Chapter 43

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Outside the stage of MusicBomb where the 3rd team match would be held was crowded with people.
And the majority of the crowd were not audience members but people who had come hoping they could at least hear the sound from outside.
A university student who was entering the entrance line through the crowd was dissatisfied with that point.
‘Why are they swarming here when they can’t even enter.’
She didn’t understand why they were so excited among themselves even though they couldn’t actually see.
‘It was like that during the 2nd match last time, and the scale has grown even more.’
She stood in the entrance line with disgust. Looking at the length, it seemed like it would take an eternity to enter.
‘Annoying.’
In front and behind her were people holding distributed slogans or snacks. Coincidentally, the names written on those slogans were the same.
[Park Moondae ♡ Debut]
‘…He’s really become popular.’
She pouted, recalling the 2nd team match.
She felt bad because the person sitting next to her was a Park Moondae fan, and unfortunately, her favorite Kim Raebin was even on the same team as Park Moondae.
‘Why do they like that concept-obsessed guy?’
She grumbled.
However, she was still in denial of the fact that she had cheered like crazy as soon as the stage ended in the last team match.
Still, she had become unable to do things like mocking Park Moondae on the internet.
‘…Well, he was okay on stage, so I’m letting it slide.’
She tried hard to deny it and looked away from Park Moondae’s slogan. She didn’t know who picked the photo, but it was pretty, which made her more annoyed.
“Please keep order!”
“Don’t push!”
She entered inside by standing in line according to the number received in advance, but from the middle, people started running one after another. Since it was all standing without seats, being in front earlier was an advantage.
She grabbed the fence right in front of the stage.
‘Success!!’
She couldn’t help but praise herself for successfully applying for the audience as the 18th person.
It was a feat made possible thanks to the production team changing the application back to first-come-first-served as the number of applicants exploded.
‘I’ll see them right in front of my nose.’
Her heart pounded. However, after the time had passed until that expectation was about to turn into discomfort, the MC finally entered.
“Welcome everyone to the 3rd team match stage of !”
Mixed with relief and joy that it was finally starting, and a bit of annoyance, an explosive cheer erupted.
‘Just start quickly!!’
She shouted inwardly and gripped the fence tightly.
“The theme of this team match is ! From song selection to stage devices, the participants chose and created all elements of the performance themselves!”
‘Kim Raebin must have done well for sure!’
Thinking of her stock who was only bad at politics. She sent a cheer like other audience members out of excitement.
“Also, by analyzing the shareholders’ past buying trends with a big data algorithm, the participants the shareholders like together are now in one team!”
At the MC’s words, the audience members whispered here and there, asking what kind of nonsense that was.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the words, but their point was why they did such a useless thing instead of just taking a separate vote.
Anyway, the MC finished the opening naturally.
“It seems your expectations are high, so right now! The opening stage will be revealed!”
“Waaaagh!!”
“The song the participants chose is… the sentimental idol Maxmite’s !”
The audience members immediately turned their concentration to the stage.
Hoping that their favorite participant would appear now, expectant eyes headed toward the dark stage.
‘It’s better to come out later but… ah, I don’t know! Just come out now!!’
As if responding to that thought, light burst out from the stage.
Peeee-ing.
‘Heok!’
But it wasn’t completely bright.
Thick yellow beam lights shot up from below the stage. The light rays still confusingly illuminated the dark stage.
On the dimly visible stage, there was only one huge tree stump.
And the sound of a wind instrument resonated.
Uuuung-. Uuuuuuuung-. Uuuu- uuuuu-.
It was the sound of a daegeum from the beginning of the traditional Korean music Su-yeon-jang-ji-gok. The elegant and mournful sound roamed the stage alone.
And a figure popped out from the left corner of the stage.
It was a somersault so clean that it was chilling.
A tall man wearing a wooden rabbit mask ran out and flipped through the air.
“…!!”
The daegeum sound ended.
