translation by mourningmoor
It looks like ARCHE will also be attending the Summer Concert.
According to Gyuhyung, since we are newcomers, there’s a high chance we’ll be placed in the first part of the concert, and ARCHE will be closing the third part.
"Then, we probably won't run into them much, right?"
No, I have to be careful not to run into Noah, if possible.
If I avoid him today, we probably won’t cross paths for a while due to our schedules.
Yeah, if I just avoid that jerk, my goal for this second round of life—living quietly, short and thin—can be achieved.
I really want to live quietly.
The Gyeongju Citizen’s Stadium, where the Summer Concert is being held.
As soon as we arrived, we entered the tented waiting room and were handed our name tags.
And soon, the rehearsal began.
The concert started with Dinaple. It was my first time seeing Dinaple's stage, but maybe because Pyo Cheonhee had put a lot of effort into them, they were actually a pretty solid team.
After several idol groups got the atmosphere going, we were scheduled to perform at the very end of the first part.
"Wow, isn't this treatment a bit too extravagant for a newcomer? The end of the first part?"
Kim Jeongsoo, who had just finished his rehearsal, came over with a grin.
In fact, Gyuhyung seemed a bit surprised by this as well. Usually, the beginning and the end of each part are reserved for impactful teams, so it was surprising that a newly debuted group was given the spot at the end of the first part. Like Kim Jeongsoo said, it was a bold move.
However, Kim Jeongsoo quickly accepted it.
"Well, it makes sense. You remember the joint stage at M-start? The day Arche performed."
Looking around as if sharing a secret, Jeongsoo lowered his voice and whispered quietly.
"Did you guys change the stage lighting or something? HS put in a complaint to TVH about it. They said there was a glitter effect only when you guys were on stage."
That happened?
"Our manager got called in too, but when they checked the lighting team's program, they found that TVH had actually made the lighting brighter and added more lasers for MuteSeven's stage."
I already knew about that. I had seen Jang Myungwoo talking to the entertainment director. It was kind of funny, so I just let it go, but it seems like he ended up spilling the beans, and now the tail's been caught.
"Even though they pulled that trick, the one that really stood out was L.I.T. People in the crowd were completely smitten by it."
L.I.T. stood out more?
Of course, that’s true. I had made a little adjustment to the lighting.
Well, to be exact, I didn’t just adjust the lighting; I adjusted the light itself. After all, I’m a self-proclaimed magician of light.
If I put my mind to it, I can change the movement of the air and control the scattering of light. Of course, I’d need a proper amount of mana to do that.
I still have a small amount of mana to control right now, but once I fully recover to my original level, I can create a stage that’s so dazzling it’ll make people go crazy.
“Well, since I’m the idol of light, it’s only natural that I shine, right?”
I shrugged at Jeongsoo’s too obvious statement and let out a chuckle.
“Be careful too, hyung. The L.I.T might make you go blind.”
“You... this cheeky little brat. I should be annoyed with you, but for some reason, I’m not at all.”
Jeongsoo took my words as a joke and suddenly put me in a headlock.
“You little cutie.”
And then he messed up my hair.
It was me who was caught off guard. How dare he... my neck, my head...
I should’ve turned Jeongsoo into a cockroach right then and there, but I had no choice but to let him have his way, submitting to the "adorable" treatment.
If I want to survive in this cursed world, I have to follow the rules of this world.
The moment I was freed from Jeongsoo’s arms was when the stage director called for L.I.T.
“Do well.”
I gave Jeongsoo a small wave as a sign of appreciation for his support before heading straight to the stage.
And then, the rehearsal began.
For some time now, when we rehearse for music broadcasts, other singers always come out to watch us. Today was no different.
Not only were Dinaple and Mӧbius there, but also a few singers I hadn’t seen before, filling up the front row.
As the performance of <Promise> ended, the singers and staff watching the rehearsal cheered us on.
It's not a bad feeling.
Most of all, the relief is that there’s no Noah among the people watching us.
I heard that ARCHE had another schedule, so they couldn’t attend the rehearsal. Well, I hope it stays that way.
The heavy mood lifted a bit.
After the rehearsal, I had a late lunch in the waiting tent when Jeongsoo came to find me. He dragged me around, and I got acquainted with the 'Loot' members.
In the midst of that, the inevitable question about my relationship with Noah came up. Of course, my answer was always the same: "I don’t know him that well."
And so, the K-POP Summer Concert continued, filled with chaotic energy.
At the very end of the first section, our stage finally came to a close.
Then, the legendary roar calling out L.I.T.’s name filled the entire stadium. The scale was entirely different from the cramped music broadcast audience.
With this, L.I.T will level up a step further. Anyone who actually faces me will inevitably be drawn to my light.
"Kang Ichan."
It was Kim Wooyoung who called me as I was just coming off the stage.
I took the water that Hyerim handed me and walked towards Kim Wooyoung, who was awkwardly standing in a secluded spot.
"Why are you just standing here?"
As I got closer, Wooyoung grabbed my arm.
"Come here."
Is this guy crazy? What’s going on?
He pulled me toward a more secluded area, and despite looking uneasy, Wooyoung quickly scanned the surroundings.
Only after confirming that no one was around did he finally open his mouth.
"I found out."
"...?"
"About Who's M. The one you told me to find out who it is."
That was for your own sake—to know who they were, just in case you needed to blackmail HS to stay in their good graces.
"That bastard has your laptop."
Before thinking about who Who's M might be, I had considered the conscience of the person behind the name.
