Chapter 184
Chapter 184
Park Moon-dae continued to rise into the air. Even as his limbs dangled in the void, his limp, reclining body maintained a dramatically elegant line.
And he continued to sing.
—All this yearning melts away
Until not a speck of expectation remains
Burning and breaking
Until I become drifting dust
Like the chilling lyrics, it was a performance that was both static and intense.
The fansite master, who had been watching the scene in a daze, suddenly realized something.
‘So that’s why he used a head mic!’
From the moment he was sitting in the chair, he had been wearing a head mic instead of using a standing or handheld one.
‘I thought he just didn't hold one because of the atmosphere with the cloth tied around him...’
But that wasn't it. It was because of this insane performance.
And that wasn't even the end.
—Yet, I shall wait
The moment the final chorus surged.
The accompaniment suddenly shifted to a slow string solo.
Amidst that mournful sound, the cloth that had been binding the singer’s entire body unraveled and began to flutter in the wind.
Then, a cloudy night sky began to appear on the electronic display.
“...!”
Primary-colored cloths swayed against the backdrop of a cloudy, dark night where even the stars were barely visible.
And in the center floated a white silhouette.
Even though the cloth that had seemed to pull him up was completely unraveled, Park Moon-dae remained suspended in mid-air by his body alone.
‘Crazy.’
There was no time to think about how it was done. Every element of the scene created a dramatic contrast, making it look almost like a piece of modern art.
His white outfit sparkled under the lights.
The song flowed beautifully without a single tremor.
—On the day you finally arrive
Until the day you say I am truly lovely
Unlike the original song, which felt like it was burning up, the vocal style and accompaniment made the sadness feel clear and poignant.
—I shall wait
The sound of an orchestral ensemble echoed through the hall. It was the sound of a live performance happening beneath the stage.
Park Moon-dae’s body slowly descended from the air, riding the melody.
And in the next moment.
As if nothing had ever happened, Park Moon-dae was sitting quietly in his chair.
The cloths, unraveled in all directions, were spread across the floor like a pattern.
Snap.
The lights cut out without warning, and the stage ended.
*
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
The screams and exclamations echoing through the concert hall made even the backstage vibrate.
The daily staff members, who were stealing glances at the monitoring screens while stacking luggage, were all inwardly marvelling.
Seeing it directly on the large screen from the front made them think it was a performance well worth the money.
The same went for the disgruntled part-timer who had been fiddling with his smartphone.
‘It looks like it would be even more insane in person...’
However, because it was indirect through a monitor, the magic of the performance dissipated quickly.
‘...But isn't it all just thanks to the equipment anyway?’
The experts who built the stage did a good job; honestly, didn't the singer just sing?
‘And it might not have even been live, like earlier.’
The part-timer tried his best to ignore the impression it left and went back to half-heartedly moving boxes.
He briefly debated whether he should refrain from saying bad things about the guy, since he seemed to be putting in some effort.
Just then, a commotion was heard from far down the hallway.
It was a level of background noise he hadn't heard during the concert so far.
“What is it?”
“Did an accident happen?”
From a distance, a faint shout of “Hey, oxygen mask!” was mixed in.
However, Lee Se-jin’s performance soon began, and the background noise became almost inaudible.
‘Tsk.’
The part-timer pricked up his ears, hoping for some "tea" to spill later, but he was disappointed.
A moment later, however.
People newly assigned to moving luggage whispered the news they had overheard near the part-timer.
“I heard he fainted because a device was pressed wrong?”
“Heol.”
“Is it Park Moon-dae?”
“Seems so, based on the order. I think I heard the staff shouting about why he didn't give a signal... I got kicked out while eavesdropping.”
“What a waste.”
“...!”
The part-timer, who had been eavesdropping while pretending not to, realized it too.
‘The guy who did the mid-air stage earlier must have collapsed!’
The part-timer knew the name because it popped up often in WeTube trending videos.
Park Moon-dae, the one who debuted in 1st place.
Collapsing only after finishing the stage—it was the kind of passionate professionalism you’d hear about in some heartwarming story.
