Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: When the Red Moon Rises
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Before long, a single reddish light turned on, and Haru, dressed in a navy overcoat over a black modern hanbok, walked onto the stage alone.
He snapped open a blueish fan and executed a light turn.
At the same moment, the gentle sound of a haegeum began to fill the air.
It was the intro to RED CUBE’s theme song, “When the Red Moon Rises.”
The piano intro had been good, but the sound of the haegeum stirred the heart in a different way.
Haru commanded the stage all by himself.
He showed off a form as graceful as a noble crane.
As Haru folded his fan and knelt lightly on the stage floor, the lighting shifted to white.
The remaining thirteen contestants came onto the stage, quickly getting into formation.
It looked like a single flower bud.
*Thump.*
The sound of a drum signaled the true beginning of the performance.
―My heart, stained red
Those sitting at the very edge gently lifted and lowered their arms.
It seemed to express petals fluttering in the wind.
The choreography was a perfect match for the traditional Eastern-style music.
―The days of my past
that did not shine beautifully
With a light turn, the formation shifted into a zigzag.
The choreography was already difficult, but the fact that the entire formation had changed left the audience speechless.
Through the last broadcast, viewers had learned that the contestants had prepared three songs for the final stage.
Though, what those songs were had not been revealed at all.
[I heard the contestants are preparing three whole songs for the final stage. Will they even be in one piece? Preparing just one must be exhausting… We’ve seen them staying up all night to prepare for their stages throughout RED CUBE. But three songs?]
↳The kids must be so tired.
↳Isn’t this a bit too much?
↳What are they going to do if the quality of the stage drops because of this?
↳But with fewer contestants, I guess it’s unavoidable? It’s the finals, so the performance needs to be about an hour to an hour and a half long, and they can’t just bring in some random people to fill the stage.
That’s why, when they heard the intro to “When the Red Moon Rises,” those watching the performance had thought the producers had at least made one of the songs easy for them.
‘They’re just grinding the kids down. Completely grinding them down.’
The person sitting in the audience, who already had a low opinion of the RED CUBE production team, clicked her tongue internally.
‘I’ll let it slide, but only because the kids are just too precious.’
With that, she focused on the stage again.
―Leaving behind
a piece of my heart, piling up like snow, I step further away
The sight of all the contestants splitting into two groups and turning was beautiful enough to draw gasps of admiration.
‘It’s so beautiful. Shouldn’t this song be performed at a national event? It’s so Korean and I love it.’
It wasn't common for idol stages to have a historical drama feel from the start, rather than just being a special arrangement, so more than a few fans shared this thought.
[The stage for ‘When the Red Moon Rises’ is amazing because it has so many Korean elements. It would be great to see it at an overseas festival or a national event. The choreography has a Korean dance feel but also a lot of K-pop elements, isn't it just the perfect stage?]
↳I had the same thought.
↳Seriously. If they arranged it a little and performed it like a year-end stage, it would be absolutely spectacular.
↳Wow. Just imagining it is amazing.
↳Suddenly I’m looking forward to the end of the year. There’s no way NTV would let the RED CUBE kids go.
↳Of course. You think they’d pass up something that could set them apart from other networks’ year-end shows? No way.
―As if shaking it off, I reach out my hand
almost, but not quite, touching me
The 8th and 13th place contestants crossed their arms, trading parts.
―Swelling up like a wave
over my heavy heart
With fourteen contestants sharing a song just over three minutes long, the parts were short, but thanks to the formation that highlighted each person, no one was overshadowed.
[So this is the level of the finals.]
[Honestly, they only seemed like a mixed bag at the beginning because they were nervous. As the show went on, the quality became insane, and now it has reached a state of bliss.]
[They were all talented from the start, but I think they made a lot of mistakes due to the pressure. The eliminated contestants posted a lot about it on social media. They said they regretted not approaching it with a lighter heart, wondering if it would have led to a better outcome. But there’s nothing you can do about what’s already passed.]
[When these guys debut, no one will be able to criticize their skills…]
―As if shouting, can’t you give me
a powerful push
As if weeping, it all burns up
and only red ashes fall
Park Ji-ham sang with a voice even more solid than before.
[What’s this? Park Ji-ham is on fire.]
[For real. If someone asks me what determination is, I’ll just say Park Ji-ham.]
[He had vocal cord nodules but joined RED CUBE to become an idol and overcame it. Isn't that the ultimate story of desperation? But what's strange is that his voice seems a little different from before.]
