Chapter 774: The Great Legacy (19)

Under the stage, Junhyun Kim stretched.

"Mm."

He raised his arms in a long stretch to loosen his shoulder muscles, then pulled one leg back to release the tightness in the front of his thigh.

Like an athlete before a track event, he continued his warm up calmly.

‘Not as nervous as I expected.’

It was his first time performing a solo stage at an awards show.

He had worried he might be extremely nervous, but even now, right before the stage, his heart felt calm.

The young man with sharp eyes scanned his reflection in the surroundings.

"Hmm......."

A white sweatshirt and a black flight jacket.

Leather pants.

With sunglasses hanging halfway on the tip of his nose, he looked like an ordinary rapper.

The number of rings hooked around his fingers was exactly right.

‘No problems.’

After checking the reception sensitivity of the in ear monitors in his ears, he fastened the microphone pack at his waist once more.

‘In ear checked too.’

After gaining some experience, he {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} had developed a routine of things to check before stepping onto the stage.

"How do you feel?"

His manager, Do Wonseok, who was standing beside him, asked with a smile.

"Nervous?"

"It feels like harvesting rice."

"......."

Junhyun smiled a round, gentle smile.

"It feels like finally harvesting the rice that I spent a whole year growing with care."

He spun the microphone in his hand like a ballpoint pen.

"It’s the first stage for the song VIBE."

"Right."

"I kept seeing the song climbing the charts, but performing it on stage makes it feel real only now. So...."

The spinning microphone settled neatly into his palm.

"I have to do well."

The eyes that had been smiling warmly returned to their original sharp gaze.

When he smiled, he looked like a generous farmer. But when he fell silent, the rapper of NewBlack gave off a chilling impression.

Seeing him raise his concentration before the stage, the managers stepped aside.

"Junhyun, please get ready to go up now!"

At the staff member’s words, Junhyun climbed onto the lift and crouched down.

Through the open gap, a cool wind mixed with the heat pouring from the audience.

Applause.

Cheers.

A galaxy of endlessly shining light sticks.

Within it, Junhyun felt the breaths and voices of countless people.

And then he suddenly thought of something strange.

‘Lights.’

He remembered the fireflies he had seen on the ancestral hill he climbed with his grandfather.

Fireflies glowing while listening to the chorus of cicadas and frogs on summer nights.

Just like those fireflies, countless stars were glittering inside the concert hall.

Without needing anything to raise his excitement, a pure sense of happiness filled his heart.

"We’re going up!"

With a clank, the lift began rising.

Junhyun slowly stood.

Vibe.

A word derived from trembling, vibration.

A voice is also a vibration of the vocal cords.

The sound pebbles make when waves collide.

The rustling of branches shaken by the wind.

Perhaps everything in the world expresses itself through its own vibration.

If we only listen more closely, maybe we could all communicate more honestly with one another.

That was the feeling behind the song VIBE.

[Everyone.]

So Junhyun raised the microphone and greeted the audience clearly in Korean.

His voice slightly playful, rhythmic.

[Hello.]

He delivered the greeting he had agonized over all night.

The dark concert hall.

As the stage lit up, tens of thousands of light sticks began to wave.

‘It’s Junhyun!’

And the first greeting of the singer who rose on the lift was slightly different from what they expected.

[Everyone, hello.]

Not the typical rapper interjection like “Yeah,” or “What’s up, Japan!”

But a clear Korean greeting.

Yet it felt more rhythmic than any rap.

As Junhyun walked toward the extended stage amid cheers, the intro began.

"Waaaaaaaaaa!"

When the K Net broadcast camera captured a Japanese fan screaming wildly and others shaking their light sticks,

Junhyun appeared on the extended stage with the dancers, his face glowing white under the lights.

Soon, his lips moved softly over the microphone.

Beautiful night

The star holding you

Shines brightly on me

At the somewhat sentimental melody, Souffle began recalling faint memories.

Then their eyes widened.

‘Starlight!’

It was a beat derived from Starlight, NewBlack’s first fan song.

While the dancers moved gently, Junhyun swept his hand softly through the air and reached forward.

