Y13 [EN]: Chapter 80

Y13-80. 2010-11 All-Star Weekend

“Steve, these tickets are expensive, so try not to fall asleep.”

“Wow, you’re acting like it’s a huge deal now? Okay, okay, I won’t sleep. I’ll watch everything, so show me something cool.”

“And later, when Meli and David’s family arrive, please take good care of them.”

“Don’t worry. They said they’re almost here, so I’ll save them seats. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”

After talking to Steve, I gave a quick hello to Lauren, who was sitting next to him. Lauren said she was looking forward to the game and thanked Youngjae for getting the tickets. Steve pretended he was the one who made it happen, but Lauren playfully nudged him and thanked Youngjae instead.

“Have a good time.”

“Yes, and be careful not to get hurt.”

It was hard to have a long conversation with Emily. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d met the singer of the song, or because of Emily’s innocent and delicate appearance, which I hadn’t seen up close before.

“Alright, alright! This is a 기념 (Ginyum, Commemoration/Celebration), let’s take a picture!”

Steve called over the two of us, who had become quite awkward. Youngjae and Emily glanced at each other and then gave awkward smiles at the same time.

“You two, get your faces together right here. My arm is too short, so get close!”

Steve and Lauren looked at Youngjae and Emily, who seemed embarrassed and uncomfortable, then giggled and mischievously pushed them together. Youngjae and Emily, suddenly forced to put their faces together despite just meeting, were flustered. But when Lauren grabbed their shoulders tightly, they had no choice.

Youngjae felt a pleasant, spring-like scent coming from Emily. He liked the feeling of her light makeup and soft skin. Emily, on the other hand, only smelled simple soap and lotion from Youngjae, which she found appealing. She liked Youngjae’s clean and subtle scent, fitting for an athlete.

“Okay, one, two, three!”

Click!

Youngjae sat comfortably on the bench, watching the court. The atmosphere was festive and energetic. The crowded Staples Center audience was bustling and enjoying the pre-game excitement. Instead of top-tier singers like at the official All-Star game, rookie singers or those with less recognition were invited. They rehearsed constantly until the opening ceremony, which would kick off the Rookie Challenge and the entire All-Star Weekend. All rehearsals finished just as the audience filled the arena.

Tak-

Only then did the preparations conclude, and the lights suddenly went out. The audience waited in silence for the lights to return.

Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy~

(I woke up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy~)

With a pop! A dazzling firework exploded, and the audience couldn’t help but shout “Wow!!!” as a female singer strutted seductively onto the stage. Youngjae felt the excitement too. Most of the players were caught up in the energy, getting up to enjoy the song and move to the music. He smiled, thinking the atmosphere wasn’t bad at all, and joined in, enjoying the performance.

Tik tok on the clock, but the party don’t stop~

(The clock is ticking, but the party doesn’t stop~)

“Oh woah wo oh oh woah wo oh!!”

As Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” a hit song that reached number one on the Billboard chart in 2010, blasted through the arena, the audience and players alike sang along to the chorus and cheered for Kesha as if they’d known the song forever.

“Hello everyone! Welcome to the 2010-2011 NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge, the spectacular kickoff to the weekend!!!”

The song paused, and the MC who appeared on stage was none other than Conan O’Brien. Conan O’Brien, who had hosted NBC’s “Tonight Show” until February 2010 and had been on hiatus, made a grand debut as the host of TBS’s “Conan” show at the end of 2010 and now stepped up as the host of the Rookie Challenge.

“Nice to meet you~. I’m Kesha!”

Wow!!!

The audience erupted. Kesha and Conan O’Brien – their mere presence was enough to ignite the atmosphere.

“It’s incredibly hot in here, Kesha. We haven’t seen much of you lately. What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been preparing for this stage. Conan, aren’t you too busy these days?”

“Oh well, I’m doing well in a new place. Okay, okay, today’s main characters aren’t us, so let’s wrap it up here, Kesha? Please do well on your next performance too. See you in a bit.”

Kesha waved to the audience one last time and left the stage. Conan, with a gesture to grab the audience’s attention, shouted loudly:

“Okay! Let me introduce today’s main characters!”

Bang!

“Today, the 20 players from the Rookie Team & Sophomore Team participating in the Rookie Challenge, and the six coaches!”

Wow!!

With a deafening roar, the spotlight shone on the 26 players and coaching staff. The players responded to the cheers and attention by clapping and waving to the audience. Youngjae smiled as he spotted the members of the Aztecs sitting in the seats he’d secured: Coach Steve Fisher, Steve and Meli, David’s family, Emily and Lauren, and finally Nowitzki and Boboa, his teammates from the Dallas team. He waved to them, expressing his gratitude for their support.

“Okay, it’s tempting to jump straight into the game. But wouldn’t it be fun to see how well the rookies and sophomores enjoy the festival, and to have a pre-game battle of energy, right?”

The audience shouted “Wow!!!” The players and coaches, however, looked surprised, as if they hadn’t been informed about this beforehand. In Youngjae’s previous life, Shaquille O’Neal of the Phoenix Suns had actually participated in this All-Star game and performed a 칼 (Kal, Sharp/Knife)-like group dance with white masks on the All-Star stage for about a minute. In addition, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Shaquille O’Neal accepted Shaquille’s impromptu dance battle request and showed off some great moves.

Shaquille O’Neal, in particular, had debuted as a hip-hop artist and participated in movies, dramas, and reality shows, showcasing his versatile talents. Not only Shaquille O’Neal, but the range of activities for basketball players was gradually expanding.

“Okay, okay, I don’t like being treated like a kid just because of a one-year difference. Of course, my performance is overwhelming, but if there are any rookies who think they’re much better than us seniors at dancing or singing, come on up! Don’t hold back. Huh?”

