translation by mourningmoor
November 7th.
L.I.T’s comeback stage was held at the M&E Center in Sangam-dong.
Filaments filled the pre-recording audience seats one by one.
In their hands were pre-prepared cheering pickets and lightsticks.
Yes, it was finally here. L.I.T’s official lightstick, the Light Bulb.
After endless surveys and delays, fans had joked that they must be making something extraordinary, and now that joke had become reality.
It looked like a giant light bulb attached to a black stick, the kind you’d find at an electronics store.
Just before entering the audience seating area, there had been a minor clash with MuteSeven’s fandom.
Muse had started the argument over the lightstick design.
[Is that an incandescent bulb? Even rural areas don’t use those anymore.]
[You can take it with you when you go to the countryside restroom.]
[At least it’s better than your flower fairy lightstick.]
Filaments fired back, saying the flower-shaped lightstick didn’t suit a sexy group like MuteSeven and suggested they change it to an almond shape.
[What kind of lightstick is this? It’s making us hear restroom jokes. Can’t Blade Entertainment do anything right?]
[I wish the company would put in even half the effort our boys do. Seriously.]
But the Filaments, who had entered the audience seating area grumbling, soon forgot their displeasure. Blade Entertainment had prepared a small gift for the pre-recording audience.
It was a set of silicone decorative bands for the lightsticks.
“Decorative bands?”
A Filament, eyes wide, opened the box after reading the text on the packaging.
“Wow. So cute.”
“PD Pyo, you’re actually doing your job?”
The yellow lightning bolt and gray LIT logo bands quickly dispelled any lingering complaints.
Moreover, a playful phrase added to the packaging made everyone burst into laughter.
The brightest light in the world, cheering for Filaments’ radiance.
With that, the Filaments resolved that no matter what ridicule they faced, they would never back down when it came to their radiance.
And finally, the pre-recording stage began.
The stage they were about to perform was for the sub-title track, Stay.
Released at 6 PM yesterday, the song had already entered the 24 Hit chart alongside Begin, creating a buzz.
A house-inspired moombahton track, it was dominated by a sticky, heavy atmosphere throughout.
The brass sound, faintly layered from the intro, continued through the verses.
And just as the rhythmic beat faded, a synth sound took over the track. Starting faintly and gradually becoming clearer, the sound grew louder, building the song’s atmosphere. In between, the members’ voices tore through, chillingly mesmerizing.
The transition from the bridge to the drop was particularly fantastic.
The dreamy verses led into a heavy, muffled rap, and finally, with Jaewon’s clear high notes, the song reached its climax.
Stay (Hold on), don’t leave (Stay with me).
Don’t let go. I won’t let you go.
The choreography was especially breathtaking.
The consistently heavy and poignant choreography reached its peak during the climax.
And then came the dance break.
Jaewon and Roa led one part brilliantly, followed by Ichan, Siu, and Hanjoon leading another.
Then, the formation came together again as the drop flowed.
It was art.
Even after the stage ended, the lingering emotion was hard to shake. As L.I.T gathered at the center of the stage to catch their breath, the Filaments were still overwhelmed.
Last night, the L.I.T NewTube channel had uploaded the Stay choreography and fan chant. Though they had practiced hard after watching it, they couldn’t even remember if they had cheered properly or clapped on time.
They were simply overwhelmed by L.I.T’s performance, their hearts bursting with pride.
It was Ichan’s voice that brought the Filaments back to their senses.
“Two, three.”
L.I.T’s voices echoed through the microphones.
“Hello, we are L.I.T.”
Only then did the Filaments erupt into cheers.
L.I.T, wearing black pants and white shirts with intricate designs, looked like they had stepped right out of the dreamy concept photos. It was only then that the Filaments realized the photos were part of the Stay concept.
And seeing the vibrant hair colors from the photos in real life left them in a daze.
“Did you enjoy the stage?”
At Ichan’s question, another wave of cheers erupted.
“We couldn’t sleep because we were so excited to meet you.”
The excited Filaments shouted back, telling Ichan to get some sleep even though they loved him.
Then Hanjoon spoke up.
“Thanks to TVH’s consideration, we have about 10 minutes to talk. Do you have any questions?”
What gifts do you want for the fan signing event?
Will you appear on variety shows?
Tell us your MBTI!
Any plans for a concert?
Are you all healthy?
We love the blonde hair. Please keep it forever.
All sorts of questions flooded in.
