[What is this????]
[What the hell is this???]
It was The Dawn’s teaser, unveiled for the first time in nearly a year.
And with the news of their re-contracting, fan expectations skyrocketed instantly.
[I've been waiting for this moment]
[I thought this was a military hiatus. It felt so damn long (no wait I’m exaggerating sorry)]
Then, with the highlight medley being released right after, the atmosphere reached an even higher peak.
[Hey, have you heard The Dawn’s highlight medley yet]
[Of course, obviously;]
[Daepaseong’s on a rampage again;]
[Everyone’s literally just repeating “no, seriously”
Like what is this, the boys turned into an a cappella group]
[Holy shit hahaha I keep replaying it saying “no... no...” over and over, especially that title track soaring endlessly at the top octave, I love it so much]
From track 1 to 7, every line of lyricist, composer, and arranger credits read “by ICHAE KANG.”
[This is hilarious—track 1 insane, amazing; no wait track 2’s amazing; track 3’s insane; track 4—are you kidding me??? 5—fuck, Kang Ichae is a genius; 6—collapse... 7...]
[LMAO every single one says written and composed by Kang Ichae
1. Kang Ichae. 2. Kang Ichae. 3. Kang Ichae. 4. Kang Ichae.]
[7... fuck...]
Each member had participated in lyric writing for one of the B-sides, but the one that caught the most attention was track 7—the one Kang Ichae confessed had been especially hard to finish.
[Collapsing. Written by Seo Hoyun..]
[Ha, Hoyun, please...]
[Track 7 fuck I’m crying at this song...]
[I just looked at the title of track 7 and I’m crying already...]
...It was written by Seo Hoyun.
Everyone stirred and looked at him.
The album’s title track and B-sides intertwined organically, forming a complete whole. There was no better word for it than masterpiece.
[Kang Ichae’s in a damn good mood right now..;;]
[Even the songs he makes when he’s in a bad mood are fire]
[Just look at Aeronautics... haha
Kang Ichae official: song made when in good mood.mp3
Kang Ichae official: song made when in bad mood.mp3
└Damn it, both masterpieces
└Ichae, you’re seriously an artist hahaha]
Even critics spared no praise at the listening session.
[The listening party # Nоvеlight # reviews are insane, overseas fans are already sharing it
└Oh it’s that popular?
└└Obviously super popular, we’re talking about The Dawn right now..
└└Ah I’m drunk on Kang Ichae, drunk on The Dawn]
But for the fans, national pride or whatever didn’t matter right now. They just demanded, impatiently—release the music video for Framed Eternity already.
And then—
【THE DAWN – ‘Framed Eternity’ Official Music Video】
After endless waiting, the music video was finally released.
The moment it opened, a grand stone building resembling an art museum filled the screen.
A man in a navy suit appeared, climbing the wide marble stairs that led to an arched entrance.
He glanced at the “CLOSED” sign by the door but ignored it, stepping inside. The hallway beyond was empty of visitors.
He walked through the gallery where winter sunlight streamed through the glass windows, flooding the space with brilliance.
Along the walls hung enormous picture frames—but where masterpieces should have been, they were empty.
He removed one glove and slowly brushed his fingers along the edges as he walked.
Following the tranquil classical melody that matched the museum’s atmosphere, the camera moved to reveal the circular central lobby connecting four exhibition rooms.
Above it read the word RUINS—and at the center stood a black coffin.
In front of the coffin, on a podium, stood Kim Sunghyun, wearing white gloves and holding a microphone.
“—Thank you for being here with us today. Perhaps today is the day we all came to face a farewell.”
It felt almost like a funeral.
Kim Sunghyun gripped the microphone with his gloved hands and began to speak calmly.
“...But this is not a place to mourn the end, nor a final farewell. It is—so that we may remember the moments we shared...”
The man walked in expressionlessly, then suddenly snatched away the handkerchief Jung Dajun had been dabbing at his eyes with, pretending to cry. He flicked it over his shoulder without hesitation.
Kim Sunghyun frowned, turning his gaze toward the intruder.
“...remember... because this is not where we end—.”
Creeeaaak—!
Sunghyun paused mid-speech.
The cold-faced man dragged a metal chair, sat down, and rested one foot atop the coffin, idly tapping it.
Blatantly disrespectful.
“...that love will begin anew in our hearts...”
Kim Sunghyun signaled for him to stop, but Seo Hoyun, ignoring him, kept his foot up on the coffin and shamelessly hummed along.
