Chapter 409: Red Rouge (28)

The stage continued smoothly without any major issues. As I danced, I glanced at the staff in the back. They watched us with cheerful faces as if a shaking stage was perfectly normal. There was no real danger during the performance, and we finished "Red Rouge" without any mishaps.

“Whew.” I sighed as I felt the exhaustion settle in.

"Red Rouge" was always exhausting since it left us momentarily dazed after each performance. We took a brief pause to catch our breath and get back on our feet. As we sipped water, the dancers quickly left the stage while groaning softly. Joo-Han struggled to stand but eventually caught his breath and resumed speaking.

“Phew, If you need water, drink up quickly. Yes, that was our new album’s title track ‘Red Rouge.’ Did it get you all fired up?”

“Yes!!!”

“You were amazing!!!”

“Your enthusiastic responses are just fantastic. Thank you so much. Wow, hold on a second.” Joo-Han was still recovering from the intense performance. He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. Yoon-Chan hurriedly handed him a bottle of water.

This song was really tough to speak right after. It was clear Joo-Han was struggling to continue. Seeing him unable to speak for a while, I decided to step in. “Thanks to your passionate cheering, we gave it our all, even more than usual. I hope you felt it.” I tried to keep the energy up.

“Yeah, we all got so excited today. With your loud cheers, I thought, ‘Wow, this might be the best show ever!” Goh Yoo-Joon added to help me out. The crowd cheered even louder in response.

I bowed my head and said, “Performing for you today has filled us with happiness. We will never forget the passion of Yeju University.”

Finally catching his breath, Joo-Han patted me and Goh Yoo-Joon on the shoulder and picked up the mic again. “Just like the members said, Yeju University will be remembered as a school full of bright and passionate students. I am already looking forward to next year’s festival. Unfortunately, we only have one song left.”

“Oh, noooo!” The students of Yeju University let out disappointed groans, and the members mimicked their sad expressions.

“It’s really sad, but...” Joo-Han teased with a playful grin. “There might be an encore, so stay tuned. Haha! Now, for our last song...”

We got into formation for the final song. The lights brightened, and the intro to "Joy" began. This song was very familiar to the public, and the audience reacted immediately. Even though we were already exhausted from "Red Rouge," the audience’s energy kept us going. We danced with precision and smiled naturally.

Creak—

With the demanding choreography, the stage and lights started shaking more vigorously. However, the members glanced at the shaking and carried on without much concern. After all, this wasn’t the first time we dealt with shaky stages.

We only had one more performance left, not counting the encore. So far, the stage had held up despite the shaking. This was nothing new for us, but I couldn’t shake off my concern, especially after seeing Jin-Sung’s worried expression earlier and what I had gone through in the past.

♪ Pink cherry blossoms flutter in the wind

And you and I are laughing

I capture your smile in a photo,

And you shyly lower your head

The excitement swells,

It's a relief that we are here today

The blue lights gradually transitioned to pastel pink, the signature color of the "Parade" universe series, and the fireworks prepared by the event organizers exploded. It was a perfect fit for the finale, a truly spectacular ending.

I smiled broadly while looking at the members, but then I noticed something strange. Jin-Sung, who was waiting for his turn, wasn’t smiling. He was looking up.

I followed his gaze. He was staring at the shaking lights.

‘What’s going on?’

Among the members, Jin-Sung was the least concerned about stage conditions. He was always the one who danced the most energetically, making the stage shake a bit. He was usually the most focused on the performance. But now, he was staring blankly at the shaking lights.

Fortunately, he snapped out of it quickly and continued with the choreography. It was just a brief moment, but it made me uneasy.

♪ Our most brilliant moment,

Becomes a beautiful filter,

Gifting us a lifetime of joy

As expected, we were able to finish the stage performance without any incidents.

“Thank you! We are Chronos!”

“Thank you!”

“Enjoy the rest of the festival!”

After greeting the Yeju University audience and coming off the stage, the members naturally gathered around Jin-Sung.

“Jin-Sung, are you feeling okay today?”

