Chapter 357: Concert (21)

Right after we slipped backstage, the Rings' chants for an encore increased. I threw on a white tee and black pants, then grabbed a selfie stick to dive back into the fray. This was the final encore, so we all let loose by moving freely around the stage and belting out the tunes.

Joo-Han and I roamed around with cameras and captured our antics on the big screen, which only encouraged the other members to come by and playfully splash water at us.

Paper petals drifted down from the ceiling, mingling with the vivid stage lights and the glowing light sticks from the Rings. It was an ethereal sight. Witnessing such beauty from the stage was a moment I knew I’d remember forever.

“Hey, pass me the camera. I want to try taking some shots." Goh Yoo-Joon called out, coming up to snatch the camera from my hands. Now free to roam, I snagged one of the eight light sticks tied to Jin-Sung’s belt and ventured closer to the sea of Rings.

One fan was reaching out desperately and shouting my name. “Hyun-Woo!!! Over here!!!!"

I recognized her face from many fan signing events, so I waved enthusiastically and made my way down from the stage to greet her more personally.

“Hey, long time no see! It’s been a while, hasn't it?" I called out to her.

“Yeah! Oh my gosh, Hyun-Woo. Do you remember me?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement.

I nodded vigorously. She had been one of our Rings since our first signing session. She'd been regretful about not being able to attend recently because of her exams, but it looked like she was free now. Our conversation was brief, though, and she handed me a headband she had brought, which I gratefully accepted and quickly headed back up to the stage.

“Wow, check this out," I marveled as I put on the headband adorned with mini light sticks on all sides. It seemed the fan had made it herself. I continued to weave through the stage, now fully part of the spectacle. Joo-Han, who had given the camera to Yoon-Chan, sneakily came up behind me and draped an arm over my shoulder.

“Hyun-Woo, you haven’t checked out the left side stage yet, have you?" he pointed out.

“Oh? Uh, not during the encore," I replied. Throughout the concert, we had a choreographed path that took us all over the stage, but the freestyle nature of the encore—with its playful water splashing and casual fan interactions—made it so I hadn't yet ventured that far.

Joo-Han gave me a gentle push on the back. “Go give a shout out over there too."

“Thanks for the heads-up."

I realized I had been so caught up in the fun that I'd neglected some areas of the stage. Reminded of the times I’d advised trainees to evenly engage with all parts of the audience, I felt a twinge of embarrassment at my oversight. Scolding myself for the lack of professionalism, I quickly made my way to the left side.

And there I saw them.

“...”

Amidst the many Rings waving their light sticks were my parents. Tears were streaming down their faces. I realized they were watching me. They had come to the concert.

I was speechless, overwhelmed by the sight of them and unable to formulate any response. What do you say in a moment that feels both surreal and intensely profound?

It felt as if the world had paused, leaving just my parents and me in this shared moment under the spotlight, surrounded by the cheers of countless others. After a long, heartfelt gaze, I finally managed to speak.

“Father, Mother."

The emotions hit me like a wave. Regret, sorrow, and joy all swirled together. This was the moment I had always wanted to share with them, to show them this side of my world. Tears fell, and I quickly covered my eyes. My hands instantly became damp.

No one else might understand why I was crying so intensely. They might think it was just the overwhelming joy of a reunion with my family. And that was fine by me. I was just happy to be here, feeling loved.

I stood there, lost in my emotions. Suddenly, I felt comforting hands around me.

“Hyung, watch out. You’re gonna fall over. Don't cry, man... I'm gonna start crying too..." Yoon-Chan said.

“Are you okay, hyung?” asked Jin-Sung.

A tissue appeared from caring hands. I quickly covered my face with the tissue and nodded, managing to stop the tears thanks to their concern.

“Hyun-Woo hyung, look at me for a second," Yoon-Chan urged, checking my face and then smiling. “You’re a bit flushed, but you look okay."

It meant I wasn’t a mess enough to need a fix-up before going back onstage. I raised my head, waved at the Rings to show I was alright, and looked back at my parents. My father silently gave a thumbs-up.

If I said something, I felt like I might lose control of my emotions. I bowed deeply in place of a reply and stepped away. I had not expected both my parents to come because they were both working and busy.

When I handed them the tickets, they seemed unsure whether they could make it and gave me vague responses. Therefore, I kept my expectations low. It turned out they just wanted to come, watch quietly, and slip away unnoticed.

“Everyone, this is our last song tonight! I can't believe it’s almost over!”

Time flew, and soon we were down to our final encore song.

At that moment, a massive, whimsical cake-looking stair set rolled onto the stage. It was perfectly in tune with the concert's parade and festival theme. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale with its vibrant, colorful tiers.

The members, who had been spread out, now gathered at the center and climbed atop the cake. As the cake began spinning around the stage, we delivered our final encore from atop this moving platform.

