Chapter 194 - 194: Healthy Ego (pt.4)
After the now well-known post-chorus, the six launched into a mini dance break.
Intricate footwork.
Sharp formations.
Clean isolations.
Every movement landed with such precision that if someone took a photograph at any random moment, it would look like an official promotional shot.
Not a bad angle in sight.
The six weaved around and through one another with effortless fluidity.
Members traded positions.
Formations shifted.
Lines opened and closed.
Yet every transition remained crystal clear.
Watching them felt less like watching six separate performers and more like watching six gears inside the same machine.
It was hard to believe that some of them had only started working together relatively recently.
The synchronization suggested years.
The chemistry suggested years.
The trust suggested years.
And yet here they were.
Relatively new teammates moving like they'd been performing together since birth.
The audience watched in a near trance.
No one wanted to look away.
Not even for a second.
Because performances like this created a very specific kind of fear.
Not fear of failure.
Not fear of embarrassment.
Fear of missing something cool.
The deadliest form of FOMO.
The kind where you glance away for half a second and somehow miss the exact moment everyone talks about afterward.
So nobody risked it.
They watched.
Completely locked in.
Then, just as the dance break ended, the bridge arrived.
The audience barely had time to clap.
Barely had time to breathe.
And then Nox stepped forward once more.
Center stage.
As though the spotlight had always belonged to him.
His voice rolled through the venue like velvet dipped in midnight.
Sexy.
With a capital S.
And the way he carried himself?
Pure giga-chad energy.
Not the fake kind.
Not the "listen to me explain alpha male podcasts for three hours" kind.
The real kind.
The kind that didn't need validation because it already knew exactly who it was.
(There's a reason he's on the single's cover, and frankly, the evidence continues to pile up. 🤭)
🎶Confidence quiet, I don't gotta shout
I know my worth, no lingering doubt
Not better than you, just solid in skin
Humble king energy, let me begin🎶
As he sang the second half, Nox casually pointed toward the audience.
Then flexed.
Just a little.
Just enough.
The reaction was immediate.
The girlies combusted.
The gays combusted.
Several people experienced a complete system shutdown.
Like, sir.
Respectfully.
You cannot sing:
🎶Not better than you🎶
And then immediately follow it with a bicep flex while singing:
🎶Humble king energy🎶
That is an outrageous sequence of events.
The confidence required to pull that off without a trace of irony should be studied by scientists.
Not psychologists.
Scientists.
Because physics clearly had to be involved somehow.
And the worst part?
It worked.
The crowd ate it up.
Fork and knife.
No crumbs left behind.
Meanwhile, Jonathan watched with the expression of a proud father witnessing his child achieve greatness.
Nodding solemnly, he flexed his own right bicep while proudly pointing at Nox with his left hand.
As if personally endorsing the performance.
As if to say:
"Yep."
"That's my guy."
"Look at him go."
And honestly?
The gesture somehow made perfect sense.
****
And if that wasn't enough, the second half of the bridge arrived.
And somehow...
Somehow...
It felt less like a bridge and more like a particularly dangerous school roll call.
With Isaac serving as the teacher.
A very handsome teacher.
A detail that was unfortunately relevant.
🎶Italian nights,🎶
Louie immediately flashed the crowd his abs.
And once again, the girlies and the gays combusted.
Like, sir.
A few moments ago you were standing there looking all sincere and gentlemanly.
Now you're casually unveiling a set of perfectly sculpted abs like you're revealing the final boss.
This is dangerous behavior.
People could end up in the ICU.
Cardiac arrest caused by excessive exposure to glorious abdominal muscles.
The medical community simply isn't prepared.
And honestly?
It's always the quiet ones.
Always.
Remember when he suddenly took his shirt off while artificial rain poured down during a performance?
Yeah.
This is that same Louie.
Deadly when least expected.
🎶Brazilian kisses🎶
Leo blew the audience a flying kiss.
The venue nearly collapsed.
Who would've thought that the resident gamer gremlin could weaponize cuteness so effectively?
The combination was devastating.
Part adorable.
Part charming.
Part "I haven't slept because I was gaming until three in the morning."
An absolutely lethal cocktail.
