translation by mourningmoor
The black van carrying ARCHE had just left the fan signing event in Samseong-dong.
In front of the wide intersection, the car that was about to turn right stopped at the red light.
Noah, the leader and main vocalist of ARCHE, squinted as he looked out the window.
"That..."
A young man in black pants, a black hoodie, and a black hat pulled low.
A strange light was emanating from the young man, whose entire body was wrapped in black.
"Younghoon."
I called out to Younghoon, who was sitting next to me, and he turned to look at me, his eyes still closed.
"Yeah? What?"
"That kid over there."
Noah stretched out his index finger and pointed out the window.
"That one?"
Younghoon fixed his gaze on the young man Noah was pointing at.
"Yeah. How does he look?"
How does he look, suddenly asking? He looks completely ordinary. There's nothing special about his style. He didn’t even try to look cool.
"Just an ordinary student? No, his proportions are good. It's hard to see from this far, but his face is small and sharp, and his legs are long."
Eyes, nose, and mouth can't be seen, so let's skip that.
"If he grooms himself well, he could be an idol. Why? Are you thinking of casting him?"
Recently, Bishop Entertainment, the agency of ARCHE, had been conducting auditions.
The members of ARCHE were all directors at Bishop Entertainment and had casting authority.
Perhaps because of CEO Park Hojin's special request, they were looking for potential candidates in places where young people gathered.
"Cast, what for?"
But it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Noah, who had answered nonchalantly, furrowed his brows a little more.
Then he asked another vague question.
"Don’t you see some kind of light around that guy...?"
Light...? Can you even see something like that?
It seemed like Noah saw that young man in a different way, so Younghoon frowned and looked out the window again.
At that moment, the young man turned his head toward this side.
Oh, now I can see his eyes, nose, and mouth. Wow...
"That guy, he's good-looking. Even though he's covering up everything, you could still see that? Like, did you see his aura or something?"
Noah's abilities are indeed impressive.
Not only his skills in singing and dancing, but also his ability to pick songs, set concepts, and bring people together.
He stands out in so many areas that it seems like there's nothing he can't do. But now, if he even has the ability to judge people like that, he'd be too perfect.
Just in case, Younghoon snapped a photo of the young man with his phone.
"Should I get his number?"
If Noah agreed, Younghoon was ready to jump out of the car right away.
But Noah, without taking his eyes off the young man, quietly murmured to himself.
"His aura..."
Then, he nodded.
"Yeah, it's the aura."
At that moment, the car started moving again, and the young man outside grew further away.
Only then did Noah turn his gaze away from the window, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
It was definitely the aura.
The very aura that couldn't be found in anyone else.
* * *
At one time, Juhee, a former member of the Graphstar fan club, sat nervously in front of the computer.
According to the official L.I.T homepage announcement, L.I.T was going to make a major announcement at midnight.
The music video release and debut stage date were set for May 4, with the track released at 6 PM on the same day.
And then, two weeks later, on May 20.
What kind of major announcement could it be?
"Of course, it's the fan club."
Juhee, who had devoted herself to fandom with the determination to bury her bones in it, had been expecting the announcement of the official fan club by now.
"Oh, only 30 seconds left."
She quickly sent a text to Yoojung and adjusted her grip on the mouse.
Finally, it was 00:00.
She pressed the refresh button.
Light's travelers, L.I.T, are looking for the filament that will shine brightly for them.
Official fan club recruitment for Filament 1st generation!
Filament? Is the fan club name Filament?
Heheh, heheh, heheh...
A strange laugh escaped from Juhee's lips.
She quickly pressed play on the video that popped up alongside the announcement.
As the play button was pressed, a background music began to play.
And finally, the five kids appeared.
"Oh my, what's going on with Ichan."
At that moment, Juhee's phone rang with a call from Yoojung.
She answered the call on speakerphone, and Yoojung's excited voice came through.
―Are you watching the promotional video?
"Yeah. Why do they look so much cooler now?"
They definitely looked cooler.
It's not a comparison to their stage presence.
L.I.T was one of those idol groups whose stage persona and offstage behavior were completely different.
On stage, they were perfectionists—amazing vocalists, synchronized dancers, and experts at facial expressions. But offstage, they became incredibly casual.
What this means is, they didn't pay much attention to the camera.
It's not that they were completely oblivious to it, but in most moments, it felt like they forgot the camera was even there.
As a result, they ran around innocently, said ridiculous things, and even slept with their mouths open, all captured without filters.
And those moments were shared openly on NewTube.
At first, I wondered if the company had lost its mind, but I quickly understood.
These kids simply didn't know how to fake it.
Normally, they'd try to look cool, but in their case, it was clear that packaging them that way was impossible.
They’d break through any packaging and their true nature would just burst out.
It seemed like the company made the judgment that it was better to show them as they are, and now even Juhee fully agreed with the company’s decision.
―Are those the same kids, all crammed around a game console, arguing about the game?
“Haha, yep. Our silly game boys.”