“Say it once more, that this is our beginning—.”
“...because it is great, that person will remain in our hearts...”
“It’s okay, I’ll lead you there—.”
“...quietly staying behind......”
Kim Sunghyun’s expression steadily decayed, but Seo Hoyun continued humming without a care.
At last, the leader gave up on his speech, set the microphone aside, and leaned closer to whisper.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
“What?”
“This is an important scene, get your foot down.”
Meeting Sunghyun’s eyes, Seo Hoyun pursed his lips and tilted his head sideways.
“Whiiine?”
“.......”
Under the unrelenting provocation, Kim Sunghyun’s face began to twist.
Turning his head, Seo Hoyun jerked his chin toward Kang Ichae.
“O~kay.”
Recognizing the silent cue, Kang Ichae smiled brightly without hesitation and snapped his fingers.
Then, above the transparent glass ceiling, the winter sun cracked—
as if the moon itself were grinding into it with a splitting sound.
When the sun was swallowed and the world held its breath, darkness spread like a wave, engulfing everything.
And then—
【Framed Eternity—!!】
A blast of brass samples burst in, the jazz-inspired rhythm shaking the entire atmosphere.
Everyone turned in astonishment as Jung Dajun suddenly stood on his chair and blew a saxophone with full force...!
Then, throwing the saxophone aside, Dajun leapt over Seo Hoyun, grabbed Sung Jiwon’s hand, and invited him into a waltz that spun across the hall.
Startled for a moment, Sung Jiwon smiled faintly, rose to his feet, and clasped the maknae’s hand.
They twirled together playfully, laughing, before Dajun strode off toward the empty exhibition wing.
【—Welcome to our eternal gallery!】
The camera followed his back and stopped.
Dajun took out a letter from his pocket and looked at the glass display in the center of his gallery.
He lay down quietly before the cylindrical pedestal and began to read, lips moving as if reciting the words from the page.
【—Our gallery, Ah Ah Ah
I’ll hang this moment on the wall
The frozen shape of our love
Opened only at dawn
Framed eternity, it’s all ours】
A medium-tempo song with unique rhythm and addictive hooks.
Dajun kept reading the letter, then smiled softly and placed it atop the pedestal.
【What will never scatter—
One promise preserved like a star
Even when the light goes out and darkness comes
The exhibition that opens again at dawn】
Then, the scene shifted.
Kim Sunghyun, still standing on the podium, let out a deep sigh, took off his white gloves, and walked into his own gallery.
Between the gloves, he pulled out a hidden ring and set it atop his pedestal.
【The heart of the star will not grow cold
A night sea embroidered with worries like stars
But I’ve already passed through the darkness】
And as he did, his exhibition room transformed—
into a cosmos filled with countless stars.
As Kim Sunghyun smiled faintly, the Milky Way painted across the floor folded in on itself, and the scene flipped over like a page turning in a book.
Then, sitting on the exhibition pedestal, legs swinging as he held a quill, was Kang Ichae.
【—Is this irrational behavior?
If you could frame a feeling,
would it last forever?
If memory stands still,
would eternity take its shape?】
Kang Ichae tapped along to the rhythm, then raised the antique quill and began writing on the white wall—
not words, but notes,
as if composing a letter.
【There’s so much illogic in the world—
so why can’t we make a promise like that?】
He stepped back slightly, made a rectangular frame with his fingers, and narrowed his eyes,
as if pressing that very instant deep into his heart.
【Well, art will be preserved anyway.】
Then, one by one, the musical notes drawn on the wall detached and began to fall—
until they poured down like rain.
As the rain of notes descended, the scene shifted to Sung Jiwon.
He smiled as he turned, opening a three-tier umbrella; inside his gallery, a sparkling carousel lit up and began to rotate slowly.
【It’ll be eternal.
Even when the lights go out and darkness comes,
this gallery will forever be ours.】
Holding the umbrella handle gently with both hands, Sung Jiwon turned toward the camera, his eyes curving like an angel’s.
【Waves crash without rest,
moments stirring the heart endlessly,
making us clearer—
like a story you can read again and again.】
As the camera reflected his warm smile, it glided out of the exhibition room.
The door slammed shut with a thud, and silence fell.
All instruments stopped—only the harmony continued to build.
【Ah— Ah— Ah—】
Against that swelling harmony, the camera began to move slowly,
as though drawn toward something, drifting into the lobby.
