Noeul had been stunned twice that day—first, when she unexpectedly won a ticket in the Song Camp finale audience draw, and second, when she arrived at the venue only to find that no one was even checking IDs.
Pushed and pulled by the crowd, she stumbled along until she somehow ended up around the tenth row.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that all the luck in her life had been spent just getting here. Still, even if that were true, she thought she could die without regrets as she straightened the rain-soaked poncho clinging to her body.
【...3, 2, 1—!】
【Voting is now closed—!】
【The die has been cast! Now, let’s reveal the owners of each song!】
She focused only when The Dawn appeared on the VCR and skipped past the rest of the contestants’ tearful stories, hesitating over which song to pick. After much internal struggle, she finally chose “In May”—and right at that moment, voting closed.
She bit her nails to the quick, instantly regretting her choice. “In May” had no rap, and unlike Kang Ichae’s previous works, it was a lyrical rock ballad steeped in 1980s nostalgia.
It had moved her heart, yes—but it wasn’t going to put food on her table.
‘Damn it... why am I such a tone-deaf idiot?’
That damn blind voting.
The audience went wild as the show kicked off with Kang Woorin’s “Paper Doll.” When K.Voka stormed the stage with “Street Punk,” the entire crowd howled “That’s hip-hop!” like they’d lost their minds.
As the performances neared the end, only two songs remained: the alternative rock track “Skit” and the rock ballad “In May.” Noeul grew increasingly anxious.
‘Ha... I made the right choice, didn’t I?’
Trying to suppress her nervousness, she kept her eyes fixed on the stage.
“—Holy shit, that crazy bastard. ‘In May’ is obviously Baek Jijun!”
She heard a loud, tactless voice from a few seats away.
“Kang Ichae’s sense is trash.”
Annoyed, she turned to glare at the source. His friend tried to hush him, but the guy kept running his mouth.
“Who could possibly compare to Baek Jijun in a song this moving? If he didn’t write ‘In May,’ I’ll burn my own hand!”
Click.
Right as he finished declaring it, the stage curtains dropped, and the lights went out.
Thump, thump, thump.
As murmurs of confusion spread through the audience, drumbeats echoed through the dark.
It was the intro—the very same one she had listened to on repeat for the past week like a madwoman.
“AAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“‘In May!!!!’”
Overwhelmed by anxiety, excitement, and confusion, she stood frozen, unable to react.
“Everyone, are you ready~?”
A voice so familiar it made her tear up greeted her.
The cheers that erupted in response were followed by an electric guitar roaring like a motorcycle engine.
Ziiiiiing—!
At that moment, every light in the hall flared on.
【THE DAWN】
The group’s inverted-triangle logo appeared on the giant VCR screen behind the stage, illuminated with dazzling effects.
“Dawn has arrived~!!!”
Kang Ichae’s shout bordered on a scream. The crowd raised their hands, bobbing their heads in rhythm. From her seat at a diagonal 68-degree angle, Noeul muttered as she stared at the one person who wasn’t participating—just standing there, dazed.
“I should burn that guy’s hand for real...”
But her words were quickly swallowed by the thunderous cheers.
【That May—】
Seo Hoyun’s face filled the screen as he brought the mic to his lips.
【Even on the day I struggled for love that May,
Even when the cruel wind choked my throat,
I believed time would make me forget.】
Under the brilliant orange light, his long lashes cast shadows as he lifted his gaze to meet the camera. Gasps spread through the audience.
【Even on the day I struggled for hope that May,
Even when those cold words choked my throat,
I told myself I’d forget someday.】
As his rough voice rose, Kim Sunghyun’s deep tone blended in perfectly. Soon, some people began to sing along.
【The ticking hands of the clock draw closer,
The tremor I’d forgotten finds me again.】
Layer upon layer of harmony built up—tones that hadn’t existed in the sample guide version.
【The heart I’d buried in the sand
Rises again, swallowing hope—】
Right as they reached the climax—
Thump, thump, thump.
All of The Dawn pulled back from their mics, diving into a pure instrumental. Drums galloped; electric guitar, bass, and piano tangled together, forming a soaring melody.
The audience, singing to fill the empty lyrics, grew louder and louder until—
Thump, thump, thump.
As if that were the cue, Seo Hoyun plucked his bass strings hard and gestured toward the crowd.
—...Among those who let go of love so easily,
I was the one who somehow couldn’t—
A massive sing-along erupted, perfectly on beat.
—Wherever you are, the fact that I can find you—
Noeul joined in, goosebumps racing up her arms as emotion flooded her chest.
—Is that the same as saying I love you—
A jimmy jib camera pierced through the rain toward Kang Ichae. Water droplets sparkled across his pale cheeks and strong jaw, his faint smile unmoving as he looked only at the audience singing their hearts out.
