translation by mourningmoor
Until the middle of the performance, I didn’t feel anything.
But as we moved into the latter half, a strange energy began to linger in the concert hall.
It’s just like that time.
The day of LA K-KON, the tension that filled the hotel lobby.
So right now, this is the same, right?
It means another force has dared to invade my space.
It means I have no idea what’s about to happen right in front of my eyes.
I turned the ring to check the engraving and changed into my outfit for the next stage.
Then, I went back up on stage.
This concert hall is surrounded by layers of my magic.
Unless someone is inside this space, not even the Demon King can recklessly break through. In other words, no other magic should be able to interfere.
There’s only one variable. Timothy Gordon.
But he’s not that kind of magician.
Then how the hell am I feeling this kind of energy?
Like a thin snake gliding through the water, an unfamiliar force was drifting around.
Once this unit stage ends, the stage will be reset, and we’ll go straight into the climax of this concert.
If something like last time happens again there…?
No. I have to stop it, no matter what.
After finishing the unit stage with Hanjoon and Siu, the stage lights went out.
A pre-prepared VCR was playing on the screen at the front of the stage.
As I stepped off stage, I quickly changed into my next outfit.
I’m the one opening the next stage.
Before that, I need to check the stage one more time.
First, I called the kids over.
“Roa and maknae. Before we start, double-check if your safety harnesses are properly secured. If there’s anything wrong with them, give up on the jump.”
“Yep.”
“Hanjoon-hyung. Safety comes first.”
“I know.”
“Siu. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just focus on your acting. Got it?”
“Got it.”
After shouting “fighting” with the kids, I climbed up the structure above the big screen to get into standby position.
The higher I climbed, the higher the unfamiliar magic followed.
“Hah, so I’m the target. Well, that’s a relief.”
Even so, I can’t let my guard down just in case.
Once I reached a height where I could almost touch the ceiling, I moved to my standby position with the help of the staff.
From here, I could see the entire concert hall below.
As the staff secured my safety harness, I carefully observed the scene below.
‘Where is this unpleasant energy coming from?’
Timothy Gordon or whatever his name is—where the hell is that guy?
I didn’t have to look for long.
No one was supposed to know I was up here, but one person had his head raised, looking straight at me.
And on his fingertip, an unsettling red light flickered.
“What the hell. That’s way too obvious. So you don’t even need to hide it, huh?”
It’s like he’s outright asking me to notice him.
And then—
“Uh… what do we do?”
The staff in charge of the lift spoke in a troubled voice.
“I think the locking mechanism is broken.”
The locking mechanism. In other words, the safety device that secures my body while I descend on the rope.
And now it’s broken?
“Why is this thing busted?”
Another staff member looked flustered.
“The inside is completely shattered.”
“What do we do?”
One of the panicked staff members ran off to get help, while the remaining one desperately tried to fix it alone.
There were only two minutes until the performance resumed.
There’s no way to fix this in time.
If I were to do something, I’d have to pause the performance, and I can’t let this kind of accident happen at our first concert.
And more than anything, the motive is clear, and the culprit is obvious.
I tilted my head slightly as I looked at Timothy Gordon, who was still looking up at me. He pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
That bastard, he’s telling me to go screw myself.
He’s asking me what I’m going to do now.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do? I’m just going to do it.”
At that, the staff member fiddling with the locking mechanism widened their eyes in surprise.
“Huh?”
“I said, let’s just do it. What else am I supposed to do? Stop the performance?”
“But……”
“I’ll go down as lightly as a feather. The locking mechanism is just a backup anyway. As long as I don’t let go of the rope, it’s fine.”
The staff nodded, agreeing that I had a point.
“What are you doing? Radio in. Tell them we’re going as planned.”
At that moment, chaos erupted in my in-ear monitor.
When we wear these in-ear monitors, it’s like a walkie-talkie between our members—we can hear each other’s voices.
―Hey. What’s going on? What happened?
―Hyungnim. Did something go wrong?
One by one, the others voiced their concerns.
“Be quiet. My ears hurt.”
The in-ear monitor fell silent again.
“The locking mechanism is broken. But I’m still going down, so everyone, get in standby.”
―What are you talking about? The locking mechanism is broken, and you’re still going down? Just wait until they fix it.
“It’s completely wrecked. Fixing it will take more than 30 minutes. Should we wait for that?”
Including the staff standing beside me, the in-ear monitor fell silent again.
“I can go down without getting hurt, guaranteed. So let’s start.”
Then, I looked at the staff.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you radioing in? 25 seconds have passed.”
The staff had no other choice.
Once I made my decision, they had to follow it.
