The hall shifted as the MC's voice echoed again.
"And finally… Section D, please take the stage."
The audience became silent. Some whispered. Some leaned forward. Section D had no reputation—no advantage—no fancy background.
Section D stepped onto the podium with newfound confidence. Their outfits and makeup were dazzling—if Section C was cute and bubbly, and Section B was dark revenge, then Section D was fresh with a slight pop-and-comic twist, perfectly matching the vibe of our song.
Their styling team had gone all out.
Their styling team had gone all out. Jiho wore a cropped university jacket layered over a white t-shirt, his black hair streaked with neon sky-blue. Chanho's hair blazed sunset orange, paired with a playful oversized hoodie with comic-style "BAM!" prints across the sleeves. Eunjae had a soft lavender under-dye that matched his clean white bomber jacket, which sparkled faintly as he moved. Hyun wore a structured streetwear vest layered over a yellow gradient t-shirt, his mint-green hair shimmering under the LEDs. Daehyun had a dual-tone silver-and-pink wolf cut, paired with a black sleeveless top and bright cyan straps crossing his chest in an X. Seojun sported a blonde curtain haircut, a white t-shirt beneath an orange cropped suede leather jacket with ripped jeans, and black sneakers. Hanuel wore a cropped jacket with pastel patches, comic-style lightning bolts on the sleeves, and soft baby pink-and-blue dyed hair styled in a comma cut framing his face.
The audience murmured—some were surprised, others excited.
The lights dimmed.
The stage went silent.
And the opening beat of our track— "FRESH!"—boomed through the hall.
SECTION D — "FRESH!"
Seven silhouettes stood in formation.
When the beat finally dropped,
It was clean, smooth yet playful.
The kind of beat that made your shoulders sway without asking permission.
Hanuel stepped forward, his dyed hair catching the stage light—
a soft shimmer of blue and silver.
He tapped his fingers twice near his ear, matching the sound cue.
Take a look around, it's a brand new day,
눈을 떠봐, 오늘이 또 새롭게.
Light cracks through the blinds in a gentle way,
부드럽게 스며드는 햇살의 sway.
Tiny sparkles hiding in the edge of sight,
작은 반짝임도 네 맘을 비춰 light.
But if you slow down, they glow so bright.
잠시 멈추면 더 선명해져, bright.
his voice was smooth, warm, and unexpectedly dreamy.
After Hanuel sang the verse 1, he was accompanied by Chanho to sing the Pre-Chorus. Hanuel started first followed by Chanho.
Let's flip the page, turn the world around—
세상을 한 장 넘기듯이 돌아봐 now.
Every quiet moment makes a bigger sound.
조용한 순간도 울려 퍼져 loud.
Zoom in, now the picture's clear,
더 가까이, 그림이 또 선명해—
Everyone came together and sang the chorus. It was like an orchestra but it had idol vibe. It was truly fresh.
So FRESH! (프레-쉬!)
Wake up the world we've been sleeping in!
잠들었던 세상을 다시 깨워, begin!
Hear the tiny beats underneath the wind!
바람 속 작은 리듬—느껴봐 in!
Every color pops when you look again,
다시 보면 색이 하나씩 터져 bang!
It's so FRESH!
Yeah, 우리는 틈새 속 magic을 봐—
It's fresh, fresh, fresh—
보이지 않던 빛을 켜는 순간 ah!
Lights burst into a wave of prism specters.
All six members leaped forward,
their moves were sharp but full of flair though it wasn't anything too heavy nor too dramatic.
A break came and Eunjae and Jiho sang the next verse.
Footsteps tapping, stories in the dust,
발자국 속 이야기는 날 믿어 trust.
Colors in the corners we forgot to trust.
구석진 색들도 다시 피어나 burst.
Something little can be loud if you let it be,
작은 것도 허락하면 크게 울릴지.
A whole new world in the small you see.
작은 틈에 펼쳐지는 또 다른 world we see.
The whole gang joined for the Chorus again.
So FRESH! (프레-쉬!)
Wake up the world we've been sleeping in!
