Chapter 356: Concert (20)

"Are you crying, Yoon-Chan?!!" a voice boomed from the audience, so loud it echoed distinctively throughout the hall.

All the members turned toward the source of the voice as the crowd chuckled at its sheer volume. The atmosphere lightened, intended to cheer up Yoon-Chan, who was struggling to contain his tears.

In place of the still-teary Yoon-Chan, Goh Yoo-Joon took the mic. His tone was playful yet commanding. "Hey, who's that? Show yourself, who was it?" he called out.

The Ring with the loud voice waved enthusiastically, clearly proud to be noticed.

"Ah, so you’re the one? Nice voice projection!" Goh Yoo-Joon praised.

"Maybe you should join us on a collaboration next time," I chimed in.

As Goh Yoo-Joon and I joked, the whole hall lit up with laughter. The mood became even more light-hearted, and this helped Yoon-Chan finally stop crying and steady his voice enough to speak.

"I'm sorry, everyone." He looked around the audience. "I think this is the first time I've been able to sing and dance so freely. I know I still need to work hard to catch up with the rest of the members."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, another loud voice countered from the opposite side of the hall. "No, you don't!!"

Yoon-Chan waved in the direction of the voice with a smile and continued. "I'm usually so nervous on stage, but today was just pure fun and happiness for me. I wasn't worried about making mistakes or being criticized. I was just... happy."

I backed him up. "Yeah, Yoon-Chan really looked like he was having a blast today, even backstage."

"It’s all thanks to you, Rings. Because of you, I feel like my performance and singing improved today. Thank you so much."

"Awww..." Joo-Han squinted his eyes and nodded in appreciation, then gave Yoon-Chan a thumbs up. "Yoon-Chan even speaks so beautifully," he marveled.

"Oh, here he goes again. Goh Yoo-Joon Line, assemble!" Goh Yoo-Joon called out, prompting Jin-Sung to instantly gravitate toward him so they could stick together.

Joo-Han, ever the instigator, continued unabated. "Everyone, please support Yoon-Chan's upcoming drama

The 10 PM Warrior.

"

I also added. "It airs every Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30 PM."

Yoon-Chan bowed deeply. "Please watch it!"

After Yoon-Chan, Jin-Sung shared his thoughts, visibly excited. "Ah, I just had so much fun. This place is huge, right?" He gestured expansively from one end of the stage to the other, then spun around playfully. Known as the most tearful member, everyone expected him to cry by the concert's end. Instead, he was the epitome of joy.

"This is the biggest stage I've ever been on. But no matter where I go, it's filled with Rings, who are on our side!" Jin-Sung's sweaty and beaming face was shown in close-up on the big screens. "To perform in front of people I love and see how much they enjoy it, I can't recall ever being this happy. Thanks so much for today, everyone. Let's keep having fun together."

"YES!!!" came the roaring reply.

Next up was my turn. "Next is Hyun-Woo." Joo-Han pointed at me, and all eyes shifted my way. I took a moment to absorb the scene, then turned to face the giant screen behind me. There I was, larger than life.

I turned back to face the crowd and said, "Being up here on stage, interacting with all of you, dancing, singing, and seeing myself on that giant screen... I can't fully express how precious this moment is."

How could I even begin to describe the fulfillment of standing here after all the struggles and the long waits during practice?

"I often doubted if this day would ever come, if I would ever get to perform on such a stage. This moment and everything that’s led to it means the world to me."

As my emotions started to well up, Goh Yoo-Joon shouted, "Suh Hyun-Woo, Jin-Sung is crying!!!"

"N... no, I am not! It's not just me! Yoon-Chan hyung was crying too!" Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan were now regaining their composure. They laughed and playfully nudged each other.

"Hey, why are you picking on the kids? Let them cry. I will buy them candy later," Joo-Han said, half teasing, half consoling. He signaled for me to continue.

"Anyway, after all the struggles to bring us together, I'm profoundly grateful for my fellow members, our incredible Rings, and for this concert. I'm sorry for causing you so much worry by always pushing myself to the limit. I promise to keep giving my all."

I lowered my head deeply and added one more thought before wrapping up. "It's getting pretty late now. Please dress warmly and take care on your way home. Stay healthy until we meet again. Thank you so much for everything!"