As if grabbing a star.

Your name

Sometimes sunshine, sometimes starlight

Perhaps moonlight

Someday even sunset

Junhyun sang about the many kinds of light that shine upon him.

Whether those lights represented the many fans,

Or the inevitable change of becoming sunset instead of starlight or moonlight someday,

No one could know.

But one thing was certain.

The rapper of NewBlack had prepared something in the opening for their fans.

As the intro that seemed to say this song is for everyone here ended with a smile, the lights went dark.

[ Sweet Potato | VIBE ]

While that caption appeared on the TV screen,

A spotlight fell on Junhyun’s face as he sat on a chair on stage.

With the sensual intro, the dancers lined up behind him began a groovy choreography.

"Waaaaaaaaaa!"

Junhyun lifted the microphone while seated. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Up and down

Press and press again

Our conversations were always like that

Under the shadowed face that looked slightly tired, his lips moved nonstop.

If you look closely

You were trying to say something

Your breath

Your trembling

Breath. Trembling.

Each word struck clearly in the ears.

Like swallowing cereal made of words.

‘You can really hear all of Junhyun’s lyrics.’

Maybe that was why he deliberately sang softer lyrics compared to other rappers.

His delivery was exceptional.

Even within NewBlack, which was praised for clear lyric delivery, Junhyun Kim stood out.

Sentences that would sound ordinary from someone else felt like images when spoken by him.

The same sentiment was echoed in countless households watching live on TV.

"These days I can’t understand what singers are saying, but I can understand everything that Junhyun kid says."

"It sounds like he’s talking to a girlfriend in the lyrics. Is Junhyun dating? Why are you yelling at your dad?"

"That’s why even goats listen well to him. Even people can hear him clearly."

Praise was also coming in for the number one song climbing the charts.

"The song is good."

"It’s like a song saying ‘I was wrong’ after a breakup."

But unlike the adults reacting that way, idol fans wore bittersweet smiles.

‘If only they didn’t know the behind story.......’

A behind the scenes story that had recently spread among idol fans like a viral rumor.

That the song came out while he was trembling on a massage chair gifted by Teen Spirit, shouting “Ooooh—uhhh!”

-Anyone want their memory erased with the Men in Black machine (1/100)

-Every time Junhyun acts serious on stage I remember the massage chair and have to suppress laughter

-But honestly even if they bought him a gift it would’ve been something weird

-If they bought a washing machine he would’ve made a folk rap going spin spin spin

-Spin spin spin what the hell

-But the song is still good though

-I envy casual listeners... they don’t know

While idol fans desperately tried to focus on the song thinking it’s not the massage chair... no...,

Ordinary listeners enjoying VIBE during commutes simply appreciated the performance.

-VIBE is a good song

-Watching the KMA right now, NewBlack is performing

-Anyone know Junhyun’s sunglasses brand? My wife says she’ll buy it for me

┕If you wore it, it would look like this

-Where do you live?

-Great song. Reminds me of my college romance

Amid all the praise for the stage,

Junhyun walked leisurely toward the singers’ section from the extended stage.

"Waaaaaaaaaa!"

The singers stood and cheered.

Teen Spirit bounced to the groove of VIBE, and the rap line of Street Boys waved both hands shouting “Yeah!”

Passing the welcoming members of Scarlet, Junhyun sat beside someone.

Maybe it was my fault

That I couldn’t listen

Thinking only what I heard was everything

Maybe my fault

Lyrics that sounded like he was speaking to someone.

Junhyun plopped down next to his same age friend and threw an arm around Biju’s shoulders, smiling.

Biju smiled back.

The youngest line of NewBlack clapped their hands together laughing, and their leader tossed imaginary flower petals as if celebrating friendship.

Come to think of it

Junhyun grinned and stood up again.

The long awaited chorus.

Rejoining the dancers on the extended stage, Junhyun sang.

V I B E

Your

V I B E

Is everywhere

As the chorus flowed, the singers in the seats sang along while looking into the camera.

The cheerful atmosphere carried the performance to a successful end.

Fans and singers alike applauded the stage.

And then.

