translation by mourningmoor
We already knew that fan time was prepared under the lead of the PR team.
I mean, I’m someone who can look into people’s hearts—there’s no way I wouldn’t know.
Still, I wanted to pretend I didn’t know, but I couldn’t.
Because an excited Gyuhyung blabbered everything.
Well, fan time is the highlight of a concert anyway, and even if no one had spilled the secret, we could have guessed that there was some kind of hidden event.
The kids seemed to be looking forward to it, too.
But when it actually happened, I felt dazed, choked up, and got goosebumps.
Of course, that doesn’t apply to me.
Would a great magician who has lived for 319 years really shed tears over something like this?
Still, I had to admit—it was a little touching.
It started with the fan song.
Riding the lift from beneath the main stage, we sang the fan song, <My Star>.
It shines, my star.
Countless stars densely packed in the dark night sky.
It was right at the moment we rose onto the stage.
The pitch-black audience seats were completely covered with the glow of fairy lights.
Blue, green—fairy lights of various colors twinkled like stars.
Among them, I found my one and only star.
Step by step, my small and precious star that lights up my path.
I couldn’t continue the next line.
Because Filaments below the stage started throwing colorful balloons toward us.
Like fluffy clouds, white and blue balloons surged forward like waves, turning the entire place into an ocean of balloons.
We knew there would be an event, but when it actually happened, the members' expressions changed in all sorts of ways.
As the flustered kids picked up the balloons, the staff signaled for them to pop them.
Quick-witted Jaewon immediately popped one.
Inside, along with colorful star candies, was a small, tightly rolled note.
Jaewon unfolded the note and, all of a sudden, his eyes turned red.
Seeing that, Roa instantly popped a balloon as well.
The same thing happened to Roa.
I quietly watched the kids before picking up a balloon that had landed at my feet.
It was a white balloon.
The staff gestured at me to hurry up and pop it, so I did it absentmindedly.
Pink, green, white.
A small handful of star candies spilled out. And a tiny rolled-up letter, tied with a red thread.
Clutching the star candies, I untied the red thread and unrolled the letter.
Thank you for existing. Thank you for being my star. Because of you, I…
I thought it would be a short note, but it turned out to be quite a long letter.
At that moment, the paused fan song resumed.
The Filament all sang together in unison.
The star among stars, my guiding star. The only star in the world, that one star.
That star shines on me. Starlight my memory.
Do you know? My star. That you are my only star.
They say there are more stars than people in this world, but—
one and only.
That you and I are one and only.
Even though it was such a predictable development, my heart swelled.
I picked up another balloon and popped it, then read the letter.
You were the light that flowed into my life. I was lonely ever since I was young. Then you came into my life.
Did I ever tell you? That I love you. To me, you are…
No matter where the path you walk leads, I’ll always cheer for you. My star.
I lifted my head and looked at Filaments.
Swaying their fairy lights from side to side, singing—it was beautiful.
Their eyes, filled with unwavering trust, gazed at us with warmth, and my throat tightened.
The star that protects me when I lose my way. My guiding star.
I wonder if they know that the star is them.
I looked at the members.
“Ah, damn.”
Jaewon was crying.
His nose and eyes red, he went around like a child, picking up balloons.
Reading the notes, he was too busy wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.
Siu, who along with Jaewon was known as one of L.I.T’s biggest crybabies, was practically sobbing.
Roa just had reddened eyes, while Hanjoon sat at the edge of the extended stage, reading his letter.
I didn’t even need to see his face to know.
That guy—if someone nudged him even slightly, his tears would spill.
But I am different.
If I cried over something like this, my past 319 years would have been nothing but tears.
…Still, when I unfolded the next note, my nose stung a little.
Is there a mountain in front of you? I’ll make it disappear. Is there an ocean in front of you? We’ll fill it up. Is there a rough valley? We’ll build a bridge. So please, just be happy as you are.
I looked at the Filament again.
They were always like this.
Pouring out love so blindly, wishing for our happiness so unconditionally.
I understand it, yet I don’t. How can they be like this?
“Thank you.”
Lifting my mic, I spoke from the bottom of my heart.
“Truly… thank you.”
Then, blending into the voices of the Filament singing the fan song, I sang along.
I’m not lonely. Because I have my star.
I’m not afraid. Because my star is you.
Then Roa, who had just shouted, “We love you!” joined in the singing.
Sniffling, Jaewon also started singing.
The star of all stars, the guiding star, the greatest star that lights my path.
Because of a star like you, I can shine. Because of you, I can smile.
I want to let you hear it, I want to tell you.
Even the smallest sighs, even the simplest joys—I want to share them all.
Together with the fans, <My Star> shook the Olympic Gymnastics Arena to its core.
* * *
The first day of the concert ended without any issues.
We returned to the waiting room, unable to control the overwhelming emotions in our chests, and simply kept silent.
Then, suddenly, maknae burst into tears.
He was crying loudly, wailing, but no one scolded him. No one teased him either. We just rushed over to hug him.
Because everyone understood maknae’s feelings better than anyone, our eyes were also damp.
