Chapter 201

Chapter 201

The day of TeSTAR’s encore concert in Seoul had arrived. The graduate student, who’d just entered Gocheok Sky Dome, wore a faint smile on her face.

Finally! I’m at the first concert! She’d only barely been able to make time for it, since the first one was on a Saturday. It was finally her turn to enjoy the concert with no spoilers! She was at a crossroads with her studies, facing a choice between going on to get a PhD or getting herself a job as a master’s graduate, but today there was only one thing on her mind.

I’ll be able to see Moondae properly, right? I got a really good seat this time… Indeed, she’d managed to nab herself an amazing seat, located right in front of the thrust stage. It was actually one of the seats contestants from the fourth season of Idol Inc. had occupied, which had caused so much controversy. Her friend, who took photos of Park Moondae, seemed so envious she might cry but had congratulated her, anyway.

- I just got in. My heart’s about to explode right out of my chest T_T

After responding to the message her friend had sent a few minutes ago, she took her seat. Her heart felt as though it was literally about to burst. The setlists at encore concerts usually remained largely unchanged, and the events were held at similar venues as well—she could already guess how things were going to go.

I’ll get to see at least four songs on the thrust stage! Excited that she was going to be able to see Moondae perform from almost within arm’s reach, she kept a tight hold on her lightstick and awaited the start of the performance. Before long, she was joining the crowd in their hyped-up screams.

“Yeaaaaah!”

“Oh my god!”

I love this! Watched from the center seat with such a great view, the concert resembled a work of art.

“Park Moondae! Park Moondae!”

Moondae’s solo performance, which had just ended, was a stunning example of this artistry. The chair he’d sat on during the tour was gone, and he’d floated into the air without one again. Seen from a center seat, it was all the more clear what the intent behind the performance was.

Brightly colored fabrics drifted in dizzying circles, like a storm of emotions—a physical representation of the meaningless feelings of yearning floating under the lighting, hidden among the falling folds. The graduate student nodded quietly, thinking to herself, Park Moondae… He’s a genius. And it wasn’t just because she had a great vantage point that she was becoming so emotional.

Moondae is just too good. He had somehow grown even more charismatic than the last time she’d seen him perform. The audio quality couldn’t have changed, since this was the same venue as before, but there was emotion in his voice that felt even more raw than before.

If she’d taken a peek at social media, she’d have seen comments like the following, left by all those watching illegal livestreams.

- I applauded while lying in bed

- Hey, I’m not taking excuses about bad sound quality and whatnot anymore LOL. He’s so insanely good, even on this low-quality stream

- I think Moondae just sang better than he did in the recorded track. Or is it just me?

- Please release DVDs of the encore concert, too

Moondae had become more immersed in his performance, which affected the level of emotion that was conveyed to the audience. The effect Time for Yearning had on Moondae was greater than he had expected. He was even feeling it as he removed the stage equipment backstage.

“Phew…”

His hands were trembling, but not because of any pain or spasms—it was thanks to the lingering emotion. He felt a strong sense of both emptiness and catharsis, like he’d been drowning in emotion only moments before.

Still… This trait is turning out to be a better choice than expected. He’d liked how he’d performed just now more than he’d predicted. There was something thrilling about getting lost in the music without having to think about it, especially as he’d performed a song with an almost chilling level of desperate sadness all alone.

My performance was stronger than usual. He took a swig of sports drink and tried to calm his racing heart.

“M-Moondae! Do you feel all right?” Ahyeon asked.

“Yeah, I feel fine.”

“I-I see. That’s good… But still, you be sure to tell me if anything feels uncomfortable!”

“I will.”

“Y-yeah! Oh! By the way, ‘Last Flower’ was amazing!”

“Yeah, thanks. You were great, too.”

Ahyeon had gotten changed and used his remaining free time to fuss over Moondae, seemingly worried. The time was approaching. The group song is next, then the improv stage, then a long VCR segment…

“Seven minutes remaining!”

Then the subunit stages before the encore. Park Moondae realized that time tended to fly during a concert.

All the more reason to hold it together. I’m going to go hard. Resolve strengthened, he moved down the corridor so he could wait on stand-by under the stage again. He arrived during the chorus of Chungwoo’s solo performance and began to focus on getting ready to perform again.

The crowd roared.

To be honest, it was hard not to be immersed.

