True Tributes
Ever since the post titled [Notice] Gathering opinions regarding the live tour event was uploaded to Grouphead, the vast majority of opinions poured in favored sending "tributes"—support gifts sent by fans to their stars.
Of course, not everyone reacted positively to such discussions. Some people threw a wrench in the gears, questioning why they were even doing this.
However, those dissenting opinions were quickly shut down. They weren't exactly silenced, but rather dismissed with a sentiment of, "Why are you throwing cold water on a festive mood?" or "Can't you bring up issues like this later?" In fact, most of the people making those arguments turned out to be trolls who didn't actually want Group Sound to succeed.
Please download it and feel free to leave comments if you have any feedback!
I plan to review suggestions over the next two days, send it to Echo Sound for final approval, and then ship it out.
(I did ask them when the idea first came up, but the agency said they've never received support gifts before, so they don't have any guidelines;;)
Also, posting the other related item!
This is the pamphlet design, so please take a look and review it!
And so, things were progressing smoothly.
Time passed.
The tour continued on and on, and with every stop, more live bootlegs were produced. The Groupheads fiercely debated over them, but regardless, Group Sound forged ahead with their music exactly as they envisioned. And eventually, that schedule reached its conclusion.
The final stop of the "official" live tour: Sendai.
Sendai Sunplaza Hall, now completely emptied of its audience.
"Great work, everyone!"
"Thank you for your hard work~"
After the stage sets they had dragged along since Tokyo Dome City Hall were completely dismantled (to be shipped back to Korea), and all instruments and gear were packed away, Suyun, the band members, the Label Echo Sound staff, and the outsourced crew all gathered to exchange final greetings.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!!"
Suyun, her friends, and the Echo Sound staff settled into a nearby yakiniku restaurant. Even though the encore concerts—one in Korea and one in Japan—were still to come, the "official" live tour itinerary was officially over.
"Eat up, eat up. The meat's going to burn."
"Gyutan! This is so good~"
Iseor eagerly devoured the beef tongue grilled by Assistant Manager Jung. Hyun-ah was busy mixing drinks by herself. Seoha stared intently at the menu, agonizing over what to order next.
"This live tour went pretty smoothly, didn't it?" Suyun muttered.
"Right?"
Their last live tour had been a series of disasters. They had performed in some cafe-like venue, played outdoors because the ceiling was leaking, and had to perform on an actual outdoor stage in the freezing cold. Of course, this tour hadn't been completely without hiccups either. There were definitely some bumps along the way... but it was incomparable to their previous Korean tour.
"The last one was just exceptionally brutal!"
"I thought all live tours were like that~" Iseor chimed in.
"Of course they aren't."
"You talk like you've done this a million times before."
Iseor's sharp question cut right through Suyun's slip of the tongue, which had slipped out from her past-life memories. While Suyun cleared her throat in a panic, Assistant Manager Jung spoke up while chewing on his meat.
"Well, Japan's performance venues are incredibly well-equipped! To be honest, Korea's infrastructure is still a bit lacking, which is why we had so many accidents last time. But Japan is... well, they've got it down to a science!"
"That's true."
"So, do we have any more schedules left for the end of the year?"
"Nope! You'll head back to Korea and rest for the holidays. Our 2028 schedule officially kicks off with the concert on January 8th!"
At Assistant Manager Jung's words, Suyun nodded and picked up a piece of gyutan. Sendai was famous for its beef tongue, and it certainly lived up to the reputation.
"Then, what about the matter regarding Mr. Kyosuke Araki we discussed earlier...?"
"Ah! We're currently coordinating that!"
"I'd like to know the details."
"Uh, well..."
Chatting with Assistant Manager Jung, Suyun thought to herself. A live tour was only chaotic in the beginning. Now that they had accumulated experience, things were bound to go smoothly.
Well, it's just another smooth run.
They were already in their fifth year as Group Sound. Unless the heavens split open, they had experienced enough to handle almost anything. Thus, Suyun believed this live tour had been relatively uneventful... and that it would remain that way.
The turn of the year. January 8th. Incheon Inspire Arena.
"Whoa, what is all this?"
Boxes were piled high in front of the waiting room. Suyun inspected the boxes with a puzzled look. Judging by the meticulous wrapping, they looked like gifts.
Is there any reason for us to get this many gifts?
"They're tributes!"
"Tributes? Like... that submissive vassal state thing?"
Suyun frowned as she asked Assistant Manager Jung. Tributes? What on earth did he mean?
"It's what fans call the support gifts they send to stars!"
"Ah, is that so?"
Suyun, who had been gearing up to feel righteous indignation on behalf of the oppressed people of the Joseon Dynasty, paused. But still, shouldn't they avoid using a word steeped in national sorrow, regardless of the intent...?
"Whoa, what's this?"
"Ah, Iseor, maybe you don't know? Let me explain. This is called a 'tribute'..."
"What are you talking about? Who in the world doesn't know what a tribute is?"
Leaving Suyun sulking after being cast out as a non-existent person, Iseor and the other two began looking around the gifts.
"Is this our first time receiving tributes?"
"I think... we got some small ones... before..."
The packaging was beautiful, and the way they were stacked showed genuine care.
"Say cheese~!"
At Assistant Manager Jung's signal, the four of them gathered for a photo. Afterward, Suyun began unwrapping the gifts one by one, curious to see what was inside.
"This looks expensive just by looking at it."
"It probably is. I've seen this somewhere... Ah, here it is. Wow, it's crazy expensive."
"I've been wanting this! How did the fans even know?"
Every package revealed something different. Clothes, perfumes, guitar straps. Suyun picked up a Quad Cortex and wondered, Why on earth did they give me this? then opened another box and muttered:
"What's this? Is it secondhand?"
