Embrace The Chords & Strings | ZEROBASEONE

The first win of Group G for the night deserved the crown. Keita chose the most formidable members and all delivered better results. But June still hugged Gun Wook in his arms, whispering his pride because not being proclaimed champion didn't relinquish his amazement at the young boy to do what many older trainees had no guts to do, compete against Kill This Love G. "I'm proud of you, Gun Wook. You showed how great you'll be as an idol. You won't be idle but speak up for changes that will really suit and highlight the song."

The boy shuddered in his arms. Every breath hammered against June's heart but he only pulled the younger boy tighter. Today might not be the day he won. But it secured the attention on him, people will consider Gun Wook's skill beyond the editing of the channel. He might catch their votes for a debut.

Once the boy settled a bit, he let him go, returning to his own teammates. The stare Kim Ji Woong gave him was one he could not decipher too well. But he eased into his seat, waiting for the awaited Love Me Right performances. He heard both teams had promising main vocalists, and these voices in an EXO song warranted needed to shine.

Jay stole the performance for him. Once his vocals rang, he took June's whole attention. It was so akin to a pop singer. The adlibs were graceful, not distracting the dance but adding to the stage. Even if there were some unstable vocal and rap lines, he couldn't fault the performance because Jay always took on the microphone at forming winces. It was a reliable presence in the song, no strain heard. "Jay sang so well!"

Even if the other team had an idol producer, it made him hesitant on declaring that K Group can overwhelm G. The main vocalist held an important role in tipping the scales, and Jay had a great grasp of the song. It was great of him to take on that rather than the highlight. Although the highlight took the centermost, the main vocalist carried the songs in the nuances.

The entrance of Sung Hanbin had him nodding at the possibility of a win though. The boy had a star factor to him. He didn't start with a line, yet his facial expressions and movement already captured hearts.

Even if fourth generation songs took over the charts. They made Love Me Right weave in the present well. Their dance movements confident, not presenting nostalgia but present enjoyment. And overall, it was one you didn't skip on video.

When it was announced that K won, he cheered loudly with his fellow trainees. But it didn't remove the inner wish that G Group also get recognition at how much they also excelled in the realms of Kpop. Maybe the fans can give notice to individual trainees at least and give them that well-deserved cheer.

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Wanna One's song was up next. And even if he wasn't a judge, the pressure of having Hwang Min there to see the performance must be nerve-wracking. To have him do a sample can only increase the pressure. So he had to give his admiration to both teams. From the beginning, it was labeled to be difficult and the absence of a three or all-star made their foundation questionable. He didn't have any close friends, so he had no idea of the personal struggle. But he heard a few tears in the training room. And it made him have an inner battle to approach and knock on their doors to ask if they were okay. But he wasn't confident in reaching out to people he had no time spent together yet. So he skipped away with a silent prayer that they'd do well.

Both performances showed practice. Some moments rose above difficulty, instances where they appeared stronger because of enhancement through assistance. With more experience and a distinguished assertion in music, they could grow into their potential more.

»--•--«

The Danger performance held fierceness. But June was too distracted because they were informed that they were going next. For the sake of camaraderie, he wanted to notice their details. After hearing the worrying feedback during rehearsals, he wanted to see their improvement. But no matter how much his heart wanted to, his anxiety creeped in. He promises in his own thoughts that he'll watch the performance during their break from filming immediately.