Chapter 134
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134
[Selling a super popular group, bye]
Just as everyone was starting to think this year was a wash because there had been no news until late, the lineup finally made the rounds by the skin of its teeth.
Having learned their lesson from the previous collaboration between Kismet and Lia Purple, as well as several other year-end stages, the Noeuls were busy venting their frustrations at Daepasung.
[The song is probably Kill the Lights.]
[And I have a feeling the camera work is going to be trash.]
[I’m still mad they only got one solo stage last time. Plus, it wasn't even the full song, it was so damn short.]
[The Lia Purple collab was just a package deal...]
[The kids killed it, so that’s the only reason I calmed down...]
[Daepasung is just being Daepasung, what else is new?]
Though their popularity was skyrocketing by the day, Daepasung—which still couldn't shake its "small agency" vibe in terms of capital and various other aspects—was more accustomed to being bashed than to eating three meals a day.
On the other hand, different opinions were being posted on private accounts.
[Guys... stop joking around.]
[You think this is bittersweet?]
[Maybe it's because I've been stanning them since debut, but I ran over here so fast I'm crying two liters of tears right now...]
└ [LOL, I sound like such a boomer, but you're so right I want to highlight this in neon.]
[What do you mean "only one"??? They even did a collab! The fact that they're even in the year-end lineup to begin with? I'm so proud I'm losing my mind, okay????]
[I used to stan a big group that got plenty of time on year-end stages, but this has its own charm... Is this what they call "desperation" (laughs)?]
└ [Sometimes being a minor fan is more exciting.]
└└ [I feel that.]
└└ [No, don't feel that! Our boys need to hit it big!]
And so, the mentally resilient Noeuls sat in front of their TVs today, sublimating their bitterness into laughter.
The Dawn was definitely on an upward trajectory, and those who had wandered the K-pop purgatory for a long time could feel it in their bones.
Without a single doubt, the hottest (re-debuted) rookies of the year were The Dawn, and there was no way these kids, fueled by pure grit, wouldn't make it.
And as if determined not to betray those expectations, the members, who had spent every waking hour practicing with gritted teeth—save for three or four hours of sleep—were fully prepared.
Prepared to put a grand finale on the Apocalypse Trilogy.
Bzzzzzt— Thud.
The stage went dark, and the final year-end performance began.
[The Dawn - Kill the Lights]
The song with Kang Yi-chae’s name stamped all over the lyrics, composition, and arrangement.
[Aaaaah, it’s starting!]
[Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement: Kang Yi-chae]
[......collapses]
└ [The Man Who Writes Lyrics, The Man Who Composes1)]
└└ [Way Back Into2) Kang Yi-chae...]
Stanning a group where a member handles the entire arrangement for a year-end stage brought immense pride to the fans.
However, it wasn't without its concerns.
[I've seen Kill the Lights way too many times lately;]
[Right? I kind of wanted to see Ocean Trend for a change.]
That was the issue.
Since it was their most successful song and their most recent promotion, fans were worried that even though they knew it would be different from a music show or an event, it might still feel too similar to the original stage and bore the audience.
When they only performed "Kismet," fans threw a fit asking why they weren't doing "Kill the Lights," but now that they were doing it, some complained about seeing it again.
Still, most were trembling with anticipation and excitement.
Beep-beep-beep— Beep-beep-beep—
At that moment, an intro flowed out, mixed with a beat that sounded like game sound effects.
Static— Hum—
[??????]
It felt completely different from the original "Kill the Lights," which had been grand with layered pipe organ sounds. Just as the fans were getting flustered, unable to imagine what direction the song was taking, blue and green lights flashed alternately over the figures moving in time with the beat.
Beep-beep-beep—
All the members were dressed in matching white outfits, but what stood out even more were the black harnesses draped over their shoulders and chests.
[HEY!!!!!!!]
Last year-end stage was rider jackets.
They must have realized how much the fans loved it because they went for the juggernaut again.
Naturally, the fans welcomed it with open arms while screaming profanities in excitement.
[Aaaaaaaaaack!]
[Ack!!]
[ACK!!!!!]
[Fine, I get it! You guys better succeed!]
Then, Kang Yi-chae, standing at the very center and looking nonchalantly at the camera, tilted his head to the side and pulled up the corner of his mouth.
[I see the timing?]
It had begun.
Simultaneously, as Kang Yi-chae leapt up and delivered a wide, sweeping kick with his right foot, the members behind him supported his back. Using that momentum, Kang Yi-chae returned to his initial pose and began to rap.
