translation by mourningmoor
Two lights, twinkling like dots in the darkness, moved slowly.
The camera soon captured the lights and zoomed in.
They were the headlights of a speeding car.
A red sports car, its headlights shining brightly, raced down a winding road in the pitch-black night.
The only sounds were the loud roar of the engine and the screeching friction of the tires against the ground.
Like a scene straight out of an action movie, the sports car thrillingly sped past the camera.
At that moment, the driver’s profile was briefly revealed. Wearing a black shirt with the front slightly undone and slicked-back gray hair—Kang Ichan.
Holding the steering wheel in an almost dangerously seductive manner, Ichan glanced at the camera and playfully raised an eyebrow.
The screen turned silent again.
A rural bus stop, dimly lit, its flickering light malfunctioning irregularly.
A boy sat there with his back turned.
Neatly dressed like a young noble, the boy held a sky-blue balloon in his hand.
Expressionless, like a doll—Jaewon.
Sitting motionless in the dark with a balloon in his grip, the sight had an eerie, unsettling feeling to it.
The only sound was the chirping of insects—until a distant rumbling began to grow louder.
It was Ichan’s sports car, the one that had disappeared offscreen earlier.
Jaewon, who had been staring straight ahead, slowly turned his gaze to the right, following the sound.
And then—
The red sports car brushed past Jaewon in slow motion.
The wind stirred up by the car’s speed rippled gently through the air.
It was a roofless sports car. Ichan, in the driver’s seat, glanced sideways at Jaewon.
His gaze was strange.
For a brief moment, Ichan and Jaewon locked eyes.
Jaewon’s head turned from right to left, following the car. Then, with an abrupt screech of tires, the red sports car came to a halt.
Click. The car door opened, and the camera zoomed in on a pair of polished black dress shoes.
The sound of footsteps echoed on the asphalt, and then—
A hauntingly eerie music box melody crept into the silence.
Ichan approached Jaewon. Tilting his head slightly, he silently studied Jaewon before slowly extending his hand.
Jaewon, dressed in a sailor-style short suit, lifted his gaze to look up at Ichan.
At that moment, a faint smirk played across Ichan’s cold eyes.
His gaze was chilling yet irresistibly alluring. So mesmerizing, it sent shivers down the spine.
As if spellbound, Jaewon took Ichan’s hand.
The red sports car soon sped away.
The music box melody blended into a rising EDM beat, layered with the sound of the car’s accelerating engine.
The red sports car arrived at a massive mansion.
The camera’s perspective pushed inside, opening a door.
As if struck by a flash of backlight, the screen turned white—
And then, in a unique font, the title track’s name appeared alongside L.I.T’s logo.
Like a camera flash, the title disappeared, and the second door swung open, revealing Hanjoon.
Wearing a tight-fitting sleeveless shirt, Hanjoon began rapping in a rough voice.
Welcome. This is your own festa.
your life
Whether you want it or not
You’re already standing in it.
So enjoy it.
Hakuna matata, anyway, la vie en rose.
T.N. "Hakuna matata" means "no worries" in Swahili, and "la vie en rose" means "life in pink" in French, implying embracing life’s beauty.
A grand celebration seemed to be unfolding.
Still holding the balloon, Jaewon stepped inside the mansion. He remained expressionless as he glanced around.
Siu approached him.
Unlike his usual self, his expression was cynical—yet tinged with an unfamiliar sadness.
Who said life is easy?
Everyone’s got their own weight to carry.
"If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it?"
Then you do it.
Don’t force me.
You can’t lock me in.
As Hanjoon and Siu’s rap alternated, a series of interwoven scenes unfolded on screen, revealing yet another story.
In the standardized classroom, Jaewon suddenly stood up from his seat and let out a near-scream. However, none of the classmates even spared him a glance, simply continuing to solve their problems.
The teacher, who was scribbling meaningless things all over the blackboard, was no different. As if Jaewon’s suffering was of no concern, he continued his task.
Jaewon threw his textbook and pencil case, and printed sheets fluttered in the air, but the situation did not change.
There was another story.
Jaewon, the ice hockey player, made a spectacular goal and led his team to victory.
The gold medals were placed around the necks of his cheering teammates, immersed in joy.
Before long, the trophies filling Jaewon’s room stacked higher and higher, almost reaching the sky. Beyond Jaewon’s joyful expression, emptiness lingered.
As Siu’s rap ended, Roa’s voice started the verse.
Roa approached Jaewon and covered his eyes.
Merry-go-round.
The creaking carousel that runs.
Up and down, time passes by.
There’s nothing I can’t endure.
Because time flows anyway, and life goes on.
The party inside the mansion continued.
A person in clown makeup rode a unicycle, another performed a fire show, and high up on the ceiling, a breathtaking trapeze act unfolded, something you’d only see at a circus.
Hanjoon, leading the festivities at the center of the joyful scene, was full of excitement.
Ichan, holding a luxurious glass of alcohol, placed it into the expressionless Jaewon’s hand. He gestured with his eyes to drink before taking a sip himself.
And then, another life unfolded.
A hand, once gripping tightly, now lost strength and let go, dropping helplessly.
Then, Ichan’s voice began to sing.
Merry-go-round.