What came out of the box was a pair of heavily distressed shoes. They looked like they had been dragged through a gutter for three days. Did someone throw away their old shoes? Were they using the tribute as an excuse to dump their trash? Or was this some kind of gag gift representing the "dud" in a raffle?
Suyun held up the shoes, tilting her head in deep confusion. Seoha's scolding voice rescued her from her thoughts.
"That's a fashion style these days."
"This is fashion? ...Are you serious? You can find stuff like this scattered all over the streets of Dongmyo Flea Market."
Suyun retorted, utterly dumbfounded. How could this be fashion?
"It's an attempt to capture a vintage aesthetic. You know, like relicing on instruments. They intentionally make it look worn to give it a certain cool factor..."
"Right? They've been making stuff like this for a while, and I just don't get it. Why ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes? It's not even pretty."
The two responses to Suyun's comment went in completely opposite directions: Seoha, who offered a fashion explanation, and Iseor, who scoffed at why anyone would wear such things. As their glares clashed and tension began to simmer, Suyun ignored them and turned to Assistant Manager Jung.
"But why the sudden gifts?"
"Ah! It seems the Groupheads wanted to show their appreciation or something... so they pooled their money together!"
"Appreciation for us?"
"Yes!"
"I mean, they didn't have to go that far..."
Yeongjongdo in January. Outside Incheon Inspire Arena, the freezing wind howled. Suyun murmured as she looked down at the fans through the waiting room window. People shivering in long padded coats, yet resolutely standing in line for merchandise and admission. Although they had arranged an indoor waiting area considering the winter cold, it was bound to be freezing regardless... They had gone through all that trouble just to watch the show, and yet they still emptied their own pockets to buy them gifts?
We can't send them back. Returning them now would be rude in itself... They bought these with the best of intentions, so rejecting them wouldn't be right either.
Suyun ran a hand through her hair, lost in thought. She was truly grateful for the sentiment. But if this was what they considered "appreciation," she didn't need it. If they wanted to support them materially, they could just attend the concerts and buy the albums. Beyond that, they could communicate through their music. If they still felt compelled to give something, a simple letter would suffice. That was more than enough, Suyun thought.
A few hours later, inside Incheon Inspire Arena.
"Waaaaah!!!"
Massive stage installations filled the platform. Above them, a colossal LED screen projected intricate, shifting visuals. Amidst a kaleidoscope of flashing lights, Suyun and her friends walked onto the stage, waving to the crowd.
"Group Sound! Group Sound! Group Sound! Group Sound!"
The chants erupted before the show had even begun. Suyun walked up with a faint smile, while Iseor, who had arrived first, grabbed her microphone against the backdrop of the roaring crowd.
"Everyone, we're not running away! Save your voices. It's a waste to blow them all right now, don't you think?"
Laughter rippled through the arena. As the other members prepped their instruments, Suyun spoke into her microphone.
"So, we arrived at the venue today and found that you guys sent us a bunch of gifts. I think you call them... tributes?"
"Yes!!"
Shouts of agreement echoed from the crowd, followed by another wave of laughter.
"Yes, thank you. We really appreciate it, but please don't misunderstand—I'd prefer if you didn't prepare things like this in the future. It's not that we're unhappy to receive them. It's just that having you attend our concerts and buy our albums is more than enough. We have plenty of mon—well, I have plenty of money. I don't know about the other members, but anyway, we're living comfortably."
Holding the microphone, Suyun candidly shared her thoughts. She didn't believe they needed to express their love through material things.
"If we're talking about 'appreciation'... you guys living happy, abundant lives while continuing to love us—that is the greatest appreciation we could ask for."
For musicians, the ultimate reward...
Material things were nice. Money was great. But what truly moved a popular artist—at least for Suyun—was something other than money. It was the love, attention, expectations, and support poured upon them. To Suyun, those things mattered far more than fans scraping together their hard-earned cash to buy physical gifts just to support them. So, she wanted them to show their appreciation through their cheers. Now, and in the future.
"Why are you... the only one... saying cool things...?" Hyun-ah asked.
"If you're jealous, you should've grabbed the mic first."
Suyun smirked and replied to Hyun-ah, who had finished setting up. Another burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. Suyun signaled Seoha, tapped her foot twice, and brought the microphone to her lips.
"Let's get this started. Paradox... Festival Version!"
With those words, the stage plunged into darkness. A sudden burst of applause swelled and then hushed. Four drumbeats counted down. A wave of low-end bass surged forward. A simple yet powerful bass riff kicked in, instantly captivating the crowd. The guitar and synthesizer crashed in simultaneously, and a spotlight fell directly on Suyun. And, as always, Suyun opened her mouth to sing.
Even if I run down the path to you,
"Even if I run down the path to you,"
I have no choice but to stop somewhere, sometime,
"I have no choice but to stop somewhere, sometime,"
Even if I deflect everything coming my way...
"Even if I deflect everything coming my way, this time where I can never catch up to you—"
Suyun sang the first few lines of the lyrics, only to startle and step back from the microphone as a wave of voices joined her. It was completely unexpected.
But the performance didn't stop. It carried on by sheer momentum, the result of countless hours of practice. The instruments forged ahead, but the vocals had ceased.
Yet, the song continued to be sung.
"No matter how much I run, I can't reach you. No matter what I do, I can't stop. I can see the end~ I can reach it~"
Because the voices were echoing from the audience.
It sounded as if all fifteen thousand people in the crowd were singing in unison. As if to show that the material gifts they had sent were merely a fraction of the emotions they held. They were showing their true feelings through one massive, roaring voice.