At that point, the criteria were simple. If they just received a track from HS and unknowingly got involved, that person could still be a victim. But if they took the laptop and voluntarily participated in the theft, then they were the worst of the worst.
So it was the latter?
"I can't bring it to you. But you should know that bastard has your laptop."
"So, who is that bastard?"
At my question, Kim Wooyoung hesitated for a moment, then looked around cautiously before speaking up.
"Jeong Yoobin."
"Jeong Yoobin?"
While filming, I learned the names and faces of most of the MuteSeven members, but Jung Yoobin... I couldn’t quite recall.
"Yoobin, you know. The one with the buck-toothed smile."
"Ah, that... the one with the eyes like this?"
That guy. The one who tried to stop me from arguing with Kim Wooyoung the first time I met him in this world. The buck-toothed guy.
He's Who's M?
"He's Who's M, and I saw your laptop in his studio."
I remember that bastard's energy was quite unsettling that day.
But strangely enough, there hadn’t been any noticeable signs after that.
If he was that evil, something would have slipped through, but there was nothing during the entire filming.
Wait, hold on. Wasn’t that the odd part?
"That's it. This is as far as it goes."
Kim Wooyoung, who had been watching my face wrinkle with growing seriousness, continued in a nervous voice.
"I'm telling you because I lost the bet."
《You really extended our lives by rejecting CEO Jang Myungwoo's proposal. Kang Ichan. I can't thank you enough for that.》
The sound of Wooyoung's heartfelt words rang out brightly.
"From now on, let's play fair."
Ha, how did this bastard become the leader of MuteSeven with this attitude?
"Fair play, right?"
Clearly used to being called out like this, he confidently raised his head and continued speaking.
"Anyway, we’re going to settle this with skill, the fair way."
《If we win the Rookie Award, they won’t disband the team. We're giving it our all.》
Hmm, it's an admirable thought, but... we’re pretty desperate too.
"Got it. Fair play, with skill."
You do your best with what you can, and I’ll do my best with what I can. Within our abilities.
I gave Kim Wooyoung a smile and took a step closer to him.
"Do everything you can. You can take more lights, adjust the sound, whatever. I'll give you credit for that, too, as part of your skill."
When I pointed out that CEO Jang Myungwoo had messed with the lighting during our last joint stage, Kim Wooyoung's face turned bright red.
"Hey, that... we didn’t know about it either."
"I don’t think it’s bad. Money and connections are part of skill, too."
That’s how the world works. In this world, money and background are often considered bigger skills than personal talent.
But soon enough, they’ll realize there’s something that can surpass even those things. I’ll show them with my own body.
"Still, you’ll have to shine like that to beat us. Of course, even that won’t be easy."
Kim Wooyoung’s expression shifted in real-time, changing into many different ones.
But unlike before, there’s no sense of 《contempt》 now. Instead, it feels more like 《awe》 radiating from him.
Yeah, that’s how it should be. That’s the right attitude.
I gave Wooyoung's shoulder a quick tap and turned to walk away.
"Good job."
After parting ways with Kim Wooyoung, I was just about to reach the waiting room when I noticed something was off.
The area in front of the waiting room seemed unusually chaotic.
Roa was pacing back and forth with a worried look on his face, while Siu watched him with a concerned expression. Hanjoon stood in front of the waiting room, looking serious.
"What's going on?"
As I got closer, Roa rushed over to me.
"Hyung-nim, Jaewon...!"
Even before Roa could finish, Jaewon's voice was already drifting out from outside the waiting room.
"Why should I go there? I don’t care if mom has surgery or not."
Jaewon's voice wavered with emotion, but his stubbornness wouldn't break.
I let out a deep sigh and walked straight into the waiting room. The other three followed closely behind me.
"Kim Jaewon, pack your bags."
I grabbed his bag from the couch and started putting his scattered belongings into it.
"We're going to Masan right now."
"I told you I'm not going?"
"Are you going to keep saying that? You’re clearly worried sick about your mom. Why are you still refusing to go?"
Since earlier, I could feel the turmoil inside him; it was almost unbearable. He's clearly crying inside, yet he's holding onto his pride, refusing to act. Why?
"You're going to regret this. What if something happens to your mom? No more talking, just come with me."
I felt the weight of the moment as Jaewon finally broke down in tears. My words had pierced through his walls, making him face what he was trying so hard to avoid.
"Hyung, should we send a car first? I'll take Jaewon to Masan."
"Yeah, let's do that. The rest of you stay for the last performance, and Jaewon and I will go. I'll go with Ichan, alright?"
With Jaewon reluctantly nodding, we quickly left the venue.
As we exited the parking lot, we brushed past a black van heading toward the entrance.
A singer arriving at this hour? There’s only one team who would be arriving now.
ARCHE.
I silently sighed in relief, glad I wouldn’t be facing that damn demon king today.
Just as I thought that, a message came through from an unfamiliar number.
010―***―**** Hoobae-nim, where are you headed?
A chill ran down my spine in that moment.
How the hell did this guy get my number? A million thoughts raced through my mind.
010―***―**** No reply? Fine. This is my number, so save it. I’ll see you later in person. I’ll contact you again. Hoo, Bae, Nim.
Wait, what’s worse is… how did he know that the car that brushed past was ours?
Can that demon king see through things? But no, that’s not it.
010―***―**** Save it.
Save it? Fine. If that’s what he wants, I’ll save it. After all, I need to have the number to reject him later. Without wasting time, I quickly typed in my phone.
<2000-Year-Old Trash>