He felt sorry for the makeup artist who was giving him touch up. In hindsight, perhaps he should have put in a bit more effort and got more than a layer of...what’s it called, bb cream? He showed up to the audition bare faced because he didn’t know how to do it and figured it would be better to show up with a naked face than a clown one. His cousin Suwoong saw him and offered his assistance. Kyungsoo got some sort of cushion cream patted all over his face and his cousin messed up his hair a little, also unbuttoned/untucked his shirt to give him ‘flare’. The hair, he ended up smoothing back down before he got on the stage, and the shirt he tucked back in but the bb cream got to stay.
Suwoong’s product was probably good but Kyungsoo still managed to sweat off 75% of it by the time the performances were over. The makeup artist had to re-do everything and by the time Kyungsoo was seated in the interview chair, he was...at least 10% better looking.
How do you think you did?
“I definitely gave it my best shot,” he said, reminiscing. There was a lot of cheering when he got on that stage, actually, and hearing his name being shouted by a whole bunch of people gave him courage. “It is nice to have a supportive audience, I didn’t expect it, but most of that is probably my cousin’s doing.” He heard Suwoong shout out ‘YEAH THAT IS MY COUSIN KYUNGSOO’ even all the way on the stage. His friends, Kyungsoo supposed, decided to join him in cheering. Thankfully they all quieted down by the time he started, or else it would have ruined the serene atmosphere Kyungsoo was trying to create for his performance.
What did you think of Suwoong’s performance?
Oh god, of course they’d ask for him to comment on Suwoong’s performance because family bantering probably made good television. “Well, um...” Quick, he must think of something nice to say. Kyungsoo kept his smile pleasant as he scrambled for find positive words of praise to throw on his cousin’s...exquisite trot dance performance. He shouldn’t lie, especially when there was a possibility the camera caught his expression during Suwoong’s performance, which was a mixture of shock, terror and just general what the fuck. Yes, that expression must have looked super out of place on his usually calm face but Kyungsoo really couldn’t help it.
Before the performance, he’d gently patted Coco’s knee and told her it was his cousin coming up next and clapped for Suwoong as he did his introduction. After, well, he wish he never told her he had a cousin.
"He certainly...moved!” He was still struggling to find praise. The interviewer, amused by his obvious discomfort, decided to help him out by asking if that was how Suwoong usually behaved. “Yeah, that’s him. My cousin is confident as he is eccentric. He often twerk in the kitchen when he’s bored and alone. I think he is...uh, a happy person and that happiness can be infectious. He is not afraid to perform and only too eager to show off his moves. I, very much admire that about him.” Kyungsoo managed to force the last set of words through his lips, putting emphasis on the word admire even though it pained him.
Please let’s move away from the topic of Suwoong now.
Were there any performances you liked?
Oh, an easier question. “I like a lot of performances. I will admit, I paid more attention to the dancers because I have very little talent in that regard. Taeyang was great and so was Yena, but I think my favourite dance performance was from Hoseok. Maybe I am biased but I’ve seen Hoseok dance before at the community centre. He was doing a girl group cover and teaching some other people as well. It is good to have leadership and dance skills.” On television, it didn’t hurt to praise the competition because it made you seem kind. Kyungsoo decided to direct most of his praise towards the dancers because they weren’t his direct competitors like the singers were.
“I liked Tzuyu’s song choice, it really suited her voice.” He slid in the compliment casually near the end, supporting the girl who had his kitty’s favour.
Were there any performances you didn’t like?
See, if he shitted too hard on people, he’d seem like an asshole. If he said nothing, however, it would make him appear insincere. Kyungsoo would bet some people who wanted to appear extra humble would say themselves and talk about how they could have performed better, but he wasn’t into the idea of that. Why put yourself down when you are already in a competition where you might receive harsh criticism that’ll try to destroy your confidence? No, they should focus on building themselves up in preparation for all the difficulties that may be ahead should they pass.
So Kyungsoo shall be fair.
“What happened to Haruto was a shame. I think he was really nervous and that affected his performance.” That was the honest part. Now to say something gentler to smooth things over. “But nervousness will fade with time. If given the opportunity to move forward, I am sure he will gain confidence.” In that regard, Haruto could learn from Taeil, who didn’t exactly have the strongest performance but he certainly rapped with confidence.