―Fly away
The 4th place contestant’s part was just three syllables.
That was all.
He was unlucky.
Having drawn the short straw at such a crucial time, he hadn’t been able to focus on anything else during the training camp.
―Fly further away
Everyone was stunned by Seo Yoon-seul’s high note that followed.
He had been the main vocalist in the group videos from the first mission after the grade evaluations, so people thought it wouldn't be anything new, but they were wrong.
Hearing it in person, his vocal volume was immense.
It felt like it would resonate throughout the concert hall even without a microphone.
The real-time reactions were just as incredible.
[What was that just now?]
[Wow. I think my ears have been opened.]
[Truly amazing.]
It was at a level where it was impossible to imagine anyone else as the main vocalist.
[The guy who sang just before him got completely buried.]
[He’s really unlucky. How could that be his entire part?]
―Over my past self
I paint another me
with the color red
beneficially
Jung Eun-woo signaled the start of the second verse.
His pleasant, low voice was a perfect fit for the intro.
―Pushing in
even the last handful of my lingering feelings
I dream a new dream
As Jung Eun-woo reached his hand to the sky, Haru moved forward from behind him, took his hand, and they performed a pair dance.
The combination of the cute-looking older member and the sharp-looking younger member was more than enough to sway the hearts of the fans.
[The fact that Haru is the older one somehow makes him look even cuter.]
[I thought their styles wouldn't match, but seeing them together, it’s not bad? It doesn't feel out of place at all.]
[Seriously. Their styles are so different, I thought they wouldn't look like they're in the same group, but that's not the case at all.]
―Fleetingly
Another unlucky part belonged to the 9th place contestant.
[Don't tell me that's his entire part?]
[That’s so pitiful.]
[I feel bad for him.]
[I saw them drawing lots to decide the parts because of the luck factor… but I didn't think it would be just three syllables. That explains why they fought so much in the last episode. The difference is just too big. It would be better if it was a killing part, but to get nothing and sing one line and be done.]
The last broadcast had conveniently left out which songs they were preparing, but it had shown every single conflict between the contestants.
[The fight for parts is intense. The atmosphere is really hostile. At first, they were at least smiling while they talked, but by the middle, it wasn't a battle of nerves, it just became a fight. Haru and Seo Yoon-seul seemed relaxed, though. Since they became the main dancer and main vocalist.]
↳And we still don’t know what part they’re fighting over.
↳ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSeriously. They should at least tell us what they’re fighting about.
↳I guess the RED CUBE producers want us to go crazy with curiosity.
↳I hate myself for knowing that and still falling for it.
↳Honestly, it seems obvious that Seo Yoon-seul and Haru would get the two main positions, but it’s also unavoidable. They’re so good that it would be weird if someone else took them. Their images are completely fixed.
[Now I understand why the fight for parts was so fierce.]
[I would fight too if I were them… Your life is on the line, you can’t be expected to be rational.]
―If I could call out to my past self
and say just one thing
As Lee Ho-jun took a step forward, what looked like cherry blossom petals began to flutter down.
It was like a scene from a historical film.
Lee Ho-jun’s fans were already writing a novel in their heads.
[He looks like a royal guard.]
[The royal guard concept suits him so well.]
[Someone please make some unofficial merch with a royal guard concept. A doll, and the clothes too…]
―Without hesitation, I love you
Even if I were to disappear, holding onto just that one word,
it would be fine
Even while executing a fluid turn, Haru flawlessly performed his part without a single waver in his pitch or rhythm.
[There’s no way Haru won’t be number one.]
[There’s a reason he’s so stable.]
[Haru deserves to be the center.]
―I reach a crossroads
and look up at the red moon
still hesitating
unable to move forward
The song was nearing its end.
The tempo gradually slowed, and the contestants moved their feet in time with the beat.
―I can’t embrace the me from back then
The performance concluded with the same flower-like formation as the beginning.
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
The cheers were unending.
Just when it seemed to quiet down, it would swell up again, and again.
The reporters who were there to write articles opened their laptops and their fingers flew across the keyboards.
[RED CUBE Finals: Will It Earn the Title of the Greatest Idol Survival Show in History?]
[RED CUBE Delivers a Legendary Opening to Its Final Stage.]
The PD, filled with anticipation that this might be the highest-rated program he had ever created, was smiling from ear to ear.