translation by mourningmoor
New York, USA. 3:47 AM
The phone on the bedside table buzzed and lit up with a blue glow.
Noah, who had just fallen asleep about 30 minutes ago after tossing and turning, reached out and picked up the phone.
The caller was none other than that annoying Grand Mage, who had the audacity to disturb his sleep.
"Can you at least consider the time difference? It's New York here, junior."
—Do you really not know Jung Yoobin?
No greeting, no asking how he was doing.
Straight to the point, as expected of a Grand Mage.
"You call me at this hour, for the first time ever, and all you want to talk about is Jung Yoobin?"
Noah wanted to complain a bit, but the Grand Mage wasn’t having it.
—Do you know him or not?
"What if I do?"
—Then do you know Aki?
From the tone of his voice, it was clear he was furious. Noah wanted to tease him a bit more, but if the Grand Mage started causing a scene, it would only complicate things for him.
"Aki? Who’s that?"
The name sounded familiar, but…
—You don’t know Jung Yoobin, do you?
"Look, Jesquière."
Noah let out a long sigh, got out of bed, and walked over to the minibar. He poured himself the rest of the whiskey he had been drinking before falling asleep.
"I’m not interested in that world."
Of course, it wasn’t that he disliked this world.
For one, he quite liked the human he had taken over, "Yoo Noah." The face and physique were decent, the wealth was beyond expectations, and the abilities were top-notch.
If this world was an exile, it felt like a top-tier one.
He also liked the values of this world.
The line between good and evil was so blurred that he, the Demon King, could blend in without any sense of dissonance.
And one more thing.
Perhaps because the beings here couldn’t absorb mana, he could dominate their minds as much as he wanted. There was no room for boredom.
But that was it.
There was nothing he desired, nothing he wanted to do.
He didn’t want to possess anything, nor did he want to rule over anything.
"The only thing I’m interested in is that shiny, glowing blue existence."
The one who firmly blocked his destruction.
The savior who extended his life with a final blessing.
"That existence must live for me to live."
His lifeline.
For this reason, Noah had no choice but to keep an eye on this shiny Grand Mage. He couldn’t just let him die recklessly.
—So.
The Grand Mage paused for a moment before continuing.
—How did you know the accident was going to happen?
He still suspects that I was involved in that accident.
Well, given that Jesquière is Armenian, it’s only natural.
He probably believes that all evil deeds are caused by the Demon King’s power.
But since this is an unfamiliar world and he has something he wants to protect, he’d rather avoid suspicion.
"The day before the accident, I ran into that Jung Yoobin guy at the SS Hotel lounge. He asked for an autograph as a fan… I was about to refuse, but I ended up giving it to him. The aura he was emitting was worse than the Demon King’s faction."
It was hilarious. Such a sinister aura, yet his face was as innocent as a lamb. That’s why this world is so amusing.
Evil disguises itself as good, and good imitates evil.
"I liked it. It felt like I was back home."
—Get to the point.
"When I handed the autograph back, our fingertips touched."
He deliberately brushed against him to peek into his mind.
And in doing so, he stumbled upon an unexpected fact.
"Mental domination is most effective upon physical contact."
—Mind Reading doesn’t work.
Mind Reading isn’t a spell; it’s a divine power.
It’s almost similar to the Demon King’s "Mental Domination."
The fact that it doesn’t work means it’s being blocked by a similar kind of power.
—It’s not just Jung Yoobin. Aki… is the same. It’s like something is blocking it.
In other words, the only things that can block Mind Reading are either another Mind Reading or the Demon King’s "Mental Domination."
—So, it’s not you?
"It’s not me."
It’s not him.
In this world, his role isn’t to hinder the Grand Mage’s path.
Rather, it’s to help the Grand Mage regain his original power as quickly as possible. Only then can the Grand Mage live, and he can live.
"I’ll look into it."
It’s not certain yet, but there are some clues.
"So, hoobaenim, focus on recovering your magical power. Show them a stage that will blow their minds."
* * *
"It’s… it’s insane."
Yoojung didn’t expect such an uncouth word to slip out of her mouth.
Staring blankly at the ending credits of L.I.T’s new music video for Cotton Candy, she quickly left a comment.
It’s fire, it’s icy, let’s go~~♡
Then she pressed the play button again.
"I’m watching it ten times, no question."
The black screen faded into a grayish hue.
Then, five yellow lightning bolts struck from above, etching the L.I.T logo.
The sky, indistinguishable between night and day, came into view.
The sky, filled with dark clouds, showed no sun, moon, or stars. Only the menacingly writhing black clouds indicated that it was indeed the sky.
In the background, the harsh sound of metal scraping echoed.
The camera moved from the sky to the ground, revealing an old amusement park.
The amusement park, devoid of color, looked desolate and eerie.
Against the backdrop of a sky threatening to pour down rain, a worn-out carousel creaked as it turned.
Then, a soft music box melody began to play.
At that moment, a cotton candy machine filled the screen.
The black-and-white cotton candy machine spun aimlessly, producing nothing.
Then, something shiny flew in from somewhere.
It was the same seed Jaewon had scattered into the sky earlier in the music video.
The moment the seed touched the cotton candy machine, the black-and-white screen began to fill with color.
