Eyes Locked in the Spotlight
After their eyes met during the photo time with Nayeong, Juyeon’s voice gradually turned into background noise for Suhyeok, like a radio playing in the cafeteria. A vague sense of displeasure welled up inside him at the thought of why she was even here. At the same time, the puzzling question of what kind of sight she had come hoping to see began to dominate his mind.
“Everyone ready?”
After finishing her introductory remarks, Juyeon glanced left and right. Hana and Seoeun both looked at her and gave the signal, but Suhyeok seemed spaced out and didn’t even turn toward her.
“...Suhyeok.”
The voice amplified through the microphone snapped him back to attention.
“Huh? Yeah?”
Only then did Suhyeok look at Juyeon.
“You ready?”
Juyeon stared at him with eyes that seemed to ask if something was wrong.
“...Yeah.”
At his answer, Juyeon immediately sensed that something had happened to him. No one understood the meaning behind those anxious eyes better than she did. But fixing it would have to wait until after the stage. Whatever it was, Suhyeok had no choice right now. He simply had to fulfill his duty as the guitarist in silence. And that meant playing his guitar on stage as stylishly as possible.
—Clap clap clap clap
The standing luxury performance began. Once the song started, there was no room left for worries. Red. Blue. The colorful lights flashed irregularly above the members’ heads. The ones helping with the lighting were Jaejun and the other 21st generation seniors. They excitedly flipped the switches up and down in time with the music.
“Back when I was active, messing with the lights looked so fun.”
“Why? Not as fun when you’re doing it yourself?”
“No? It’s actually more fun than I thought. It’s thrilling.”
“Ugh, get out of the way. Let me try too.”
The seniors were eagerly waiting for a more intense song so they could unleash some crazy effects.
“U-um… are you all enjoying yourselves…?”
If there was one time during a performance that Juyeon hated the most, it was the session tuning break. It was obvious, but not every song in the world was in the same key. That’s why the band members sometimes needed time to tune mid-performance. The guitar needed its sixth string adjusted, the bass its fourth. While the members busily turned the tuning pegs, it was the vocalist’s job to fill the silence.
“By any chance… are there people here who came to see us last year too?”
Cheers rose from the audience. Most were Hana and Seoeun’s friends, or Spirit seniors who could be considered regulars.
“Ahaha. Thank you for coming to see us again… I’ve been working hard to show you all an improved side of myself compared to last year.”
Of course, she wasn’t talking about her singing. It was about her communication skills.
“Unnie! You’re so pretty!”
A girl Juyeon didn’t know, someone she had never seen before, shouted toward her.
“Huh…? M-me?”
“Yes!”
“Th-thank you…”
Park Juyeon. Zero small talk ability! Her adorable awkwardness drew laughter from the audience. Juyeon chewed her lip, wondering what she should say next, when she suddenly broke into a bright smile. The other members had signaled that their tuning was finished.
“Then… let’s move on to something with a much rougher vibe!”
The next song was titled RUSH. The title literally carried the meaning of charging forward. They had even down-tuned the instruments specifically to play this metal-style track. The seniors recognized the moment had come and killed all the lights.
—Clap clap clap clap
In the darkness, the sound of drumsticks counting off the start rang out. It was a completely opposite atmosphere from the previous song. The intro itself was extraordinary. Suhyeok and Hana’s guitar sounds harmonized perfectly. The repeating fast-tempo riffs offered a dazzling visual spectacle.
—Dugudugudugudugudugudugu
This song was Kang’s pick. In other words, it meant the drums carried quite a lot of power too. But what the audience found most overwhelming was Juyeon’s vocals. It was the moment the seemingly gentle girl underwent a perfect transformation.
I can’t wait until tomorrow!
By the time I stop bleeding
This unstoppable rush might be over
The Juyeon who had once sung about love with her delicate, clear voice was long gone. What roared on stage now was a rock star who refused to stop her charge. The seniors watched Juyeon with satisfied eyes. She would probably go down in Spirit’s history as a legendary vocalist.
Suhyeok’s back was completely soaked with sweat from the lights and the performance. He shook his head and waist without restraint. The lights were flashing so wildly that he couldn’t even see the audience properly anyway. He surrendered his body to the music as if afflicted with the status effect of frenzy. RUSH, a song that demanded full throttle from beginning to end, was more than enough to close out the second half of the regular performance.