And Princess Stephanie?
Poor thing.
She was hanging on by a thread.
Breathing had become an optional activity.
🎶German precision,🎶
Now, there were two German members in the group.
Which naturally meant double the precision.
Double the chaos.
And double the excitement.
Nikola and Mikko simultaneously dropped into one-handed b-boy freezes.
Perfectly synchronized.
Perfectly balanced.
Perfectly ridiculous.
The crowd erupted.
Cheers exploded throughout the venue.
Then both men popped back to their feet with expressions that practically screamed:
Nailed it.
🎶Greek-style wishes🎶
Nox stepped forward.
Simple.
Effortless.
Deadly.
He turned his back toward the audience.
Tilted his head slightly.
And glanced over his shoulder with the faintest hint of a grin.
A grin.
Let that sink in.
The man had been aura farming since the beginning of the performance.
Unconsciously, mind you.
That's just his natural state of existence.
But the moment Nox actively decided to engage in fan service?
Even just a little?
It was over.
Entire sections of the audience flatlined emotionally.
Hearts everywhere skipped several legally concerning beats.
Even the straight dudes looked momentarily confused.
Because how did a man like that exist?
Scientists remained unavailable for comment.
🎶Sexy in spirit, fluent in respect
That's the type of man you don't forget🎶
Isaac finished the bridge with his signature Southern smile.
And immediately, the audience felt better.
Calmer.
Healed.
As though someone had gently lowered the emotional temperature of the room.
People could breathe again.
Their heart rates stabilized.
Their souls returned to their bodies.
Everything was fine.
Then Isaac winked.
And the collective recovery process was instantly cancelled.
Heart rates skyrocketed.
Pulse monitors everywhere filed formal complaints.
Like, sir.
Please.
Pick a lane.
You cannot spend an entire bridge healing the audience and then immediately become part of the problem.
The people can only survive so much.
****
And finally, the last chorus arrived.
Leo started it softly.
Almost tenderly.
🎶I respect those who respect me,
And love those who love me🎶
His voice floated over the crowd like a gentle invitation.
Then Louie stepped in.
And where Leo had been soft, Louie was strong.
Steady.
Certain.
🎶I do unto others
What I want others do to me🎶
The words rang through the venue with conviction.
Then came Mikko.
Because apparently the universe had not yet finished showing off.
🎶So if that's you, babe,
Yeah, hear when I say…🎶
The absurdity of this man truly knew no bounds.
He was delivering vocal perfection while looking completely relaxed.
The note he was hitting should have required visible effort.
Struggle.
Concentration.
And a prayer.
Instead, he looked like he was casually enjoying a pleasant afternoon stroll.
And smiling.
The audacity.
Then Mikko belted.
Because of course he did.
The note soared through the venue.
And then it kept going.
And going.
And going.
The man held that note straight into the post-chorus as though oxygen was merely a suggestion.
And to make matters worse?
He was doing the Jonathan Lean-Back Body Wave while holding it.
At this point, the audience had collectively accepted that Mikko operated under a different set of physical laws.
Then the hook arrived one final time.
Nikola practically bounced to the front.
"Everybody, lemme hear you sing!"
The crowd responded instantly.
🎶I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego🎶
The entire venue transformed into a party.
Everyone was singing.
Everyone was dancing.
Everyone and their mothers were doing the Jonathan Lean-Back Body Wave.
At least three people were probably teaching it to strangers.
A cultural movement had been born.
Then came the final dance break.
A sudden explosion of energy.
The six gave everything they had left.
Every ounce of stamina.
Every ounce of passion.
Every ounce of determination.
Nothing was held back.
The choreography exploded across the stage.
Sharp.
Fast.
Precise.
The members moved in rapid succession, their formations changing almost faster than the eye could follow.
Then the guitar riff kicked in.
And somehow...
Somehow...
It felt like the audience could see the guitar.
Each movement struck with such precision that it was as though the riff itself had been translated into choreography.
The music wasn't just being heard.
It was being danced.
And then...
The song ended.
The six froze in their final pose.
Breathing hard.
Sweat glistening beneath the stage lights.
For one brief moment, silence filled the venue.
A heartbeat.