According to the movement of the figure who landed on one leg, the durumagi worn on his body fluttered, revealing the Western-style suit worn inside.
At that moment, the beam lights cutting through the stage completely disappeared.
On the completely dark stage, a voice echoed instead of the daegeum sound.
– My waiting is long
And since it’s always enjoyable
Even without accompaniment, not a single pitch went off; it was a perfect sound as if it were a recording.
And now the audience knew whose voice it was.
‘Park Moondae….’
With a deep drum sound, light returned to the stage.
Dung- dungdungdung! Dung- dungdungdung!
On the stage, five figures wearing wooden rabbit masks were already standing in a circle.
Behind them, a brilliant Milky Way revealed itself on the black stage background as if it would pour down.
And group dance.
Srrr.
The movement that started slowly and sensually began to get more complex and faster by splitting the beat.
It was to the extent that it looked like some kind of natural phenomenon.
Since even though the speed changed continuously and the timing could have been off, not a single person had a beat or movement that didn’t match.
According to those dance moves, the outline of the heavy drum sound became sharp, and behind it, a modern baseline balanced it heavily.
And the daegeum and the corrected piano sounds began to play on top of the layers.
Uhwi- Wiwiwi-?
Uhwiuhwi? Wi~~
At the moment the drum sound held its breath as a part of the sound composition, the five people simultaneously raised their rabbit masks to the side of their heads in accordance with the choreography.
At the same time, the person on the far right started singing. It was Park Moondae.
– At every corner waiting for you
There’s always me, fluttering
Along with the choreography, Lee Sejin, who turned his body completely toward the stage from the far left, smiled brightly.
– There’s no room for anxiety to approach
Because you already know, you surely
Large formations split like martial arts, and Kim Raebin popped out from behind.
– That you will appear here
That we will meet
My heart is certain
And it overflows at every spot like this ah!
‘Kim Raebin!!’
The university student who was holding the fence wailed inwardly. She wanted to scream but she held it back somehow.
And reaching this rap part, there was a point that not only she but most of the audience clearly noticed.
‘They changed all the lyrics to Korean…….’
That was right. They changed the few mixed English words to Korean to match the stage atmosphere.
‘As expected, my kid is a genius!’
She wailed inwardly, saying he changed them perfectly. She didn’t even imagine that another teammate might have changed them.
However, while being sucked into the stage, that impression also disappeared behind her head in an instant.
– It’s a very natural thing
I know you
You’ll get to know me
Receiving Gold 1, Ha Il-jun’s voice, Lee Sejin completed the pre-chorus.
– The answer is already decided
Since the unavoidable fate will approach~
Seon Ahyun came out to the center. The rabbit mask was turned slightly clumsily, covering his temple.
Even so, his face was sparkling.
‘…He is handsome.’
The university student felt frustrated as she couldn’t bring herself to have a negative impression after seeing Seon Ahyun at close range.
Seon Ahyun started singing while standing straight and elegant.
– I like waiting
My waiting is long
And since it’s always enjoyable
‘Eh?’
Right in that chorus, familiar movements began to be mixed in.
It was the hand movement that was the point choreography of the original song.
However, they brought out an intense feeling by adding new foot movements to that hand movement with an off-beat.
Hwik!
The choreography, which used the body much larger than the original song, was incredibly impressive, matching with the fluttering durumagi.
‘Ah…….’
The stage was being completed as a romantic and overwhelming historical drama style rather than the sentimental and plain original song.
– When this waiting ends
I know you whom I’ll encounter
Already my heart is bright
Park Moondae sang the high note of the latter part of the chorus.
Perhaps the color had faded during filming, as his hair, which had become closer to blonde, had been swept back along with the mask.
‘…The swept-back hair is also… fine.’
She tried hard to hide her emotion, saying it must be because the stylist did the stage makeup of a lifetime today.
And at the moment the note ended, Park Moondae turned his body completely backward.
