Chapter 125
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125
“Aaaaahhh!!!”
Amidst the darkness, the words ‘The Dawn’ flickered onto the electronic billboard. Naturally, the roar of the fans followed. Among the various circular, multicolored lightsticks of different fandoms, the blue-glowing inverted triangle lightsticks stood out vividly.
Then, as mysterious lights—a blend of purple and blue—flickered on, the screen captured the members of The Dawn gathered in the center, forming their formation.
With all the members keeping their heads bowed, Seong Ji-won was seen slowly raising his microphone.
Normally, the intro music would have started playing first.
[In this vast universe, meeting the miracle that is you]
“Aaaah!! Kismet!”
For this year-end stage, they had scrapped the intro, opening Kismet with Seong Ji-won’s soft yet pure vocals. This was the final mission song from Shining Star, the very track that could be credited with grabbing the public by the collar and dragging them into the fandom—back when everyone was just ‘testing the waters’ with The Dawn.
It was the song dedicated to Kim Seong-hyeon.
“Aaaaaahhh! Let’s go!!”
Noeul, a high school senior who had actually become a fan of Kim Seong-hyeon after watching Shining Star, threw her cushion in a fit of joy.
Originally, Kismet began with a grand instrumental intro, but hearing it resonate with only Seong Ji-won’s voice against a silent background made it feel even more poignant.
[Ji-won angel appearance holy shit]
[Seong Ji-won for President let’s go]
[Enchanted by you, I reach out my hand…]
Soon after, a gentle piano melody settled in. As Seong Ji-won slowly lowered his outstretched hand and bowed his head, Kim Seong-hyeon—who had been standing back-to-back behind him—turned around. He lightly touched his in-ear monitor and opened his mouth.
[I am so small.]
As Kim Seong-hyeon, the greatest beneficiary of Kismet, appeared, an even louder roar erupted from the TV speakers. Instead of his usual loud and refreshing tone, Kim Seong-hyeon spoke as if whispering.
[But you told me,
That I can be a star….]
Perhaps because the song was based on his own story, it suited Kim Seong-hyeon perfectly even without the grand intro.
Just as the lingering, somewhat wistful piano-based intro stretched out, Kim Seong-hyeon tilted his chin up and narrowed his eyes. After a brief breath,
[Right?]
He gave a playful smirk toward the camera.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Thump, thump, thump!
With a sound like crackling electricity, the lights flashed—bang, bang, bang!
As if the soft piano intro had never existed, the melody shifted into pop-electronic following Kim Seong-hyeon’s single word. Simultaneously, white lightning bolts struck across the blue screens.
[Whoa, whoa, whoa, it feels like a concert. Wait, is this a concert?]
[The fact that Kang Yi-chae made this is driving me crazy.
└ The quality Yang A-chae produced after studying for just a few weeks… ha…
└└ ??? Wasn’t that just media play?!]
Everyone was buzzing with excitement at seeing a Kismet stage for the first time in a long while. However, there was something else that delighted the fans even more.
[Daaaamn, the kids’ hair, makeup, and outfits are insane today lol]
The camera panned over the members, and it seemed the stylists had really sharpened their blades for this one; the members were decked out in leather. They all wore rider jackets for a sense of unity, but the details were subtly different.
Seo Ho-yun’s style was somewhat boxy and casual, while Seong Ji-won’s was neat like a suit, and the maknae line showed off their individuality with unique patterns and decorations.
…And did Kim Seong-hyeon even need to be mentioned?
He looked like he had been born wearing it.
[Seo Ho-yun in a black rider jacket with straight hair??? Ah! AH!!!! Hey!!!! Are you kidding me??? Hey, are you kidding me right now!!!!!]
[Ah, crazy. Daepasung, honey, I love you.]
[Is this a major corporation? Are they insane? If they’re listed, I’m going to buy their stocks.]
[Kim Seong is so hot, it’s crazy. Who on earth would see him as a delicate softie?]
The performance hadn't even properly begun, but the reactions on social media were already burning hot.
