Episode 7: How Do I Look Today? Awesome!
☆Dreams Do Come True☆
ChanceMaker’s wish to switch performance slots due to their next schedule came true in a way they didn’t expect—they were completely removed from the lineup.
Though it’s still just allegations and ChanceMaker hasn’t issued an official statement, the initial exposé interview that dropped alongside the exclusive article was so credible, and the issue so severe, that the production team swiftly cut them out like a cancerous cell.
The story was already dominating real-time search rankings, entertainment news, and online communities.
The soldiers attending today’s morale-boosting event must have caught wind of it too.
It was obvious they wouldn’t watch ChanceMaker’s performance with kind eyes, so the production team made a decisive call.
As soon as the article broke, the ChanceMaker team hurriedly left the venue.
Jung-hee, claiming it was someone’s smear campaign and that she was being blackmailed, shed tears thicker than beef bone broth to assert her innocence.
Having already seen the second exposé video, I couldn’t help but marvel at how far human hypocrisy could go.
The atmosphere at the venue was a bit chaotic, but the recording proceeded as planned.
After the opening remarks from the two MCs—a comedian and an announcer—and an introduction to the military unit, Free Sense took the stage as the first act.
–Who’s here to kick off this fiery energy?”
–That’s right! The more you see them, the more charming these three lovely girls are—Free Sense!
“Woooooo!”
No matter how unknown a girl group is, a girl group is a girl group.
With roars that could rival a national defense rally, Seung-ah, Ah-hyun, and Jin-ah stepped onto the stage.
Their outfit concept matched the song title ‘How Do I Look Today?’ with a “lovely girlfriend look.”
Seung-ah, with her cute image, wore a red beret, a white long-sleeve top, a high-waisted red checkered skirt, white socks, and loafers.
Ah-hyun, the closest to a classic beauty with her fair skin, donned a white dress with floral prints, white socks, and pumps.
The youngest, Jin-ah, sported a neat pink blouse, a short frilly skirt reminiscent of Tinkerbell, and slingback heels.
Rather than flashy stage costumes, their outfits felt like something stylish girls you’d see on the street would wear, likely making them more relatable to the soldiers.
As someone in their age range, I thought it was a great choice.
Anyway, it was good.
–Raaaaah!
The cheers didn’t stop.
No matter how low their recognition, Free Sense was A-tier in front of soldiers.
Some soldiers whispered, “Who are these girls?” but the overall vibe rivaled a solo concert.
During the killing part of How Do I Look Today?, which had appeared on music shows a few times, a small group even sang along.
–How do I look today? Do I seem a bit different? My feelings for you are deeper than yesterday…
“Deeper, deeper, deeper”
–So how about you? Still the same as always? Unlike my heart, your gaze is so indifferent…
“Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!”
The fact that they knew this song gave me chills at how broad soldiers’ girl group tolerance is.
This is why countless artists rave about morale-boosting events.
Beyond performance fees or travel time, the energy and cheers from the soldiers made it all worthwhile.
Watching from below, I got goosebumps—imagine how the girls on stage must feel.
Having experienced this electrifying morale-boosting atmosphere a few times before, the girls, who’d been up since 4 a.m., were richly rewarded for their efforts.
Following How Do I Look Today?, their second song was a cover of ‘Cruel Breakup’ by Hwang Sun-hee, a karaoke favorite among women known for its stress-relieving high notes.
Only How Do I Look Today? would air on the broadcast, with this song performed for the live audience.
Released in the early 2000s, it’s a song most people know, but I personally wondered why they’d choose it for their stage repertoire.
Apparently, VIP Entertainment’s CEO used to be Hwang Sun-hee’s manager and is still close to her, so they got permission to perform it.
There was even a PR article about Free Sense receiving vocal training from Hwang Sun-hee during their trainee days.
Though, let’s be real—it was probably just a brief visit to the practice room with a few minutes of singing advice, not formal training.
–Without you!
“You!”
–My life!
“Won’t change!”
–My life won’t change. I’m just sad for the me of yesterday who only looked at you.
“Only, only, ooooh!”
The soldiers, treating it as a national tradition, joined in with the iconic call-and-response for Cruel Breakup, syncing perfectly with Free Sense.
Watching from beside the central control box with the sound equipment, Team Leader Jeon Min-yong, Yeon-jeong, and I couldn’t help but reflexively join in.
I used to find this song tiresome when girls sang it at karaoke or when it popped up on TV talent shows, but experiencing it live at a performance felt refreshingly new.
The key was, of course, their vocal prowess.
Free Sense’s main vocalist, Kwon Ah-hyun, unleashed a powerful, clear high note that felt like it blasted through my core, a quality that wasn’t as evident in their own songs.
While Ah-hyun’s high notes were particularly striking, Lee Seung-ah and Baek Jin-ah held their own with stable live vocals.
Maybe the enthusiastic crowd response pushed them beyond their usual limits, but if this was their true skill, yesterday’s practice room performance was only about 70% of what they showed today.
“Wow… the members are really good at singing. Ah-hyun’s amazing…”
My involuntary gasp of admiration was met with a proud nod from Team Leader Jeon.
“Yeah, our girls can sing, can’t they? Ah-hyun won the grand prize on ‘The Singer Junior’.”
“Really?”
‘The Singer’ is a seasonal audition program that judges purely on vocal ability.