The creaking carousel that runs.
Sitting on top, I race through time.
You’ll understand once you look back.
Even the time I simply let flow was radiant.
Shiny Sun, Shiny Shower.
In stark contrast to the extravagant party, Jaewon, crying in sorrow, was cross-edited into the scene.
Jaewon’s acting, consumed by uncontrollable grief, was heartbreakingly intense.
Before long, the song rushed toward its climax.
The high notes in the bridge part were fully brought to life by Jaewon’s dazzling and refreshing vocal tone.
The weight of time consuming me.
Standing above it, look at me.
Every moment I breathe is shining.
What moves my life isn’t time, but me.
With the high notes bursting forth without hesitation, the song reached its climax and transitioned into the chorus.
The screen, too, spilled out various scenes, chaotically reflecting different aspects of life.
Merry-go-round.
The carousel that races through time.
Sometimes up, sometimes down.
It creaks, but that doesn’t mean I’ve failed.
That’s just life.
So enjoy it, Hakuna Matata, anyway, La Vie en Rose.
Revealing that life is a festival where joy, sorrow, anger, and happiness all intertwine, the music video closed with the party reaching its peak.
Throughout the music video, moments of the members enjoying the party, acting out different instances of life, and other seemingly symbolic elements were intertwined, completing a vibrant and intricate production.
As soon as the 6 minutes and 3 seconds of running time ended, the Universe board exploded.
First of all, the song is crazy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
The main framework of the song is electronic house music with a touch of reggaeton, and the melody is extremely addictive.
Even after just one listen, the melody lingers in your heart, making everyone automatically put it on repeat.
Melody? Insane. Outfits? Amazing. This album concept is seriously crazy.
This time, they completely distinguished between the adult members and the minor members in the outfits ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Stylist-nim, where are you? Please accept my bow.
The outfits and styling perfectly matched the more mature vibe of the members.
Kang Leader's gray hair is f***ing sexy.
└ Leader is flawless no matter what. I watched it three times, and my heart raced all three times.
└ Wow, what is Ichan’s body? What is the length of those legs? What is that neckline? Who told him to wear a black suit that sexy? Huh?
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ First, it was the collarbones, and now even his ankle bones are handsome. I’m the one who fainted after seeing his ankle bones when he got out of the car.
Siu with blonde hair is still the best. Not "Merry Go Round," but "Marry Me, Siu."
└ No. He’s marrying me. He’s going to marry me.
└ What are you talking about? I’m submitting the marriage application first thing tomorrow morning at the district office.
Joondaeng’s rap was so wicked, I almost lost my mind.
└ Hanjoon looks like he lost even more weight this time. His size keeps getting smaller. He’s seriously so sexy.
└ ㅇㅇ His bone structure is so good that even just wearing a sleeveless shirt, his arms and shoulders… wow. Seriously, it was insane. I’m completely falling for him.
Just as loud as the voices praising the adult members' sexiness were those praising Roa and Jaewon.
Roa is just a fairy. This guy is not human.
└ Wow, when he collapsed onto the bed with his sweat-drenched hair, I almost lay down next to him too.
└ No matter what he does, he just looks luxurious, right?
└ In the dance sequences that appeared in between the MV scenes, Roa really stood out. Every single move was a work of art.
Kim Jaewon, when do you become an adult? Just make him an adult already.
└ He really has so many different faces, doesn’t he? One moment, he looks like a baby, and the next, he’s incredibly sexy. Anyway, my singer is someone to look forward to as he grows.
Our Jjaen’s crying scene was amazing ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It was like a movie.
└ At this rate, is he going to become an actor?
└ Siu should be the one to act. His face itself is a whole storyline. Our Siu.
My singers are the best. I’m so proud and so happy ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Our L.I.T, who we’ve been with since debut, their existence itself is just light.
└ That’s rightㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ We really all gathered, twenty of us, to watch their debut stage ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Thinking back to the small fandom size during their debut, the Filaments burst into tears and praised how much LIT had grown in just a year and a half.
I’m already trapped in the title track. Trapped in the loop of repeating it over and over again. And the rest of the songs are just as good. These guys are actual geniuses.
└ True. They are genius idols. T.I.ONE better be nervous.
└ T.I.ONE is already over. ARCHE should be the one worryingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Noah sunbaenim, you better be on alertㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Kang Leader is coming for you.
Since everyone knew about Kang Ichan and Yoo Noah’s friendship, they joked around while enjoying the moment.
Naturally, the conversation shifted to praising Ichan’s abilities.
Vocals: Jaewon, Dance: Roa, Rap: Hanjoon, Visual: Siu. And the leader who ties everything together, Kang Ichan. And now, our Kang Leader is producing too.
└ Wow, my bias is Roa, but I can’t even deny it. My bias’s favorite hyung is our Kang Leader. I respect it.
└ Same, same. Hanjoon is my bias, but I respect it too.
Just as the Filaments were still chattering excitedly, they all received a Universe notification at the same time.
KYAAAAAH. The album has finally been shipped, and delivery has started.
Huh, what? A surprise preorder benefit? A concert map? What is this? They sent something like this together?
Are they really doing a concert??? KYAAAAAAH!
In the end, just like Jaewon said, Universe really did crash.