I folded my arms.
“So… what you’re saying is that you think I should modify my solo stage.”
“Yeah.”
Ryu Chungwoo nodded with a stiff expression.
We were sitting in the dorm, having ordered ourselves a somewhat special meal to celebrate successfully finishing the first day of the concert.
I hadn’t expected to hear something like this.
‘Was this what he meant when he said we should talk later?’
They should fire the person responsible for the equipment.
Why should I, the innocent party, have to give up my performance?
It was also ridiculous being told what I should or shouldn’t do when it was my solo stage and didn’t affect anyone else.
I answered reluctantly.
“We can just identify the person who made the mistake, replace them, and keep doing it. I never felt any particular strain during that stage.”
“Even if you don’t feel strain, your wrist or your waist might.”
I suppressed a sigh.
“…I told you, I’m fine. If I couldn’t handle it in the first place, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Big Sejin picked up the conversation.
Yes, it wasn’t only Ryu Chungwoo.
The other guys were all sitting there listening seriously as though they had convened some kind of meeting.
“Park Moondae. The tour dates that are already confirmed stretch over more than three months. Even excluding Seoul, there are twelve performances.”
I know.
“Can you do that twelve more times? Can you do it at a new venue every time without making even a single mistake?”
“I’m saying it was fine even when there was a mistake—”
“N-No, it wasn’t.”
“…!”
…Seon Ahyeon.
“Moondae, you passed out… If s-something goes wrong, something really serious could happen. A-And your wrist still hurts too…….”
“…….”
My head was starting to throb.
I rubbed my shoulder.
“…There’s time before we go overseas anyway. If I rest then, I can recover completely.”
“Moondae.”
Ryu Chungwoo put a hand to his forehead.
“Are you a doctor?”
“…!”
“With any injury… once a bone has been hurt, no one can guarantee there won’t be aftereffects.”
Ryu Chungwoo gave a bitter smile.
“I can guarantee that.”
“…….”
This bastard is using a cheat code.
Faced with the words of a former national-team athlete who had retired before even reaching his prime because of lingering injuries, I shut my mouth.
Of course, that wasn’t a declaration of surrender.
‘Should I target the emotions first?’
Once a sensitive keyword like “injury” entered the conversation, these weren’t the kind of people I could persuade with logic alone.
‘Either way, if I can make it sound convincing enough, their “now that you mention it, that makes sense” trait might activate.’
Wasn’t there more than a fifty-percent chance?
I put together an appropriate structure.
Then I spoke as though I were hesitant.
An emotional appeal like this.
“But… I practiced for a long time because I wanted to show everyone this.”
“…That’s…”
“I spent a lot of time thinking about the concept before I made it. And once I actually performed it, the response was really good too…….”
I finished speaking solemnly.
“It feels like too much of a waste to do it for just one day and stop. I want to keep trying for as long as I can. If my injury recovers too slowly, I’ll ask for everyone’s understanding later and change it.”
Ryu Chungwoo’s expression darkened slightly.
‘Did it work?’
But Big Sejin cut in with an incredulous expression.
“You haven’t even been on the actual apparatus for two weeks. What do you mean you practiced for a long time?”
This bastard.
“…I mean I spent a long time planning it.”
“Oh, really? You picked this because you needed an excuse for how you got hurt, didn’t you?”
“…!”
“It worked for one day, so let’s switch to an alternative now. You can restrain yourself for a while and do it later after you’ve completely recovered. We’re going to keep having concerts.”
Big Sejin continued with an utterly serious expression.
“Think long-term for once. Are you planning to retire after this tour?”
“…!”
“You’re not.”
Well… who knows.
Maybe I won’t be able to continue.
At that moment, realization struck me as though I had been hit over the head with something.
‘Was this bothering me?’
The fact that once all my Status Abnormalities ended during this tour, I didn’t know whether I would continue being Park Moondae.
‘Was that why I wanted to make sure I did it now, while I still could…?’
That was way too sentimental…….
I wasn’t some kid.
I erased the sentence that had flashed through my mind and settled on a more reasonable interpretation.
‘Right. I must’ve wanted to do things properly while I was doing them.’
Performing was more fun than I had expected, and it was rewarding work.
On top of that, the pay was good.
There wasn’t much to criticize.
Maybe because I had gotten immersed in that feeling while lacking any confidence about the long term, my standards had gotten slightly distorted.
While I was lost in thought for a moment, Big Sejin drove the point home.
“Instead of leaving yourself with long-term injury aftereffects that interfere with your performances, recover completely now and then move on.”
“…….”
Fine, fuck.
You’re right too.
‘It does feel a little wrong to use this body recklessly just because it isn’t mine.’
And I might end up continuing to live as Park Moondae anyway.
