Chapter 119:
Chapter 119
Will things get better next year?
“Let’s go!”
After the annual cheer time with the trainees, the members dispersed to do their final check before going on stage. Ian saw Lim No-eul, who was wearing a black hood and mask, in his sight.
“No-eul, are you ready to go on stage?”
“Yes!”
Lim No-eul, who had developed stage fright after falling hard on stage, had made a dramatic comeback in the process of surviving the debut group. He was more afraid of not making it to the debut group than of going on stage.
‘I guess you can do anything well if your debut is on the line.’
The members walked around the stage to get a rough sense of the width. It felt different from watching the set from outside.
“It looks amazing up close, doesn’t it?”
“Be careful with the decorations. If you go too far back, you’ll hit your head.”
“There’s a jewel missing here.”
Kim Joo-young casually put a crystal ornament that had fallen off the stage set in his pocket.
“It’s a shame there are no fans…”
“It’s no fun without cheering.”
The empty standing seats looked especially empty. They were all feeling down about doing their first stage in a long time without fans.
“We’re going to start recording!”
“Okay!”
The members quickly took their positions, staring blankly at the empty space.
***
All the lights went off except for the indirect lights, and an intro song composed by Lee Joo-hyuk for this stage played.
Backup dancers in black clothes came out with flags and marched in sync.
-So nervous
-The stage smells like money
-How can they be so good already???The stage is crazy??
The fans who were watching the live broadcast posted their real-time reactions on SNS, impressed by the grandiose stage and intro.
The members wore leather shirts with colorful cloaks, and silver chain ornaments on their wrists and tassels on their waistbands sparkled as they moved.
“This universe is under my feet
The world is complete because I’m here”
Jo Tae-woong decorated the first verse of the song. He held the microphone confidently, after receiving intensive training from Ian, Lee Joo-hyuk, and the vocal trainer.
-Crazy voice??
-Tae-woong is amazing?????
-Jo Tae-woong’s singing has improved a lot, right?
Then Kim Joo-young and Kim Hyun’s pair dance and song part, and Park Seo-dam sang, but there was still one person missing.
-Where’s Park Jin-hyuk?
-What? Why isn’t he here? There’s no chair either.
-Did he hurt his leg and couldn’t come?
Even when Ian sang the chorus, Park Jin-hyuk was nowhere to be seen.
Then, suddenly, the mood of the song changed. Boom, boom, the sound of drums heightened the tension and the backup dancers moved busily.
With the drum sound as a cue, Park Jin-hyuk appeared on a palanquin, swinging a long crystal ornament roughly.
-Crazy Jin-hyuk????So cool??????
-The concept is insane????????
He had a cast on his left leg that was wearing shorts, but he had decorated it with crystals and graffiti art, making it look like a fashion statement.
-Who knew he would show up like this
-So badass????
Park Jin-hyuk held the microphone and did a powerful rap, and the backup dancers put down the palanquin he was riding in the center of the stage. The dancers hit the handles that held the palanquin down, separating them from the palanquin.
“Get out of my world
Push you out of my world”
Park Jin-hyuk crossed his legs and looked at the camera casually. He finished his part and kicked the floor with his uninjured right leg to spin his chair. He leaned back comfortably on his chair and spun it until a backup dancer grabbed it for him.
“Wow, this is like my own living room.”
He was clearly more excited because it was his first broadcast stage in a long time. The manager, Park Dong-soo, who was watching from the front, shook his head.
Moving Park Jin-hyuk’s chair to its designated position was mostly done by backup dancers, and the members performed their parts near him.
-Who said Park Jin-hyuk would be put away?
-The stage is lit up????
-AWY’s song is good
-I’m not even their fan but I always watch their stage because it’s fun. Fighting
‘Ankle injury’ Jin-hyuk, no stage storage… AWY, “Best comeback show ever”
“Awui’s Dazzling Comeback Show on NNet: Online Streaming Viewership Skyrockets”
After successfully completing their comeback show, Awui looked forward to a packed schedule of music broadcasts the following week. To celebrate, they enjoyed a rare meat feast.
“The CEO gave us his card to treat ourselves to meat,” one member exclaimed.
“Wow! King God Light!”
“Isn’t the CEO joining us?”
The members cheered and jumped from their seats. BHL Entertainment’s CEO, Lee Byung-hun, was busy launching the next male idol group to succeed Awui. Hence, he couldn’t join them for the meal.
“They’re planning to debut next year,” someone mentioned.
“Already? Time flies. Do groups usually debut this quickly?”
“Our gap with Black Rush was longer.”
Awui headed to a barbecue restaurant near their dorm. As they entered, diners murmured in recognition, even though they wore masks.
“Crazy, it’s Awui.”
“Who are they, idols?”
“Wow, so handsome.”
Seated in a corner with partitions, Awui eagerly devoured the side dishes even before the meat arrived.
The managers at a nearby table frowned.
“What’s this before the meat arrives?”
“Please refill the side dishes!”
The last piece of acorn jelly was claimed by Jo Tae-woong after a chopstick battle. Kim Hyun commented with a blank expression.
“Pig.”
“Oink oink.”
Jo Tae-woong playfully chewed his food.
When the meat arrived, as expected, Kim Ju-young and Ian took charge of grilling. Lee Ju-hyuk sipped soda and said,
“I heard from Dong-su earlier that we’re performing at a K-pop concert before NMA.”
“That’s also hosted by NNet, right?”
