I desperately want to win on the peninsula

Gangnam District, AOMG Company.

In the production room, Gray was diligently fiddling with and adjusting the synthesizer. He would be able to finish the arrangement of the song "Red Sun" today, and all that was left was to record the demo. Then, the finished product would be available to listen to.

With time running short, Gray got quite serious and started discussing the song's parts with Jay Park.

"The intro of 'Red Sun' is rapped by the members, and the verse features the president and LOCO. It's done in the usual way, with each member rapping eight lines. You guys coordinate and connect with each other. The outro is also done by LOCO and the members. I want to end this part with a quiet, sleeping soundly."

Jay Park listened to Gray's part-by-part approach, which was evenly and reasonably distributed. At the same time, considering his style and ability, he built bridges and laid rap melodies within the song framework. This was a design that highlighted his personal characteristics. Overall, I quite liked the approach.

"I've read what you said, and I've tried humming it a few times. It's pretty good, and it feels great." Having worked together for several years, Jay Park didn't hide his appreciation for the song. LOCO, standing beside him, nodded in satisfaction. "This song is quite well-written, but the style doesn't suit you. Have you changed your approach?"

"Change my ass! This was composed by Kyo, and I'm just here to clean up the mess."

"No wonder, this song is really well written." Jay Park pretended not to see Gray's resentful face and said with a smile, "You also participated in Kyo's self-composed song, right?"

"He actually composed the most of my own music, I'm really impressed." After saying that, Gray was completely speechless.

That handsome guy who claims to love composing his own music just makes demands without doing any work is just ridiculous.

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

The group of people in the production room were laughing uncontrollably, and Jay Park thought it was really hilarious.

Gray ignored it, put his headphones back on, and got back into serious work mode, composing music.

"By the way, is today the day 'My Way' is released on Melon?" Loco suddenly remembered that the fifth episode of SMTM had aired. According to the show's schedule, the group's music was released last night, and they could check the results on the music platform.

Jay Park slapped his thigh: "Hooligan crab! I almost forgot! I just promised a few days ago that I would make the fans absolutely satisfied, so please pay more attention."

"Let me take a look first." Ignoring Jay Park's exaggerated reactions, Loco took out his phone, logged onto the music platform, and squinted as he examined the charts. This guy was quite patient, or perhaps he lacked confidence; he actually started from outside the top 100 and looked back towards the top...

The more I scrolled up, the more surprised I became. My name hadn't appeared in the top forty yet, and my eyes gradually brightened from indifference to delight.

As he scrolled through the top ten, the list was filled with songs from popular groups and the Infinite Song Festival. Loco calmly watched as the chart climbed up the bar, from tenth to... Suddenly, he was shocked to see that "My Way" had actually climbed to third place on the Melon chart.

My first thought was, "It's going to be a hit!"

My second thought was to share!

Thinking of this, the increasingly middle-aged Loco, without looking up, said, "Old Park, look at the charts, our song is in third place..."

Surfing expert Jay Park was chatting with his teammates in a group chat, not really wanting to talk to the old man Loco. Suddenly, he saw something on his phone and sighed, "What the hell are you looking at! The screenshots were already posted in the group. You don't want to compete with the young people in refresh rate, do you?"

Loco was taken aback by Jay Park's words, gave an awkward, inexplicable smile, and froze.

"Stop laughing, come to the group and help me fight back. These brats have so many memes, I can't take it anymore."

"Why are all these pictures yours?"

"Never mind that, just get started!"

Hearing this, Loco frowned as he looked at the chat box filled with Jay Park's sly smile...

The accompanying text reads: Do you want to become a rap star?

Loco raised his hand to touch his head in thought, then gently patted his head and made up his mind.

Then touch the phone screen: tap emoji, add emoji, emoji management, add, send, and give a sly smile—

A moment later, Jay Park looked up at the perpetrator and roared angrily, "Loco!!"

"Why are you yelling so loudly?!"

Gray took off his headphones and boldly spoke into Jay Park's microphone, saying, "I can hear him even through the headphones!"

"Sorry, sorry..." Hearing the roar, Jay Park smiled sheepishly, repeatedly making salutes with his right hand, begging for mercy.

"..." Loco casually turned his head to the side and continued scrolling through his phone, while the sounds of Gray's rant about Jay Park kept coming to his ears.

He's used to it. Gray was his former teammate, and the other was his boss. If the two of them started fighting, he would run away.

The fifth episode of SMTM picks up where the contestants left off after choosing their teams. It features the first stage performance with all four members working together, and also the last complete AOMG stage performance.

Currently, the show has only revealed two stages: AOMG and YG. The remaining two stages will appear in the next episode.

YG's content continued Tablo's quirky style, showing the team members having a great time at a resort.

They also planted a hidden camera surprise mission, requiring team members to freestyle within 30 minutes based on a given beat, with the worst performer being eliminated.

