translation by mourningmoor
A notice was posted on Blade Entertainment's official website.
L.I.T's Ichan was injured in a stage accident. The injury is not as serious as many are worried about. He was immediately taken to the hospital after the accident, and the treatment progress is very positive. However, to ensure the artist's stable recovery, we have canceled all scheduled music show appearances for this week. At Blade Entertainment, the safety of our artists is our top priority.
This happened two days after the accident.
During this time, Filaments anxiously waited for news about Ichan, constantly checking the fan cafe and L.I.T's official website.
On social media, fans posted images of their hands clasped in prayer, wishing for Ichan's speedy recovery.
For two consecutive days, the hashtag #Pray_for_ICHAN trended on SNS, spreading the Filaments' heartfelt wishes.
However, no news about Ichan came.
Then, five days after the accident, someone uploaded a video to Interstar.
The video showed a row of five lights falling with a loud crash.
Although the footage was distant and shaky due to the panicked hands filming it, the situation was clear enough.
A man in a white hoodie threw himself forward as the lights fell, pushing away two men standing in the center of the stage.
Amid the screams, shouts, and footsteps, the voices calling "Hyungnim" and "Hyung-ah" were clearly heard through the microphone.
Soon, the white hoodie was stained red.
Filaments who saw the video were shocked.
Wait, is Blade crazy? They said it wasn't a serious injury, but he lost that much blood? ㅜㅜㅜㅜ
└If it spread that much in an instant, he must have lost a lot of blood ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Is our leader really okay? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ With something that huge falling on him, did his shoulder bone break? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
This is insane. Ichan, are you okay? ㅜㅜㅜㅜ
└Respond. Respond, Leader Kang. Tell us you're okayㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Will he even be able to perform at the year-end stage? PMA is on December 6th.
└It's likely he won't be able to perform ㅠㅠㅠㅠ There's only about a week left.
└Is the Rookie Award slipping away?
└(Angrily) Is the Rookie Award the issue? Ichan's health is the issue!
Of course, there were also trolls.
Lol, this rookie group was talking about the Grammys, but now they can't even perform on a domestic stage. Maybe they're using the accident as an excuse to run away because they're scaredㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
└You're really messed up. A person got hurt, and you're laughing? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Yeah, get lost. Just because L.I.T can't go to PMA doesn't mean Mute will win an award. Mute is Mute.
Does it make sense to run and push the kids away like that when the lights fell? Did they know it was going to happen? Why does it feel staged to me?
└Are you crazy? Does that scene look staged to you? Even if his arm got cut off, you'd call it staged?
└Last week at Music City, when your oppa slipped on a camera cable, was that staged too? If that's the case, then Mute is the king of staging.
└Our Ichan has lightning-fast reflexes and agility. He's completely different from your oppas.
Most of these comments came from accounts believed to be MuteSeven fans.
The moment Ichan looked up, the lights fell, and without a moment of hesitation, he pushed the members away—this scene became a hot topic.
Eventually, this scene even made it to KBC and SBN news.
And Blade Entertainment was flooded with calls from reporters.
They were asking about the well-being of Ichan, the person involved in the accident.
* * *
Six days after getting stitches on my shoulder, it was finally time to remove them.
A surgeon, a friend of PD Pyo, came to the company for a house call, and I received my final treatment in the CEO's office.
"Is it because you're young? The scar is fading quickly."
"Really?"
At his friend's comment, PD Pyo closely examined the wound.
Meanwhile, the phone rang again.
I lost count of how many calls came into the CEO's office while the stitches were being removed.
"Again?"
PD Pyo nodded as he looked at the phone number displayed.
"The PR team's responses are too bland, so they're all calling here."
On the day of the accident, I cautiously asked PD Pyo for a favor.
I wanted my condition to be kept as private as possible.
[How much do you trust me?]
[Why? That's scary.]
I handed a yellow Post-it note to the slightly frightened PD Pyo.
[It's a note I received from MuteSeven's Kim Wooyoung.]
[Be careful?]
[Kim Wooyoung was warning me in his own way.]
[So it wasn't an accidental accident?]
[It could be accidental, but it might not be.]
[To stop you from performing at PMA? To prevent you from winning the Rookie Award?]
[That's how they win the bet.]
Remembering the bet with Jang Myungwoo, PD Pyo's face turned red, and he vowed to do whatever it took.
We decided to only inform Pumpkin Music about our team's condition.
The CEO of Pumpkin Music was PD Pyo's college classmate, making it easy to seek cooperation.
