Chapter 132
Chapter 132
It wasn't a sight I’d never seen before.
It’s not exactly rare for fans to prepare a special event for a singer at a concert. Even back when I was just taking data requests, I’d seen it happen three or four times.
I never felt anything special back then.
I just thought it was fascinating how so many people, who weren't even getting paid, could coordinate their timing so perfectly.
But this... being the direct recipient of it was a completely different experience.
I never knew that the realization that every single one of those swaying lights represented a person's heart could feel so vivid.
This overwhelming sense of shared emotion, felt not as an outsider, but from the very center of it.
…I didn't know, I didn't know what to say.
“…….”
Even amidst my silence, the song continued.
It was my part.
Even if nothing stays the same
The magic of this very moment
Maybe it’s YOU
An unimaginable thrill surged from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes, as if boiling water had been poured over me.
“…Gasp.”
I hurriedly lowered my head. It felt a bit better once the view was out of sight.
But at the same time, I wanted to lift my head and see more.
‘…I’m a mess.’
It was absurd.
The singing continued to ring in my ears without pause.
Today I feel so good, as if
Something wonderful is about to happen
Moreover, the other guys were now joining in.
Keun Se-jin was the first.
“…If it’s you, everything will be alright~”
It must have been quite moving for them too, because I could clearly hear the voices of everyone singing their parts trembling.
“Li, LIFE is strange, keep it light….”
Kim Rae-bin’s rap part followed, accompanied by the sound of him sniffling.
And soon, my part was approaching again.
‘…This is driving me crazy.’
I picked up the microphone for now.
“……When you look at me.”
…I completely missed an entire line. Even the words I managed to squeeze in late didn't connect properly.
‘Dammit.’
I grit my teeth.
Sensing something was wrong because of the long silence, eyes finally began to swarm over me.
“…Moon-dae?”
“M-Moon-dae?”
“Are you crying?”
Suddenly, several hands were shaking my shoulders and patting the back of my neck and back. Panicked exclamations mixed in with the voices of the fans who were still singing.
‘…Oh, god.’
I pressed my hand over my eyes.
Then, I lifted my head and scanned my surroundings as calmly as possible.
Most of the members had bloodshot eyes.
However, while some were choking up or had eyes brimming with tears… none of them were actually bawling.
Even Bae Se-jin wasn't crying this much.
‘Fuck.’
Does this mean I’m the only one… the only one who’s turned into a weirdo right now?
“Oh, my goodness.”
“Look at Moon-dae go.”
The guys gathered around me laughed a few times, and then, thankfully, they started crying in earnest. They had clearly been holding it back too.
“……Let’s, let’s do our best.”
Caught up in the atmosphere, they pulled me into a relentless group hug, arms wrapping around my head and shoulders. It was stiflingly hot.
I couldn't tell if I was suffocating from the hug or from the situation itself.
—What do we do?
—Don't cry!
—It's okay!
During the instrumental break, all sorts of shouts reached my ears instead of singing.
“Phew.”
The hug broke, and Keun Se-jin, who had run off somewhere and returned, thrust a piece of cloth in front of my face.
Without thinking, I grabbed it and pressed it against my face.
I saw navy blue letters on a light purple background.
…It was a slogan.
Someone had thrown it onto the stage.
‘This is insane.’
I just buried my face in it. I must have looked absolutely ridiculous.
Someone ruffled my hair roughly.
“You worked hard.”
Before the instrumental ended, I was led by the members toward the front of the stage. And then, holding hands in a line, we gave a deep, low bow.
Instead of singing, cheers thundered through my head.
I raised my microphone with trembling hands.
“…Yes, the magic is you.”
Fortunately, I managed to sing the final line somehow.
*
After the fan event—disguised as a talk segment—ended, and after barely managing to say a few closing remarks, I finally stepped off the stage.
Only then did I finally stop blubbering.
‘…I should have stopped five minutes ago.’
It was pathetic.
I never dreamed that the first time I’d cry in nearly seven years would be live in front of thirteen thousand people and a fleet of cameras.
‘…Maybe I shouldn't have avoided monitoring social media.’
It would have been better if I’d known in advance, but since the concert was right around the corner, we had all agreed not to look at the internet for about a week to avoid any unnecessary distractions.
I thought it would be fine since we weren't doing any activities that specifically required monitoring.
‘To think something like this… was being organized behind the scenes in the meantime.’
Never again in my life will I do such a useless internet detox.
I almost crumpled the slogan in my hand, but I barely managed to restrain myself and folded it neatly on a nearby chair.
“Man, I really didn't expect that from you. You didn't even cry when we got first place.”
“…….”
“As expected of a man born to be an idol. Only crying in the face of the fans' love… Wow.”
“Shut up.”
He had been sobbing his eyes out too, yet he was already running his mouth the moment we got off stage. Keun Se-jin laughed loudly as he changed his clothes.
“A-Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
This guy was genuinely worried, so I couldn't even get mad at him.
Seon A-hyun seemed deeply moved, but he hadn't cried much, so his face was fine, saving the staff some trouble.
On the other hand, Bae Se-jin started streaming tears only after coming down, which flustered the staff.
“…How are you doing, hyung?”
“I-I’m perfectly fine.”
Bae Se-jin finally stopped sniffling as he finished getting his makeup touched up.
“We don't have much time left. We have to move.”