When the guy who was eliminated was interviewed, Tablo jokingly revealed that it was a joke, and then there was a burst of laughter and playful banter, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

This guy might have meant well by wanting to prepare the team members who were about to be eliminated, and his approach was very American-style humor; he probably wanted to get punched.

Ultimately, the ups and downs in everyone's mood were likely one of the factors that directly sowed the seeds of conflict...

Coming to AOMG was a disaster, compared to YG's generosity.

Jay Park actually took his team to a free basketball court for team building... After the team building, they had a barbecue.

The main issue is that the place Coach Park wanted to take the team to was somewhat inappropriate for children, and the program couldn't broadcast content rated 19+.

This is ridiculous! They dare to call it making a hip-hop show? It's laughable.

Tablo also mocked them mercilessly on the show, saying things like AOMG should be strolling around Hongdae right now...

After saying this, Tablo was seen as a very harsh senior by AOMG.

Actually, AOMG went to Hongdae to promote their group song, though they were no different from street thugs.

Anyway, Lin Qianqiao found a cool place to drink a beverage and relax, and surprisingly, he ran into a male fan who wanted an autograph. It is said that his girlfriend is also a fan, but unfortunately, he did not get to see her.

Zhou Xianchun is an honest man, and he really went around Hongdae with his teammates to promote things... which made Lin Qianqiao seem like he had nothing to do.

He didn't care about that.

Anyway, I consider myself a villain, so what's wrong with doing some really bad things?

That just happens to fit the persona.

It is worth mentioning that Zhou Xian is very popular among students near Hongdae.

Note: Male only.

Perhaps it was this relentless effort that led to the best result for "My Way," which immediately climbed to the top of Melon's charts upon its release, eventually reaching third place.

Why is third place considered a good result? Because the top two songs were performed at the Infinite Challenge Song Festival, a national variety show... Oh Hyuk's "Wiing Wiing" and Zion T's "Yanghwa Bridge".

Following that are some incredibly popular groups, from Sistar, Apink, Girls' Generation, Bigbang, Mamamoo, Girls' Day...

The music scene in July was already in a fierce and heated battle.

Therefore, this is why third place on the music chart can be considered a good result.

With such great results, AOMG's small group has already started discussing how to split the profits...

What's even more outrageous is that David Kim, who was eliminated, has already started performing in clubs and is making a fortune.

At the same time, the song has a very energetic and inspirational style, and it has become widely popular in various gyms, earning it the title of "weightlifting anthem".

It has the same effect among students; it can refresh them when they are bored while doing homework. However, when they can't help but sing along loudly, it is usually accompanied by a loving encouragement from their parents.

For example, in a practice room, a chubby-cheeked little girl is humming along to the powerful 808 drum beats:

Even if you take everything from me

Even if everyone is trying to stop me from pursuing my dreams

I will definitely do my best.

My future is bright.

My future is bright…

The little girl even imitated the roar of a motorcycle during the rap's most explosive part, singing "we go vroom vroom vroom——" while mimicking the action of twisting the throttle.

The three people in the practice room looked at each other and discussed in hushed tones.

A girl with very dark circles under her eyes, and very large eyes... basically everything about her was large. She glanced at the girl singing enthusiastically not far away, then asked the girl with buck teeth next to her in surprise, "What's going on with Chaeyoung? She's been practicing for half a day and singing for half a day. Doesn't she get tired of it?"

"I don't really understand, maybe that's just how kids are, they like to follow trends..." The girl with the bunny teeth grinned and casually made an excuse for the little girl.

"What did Tzuyu say...?" The handsome girl pointed to the black girl in another corner.

The group glanced at Chou Tzu-yu, who was sitting quietly cross-legged in the corner. The kid had dark circles under her eyes, was yawning, and was fiddling with her fingers out of boredom...

This loneliness is so pitiful and helpless, just looking at it makes you feel sorry for them.

The three of them glanced at it silently, feeling a little uneasy.

While playing the rope in mid-air, Chou Tzu-yu realized that she had finally untied all the knots. Feeling that everything was accomplished, she was in a great mood. She then lay down on the floor and stared blankly at the ceiling of the practice room for a while...

Suddenly, she grinned foolishly, showing her teeth.

Then, the three of them turned their attention to the Misamo trio and found that they were actually cheering for Son Chae-young.

For some reason... how did Chae-young suddenly become so close to them?

Hirai Momo has a silly personality, which everyone knows, and it's normal for her to like joining in the fun.

Sana Minatozaki is a good listener, so it's perfectly fine for her to show a little emotional intelligence when she sees her teammates joking around.

But what's going on with Mina...? As she laughed and clapped her hands, the rapper suddenly got excited, straightened her back, and gradually raised her voice.

The strange girl, the bunny-toothed girl, and the cool girl looked at each other, completely baffled. It was truly bizarre...

World observer Kim Da-hyun lowered his eyes, a wicked smile on his face, and silently crouched behind the three, quietly watching everything in the practice room.

