a small voting device with a screen you can swipe. On that screen, you’ll see the names of all eight contestants who just performed. You need to pick one contestant to vote for. Each vote you cast here will count as five votes toward that contestant’s final score. You can start voting now."

After Lily finished speaking, she moved to the side of the stage while the two teams headed backstage. Staff members quickly came out to clear the stage. Once they were done, Lily walked back to the center.

"Now let’s welcome our next two teams," she said, turning to the camera with a smile. "Can you guess which song they’ll be performing?"

The two teams performing [Crown the March] walked onto the stage. This time, the cheers were noticeably louder than for the first two teams. Haneul couldn’t help but think it was because of Taeyang, who looked especially handsome in his costume, with his hair styled neatly and his makeup done in a way that made him look almost like a character out of a fairytale.

Lily then turned to the two teams and invited them to introduce themselves to the audience.

"Hi! I’m Haru!" he said, lifting both hands above his head to form rabbit ears and bounced in place like a rabbit. "And I’m going to be your white rabbit today!"

The audience let out a collective "Ohhh," like they’d just witnessed the cutest thing in the world. Which, honestly, wasn’t far from the truth, especially considering Haru was an Alpha in the middle of a growth spurt.

Then it was Taeyang’s turn. He looked directly at the camera. "Jung Taeyang," he said, then mimed tipping an invisible hat and gave a sweeping, elegant bow. "And I’ll be your Mad Hatter."

He ended it with a small smirk that hit Haneul right in the chest like an arrow.