After the song, we gathered at the center stage again and joined the band and dancers. We waved and expressed our gratitude to the cheering crowd. That marked the real conclusion of our very first concert.

***

“You all did an amazing job today! Sure, there were minor slip-ups, but you were all outstanding for your very first concert. Let's hit it hard again tomorrow!”

“Yeah!”

Glasses clinked against each other. At the dinner party after the concert, there was a noticeable absence of alcohol because everyone was focused on being sharp for tomorrow’s second concert.

“Hey, beef tonight? What a special treat~” Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t hide his excitement at the sight of perfectly grilled beef.

Opposite of him, Jin-Sung was busy snapping pictures of the beef before eagerly beginning to eat what appeared to be almost raw steak. “It’s been forever since we had anything but pork!”

Supervisor Kim observed Jin-Sung’s voracious appetite and approached with a beaming smile. “Go ahead, Chronos. Eat all you want. Forget about the price. Do you know what this is? It's dry-aged beef[1]. The flavor is incomparable to average beef!”

“What does dry-aged mean?” Jin-Sung asked with curiosity.

Supervisor Kim simply chuckled and urged him to eat more. “It's just fancy, expensive beef.”

That we were brought to such an upscale restaurant known for its aged meats meant Supervisor Kim was in exceptionally high spirits, probably because the concert had been a smashing success.

“The CEO said to eat as much as you like. He is paying for all of these,” Joo-Han murmured to me. So, this wasn’t Supervisor Kim’s treat after all. It was the CEO paying out of his own pocket.

Oblivious to this, Jin-Sung enthusiastically gave two thumbs-up to Supervisor Kim with his mouth full of beef. “I knew I could count on you, Supervisor Kim! You really know when it's time to splurge!”

“Absolutely~ Dig in!” Supervisor Kim walked away without revealing that it was actually the CEO who footed the bill.

Given our large group, which included members, dancers, band, and staff, we had rented out an entire large hall for the meal. This allowed us to enjoy our dinner away from any awkward formalities with the adults as they offered one entire table just for the members.

“But, Hyun-Woo and Yoon-Chan. Don’t you guys need to go eat with your parents?”

The parents who had attended today’s concert were mine and Yoon-Chan’s. It wasn’t until after the concert had ended that they finally came backstage. It was the first time both Yoon-Chan’s and my parents met all the members.

“You guys can act as carefree as Yoo-Joon, just think of us as your mom and dad. And thanks for being so good to Hyun-Woo,”

my parents had said, visibly enjoying their interactions with the members and with our managers Su-Hwan and Tae-Seong.

They seemed particularly pleased talking to Su-Hwan and Supervisor Kim, probably because they laid on the praise for me thick enough to make it almost embarrassing. After a brief exchange, my parents swapped phone numbers with Yoon-Chan’s parents and left the venue together, likely heading out for a meal.

Thus, before Yoon-Chan and I could even suggest joining them, we were preemptively turned down.

“You know, our fans must have some real strength. They seem to have picked it up from Jin-Sung,” Goh Yoo-Joon commented as he massaged his own arm.

“Why? Is your arm hurting?”

“I got grabbed in the audience earlier. They clung to my wrist so tightly it still hurts. Seems they grabbed me to give a gift but then got scared and let go. They didn’t have to be apologetic.”

“Are you okay, Hyun-Woo hyung? You got grabbed too, right?”

“Ah, it was a shock, but I’m alright.”

It turned out that all the members had been pulled at least once, with Joo-Han actually having it worse than me. He had been grabbed so hard that even his outfit got stretched.

“Su-Hwan hyung said he's going to add a request not to pull on us in the opening announcement starting tomorrow," Joo-Han mentioned as he grabbed some meat to eat.

Goh Yoo-Joon looked a bit concerned. He said, “Jin-Sung wasn’t asking about your arm hurting. He was concerned about how you were suddenly grabbed. Weren't you traumatized by that?"

Joo-Han quickly joined in the conversation. “Exactly. Everyone saw you freeze earlier. The members

and

the Rings. We are more worried about that than the physical pain."

Reflecting on it, I realized I was okay. Such an event would have normally caused my heart to race with anxiety all day. But the fear I felt when I was grabbed disappeared as soon as we moved on to the next song.

“Thanks for your concern." I appreciated their early detection of my state. Maybe it was because of their quick response, or perhaps because I now knew I was not alone. "I really appreciate it." I felt grateful that I now had people to share my hardships with.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

[Second Condition: Overcome] Mission Complete

Status : Amnesia has been removed.

1. Dry-aged beef is appreciated for its richer flavor and increased tenderness due to a natural breakdown of muscle tissue and moisture loss over weeks to months. This makes the meat juicier and more flavorful, establishing it as a premium choice among meat enthusiasts. ☜