“You look a bit tired.”

“Huh? Me? Tired? Not at all.” Jin-Sung looked puzzled as he dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups right there.

Goh Yoo-Joon quickly called out to Tae-Seong. “Hyung! Jin-Sung is bulking up!”

“No way! Hyung, come on! Calling this bulking up is an exaggeration!”

Tae-Seong ignored Jin-Sung’s protests, walked over, effortlessly picked him up, and carried him away.

“I was just showing that I’m not tired. I didn’t make any mistakes today, so why?”

Feeling sorry for Jin-Sung, I stepped in to explain. “The hyungs are worried because you seemed distracted on stage today. Normally, you are focused only on the performance.”

I approached Jin-Sung gently, intending to ask if something was bothering him. His actions today had been unusually concerning. But I didn’t get the chance.

“Hyun-Woo, get ready to go back on stage with Jin-Sung.”

Even as we came off stage, the students of Yeju University were still chanting for an encore. We barely had time to cool down before we had to go back on stage, so I gave Jin-Sung an awkward smile and headed over to the staff area. The members quickly gathered near Joo-Han, and we returned to the stage at the staff’s signal.

“Wow~ Thank you for the encore!”

“We didn’t expect this! We are so touched!” Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon spoke on our behalf as I stepped onto the last stair leading to the stage.

Screeeeech!

“Ugh!”

A loud, unpleasant screeching sound echoed. This caused both the members and the audience to cover their ears in discomfort. It seemed the microphone and speakers, which had been acting up earlier, finally gave out.

The members who were already on stage stopped in their tracks, and Jin-Sung and I joined them as the last ones to enter. It was just a temporary unpleasant noise, so I thought we should proceed to the center of the stage. The members seemed too startled to move, so I thought I should take the lead and stepped forward first.

But as I took a step forward, something unexpected happened.

“Hyun-Woo hyung, wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

Jin-Sung’s polite, formal tone suddenly caught me off guard. I stopped and frowned at the unusual strength pulling my wrist back.

“Don’t go yet.”

At that moment, something flashed above us with a loud bang, followed by the shocked cries of the audience and the sudden darkness on stage.

“Aghhhhh!!!”

Screech- sizzle-!

There was a burst of hot smoke, the sound of something burning and then cooling rapidly.

“...”

That sound sent shivers down my spine. It was the same sound I remembered from the most painful moment of my life, when my skin was burning and my ears were melting. My steps halted naturally. My mind felt frozen, and I could only stare blankly at the ceiling near the screen. The lights had burst and were quickly cooling down.

“...Uh, yes. The lights exploded, haha. Everyone, you must be really scared.”

Yoon-Chan, ever the professional, broke the silence by speaking smoothly. The other members were still staring at the lights like me, frozen.

“The lights over there have dimmed a bit, but is it okay if we continue our performance?” Yoon-Chan asked as he looked toward the backstage staff for their opinion before signaling to the audience that it was okay.

“Fortunately, it’s just one light that malfunctioned, so we can keep going. I know you are all shocked, but let’s move to the center.”

Yoon-Chan guided the dazed members to the center of the stage, snapping them out of their stupor. He grabbed my shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.

“Hyung.”

At his soft call, I finally moved. My hands and body were trembling. It had been a long time since I felt this way. I thought meeting the creator god had resolved everything, but maybe not.

I tried to keep my face calm as I headed to the center of the stage. The members were gathered in the center, and they slowly regained their composure and smiled awkwardly.

“Since one of the lights is out, it’s a bit dark. Could you all light it up with your phone flashlights?”

“Yes!!!”

At Yoon-Chan’s request, the audience eagerly turned on their phone flashlights and waved them. Yoon-Chan then pulled Jin-Sung over.

All eyes were on Jin-Sung as he joined us. He looked different because he was pale, almost on the verge of tears, but unable to cry.

“Jin-Sung, are you okay?” I asked softly.

He nodded, but his expression remained troubled. Seeing him like this filled me with worry, but I knew we had to continue.