Someone who had just been keeping rhythm for the camera wore a chilling expression.

"Hahaha!"

"Look at Biju’s face!"

"......I’m going to destroy him. Junhyun Kim."

A dark cloud formed over the meals Junhyun would eat from now on.

After the rapper of NewBlack finished his stage,

The performance of a famous Japanese rock band ended, followed by the Part One ending stage of Scarlet.

After a clip of the rookie composer Kim Deokchun clapping like a delighted seal at his own song while people around him collapsed laughing,

Lina of Scarlet trembled her elegant brows under pink lighting as the stage went dark.

[Part Two will begin shortly!]

At the same time, the atmosphere among singer fans who had just been praising Scarlet’s beauty began to change.

They had been intoxicated by their visuals thinking wow so pretty, but once commercials started, they returned to their senses.

-Seriously everything about this sucks

-At this rate just call it the Nihon Music Awards you bastards

-Dog: that’s excessive

-You sold tickets using NewBlack and Teen Spirit and look at the Japanese lineup

-Lately even variety shows are promoting Japanese tourism a lot

-That Japanese money must be sweet

The anger was directed at K Net, the organizer of the awards.

Random collaborations with Japanese singers.

Strange VCR segments.

Japanese singers repeatedly appearing on broadcast screens.

Objectively speaking, Japanese collaboration did not dominate the awards.

It was just a small addition, like MSG in cooking.

But the problem was that it felt mixed everywhere, like vinegar in seasoned scallions.

People who just wanted scallions could not help trembling in frustration.

‘Come on!’

While they glared at the screen,

The opening stage of Part Two revealed pianist Hashimoto Kenta performing a duet with a Japanese solo singer.

‘He’s handsome?’

Fans who chase handsome faces moved their fingers like chopsticks reaching forward.

A quick dip.

They immediately searched the name “Hashimoto Kenta.”

Soon posts began appearing below the search results.

Forced laughter.

Strange comments.

Fans who had sampled it spat it out.

‘Bleh.’

Only those with bizarre tastes smiled contentedly.

Meanwhile, the fast moving discussion boards suddenly slowed.

Some fans began feeling uneasy.

‘The live posts stopped.’

Those who had been posting in real time had gone silent.

That meant the people presumed to be Souffle had quietly shut their mouths in displeasure.

‘What’s going on?’

As if explaining it, a summary of the pianist’s father’s controversial remarks began circulating on social media.

His rivalry claims.

Comments about Sun Myungju.

Reading those posts, people finally understood why NewBlack’s fans looked so irritated.

At the same time, it was frightening.

‘Wow. That’s scary.’

It was frightening when posts flooded the boards.

But it was equally frightening when they suddenly disappeared like a receding tide.

Because the number that had only been estimated until now suddenly became visible.

If we touch this wrong, we’ll get destroyed.

Fans nodded.

‘We should treat them well.’

They realized the people they had recently looked down on were not harmless fools.

Following Junhyun’s stage in Part One,

Part Two featured Ri Hyuk’s solo stage.

He sang the main OST of the popular drama My Bear and Tiger, which was approaching its finale.

Then he performed a drama OST medley with the famous ballad singer Cha Woo Hyun, known as the king of OSTs.

The audience reaction was good, perhaps because many were fans of the Korean wave.

"I think I did pretty well today."

After Part Two ended, our crane flapped excitedly.

"I think my vocal condition was objectively good too... the chorus really opened up well. Cha Woo Hyun praised me as soon as we came down, saying I looked in great shape today. The staff even applauded."

Seeing the praise seeking eyes, I played Ri Hyuk’s personal compliment medley on my phone.

"Ah, well done, well done!"

"Everyone look at our main vocalist!"

Hearing the cheerful melody the youngest and I exchanged, Ri Hyuk smacked both our backs.

But then our main vocalist grabbed his own hand.

"Ow!"

"I knew this would happen so I wore clothes with lots of beads on the back today."

Of course I would change clothes soon anyway.

Nearby, staff ran around frantically.

"Costume! That’s not the right one!"

"Move aside!"

"What? When do the members go up?"

While the opening of Part Three played, we finished setting up in the waiting room and changed outfits.