[We took a breath, now it’s time to go again.]
The rap, delivered with more power than usual over an intense and fiery beat, pierced through the air with a thrilling edge.
Kang Yi-chae reached out, grabbed Seong Ji-won’s shoulder, and spun him around roughly.
[When everyone aims at you]
[You just laughed, remember?]
[Hey, what is this neo-vibe?]
[What’s with the intro beat? Did they completely overhaul it??]
Even though they had resolved not to be easily surprised by The Dawn’s constantly evolving stages, the Noeuls were always pleasantly betrayed.
This performance felt like the word "extravagance" had been brought to life on stage.
If what Kang Yi-chae wanted to express in "Kismet" was brilliance, then in this version of "Kill the Lights," he had amplified that extravagance and added a few drops of a cyberpunk aesthetic, like 29th-century Korea.
There was a reason they had added the game beats and had the members re-record.
[(Beep!) I can't lose this game]
[Let’s burn until the very end]
[The moment the light leaks through, it begins]
Suddenly, the screen became blindingly bright.
Rat-tat-tat-tat... Boom!
The sound of helicopter blades mixed into the beat, and as the song slowly began to fade out...
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been holding down the center and leading the group, was caught on screen.
He slowly raised his bowed head and lifted a hand.
[And I say it again….]
Then, he grabbed Seo Ho-yun’s arm, who was standing behind him, and they swapped places in a spinning motion.
[YES!]
As a robotic voice, pitched down low with auto-tune, echoed out, Seo Ho-yun aggressively stepped into the center.
[WE KILL THE LIGHTS!]
The Noeuls reacted instantly to what that position swap meant.
[F*CK!!!!!!!]
[AAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!]
That was it.
Seo Ho-yun hadn't been nagging about year-end stage practice for nothing.
[KILL THE LIGHTS!]
They had placed The Dawn’s official "klutz," Seo Ho-yun, as the center of the dance break.
Normally, this would have been Kim Seong-hyeon’s section. To avoid being criticized even a little, and to at least come close to Kim Seong-hyeon’s level, Seo Ho-yun had practiced, practiced, and practiced until he had a sour taste in his mouth.
[Wait, wait, wait, Seo Ho-yun?]
[Seo Ho-yun is the dance break center??? Are they crazy????]
Panicked fans screamed his full name on public accounts, not even bothering with typos to avoid search filters.
To make matters worse, the VCR behind the members showed the flag Kim Seong-hyeon had planted in the music video fluttering in the wind, making the fans' hearts flutter even more.
"I think I'm going to die..."
"It's okay. People don't die that easily."
"What did I ever do so wrong to you, Hyung?"
As much as Kim Seong-hyeon had pushed him despite his complaints, the klutz's dance lines had noticeably changed. Before, it looked like he was performing calculated movements, but now, the audience could feel that he was actually riding the rhythm. Added to that was Seo Ho-yun’s unique, fluid dance line, making him stand out.
It wasn't perfect, but the gaps were covered by the flashy VCR, the lighting, and his facial acting.
[Is Seo Ho-yun insane?????]
[Don't bite your lip, f*ck.]
[So]
[Damn]
[Sexy]
The members lined up on either side joined in on the beat. There wasn't a single error in angle or timing.
Seo Ho-yun’s gaze locked intensely onto the Jimmy Jib camera approaching him.
[Ah, wait a sec]
[Why are you like this]
[Why are you............]
[I won't say more, I still have a long life ahead of me.]
[My god, this crazy sexiness. Thank you, world.]
Despite being fastened, his harness eventually slipped down due to the powerful choreography. Leaving it as it was, Seo Ho-yun took a brief breath and beckoned with his hand. At his signal, the scattered members fell into a perfectly synchronized line behind him.
[Gasp]
By this point, anyone quick-witted had realized it.
The reason they had no choice but to put the klutz, Seo Ho-yun, as the dance break center.
"We have to take care of the narrative!!"
It was because Lee Ji-hyeon, who valued narrative above all else, had gone wild during the planning of the year-end stage.
"Does it make sense not to include additional narrative that can be shown on stage beyond the music video?! Isn't feeding fans 'lore' through choreography the basics? This is a matter of respect for 'Kill the Lights'!"
"...Um, I get it, so please calm down for a second."
"This time, Seo Ho-yun-ssi must! MUST be the dance center, I'm telling you!!"
As a result of Lee Ji-hyeon—who was high on The Dawn pride after receiving a bonus for the Lia Purple collab—pestering Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun, this choreography was born.
