Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: An Artistic Stage
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The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in a crimson glow.
Couples whispered words of love in the romantic atmosphere, while others took photos to upload to social media.
The crowd grew larger.
And so, the festival's atmosphere ripened.
“Woooooah!”
As the British band’s performance ended, the lights dimmed.
Staff members hurried onto the stage, quickly removing the instruments.
Simultaneously, RE-V’s debut teaser video began playing on the screen behind the stage.
“Whoooo!”
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the dancers took the stage first.
They were dressed in black from head to toe, their mouths covered by a thin black cloth, leaving only their eyes visible.
They unfurled fans adorned with white feathers, concealing the center of the stage.
When the debut teaser video finished, a gentle layer of smoke began to spread across the stage floor.
At the same time, the sound of a Korean fiddle filled the outdoor venue.
The fans swayed slowly in time with the beat.
It was a beautiful sight.
The rhythm of the swaying fans gradually quickened, and as the sound of the Korean fiddle stopped and silence fell, the dancers lowered their fans.
Revealing the members of RE-V.
“Whoooooo!”
“Yeeeeeaaah!”
RE-V was dressed in red, durumagi-like robes embroidered with white and gold.
As K-pop was gaining worldwide fame, the audience quickly recognized the outfits as traditional Korean clothing.
—My heart, stained red
Park Ji-ham sang the first line, drawing a large circle with his right arm.
The design featured long sashes attached to the sleeves, which traced the circle along with his arm.
On the next beat, the other members also drew circles with their right arms.
It was a time-lag choreography.
—The days of the past
That did not shine beautifully
Haru moved to the center, making a gesture as if enveloping himself from his head to his shoulders.
The dancers picked up their fans and moved to the back of the stage.
There, they used the fans to form the shape of mountains.
The black fans were trimmed with gold, making them look even more realistic.
Due to the nature of the festival, artists had to appear quickly, leaving no time to set up the stage. They compensated for this by using the dancers.
The dancers were perfectly fulfilling their role as a moving stage set.
—Leaving a piece of my heart
That piles up like snow, I go farther
Lee Ho-jun grabbed the sash on Jung Eun-woo’s wrist and pulled it taut.
Seo Yoon-seul passed under the sash, slightly lowering his thighs as he executed an upper-body wave.
—Leaving it behind, I take a step
While still holding Jung Eun-woo’s sash, Lee Ho-jun performed a fluid turn.
—I reach out my hand as if to shake it off
Almost, but not quite, touching me
The dancers, still maintaining the mountain shape, moved their fans slightly.
—Swelling up as if churning
Over my heavy heart
The sky tinged with the sunset glow, the calm yet ethereal voices, and the beautiful choreography.
The audience, who had been jumping and shouting excitedly throughout the festival, suddenly felt their hearts calm.
Those in the back, who had been drinking beverages and alcohol with relaxed faces as if at a picnic, were fully savoring the current atmosphere.
It was a kind of intermission.
—As if shouting, can’t you
Give me a powerful push
As if weeping, it all burns up
Only red ashes fall
When Jung Eun-woo raised his right arm high, the dancers began to move busily.
They stood in a line and created a large wave.
Park Ji-ham and Seo Yoon-seul walked in front of the wave, moving to the beat.
—Fly away
Park Ji-ham murmured in a low voice, reaching his hand toward the wave.
—Fly farther away
Seo Yoon-seul also reached for the wave as he delivered a high note. The audience erupted in cheers at his clean and pleasant high note.
“Woooooah!”
During the interlude before the second verse, the dancers began to move again.
They split into three groups.
Those in the center of the stage used their fans to create the sun and waves, while those on the sides formed trees.
It was the Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks.
Most foreigners would have found it difficult to understand the intention, but Koreans studying abroad or foreigners with a keen interest in Korean history could quickly recognize that it symbolized the Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks.
A Korean woman who had come to the festival with her American boyfriend felt her heart swell with pride.
“Honey. That’s all traditional Korean. It’s called the Painting of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks. I never thought I’d see it here. It looks like they even intentionally carved patterns on the fans.”
“Really? Since it’s practically your heritage, I should watch it properly.”
The Korean woman focused on the stage with a pleased smile.
‘Was it RE-V? I should look them up when I get home. They’re truly amazing. This isn’t just a stage; they’ve created a work of art.’
—Over my past
I paint another me
In a shade of red
Beneficently
It was Jung Eun-woo who opened the second verse.
Jung Eun-woo raised his right arm high, then made a figure eight with his wrist. He then brought it down quickly, letting the sash flutter in the air.
RE-V had modified most of their choreography to use their arms, making full use of their outfits.