The music box melody merged with a cheerful tune, and the intro to Cotton Candy began.
Someone poured colorful sugar into the cotton candy machine.
The spinning machine began to spit out adorable cotton candy.
Simultaneously, the entire amusement park lit up, coming to life with pastel tones. Even the sky turned a clear blue.
Next, round, colorful graffiti-style letters filled the screen, spelling out "Cotton Candy."
The wriggling "Cotton Candy" burst like a balloon, revealing a close-up of Jaewon’s face.
Pink, green, yellow, white, purple.
Sweet and soft.
It’s just like my heart.
Jaewon, showing off for the camera, took a big bite of the pink cotton candy.
In an instant, the screen changed with an animation effect.
Roa, with pink hair, was blowing up balloons while singing.
So soft, it’s driving me crazy.
Can I hide it on a day like this?
I can’t hide it.
After releasing dozens of balloons into the sky, Roa winked and took a bite of the white cotton candy.
At that moment, Hanjoon snatched the cotton candy from Roa’s hand.
As Roa’s surprised face filled the screen, an animation effect transitioned the scene.
Hanjoon, moving his hands as if casting a spell, turned the white cotton candy yellow.
Sweet and soft.
Look into my heart.
Colors of sugar, dancing to the beat for you.
Sweet smell, without me, it’s hell.
Hanjoon, with gray hair and a white jumpsuit, winked mischievously like a playful child as he continued his rap.
In the background of the carousel, Roa chased after balloons, followed by Jaewon holding a bunch of balloons.
On the spinning carousel, Ichan and Siu appeared.
The camera zoomed in on the two.
Hot, cool, sour, bitter, salty.
But I’m sweet and soft.
Up and down, right and left.
Once you taste it, you can’t let go.
Siu, sitting proudly on the carousel, continued the rap.
His signature soft smile matched perfectly with the mint-green cotton candy in his hand.
With a meltingly sweet smile, he scattered the mint-green cotton candy upward, and it disappeared, replaced by a sparkling purple light.
Then, the camera zoomed in on Ichan.
Sitting not on the carousel but on a carriage, Ichan smirked slightly and began to sing.
Sweet and soft.
Melt it sweetly, wrap it softly.
You’ll never be able to let me go.
You can’t let me go.
The stardust Siu had scattered surrounded Ichan, sparkling.
Ichan, lounging lazily in the carriage, casually took a bite of the purple cotton candy.
The close-ups of each member’s individual parts were well done.
The cute and lovable portrayal of soft, sweet love through cotton candy was also great.
The playful acting shown between the close-ups was good too.
But the best part was the choreography where the five members came together.
Group choreography appeared between individual parts and during the chorus.
It was distinctly different from their previous flashy choreography.
The way they swayed their shoulders or lightly stepped forward was incredibly cute.
The playful teasing and exchanging glances were also delightful.
Ichan shooting a finger gun at Hanjoon, and Hanjoon catching it. The way they played so affectionately among themselves was also endearing.
It was fresh enough to make you think they could pull off a girl group cover.
And when you looked at it all together, the overall feeling was… sexy.
Clearly cute, playful, lovable, and fresh, yet why did it feel so sexy overall?
The conclusion was simple: it’s fire, it’s icy, let’s go.
L.I.T is just fire. Icy. That’s why words just keep spilling out.
The comment section of the NewTube video was in chaos.
L.I.T can do anything. I love my soft, sweet shining starsㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Wait, is it okay to be this sweet? It feels like I’ve downed a whole bottle of sugar. Siu’s gaze is melting my heartㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSame.
The easy-to-follow choreography for an easy-listening song. Kang Ichan’s song with Park Roa’s choreography. L.I.T are geniuses. No arguments.
└I memorized the chorus after one listen. This single is going to be a hit.
At this point, can’t they just hold a concert? I’m dying waiting for one.
└They still don’t have enough songsㅠㅠㅠㅠ Mini 1st album: 5 songs, 2nd album: 5 songs, single: 1 song. Only 11 songs so far. They need at least 25, but they can’t fill the rest with other artists’ songs. Let’s wait a bit longer.
Kang Ichan, what’s going onㅠㅠㅠㅠ Why do you keep getting more handsomeㅠㅠㅠㅠ Wow, that smirk is killing me. What are you doing to my heart?
└Lightbulb, it’s not just you. Everyone’s getting wrecked by Kang Ichanㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s becoming a religion at this point.
What did you feed our soft, sweet bunny? Did you skip tteokguk and feed him something weird? He’s grown up so much in just one year. Jaewon, my heart is bursting.
└22222
└33333333
Waitㅋㅋㅋㅋ Roa chasing after the balloons he just released is too cuteㅋㅋㅋ It reminds me of the Olympic pink squirrel. The one chasing its tailㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋI want a squirrel like that too. So cuteㅋㅋㅋ
It’s so cute and goodㅠㅠㅠㅠ But since it’s a digital single, there’s no fansign eventㅠㅠㅠㅠ I miss the kidsㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Me tooㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ㅠㅠㅠㅠ333333
There were some regrets since it wasn’t a full album but a digital single.
But Filaments were becoming one of the busiest fandoms out there.
Because L.I.T was becoming one of the busiest idols out there.