As Kim Seong-hyeon retreated to the back, the highlight of Kismet rang out loudly, as if to fill the entire concert hall.
[You showed me the way!]
It was a new arrangement by Kang Yi-chae.
Thump, thump, thump. The accompaniment kicked in with the drums, and the lights flashed brilliantly.
[Ooh, Yeah, You showed me the way!]
The flamboyant melody suddenly dropped in volume, as if the music were being played underwater, and the lights dimmed instantly. The camera slowly zoomed in on the members, who were gathered with their backs to each other, catching their breath around Kim Seong-hyeon as if to hide him.
At that moment, Seo Ho-yun, standing at the center, curled one side of his mouth upward.
Thump, thump, thump!
[Yeah-, You told me that I can be a Star]
As if he were about to show off something he cherished.
Thump, thump, thump—ba-bam!
The background music exploded. As The Dawn split to the left and right under the dazzling lights,
[Lift your head and open your eyes in the dust!]
…Kim Seong-hyeon burst out from the middle.
“You crazy bastards!!”
Regardless of whether Noeul hugged her cushion and wailed, Kim Seong-hyeon strode forward with his long legs toward the front of the stage, fixing his in-ear mic with his hand.
[Everyone warns me,
To be born, I must jump into the storm.
It’s okay, I made my mind, I want to meet you.]
Since it was arranged for a year-end stage, everything had been re-recorded. Kang Yi-chae, who had leveled up his composing and arranging skills like a madman even after the release of Kill the Lights, had proposed a new attempt as if he had nothing to fear.
“Change the lyrics? Is that even possible?”
“Good grief, it’s been half a year since Shining Star ended, hasn’t it?”
Kang Yi-chae had hummed, tapping his feet which were resting haphazardly on the desk.
“Let’s match the rhyme and change them slightly. To fit our current situation.”
So, they decided to release it as a year-end stage version.
Behind Kim Seong-hyeon, who spat out the lyrics syllable by syllable, Jeong Da-jun spun around toward the camera.
[Ah- You have witnessed,
I burned, and in the end, I am here.
I knew it, we were right.]
Only then did the fans realize the lyrics were different from before, their eyes widening. At that moment, Kang Yi-chae, whose grapefruit-colored hair matched his black rider jacket perfectly, cut in.
“Wow, he really has such a flashy face….”
[You see, the nebula gathers,
Jump into the storm, endure the gravity.]
However, the changes were similar enough that they might have gone unnoticed by anyone who wasn't a fan of The Dawn.
Kang Yi-chae wrinkled his nose and swept back his hair.
[Ah, it really wasn't much.
It was just the path to you anyway.
Birth of a Star….]
‘The lyric change is seriously legendary….’
Perhaps because it was the end of the year, the events of the past year came to mind, making the immersion even deeper. A melody that seemed to intentionally drag on continued, followed by a massive burst of electric guitar.
[Yeah, this is Kismet!]
Then the camera angle changed, and Seo Ho-yun’s part began. The member that high school senior Noeul—who had entered the fandom through Kim Seong-hyeon—had finally settled on. Our protagonist, whom she had been waiting for today until her neck felt like a giraffe’s. As Seo Ho-yun appeared, the highlight of this stage began.
As always, he boasted stable live vocals and beckoned toward the camera with his finger.
[You and I, right here (Yes, right here)
A brilliant light explodes.
Don’t miss it, This is Kismet.]
Next, this time, Seong Ji-won pushed his voice higher and higher in falsetto!
[Ah- This is Kismet!]
“Aaaaahhh!!!”
Even though the pre-recorded backing chorus was playing loudly, Seong Ji-won’s high note pierced right through it.
[The moment a star is born]
[The fate that we cannot deny!]
The two harmonized, and as new lyrics appeared, another explosion occurred on the screen behind them. Along with it, the voices of all five members rang out.
[I am running toward you.]
The fans might not have known, but this was the harmony Seo Ho-yun had practiced while being relentlessly hounded by Seong Ji-won.