“Hooa!”
Juyeon wiped the sweat from her forehead after finishing the song. Applause poured in. Everyone seemed excited; flushed faces were visible everywhere. It was clear that the reason timid Juyeon couldn’t leave the band was because she couldn’t forget moments like these. Memories she could only etch into her mind since she couldn’t take photos. Today would be another unforgettable day recorded in Juyeon’s diary.
“Now… we only have one last song left…”
This was a segment that hadn’t existed last year. The only time they weren’t imitating anyone.
“We’re going to show you an original song written by our 23rd generation.”
Her comment carried the shyness of a girl making a confession.
“Hana did almost all the work on the song, and the rest of us basically just added a spoon on top…!”
Seoeun slapped her forehead at Juyeon’s explanation. No matter how true it was, what did she mean by adding a spoon? A spoon.
“Still, we all put a lot of effort into making it, so I hope you enjoy it!”
Juyeon bowed deeply. The polite greeting was an expression of gratitude to everyone who had come to the regular performance.
Suhyeok, who had wondered when they would ever get through all eight songs, was stunned to realize it was already over. He wanted to show more, but there were no ingredients left to serve. Kang and Hana exchanged glances. As the crisp intro rang out, Juyeon gripped the microphone tightly with both hands.
The monitor that stayed on until late at night
The coffee that had gone cold was no longer sweet
The reason for breathing in a dark corner of a room without day or night grew faint
Juyeon and Suhyeok presented all the lyrics they had quietly crafted together while sitting in his one-room apartment. The lyrics fully captured the less-than-ideal daily lives of loners. Seoeun was the one who had revised the verses filled with depression and anxiety.
Waiting for a spring that has yet to come
On hazy days, in faintly sleeping nights
Waiting for tomorrow’s you
Like a single flower that will bloom clearly
In the chorus, Seoeun’s warm words unraveled their story.
“Guitar!”
After the second verse ended, the long-awaited guitar solo followed. Suhyeok’s fingers danced across the fretboard. Hana crossed the stage and came to stand beside him. Smiling brightly, she leaned her back against his. They hadn’t done this during practice, so Suhyeok was flustered, but he managed to continue the performance without a mistake. He could feel Hana’s body heat through his back. Once again, the reason his heart was racing so fast became unclear.
After the flashy climax of the solo came Hana’s gentle arpeggio part.
Today another day comes to an end
The daily life faded by hesitation
There will be nothing that doesn’t change
Juyeon, who had actually closed her eyes, raced toward the finale. Just as the title Dawn Is Blue suggested, she wanted to show the fullest, clearest volume she could produce.
“Wait for tomorrow’s me! Even if I melt away~ and disappear~ like a single snowflake~”
After one final round of the riff, the first semester Spirit regular performance finally came to an end.
“Thank you!”
Juyeon and the other members bowed deeply. As applause poured in, the members set down their instruments and hurried down to the audience area.
“Yoon Hana! You crazy bitch! You look so fucking hot!”
“Hana! Let’s take a picture!”
“Ugh, come on already~”
After the regular performance ended, the atmosphere turned into something like a graduation ceremony. It was photo time, with everyone taking pictures with the friends who had come to see them. Suhyeok glanced around, wondering if Nayeong was still there.
“Looking for something?”
Juyeon, who had no one to take pictures with, walked over to Suhyeok’s side.
“No… not really.”
“Did something happen?”
It was a question asked even though she already knew something had. Suhyeok’s lips drew a straight line. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it.
“...Want to take a picture, just the two of us?”
Juyeon unusually pulled out her phone.
“Just us?”
Suhyeok scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
“We’re the only ones not taking any, so it feels like we’re getting left out.”
Of course, once all the audience members left, there would naturally be a photo time just for the members. But when he looked around, it really did seem like they were standing out like loners.
“Should we?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Both of them were complete beginners at selfies. They had camera apps installed, but as loners, they had no idea which filters were good.
“Doesn’t this make our faces look too pale?”
“All cameras are like that these days. Whatever.”
“It looks weird.”
“Then use your own camera.”
The two stood so close that their arms were pressed together. Inside the rectangular screen were two sweaty young people, a complete mess.
“It came out well.”
The composition and subjects were both terrible, but Suhyeok could only agree with Juyeon’s words.
“...Yeah, it did.”
The brightly smiling face was very much to his liking.