What If? (3)
Concert guests were usually there out of loyalty or as a favor in return, so they neither paid nor got paid appearance fees.
But Baek Hyeo-seon intended to pay one since it was his own request.
"I'll make sure to tell your agency to take special care of you."
"No need. Technically, we've already collaborated on a music video, right? You sang, I acted—that's how we split it. I won't take a fee either."
"Then I feel a bit bad about it."
"Just get close to me and show off our connection a little. For a rookie like me, that's worth more than money."
"A rookie?"
Baek Hyeo-seon let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"You can't call a monster who smashed three straight mega-hits and swept every grand prize at last year's year-end awards a rookie. What does that make everyone else?"
"It's still not even a year since my debut."
"Anyway, I get what you mean. I'd be grateful if you did. So, friends from now on?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Baek Hyeo-seon didn't fuss over who was older or younger.
He knew he was six years older but didn't pull rank as the hyung.
Jeong Su-ryeon sidled up quietly and slid over a signing book.
"Um, Grand Marshal? Could you sign here? Jeong Seo-hoon's mom is a huge fan of yours."
"Really? Of course. But why didn't she ask herself...?"
"I'm Seo-hoon's real sister."
"Ah, the one from that scandal with Seo-hoon..."
"Yep, that's me."
Baek Hyeo-seon smirked, took the pen, and signed big and bold. Jeong Su-ryeon sneakily added her own share too.
"Sign one for me too. Lots of our family are Seo-hoon fans."
Baek Hyeo-seon had this unique way of speaking—casual names with polite endings.
Jeong Seo-hoon got as many signatures as he wanted from Baek Hyeo-seon. The mood was warm and friendly.
"But does a military song really turn into a ballad?"
"Wanna hear it?"
"What, an impromptu outdoor show?"
The music video director poked his head in, panting like a big dog spotting snacks, tongue lolling.
"Director, got a mic handy? Speakers roughly hooked up would do."
"One sec. I'll get it ready."
The director didn't delegate to staff—he wired the mic and tweaked the speakers himself.
The actors and crew formed a circle around this unexpected live show.
"Ah-ah. One-two-three. One-two-three."
Baek Hyeo-seon pressed one ear gently, closed his eyes, and gathered his emotions.
Jeong Seo-hoon watched with keen interest.
Grabbing emotions for a role versus for a song—what was the difference?
Jeong Su-ryeon whispered low from the side.
"Pay attention. This is our country's undisputed top male singer, live."
He'd planned to memorize it anyway.
Ignoring his sister, Jeong Seo-hoon read the emotional hues flowing from Baek Hyeo-seon's aura.
A gentle backing track started first.
Covered in choking dust
Standing unflinching before the whirring camera, Baek Hyeo-seon sang steadily, transforming the spot into a stage in seconds.
The scenery around him shifted.
Countless red, green, and blue light streams—translating a world of pure 0s and 1s—swallowed Baek Hyeo-seon and everything nearby.
Jeong Seo-hoon saw a world woven solely from infinite primary color entanglements.
The sweet, emotive song pierced his ears cleanly.
But even more vivid were the emotional color temperatures, splitting into a visible spectrum like refracted light.
Laughter, tears, frustration, pain, triumph, hope.
The song's emotional spectrum unfolded live, letting him hear with his eyes too.
This is a singer's emotion?
The song hit the second verse. Jeong Seo-hoon closed his eyes gently.
Beyond his lids, over the color temperature landscape of tangled primaries, Baek Hyeo-seon's silhouette singing passionately overlaid softly.
Eyes open, it was just color weaves. Closed, the singer's form draped atop.
Toward a better tomorrow—today I run
The song ended.
The silhouette beyond his lids, and the primary tangles, faded.
Now tapping his eyelids was the sun's unrelenting heat overhead.
Jeong Seo-hoon opened his eyes and gazed at Baek Hyeo-seon, basking in moved applause.
"Know this song?"
"No soldier these days doesn't. Sang it tons in basic."
"Wanna give it a shot?"
Expectant eyes poured in from all sides.
Jeong Seo-hoon politely declined.
"Making someone follow Baek Hyeo-seon with the same song? Even traitors don't get that punishment."
The music video director muttered absently.
"Yeah, now that you say it, that's brutal."
On the way back, Jeong Su-ryeon buzzed the whole ride.
"How do you keep linking up with all these heavyweights? Friends with Baek Hyeo-seon now? Mom's gonna flip."
"Invite him over sometime?"
"She'd faint dead away. Hey, our house soundproofing solid?"
"No issues. He could do a private concert; neighbors wouldn't complain."
"Dude sings like a beast. Why pass? You knew it—belt one out."
Ha Tae-soo chimed in lightly from the side.
"Not cool to your dongsaeng. After Baek Hyeo-seon? No one's that cruel."
"That's why it's for my little bro. Geez, oppa."
Jeong Seo-hoon opened his chat app, checking the new friend Baek Hyeo-seon.
Profile: lone standing mic. Pure Baek Hyeo-seon vibes.
Home, he mentioned meeting Baek Hyeo-seon—Mom leaped like it was her news, thrilled.
"Got signatures? You did, right?"
"Of course. Told him 'To Lee Jeong-sook' clear as day. Good job?"
"Aigoo, perfect. Our girl finally earned her keep."
The Grand Prince's father passed; the Crown Prince finally ascended.
First act as king: naming his own crown prince.
The young heir now bore ironclad legitimacy—no one doubted he'd rule next.
The Grand Prince waited patiently, as the Han shaman foretold.
This land's queen and dowager seats sit empty...
The succession looked rock-solid—but flip it, and cracks appeared for slipping in.
Darkest under the lamp, a fatal flaw no one saw.
The Grand Prince played wastrel harder, roaming the capital.
The king overlooked his brother's debauchery.
Frivolous since youth, always loyal—that very flaw reassured the king.
Gather those to follow the Chief State Councillor,
but leak a carefree image to ease the world.
Heaven’s flow twists slowly toward the Chief...
The Grand Prince bided time, acting the fool while playing doting uncle to his nephew.
Reluctantly, he indulged the cute kid's plea.
The Grand Prince worked diligently to win the boy's trust.
Baek Hyeo-seon's fresh SNS post sparked odd mixes of hype and rivalry in both fandoms.
BiRap fans had schedules memorized from spy-level digging.
No shoot day, Grand Prince exile robes mismatched to plot, OST singer on site.
Fandom hive-mind nailed it fast.
Days later, Haegeuk latter-half OST "There" dropped.
Lyrics and melody: a man's aching longing for his lover.
Misfit for Haegeuk's rare romance theme.
Viewers tilted heads at first.
"So who's singing to who?"
"Grand Prince to his wife? Doesn't fit drama."
"Song slaps tho, whatever."
"There" hit #1 in two days.
Baek fans plus BiRaps streamed hard.
One fan certified 24/7 on desktop, two laptops, two phones—top likes.
Then fuel on the fire: Baek Hyeo-seon comeback concert tickets opened.
Fierce queue war—sold out in 6 minutes.
Concert day arrived.
Baek Hyeo-seon hit the stage amid roaring cheers from packed crowd.
"Here's a song."
Four hits from past albums back-to-back; venue pulsed hot between breaths.
"Next is the title from my new album. You've probably heard it—famous historical OST."
Deafening cheers erupted; Baek pressed on in his signature deep timbre.
"And today, special guest: the ambitious fire scorching weeknight 9PM screens—actor Jeong Seo-hoon!"
Fireworks boomed; spotlight stairs brought Jeong Seo-hoon onstage.
Screams turned to sobs; fans fainted.