Two.
Then the room exploded.
Thunderous applause.
Cheering.
Screaming.
The kind of reaction performers dream about.
Princess Alesha looked seconds away from filing a formal complaint against reality itself.
"I need this single released yesterday!" she cried. "Oh my God! How am I supposed to live not knowing when this song is getting released?!"
Prince Arthur pointed dramatically.
"Queen, same! I needed it yesterday too! That song belongs on my playlist. I need to stream it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the occasional midnight snack."
Meanwhile, Princess Stephanie remained seated.
Not because she disliked the performance.
Quite the opposite.
She simply needed a moment.
And several deep breaths.
It had genuinely been one of the best nights of her life.
On stage, Nox, Nikola, Isaac, Leo, Mikko, and Louie stood smiling brightly despite their exhaustion.
Still panting.
Still trying to catch their breath.
The standing ovation continued.
And continued.
And continued.
It lasted so long that entire opera houses and ballet companies would have looked on with envy.
The six eventually joined hands.
Raised them together.
And bowed.
The audience somehow got even louder.
Which shouldn't have been possible.
Yet somehow was.
As they straightened up, they waved.
Sent finger hearts.
Threw in little bits of fan service.
Smiled for the crowd.
Acted every bit the professionals they had trained to become.
But beneath those smiles...
The emotions were threatening to spill over.
Because they knew.
They all knew.
How much work had gone into this.
How many sacrifices.
How many sleepless nights.
How many hours spent practicing until their bodies ached.
The cheers washing over them weren't just applause.
They were proof.
Proof that every difficult step had been worth it.
And for now, despite the overwhelming emotions trying desperately to escape...
The six held themselves together.
Just a little longer.
Professional to the very end.
****
PS - You can listen to "Healthy Ego" in full at YouTube (@FocacciaBread-Music), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/4QUAhCjeh6VNkJjQq6wnnU?si=BpvIPtSZShKp8ClY3TPTdw) or other digital streaming platforms.
****
Healthy Ego - Full lyrics
[Verse 1]
I open the door for you,
Pull the chair, pour the wine slow too
Treat you with respect, yeah that's the code
Mama raised me right, that's all I know
Raised a gentleman, my father's way
"Manners maketh man," heard that every day
Respecting boundaries, that's the creed
Me and my homies? Yeah, we always heed
Fair is fair, babe, love done clean
I give my all, no smoke, no screen
All I ask is the same energy
Meet me halfway, lovingly
[Pre-Chorus]
But see here's the thing, babe, try understand
I love myself first, that's where I stand
Ain't tryna be cold, ain't tryna be rude
Just choosing what's right, staying true
[Chorus]
I respect those who respect me,
And love those who love me
I do unto others
What I want others do to me
So if that's you, babe,
Please hear when I say…
[Post-Hook]
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
[Rap Verse]
They say I'm pretentious, obnoxious, ridiculous
But my ego ain't bruised, I know where I stood in this
Self-aware, not self-obsessed
I pass the mirror test, I'm not impressed
Just a warning, babe, read the signs
I won't be manipulated, crossed, or confined
No humiliation, no mental jail
I'm free by design, yeah I love that trail
Fair play only, don't play me sideways
I love hard, but I love me always
Healthy ego, not fragile pride
I don't chase validation, I walk inside
[Pre-Chorus]
I ain't here to dominate, control, or own
Just standing tall, comfortable alone
If you add to my life, you're welcome to stay
If not, no beef—I bless my way
[Chorus]
I respect those who respect me,
And love those who love me
I do unto others
What I want others do to me
So if that's you, babe,
Please hear when I say…
[Post-Hook]
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
[Instrumental Break]
[Bridge]
Confidence quiet, I don't gotta shout
I know my worth, no lingering doubt
Not better than you, just solid in skin
Humble king energy, let me begin
Italian nights, Brazilian kisses
German precision, Greek-style wishes
Sexy in spirit, fluent in respect
That's the type of man you don't forget
[Final Chorus]
I respect those who respect me,
And love those who love me
I do unto others
What I want others do to me
So if that's you, babe,
Yeah, hear when I say…
[Final Post-Hook]
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego