Chapter 112
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112
“Hey, hey!! Give me your phone for a sec!”
“Again? No way.”
“Dear brother, be useful for once in your life.”
I chased my mom’s son all the way to his room and pestered him. Just looking at his face made my irritation soar, but there was nothing I wouldn’t do for The Dawn.
‘During Shining Star, I even handed out flyers and candy in front of academies, begging people to vote, so this is nothing…!’
Of course, I got smacked on the back by my mom after getting caught, but the result wasn't bad.
“Ugh, fine. But you’re buying me chicken!”
“Take it.”
‘You little brat….’
I muttered a curse under my breath as I grabbed the phone. Last time, I only managed to send a text after bribing him with bread. Looking at the sent history made my blood boil again, but for the sake of The Dawn, who were about to appear, I calmed my mind and body and cleared my heart. I had to receive them with a pious spirit.
“They’re coming on!!”
I sat alone in the living room, heart pounding, as the music show began.
It wasn't one of the big three public networks, but it was their final music show performance for this cycle. In other words, today was the last chance to get a 1st place win with Kill the Lights.
Moreover, only the singers performing that day were eligible for the nominations, which was actually better in a way.
The song Kang Yi-chae composed this time had a killer beat. Just watching the intro where each member’s face flashed on screen was moving in itself.
[Ah, please please please, The Dawn 1st place. Fambly, please vote just once.]
[But the only fambly here are Noeuls, and we already voted lol]
[They started global fan voting this time, so I don't know how the rankings will shift. Shaking.]
[Black Call made a comeback in just two weeks, but they aren't on this week’s music show... Is this for real? Get to work, agency...]
“Ugh, seriously.”
Even though I had muted certain words on Twitter, seeing posts about ‘Black Call’ made me tear up.
‘Black Call has already won 1st place so many times…!’
On the other hand, The Dawn had released such a god-tier song and still hadn't taken 1st place. The hair, makeup, and outfits were a holy trinity, and the title track was insane—how does it make sense that they can't win just because their schedule overlapped with a famous group? Of course, I admitted Black Call’s song was good, but The Dawn’s song was just as competitive.
This time! They! Brought! A god-tier song to wrap up the Apocalypse Trilogy!
And they’re going to leave without a single win because they got caught in the tyranny of a heartless conglomerate group??
“It’s so annoying, seriously…. Black Call should’ve read the room.”
It was a complaint born 90% out of envy. I knew there was no end to it once I started nitpicking, but I couldn't help feeling grumpy.
On the screen, Puppy rolled his eyes and glanced at the fans. I virtually ruffled Puppy’s hair, took a deep breath, and turned my eyes back to the TV.
A dim light, like the first rays of dawn, enveloped Seong Ji-won on stage.
[Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights…]
“Kim Seong-hyeon! Seong Ji-won! Seo Ho-yun! Kang Yi-chae! Jeong Da-jun! Eternal Dawn, THE DAWN!”
“What the hell are you doing now?!”
When I shouted the fan chant in time with the music, I heard my brother’s disgusted voice from the other side. Of course, I didn't care one bit. Whatever. If he wanted chicken, he should shut his trap.
[Jeong Da-jun’s platinum blonde hair... Ah, you were just born with platinum hair, weren't you?]
[Seong Ji-won’s face is so heavenly I didn't even notice he was wearing such flashy accessories lol]
[Seo Ho-yun, why do you keep getting more....... No, I won't say it. I’ll get arrested at this rate.]
But that was one thing; as the song began in earnest, I accidentally dropped my phone.
[I still recall,
You in the dim light
When everyone aimed at you
You just laughed, remember?]
“Whoa, what’s with these guys…?”
I could hear their breathing clearly.
“Is this 100% live?”
Usually, for songs with intense dancing, it was standard to have at least a bit of AR playing in the background. They’d lip-sync the high notes or have a backing track so the idols could actually breathe.
[Guys, are they crazy????]
[This is stimulating the peripheral nerves of this K-pop granny.]
[Vote please vote please]
But these guys were singing live while sprinting across the stage. Their heavy breathing was inevitably captured through the microphones.
[We can definitely kill this light
Flip everything and change the game!]
“Wha-what…?”
[Dddd, what is this week’s stage?]
[Why does it feel even better than last week?? No, sirs, I thought it was better than Ocean Trend, but how can you get even better than last week?]
└ [The synchronized dancing is insane. They all land perfectly after jumping.]
[Their bodies are gonna break;;;]
It wasn't just The Dawn fans who felt it; praise from other fandoms started trickling in on SNS.
[You can’t leave this scheme
Dig into the breaking dawn
Walk toward the end without hesitation]
Kang Yi-chae composed this….
As a fan who entered the fandom because of Kang Yi-chae, I watched with a proud expression, mesmerized as he waved his hand like a conductor’s baton.
[Kill the Lights!]
At that moment, the stage lights cut out with a loud bang. Then, a dark spotlight illuminated Kim Seong-hyeon. With his gaze lowered, Kim Seong-hyeon lightly bit his lip.
[My trembling fingertips turn blue]
“Kim Seong-hyeon, you madman….”
The only thing Kim Seong-hyeon used to get criticized for was his facial expressions.
But the way he looked while installing explosives with trembling hands in the music video… and his expression just now… it made my heart ache instinctively.
The lighting brightened slightly, and Seo Ho-yun appeared from behind Seong Ji-won.
[Because just as it was for you once,
It’s the only time for me]
“Aaaaah!”
As Seo Ho-yun’s face was captured in a close-up, a rush of emotions hit me.
The boys’ faces, the lighting, the stage—everything was so perfect that I could already see the Nutube comments blowing up once the video was uploaded.
‘Idols are all about the face….’
[Take my hand, you know it now
Because the dawn is approaching]
I clutched my heart in moved silence as I saw Kang Yi-chae smiling and reaching out to Jeong Da-jun.
[And now, it turns to…
The DAWN!]
It was a choreography variation. Jeong Da-jun grabbed that hand, jumped up, and immediately delivered a live performance with his husky voice, rasping his throat.
[I can’t lose in this game—!
Let’s all burn together]
Immediately after, the vocal line joined in. Seo Ho-yun leaned forward and belted out a two-step high note. It was a progression that hadn't been in the previous performances.
[The moment the light leaks in, it begins—!]
“……!!”
I couldn't close my mouth, trying my best to take it all in with my eyes and ears. Beneath the soaring high note, Kim Seong-hyeon filled the sound with his low bass.
[We can't lose this game
I’ve already staked everything]
Thinking this was the end, my nose began to tingle with a bittersweet feeling. This music show was their last promotion, and in the end, we couldn't even give them a single 1st place win….
If my past self from a few years ago saw me, she would’ve mocked me for being over-immersed, but my heart truly ached.
‘They’re so good, damn it….’
But then, Kang Yi-chae slowly walked to the front of the stage. Forgetting my sorrow, I was dazed by his face.
[Ah, you’re at the end of it
Let’s see this through to the very end—]
“Yi-chaeeeeee!!”
Tears finally pricked my eyes.
Everyone returned to the ending formation, and a close-up of Seo Ho-yun’s profile, looking into the distance, filled the screen. Seo Ho-yun took a ragged breath and parted his lips.
[Kill the Lights.]
The Dawn’s logo appeared beside him, and the faces of the panting members were shown in a cross-cut.
Immediately after, Yeolhwa’s stage began.
But I had already looked away from the screen and was slumped on the floor, practically wailing.
[They must be genius idols... They knew the fans were upset and understood what this last stage meant, so they changed the stage composition like this...]
[I’ll love you to death forever, ah.]
I wasn't the only one howling.
After the final stage ended, the nominees for 1st place were The Dawn and Yeolhwa. Black Call, who didn't perform, wasn't eligible for this show’s trophy and was excluded.
Yeolhwa was popular too….
Before Shining Star, their recognition was incomparable to The Dawn’s.
I told myself I would accept any result calmly, that it was the mark of a mature fan, but the irritation that had already risen wouldn't subside easily.
Digital sales, physical sales, video views, live text voting, global voting… the scores were listed in a dizzying array. My eyes, which had been watching the screen without much expectation, gradually widened until my jaw dropped.
[The Dawn Global Voting: 1402 points!]
What happened with the global voting?
“Uuugh?!”
Moreover, the text voting had increased significantly compared to last time. I stood there dazed, unable to keep up with how things were unfolding, until the sound of a fanfare snapped me back to reality.
[Congratulations, THE DAWN!]
“Aaaaaah! Aaaaah!!!!! The Dawn won 1st place!”
As I screamed at the top of my lungs, the shocked faces of The Dawn members were captured on screen. When Seo Ho-yun smiled and pushed Kim Seong-hyeon forward, he received the trophy in a daze and gave a stumbling but careful acceptance speech.
[T-thank you. I never imagined we would receive this… It feels even more special to receive it during our final broadcast activity.]
“Our 2-meter water dumpling... he’s soggy again today….”
[We are always grateful, Noeuls.]
With those final words, the beat started playing. Kim Seong-hyeon didn't shed tears until the very end, but his trembling voice was overflowing with emotion.
[Thank you!]
[Thanks, Noeuls~.]
They really hadn't expected to win 1st place, so they hadn't even made a winning promise. They all looked at each other in confusion before just dancing freely and singing live.
Because they sang live perfectly even while laughing together, they were able to preemptively block trolls saying things like [Isn't this AR? Isn't it MR?], [Do kids these days not know the difference between AR and MR?].
‘I’m happy, but why… how did they win 1st place?’
As soon as the music show ended, I rushed onto SNS, where there were not only fangirl ravings but also plenty of analyses.
[Yeeeeeesss, this is insane. Just as the weight of global voting increased for the final broadcast, The Dawn happened to be quite popular overseas lol. I love this so much. Who’s gonna call The Dawn ‘unknowns’ now? They’re on a total upward trend lol.]
