"Picking the song, and of course, your teammates!" Yeon Miwol announced.
"What’s this about?" Sophie exclaimed, her face full of confusion.
’Aren’t our teammates those who belong to the same unit as us?’
Rayen glanced at his sponsors. From Sophie’s reaction, he realized they hadn’t been informed about this either. The other sponsors also seemed confused.
"Now, let us first reveal the songs that each unit will perform," Yeon Miwol added with a gentle smile.
Six strings of words flashed on the screen.
"The company hired six producers to create a song for each group," Yeon Miwol explained. "Each unit will have two groups competing against each other. Please review the songs using the monitors in your respective rooms. You have ten minutes to decide."
With that, the two titles flashed in the monitor in front of Rayen and the sponsors.
Both titles were displayed in Korean and English. The translations seemed intended for the viewers rather than the participants, as everyone here could understand the original titles perfectly.
Rayen grabbed the headphones beside the monitor and put them on, his eyes narrowing as he studied the titles.
’Why do they both sound like breakup songs?’
Based on first impressions, Rayen leaned toward the second song. The first sounded like something about playboys, while the second seemed more sentimental.
He tapped on the second song’s title.
"I’ve been missing your scent~"
As expected, the song was indeed sentimental. Though it was in Korean, Rayen could understand it as it was automatically translated word by word in his mind. Right from the start, the melody was already quite catchy.
Rayn listened intently with full focus.
The song was filled not just with sentimentality though, it was quite sensual too. With pop and rock elements blended together, it left a strong impression on him.
When the song ended, Rayen was already in deep thought.
"This song’s perfect for you!" Sophie exclaimed, her eyes twinkling.
"Really? I think so too," Rayen said and hummed the most memorable lyrics of the song he had just finished listening to.
"Uh... Then what song?" Rayen asked.
"Break Your Heart," Sophie replied.
Since it was the first song in the list, Sophie had listened to it first unlike Rayen. Reluctantly tapping the first song’s title, Rayen’s lips were pressed together.
Vibrant, energetic music filled his ears. The pounding drum beats knocking on his eardrums alternated between soft and intense, creating a dynamic rhythm.
It was a mix of hip-hop and pop, also quite catchy and easy to dance to.
Rayen’s lips twitched. He couldn’t recall ever performing a hip-hop song. Rapping wasn’t even in his repertoire, even when he was still in Adrift.
Adrift’s songs that Rayen typically sang leaned heavily toward rock, ballad and acoustics — just like the first song.
As the song continued playing, Rayen realized why Sophie thought it suited him. It wasn’t the genre — it was probably the lyrics. Being so lighthearted, Rayen also enjoyed the song.
"Ah, you just laughed!
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.
Contrary to Rayen’s expectations, the song wasn’t about a playboy breaking hearts left and right. Instead, it was about someone whose heart was "breaking" after being overwhelmed with too much affection.
It was a song about adoration; of what it feels like to be in love.
When the song ended, Rayen removed the headphones and placed them back on the desk.
"Am I right?" Sophie asked, glancing at everyone in the room.
Yuzuka nodded enthusiastically. "I like it too... It was fun listening to it "
For the first time, though, Miles disagreed with Yuzuka.
"It’s hard to say..." he muttered, his face scrunched in reluctance for going against Yuzuka’s words.
Harjun backed him up. "It’s a completely different genre from what he usually performs. He always does the same song as the second one, so I think it suits him more."
As someone also from the same place and industry, Harjun was familiar with Rayen, even though they hadn’t met before.
"What are you talking about?" Sophie countered with a frown. "That’s from his previous life!"
The speakers screeched, Plotter’s voice coming from it, "Dear sponsors, please refrain on uttering confidential words during the public broadcast filming. Thank you."
Sighing, Sophie just worded the phrase differently the way it wouldn’t be censored. "I mean, that was before he was well-known. But Rayen now is known for his cuteness!"
’Cuteness? I thought it was my duality?’
Rayen blinked, struggling to process the conversation.
"This is the Visual Unit!" Sophie continued to convince them. "You need to pick a song that would appeal to your visual — your charm!"
The three guys froze. They had been so focused on the music that they forgot he was in the Visual Unit.
"Just listening to the second song, I know it would be a sexy performance. Do you think Rayen-chii is sexy?"
All eyes turned to him. Rayen felt the urge to hide.
Harjun’s scrutiny grew so intense that Rayen could almost feel the heat pricking his skin. Finally, Harjun shook his head.
For now, he would accept defeat against Sophie.
"Go with the first song," Harjun said. "I don’t think you suit being sexy."
His words seemed to pierce Rayen in his sensitive spot.
’That’s kinda offensive, ah!’
"But I don’t know if I can do it... It’s hip-hop."
"That’s indeed a problem," Harjun agreed, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"You can do it! I believe in you!" Sophie said with a smile.
"Then, why don’t you try singing it?" Grandma Sponsor suggested.
Everyone nodded, encouraging him. Left with no choice, Rayen relented.
"At least try the chorus part. It has less rap," Sophie added.
Rayen opened his mouth and sang the chorus. As he glanced around, he couldn’t read their reactions. Unsure whether to stop or continue, he kept singing.
Just then, Yeon Miwol’s words interrupted him.
"Okay, time’s up! Your teammates will depend on the song you will pick."
The ten minutes given to them was up.
"It’s time to choose."