Chapter 78: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

Before the concert.

I checked the setlist one last time, warmed up my voice, and then my eyes met with the members. They were also either memorizing the choreography they often got confused with or warming up their voices.

The tension that had felt like it was tightly wrapping my whole body finally eased a bit, and I chuckled. The members seemed to be in a similar state, and we all laughed awkwardly. Then, An Juwon asked me,

"Will we stop being nervous after a few years?"

"Even after ten years, I think we'll still be nervous, but tomorrow, we won't be as nervous as today."

Park Sunjae grumbled at my answer.

"That's only half reassuring."

At that, we all laughed again. Hwang Saebek, being the leader, gathered the members and, as always, left the rest to Min Jihoo.

"Jihoo, are you going to do the cheer today?"

"I want to do it tomorrow! Who hasn't done it the most so far?"

"Hyo-sik."

When Park Sunjae, the maknae, mentioned this, Han Hyosik said 'Ah' and nodded.

"I'll do it."

He then gathered the members' hands and said,

"Don't hold back just because it's our first concert. We have to meet the Hae-sunghis tomorrow, so take care of your stamina."

"Right, that's true. Let's do that."

As I nodded in agreement, Han Hyosik continued,

"I was just a kid. On the first day I went to learn ballet with my sister, I learned pliés and tendus. After that, no matter what moves I learned, the most important thing was what I learned on the first day. So, what we learn today at this concert will be the most important things even on the day of our last concert."

The joke 'What would you have done if I hadn't asked you?' almost slipped out but disappeared before it could. The other members felt the same. Instead, I thought, 'I'm on a team with a really cool guy.'

"To become a pro, we need to focus on the first day, so let's learn everything we can today."

"Ne, Hyosik-ssi."

Min Jihoo answered with a lisp, and the members burst into laughter. Han Hyosik also laughed and said,

"I was worried about how to end it, but I'm glad."

"Yeah, it felt like that."

"Then, let's do the cheer. Third, second."

"First!"

"Go!"

"Let's go, let's go."

"Let's go to the stage."

Everyone's lisps were contagious, and we all said 'let's go, let's go' as we left the waiting room. It was a bit ridiculous to hear everyone say 'let's go, let's go' with such enthusiasm, but somehow I was doing it too. Hehe. Bad habits are learned quickly...

Before going on stage, I looked at the poster stuck on the door leading to the concert hall.

[THE FIRST: The First Night]

We had a lot of discussions and arguments about what song to start the concert with. After all the arguments, we decided on the Firstlight digital single, 'Turn On the Light,' the first song I joined with.

Listening to it again, the quality was better than I remembered. Of course, the concert arrangement was a completely different story... Since it was the first song, Yang In-hyung and I spent several days listening to 'Turn On the Light' countless times, trying to figure out the best way to perform it.

Fortunately, the audience's cheers mixed with the opening sound, which we had poured all our efforts into. Before going on stage, I made eye contact with the members one more time.

'The sound is insane.'

The fact that the audience was waiting for us alone could be felt in their voices. I tilted my headset microphone slightly towards the direction of the Hae-sunghis. The sound coming through the in-ear monitors made my heart feel like it was about to burst.

Oh, I can't cry before the performance even starts.

I clenched my teeth and headed towards the stage on cue.

The good thing about the small venue is that you can see the audience's faces so clearly. It feels like my eyesight has suddenly become incredibly sharp. I could see even the fans at the very back.

"Haewon! Haewon!"

The fans near where I was standing called my name and cried. Maybe they feel the same way I do. If they're crying because they're overwhelmed, that's a good thing.

I already want to do the next concert in a bigger venue. And then an even bigger one. And an even bigger one.

A concert where all the fans who want to come can fit, and where imaginative guys like Min Jihoo and Park Sunjae can bring their dreams to the stage. Such a concert.

And as Han Hyosik said, what we learn from today's performance will stay with us for a lifetime.

* * *

The fans near where Jeong Haewon was standing were either calling out his name or covering their mouths with one hand and crying.

Whether they were Jeong Haewon's fans or not, whether they had good feelings or not, they all felt a surge of emotion. The contract renewal went well, and he was getting along well with the members, laughing and having a good time. Despite all that, he felt a strange emotion.

One of those emotions was a sense of unease that this moment of Jeong Haewon standing on stage wouldn't last long.

The lights were blindingly bright, making the members' white stage outfits shine.

The members stood in their positions for a while, and Jeong Haewon also stood in his position before looking at the audience. Then, he saw the crying fans, made a gesture of wiping away tears with his index finger, and smiled. It was a gesture telling them not to cry.

Then, he moved to a new position as the choreography changed.

The stage was the first mini-album title track, followed by the debut song of Firstlight.

'0500'

[That sunlight is from the universe]

The fans covered their mouths with their hands at this lyric. It was a change from the original lyric, 'That sun is from the universe.'

The fans knew how significant this setlist was. The first song was from right after Jeong Haewon joined, and the second song was the first song of Firstlight. This order revealed what the real first song of Firstlight was.

After the two songs, the first VCR started. It showed the members' audition videos.

"I'm Hwang Saebek. I'm fifteen years old."

"Hello, I'm Jeong Haewon. I'm fifteen years old."

"I'm An Juwon, and I like art."

"Name? It's written there, isn't it?"

"I'm Han Hyosik, a second-year ballet major at Central Arts School."

"I'm Min Jihoo! Min! Ji! Hoo!"

And finally, Park Sunjae bowed, hesitated while looking at the adults, and then started singing a children's song he had prepared.

The fans laughed, and the members watching from below the stage also laughed. Park Sunjae sighed and covered his face with both hands.

"Seriously, how many times do I have to watch this..."

The scene then transitioned to the seven members riding a train. The night sky passed by outside the train window. The members, who had been looking out the window expressionlessly, gathered around Park Sunjae, who had noticed something outside.

Then, Korean and English subtitles appeared simultaneously.

[It was the first day.]

The screen gradually brightened, and the members one by one got off the train, looking up at the sun in the sky.

[Then we could call the time we've passed through 'night'.]

[If the sun rises even once,]

[No matter how long the night is,]

The lights in the concert hall went out and then came back on. Two members wearing masks were on stage, and a siren sound was heard. Min Jihoo was on a platform, and Han Hyosik was leaning against a chair below.

Then, they both took off their masks simultaneously, and Min Jihoo started a narration with auto-tune while jumping off the platform.

[Ah- The villains have won. The Earth is destroyed. The heroes have failed.]

[Repeat. The Earth is destroyed. The heroes have failed.]

The fans' cheers, which had quieted during the VCR, grew louder again. Masked dancers flooded the stage, chasing after Min Jihoo, who was running wildly. They quickly changed positions, forming a diamond shape with Han Hyosik at the center.

[How's it going, heroes? Was today tough? I saw you protecting the Earth well.]

[It must have been tough with one villain. But we are two.]

They started the choreography with restrained movements, tilting their heads to one side. Min Jihoo's part involved changing positions, and Han Hyosik's part was again restrained. As the choreography alternated, the dancers and Min Jihoo shot sponge balls from toy guns, turning the stage into a chaotic scene.

Min Jihoo's wild running made Han Hyosik's restrained movements seem even stranger. Then, during the chorus, the two started the same choreography. They looked like they were dancing in completely different genres, but they fit together perfectly.

[Two villains, one world, our victory.]

[The night is our time, the sun will not rise again.]

* * *

As expected, the reaction to Two Vill