—The gray clouds fading far away—
He lifted his head toward the sky for a moment, then looked straight ahead again and opened his mouth softly.
【...The blazing sun that warmly shines on me】
His voice was husky yet more refined than when he rapped.
【Waits for the day it can stay with me for a long, long time—!】
As he sang, the crowd’s voices quieted, and the instruments slowly faded until only the piano remained.
【—That May】
In the sleet-like rain, Sung Jiwon’s brown hair fluttered.
【...Even on the day I struggled for love,
Even when the cruel wind choked my throat】
He pressed the keys ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) softly, almost whispering the final line.
【I’ll just hold you tight...】
***
The result?
Well, what’s there to explain.
When first place was announced, colorful paper confetti burst through the air, cheers pierced through the in-ear monitors, and even the system blared a fanfare announcing quest completion.
Kim Sunghyun, his face twisted as if he might cry, raised the trophy high in one hand while Sung Jiwon and Jung Dajun rushed to Kang Ichae, ruffling his hair and patting his back.
Checking the scores, “In May” had edged out slightly in the blind vote. Its melody and lyrics, which resonated across generations, had clearly sealed the victory.
“The Dawn! Congratulations!!! Please give us your acceptance speech!!”
MC Lee Jeongwoong handed the mic to Kang Ichae, the song’s composer.
“Damn, this feels amazing!!!”
“......”
“Good good!!”
Of course.
They’d probably expected a touching speech, but Kang Ichae just grinned and threw a thumbs-up, looking utterly refreshed.
Flustered, Lee Jeongwoong quickly shifted the mic to Kim Sunghyun. The camera caught him mid-cry, his face puffed up like a dumpling.
“...The only reason we could keep doing music until now is because of Noeul... and I’m really so proud of our members—.”
While Sunghyun rambled through his impromptu speech, the others didn’t help at all—just hung off their leader’s shoulders and laughed like kids.
The other contestants applauded, genuinely congratulating them. Even Baek Jijun smiled brightly and cheered in their direction.
As the MC closed the show, Song Camp’s ending theme flooded the venue.
【Ah, we’ve been waiting for today,
We worried, we cried,
But we always knew it would turn out this way.】
We sang along, walking across the stage and waving to fans one by one.
Meanwhile, my head was filled only with what came next.
‘Not bad.’
Though the broadcast had a few shaky moments, joining Song Camp had been the right move. In Korea right now—unless you literally lived without TV or streaming—almost everyone knew the Song Camp cast.
Still — as fucking bitter as it was — even if we couldn’t touch world-star Black Call, this appearance had secured The Dawn’s position as a true first-tier group.
‘Took long enough.’
It lined up roughly with the promise I’d once made to myself—to stand on the final stage within four years.
Of course, shit, that meant I’d basically made a promise I couldn’t back out of. The path ahead was going to be hell.
‘...What can you do.’
I glanced toward Kang Ichae laughing with Sung Jiwon when, suddenly, something slammed into my back.
“Hyuuuung~~!”
Jung Dajun, overexcited as always, had tackled me. I stumbled under the weight—he was a full-grown adult now—but managed to steady myself. Then Kang Ichae joined the attack, and I nearly toppled again. If Kim Sunghyun hadn’t caught me, I’d have face-planted on stage. Sung Jiwon snickered quietly beside me, tugging me toward him.
“Hoyun, look.”
He pointed toward the sea of blue lights—The Dawn’s color—rippling across the audience.
【Like a movie that’s even better the second time,
Like protagonists smiling brightly at the end.】
“Beautiful... right?”
As if he knew nothing of the turmoil inside me.
Sung Jiwon smiled—more beautifully than anything else.
【Do you feel the love now?】
I turned my head, scanning the faces of my ecstatic, flushed teammates.
【Oh, baby, do you feel the love now?】
Everyone looked convinced that this was the perfect ending.
“Thank you! We are The Dawn, the rising sun!”
After the final filming of Song Camp, we spent a wild night back at the dorm celebrating with the trophy in hand. By morning, everyone except me had passed out.
But with last week’s unexpected news still echoing in my mind, and my own satisfaction not yet complete, I decided to wait just a little longer.
.
.
.
A week later, early Tuesday morning—
[#TheDawn’s “Gravity” debuts at No.79 on this week’s #Hot100. (The Dawn’s ‘Gravity’ has debuted at No.79 on this week’s Hot 100 chart.)]
Billboard’s official SNS account had just announced The Dawn’s debut on the Hot 100.
Exactly.
[It’s their first career entry on the chart.
(Their first chart entry ever.)]
Wasn’t it a little too early to call this the ending?