【Ah— Ah— Ah—】
As the choir echoed through the hall, Seo Hoyun sat perched on the coffin,
gazing at the stars on the ceiling before slowly turning his head.
【The things I had—so worthless before—now feel precious.
And so I...】
Click.
The moment froze like a captured frame of film. Seo Hoyun looked at the photograph and smiled faintly.
【When you love it, it feels real.】
—Then, the powerful synthesizer chorus burst forth again!
【—Our gallery, Ah Ah Ah
I’ll hang this moment on the wall
The frozen shape of love
Opened only at dawn
Framed eternity, it’s all ours】
As the melody soared an octave higher, the stars in the night sky swirled, scattering and crashing down like lightning upon the gallery.
【What will never scatter—
One promise preserved like a star
Even when the lights go out and darkness comes,
The exhibition that opens again at dawn】
The stars then crossed every gallery hall in dazzling chaos before finally illuminating the blue rose resting atop the coffin in the center of the lobby.
【Framed eternity—
Eternity will exist for us.】
Then, as if the camera were being expelled, it tumbled out of the museum, down the marble stairs, and the wide-open door slammed shut with a resonant boom.
Outside the gallery, beside the entrance, stood a small sign:
[Framed Eternity:
For moments that will never end.]
***
[No.1] Framed Eternity – THE DAWN 【NEW】
[No.2] No Pulse – THE DAWN 【NEW】
[No.3] Like a Bird – THE DAWN 【NEW】
[No.4] Veins – Woosung 【▼3】
[No.5] eveRdAWn – THE DAWN 【NEW】
Well.
‘We’re music monsters now, huh?’
While looking over the charts at the office, I clicked on a YouTube link—one of the trending videos about The Dawn.
[Explosive response from critics worldwide for The Dawn’s album!]
[Dawn, memory, eternity, celebration. Sensual music with distinct originality.]
[Their gallery, once in ruins, breathes again—living on under the name of eternity.]
[Alling Stone praises: full green light for “Album of the Year.”]
...Was this part of CEO Jang’s marketing push?
I scrolled lazily, about to move on, when the next headline appeared.
[—Among the songs praised by critics along with the title track was Track 7. Written by Seo Hoyun, marking his first time as lyricist...]
I kept reading without much emotion and clicked open the comments.
[Why am I crying over a B-side...]
[Seriously, why am I crying all of a sudden..]
[Shit... only tears...]
I smirked faintly and kept walking.
There wasn’t time to waste—I had to prepare for the upcoming music broadcast in a few days.
And there, crouching in front of The Dawn’s practice room, was a man with pale golden hair.
“Joo Woosung?”
When did he come back?
“What, didn’t you say you were busy in LA?”
“.......”
According to the SNS post Kim Sunghyun had shown me before, Joo Woosung was supposedly in LA working on his solo track—a photo of him grinning under a skyscraper-sized billboard plastered with his own face.
He’d looked dazzling then,
but seeing him crouched here like this... he just looked like the kid next door.
“What are you doing?”
He must’ve heard me, but he didn’t lift his head.
He had earphones in, eyes fixed on—
【The Dawn – Framed Eternity】
Our music video.
Brushing his pale hair back with his fingertips, Joo Woosung ignored me completely, watching until the end.
Then he rewound to the group choreography section and replayed it.
“......”
And played it again.
“......Hmm.”
Ah, shit.
Seeing him loop those same fifteen seconds so obsessively... yeah, that was the prelude to a lecture bomb.
I quietly began inching away.
“Well then, I’m busy, so—”
“Hoyun.”
Damn it.
“You made a comeback.”
“...We did.”
“I thought about it for a while.”
“...Yeah.”
Joo Woosung took out his earphones, propped his chin on his hand, and looked straight at me.
I avoided his gaze, adjusting the duffel bag on my shoulder.
‘He’s gearing up to start shit again.’
“You...”
By now, I could already predict what he was going to say.
Hey, when are you ever going to learn to dance properly? I feel bad for Sunghyun.
No, actually, I should be apologizing to you. Even a genius like me has things I can’t do, huh?
But I have to admit it—reality’s reality. Anyway, get your ass to WH’s basement and practice—
I’d already prepared to answer with a simple “yeah.”
But instead, Joo Woosung said bluntly:
“You look like you’re dancing well.”
“......”
“......”
“...Sorry, what?”
