#52. The Duration of Affection (7)
It was a perfect stage without a single mistake.
Perhaps it was a natural result. We had prepared so diligently that it wouldn’t have been lacking even compared to official schedules. Though it wouldn’t be revealed to the public, our opinion was that internal evaluations were just as important.
We don’t exist as just the five of us. To lift us up to the most shining place, countless people were lending their hands to help us.
So we had to prove that we were worthy of receiving those people’s efforts, their passion, and moments of their lives.
Even setting aside these realistic reasons, there were other reasons to work hard.
The stage was good. Even if we performed the same song, it wasn’t the same. Every day, and every moment was new. In a world where nothing is promised, today is just today.
Even after coming down from the stage, the overwhelming afterglow lingered a little longer. Since it was our first stage wearing hanbok, I was curious about how it would look on screen. I was disappointed that we couldn’t immediately monitor what we had recorded for promotional purposes.
“Ah! My heart feels so refreshed! We finally got to do this stage!”
Hearing Hapil Jae’s roar, I asked Ahn Haesol who was next to me.
“Was Hapil looking forward to this stage?”
We had to work hard, but I hadn’t particularly noticed anything different from usual.
Ahn Haesol smiled warmly and answered.
“Rather than looking forward to it… I’d say he was itching for it?”
“Itching for it?”
“Well, before. Before Seowoo joined Arcus. The ‘First Dream’ demo came out first, right?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded.
When I joined, the debut single was already almost finished recording. I inherited Maki’s parts, and except for the parts that were modified to fit me, I heard that the other members’ voices were barely touched.
“When we first received the demo, Hapil said it would be really interesting to add tungso and haegeum to it. Like a historical drama feel.”
Indeed, in the Korean-style arrangement version ‘Primordial Dream’, those two instruments showcased their poignant charm.
“That’s when Lee Seon first suggested arranging it to include on the album. Having a special bonus track increases the album’s collectible value.”
Joo Lee Seon quietly joined the conversation.
“Since there were English lyrics scattered throughout, we also suggested polishing those parts into Korean.”
“Was it also you, Lee Seon, who came up with the idea to change the honorifics?”
“Yes. The nuances of ‘neo’ and ‘geudae’ are different. Using the word ‘geudae’ makes it much more poetic and classical…”
“It naturally connects with the themes of the other tracks too.”
“Exactly.”
It was impressive when I first heard it, but hearing this explanation made it even more wonderful. It was a brilliant and attractive opinion both commercially and artistically.
“But why did you have to itch for it?”
“Maki opposed it back then.”
Ahn Haesol smiled with his eyebrows lowered.
“The A&R team leader at the time was close to Maki, which made it more troublesome. When those two started opposing it outright, it became difficult for us to voice our opinions. After all, we were just trainees.”
“I was so frustrated back then that I nagged Haesol hyung so much. I told him to quickly develop more producing skills so we could pull the musical center to our side.”
So that’s why Ahn Haesol was so proactive with this arrangement. Now I understood.
But there was one thing I couldn’t accept.
“Why did he oppose it so much?”
Hapil Jae snorted.
“He said there would be backlash in Japan if we sold ourselves so openly with a Korean concept. What… are we doing J-pop instead of K-pop? What’s the problem with Korean people doing something Korean? Why make such a fuss?”
“That’s true…”
Maki was a former Japanese child actor, and since he had been active in both Korea and Japan, he probably had no choice but to care about public opinion there.
Of course, I didn’t want to take his side. I agreed with Hapil Jae.
“Now that it’s all over and the person involved isn’t here, I thought Hapil and Maki were going to come to blows back then.”
“I almost threw a Dokdo punch but held back. Right?”
Hapil Jae made a proud expression and tapped his chest with his fisted hand.
“But it worked out well, so how great is that? We even got to see Seowoo hyung in hanbok. It was really a good choice for the public good too.”
Na Jihan said while taking the durumagi from me.