That was when PD Pyo entered the waiting room.
“What’s going on? Did someone die or something?”
At that, Jaewon, who had been wiping his tears with an awkward expression, smiled faintly.
“You know what happens when you cry and then laugh, right?”
PD Pyo, who was teasing Jaewon with a playful face, glanced at me.
Looks like it’s time.
“We’ll talk about the concert later. For now, let’s greet our guests first.”
I heard that a total of forty invitation tickets were distributed for the three-day concert.
Today, with eighteen guests, Day 1 had the most.
We saw people like Kim Jeongsoo and Kim Junmo before the concert.
We also greeted Lee Hanwoo in advance and even took photos together.
The only ones we hadn’t seen yet were the president of H-NET and the people from TVH, who apparently brought Timothy Gordon with them.
“I’ll make sure to wrap it up quickly, keeping your condition in mind, so just bear with it for a bit, okay?”
After saying that, PD Pyo brought the guests into the waiting room.
The first to enter were Writer Jeong Haeseong and PD Ki Yoongu.
As always, Writer Jeong Haeseong entered boisterously, raising her voice and stealing the spotlight with her greetings.
“Ichan-ah. You were amazing. The other members were also fantastic.”
Writer Jeong Haeseong’s eyes sparkled.
I know those eyes well. They’re the eyes of a hunter.
And sure enough, unable to take his eyes off the members, Writer Jeong Haeseong spoke again.
“Let’s take these members as they are and go to Europe next time. Huh? We’ll catch chickens, fish…”
“Just go do Season 3. Sunbae Yoo Noah said he wanted to do it.”
Just take him with you.
I subtly stepped in front of the members and firmly shook my head.
Ki Yoongu PD, who had been watching quietly, added to the conversation.
“Yeah. Ichan-ssi has to be there.”
What nonsense.
I have no intention of doing that right now.
Today, after reading dozens of messages, I realized something important.
What Filament wants most from us is consistent album activities. They want to communicate through music and meet us on stage.
Variety shows and advertisements are just secondary. They can never be the main thing.
“For the time being, we won’t be doing variety shows…”
At that moment.
A sharp heat subtly struck near my heart.
This was a sensation that only occurred when facing an overwhelming magical power.
Ever since becoming an Archmage, I had never felt this before. After all, no magician stronger than me existed.
“Guys.”
Just then, PD Pyo entered the waiting room along with the president of H-NET. Following behind them was Timothy Gordon.
Timothy Gordon. I had already familiarized myself with his face through the internet.
But the photos barely captured even a tenth of his presence.
He wasn’t someone you could judge simply by his facial features.
His aura was simply overwhelming.
“Introduce yourselves. He came from far away just to see you. This is Chairman Timothy Gordon of SS Group.”
The members all seemed to recognize him.
Well, if someone didn’t know who Timothy Gordon was, they might as well be from another world.
No—considering that even I, someone from another world, knew him, if you didn’t, you simply weren’t human.
“Ah, hello.”
The kids, who greeted him with awkward faces, stiffened completely from nervousness.
But Timothy Gordon’s gaze never once turned to the kids.
Only me. He was staring straight at only me.
As if I had been his target from the beginning, his blue eyes never stopped capturing me.
Well, of course, he must be curious.
Since I sensed his magic, he must be sensing mine as well.
But does he really have to be this blatant about it? He already knew before coming here.
The persistent gaze following me made the atmosphere awkward.
Thanks to that, I was able to put on as awkward an expression as I wanted.
It seemed like he noticed the shift in mood. Timothy Gordon gave a slight smile before reaching out his hand to me for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you. Kang Ichan-ssi. I'm Timothy Gordon."
But of all things, he reached out his left hand. On his left index finger was that very ring I knew all too well.
And this suspicious magic wasn’t coming from Timothy Gordon himself, but from the ring.
I stared at the ring in silence, then lifted my gaze to meet Timothy Gordon’s eyes.
I didn’t take his hand right away. Instead, I asked a question.
"You speak Korean well? Your pronunciation is good too."
"My godfather is Korean."
Saying that, he gave a meaningful smile.
"Godfather?"
"Yes, he's a very remarkable person. The one I respect the most."
Then the chances of that so-called godfather being the magician in question...?
99.9999%.
Biting down hard on the flesh inside my lips, I ran every possible scenario through my head, calculating endlessly.
At that moment, Timothy Gordon grinned mischievously and asked,
"Are you not going to shake my hand? My hand’s feeling a bit awkward here."
From a distance, PD Pyo signaled with his eyes for me to hurry up and shake hands.
Shake hands, he says. He has no idea.
A handshake between magicians is nothing more than a way to gauge each other's power.
And if the other person specializes in mental magic, there’s a high chance they could read thoughts the moment skin touches, which is why most people avoid it. Of course, I’m an exception since I can freely control the presence of my mind.
Still, it’s unsettling. The thought of touching an unknown power.
Clenching my teeth, I drew mana from my mana hole and reinforced my barrier.
Then, I took Timothy Gordon’s outstretched hand.
And the moment our fingertips touched—
A fierce battle began.