‘...But if he collapses like that, what’s he going to do about the remaining stages?’
The part-timer thought cynically, wondering if the guy was just being thoughtless.
But eight minutes later.
It was the moment Ryu Cheong-woo’s solo song ended and the group song began again.
[Midnight spreading
The distorted focus
Trembles, teasing time]
Park Moon-dae, captured on the monitoring screen... was performing his part with a perfectly fine face.
“...!”
There was no trace of him having collapsed.
And witnessing that gap somehow... had something that directly pierced a person's heart.
‘...He really is something.’
As if his tension had suddenly snapped, the part-timer felt a sense of relief.
Seeing him work so hard with his teeth clenched actually made the part-timer's inferiority complex subside.
“Let’s get back to work!”
“Yes~”
Even after finishing the scattered luggage and returning to his post in the background, the part-timer remained lost in thought for a while.
“....”
Then, against the backdrop of the noisy concert hall, he pulled out his smartphone and wrote a post.
*
[Mid-review from a male idol concert staff]
There are so many fangirls. They scream like crazy at every little thing.
But the floating stage was insane. He was alone but worked his ass off.
There was a problem, so he collapsed and had to use an oxygen mask as soon as the song ended, but honestly, I have to give this guy props.
*
It was a post written without malice.
However, the comments were brutal.
“These bastards...!”
Infuriated, the part-timer took a photo showing his staff vest in the hallway and triumphantly uploaded the verification shot.
‘They won't be able to say that now!’
And 30 minutes later.
“Who posted this?”
‘Gasp.’
The part-timer, who was immediately identified, was dragged away by security for violating his non-disclosure agreement.
It was a total farce.
But regardless of these incidents happening on the outskirts, the concert proceeded smoothly and finally reached the mid-break.
It was time for the talk segment.
*
[It’s TeSTAR’s second concert!]
[Thank you all once again for coming to participate in <Enchanted ME>.]
[Wow~]
The members clapped and laughed as Ryu Cheong-woo hosted.
Most of them were still sweating, catching their breath, or drinking water from the previous performances, but even that had its own charm.
The office worker holding a camera thought idly as she zoomed in on Lee Se-jin and Park Moon-dae sitting side by side.
‘They should have given the hosting to Lee Se-jin too.’
She was the fansite master who had recently started running their twin home, ‘Puppy Bear.’
‘According to the leaked setlist, there aren't even any unit stages.’
It was a shame. She was starting to want to take photos of—no, see—a stage with the two of them.
After a quick calculation, the office worker still felt satisfied.
‘The rate at which followers are sticking is on a different scale.’
In just six weeks, she had surpassed the follower count of the male idol fan account she used to run for a group from a small agency.
Thanks to that, she had closed her old account and moved over without a second thought.
‘This is why you take photos of them.’
She thought quite calculatively, concluding that it was indeed right to follow the popular ones.
‘Especially Lee Se-jin, he’s the type to have a long run.’
Just then, the person in question opened his mouth.
[Ah! By any chance, while watching today’s performance, are there any of you thinking, ‘Ah~ our section was so neglected! We didn't even make eye contact!’?]
“Me!! Me!!”
“Over here!”
Roaring shouts echoed through the venue.
Lee Se-jin grinned and pointed his finger at every place where a sound was heard, asking, “Here? Here?”
Park Moon-dae suggested with a slight smile.
[Then shall we go around and greet everyone once before we continue?]
[Ah, that’s an excellent idea~ Stand up!]
[Hello!]
[Let’s have a great time together.]
The TeSTAR members stood up in a group and circled the edge of the stage, greeting everyone from top to bottom.
The venue was filled with warmth from the laughter and cheers.
The office worker smacked her lips as she persistently followed them with her camera.
‘I wish they’d show some abs or something.’
She was confident she could capture it cleanly even if they only showed it for a split second.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but the talk continued naturally.
[Did you enjoy the show?]
“Yes!!”
The office worker reflexively answered along with the people shouting from all sides, then felt a bit embarrassed.
But she couldn't help it.
‘It really was fun.’
Since the devices were more elaborate and the composition highlighted individual skills even more than the first concert, it was easier to get immersed.
