The Eldest Son's Prayer at the Wedding
Jang Namhun had finally set aside his worries about his siblings and could fully immerse himself in the wedding song.
"It's tough to show off big brother’s presence."
He had been dragging around a bunch of elementary-school students in natural-doping mode since morning, and his stamina was completely drained.
Normally Yuyeon would have handled everything by herself, but today even she had the reins slightly loosened.
Jang Namhun had no choice but to bear the full weight.
Seeing the kids all dressed up and happy made him feel good, but when he checked the time, there was still an hour left until his turn.
He would have felt more at ease if he had just shown up at the right moment and left after the song.
As the minutes ticked by, tension began to creep in.
"I need to check my condition and recover."
Seeing the score sheet made him realize anew how important condition was.
Jang Namhun had never really felt stage fright on any performance.
Of course, it wasn't something he was born with.
In his childhood, he had simply learned to accept results humbly after many stages.
'If I gave my best, whether it succeeded or failed, there would be no regrets.'
Even if the outcome wasn't good, it couldn't be helped.
He was at that level right now.
That's why he never felt much tension when performing as a singer either.
But things were different now.
'If I make a mistake and ruin the wedding...'
That thought made the tension surge all at once.
The old him couldn't understand why his brothers got so tense on stage.
They trained so much—how could there be anything to fear?
Now he could finally understand that feeling.
Because the stage involved the lives of others.
The company people, the staff who had worked together behind the scenes, and even the broadcasting station would be hit hard.
Thinking about how many people were caught up in it made the tension even worse.
'I must be getting older.'
The wider his view became, the more his worries multiplied.
Jang Namhun's whole body had gone stiff, so he started loosening his neck again.
"Aaaah."
While practicing scales in the waiting room, the door suddenly burst open.
"Here you are, really."
It was the couple Kang Seokho and Seong Yujin—now husband and wife.
"Huh? Why are Hyung and Yujin here... ah."
The bride, broadcast writer Cheon Seonghui, had worked with Seong Yujin on programs, so the two of them had naturally been invited to the wedding.
"We couldn't find you anywhere. Big brother, we're having a housewarming party next Saturday—definitely come."
"A housewarming party?"
"You said you'd come to the wedding."
"Ah..."
"I'll call you at the housewarming, okay, oppa!"
That's what he had shouted at the wedding.
"I can bring Wonhyung too, and a few people who were close with Elixer brother. Don't worry and come."
"People close with me? Who?"
Even though he was older, standing in front of Seong Yujin made Jang Namhun feel like he was back in his teenage years.
"That's... secret."
"Huh..."
For Kang Seokho, who was seeing this side of her for the first time, it was just absurd.
Only then did Seong Yujin realize what she had done and blush.
"It's all because of Elixer oppa. Ten years have passed and your face is still the same."
"Stop calling me that damn Elixer. And 'the same'? When I turned to ballad, you barely recognized me."
"That's because the style completely changed. During Evil Spirits, it was a neutral image."
Kang Seokho added, "More like a 'hot single' vibe. At first I thought you were a girl."
Jang Namhun quickly protested.
"That was because of the group concept."
The other three members of Evil Spirits had been given a fierce demon image to match the name.
But the youngest, Jang Namhun, was chosen as the holy angel who purified the three demons—fitting the name Elixer, the panacea that cures all illnesses.
The spotlight had been given to the CEO member, and that was the formation.
Thinking about it now made him want to shrink, but that was the era when such concepts worked.
"What is there to be embarrassed about? I even made the idol five goddesses list."
In the end, the biggest black history spilled from Yujin's mouth.
"Did something like that really happen?"
Because it had only circulated among idol fans, Kang Seokho had no idea.
"Huh, that's shocking. A guy picked as a goddess."
"You can say that. He was really pretty back then. Now I can't even see him, it's a shame."
During the Elixer days, the long bleached-white hair had been reorganized into a dapper style for Namhun's comeback.
The gap period after disbandment and the image change had been the main reasons his former colleagues couldn't recognize him.
Besides the changed appearance, including his now-bushy hair, he had stopped easily forming human relationships.
He had felt deep distrust in human bonds after his believed brothers suddenly left.
Even now, except for the slightly thicker jawline, he hadn't changed much from his Namhun days.
But his short, styled hair, toned body, and healthy skin from labor work made him feel like an entirely different person compared to the precious prince image of the past.
"Still, if you think about it, wasn't the long hair the longer part of life?"
"What?"
"I still have this photo."
Seong Yujin suddenly handed over her smartphone.
Her gallery even had a separate folder labeled 'Elixer Oppa'.
"This is a bit of a problem. How many foreign guy photos...?"
So many photos were crammed in that even her husband, Kang Seokho, was bewildered.
The moment he saw the photos in the gallery, he closed his eyes.
"Wait, something's strange."
While carefully looking at the photos, Kang Seokho snatched the phone back.
Elixer gallery, yet it showed pictures of a girl.
She wore a dress and held a violin.
"Eh? A boy, this can't be you?"
"...There's no way."
"What do you mean there's no way?"
When Seong Yujin laughed, Jang Namhun's heart sank.
"...Where on earth did you get this from?"
"I got it from the broadcasting station's recording room. Young Talent Documentary."