Just like during Mango, the ending stage required a lot of preparation.

Spray was applied to fix messy hair.

Costumes were checked two, three times.

Dancers.

Costumes.

Hair.

Makeup.

Experts from every department moved intensely as we completed the final preparations.

Biju asked,

"Ready, hyung?"

"Yeah."

The first stage would be my solo.

The stage was long, so it was prepared partly to manage stamina between group performances.

But there was another reason for my solo stage at this KMA.

‘Respond to an issue with a bigger issue.’

Japanese media kept tying my father and Hashimoto Kenji together as rivals.

They also tried to create connections with Japan by clinging to us while we promoted overseas.

This stage was meant as a message to them.

"Though I doubt it’ll stop them."

"True."

"Still, it’s good promotion for my father’s performance too."

With a positive mindset, I walked down the hallway and opened the door of a secluded room.

Before going up on stage,

I needed to check the condition of the guest who would join my first solo performance today.

A Japanese terrestrial broadcast channel.

The title K net Music Awards appeared in the top right corner.

A panel of pop music critics and famous composers provided commentary.

"Teen Spirit’s stage. A group extremely popular in Japan right now."

"They have a youthful charm."

After the casino themed performance ended, the commentary continued.

"Korean idols seem to have no limits on concepts. They even give mature concepts to very young looking performers. In that sense it’s similar to Japan."

"Excuse me, but most of those members are adults."

"Oh."

One actual expert nearly collapsed in frustration while the other panelists caused chaos.

Incorrect information kept appearing.

Japanese K pop fans posted comments like How does this guy even work in the industry with that knowledge?

Meanwhile, the panel’s judging had become increasingly tangled.

"Well... there is definitely some difference."

Even objectively, it was clear that Korean singers had improved greatly.

"It makes you think K pop might have surpassed us in certain areas."

"If J pop developed pursuing musical diversity... Korea seems to have inherited popular elements from past J pop while growing commercially around idols."

They would say it’s all idols, then fall mysteriously silent whenever rappers or indie singers appeared.

Meanwhile the broadcasting station was also dissatisfied.

‘They said our side would have more presence. We were tricked.’

K Net was being criticized by both viewers and investors.

Still, the ratings were not bad.

The network had heavily promoted that Asia’s largest music awards would be held in Japan.

And many viewers tuned in because NewBlack was appearing.

"Twitter is noisy today."

"They say Asia’s biggest music awards are happening in Japan. NewBlack is appearing."

"Ah... NewBlack."

On Japanese portals, some users cried the country is doomed.

On social media, idol fans shouted stop talking during performances!

Amid the chaos—

"Finally... is it time?"

As the panel’s voices turned serious, the ratings rose further.

The rumored stage of NewBlack.

Anyone could search MyTube and see their performances immediately, yet few people actually did.

Sometimes short clips appeared on lifestyle programs.

Even then, instead of stage audio, narration would play saying the world famous superstar NewBlack!

‘First time seeing their stage.’

Japanese viewers raised their TV volume.

"It’s the rumored NewBlack stage. Hashimoto, how do you feel?"

"I’m curious. I would like to see how good they really are."

While the panel talked,

A thunderous cheer erupted from the TV.

A roar like the arrival of Soufflesaurus.

Then text appeared over the dark stage.

[ Sun Myungju | That’s Not Me ]

A song composed by the father and arranged by the son.

In the darkness, a silhouette resembling Wooju calmly played a grand piano.

"Oh. He’s playing jazz."

An idol performing piano outside his specialty.

One panelist asked excitedly,

"What do you think, Hashimoto?"

"There are definitely some lacking parts."

Just as he began commenting on the performance—

The stage lights brightened.

The camera cut.

But Wooju, who should have been seated at the piano, appeared somewhere completely different.

"......?"

The panel fell silent.

As the lights brightened fully, the silhouette at the piano revealed its true identity.

A handsome blond Frenchman.

Paul Laurent.

One of the most famous pianists in the world.

A classical artist admired by the Japanese music world.

He stood there greeting the audience.

Silence suffocated the broadcast.