잠들었던 세상을 다시 깨워, begin!
Hear the tiny beats underneath the wind!
바람 속 작은 리듬—느껴봐 in!
Every color pops when you look again,
다시 보면 색이 하나씩 터져 bang!
It's so FRESH!
Yeah, 우리는 틈새 속 magic을 봐—
It's fresh, fresh, fresh—
보이지 않던 빛을 켜는 순간 ah!
The Rap then came with Seojun leading it.
Step, click, zoom, everything's alive,
멈춰봐, 숨 고르면 세상이 vibe.
Slow it down a little, let your heartbeat drive.
천천히, 네 박동이 길을 guide.
Pixel by pixel, the view gets clear,
픽셀처럼 하나씩 또 선명해 here.
Overshadowed moments that you used to miss—
가려졌던 순간도 다시 빛나 like this—
Watch 'em shine bright like a firework!
불꽃처럼 터져, every little word!
Shake the dust off, make the small things loud—
먼지를 털고 작은 것들도 shout!
Catch the tiny spark hiding in the crowd—
숨은 불씨를 잡아, don't let it drown!
Zoom in, and the world rewinds.
The beat became sharper, and their moves became faster.
The boys lined up, each turning their head at a "click" sound.
They jumped and landed in a half-circle, mimicking the shape of a rising sun.
The music softened. Hanuel raised his hand slowly, his voice carrying the bridge.
Let's flip the page and start again…
다시 한 장 넘기면 시작돼 again…
If you blink too fast, the moment slips away,
너무 빨리 눈 감으면 순간이 fade away.
But if you pause right now, you'll hear the world say…
잠시 멈추면 세상이 말해—stay.
We were always here… waiting to be seen.
Hanuel hit a high note, his bruised ribs restrained the way he breathed— but he didn't let it show on his face. He closed his hand over an imaginary spark, lifting it to his chest. The final beat hit. Seven hands shot upward, releasing invisible confetti. They froze in their final pose, their silhouettes were bright against the stage lights.
So F R E S H! (에프-알-이-에스-에이치!)
Wake up the world we've been dreaming in!
우리가 꿈꿔왔던 세상 다시 breathe it in!
F R E S H!
Every little spark feels like home again!
작은 빛도 다시 따뜻해져, home again!
Hand in hand we rise, paint a brighter scene—
손을 잡고 그려가자, 더 빛나는 scene!
Little beats grow loud when we're on the same team!
같은 팀일 때 작던 heartbeat도 scream!
F R E S H!
Yeah we see the magic in between—
틈새의 magic—우리만의 dream!
Fresh, fresh, fresh—
보이지 않던 세상 we're lighting up the unseen
—F R E S H !
The whole room became silent then the room erupted into applause.
"Wow… I'm honestly at a loss for words. Section C brought us sweetness, Section B brought us fire—but Section D, you've delivered something beyond expectation. Judges, what do you think?"
Aurora's evaluation panel exchanged glances. This wasn't the same Section D they saw last month.
Park Ji-Beom leaned forward.
"…That was clean. Surprisingly clean and unexpectedly amazing. Your concept was FRESH — literally and figuratively. Your waves, your group energy —You executed a difficult concept perfectly."
Lee Hana smiled slightly.
"You brought something this evaluation needed: Freshness. Youth. Identity. What you represent. Section D, you outdid yourselves. This was… debut-worthy."
Kim Do-Hyun tapped his pen.
"I saw details I never see in rookie groups.
Their timing… it's like they breathed at the same moment. And that chorus? It stuck in my head the moment I head it. That hook 'FRESH!' — it is very marketable. How did you think of that?"
"Well, after one of our sessions to brainstorm ideas for our song, we went out to grab lunch and clear our heads. During that break, we noticed that the roads and places we used to tread suddenly felt so new, so magical, so fresh."
"That's amazing. Finding beauty in the old. And Hanuel, your bridge was beautifully delivered."
Section B's expressions stiffened. Section C clapped respectfully.
That was the first time, PD Kim had praised a rookie group so highly—so much that he even asked to hear about their inspiration.