I sighed.
“Fine.”
“…!”
“I already have an alternative, so I’ll check my condition tomorrow morning and think about it again.”
Bae Sejin, who had been listening quietly, suddenly shouted.
“D-Don’t check by yourself! Go to the hospital!”
“…Hmm. Sure.”
Since it was my solo stage, I could technically ignore all of them and force it through anyway, but this time I decided to accept their opinion.
“You made the right choice.”
“And make sure you go to the hospital tomorrow with the manager.”
“Of course.”
‘It’d be funny if the doctor says I’m fine after all this.’
With an unusually optimistic prediction in mind, I postponed the decision until the following morning.
For reference, it turned out to be a completely meaningless course of action.
Because that very dawn, an argument broke out among people who had concert tickets.
And it became fairly large.
Right after the concert ended, the atmosphere had been incredible.
-Guys I love you TeSTAR forever
-I seriously can’t get myself together, why didn’t I get tickets for every showㅠ I should’ve found a seat for day two too, you idiotㅠㅠ
-Genuinely every single stage was good. You can tell they poured money into it, but the performances themselves are what I remember even more… I’ll post a detailed review after I get home
-Moondae-puppy, my tiny sweet apple rice cake, renewed his Crybaby King record againㅠㅠ (photo)
-I cried and screamed so much it’s hard to even type, but knowing I still have a seat this weekend is the greatest moment of my life
There were almost no quiet complaint posts slipping around under the surface, nor any lukewarm reactions from people who had been disappointed.
It was simply a wave of enjoyment.
On top of that, just as the twin fansite master had predicted, TeSTAR’s improvised talk-stage segment became quite a topic even among people who weren’t fans.
Videos of the stage filmed on smartphones flooded WTube the moment the concert ended.
-lmaoooooooooooo
-I think I would’ve cried if I saw this in person from laughing too hard
-The part where they strip off their clothes and throw them is so fucking funny, are they insane lololol
-I was happily watching handsome guys sing a kids’ song and then suddenly I was like ????
-Wait, was Kim Raebin always like this? lolol I never imagined it, this is fucking hilarious
The company even moved quickly enough to ride the wave, posting something slightly witty on SNS.
========================
Every combination of our TeSTAR is precious☆
All improvised stages from the <Enchanted ME> tour will be specially included in the VOD package.
========================
Fans looked at it suspiciously, asking, “T1 is working fast?”
Still, they were relieved that they would be able to collect and watch all the improvised stages officially too.
-Watching all the solo songs one after another was so good, and when Chungwoo’s ended and all the members came out together at the end I got chillsㅠㅠ
-Ahyeon looked like he was in really good condition, he was practically flying. He went around greeting everyone really well during the encore too… but tomorrow I hope Ahyeon gets the punishment. Loviewer friends please get his answer wrong (photo of Seon Ahyeon greeting fans)
-Cha Eugene’s dance break is seriously something you need to see with your naked eyes at least once in your life
As the audience returned home, detailed reviews ran wild and posts looking forward to the next day’s concert continued piling up throughout the night.
Naturally, countless posts about Park Moondae appeared too.
-Park Moondae is an angel. I realized it today
-A genius performance of the century that made me question whether it was okay to see it for this little money. Everyone please stan Moondae-puppy
-The timing and colors when Park Moondae rose into the air, and then again when the fabric came loose, were exactly Moondae’s taste. I’m sure Moondae participated in planning it.
So this was what he wanted to show us badly enough to get injured. I had so many thoughts that I cried nonstop all the way home and became that woman with a tragic story on the intercity bus
-Honestly I was worried he might still be injured, but he performed frighteningly well. I’m glad our puppy recovers fast, but let’s not push ourselvesㅠㅠ
Perfectly timed shots of Park Moondae floating gracefully through the air with his body hanging loose filled SNS, being shared in all sorts of angles and versions.
People occasionally voiced worries about his injury, but because the performance had been so good and Park Moondae himself had seemed so unfazed, the overwhelming majority happily assumed, “He must have recovered quickly.”
It was also the more convenient thing to believe, since that meant they might actually get to see the stage again next time.
Just as public opinion was gradually sliding in that direction—
One post was dug up.
[Boy-group concert staff mid-show review]
It was the temp worker’s review post testifying that the idol who had performed “the solo aerial stage” had passed out.
It had been deleted fairly quickly, but since even a verification photo had been uploaded, there were naturally people who had taken screenshots because it felt real.
And once the circumstances were pieced together, Park Moondae was the obvious answer.
-He passed out while using an oxygen mask…?
