Chapter 202: Sing for Me (1)
From the signal song to the title track. And even the most recently released song.
After finishing three songs in a row, I gasped for breath.
It was exhausting, but something so passionate made my heart race that I forgot about the exhaustion itself.
This was the thrill of performing at a concert.
Kang Siwoo beamed as he shouted loudly.
“Let us formally introduce ourselves.”
“Shine bright! Hello, we are Stardust aaah!”
“Wooooooaaah!”
Cheers exploded from the audience seats.
Blue light sticks filled the vast Gymnastics Stadium, swaying like waves before my eyes.
Today, too, they looked as beautiful as the sea.
Swept away by a surge of emotion for a moment, I quickly pulled myself together.
It was only the end of the first stage, after all.
I bit my lower lip and waved my hand enthusiastically.
The roar of cheers hitting my ears sent a tingling sensation from my fingertips.
It was a thrill.
“……”
Ha Junseo asked the fans in a booming voice.
“Dustys! How was our first stage?”
“It was amaaaziiiiiing!”
Watching the fans shout in unison, as if they were one, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
As my face appeared on the billboard, another wave of wild cheers echoed.
A flashy opening.
Jin Sehyun caught his breath and grabbed the mic.
“We’ve prepared a lot of stages to show you today.”
Since we were a survival debut group, our concert came a bit later, and in the meantime, songs had steadily piled up even to our 2nd Full Album.
That’s why we had a hard time selecting the setlist. There were so many stages we wanted to show, we ended up including them one after another, leaving no room for breaks.
Jin Sehyun casually explained that and continued.
“So we cut down on our talk time to show you as many songs as possible.”
“That’s right!”
“Because today marks our first historic solo concert as Universe Dust, we’ll pour everything we’ve got into this stage!”
“Kyaaaahhh!”
Our first-ever concert.
It was a meaningful stage not just for the fans but for us too, so we wanted to give it our all before stepping down.
Kang Siwoo gave a thumbs-up with a bright smile in response to Jin Sehyun’s neat wrap-up.
“Ah, by the way. Before the next stage, we have something we promised among ourselves.”
“That’s right! We need to tell you about it!”
Ah.
It happened during rehearsal a couple of days ago.
“We made a bet among ourselves.”
I glanced at Ha Junseo and let out a chuckle.
It all started with one comment from Ha Junseo….
He said he couldn’t understand why fans called him Heung-Junseo.
‘I can’t accept that I cry more than Do Seohan or Seo Haim…!’
‘Hyung, you’re going to cry at this concert too.’
‘What are you talking about. I’m definitely not crying.’
‘I’m not going to cry either!’
And then Seo Haim, dragged in by pride, chimed in.
Cha Seongbin cheerfully lit the fuse.
‘You sure about that? Then bet on it in front of the fans~.’
‘If all three of us don’t cry, Seongbin-hyung buys us food.’
‘Obviously. This is a safe investment!’
And that was that.
Why did I get swept into this?
“For that reason… we’ve decided not to cry today.”
Ha Junseo nodded with conviction.
“Ah….”
“Cry for us! Cry for us! Cry for us!”
There was a disappointed groan from the front row, but the ones involved were deadly serious.
Especially Ha Junseo, who was the most committed to this bet, shook his head firmly.
“No. Everyone, I am not Heung-Junseo….”
“Puhaha!”
“Cha Seongbin, don’t laugh!”
“Ahh! Ahaha!”
“That makes it worse!”
Ha Junseo’s trembling face appeared on the big screen.
And laughter could be heard rippling through the crowd.
He said he reminded himself two or three times right before going on stage that he really wouldn’t cry today.
Anyway, we decided to trust in the oldest hyung’s resolve for now.
Leader Kang Siwoo took the mic again.
“Now we’ll go get ready for the next stage. Seohan.”
“Yes!”
“What’s the next stage?”
Swallowing hard, I smiled.
Even though I hadn’t said anything yet, the audience had already gotten noisy as if they knew what was coming.
Some fans even shouted the correct answer.
I nodded and spoke.
“It is… our unit stage, which we worked really hard on.”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Do Seohan! You’re so sexy aaah!”
Ahem.
A burst of wild cheering made me cough involuntarily.
I laughed awkwardly and waved my hands.
The unit stage with Seo Ian and Seo Haim.
As already revealed on the Yui App broadcast, the concept was a sexy stage.
Cha Seongbin shouted loudly to hype up the mood.
“Everyone! Are you excited?”
“Yeeees—!”
It definitely drew a lot of attention.
A quick look through the fan community showed quite a few posts mentioning the unit stage.
[The main stage is great, but am I the only one absolutely hyped for the unit stage?]
I love and adore all the units!!
Do Seohan, Seo Haim, Seo Ian
To see a sexy stage from these three before I die…
I might actually faint from joy watching this concert ㅠㅠ
–Soft Sundubu doing a sexy concept is something I absolutely cannot resist ㅠㅠ
–I’ve seen Sundubu turn into Sundubu-jjigae enough times that it’s not surprising anymore, but how is Choco Haim doing a sexy concept?