In particular, the solo stages that went from Park Moon-dae to Lee Se-jin were very good.
Placing Lee Se-jin’s flashy and active stage right after Park Moon-dae’s extremely static and artistic stage doubled the satisfaction.
‘It’s absolutely not because I’m their fansite master, but objectively, those two did the best...!’
The office worker fangirled calmly.
[Ah, we prepared hard, so I’m really glad!]
[Thank you.]
[Actually, we’ve also prepared a stage that we’ll put together on the spot!]
“Huh?”
Murmurs broke out here and there.
‘Please don't do anything stupid.’
The office worker, who had seen several idol concerts turn awkward because of things like ‘impromptu stages,’ clenched her teeth.
But the members continued excitedly.
[Before that, everyone, a sentence will appear on the screen! If you think it’s YES, please keep your lightsticks on, and if it’s NO, could you turn them off?]
[Shall we try it once? Okay, turn them off!]
Some audience members were puzzled, but the concert hall suddenly became very dark in various places.
[Wow, this is scary??]
[Since there are over twenty thousand audience members, I thought it would obviously have a big impact.]
[That’s true.]
[Actually, I’m scared too, so could you please turn them back on quickly? ...Haha, thank you, thank you!]
The following explanation was simple.
They would hear a description of a member, and if they thought it was correct, they should keep the light on; if they thought it was wrong, they should turn it off.
[Alright, here comes the question... Oh, ‘Seon A-hyun likes dogs more than cats!’ What do you think?]
Twinkle twinkle.
Most of the lightsticks didn't turn off and swayed back and forth.
[Oh~ we don't even need to use central control for this! Everyone is a YES!]
As Lee Se-jin made a fuss, Ryu Cheong-woo laughed and announced the answer.
[The answer is... YES, that’s correct!]
[No, how are you all so good at guessing, everyone!]
Seon A-hyun bowed his head with a shy face. The members clapped, and laughter and cheers erupted from the audience.
In the same way, questions about each of the seven members followed. The audience succeeded in more than half, but of course, they got some wrong too.
[Ah, what a shame. All three are emoticons that Rae-bin uses in the group chat, that’s correct! Everyone, Rae-bin is such a mature friend.]
[I’m good at swimming! Loviewers, does Lee Se-jin look like he can’t swim?]
Amidst the continuous laughter, the last runner came out.
It was Park Moon-dae.
Park Moon-dae had been somewhat quiet throughout the talk, but when his turn came, he read the text on the screen in a soft voice.
[Hmm, ‘The largest amount of food Park Moon-dae has ever cooked is 7 servings.’ What do you think?]
Twinkle.
Quite a few lightsticks turned off, but the majority kept their lights on.
‘Since there are 7 members, there’s a high probability it’s 7 servings.’
The office worker also kept hers on.
[The answer is... Ah! It’s NO.]
“Heol!”
After the members each added a comment about how close it was, Park Moon-dae picked up the mic again.
[It never ends with just one serving per person. I usually make a generous 12 servings.]
“Ahhh~”
The audience was quickly convinced.
‘We were wrong on this one.’
‘I didn't think of that.’
After that half-joking understanding, the Q&A finally ended.
[Well then... the members you couldn't guess correctly are Kim Rae-bin, Lee Se-jin, and Park Moon-dae!]
[Ah~ what a great combination!]
As Lee Se-jin poked fun at themselves, the members chuckled.
[These members will now receive a penalty!]
“...??”
“A penalty?!”
They thought it was just to kill time during the talk before the next stage, but it seemed something more had been prepared.
[Yep. Everyone, please wait a moment~]
As the members stood up all at once, the stage equipment moved, and giant boxes began to enter from the right and left.
[See you in a bit~]
Then, the members the audience had guessed correctly ran to the right, and the three they had missed ran to the left.
The box on the right had a grand castle printed on it.
And the left was... a drawing of a tissue box with some kind of doll on it.
“...??”
Just as the audience burst into laughter and murmurs at the clearly unusual atmosphere, the accompaniment began to flow.
It was an intro that was ominously bright and cheerful.