-I feel like my heart just dropped
-This feels so fucking ominous, and what’s worse is I can totally imagine Moondae doing exactly that, I’m losing my mind
-Embarrassing, seriously embarrassing. Do these idiots genuinely not have brains? They believe that and start spreading it everywhere lol
-Don’t idols all use oxygen masks during concerts anyway? Why are people being so dramatic? He says he wants to work hard, just enjoy what you paid for. Why are you acting like his servant?
-If he wasn’t fully recovered it must’ve hurt so much, I can’t even imagine if it was bad enough for him to pass out. I can’t even look at the pictures anymore, what do I do…
-Seems like obvious bait, why is everyone getting swept along so easily
-Nothing official has even come out, I wish everyone would calm down… Are people doing this deliberately to sabotage Gom-meo’s genius solo stage;
All sorts of opinions swirled together as the fans were thrown into turmoil.
People who had already been worried about lingering injury effects felt their hearts sink, but because the entire thing was based on a single unofficial post, a variety of positions emerged.
And as time passed, those positions only hardened further.
-This calls for a coordinated campaign
-The concert is literally today too. What if he does it again and makes the injury worse? I seriously can’t take it
-Please stop jumping ahead. Do you want nonfans making fun of us again?
-First we should probably verify whether it’s even true
-Making trouble where there wasn’t any… sigh, what’s the point of an idol being good when the fandom is like this. Maybe quitting the fandom really is the answer
The movement to pressure the agency and the opinions of skeptical fans collided, turning everything into a complete mess.
At this rate, the fandom looked ready to split apart.
And Park Moondae woke up in the morning and saw the whole thing.
“…….”
The back of his head began to ache.
‘This got out?’
He grumbled that “calling it passing out makes it sound serious when really I was just a little dazed for a moment.”
But once things had reached this point, even Park Moondae had no choice but to admit it.
No matter what, he didn’t like the idea of the audience anxiously worrying about his health while watching his stage.
Read only on MUGEX
I admitted it over breakfast.
“…Guess I should stop.”
“R-Right!”
“You made the right choice.”
I looked at the members enthusiastically agreeing and calmly added one more thing.
“Yeah. But after I finish Seoul.”
“…??”
To put it crudely, I was getting looks that said, What the fuck are you talking about?
I didn’t care.
I continued stubbornly.
“I thought of a good way to explain it to the audience. This is the best option.”
“Moondae.”
“Once Seoul is over, I really won’t do it again until I’ve completely recovered.”
It was ridiculous that I had to persuade them to let me perform my own stage, but regardless, the guys reluctantly accepted it.
‘What a situation.’
I contacted the company immediately afterward.
And before the second day’s concert began—
An announcement went up through the company.
========================
[Hello. This is T1 Stars.]
…….
During the performance of “Flower Dark Moon” at TeSTAR’s <Enchanted ME> concert last Friday, an error occurred with the stage equipment.
Considering the risks involved in reinstalling the equipment, after discussion with the artist, the performance for this song has been modified.
However, in accordance with the artist’s wishes, for the current concerts taking place in Seoul, the performance will proceed safely without modification under expert supervision.
…….
========================
The rest of the notice was basically an extremely long way of saying, “Park Moondae is perfectly fine.”
To summarize, it was: “Park Moondae is fine, but there was an equipment malfunction. We’ll remove it going forward.”
Apparently, the agency was quite conscious of the attacks from fans too, and since the story was circulating anyway, they agreed to disclose the equipment malfunction.
They would get criticized for it, but if they had to modify the performance regardless, they seemed to have decided it was better to focus on “prevention” rather than emphasizing my injury.
‘Either way, they’re probably going to get cursed out for having another equipment problem and being incompetent at their jobs.’
That wasn’t my concern.
Anyway, they had replaced the person in charge with someone more professional, so there shouldn’t be another accident now.
The problem was what the company told me afterward.
-The finalists from this season of Idol Inc. are scheduled to come watch today’s concert. There will be cameras, but they’ll only stay very briefly, so you don’t need to worry about how it’ll be edited…….
In other words, the contestants from this season of <Idol Inc.> Season 4 were coming to watch TeSTAR’s concert.
Of course, it was for broadcast content.
They were probably planning to insert a few shots into the finale that would air soon afterward, showing “contestants reaffirming their dreams after watching TeSTAR’s successful concert.”
Since they would come under this agency if they debuted anyway, there was probably an element of testing the waters too.
‘Hmm. Feels like the company is scoring an own goal.’
Honestly, if it was nothing more than attending the concert, it would be awkward for the members to refuse.
‘It’d be ridiculous to tell them to take back invitations the company already handed out.’
And it would sour relations with Tnet too.
I almost spent a moment thinking about it.
Then I immediately realized there was no need for me to waste mental energy on this.
It wasn’t my problem.
‘If the company insists on seeing a sea of fire for itself….’
Just leave it alone.
I shrugged.