[I want to tell you proudly,
That because of you, I became a star.]
“Th-this is insane…!!”
Just as the sensitive Noeul was about to shed a tear at the visually and aurally satisfying stage, Seo Ho-yun, standing in the center, tilted his head slightly.
Then, he looked down at the blue-glowing lightsticks of the fans. Everything that had happened in less than a year.
The viewers, the fans, would never be able to guess what that vast scenery visible from the stage meant to him. And that was because,
[Didn’t I tell you?]
Seo Ho-yun simply smiled.
[To hold on and follow me.]
Seo Ho-yun didn't stay alone; he returned to The Dawn’s formation. As he returned to the five members, purple and blue lights intertwined, and they were sucked back into the highlight of Kismet.
[You show me the way!
Now I will become the lamp and show you.
I will dance all night to please you!
Until the heart of the star grows cold.]
“Ah….”
Noeul watched the stage until the very end, clutching her chest which felt overwhelmed for some reason. She had originally planned to watch while spouting nonsense on her phone, but today, she couldn't take her eyes off the members of The Dawn.
[I will sing all day only for you]
Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun’s eyes met, and they smirked at each other. They had decided to let the Kismet that bloomed in Shining Star bear its proper fruit.
[It’s okay, I’ve already decided,
To burn until the very end…]
The camera followed them tenaciously until the last moment. From the four-minute stage, slightly damp black hair clung to Kim Seong-hyeon’s forehead, and sweat trickled down his jawline. Taking the ending shot, he gave a slight smile.
He looked happy.
[Because you told me,
That I can be a star.]
The lights went out after the final line, which was the same as the previous version of Kismet. Even though the stage was over and the screen had gone dark, the fan sat there for a moment, dazed.
“Ah, ah. Right.”
Only then did she calm her racing heart and quickly pick up her phone.
[Ah......]
[I get it, guys. I won't leave the fandom...
I won't...
I won't...]
[This is seriously insane...
Who suggested changing the lyrics? Anyway, Kang Yi-chae is a genius...]
It was a stage that any fan would be forced to watch as if possessed. The four minutes, which were of a quality rivaling a Part 2 opening stage, had ended, but the fans still lingering somewhere in Kismet clutched their chests and cried out for The Dawn.
Although the song had been considered a legend even half a year later, this time was even more special.
[Why do the kids look so cool?]
If the stage during Shining Star was one they performed through gritted teeth for survival… now, they were equipped with composure, exuding so-called ‘swag,’ and showing the members’ further growth.
[No, that’s true too, but...
Today... seriously... what is it... what is it...?
What’s with the kids’ vibe...? Did something happen to them...?
I don't know anything, but I'm over-immersed.]
The reason they had grown was that a lot, lot, lot had happened over the past year.
Only a few knew exactly what had happened to The Dawn, but that alone was enough to plunge the fans into deep over-immersion.
[Be happy, guys..]
[Only hear pretty words for the rest of your lives.. only see good things.. eat well.. ㅠ
└ I’ll do the dogfighting for you..
└└ I’m already barking too...]
They had no way of knowing that Seo Ho-yun was already working hard on that, so the fans didn't need to.
Anyway, she waited quietly, expecting the next song to start, but no more music flowed out.
High school senior Noeul stood up in indignation.
“What!! What?! Is that it?”
[Ah, damn, I was annoyed when I saw the cue sheet too.
They really only did one stage...]
[Daepasung, get your act together and beg the broadcaster somehow~~~!!!!
But? No money to beg with lol
└ It’s funny but it’s not funny]
Noeul, who only knew that The Dawn would appear on the year-end stage and hadn't properly seen the leaked cue sheet, only then realized through social media that one song was the end. She tore at her hair and poured out insults at the agency, calling them useless Daepa husks.
It was then.
The screen changed, and the camera showed the face of Lia Purple’s leader standing on another stage.
[Gasp]
Exactly according to the leaked cue sheet order,
The collaboration stage with Lia Purple had arrived.