L.I.T, exchanging glances on stage, took turns answering.
“The fan signing event will be held soon. Just coming to see us is a gift, so let’s meet healthy that day.”
Jaewon answered wittily.
Next, Roa responded.
“Our MBTI will be revealed soon in a magazine interview we recently did. For the record, I’m an ENFJ.”
Roa’s sweet smile as he revealed his MBTI caused the cheers to reach deafening levels.
Hanjoon, who had been watching Roa and the Filaments with a pleased expression, spoke up.
“Someone asked about a concert. We’re still in the seed stage, so once we grow a bit more, we’ll do one. And… variety shows are being discussed.”
At Hanjoon’s answer, the audience continued to make various requests.
Please appear on Let’s Eat Together.
We’re looking forward to the Idol Sports Championship Lunar New Year special.
Appear on Run, Run, Run.
Sigor Boutique.
They were so busy listing the variety shows they wanted L.I.T to appear on that they couldn’t keep up.
Then, Ichan stepped forward.
“It looks like our time is up.”
The stage director had signaled that they were out of time.
“We’re all healthy, and we’ll make sure to share any new updates quickly through SNS or the official website.”
As they lined up to say their final goodbyes, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, all the lights in the venue went out.
Then, one by one, lightsticks in the audience began to light up.
And a song started playing.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.”
As the Filaments sang the birthday song, a small cake appeared in Roa’s hands.
“Happy birthday to our beloved Yoon Siu.”
Siu’s eyes had already turned red.
“Siu! Happy birthday!”
At the Filaments’ collective shout, Siu finally shed tears.
“Ah, stop crying and blow out the candles quickly.”
At Jaewon’s scolding, Siu blew out the candles on the cake.
Another round of cheers erupted.
Thanks to TVH’s consideration, they were able to hold a small event on stage.
Did TVH do this out of the goodness of their hearts?
Absolutely not. They had already proposed a three-variety-show package to L.I.T’s agency alongside the comeback.
* * *
“That was fun.”
As soon as they returned to the waiting room, Jaewon shouted. Excitement was evident in his voice.
“Yeah. The stage is always the most fun.”
Even Siu, who was usually calm, was visibly excited.
Roa, his face flushed, nodded in agreement, and though he didn’t show it, Hanjoon felt the same.
And I… I had fun too.
“Good job, everyone. The first broadcast reactions were great too.”
Everything was great.
The song had entered the 24 Hit chart and was steadily climbing the real-time rankings.
In fact, the ranking was continuously, continuously rising.
The fan cafe membership was growing at an alarming rate, and the music video views were already approaching 2 million.
And the mini-album Begin had already sold 130,000 copies.
Just one week after its release, the first-week sales figures were being tallied.
But selling 130,000 copies in one day, even with pre-order numbers included, was an incredible feat for a rookie group.
The company predicted that if this momentum continued, they could easily surpass 200,000 first-week sales.
That would put them in contention for Rookie of the Year awards.
Ah, I forgot to mention the good news—L.I.T had been nominated for Rookie of the Year at both the PMA and HAMA awards.
Alongside MuteSeven and Möbius, who had also appeared on Stay, L.I.T had made the nominee list.
And now, the competition began.
Voting, streaming, album sales—everything depended on the fandom’s firepower.
What had started as a small fandom, incomparable to others, had now grown significantly.
Moreover, the Filaments, led by their experienced core, had strong cohesion.
From now until the awards ceremony, their fate rested on the Filaments’ efforts. Fortunately, the Filaments were more aware of this situation than anyone.
And they were more determined than any other fandom.
The giant billboard at Samsung Station was part of that effort.
And for that, I was grateful.
Their unconditional support and love warmed the deepest parts of my heart.
I wanted to do anything for them. The gifts for today’s pre-recording audience were prepared with that in mind. I wanted to give them even more, but I didn’t know what else to do, which made me feel a bit frustrated.
But after today’s stage, I realized something. The greatest gift we could give the Filaments was our stage.
“Guys.”
When we stood on stage and performed today, the color of the mana radiating from the Filaments was pure happiness.
It was so beautiful that my heart felt like it would burst.
“Let’s do an N Live when we get back.”
I felt like I was floating, as if I were drunk.
A long time ago, during my wizard inauguration ceremony, I had received a standing ovation. Back then, I had no idea what the future held, but I was simply happy.
And now, it felt just like that.
A time when I couldn’t see even an inch ahead, but was simply happy.