Chapter 280: The Only Thing I Want to See
A blue circle was drawn across the stage.
Dusty Eunha swallowed hard in the darkness.
The circle that had been spinning endlessly in place gradually transformed into lines, stretching boldly across the stage.
Swish. Swish.
Five unwavering lines formed a single star.
At last, the logo was complete.
The fans who understood its meaning gasped softly.
A smile spread across Eunha's lips as well.
It was a logo no Universe Dust fan could possibly fail to recognize.
Stardust Project.
The MR that she felt she'd heard dozens—
No, hundreds of times echoed throughout the stage.
It was Starf's signal song, <Take Me>.
The center of that era, Do Seohan, confidently walked onto the stage and reached out his hand.
Fresh brown hair.
An in-ear monitor tucked into his ear.
Even his outfit was exactly the same as it had been on the very first stage of <Stardust Project>.
Thunderous cheers erupted from every direction.
"WAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Stand up and chase your dream
You can do it
Take me, take me
Reach out your hand
This was it.
A melody that sent shivers down your spine from the very first notes.
A song that brought back memories from those days—
Beautiful...
And heartbreaking.
The maknae who had been seventeen back then had now become an adult.
Time had passed in the blink of an eye.
But if there was one thing that had never changed...
It was the heart that had remained a fan throughout all those years.
The one who believes in me is you
So don't hesitate
Catch me
Wow.
I'm seriously going to develop PTSD at this rate....
But it was so beautiful that I couldn't even complain.
"Ha Junseo! Cha Seongbin! Seo Ian! Kang Siwoo! Jin Sehyun! Seo Haim! Do Seohan!"
"STARDUST!!!"
As she screamed the fanchants until her throat felt ready to burst, she remembered cheering among countless other fans, terrified that her precious boy might lose confidence.
From then until now...
Her favorite had always been Do Seohan.
Because the moment she'd first seen him...
It had felt like fate.
"SEOHANNNNN!!!"
The way he shone brightly in the center had truly looked like a sparkling star.
She vividly remembered the moment she'd watched his fancam and instantly fallen into the fandom.
Stand up and chase your dream
You can do it
Take me, take me
Reach out your hand
Even though three years had passed....
You still shine.
And I'm still your fan.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Seohan, I love youuuuu!"
Dusty Eunha smiled brightly as she waved her lightstick.
It was at that moment.
As soon as the first verse ended, a VCR began playing on the giant screen.
Her fellow fan excitedly grabbed Eunha's shoulder.
"Oh my God. It's from their Starf days...."
"No way."
The VCR showed footage of the members during the Stardust Project era.
A cute little chick with an especially round head.
A much younger-looking Seo Haim awkwardly looked toward the camera.
'......'
His overflowing talent was the same then as it was now.
But back then, he still didn't know how to express it properly, making everything about the Seo Haim on screen wonderfully chaotic.
'Hello, I'm trainee Seo Haim. My specialty is three kinds of aegyo.... And what else am I good at...? Ah! Wait a second. I'll show my aegyo first, then I'll think about it.'
"Holy crap, Haim."
"Pwahahaha!"
Laughter erupted throughout the audience at the obviously nervous members.
Soon afterward, Seo Ian appeared on screen, looking twice as nervous as Seo Haim.
'I'll... work hard! Please take good care of me!'
Our Sundubu-jjigae.
Back then, he wasn't even inside the debut range....
Her fellow fan, whose favorite was Seo Ian, already looked as though she was about to cry.
"Seriously... remembering how much emotional suffering I went through trying to get him to debut is driving me insane."
"Everyone was like that back then."
"Ah, what are you talking about? You don't know what the true Danger Zone was."
Someone whose favorite was Do Seohan had no room to argue.
"Yeah, you're right."
"See? Stay quiet."
Dusty Eunha simply smiled sheepishly with her lips tightly shut.
Before long, the screen switched to Ha Junseo.
Their dependable eldest member, who had always boasted the group's No. 1 visuals.
'My specialty is being a barista, and I'm really good at making coffee.... Would you like to come visit Junseo's Café?'
"No thanks!"
The shout that came from somewhere in the audience made Eunha burst into laughter.
"Hey, even if it's Ha Junseo's face, six shots of caffeine is way too much."
"Seriously. Back during that introduction, I actually thought he made good coffee."
"He does make it well.... Our taste buds just can't handle it."
Back then...
None of them had known he was such an unusual—
Yet incredibly kind person.
Watching the members in their younger days naturally brought a smile to her face.
She was quietly smiling as she watched the giant screen.