Ian asked, and Lee Ju-hyuk nodded.
“It’ll be online too. Without fans.”
“Looks like we won’t have any cheering this year.”
Kim Hyun added while picking up meat,
“The fans would’ve screamed when Jin-hyuk appeared earlier.”
Awui’s involvement in stage design was driven by thoughts of pleasing their fans. With no audience for so long, performing lost its appeal.
“The number of confirmed cases is decreasing. Maybe COVID will calm down before winter?”
“Hey Choi Ian, what do you think?”
Asked Jo Tae-woong. Ian mumbled with a mouthful of lettuce wrap. Among the members, he was openly called a shaman. Ian furrowed his brows, reflecting on the past.
“Maybe things will improve next year?”
“Really?”
There might be challenges ahead, but they could expect active engagements from late this year and next year. The members nodded while eating, seemingly trusting Ian’s words.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“You’re a shaman. Your predictions are spot-on.”
“Heh, am I some prophet?”
Ian laughed incredulously. Kim Hyun said,
“You’re right; you’ve made small predictions before. It’s amazing. How did you know?”
“…It came to me in a dream.”
The members expressed awe. Ian thought he should be more careful with his words and casually sipped water.
“Is everything okay with your meal?”
Just then, someone who appeared to be the restaurant owner emerged from the kitchen and approached Awui’s table. He brought a plate full of meat and set it down.
“Did we order this much?”
“It’s on the house. I’m a fan.”
“Wow, thank you!”
The amount was generous for complimentary service. The members’ eyes widened in surprise. The owner rubbed his hands together and asked,
“Could I request autographs and photos later?”
“Ah…”
Having received the meat, they couldn’t refuse. Lee Ju-hyuk glanced at Park Dong-su, who gave a slight nod.
“Of course, we’ll do it when we pay.”
“Thank you!”
The owner beamed and returned to the kitchen.
Taking photos and giving autographs seemed simple enough, but some people exploited them.
“It’s good timing; we were about to order more.”
Some would forge signatures without actual visits and promote their places as ‘Visited by Celebrity X!’ Those people would imitate genuine signatures from places like this restaurant.
Lee Juhyuk distributed some meat to the managers and piled up more meat on his own grill. Park Seodam frowned and said.
“Hyung, you put too much meat.”
“Did I?”
Lee Juhyuk smiled awkwardly.
The fans loved the cooking show of Awi, which featured the rookies’ rampage and the trio of experts’ suffering. It was also recommended as a must-watch video for new fans.
***
Awi’s songs were released on the music sites, and they announced the start of their music show activities on Nnet Music Broadcast.
-Today’s bizarre music chart.jpg
-Wow, there’s nothing to listen to on the chart with all these idol songs
-We seriously need a chart reform
-I’ve been listening to only the songs I like without looking at the chart since last year
Awi’s songs were gaining popularity among the public, and with the fans’ streaming support, they easily topped the music chart again.
‘We really made a line.’
Ian scrolled down slowly from the top of the TOP100 chart. Awi’s album art was lined up in a row. This comeback was a full album, so they had many songs, and even some old songs that were released before were on the fans’ streaming list, making the line longer.
-Now that Mydia is in the army, is it these guys now? I’m sick of it
-Why are they streaming other albums?
-What do you care if the fans listen to them? Just filter them out
-This was triggered by Watermelon Chart, what can we do? Complain to Watermelon Chart~~
This was a common phenomenon when they became popular and entered the big idol league. Ian felt strange doing things that he couldn’t even dream of when he was a flop. He captured the lined-up music chart.
‘Should I be glad that we made a line before the reform?’
Anyway, in the future, there will be a chart reform. And with foreign music sites coming into Korea, this bizarre phenomenon will be somewhat alleviated.
“You guys are energetic since dawn.”
“What?”
“No, I mean, we made a line with our songs.”
“Oh, I saw that too. We’re awesome.”
Jo Taewoong squeezed toothpaste on his toothbrush next to Ian. Ian stared at him for a long time.
“Why are you using this bathroom? Use your room’s bathroom.”
“Hyeonie hyung is not coming out.”
“Then I agree.”
Kim Hyeon took a long time to wash up. Jo Taewoong, who overslept, failed to secure the bathroom.
They stood shoulder to shoulder and brushed their teeth blankly.
“Are you going into a drama?”
“Yeah, I have a meeting on Saturday.”
The music shows were conducted without an audience, but the drama and movie shootings were getting more lively. Jo Taewoong was cast in a webtoon-based drama according to the schedule.
“Are you still reading scripts?”
“Yeah.”
The agency didn’t force them to accept any casting offers. They left it to Ian’s decision, so he could choose his works comfortably. He was carefully looking for scripts.
“I almost cried blood when I did the deliveryman cameo because of my image.”
“But that’s good for imprinting your character.”
“That’s true.”
It might sound greedy, but he didn’t want his filmography to be messy by going into any drama like before.
“…Are you having a hard time?”
Jo Taewoong’s face reflected in the mirror looked terrible. He was busy with the comeback and studying his drama character, so he couldn’t sleep well for days.
“It’s tiring because it’s based on an original work…”
The more popular the original work was, the higher the expectations of the original fans were. Jo Taewoong’s casting news stirred up mixed opinions among the internet communities.
“Ah… What do they say? Cut off your internet.”
“You cut off yours.”
Jo Taewoong kicked Ian’s calf with his foot.
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