***

Quite a few title tracks flew by, as well as the cute improv stage. The audience was enjoying themselves immensely, as this was their first time seeing TeSTAR offline in a while. Even so, they were well aware that based on the many times they’d re-watched the VODs, the concert was nearing its end. That meant the subunit performances that had been advertised at the end of their recent mega-hit reality show would be coming next.

The setlist didn’t change much! So that means they probably put a lot of work into the subunit stages… The moment the same VCR from the last concert began to play, functioning as a short break for the artists, thoughts and anticipation swirled in people’s heads despite their excitement.

They weren’t disappointed. The subunit performances began following the VCR.

Falling, like a fall star dropping—fall, fall, falling on you.

The first to perform were Seon Ahyeon and Ryu Chungwoo. They were a novel pairing, and the audience watched curiously. They easily pulled off a famous older boy idol group’s debut song—one from T-Holic.

Wow, they’re good! thought the graduate student who was Park Moondae’s fan.

Next came Bae Sejin, Lee Sejin, and Kim Raebin’s performance.

I’m after you, my target. I’m not letting go of my enemy.

They distributed the lines of a powerful female idol song called “Hitman” among themselves.

Pretty cool! The graduate student wasn’t much of a fangirl for anyone but Park Moondae, but she still had a moderately favorable opinion of them. The two subunit performances so far were much bigger in scale than anything they’d performed at their first concert, and more fitting for such a big event. It made everyone watching sit up in their seats with pride.

Now the next one! Because the first two were so good, she was excited about what Park Moondae and Cha Eugene had put together for the finale.

Everyone on social media was really looking forward to this one! A closer inspection would reveal that many were extremely worried as well, but the graduate student didn’t keep a very close eye on the internet. Thus, she went into the final subunit stage with high expectations and zero doubts.

A short video played after the previous performance had ended, and the stage went dark. A grandfather clock chimed, and the lights suddenly came back on. On the black-and-white stage, there were eight dancers and a tall man, standing in formation. It was Cha Eugene.

But what about Moondae? Before the graduate student could even finish thinking this, music began to play. It was the rhythmic melody of a pop song she’d heard at least once.

Listen!

No matter how hard

I think about it,

I can not hold it in

The electric swing tune was light-hearted and snappy as Eugene began to dance, the backup dancers falling in behind him. He was the only one wearing a black shirt, with a harness and a chain around his neck, decked out in full accessories.

Why, why

are you not a monster?

Eugene was eye-catching. The shimmering lights, his bright voice, and the glitter effects exploding in the background were all seamlessly incorporated into his choreography, making the watchers gape. Eugene was enjoying himself, performing with unabashed joy.

Umm umm umm

There was no end to the crowd’s frenzied screaming. Only after he’d left the center stage and moved to the left did the graduate student register what was happening.

Wait. So where’s Moondae? Cha Eugene was merciless as he entered the chorus. It was a hook song, meaning the most iconic part of the song was repeated four times.

Monster, monster

you got me so

I grabbed you

baby, babe

Cha Eugene performed a complicated move all by himself, against the backdrop of the dancers, managing to make every movement look effortless. He was like a magnet for people’s attention.

Baby, babe!

After performing a nimble kick, Cha Eugene ran an index finger across his lips and smiled.

“Whoa…”

Even Park Moondae’s fan found herself marveling over his stage presence, but after the first chorus ended with such a bang, the accompaniment suddenly shifted.

Huh?

The sophisticated arrangement that had utilized only modern electronic instruments was gone, replaced by a rough band orchestra.

“…?!”

“…?”

Before the crowd could even utter so much as a shocked exclamation, there was a gleam of bright light in the center of the stage, and the background screen parted.

“…!”

A golden throne resting on a long strip of blue carpet was pushed forward. Leaning to one side on the imposing chair was… Park Moondae in a school uniform, a knitted sweater over top, glasses perched on his nose.

What in the world is this? Park Moondae seemed lost in thought as he began to sing.

No,

I just can’t do it

I can’t stand you

No matter how hard I try

An English pop song’s lyrics had been translated into Korean. He sang with a clear, ringing voice. There was something a little more exaggerated and emotional in his performance than usual.

One second. As the graduate student lost herself in the music, she realized that this version was familiar. It wasn’t just a simple arrangement.

It’s from a musical! Indeed, This song, “Monster Baby,” was the most popular track from a famous musical.

You don’t even seem like a real person!

Park Moondae continued to sit askew in his chair, wearing his neat school uniform as he sang. He was playing the part of a modern-day student lost in a strange seventeenth-century castle who’d lost his mind.