└ [They beat YH? Crazy;; The Dawn’s popularity has really grown.]
└└ [Right? Now we can stop hearing about them ‘robbing an empty house’ lol. I love this!!!!!]
[I just heard from a local lol. Apparently, Shining Star and Please Take Care of the Camera being released on Letflix Japan was a big factor. I heard Kill the Lights (illegal) merch is already all over Koreatowns.]
“Whoa, so that’s it~.”
I was happy they won, but I hadn't quite understood how. I nodded as I carefully read through the thread.
A tweet that said they thought it would be difficult because The Dawn’s recognition was similar to Yeolhwa’s until the last promotion interpreted that The Dawn had now captured not only domestic but also overseas fans with their abundant content and clear worldview.
The fact that the music show had significantly increased the weight of global voting in consideration of K-pop’s worldwide popularity played a part, and Shining Star airing on Japanese Letflix also seemed to have contributed to the votes.
Furthermore, many people overseas were discovering K-pop through Nutube lately, and the fact that the Kill the Lights music video was being praised as movie-like and becoming a bit of a trend for reaction videos among overseas Nutubers probably helped as well.
[Isn't Daepasung doing a good job lately?]
└ [Don't get ahead of yourself.]
└└ [Lol, I’m just high on the win and talking nonsense, sorry sorry.]
[But it was a really good decision. I wonder who suggested extending the promotions... T_T]
.
.
.
And the person who suggested the extension, Mr. Seo Ho-yun, was currently having his energy drained by the youngest members in the van.
“A rapper needs to be good at tongue twisters, you know?”
“Why don't you try one then~?”
“The manager of the soy sauce factory is Manager Kang, and the manager of the soybean paste factory is Manager Kong! Wahaha!!”
“Whoa!! Let me try too!!”
The old and tired office worker’s stamina was failing him as he watched the youngest members running around and barking like puppies.
* * *
“I’m telling you! You obviously put soy sauce in soy sauce egg rice, so why would you put gochujang? The name is SOY! SAUCE! Egg Rice!”
“Why wouldn't you put gochujang?”
“Our maknae, at this rate, you’re gonna mix it with ketchup too. Thanks for confirming your weird palate.”
“I’ve tried that though?”
“Are you serious?”
‘How did we get from tongue twisters to soy sauce egg rice….’
Perhaps because they had won 1st place, the kids’ adrenaline was running wild. I wanted to quietly organize my thoughts, so I curled up as much as possible and closed my eyes, but our team’s baby bird and resident airhead, Jeong Da-jun, shook my shoulder.
“Ho-yun hyung! Are you Team Gochujang or Team Soy Sauce?”
“Team So-What.”
“That’s mean!”
I pushed away Jeong Da-jun’s head as he whined and clung to me, then picked up my phone. At the top was a message from Kim Hee-yeong full of clapping emojis, congratulating us. Ju Woo-seong, Seo Ho-jin, and… hmm, even Im Hyeon-su had sent one.
‘…Im Hyeon-su is a bit unexpected.’
Feeling a bit strange, I sent back a reply saying thank you. In the meantime, a message from Min Ji-heon arrived.
[Min Ji-heon: Congrats.]
‘I really hate this….’
I ignored it without hesitation. I suddenly remembered Min Ji-heon, who had almost cried after I hit him but still whined about being curious about how I’d end up.
How much did he know? How much was he hiding?
‘This guy or that guy, they’re all the same.’
I pressed my temples and looked out the window. I had pushed the trauma back down completely. Now, I didn't feel nauseous like before when I got in the van, even without looking at my phone.
‘…It’s just something from a long time ago.’
Feeling a tap on my arm, I turned to see Seong Ji-won, looking youthful with his makeup removed, smiling at me.
“If you’re going to sleep, do you want to switch seats? Sleep comfortably.”
“It’s fine, I’m okay.”
“Then at least use this.”
Seong Ji-won held out the hat he was wearing. I didn't refuse and put it on immediately.
It was true that having my eyes covered made me feel much more at ease.
Resting my chin on my hand and closing my eyes, I continued my thoughts. If Min Ji-heon knew something, I could approach him again then.
‘Until everything is certain, I should probably delay winning over the members.’
That was the right move. If I proceeded with winning them over without knowing anything, I’d just be swept up in the System Window’s intentions.
As I finished my thoughts and closed my eyes, the system chimed.
Ding!
[A Quest has arrived!]
In the blackness of my vision, the blue window that only I could see flickered. It had definitely read the timing like a ghost.
It was probably telling me to stop messing around and do the quest.
[Let’s Go on a Variety Show!
Self-produced content, solo variety, anything is fine!
Please show us PD Seo Ho-yun’s variety sense! >.<
Success Reward: 8,000 Points
Failure Penalty: If you fail to appear within 2 weeks, permanent Stamina debuff.]
It’s really trying its hardest to control me…. Usually, the more one is oppressed, the more one’s rebellious nature flares up. I let out a small smirk and touched my lips.
“Cute….”
Who do you think you’re trying to pick a fight with?