To express that Seo Ho-yun, who succeeded in the rebellion in "Kill the Lights," had persuaded the other four...
"...Then let's do it like this."
...Kim Seong-hyeon created choreography where the members followed Seo Ho-yun’s lead.
[The Dawn is Coming!]
As soon as Seo Ho-yun raised his right hand, all the members behind him saluted in sequence to the beat.
Snap!
Snap-snap-snap!
[We can't lose this game]
[I've already bet everything]
The highlight melody blared out, and Seo Ho-yun, looking down with a faint, satisfied smile, spun around.
Stomp, stomp!
Then, the remaining four spread out to the sides in time with the rhythmic footsteps, raising their hands at an angle toward him as if representing flags.
[Flip everything and change the game!]
Seo Ho-yun tilted his head back to look up, then strode through the path created between the members.
This choreography held the answer to the debate that had been raging since the "Kill the Lights" MV was released: whether all the members truly trusted and followed Seo Ho-yun.
[Yes, I Killed the light]
In the end, Seo Ho-yun had succeeded in taking control.
[Don't do this to an otaku.]
[I was wrong, please spare me.]
The Noeuls let out screams of joy, their eyes glued to the screen.
Meanwhile, as one member stepped out from the aligned side, the formation instantly scattered.
[We can't leave this scheme!]
It was Jeong Da-jun, appearing to deliver the finishing blow.
[You're at the end of it.]
In contrast to Seo Ho-yun subduing everything, Jeong Da-jun danced alone, and the members turned their backs on him one by one.
Only Jeong Da-jun acted as if he were out of control. Red light seeped into his platinum blonde hair.
[We,]
Jeong Da-jun narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted one corner of his mouth upward.
[Shall we see this through to the end?]
That expression looked exactly like someone else's.
[KILL THE LIGHTS!]
And as he made a gesture as if snapping his fingers, the lights cut out with a sharp snap!
The sound of cheering poured out, loud enough to tear the speakers.
The MCs started talking, but no one could focus.
[.........They slayed.]
The next stage didn't matter to the Noeuls.
For them, collecting the "lore" scattered throughout this stage was more urgent.
[The way the kids timed their salutes to Seo Ho-yun's salute in the dance break.]
[It's because Seo Ho-yun finally set everything right.]
[I think I'm going to faint.]
└ [And what about Jeong Da-jun making everything scatter.........]
[What was that at the end with Jeong Da-jun? Is he the mastermind? F*ck.]
[I'm going crazy.]
[AH!!!!!!!!]
└ [And yet our baby is probably jumping around backstage right now.]
[F*ck, the way Ho-yun strode forward was so cool....]
[Who thought of putting in the salute choreography?!!!!]
└ [It's obvious, it was Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun.]
└└ [Why?? Did some behind-the-scenes info drop??]
└└ [Daepasung doesn't have the money to add new choreography.]
└└ [Oh, right.]
The Noeuls exchanged meanings and interpretations for every scene, praising the group as if their worrying about the stage and bashing Daepasung just minutes ago had never happened.
[This is live, but their stamina is insane. Their pitch doesn't even waver. There was a rumor they practice singing while running on treadmills, and I guess it's true.]
[Seo Ho-yun, are you Hermione?]
[How did he prepare 'Let's Spend This Night' + 'Let's Love From Today' + 'Kill the Lights' all at once?]
└ [And they all went viral. That's insane.]
[Seong Ji-won's high notes are so clean. Has he entered the celestial realm of vocals now?]
[Of course.]
[Our Ji-won is the winner of the Best OST Award.]
It was an objectively short stage, and The Dawn didn't have many opportunities to show themselves to the general public, but they did everything they could within that time.
From the spicy, extravagantly arranged beat to the perfectly synchronized choreography they had practiced with gritted teeth, and even the narrative-heavy performance.
[Wow, this is truly a perfect end to the year.......]
└ [I have zero regrets about canceling all my year-end plans........]
└└ [I just feel sorry for the people who didn't see this...]
[Ah........ T_T How can you not love them?]
[How can you not love guys who prepare this hard with their teeth clenched!! T_T T_T T_T]
[Guys, I'm a Noeul.]
It was all worth it—even the hellish practice that made Seo Ho-yun grumble about whether he was going to cough up blood.
[I'm a Noeul!!!!]
The year ended with their hearts full of pride.
*
1) A parody of the movie Music and Lyrics (2007) (Korean title: That Woman Writes Lyrics, That Man Composes).
2) A parody of the song "Way Back Into Love" from the movie Music and Lyrics.