The First Concert
The day of Baek Yerin's first concert was just two days away.
Ryu Won visited the Korea Indoor Gymnasium.
He had come to watch the ongoing rehearsal for Baek Yerin's concert. But that wasn't the only reason.
“You said you wanted to leave the overall concert direction and stage production to the outsourcing team and us?”
“Yes. I have absolutely no experience in that area. If I got involved, it might actually end up being a negative. Still, I want to handle the direction for the very last song Yerin will sing myself.”
Kang Beom-jun shrugged at Ryu Won's answer.
It was a gesture that roughly meant, Do whatever you want.
Honestly, Ryu Won had never paid much attention to stage direction before.
He had been too busy just composing songs.
But now that he had some breathing room, he wanted to personally take charge of directing the final song Baek Yerin would perform at this concert.
“So what kind of picture are you roughly drawing? Did checking out the venue spark any ideas?”
“Not at all.”
“Hmm… Hearing you say that actually makes it feel different.”
Kang Beom-jun looked slightly surprised.
And it made sense. Who was Ryu Won, after all?
A genius composer whose twenty-five self-written songs were all sitting comfortably in the upper ranks of the TOP 100. Even Baek Yerin herself acknowledged and respected him as a genius.
On top of that, he possessed incredible persuasive power that could turn his wild ideas into reality, and the stubborn persistence to dive headfirst into anything involving that one girl.
For someone like that to admit there was something he found clumsy or difficult felt genuinely novel to Kang Beom-jun…
“No, I just plan to go with the exact direction I imagined when I first composed the song. The part where the CEO appears, and all that. If we overdo the production on such a big stage, I think it would actually diminish the emotional impact.”
As expected, you had to listen to the end with Korean.
Ryu Won explained the direction he had originally envisioned in detail to Kang Beom-jun. After all, from Ryu Won's position, it would ultimately be Kang Beom-jun who had to discuss it with the stage director.
And as Kang Beom-jun listened to the explanation, his eyes gradually widened.
This…
‘Does he have talent for stage direction too?’
He felt like he had discovered yet another of Ryu Won's talents.
During a break in the concert rehearsal, Baek Yerin secretly made her way over to the audience seats where Ryu Won and Kang Beom-jun were sitting.
The three of them sat side by side, chatting comfortably as usual. This time, the topic of conversation was the fandom that had formed around Baek Yerin.
“The fandom name is definitely ‘Yeorin,’ right?”
“Yes. Apparently the fan cafe was created first, and then they held a vote for the fandom name there.”
The one that received the most votes was Goddess Yerin, shortened to ‘Yeorin.’
“It doesn’t seem like a bad fandom name. Well… I don’t know how the person herself feels about it.”
“Hmm? I’m just amazed that a fandom even formed. Oh, and I heard from Hari that they’ve already created official chants for every song.”
There’s a saying that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. When traveling, it’s good to know something about the local culture beforehand.
In that sense, learning the fan chants was a kind of study for fans.
It wasn’t strictly required, but it was better to memorize them if possible.
After all, a concert was an event created together by the singer, the star of the stage, and the audience and fans who played the role of exquisite supporting cast.
At that moment, Kang Beom-jun spoke up with a rather puzzled expression.
“That’s right. Normally the marketing team would create the official chants, but one person active in your fan cafe made all of them in the blink of an eye. But when we listened to them, they were so good we had no choice but to adopt them immediately.”
“I heard about it from Hari too. She said that person’s username is definitely ‘RW0927’…”
“That’s right. It was definitely that name… Now that I think about it, something feels off.”
“Right? RW is probably the English version of the name, right?”
“And 0927 obviously looks like a birthday. But it feels like the person who fits all of that has been right next to me… and yet it also feels like it can’t be.”
Kang Beom-jun and Baek Yerin simultaneously turned to look at Ryu Won.
Ryu Won was shaking his leg furiously, as if anxious about something.
This must be what they meant by a thief’s legs trembling.
“Ryu Won. Just asking out of curiosity, but when is your birthday again?”
“Ah, I remember that. It’s definitely September 27th.”
“Hmm~ I see. Yerin, why don’t we log into the fan cafe right now and check what posts that person has made together? I’m really curious.”
“That sounds like a good idea?”
“Ugh, you two, stop teasing me already!”