A few years back, they had a ‘The Singer Junior’ edition for middle schoolers, and Ah-hyun was the winner.
She’s kind of a big deal.
–Thank you!
Both prepared songs were a massive hit.
As the girls bowed and started to leave the stage—
–Free Sense, hold on a second!
The MCs moved to the center of the stage and called them back.
This wasn’t in the original script but was arranged with our consent for a short interlude interview.
With ChanceMaker’s sudden exit leaving about 10 minutes of dead air, the interview was a last-minute addition to fill the gap.
After each member introduced themselves, the male MC requested a special talent.
This was pre-arranged, and leader Seung-ah was up for the task.
–I’ll do a Doraemon voice impression.
–Doraemon?!
–Let me practice a bit…
–Sure, take your time.
–Ahem, ahem, aaah! Nobita, Nobitaaa!
–Pfft hahaha!
–Oh my gosh, it’s spot-on!
Even without a mic, her brief practice already had the MCs cracking up.
Seung-ah’s Doraemon impression was a well-known talent she’d shown multiple times elsewhere.
I’d seen it on YouTube, and it’s a guaranteed hit.
Not only is it uncanny, but her improvised lines are hilarious.
Clearing her throat, Seung-ah launched into her full performance.
–Nobita! Why are you such a mess?! You can’t do anything on your own, but you’ve got a million demands!
“Woooooo!”
“Pfft hahahaha!”
“Wow, amazing.”
“Is that lip-syncing?”
“It’s exactly like him!”
As expected, it landed perfectly.
Even the male MC, a comedian who’s probably unfazed by most talents, wasn’t just giving a courtesy laugh—he doubled over, genuinely cracking up.
–Wait, is Doraemon supposed to be this cranky?
Seung-ah, embarrassed by her own performance, fanned her face and turned away, while Ah-hyun playfully smacked her shoulder, laughing with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Baek Jin-ah stared blankly ahead with a poker face.
Is this girl an AI?
–Anything else? Got another voice impression?
–Uh…
As Seung-ah hesitated, Ah-hyun grabbed the mic and chimed in.
–Unnie does a really good deer sound!
–What? Not a goat, a deer?
The MCs’ curiosity-piquing reaction made Seung-ah burst into laughter again.
The male MC, emphasizing that we were at a frontline base in Gangwon Province, continued.
–Everyone, you’ve heard a deer’s cry before, right?
“Yes!”
–I did my military service in Gangwon, so I’ve heard deer cries enough to be sick of them. Shall we hear one after so long?
This was a talent I’d never seen before.
I’ve never even heard a deer’s cry in my life.
Do deer even make sounds?
Seung-ah, clutching the mic as if to shield it, turned her head and let out a deer cry.
–Agh! Aaaaagh!
This time, there wasn’t an explosive laugh or reaction.
Instead, the crowd murmured with short gasps of “Wow…” like they’d just witnessed an astonishing magic trick.
Do deer really sound like that?
It just sounded like a human scream to me.
From the nearby soldiers’ chatter, it was so spot-on that it left them dumbfounded, too stunned to even laugh.
The MC froze with a baffled expression.
–Hold on, was that really from your throat?
–Pfft…!
Seung-ah, embarrassed again, let out a sheepish giggle.
–Can you do it one more time?
–Agh! Aaaaagh!
–Pfft hahaha!
Seung-ah’s comedic voice impressions set the morale-boosting event’s opening stage ablaze, and the head writer thanked us, even requesting we perform again next time.
We headed straight back to Seoul after the performance.
As we got into the van, Team Leader Jeon asked warmly,
“Must be tiring, being out since dawn for work, huh?”
“I’m fine.”
“Let me know if you get sleepy. I can take over driving.”
“I’m okay for now, but I’ll let you know if I do.”
“Alright.”
Maybe because it was my first schedule, I wasn’t tired—I was buzzing with excitement.
Team Leader Jeon and the Free Sense members, still riding the high from the electrifying performance, kept the conversation flowing.
After some post-performance banter, the topic shifted to ChanceMaker.
Jeon clicked his tongue while scrolling on his phone.
“Man, they’re in deep trouble. If this is all true, it’s beyond recovery…”
Yes, it’s all true.
They’re done for.
‘Karma. Justice prevails. Villains. To hell. Zoom.’
No one responded to Baek Jin-ah’s muttering.
Given our earlier clash with ChanceMaker, we should’ve felt some satisfaction, but the issue was so severe—potentially threatening their group’s existence—that we all felt a twinge of pity.
Jeon turned to me.
“But how did you know, Hyun-jong-ssi? That’s what you were talking about earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“Who’d you hear it from?”
I vaguely said I’d heard it through the grapevine.
“Our article won’t even get a chance to shine.”
As Jeon predicted, the Free Sense traffic accident article was completely buried, and for days, the entertainment news was dominated by the back-and-forth between ChanceMaker and their accusers.
The outcome was exactly as I knew it would be: ChanceMaker’s crushing defeat.
As Jin-ah put it, ‘villains to hell’…
***
After the dazzling morale-boosting performance, Free Sense returned to a schedule-free routine.
Despite being a third-year girl group, they were back to practicing and training like trainees.
Meanwhile, a “future video” arrived on my phone once a day.
After a few days, I noticed a couple of patterns.
First, they always appeared at exactly 5:00 p.m.
Second…