└Apparently it’s Wasabi-flavored Choco Haim
└???
└Excuse me?
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What even is that supposed to mean
└Then what about Do Seohan?
└A flaming cicada
└FlamingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋCicaㅋㅋㅋㅋda what even is that
└The Dustys have all gone insane;;
└Let the cicada go…. Do Hamjji is supposed to be a cute baby hamster…!!
Since the live draw for the unit stage, our trio has been under hot spotlight.
To be honest, even my own fans seemed to be looking forward to it quite a bit.
I didn’t have to look far—just a quick glance around showed the related phrases all over the place.
“Look over there.”
Jin Sehyun nudged my side and pointed to the left.
“Uwaaaah!”
A fan in the front row had been enthusiastically waving an iPad since earlier.
On the screen, a clearly written phrase:
“Protect Do Seohan at all costs…?”
Is this sarcasm?
Curious, I took a step closer and asked.
“Is that sarcasm?”
Nod, nod.
“……”
So it is.
The stage went dark.
The once noisy crowd fell silent, as if on cue.
Dusty Yoona widened her eyes and stared at the billboard.
In the shadowy screen, a flickering red light slowly descended.
Then—
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A loud knocking sound.
From behind the set resembling elevator doors, Seo Ian suddenly burst out in a rush.
Creeeak.
He hastily closed the door and looked around frantically.
In his hand was a small ticket.
His eyes, shaded deeply, looked down at it as if it were precious.
Seo Ian stared into empty space and clenched the ticket in his hand.
The boy, having obtained the ticket, yearned for freedom.
He wanted to break free from tangled time and find “you.”
However—
There is no leisure for the one being chased.
Bang—.
Before going far, a gunshot rang out.
“…Hup.”
Yoona swallowed hard and turned toward the shadowy figure on stage.
What appeared under the dim lights was Do Seohan.
With cold, hardened eyes, he looked down at Seo Ian and let out a faint smirk.
“……”
The stage went dark again.
A familiar instrumental began playing on stage.
It was a pop song well-known for its dance performance.
.
.
.
A stage that began like a musical, continuing the storyline from the 2nd Full Album.
Seo Haim smoothly moved along the stage and stepped forward.
I keep run I keep feel
reach the way dive into you
He loosely undid his tie and stomped powerfully with his steps.
Seo Haim, who had been serving as the lead dancer, had visibly improved his dancing skills with every album promotion.
The hem of his outfit swayed along with his sharp movements.
Maybe on purpose, but along with the loosened tie, the top button of his shirt was undone as well.
A short shriek burst out from the front row.
“Seo Haim, button up your sleeve…!”
Dusty Yoona instinctively covered her mouth.
Soon after, Seo Ian, in a fluttery black shirt, dashed forward.
His fluttering shirt was a bit short, creating a precarious vibe.
Deokchin mumbled under her breath with glazed eyes.
“You guys really went all out, huh….”
Proving that we had gritted our teeth and prepared for this unit stage, the three of us soared across the stage.
cause you’re my attractor
Attractor Attractor
Originally, it was a stage meant to be filled by seven members. Covering that large stage with just three could’ve been difficult, but there wasn’t a single hint of emptiness.
I'm down in you
please tighten me up
Main dancer Do Seohan twisted his body into a slide and sprang back up.
A move mixed with krump slammed into the stage floor. Seohan stomped as he reached toward his next position.
A stage both powerful and provocative.
Seo Ian swept his neck and smirked slyly.
Unable to hold back, Deokchin muttered softly.
“Seo Ian, are you insane?!”
The moment his mysteriously half-lidded eyes appeared on the billboard, screams erupted from every direction.
Was it the sticky beat?
Or the dizzying choreography?
Even without any actual exposure, a highly stimulating stage unfolded before their eyes, and Dusty Yoona couldn’t close her mouth for even a second.
She had felt it before, but Soft Sundubu had a talent for making the viewer feel guilty when it came to this kind of concept.
Otherwise, there’d be no explaining those languid eyes.
“They’re so damn good….”
Every time Seo Ian jumped in place, his short shirt hem fluttered and was caught on camera.
Deokchin quietly gasped.
“That billboard knows exactly what it’s doing.”
Doubles had clearly aimed well.
As Seo Ian’s abs flashed tantalizingly, and Seo Haim’s V-neck dangerously dipped, Deokchin’s gaze wandered all over the screen.
Meanwhile, Dusty Yoona was faithfully chasing her bias with both eyes.
At some point, just like Seo Haim, Do Seohan had undone and flipped back his tie.
I'm down in you
please tighten me up
Lyrics pleading to be bound.
The Dustys, now united as one, screamed loud enough to shake the venue.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaack!”
Seohan slowly turned his neck and unbuttoned the top of his semi-transparent shirt.
The sight was definitely provocative, but…
Right then.
Dusty Yoona realized something shocking.
Deokchin leaned in and whispered quietly in her ear.
“Hey, Do Seohan’s wearing a white T-shirt underneath.”
“Oh my god. He’s such a baby….”
Ah. He’s so cute I’m going crazy.