The staff relayed the situation to the control booth as I instructed, and the lighting changed, signaling the performance was resuming.
“The lift is fine, so whatever you do, don’t let go of the rope. Got it?”
I showed the worried staff that I had wrapped the rope around my hand twice and slowly started my descent.
That bastard didn’t just break the locking mechanism.
He also broke the pulley and cut more than half of the rope. The moment I put my weight on it, the rope would snap.
So, I removed the gravity acting on me.
Right now, I am the only one moving this stage equipment with my own power. That bastard knows it, too.
Timothy Gordon, you son of a bitch. You’re trying to see for yourself—just how far my abilities go.
Fine. I’ll show you.
That I’m not someone to be taken lightly.
“Watch closely. This is the power of a Grand Mage.”
As I descended slowly, untouched by gravity, the audience erupted into cheers.
Holding the rope with one hand, I stretched out the other like a wing and began my choreography. It flowed like this instrumental music.
The moment my feet touched the ground, I let go of the rope and continued the dance.
Then, swings descended from both sides of the stage.
Seated on them were Roa and Jaewon.
The two of them executed their choreography in perfect sync with the music while perched on the swings. It was a picture of beauty.
Swaying back and forth, maintaining their postures on the regularly moving swings.
As it became clear what they were about to do, tension spread through the audience.
The music surged toward its climax, the swings soared higher, and the two boys locked eyes before executing what they had prepared.
Just as they had practiced dozens of times, Roa jumped, and Jaewon reached out his hand.
All he had to do was grab it.
But there was no way that unfamiliar magic—the one that attacked me—would leave these kids alone.
The moment Roa jumped, one side of the swing’s rope snapped, and his jump didn’t have as much force as it did in rehearsals.
He needed to reach Jaewon’s hand, but he was just short of the distance.
Everything unfolded before my eyes like a still photograph.
Jaewon’s face realizing something was wrong, Roa’s expression of shock, and Timothy Gordon’s delighted smile.
“Cut the crap.”
Standing at the side of the stage, I expanded my magic.
“Time Stop.”
And time came to a halt.
* * *
The cheers erupted as if they would blow the roof off the gymnastics stadium.
Juhee was also screaming at the top of her lungs, her voice nearly tearing apart.
Ichan’s elegant dance as he descended from the roof, wrapped in white ribbons, was truly a work of art.
He sparkled so much that he didn’t even seem human.
And then came Roa and Jaewon’s acrobatics.
The background video showed a circus tent, and sure enough, the members put on a real circus performance.
Roa and Jaewon, dressed in white and black respectively, created a striking contrast as they performed an incredibly dazzling dance routine on the swings.
How are they even doing that?
Is that even possible?
Screams erupted from every direction, along with declarations of love for the two members.
Everyone held their breath as they watched their acrobatics.
Even the swings, swaying like waves, seemed to be part of the choreography.
Roa soared like a bird, reaching out both arms toward Jaewon, who was hanging onto the swing. It was nerve-wracking, but Jaewon caught Roa without a single inch of error.
At that moment, the concert hall erupted in deafening cheers.
It was closer to a shriek than a cheer.
“T-This is insane.”
Juhee also screamed.
“Guys, I love you! This is crazy, absolutely crazy!”
Yoojung was jumping up and down in her seat, fully immersed in the performance.
Then, Hanjoon flipped across the stage, and Siu entered while juggling.
Up until now, it had felt like watching a graceful show, but suddenly, the stage transformed into a dazzling circus spectacle.
Spotlights poured down, and an incredible number of people flooded onto the stage.
On both sides of the stage, there were performers doing fire shows, and even someone riding a unicycle.
After an extravagant display of circus acts, the members, now in different outfits, ran onto the extended stage.
And then, the performance truly began.
A stage that pushed the limits of grandeur.
Mouths hung open, and the cheers never ceased.
Ever since I started liking L.I.T, the past year and ten months, spent devoted to them, had flown by like a dream. Each time they released a new song, I had stayed up all night memorizing the fan chants, and now I was executing them flawlessly, fully enjoying the concert.
Before I knew it, the concert was racing toward its final moments.
All the planned performances had ended, leaving only the last encore part.
The lights went out, and the members disappeared into the darkness.
Knowing that the end was near, Filaments were also overwhelmed with emotion.
As the stage lights turned off and the audience lights came on, everyone rummaged through their bags to take something out.
It was what Juhee had handed out before the concert started.
In just ten minutes, fan time would begin.
Filament was given about six minutes.
In that short time, to convey their hearts to L.I.T, everyone started blowing up balloons.