‘What is it?’
The audience, who were concentrating on the participants’ movements and expressions, reflexively turned their gazes back.
Over the starlight flowing behind the stage, a huge dark blue trajectory was being drawn.
“…!”
Before they knew it, only the sound of string and wind instruments remained.
With that as the background sound, the dark blue trajectory drew a huge circle.
The circle, completed with a trace like an ink wash painting as if being drawn with ink, soon glowed blue.
A round blue light source among the starlight. It was the Earth seen from the moon.
Uhuuu- Uhuuu- Uhu, Uuu–
The participants softly collapsed on the floor once according to the melody and stood up, naturally taking off the durumagi and letting them flow far away.
– A daydream as light as dreaming
The way leaving to meet you
The participants stood in complete Western-style suits before they knew it.
Those bodies created a short and intense group dance.
With whole-body movements of lines close to dance, the bodies drew curves forcefully and softly. The feeling was very mysterious.
The accompaniment without percussion sounded somewhat sensual now.
‘Kim Raebin is crazy…….’
“Uwaah….”
“…!”
The university student was startled, wondering if it was her own sound, but realized that the sound was heard from all around.
– That you were also waiting for me
A clear déjà vu that says so
Changing the word ‘déjà vu’ to ‘clear déjà vu’, the sound became more mysterious as if swallowing.
– Face the moment of fate
So that you never hesitate!
Tang!
At that moment, percussion entered the accompaniment again.
The slightly overt sensuality vanished in an instant.
– I like waiting
My waiting is long
And since it’s always enjoyable
In the chorus that returned, Lee Sejin came out as the center and held the center of the complex group dance.
The choreography became more flashy.
– When this waiting ends
I know you whom I’ll encounter
Already my heart is bright
And low humming followed.
– Hum hu hu hum- huhu
DDu-ru Du-ru Du Du
It was the melody of the chorus.
Combined with the foot-moving choreography, it was as if they were singing in excitement while waiting for someone.
The drum sound of the accompaniment sounded just like a heartbeat.
The university student realized late that Park Moondae was putting in notes an octave higher alone over this humming.
She got goosebumps.
‘…I thought it was an instrument.’
She swallowed hard. On the stage, the intro choreography was being varied once again.
The formation changed without rest, and naturally, the five people stood around the only prop on the stage.
‘Eh?’
A huge tree stump.
It was the stump of the cinnamon tree.
Having naturally sat around the stump, they immediately took off the suit blazer they were wearing on top and threw it down.
“…!”
Revealing the male jeogori designed like a shirt, Lee Sejin smiled while looking forward.
He turned the rabbit mask back to his face and sang the last line.
– Please wait.
With the blue light of the Earth descending over the moon rabbits who fell asleep leaning against each other while sitting on the cinnamon tree stump, the stage ended.
And a cheer loud enough to break the roof of the filming set erupted.
“Waaaagh!!!”
“Kyaaaaagh!!”
“Uaaaa!!”
Below the stage, all sorts of screams and reactions of covering mouths overflowed.
It was because everyone was excited after seeing a combination of top-ranked participants they didn’t even expect from the opening and an incredibly complete stage.
Moreover, this monstrously conceptual stage had something that stimulated a fan’s heart.
Because they couldn’t interpret everything at once, it made them want to see it many more times and find hidden elements.
Surely there must be many audience members who are already counting the remaining days until the broadcast and are anxious.
‘It’s all finished.’
The university student, who let go of her hand from the fence, muttered proudly. She was in a state where she barely regained her senses after screaming until the lights on the stage went out.
Having cut the opening like this, the next guys had practically ruined their stages automatically.
She hesitated, then eventually admitted her fluttering heart.
‘…Well, the October kids are doing well too.’
On her face as she muttered ‘It would be okay to debut with Ryu Chungwoo and Cha Yujin included there,’ the annoyance from the time of entry had disappeared without a trace.