That was the end of my remarks. Given the lengthy speeches from the previous members, Joo-Han's comments were notably brief and to the point.

"During this concert, I've felt once again just how much love we are receiving. I'm truly grateful to everyone who made time to be here tonight. I hope you always have as much fun and happiness with us as you did tonight." He glanced at Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan. They had managed to subdue their emotions, but their eyes were still red from tears.

He continued, "Now, we have one last song left."

A collective sigh of disappointment rose from the crowd, echoed softly by us members too. Despite his empathetic look, Joo-Han pressed on. "This next song is one I wrote myself and first performed at our last fan meeting. It's a gift for you, our cherished Rings."

"Do you guys know which song it is?" Jin-Sung asked and prompted a flurry of shouted guesses from the audience. I removed my in-ear monitors to better hear their responses. It sounded like they all knew it already.

Joo-Han nodded with a satisfied look and continued. "The song is ‘Six Stars.’ To give you a bit of background, it's about my past struggles and my gratitude toward all of you. Let's get started with the last song."

The intro music began, and the stage lighting shifted and cast a gentle glow around us as we arranged ourselves in a circle to face our fans from every direction. The accompaniment was deeply lyrical and tinged with melancholy as Joo-Han started to sing.

♪ Looking up at dreams that were out of reach

Even when I was frustrated and fell,

I got up and ran

The brightest spotlights bathed us in light. Despite the song not having been officially released, the Rings knew every word and sang along with Joo-Han. Their voices blended warmly with his.

The next part was mine.

♪ A broken speaker,

An empty auditorium

When I lower my tired head,

I see the reality where my feet stand

The screen showed footage from our trainee days and captured moments of struggle and growth. You could see videos of a young me and Joo-Han, us practicing in school uniforms, Yoon-Chan auditioning, and a young Jin-Sung being comforted after a scolding.

♪ How much longer must I endure with tears?

But, after a long wait,

The starlight that shines on me

Has passed the loneliness

That was once my only companion

This song was based on Joo-Han’s perspective, so it revealed his own vulnerabilities and showed that even the most composed members have their battles. Joo-Han was often seen as the most stoic, but was surprisingly the most emotional among us. People often didn’t recognize his true feelings because he always hid them.

The song flowed smoothly, and a peaceful melody underpinned our collective emotional release. Jin-Sung's tears broke through again, and Goh Yoo-Joon's eyes were glossy with unshed tears. Their emotions reflected the profound journey encapsulated in the song.

♪ We will do this together

Let's run together

The one star that held my hand

We were supposed to take turns between Jin-Sung, Yoon-Chan, and I, but I ended up carrying the song forward alone because Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan were both crying. One star of the "Six Stars" referred to our fans, the constant stars in our journey.

Suddenly, the lights in the auditorium brightened unexpectedly. Before I could react, all the Rings lifted their banners high.

[We can run farther.]

[Chronos is the most beautiful time of the Rings.]

Seeing the banners and hearing their shouts, none of us could continue singing. The words "I love you" from the Rings remained stuck in my ears. The instrumental dwindled into the background as the Rings took over, their voices filling the arena with the song's lyrics.

Even after the music ended, we were left momentarily speechless, overwhelmed by the display of love and support.

"Wow, when did you guys prepare all this?"

"Who comes up with these slogans? How did you think of such heartfelt words? It's definitely something else seeing this from the stage."

"I wish I could capture this moment with a camera." Goh Yoo-Joon and I managed to exchange a few words amidst the overwhelming atmosphere.

Joo-Han was crouched down to regain his composure, and his shoulders shook for a while. He finally stood up to wrap up the evening. "Thank you so much, everyone. It seems like we really should wrap this up now, but let's say our goodbyes and end this concert."

"Don't be sad, Rings, we still have plenty of encores left."

I helped Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan to their feet. Joo-Han looked over at us and shouted a loud greeting.

"One, two, three!"

"We are Chronos and Park Yoon-Chan!![1] Thank you!"

"Goodbye!"

We left the stage amid the disappointed cries of the Rings and quickly changed our clothes.

If this really were the end, we wouldn't have finished so abruptly. There was still an encore left.

The sound of the Rings' calls for an encore reached the dressing room, and our hands moved even faster to change clothes.

1. Their new greeting chant lol ☜