Chapter 267: Metamorphosis (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 267: Metamorphosis (3)
Cheers erupted through the screen. When did our boys grow up so much that the crowd at the music show recordings got this big? Baek Hae-won, who could easily distinguish between dubbed cheers and the real thing, was deeply moved.
Now, just seeing the six of them sitting back-to-back was enough to make her heart swell. Since Spark had returned with yet another masterpiece, Hae-won had long since become an extreme "my-boys-are-the-best" Sparkler.
How long had she waited for this music show performance while watching the choreography video that had been released first? In the music video, they only showed close-ups of his face, so she hadn't seen the part where Kim I-wol walked forward with one hand on his chest and the other reaching out like a musical actor. If she hadn't seen that, she wouldn't have been able to close her eyes even in death.
'F*ck, look how much weight I-wol lost.'
She hadn't noticed because the music video outfits were so flashy, but it was obvious on the music show. Kim I-wol, who used to do one-handed push-ups with ease, had become noticeably leaner overall.
It wasn't like Kim I-wol had any body fat to begin with, and Spark wasn't aiming for a "skinny" aesthetic, so dieting likely wasn't the cause.
In cases like this, the most probable culprit was stress. Fans loved seeing their idols often, but even idols had their limits.
If this was a "fatigue-induced weight loss" caused by an excessive schedule, she would burn UA to the ground just to get the boys a vacation.
While Hae-won made this solemn vow, the song began. Jeong Seong-bin’s sweet voice echoed through the living room.
'It feels... even more exciting than when I watched the music video?'
Belatedly, Hae-won recalled a masterpiece of a post written by a fellow Sparkler on her timeline.
≫ Spark - What I Want to Say
You can capture the feeling of December like this without using the words 'winter' or 'snow' even once.
How can it feel so much like Christmas Eve without ever saying the word 'Christmas'...?
└ I didn't even notice until I saw this post.
└ Just went back to check the lyrics... There are words like 'cold' or 'frozen,' but nothing direct like 'snow' or 'winter.'
If one had to pick Spark’s most representative festival-like song, it was undoubtedly Flowering.
In other words, Spark had hidden traces of their past promotional periods within What I Want to Say, bit by bit.
To a non-fan, it might just sound like a common year-end seasonal song, but if you dug deeper, it was designed to reveal Spark’s entire year.
The lyrics, which confessed their feelings, followed the same pattern as The Third Letter, where the listener was directly addressed, or MISSION, where they spoke of wanting to stand by your side.
And then there was that quintessential idol mindset: "Only look at the shining things."
There wasn't a single disappointing thing about it. Since ancient times, it was said that an idol overflowing with love for their fans was the pride of the fandom.
Furthermore, she no longer had to step up herself; there were now people who organized all the new content for everyone. She was overwhelmed with emotion. Our boys, they’ve really made it. They’ve become stars...
Hae-won was moved. She quietly covered her mouth as she watched Kim I-wol’s white hair fluttering.
It was a truly great song. Both to hear and to see. She wouldn't take this song off her messenger profile until the year was over.
She couldn't tell if the song was good or if she just loved the boys that much. However, seeing her mother—who had tossed her a dry towel telling her to fold laundry while she watched TV—comment, "Is that a carol? The song is nice," it seemed it wasn't just Hae-won’s biased ears.
During their first music show performance, Spark didn't make a single mistake. In fact, true to the fan reviews saying their live performances were the real deal, their live ad-libs were incredible.
Park Ju-woo, who sang calmly while dancing like a swan gliding across a lake despite the hellish condition of a high-note party toward the end, and Choi Je-ho, who perfectly translated the moment of a firework exploding into dance, were particularly striking.
And...
'Kim I-wol’s face welfare is the absolute best...'
Hae-won could never forget the scene where the face gems shining beneath his fluttering white hair sparkled along with his eyes.
When they gathered for the comeback interview, he looked so lovely smiling brightly that she thought he was a snowball fairy rather than the Snow Queen. If he weren't over 180cm tall, she would have just called him a snow fairy. But it was precisely because of that height that the man known as Kim I-wol was truly adorable.
It was also heartening to see the members looking even closer than before. They were already a group with good chemistry, but this time, Spark seemed desperate to take care of one another.
The way they yielded the microphone to each other to give another member even one more chance to speak was as warm as Hae-won’s feet, which were currently on fire as she waited for their chart results.
'Our boys need to go to even bigger stages... The world needs to know Spark’s insane moments...'
Hae-won—though she felt this way every waking moment—wanted to gather all the neighbors and brag about Spark to the high heavens. She had bragged plenty in the neighborhood of social media, but that wasn't enough.
They needed something big. An opportunity where fifty million idol fans would watch, like 'Adan-un,' but where they could show off a killer performance, like 'A.Wang.Sil.'
Hae-won glared at her innocent calendar. The year-end stage season was about to begin.
'They’ll perform this song during the year-end stages, right? Please do. Please do it while wearing insane all-white suits. Don't cut the song; sing the full version.'
She knew whether they could sing the full version or not depended on the broadcasting station's discretion, but Hae-won prayed fervently nonetheless.
If you bastards truly want to throw a global music festival, you have to broadcast this! Don't you want to go global? Don't you want to show the spark of K-Pop?!
Wailing in her heart, Hae-won turned off the TV after Spark’s segment ended. Then, she lingered on social media for a long time, discussing how beautiful Spark was, how their voices were like nightingales, how their dancing was insane, and how so-and-so seemed to have lost weight while someone else seemed to have gained more muscle.
≫ I-wol, you don't have to lose weight. You look cool with all that muscle. If UA is making you diet, shake a carrot. Carrots aren't that expensive these days.
└ Did I-wol lose weight??
└ He didn't say anything, but the kid looks a bit gaunt ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I didn't notice in the MV because the clothes were so flashy, but watching the music show, it feels like his muscles are gone.
└ No, the oldest line should be tanking for the younger ones, so what is this?
Exactly. My heart is breaking too.
Just as they had been discussing this for about an hour, a new topic emerged.
≫ Mi-heon, are you watching the self-produced content today?
Checking the time, there wasn't much left until the upload. Hae-won sent a reply asking if that wasn't obvious, then thought to herself:
'I hope it's content where the boys talk a lot.'
Spark was a goldmine for relationships, so they were at their best when they were gathered together to chatter.
Hae-won sincerely thought so. It wasn't just out of a selfish desire to stare at their faces. Isn't it a law of nature that when you put a bunch of weirdos together, they'll do weird things even if you just leave them be?
Though they were only in their first year, Spark had filmed a lot of self-produced content. Because of that, most typical concepts had already been done. Informal Speech Time, What’s in My Bag, cooking for themselves, training camps, dorm reveals... and so on.
Well, if they really ran out of ideas, they could do something like '202X Spark Highlights Compilation.' Or maybe they could do Informal Speech Time again since the last one was too short. One way or another, Hae-won trusted Spark’s content planning abilities.
Besides, this time they had white-haired Kim I-wol and pink-haired maknae Gi-yeon. Just having those two sit there would be enough to satisfy any craving for something sweet while watching.
And then, right on the hour:
≫ @spArk_official
With a move on the horizon,
Spark’s New Year Roommate Recruitment!
Who will be the roommates for next year?
Revealing it right now!
[Spark] 2X12XX Seeking my roommate
"Changing roommates?!"
Hae-won gasped and accessed MeTube faster than anyone. She felt her blood sugar, which had already risen enough from the boys' dyed hair, skyrocket.