The rookie team players exchanged embarrassed glances, but Conan’s words were true. Since the Rookie Challenge was a festival of unity, it would be foolish not to participate, especially when the opportunity was presented.

“Yoon.”

Youngjae was surprised that someone he didn’t expect spoke to him first. It was John Wall.

“Let’s just enjoy each other for today. Of course, if we play in the league again… to be honest, I want to punch that annoying face of yours, but let’s put all that aside and have some fun.”

Wall’s words were meaningful. Youngjae nodded in agreement and cleared the way to the stage, signaling for him to go first.

“OH! JOOOOHN WALL!”

Bbaam- Bbaam-

As the beat dropped, Wall, wearing a Washington Wizards jersey, shrugged his shoulders and walked onto the stage. Then, he flexed his right bicep, holding his arm horizontally at shoulder height and bending his elbow at a 90-degree angle, raising his right hand to the sky. John Wall, with a slightly clenched fist, shook his fist from side to side to the beat, rotating only his wrist.

Bbaam- Bbaam-

The players and the audience followed John Wall’s bicep dance, shaking their right wrists.

“Wow, that’s John Wall’s dance! I guess you have a talent for dancing?”

“I’ve liked dancing since the University of Kentucky. Isn’t it fun?”

John Wall chatted with Conan O’Brien with a bright smile.

“So that’s why you were picked as the first pick? Your dancing skills are definitely first-pick material?”

“Haha! I danced during the workout and stole the hearts of the Washington Wizards. With this dance.”

John Wall made a playful expression and wittily answered with the bicep dance.

“Okay! Then I’ll give John Wall the right to choose. Please nominate one friend from the rookie team to help you, and one player to stand up for the pride of the sophomore team!”

John Wall looked at the players who were avoiding his eyes and nominated Stephen Curry from the sophomore team, and without hesitation, from the rookie team:

“Yoon, come out and help me!”

Youngjae forced a smile. Since John Wall had already spoken, Youngjae, anticipating the call, walked towards the stage as if resigned. As Stephen Curry walked onto the stage with an excited expression, O’Brien made Curry and Youngjae face each other and asked them each a question.

“Curry? How do you feel about being the first up for the sophomore team?”

“My body was itching for this? I came out to show you what a real dance is!”

Wow!!!

The audience roared at Curry’s confident tone. As fast-paced music started, Curry clapped and encouraged the audience to cheer, and they clapped along with him.

“Oh oh~ Curry’s provocative dance!”

Curry approached Youngjae, who was standing opposite him, patted him on the shoulder, and stepped on the stage as if his soles were slipping. Then, he wiggled his hips playfully and shook his shoulders, starting to dance annoyingly, trying to provoke a reaction from Youngjae.

Youngjae already had a smile on his face. Knowing that these players couldn’t show this side of themselves during league games, Youngjae was completely immersed in the atmosphere of the Rookie Challenge, which he was experiencing for the first time. Intoxicated by the atmosphere, Youngjae approached Curry with a smooth step, then stood right in front of him, raised his tiptoes, and turned his head from side to side, pretending to look for Curry. Youngjae, who was about 5cm taller, raised his tiptoes even higher, acting as if he couldn’t see Curry, treating him like a child.

Youngjae, slightly incorporating John Wall’s bicep dance, also perfectly mimicked Curry’s playful provocative dance as if it were his own, then immediately took it a step further. Even though he didn’t have much talent for dancing before or after his regression [reincarnation], Youngjae was talented enough to shrug his shoulders from side to side. Even though it was a simple dance move, it looked pretty good, and the audience and players could easily follow it, so everyone easily followed Youngjae’s shoulder dance, just like John Wall’s bicep dance.

Towards the end of the song, Youngjae stood proudly in front of Curry, made a bowl shape with his left hand, and lowered his right index and middle fingers to make a shape like a spoon, then put his two right fingers into the bowl-shaped left hand and started stirring.

“Oh! Yoon, what is that action now?”

When the song ended, Youngjae skillfully grabbed the microphone and said briefly to Curry:

“Cooking CURRY.”

Youngjae was stirring as if making curry. Originally, it was an action that James Harden would do to provoke Curry in the 2014-2015 season after he transferred to Houston, but Youngjae used it in advance.

“Haha! You have a good sense of humor! Then shall we call you Chef Y13 from now on? Let’s keep this energy going, HOOBASTANK!!!”

HOOBASTANK began to energize the audience and players with intense band music. As their representative song “OUT OF CONTROL” filled the Staples Center, everyone’s legs began to jump to the beat.

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@Griffin is a 09 drafty, but because he missed the entire debut season due to injury, the 10-11 season is included in the rookie team even though it is the second season, and he can win the Rookie of the Year award. A similar player was drafted last year, but Joel Embiid of Philadelphia, who will play in the game from next season, will be there. Embiid was also considered as the first pick, but Philadelphia, who was prepared for tanking, nominated him because he would eventually miss the first season due to surgery. Philadelphia brought in Nerlens Noel, a similar case, the previous year.

Helic-nim, Frog Power-nim/// I’ll do it tomorrow ㅎㅎ

Crayon-nim/// I’ll put it in ^^

Dancing Left Hand-nim/// ㅠ.ㅠ

Nan Dwa Kim-nim/// I often watch the news or Mania Jin without logging in. I don’t really look at the bulletin board.

Akro Bullo-nim, Orcasha-nim/// ㅎㅎ What do you think

Lotus-nim/// It will come out later

Finensia-nim, misscherry-nim, Omarion-nim, Cheonsangbyeolri-nim, Kundara-nim/// Thank you for your comments as always!!

Lafir and Jinteu-nim/// Unless McHale is lightly punished ㅠ.ㅠ

Cowardly Loser-nim/// ㅎㅎ Thank you~