He wasn’t finished there. Figures in strangely modern clothes appeared around him, singing as a chorus as they danced. They were obviously meant to be playing the part of a musical ensemble. As a result, both the few people who had already recognized where it was from and those who hadn’t could guess that this was a reenactment of a scene from a musical.

Whoa. Moondae’s part was a sudden, complete shift in style within the same song, but it was so energetic that the audience was sucked in without feeling like anything was odd about it.

Monster, you monster

You grab me

You pull me in

Just like that!

Even as Park Moondae performed his choreography standing on top of the huge golden throne, the carpet itself moved about, controlled by the ensemble, matching the flow of the lyrics.

All day long!

As colorful lights, feathers, and almost psychedelic historic drama elements mixed, Moondae’s vocals cut through all the visual noise. It was an explosive, dramatic taste of a musical performance.

“Yeaaaah!”

The crowd was compelled to clap since the quality of the spectacle was astounding. It didn’t feel like a subunit stage, however.

This is like… a face-off or something. It’s not a subunit performance, really. Many in the audience were beginning to guess that as soon as the excitement passed, people were going to have a lot to say.

A vibrant instrumental break began, and then a group of people wearing elegant black-and-white suits rushed toward the center of the stage from the left side, which had been dark.

“Huh?”

It was Eugene and his dancers. They then forced Moondae and his team, who’d been standing on the throne and carpet while singing and dancing, to the right side of the stage!

“…?”

The set of the musical slid to the side, almost like it was about to topple over. The brass and synthesizers returned, and Eugene and his dancers produced sticks. They came together and fell apart as the choreography progressed, adding emphasis and flair.

“Wow.”

As the glow-in-the-dark sticks flashed, countless lights gathered from the darkness to emphasize Eugene’s movements. The lights were coming from drones.

Eugene grinned mischievously and controlled the drones as if they were living creatures.

Baby! Baby!

The chorus ended once again with great flair. Now it was Moondae’s side who pushed their way toward the center without a moment’s hesitation.

Park Moondae sat imperiously on the throne, his arms crossed, and a huge chandelier had been attached to the set that surrounded him, as though he refused to be outdone. Then he began singing a high-pitched chord with his ensemble, as if he was declaring war.

The thought struck me again today

I won’t stand it any longer!

The lyrics were exquisite. The chandelier sprayed light in all directions, getting in the dancers’ eyes.

Holy sh*t! The audience was laughing now. It wasn’t from confusion, however—they were relaxed, enjoying the performance and looking forward to the rest of it.

There was a genre-hopping, almost meta humor unfolding brazenly on stage. Because of how cheeky Cha Eugene and Park Moondae could be, the performance was very enjoyable instead of being awkward to watch.

Drrrrr!

As their struggle continued, they began a silent staring contest of sorts, running out to the thrust stage and performing together. The synthesizers and orchestra combined, turning the song into something as dramatic and loud as the music played at a festival or a carnival.

Monster, monster

Baby, babe!

Grab me, pull me

Yes, just like that!

English and Korean lyrics mixed, and the dancers darted between the ensemble members. Eugene climbed on top of the throne, adopting a different style of singing, and Moondae danced with the drones. They were stepping into one another’s territories without hesitation, the tension ratcheting up between them.

Monster, just like that!

Colorful fireworks went off as the chords and choreography reached a climax. The two opposing styles clashed, emphasizing the destructive energy of both as they raced toward the end of the song. The audience’s screams could be heard over the fireworks and electric guitars, like they were part of the show.

The graduate student found herself slapping her lightstick against her hand in applause as well. She would be shocked to discover, only an hour later while on her way home, that the performance had only lasted four minutes and twenty seconds.

***

“Incredible! Incredible!”

“I get it.”

Eugene kept on repeating the same word and shaking me by my shoulder as the VCR played up on stage. He seemed to really have enjoyed the performance we’d finished just now. I could understand his excitement since even I’d been surprised.

I didn’t think it would work. It was the sort of thing only the most brazen of people could really get into, but I hadn’t felt a shred of awkwardness.

I guess the S-rank trait’s worth something after all. In fact, I felt like continuing our performance, VCR or no.

“Let’s go again! A hundred times! That was the best!”

I wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as Eugene, of course.

Let go already.

“Right. Let’s get into formation.”

“Okay!”

We couldn’t afford to waste energy like this. Tonight, I needed to stay on top of things. There was another big event today, besides the challenging subunit performance.

It’s finally almost over. There were only thirty minutes to go until the concert was over. My status abnormality was about to be lifted.