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had cried quickly and regained his composure just as fast, quickly took control of the situation. Beside him, Cha Yu-jin, who hadn't cried at all and was just excited, was already fully changed.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
…Right. It was time to go.
The long-awaited title track stage was waiting for us.
“50 seconds left on the VCR!”
We ran to our standby positions.
The set was likely already fully assembled on the darkened center stage.
I recalled the scenes from the storyboard.
An antique mansion. Dust-covered chandeliers, butterfly specimens, and rusted birdcages.
And the clockwork key on our backs.
“Going up!”
The stage lift began to move.
The moment the floor opened and our heads emerged above the stage, light and cheers began to roar.
—Waaaaaaaah!
But now was not the time to be overwhelmed. It was time to shake off all sentimentality and focus once again.
Blue lights pierced the stage.
TeSTAR took their formation.
“Haaa…….”
It was Sunday night, the 31st, after both days of TeSTAR’s concert had ended.
Park Moon-dae’s fansite master stumbled along, clutching her bag.
Inside the bag was her precious camera, which had dutifully completed its filming mission from the standing area.
After attending the concert for two days, crying for two days straight, taking photos, and even watching the performance standing up today, her physical strength was completely depleted.
But she had no regrets. Not a single one, not even a tiny speck!!
‘It was so good…….’
From beginning to end, there wasn't a single disappointing element.
Not only was it great to see them giving their all, but the stage itself was just so fun and well-made.
It felt as if she had briefly stepped into another world.
‘It’s such a shame it’s over after only two days…!’
She wished they would do it for just two more days.
And even though she had just seen them, she already missed the living, breathing TeSTAR so much.
Unable to contain her surging emotions, she opened her phone and accessed social media.
Then, she quickly uploaded a photo, even if it was just a low-quality shot of the photo on her camera screen taken with her smartphone.
=========================
[2X0331 Last Concert Park Moon-dae Preview]
(Photo of Park Moon-dae with bloodshot eyes) (Photo of Park Moon-dae pointing at his cheek during the unit stage) (Photo of Park Moon-dae looking back while riding a wire)
I love you, Moon-dae.
#TeSTAR #ParkMoon-dae #Moon-deng-deng
=========================
The fansite master’s heart ached every time she looked at the first photo she attached.
It was the image of Park Moon-dae holding a piece of paper tightly with both hands, his head slightly lowered as he tried to hold back his tears.
The fansite master inwardly clutched her chest.
‘Our boy is a total puppy angel…….’
Park Moon-dae had cried on the second day of the concert as well.
The fans had prepared a different event from the first day: flying paper airplanes into the air while TeSTAR sang their fan song during the encore.
Naturally, TeSTAR was once again overwhelmed by the incredible sight of ten thousand colorful paper airplanes soaring through the venue all at once.
And as the members caught a few planes that luckily landed on the stage, they ended up checking the contents inside.
—Oh, this is……
—Wait a second, ah……
—……
The fans had each written the words they wanted to say inside the paper they folded into airplanes.
It was a cruelly touching event.
In the process, several members eventually got teary-eyed, and the fansite master’s first preview photo was the one she took of Park Moon-dae at that moment.
And Park Moon-dae… despite having the image of the one least likely to cry, was also the member who cried the most during the concert.
The waterfall-like tears of a man who hadn't shed a single drop—instead just smiling—when they won 1st place on Idol Inc., or their first terrestrial broadcast 1st place after debut, or at any awards ceremony, had an immense destructive power.
On the first day, it had practically turned not only the fans but also various online communities upside down.
For reference, "Syeom-byeol" was an extremely distorted search-avoidance name for TeSTAR.
In any case, from communities where blunt remarks were exchanged without filters to fan accounts with manners and common sense, TeSTAR’s actions at this concert were rapidly shared in various places.
Since all sorts of talk-worthy topics had come out—from new unit stages and unconventional new song performances to their crying faces—it was perhaps only natural.
The fact that the share count for Park Moon-dae’s fansite master’s preview easily surpassed the thousands within five minutes of being posted was proof of this.
Reactions from acquaintances and followers also poured in.
As overseas fans were starting to join in, foreign language trolls also began to appear.
‘These guys pick a fight with every fansite master.’
Since it was a sight she was well-accustomed to, the fansite master easily ignored them. And she quickly boarded the subway that had just arrived.
‘Ugh, there are so many people…….’
On the first day, she had traveled comfortably thanks to a friend who had watched from a different area and given her a ride, but such luck was impossible today.
‘Maybe I should have taken a taxi or booked a hotel!’
Just as she was about to regret it, a seat opened up right in front of her, and she was able to sit down.
‘Thank goodness.’
As soon as she sat down, the fansite master picked up her camera and began to flip through the photos she had taken.
This was because the new song stage wouldn't leave a corner of her mind.
‘It was seriously insane.’
She hadn't expected them to bring something like that.
But she was so grateful that they did!
Since the initial impact was important, there was a tacit understanding not to upload photos or fancams of the new song stage until midnight, but honestly, she really wanted to brag about it.
‘Let’s at least rewatch it.’
Just as the fansite master was about to check the fancam she filmed today, a vibration suddenly rang from her lap.
It was her smartphone.
And on the notification bar… news she hadn't even expected had appeared.
[Loviewers are invited to TeSTAR’s concert after-party! (Clapping emoji)]
It was a W Live notification!