Everything in the practice room seems to be changing in a direction that's hard to understand...

……

Nighttime, Nonhyeon Cave.

Lin Qianqiao yawned as he walked out of the recording studio. Looking at the empty corridor, he shook his head slightly, as if trying to dispel his drowsiness...

As he appeared, the entrance to the recording studio behind him gradually became lively. Members of Monstax came out one by one, chatting with their arms around each other, showing that they were still in good spirits.

The conversation of the group gradually brought liveliness to the once quiet corridor.

"Finally passed the demo of 'Monster'. This song is too difficult, especially the high notes."

"The teacher was too strict. Several times I felt quite satisfied, and the pitch was right. I thought I would pass, but I was still rejected. Fortunately, I passed later, otherwise I would have had to continue recording."

Liu Jixian's voice was a little hoarse, probably related to the recording he was talking about. He patted his chest dejectedly, looking like he had just escaped a disaster.

"Haha, you've got it all figured out. Think back to when Zhou Xian and LM were recording songs."

Lee Minhyuk patted Yoo Kihyun on the shoulder, turned to look at Joo Heon who had almost lost all life, and couldn't help but laugh. Perhaps due to overuse of his throat, his laughter sounded a bit like a duck's, quacking...

"Hahaha--"

Lee Minhyuk, who was just talking about Zhou Xian's embarrassing moments, suddenly embarrassed himself on the spot, making the other members unable to hold back their laughter. In the end, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The noisy commotion brought a touch of life to the quiet corridor.

However, as Lee Minhyuk said, the rap parts that Jooheon and LM were responsible for did receive a lot of criticism, and the person in charge of recording the song was quite strict.

The main reason is that this part is quite important; it's the confirmed kill part and carries a very important part of the song.

Moreover, both of them participated in this part of the creation, so the person in charge naturally valued this part highly.

If they made even the slightest mistake, they would be scolded. Zhou Xian and LM were a bit dumbfounded by the scolding. LM was alright, though. The person in charge didn't have high expectations of him. This was basically the treatment for someone who was parachuted in.

Zhou Xian, on the other hand, was not so lucky. As a top trainee of Starship, he was highly regarded by many people even before his debut, and he had performed on stage at his senior's concert.

The producer was extremely harsh on him and criticized him the most, believing that he could perform better and even set an example to lead LM to do better, instead of just indulging in self-pity.

As a result, when he came out, he was hunched over, head drooping, looking dizzy and silly...

But after Lee Minhyuk's laughter, he regained some of his vitality and was able to grin, looking somewhat like a human being again.

Esbee had tentatively asked Lin Qianqiao if she wanted to try the rap part, but after discussion, they decided against it.

Lin Qianqiao has already taken the intro to this song, and he shared the hook with Yoo Ki-hyun and Lee Min-hyuk. Not to mention the verse. If he also takes the rap part, then he will truly be a one-man army, a pure six-protect-one lineup.

R&B songs are primarily vocal-driven, and with so little rap, the two rappers are already stretched thin. Adding Lin Qianqiao would mean someone would have to cosplay Yoona.

His part is already full enough, and he's basically guaranteed a top-three finish; adding more would be pointless.

And it doesn't seem very reasonable at all. If we were to actually do that, we might as well just go for a solo match...

"I'm starving, let's find something to eat..."

"The convenience store downstairs should still be open."

"I don't eat bread. I don't know who bought that lousy bread last time. I'm not allowed to buy it again. I ate two bags and it didn't help. I woke up hungry in the middle of the night. It's not filling at all..." Lee Min-hyuk said with disgust.

"You should be grateful that you have anything to eat. If you keep making a fuss, you can go buy some yourself!" Butler Li retorted angrily, unable to bear the insult.

"Okay, okay, okay."

A group of people walked and chatted as they headed towards the elevator, intending to go downstairs to buy some food and then return to their dorm.

Lin Qianqiao took out his phone and glanced at it. It was already 2 a.m. before he knew it. Then he saw a text message from Minatozaki Sana. It was around midnight, so she must have just finished practicing. He then opened it to take a look.

"My Way is amazing! Our maknae (youngest member) really loves this song and even did a cover of it."

Lin Qianqiao, unaware that the song was used to pick up girls, smiled slightly after reading it and did not reply.

It's mainly because it's too late, and staying up late really doesn't feel good, especially when you have to get into work mode; it's too mentally taxing.

He performed quite well during the recording; he could usually get it right in three takes. He would record one take, then do a second take, and that was usually enough.

After all, he wrote all the songs, so he naturally had a clear understanding of their structure, making it not difficult for him.

A group of people went to a convenience store near the company building, bought some food, and then ate as they walked back to their dormitory.

After washing up, it was already past three o'clock. Exhausted, Lin Qianqiao was so sleepy that she went to her bed in the room and fell asleep immediately.