Chapter 281: Noona Is Having a Really Hard Time
The moment Seohan’s face appeared on the digital billboard, a deafening roar of cheers erupted.
“Kyyaaaaaaaah!”
“Show us! Show us! Show us!”
No one knew where the chant had started, but before long it swept across the entire audience. As though everyone shared the exact same thought, the chanting only grew louder.
“Show us! Show us!!!”
“Aaaahhh! Seohan, show us!”
“…Show you what?”
The instant the digital billboard caught Seohan blinking with a stunned expression, Dusty Eunha clamped a hand over her mouth. Her Deokchin was already making a huge fuss as she smacked Eunha on the shoulder.
“Ah. Holy crap.”
“He’s seriously so freaking cute….”
He had officially become an adult this year at twenty years old, but…
The youngest was still the youngest.
“Protect Do Seohan at all costs!”
Eunha shouted as she waved her lightstick wildly. Ever since the VCR, her guilt had only grown, making her want to protect the innocent youngest member as much as possible…
Unfortunately, the other members clearly had different ideas.
Cha Seongbin flashed a sly grin as he grabbed the back of Seohan’s neck.
“Hmm. I think the time has finally come~.”
“Kyyaaaaaah!”
“What are you even talking about?”
Ah.
Now she understood why Cha Seongbin teased Do Seohan every single day.
His reactions were just too satisfying.
“You can show it for about three seconds~.”
“No, hyung. It doesn't exist in the first place.”
“Then what exactly have you been working out for?”
“…Health?”
An unstoppable spear against an impenetrable shield.
Seohan frantically waved both hands up and down in horror.
Just then.
Seo Ian, who had been standing quietly, slowly raised his hand. Kang Siwoo blinked with wide eyes before giving a small nod.
“Yes. Ian-ssi, do you have something to say?”
“Well….”
After hesitating for a moment, Seo Ian dropped a bombshell.
“Seohan said it doesn't exist….
But I saw it.”
“Huh?”
Seo Ian had done it.
Jin Sehyun immediately grabbed the microphone, his face overflowing with excitement.
His booming voice echoed throughout the concert hall.
“Everyone, you heard him, right?! Ian-hyung said he saw it!”
“Kyyaaaaaaaah!”
“Waaaahhh! Show us!”
Planting one hand on his hip, Jin Sehyun began pressing Seohan.
“Wow, would you look at that? We even have a witness now. Do Seohan, are you still going to keep denying it?”
“No, no, wait a second.”
“Please tell us the truth. You know you have it~.”
“Ian-hyung's eyesight has gotten a little worse lately….”
“My vision is 1.5 in both eyes…!”
Startled, Seohan stumbled backward.
Watching him, Jin Sehyun burst into laughter before adding,
“No, seriously. Is this Schrödinger’s abs or something? Nobody even knows whether they exist?”
“Did Mr. Schrödinger have abs?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“I’m so confused.”
In the end, they settled on showing it for exactly one second.
With a solemn expression, Seohan stepped forward and took a deep breath.
“I’m mentally prepared.”
“Ahahaha! Ahahaha!”
Somehow, the members looked even more excited than the Dustys.
Dusty Eunha stared intently at the digital billboard with sparkling anticipation.
Knowing Do Seohan's personality, he really would only show it for exactly one second.
“Hey, I can't miss this.”
Her Deokchin pulled out a high-powered telescope with an expression every bit as serious as Do Seohan's.
Then—
“One!”
Huh?
In that fleeting instant.
She was certain she had seen an afterimage flash past.
Dusty Eunha muttered blankly,
“Is…
is it over?”
“I didn't even see it properly!”
His shirt had fluttered for only a brief moment, and with the naked eye, nothing could actually be seen.
But she could say with absolute certainty—
There were definitely fans out there capturing that frame at the nanosecond level….
“Hey, it definitely existed.”
“What are you talking about? Seohan’s just a soft little hamster.”
“I’m telling you, it was there. I’ll prove it later.”
For example…
Her Deokchin, who took abs very, very seriously.
.
.
.
.
Putting the abs issue aside for the moment, Seohan smiled brightly as he looked around the audience.
It was a brief moment to catch their breath before moving on to the next stage.
Even on the digital billboard, they could be seen panting from exhaustion after performing the tightly packed setlist for the entire 150-minute concert.
Holding the microphone, Seohan spoke.
“Did you all know something?”
“……”
“From up here…
your lightsticks are really beautiful.”
His legs had been trembling for a while now.
Taking a deep breath, Seohan continued.
“So I keep thinking…
Ah, I’m exhausted.
I feel like I’m dying.
I can barely breathe….
But even then, I still find the strength to keep going.”
It would have been a lie to say he wasn't tired.
And yet.
The sea of blue lightsticks flowing before him looked as though it would embrace him like a vast ocean.
Even if he collapsed on stage…
It felt like everything would still be okay.
That was why he loved it.
Smiling softly, Seohan formed a heart above his head.
“I love you, Dusty!”
“We love you too! Dusty!!!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
The members also shouted words of encouragement before taking their positions again.
Kang Siwoo raised his voice toward the fans.
“Let's get started with the next stage!”
The included track from their 1st Full Album, <Silhouette>.
Since it had never been promoted on music broadcasts, its choreography had never been revealed before.
It was also the B-side her Deokchin had endlessly praised as a masterpiece.
The song carried a noticeably different vibe from Stardust’s usual style.
A captivating synthesizer melody flowed across the stage from the very first notes.
The moment the members finally emerged from the darkness—
Someone in the front row sharply inhaled.
“……!”
Dusty Eunha's eyes widened.
Maybe because you're unseen,
I can never reach you.