Then—
Finally, the maknae's face appeared.
And...
"Holy crap."
The fans collectively held their breath.
'Hello, I'm Do Seohan.'
Seventeen-year-old Do Seohan.
The very definition of a human hamster.
His obviously youthful face smiled shyly as he greeted everyone.
"Holy crap."
Dusty Eunha unconsciously let out a gasp.
"What is this?"
The Do Seohan on screen, awkwardly introducing himself...
Was far more...
Baby-like than she remembered.
"Wow, Do Seohan looks so freaking young."
Her fellow fan covered her mouth in shock.
The surrounding fans also began murmuring among themselves.
"I-I suddenly started feeling guilty."
"Baby... I'm sorry...."
"What exactly was I obsessing over?"
Some were confessing their sins....
Others were reflecting on themselves....
Eunha was one of them.
The heartfelt words slipped from her lips.
"Was the me back then... actually insane?"
The concert was one emotional moment after another.
But if there was one part that warmed my heart more than any other...
It was when our fan song echoed throughout this enormous venue.
I just can't understand
Since when did everything go wrong
What is this pounding feeling
Please tell me the answer
The lyrics of the fan song <Your Dust> appeared on the giant screen.
One by one, the audience seats, now blanketed in darkness, began glowing with lightsticks.
In the dark universe, just a little dust
Until you called my name
I was nothing at all
But now I shine
Dusty Eunha smiled brightly as she waved her lightstick.
Her lips slowly parted as she began singing along.
Her voice had already gone hoarse from cheering so much.
But even if she couldn't speak for several days after the concert...
She didn't mind at all.
4 to 7, I draw you every day
When we imagine the blue star, We walk
Even if it's a little far away, we can make it
So that our voices could reach the stage far away.
She swayed gently while singing.
She no longer needed to look at the lyrics.
Her body had already memorized every word.
Rather than looking at the giant screen, her eyes remained fixed on the members.
Will you become my universe
I'll become your star
Shine bright, I'll always be here
Even if you're a star I can't reach
Will you hold my hand again, your dust
That was the power of a fan song.
To anyone else, they might just be ordinary lyrics.
But to us...
They were our history.
Our story.
A chance to share memories that only we understood.
Her heart pounded warmly.
The members smiled brightly as they gazed upon the beautiful blue waves shimmering across the giant screen.
"Ah, Seohan."
Maybe it was just her imagination.
But for the briefest moment...
Their eyes met.
Seohan looked toward their section, as though trying to take every single fan in the audience into his memory.
Then—
For the first time during this concert...
The giant screen began showing the fans' banners.
Just hold me close
I won't let go of your hand
Shine bright, because we'll always be together
Dozens of banners swayed one after another amid the fans' singalong.
[Stardust, we love you. Let's stay together forever.]
[You don't have to dream of the stars. My star is already here.]
[Dust gathered together and became a star!]
[Shine bright! We are Stardust]
Between all the heartwarming messages that made people's eyes well up, the fans' shamelessly affectionate comments appeared as well.
[Siwoo, I brought the marriage certificate.]
[All you have to do is stamp it.]
"KYAAAAAAAHHHH!"
[I even brought the seal.]
Whether they were serious or not, the fan caught on camera was frantically waving what genuinely looked like a marriage certificate.
Kang Siwoo burst into laughter and gave a thumbs-up.
See?
That's the kind of dedication it took to get shown on the screen.
"The banner ideas are insane...."
"Dustys have completely lost it."
Everyone cried.
Then laughed.
Before anyone realized it, everyone present had become united by the same emotions.
[I'll always stay by your side.]
[Keep shining brightly, just like you are now.]
For a brief moment, her favorite, Do Seohan, appeared on the giant screen.
It was only for an instant.
But she saw his eyelids trembling as though he were about to cry.
Right then—
A fan holding up an iPad appeared on the giant screen.
Perfect timing.
The message was clearly directed at Do Seohan.
[Seohan, do you know something?]
It looked like a scene straight out of Love Actually.
A digital letter, with the fan hurriedly turning one page after another.
[The only thing I want to see in this world is....]
Her fellow fan chuckled.
"Do Seohan seriously looks like he's about to cry."
"Our boy is really weak against things like this."
Just as expected.
Seohan bit down hard on his lower lip as he stared at the screen with tear-filled eyes.
"Is Do Seohan... crying?"
If one heartfelt sentence landed right now...
He looked like he'd completely break down.
But then—
"Huh?"
[Your abs.]
Our boy....
Looks like all his tears dried up instantly.