One of the three recently uploaded videos was that very clip.
Hanjoon was enjoying a game on a portable console, with Jaewon, Roa, and Siu all crowding around him, arguing over what to do with the game.
The video ended with Hanjoon yelling that he was going to die because of them.
Normally, they’d get their own consoles, but since they only had one, they all ended up cramming their heads together.
After watching that, Juhee had decided that when the official fan club was formed, the first thing she’d do is send them a game console as a gift.
They might be silly kids, but the ones in the video looked incredibly dignified.
From left to right: Ichan, Roa, Jaewon, Siu, Hanjoon.
They were all dressed in dandy casual outfits, fully equipped with both cuteness and style.
Especially Kang Ichan.
Wearing black slacks and a black t-shirt, Ichan paired them with a colorful scarf tied around his waist, showing off a cold, sophisticated aura.
Turning his head to the left to look at the children, Ichan parted his lips and spoke.
―Two, three.
At Ichan's cue, the kids placed their hands in the shape of a gun over their left chest and greeted brightly.
―Hello, we are L.I.T.
Then, starting with Jaewon, who smiled cutely like a rabbit, they took turns speaking their lines.
―We are looking for the filament that will brightly light up L.I.T's world.
―Please be the bright light for L.I.T, who is taking their first step on this land.
―L.I.T is waiting for the filament.
―Filament. What are you doing? Come here quickly.
At the last line from Hanjoon, both Juhee and Yoojung burst into laughter at the same time.
It was extremely shy, yet they tried not to show it, and the way they tossed the line casually was just too cute.
Then, Ichan continued the message.
―Please become the first generation filament who will run with L.I.T from the start.
The final message was together as one.
―Filament, let’s meet soon.
The kids, smiling brightly while shaking their hands with full energy, disappeared into the darkness once again.
"Ah, why are they so cute?"
―Trying not to look trivial is even cuter. What about Hanjoon?
"Right? What are we going to do?"
―What do you mean, just love the kids who ooze cuteness without making them seem trivial. First, I need to watch the promo video like ten more times.
Juhee was already restarting the video.
Slowing it down...
“Ugh, look at how nervous Ichan is. His lip is trembling.”
―Park Juhee. Enjoy.
Yoojung seemed ready to dive into the world of fandom, trying to hang up the phone quickly. Without a doubt, she would be making all kinds of fan edits and starting the promotions soon.
―See you at the fan signing event.
Then, Yoojung disappeared over the phone.
I can't lose.
As a NewTuber, Juhee decided to make content related to L.I.T.
First, she needed to film her reaction.
With her fingers quickly typing, Juhee completed her sign-up for the first generation of Filament and immediately began working on her content outline.
Wait for it, L.I.T. This noona is going to be the best Filament and make you shine everywhere.
* * *
Taking the weekly schedule from Gyuhyung, a sigh escaped from me.
Quickly, I finished packing my things.
For the next two days, we'll be in a filming camp.
The filming location is a pension in Gapyeong, and Gyuhyung urged the kids to hurry so we could avoid highway congestion.
As a result, we had to leave the accommodation before the sun even rose.
I got into the car and carefully examined the schedule.
It looked like music broadcasts were scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so filming was arranged for Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday and Sunday were free, but I could already tell those days would be packed with lessons.
Swallowing a bitter smile, I turned to look at the back seat.
Hanjoon was sprawled out, fast asleep.
That guy really sleeps well. He must have been born with the ability to fall asleep anywhere.
"Must be nice."
I said with a sigh, and Gyuhyung turned around to look at me.
"Get some sleep too."
"You always tell me to sleep more, don't you?"
"What's wrong with that? Isn’t it probably the thing you need to hear the most right now?"
He wasn’t wrong.
We had been on a tight schedule these past few weeks, and the kids were definitely sleep-deprived. Lack of sleep leads to a lack of focus, and that lack of focus leads to mistakes.
But I wasn't too worried.
Because they have this body.
Jesquière, the Grand Mage of the 9th Circle.
As long as I'm here, supporting them from behind, they will never make mistakes, no matter what.
"Not that, I meant things like precautions for the first variety show."
"Well, none of them would even listen to warnings."
That was a fair point.
No matter how much they take attitude lessons, their true nature inevitably shows.
It’s manageable during stage performances or short shoots, but in a reality variety show where they spend 24 hours together, there's no way to hide it.
These kids can’t act in real life.
The silver lining is that their real selves are honestly transparent.
So much so that fans call it “useless charm.”
"Still, there must be something, right? Something you want to say."
《Hesitation》, 《Hesitation》, 《Hesitation》...
From the first stage of Heart’s Resonance, endless hesitation flows, but surely there's something to say.
"Say it. You have to say it to be understood."
Then, with his lips twitching, Gyuhyung finally opened his mouth with difficulty.
"The PD said... I heard they had a meeting with HS's CEO recently. It seems like they're going to push MuteSeven, so we need to be careful. We're probably going to be that.”
“That?”
“The scapegoat.”