Thanks to the gentle breeze, RE-V’s plan was a complete success.
—Pushing in even
The last handful of my lingering feelings
I dream a new dream
Lee Ho-jun took a step forward, followed by the other members a beat later.
Then they stopped in place.
—Fleetingly
On a thudding beat, the members of RE-V knelt on one knee.
They extended their right legs to the side and looked sideways while doing an upper-body wave.
—If I could call out my past self
And tell them just one thing
With their hands on the floor, RE-V lightly lifted their left arms and then lowered them.
—I’d say without hesitation, ‘I love you’
If I could disappear holding onto just those words
It would be fine
Haru alone stood up and performed three consecutive spins.
His movements were completely steady.
“Woooooah!”
Along with the cheers, the sound of the Korean fiddle from the song’s intro returned.
The dancers, who had been standing like a backdrop, folded their fans and surrounded RE-V.
Then, they held up their folded fans, blocking the view of RE-V.
RE-V grabbed the tips of the fans and stood up.
“Woooooah!”
“Yeeeeeaaah!”
In response to the audience's cheers, RE-V turned in unison and bent their backs backward.
From that position, they kicked their legs and used the momentum to straighten their backs.
The dancers stepped forward, holding their fans tightly in their hands.
—YEAH
Seo Yoon-seul delivered another high-note ad-lib.
His voice was higher and more solid than before.
Although K-pop had become a genre in its own right, to those who still looked down on it, idols seemed like nothing more than prettily dressed dolls who just moved their mouths.
Ethan, who had come to the festival with his friends, was one of them.
When he heard a K-pop idol group was coming on, he thought he could use the time to take a break.
But his friend’s girlfriend, who liked K-pop, insisted they watch together, so he ended up watching a performance he had no interest in from the front.
‘This is completely different from what I expected.’
Contrary to his prejudice that they all sang and danced to the same kind of songs, they were professionals.
The music and choreography were unlike anything he’d heard before, and their vocals were steady, their expressions unwavering.
They were more impressive than any other artist he had seen today, and their skills were outstanding.
They weren’t five dolls, but five artists.
‘Was it RE-V? I think I can kind of see why other people are so into K-pop.’
—I arrive at a crossroads
And look up at the red moon
Still hesitating
Unable to move forward
The sound of the song began to fade.
—I can’t embrace the me from back then
RE-V drew a circle above their heads with both arms, then turned to face the back of the stage.
And so, their first performance ended.
* * *
“Hello, we are RE-V from Korea!”
Haru opened with fluent English.
The company had written their lines, but he’d only heard the others mumbling them during practice, so he couldn’t help but be surprised by Haru’s unexpected skill.
It might be a stereotype, but Japanese speakers were known to have a somewhat unique English accent.
‘Haru’s English is really good, huh?’
Since the other members hadn’t seemed confident in their English, he had been quietly studying it himself, but it seemed there was no need.
‘He’s a language prodigy. Japanese, Korean, and now English.’
“How was the performance? Are you having fun? If you’re having fun, let me hear you scream!”
“Wooooooooooah!”
An ear-splitting roar came back in response.
“I’m so happy to see you all having such a great time. Now, we’ll introduce the members of RE-V one by one. First, I’m Haru, the leader of RE-V. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Cheers erupted after each introduction.
“Hello. I’m Lee Ho-jun, the one who helped make RE-V known with the tiger video.”
“I’m Jung Eun-woo, the main rapper of RE-V. The weather is so nice today, it’s putting me in a great mood.”
“I’m Park Ji-ham, RE-V’s other eldest member. Let’s have a blast with us tonight.”
“And finally, I’m Seo Yoon-seul, the youngest of RE-V.”
They finished their short introductions without a hitch.
Thanks to their extensive practice, no one stumbled over their words.
“Our next song is our debut track, ‘MESS.’ If you know it, can I get a scream?”
“Yeeeeeaaah!”
A powerful cheer answered Haru’s question.
“Wow. You’re all good liars. But since it’s a white lie to make me feel good, I’ll let it slide. But not a second time. Got it?”
The crowd burst into laughter.
‘It wasn’t just his pronunciation; his skill was top-notch.’
That last comment wasn’t written by the company.
It was something Haru had said off the cuff.
“So, are you ready to have some real fun?”
“Yeeeeeaaah!”
“Great. Looks like everyone’s ready. Let’s get right to it!”
In the time it took to say those few words, the sun had completely set, and the sky had grown dark.
It was the perfect time for their next performance.
Exactly as we had calculated.
As I went to prepare for the next stage, I quickly tied the sash around my wrist.