"Isn't this a personal information leak?"
"What? I only did research as the PD."
"Research? What are you even going to use this for?"
"I used it when recruiting Sera unnie. You know unnie's body price is expensive these days, right?"
Does that mean the photo had already fallen into Yoo Sera's hands?
A sudden headache exploded.
Seong Yujin couldn't have known and searched the recording room.
It must have been through Sera's mediation.
Jang Namhun pushed the two of them out the door.
"Stress is bad, get out."
"Oppa! You're coming to the housewarming, right? If you don't, I'll broadcast all these photos!"
"I'm going, I'm going! I won't come if you keep saying that! If this photo leaks, I'll really sue you."
"Oppa, see you later."
Seong Yujin, having received the answer she wanted, waved her hand and left the waiting room.
"...Hah. She's had that kind of obsession since forever, hasn't she."
—Oppa, I want to become a PD!
—Why?
—If I become a PD, I can watch oppa up close, right?
—...Yeah. Work hard.
An old memory surfaced.
Becoming a broadcasting station PD wasn't a job you could just decide to do.
In the end, seeing that she had kept her promise from back then made Jang Namhun realize Seong Yujin was no ordinary person.
"Hah."
He loved his mother, but there was one thing he hated about her.
She had wanted a daughter so badly that she raised him like one.
It wasn't until he entered middle school and Yuyeon was born that he could finally escape that fantasy.
"Everything is because of Yoo Sera. She was the cause."
She was the one who planted the daughter fantasy in his mother.
In fact, the influence of that past was one of the reasons Namhun had quit vocal music.
His mother had naively believed her when she said it would be better to wear a dress to win the Queen Elizabeth Competition.
The youngest Korean to win one of the world's three big competitions.
And it wasn't vocal music, but violin.
Of course, it had caused a huge stir, enough to be on the nine o'clock news.
"Hah. Not the time for this."
This was a paid stage.
Jang Namhun started mind control again.
* * *
Yuyeon felt her heart racing at the wedding she had never been to before.
This is a wedding.
'What kind of feeling will it be to receive all this people's congratulations?'
Watching Yuyeon, Sera spoke up.
"The wedding dress is pretty, isn't it? Do you want to try it on?"
"Eh? Yeah. I want to try it on."
"How about that unnie? Pretty?"
"Super pretty."
At that, Seong Yujin let out a chuckle.
"Today, the day of the wedding, is the day women look the prettiest."
"Why?"
"Because she spent the most money. The bride's makeup is expensive. She has to manage herself strictly all day for today."
Yuyeon, forcibly pulled into the real world from her fantasy, clicked her tongue.
"You can't recognize her in her normal appearance. Her hair hanging down, leggings that show her knees..."
"Ah, what? Don't break my fantasy."
"hehe. Now get ready."
"Eh?"
"Your oppa's turn is ready."
At those words, Yuyeon tensed up.
"...Is big brother really going to sing the wedding song? Is it okay?"
"I don't know. Just watch. I'm curious how it will be."
Seong Yujin stopped speaking after that.
Yuyeon waited for Jang Namhun's entrance with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
It was then.
[Today, right now, this very moment]
Everyone's heads turned backward all at once.
'Today' was a song that required innate talent.
For example, natural voice or emotional delivery ability.
Also, like a musical number, storytelling was important.
Jang Namhun possessed all of it.
Talent, the experience of overcoming hardship, and the ability to stand up again.
His mid-low voice captured the entire hall with just the first note of the introduction.
Yuyeon was no different.
'Is that... our oppa?'
The man walking slowly while singing from the back—was it really the strong Jang Namhun, the egg-roll expert?
"Are you a musical actor?"
The middle-aged man sitting in front asked, and Yuyeon could relate deeply.
* * *
The lyrics and content of 'Today' had nothing to do with the wedding song.
That's why the immersion score had always been low whenever they practiced with Wonhyung as the audience.
Even giving their best, the total score had never exceeded 90, because they couldn't fully understand the lyrics, creating a strong sense of dissonance.
'I wonder if I'll be okay. I have to beat 90.'
He had been worried like that, but...
Jang Namhun was completely immersed in the song.
Exactly because Yuyeon was in that seat.
[Throw off the restraints that bound me]
Right today.
He would throw off the misunderstanding that he couldn't sing.
Jang Namhun, who had perfectly immersed himself in the lyrics, spread his tightly clenched arms like wings.
"Mommy... it hurts..."
A long-suppressed man's roar echoed through the hall, and cheers erupted from everywhere.
"Who is it, exactly?"
"I've never seen that face before."
Jang Namhun, spotting his younger siblings in the back, smiled lightly.
[My everything]
Making eye contact with Yuyeon.
[Everything I have]
Looking at the twins.
[I will dedicate for eternity]
Singing from the deepest part of his lungs, he poured out his true feelings.
[The deepest wish I have]
Finally, the man walked up to the groom and bride, knelt, and shouted in a rough voice.
[God, please grant it!]
After his song ended.
The hall was wrapped in silence.
"Sob... snivel."
A moment later, the bride's sniffling broke the quiet of the hall.
The groom gently embraced the crying bride, and the guests froze before erupting in cheers.
"Waaaaah!"