Your silhouette keeps fading away.
The flowing black sleeves of their soft fabric fluttered gently.
The instant the stage lights illuminated them, Dusty Eunha swallowed hard.
The outfits were subtly…
very, very stimulating.
I know well,
I'm quite the secret chaser of yours.
Let me tip the scales
To see exactly where I stand.
Ah.
This was honestly a little too much to handle.
Every time the black semi-transparent outfits fluttered, her gaze kept moving up and down on its own.
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them.
“Are you insane…?”
On the digital billboard, Kang Siwoo looked like a fully grown man.
His powerful dance lines firmly anchored the center.
During the choreography where he aggressively swept across the floor, she couldn't stop her heart from pounding.
“This choreography is insane.”
Why would you bury a song like this as just a B-side?!
Right now, she genuinely wanted to storm into Doubles and demand an explanation.
No.
This wouldn't do.
“Lend it to me for a second.”
Dusty Eunha hurriedly accepted her Deokchin's high-powered telescope.
She wanted to see this incredible choreography with her own eyes.
Now she regretted not getting seats on the ground floor.
Actually,
You know my silhouette.
So close to being caught,
Yet never quite.
Pull me into your world.
Just pull me close,
Just once.
Her gaze naturally shifted to the right.
Those dangerously stimulating outfits kept drawing her attention.
Today, more than ever, Seohan looked as though he was flying across the stage.
His signature powerful dance lines completely captivated her.
“Wow….”
The paired choreography between Do Seohan and Kang Siwoo began.
As though he were twisting his own neck, Seohan bent gracefully before throwing his body backward.
Seeing it with her own eyes made it even more breathtaking.
Ha.
This is insane.
“Seohan…
Noona is having a really hard time…”
Time flowed differently inside Gocheok Dome.
They danced until their legs trembled.
They sang together until their voices nearly gave out.
They cried, laughed, and ran across the massive stage without a single regret.
Before I knew it, the two-and-a-half-hour concert had come to an end.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Encore! Encore! Encore!”
The thunderous cheers struck my heart.
Once again, I felt vividly alive.
A shiver ran through my entire body, making it impossible to stand still.
The first concert of the Dream the Star World Tour.
A truly meaningful beginning.
“Hoo… haa.”
Breathing heavily, I waved toward the fans.
The energy I had received from them far exceeded the energy I had given.
Unable to suppress the smile constantly spreading across my face, I looked around.
The planned setlist had finally come to an end.
For tomorrow's performance, it was time for us to say goodbye for today.
“Ah, it's such a shame.”
The quiet words that escaped Jin Sehyun's lips were probably exactly what all of us were thinking.
Chuckling, I looked at him.
“Seohan's disappointed too.”
“I…
really am.”
“But everyone! We still have tomorrow's performance! I bet quite a few of you are coming again. Could you raise your hands?”
At Ha Junseo's words, fans in the front rows immediately raised their hands.
“Eh?”
Seo Haim's eyes grew round.
“Th-there are this many?”
“Pfft.”
His utterly innocent expression of surprise made it impossible not to laugh.
I hadn't known either, but quite a lot of fans were attending all three days of the concert.
Even though the setlist didn't change all that much.
All I could feel was gratitude.
Kang Siwoo nodded before wrapping things up.
“For everyone coming tomorrow, and so we can give it our all again….
It's about time we shared our closing thoughts.
Who wants to go first?”
Partings were always bittersweet, but they were never forever.
Smiling, Ha Junseo raised his hand first.
“I'll go first.
Our Dustys~.”
“Kyyaaaaaaaah!”
“Thank you so much for coming all this way.
I love you all, and thank you, always.
How was our performance today?”
“It was amazing, Junseo!”
“It was soooo good!”
The audience answered so loudly it felt as though Gocheok Dome itself would shake apart.
Ha Junseo smiled before giving a thumbs-up.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of us.
Tomorrow we'll show you something even better than today.
And the day after that, something even better than tomorrow.
We'll become a Stardust that keeps growing every single time!”
“Hyung, this isn't an award ceremony.”
“Ahahaha!”
That really did sound like an acceptance speech.
Flustered by Jin Sehyun's blunt remark, Ha Junseo awkwardly cleared his throat before passing over the microphone.
The next person to take it was Seo Haim.
As one-half of the Small Animalz, he was second to none when it came to crying easily.
Even now, as he looked at the sea of blue lightsticks swaying before him, countless emotions must have been running through his mind.
After hesitating briefly, Seo Haim smiled and spoke.
“Dustys!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
“I'm your chicken, Seo Haim.”
He had clearly said that on purpose to keep himself from crying.
I don't know if everyone noticed, but his voice had been trembling slightly for quite a while now.
“To be honest, while preparing for this concert, I worried so much.
What should we show everyone…?
We didn't have much time to prepare, and there was so much we wanted to show you, but things didn't go as well as we'd hoped….
There were just…
a lot of things like that…!”
He's crying.
Cha Seongbin leaned close and whispered into my ear.
“But because all of you are here, we always find the strength—”
His sentence cut off halfway.
“Don't cry! Don't cry! Don't cry!”
“Seo Haim, don't cryyyyy!”
Seo Haim's eyes had already turned red.
Having watched him from right beside him all this time, I knew exactly what he had wanted to say.
Time had been short.
Results had to be delivered.
The pressure had been immense.
Our very first world tour.
Because we never wanted to disappoint the people who had given us their precious time to come see us…
We pushed ourselves even harder.
Each in our own way.
Because I had to survive.
Because I wanted to feel alive.
I had poured everything I had into this concert.
So…
“…Are you crying too?”
Ah.
I hadn't even gotten the microphone yet.