He should have made his fan cafe username completely unrelated to himself.
Ryu Won, who had chosen the username so carelessly, learned a valuable lesson that day.
“The weather’s nice.”
The day of Baek Yerin’s first concert arrived.
It was a bright, sunny day. Even though it was an indoor venue, clear weather was definitely better than gloomy skies.
Come to think of it, in another month it would already be June.
Since June meant summer, it really hit him how fast time was flying.
Anyway.
“There are so many people… Will they all fit inside?”
“Once you go in, you’ll see it’s actually quite spacious. Shall we head inside?”
I escorted Baek Yerin’s mother into the concert hall.
The first thing that caught the eye was the stage where Baek Yerin would perform today.
It started with a massive screen, followed by a narrow pathway, and at the end was a cube-shaped platform designed to let the audience see the singer up close.
It felt impressive all over again.
To build such a huge set inside an indoor gymnasium in just one day…
As I was thinking that, audience members began filing in one by one and taking their seats. In no time, every seat was filled, and right on schedule, the ceiling lights slowly began to dim.
And then.
I want to walk with you.
Along a beautiful cherry blossom path.
With the cheerful sound of a guitar, Baek Yerin’s song began to echo throughout the venue.
Everyone present probably realized immediately what song this was.
Cherry Blossom Like You
The title track of Baek Yerin’s third album, a song that instantly came to mind when thinking of spring.
It was the perfect song to announce the arrival of today’s star, Baek Yerin.
“Hello everyone!”
Standing at the center of the stage, Baek Yerin lightly finished Cherry Blossom Like You and greeted the audience with a bright, energetic voice.
The crowd responded to her greeting with a massive cheer.
Everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs, but the excitement was clearly visible on their faces.
This was none other than Baek Yerin’s first concert, the moment they finally got to see her in person right before their eyes.
The thunderous cheers that nearly shook the entire gymnasium made Baek Yerin look startled as she raised the microphone again.
“Wow… I really didn’t expect you all to welcome me so warmly. I started with the song called Cherry Blossom Like You. How did you like it? …You loved it? Whew, that’s such a relief. It was the first song of my first concert, so honestly I was a little nervous. But thanks to all of your incredible energy, I don’t feel nervous at all anymore.”
Baek Yerin proceeded with the concert so smoothly it was hard to believe it was her first time.
As if it were her true calling, she communicated naturally with the audience, sang her songs, and showed them with her own presence why so many people had come to see her.
Watching that atmosphere, Ryu Won turned to Lee Yeon-hui and said,
“You must be so proud.”
“Of course.”
At Ryu Won’s words, Lee Yeon-hui smiled and nodded.
In truth, this was the first time she had heard Baek Yerin sing live as a singer.
And she was in awe.
It wasn’t just that her daughter sang well. The sight of her standing on stage felt overwhelmingly grand.
With that delicate frame, she filled the entire stage. She continuously drew out the endless cheers and responses from the countless people in the venue without ever pausing.
That was why Lee Yeon-hui felt both joy and regret at the same time.
If only she had noticed her daughter’s talent just a little earlier…
She could have witnessed even more of these happy moments.
Still, Lee Yeon-hui’s gratitude far outweighed her regrets. And that gratitude was directed at the boy sitting right beside her.
In a way, it was all thanks to this child, Ryu Won, that she could share in this happy moment.
While Lee Yeon-hui was lost in those thoughts, the concert gradually approached its end.
Meanwhile.
Ryu Won wore a bitter smile.
There were currently twenty-five songs registered under Baek Yerin’s name.
If she sang all of them and even did an encore, the concert would easily go over five hours.
But because of a certain plan of mine, the concert time had naturally been shortened.
After all.
‘She’s been saving her strength until the last song.’
Even so, the audience’s enthusiasm and reactions had been at their peak from beginning to end, and they naturally had no idea.
Even if she was holding back somewhat, Baek Yerin’s live performance was beyond imagination.
Still, feeling sorry was feeling sorry.
Yerin was probably feeling the exact same way right now.
From the start, today’s concert had never been an event for the ten thousand audience members who had come.
It had been planned as a concert for just one person.
Ryu Won had always imagined that person would be himself. But this time, he had no choice but to yield.
Ryu Won looked back at the stage.
There, Baek Yerin was slowly catching her breath.
…It was time.