Pumpkin Music saw L.I.T's accident as a great opportunity for noise marketing and promised full cooperation.
That's why the company's notice was kept vague, even if it meant receiving criticism.
We only told the media that the injury "wasn't serious," omitting all details.
After canceling all schedules with the statement "it's not serious," speculative articles flooded in. Then, the accident footage surfaced.
Unexpectedly, the sudden video was being used quite effectively, especially by Pumpkin Music.
Blade Entertainment refused all interviews, but Pumpkin Music released an article.
The article summarized:
Although Ichan's condition hasn't been fully disclosed, the accident seems more serious than expected, making his PMA appearance uncertain. While we haven't received official cancellation notices yet, we're preparing for the worst. Originally, L.I.T's main dancer was set to perform the opening act, and L.I.T's stage was expected to be one of the most spectacular in PMA history. It's a shame we might not see it. We wish Ichan a speedy recovery.
They deliberately stirred the pot, knowing full well we were performing.
Pumpkin Music's antics would likely keep HS and Jung Yoobin quiet for now. They'll panic later when they realize they've been fooled, but what can they do? It's their fault for causing the accident.
The only thing I feel slightly guilty about is making the fans worry.
Fans were furious at the possibility of missing out on an epic stage. Naturally, their anger was directed at MBS.
The MBS forum was flooded with intense posts.
And there was another effect.
The aggro didn't just affect fans.
People who weren't fans, people who didn't know about L.I.T, people who had no interest in L.I.T—many saw Pumpkin Music's article and became curious about what had happened.
As a result, L.I.T even made it to the trending searches on portal sites.
This meant the publicity was working perfectly.
"Thanks to Pumpkin Music, it feels like we're clearing our noses without lifting a finger."
T.N.: a Korean idiom meaning "to gain something effortlessly" or "to get something done without any effort."
PD Pyo smiled faintly as he recalled the situation.
"Clearing our noses without lifting a finger? You've hyped up the expectations so much that unless we deliver an amazing stage, we're going to get roasted."
It was true. On the fan cafe, fans were already imagining Roa's opening dance and the main stage, adding layer upon layer of anticipation.
This made Director Gong Seokho extremely busy.
He had to scrap the choreography he had worked so hard on and completely rework it.
"Now, put your clothes on."
The doctor finished the final disinfection after removing all the stitches.
"Thank you."
I rotated my shoulder a few times and put on the shirt I had taken off.
"But don't overuse your shoulder. The wound might reopen."
"Okay."
I not only smiled at the doctor's concern but also nodded. The doctor, reassured, stood up.
"Don't forget to wear the shoulder brace during practice. If the wound reopens, you really might not be able to perform on stage."
"Understood."
I wore the shoulder brace as instructed.
Then, I left the CEO's office.
Playing the role of a good patient made my mouth dry.
I wanted to heal myself already, but I feared being treated like a monster, so I only sent a minimal amount of mana to the wound.
Fortunately, I was seen as someone who heals quickly and cooperates well with treatment, so all procedures were completed smoothly.
An article like this would probably come out:
"Ichan was very cooperative during treatment, and thanks to his naturally healthy body, his wound healed quickly."
I chuckled and headed to the practice room.
As soon as I entered, the members rushed over.
"Did you get the stitches removed?"
"Are you okay?"
"Is it healed?"
"Are you alright?"
Seeing them looking at me with bright eyes, I felt a strange emotion. It reminded me of a long time ago, when I was around Ichan's age, nineteen.
I had comrades like this too… back then.
My throat felt tight.
"I'm fine. PMA won't be a problem. HAMA either."
I rotated my shoulder, still in the brace, and Roa, startled, grabbed my arm. Then, with a serious face, he shook his head.
"Hyungnim. What if the wound reopens?"
I patted his head and smiled.
"It won't."
I took off the shoulder brace and threw it into the corner of the practice room. Then, I tightened my shoelaces.
"Let's practice. This PMA stage will determine how far you guys can go."
* * *
DECEMBER 3rd.
Three days before PMA, Pumpkin Music finally confirmed L.I.T's appearance.
At the same time, a few photos were posted on L.I.T's official website.
One showed Ichan sitting in the corner of the practice room, watching the members practice.
Another showed him participating in practice with a shoulder brace.
The last one showed Ichan, without the brace, practicing with a bright expression, different from usual.
A short message accompanied the photos:
I received the best medical care and did my best to recover. There's no issue with the shoulder. We promise to show you an even more vibrant performance. Thank you for waiting, Filaments. We love you.
And finally, the day of PMA, the Pumpkin Music Awards, arrived.