“Oh, I agree with that. Seowoo looks good in this kind of thing.”
“…”
“Now let’s go. You said you wanted to see the next stage.”
I quickly nodded and followed him to our seats. It was an opportunity to see not only other groups’ stages, but also the backup dancers’ special stage and the A&R team’s unreleased new songs, so I wanted to see as much as possible.
As soon as I sat down, Na Jihan tenderly arranged my hair with his caring touch. When our eyes met, his eyes softened gently, then his mouth curved slightly as he whispered quietly.
“You did well.”
I had been a little tired as the tension relaxed, but that gentle fatigue melted away like snow. Your kindness with no deadline or limit was like a panacea to me.
I watched the continuing stages with a much more relieved feeling.
They were called evaluations, but the stages were almost like performances. Especially Days’ stage showed tremendous presence. Even the usually calm Joo Lee Seon was flustered.
“They’re using handheld mics while doing that choreography, all five of them?”
Hapil Jae also muttered in a dazed voice.
“Those high notes… go up? How do they go up? Did they implant something in their throats? Wow, even the ad-libs seem to be high notes.”
I too couldn’t take my eyes off the stage, clasping both hands tightly. I thought this is what it means to be the undisputed first tier, an 8-year veteran complete group.
Especially Bae Dojin’s skill was tremendous. When I heard it on the recorded version, I thought it was a soft voice, but in reality, his spatial dominance was amazing. It was fascinating how the sound filled densely up to that high ceiling, and during the bridge, I got goosebumps.
And then came the final stage. When the cover stage by trainees who were apparently preparing for debut began, I couldn’t help but sigh when I saw the person standing at the center of that stage.
“Why?”
“…Never mind.”
Midnight Entertainment trainee, Bae Jonghwi.
He was the very man who had fiercely criticized me in the bathroom earlier, and he was Days’ Bae Dojin’s cousin. The sense of déjà vu I felt when seeing Bae Jonghwi was probably because he resembled Bae Dojin a little.
As soon as I realized he was Bae Jonghwi, I felt completely deflated. Watching the stage made me feel even more so.
Bae Jonghwi, who suited sharp, rough, charismatic stages, was clearly not the kind of talent who would fit into Arcus. He would have overlapped positions with Na Jihan, and his voice didn’t really mesh well with Hapil Jae’s either.
Moreover, I could see unrefined parts overall. Especially his volume control ability during duets or doubling was lacking. It would have been better if he had been more delicate, listening to his partner’s voice while matching it.
When the evaluation ended, the atmosphere became one of wrapping up. Hapil Jae and Joo Lee Seon were having a serious discussion about choosing a late-night snack menu, and Ahn Haesol was talking with the managers.
Na Jihan naturally tried to take care of me, but…
“Jihan, will you go to the van first and wait?”
“Why?”
I brought out the answer I had prepared in advance.
“I think I left my earphones in the waiting room.”
“If you forgot them, you should have said so earlier. Let’s go together.”
“Why go together just to get something?”
I quickly pushed his back, worried he might actually follow me.
“I think I know where I put them, so go ahead.”
Na Jihan looked at me with a suspicious gaze for a moment, but soon answered that he understood and moved away. Since he turned his back, I couldn’t tell if he had fallen for my lie or was just pretending to be fooled.
Anyway, what mattered was that I had bought some time. I looked around diligently.
The target wasn’t far away. He was standing behind the stage, at the passage connecting to the waiting room. The surroundings were dark so he might not have been easily visible, but somehow he caught my eye perfectly.
When I approached him, he made a puzzled expression. But perhaps thinking I would flee the scene again like before, he raised the corner of his mouth crookedly in a delinquent smile.
However, I didn’t back down. If I was going to do that, I wouldn’t have sought him out first.
“Bae Jonghwi-ssi.”
The gazes of several peers nearby focused on us. Among them were the two people who had been with Bae Jonghwi earlier.
“I’d like to receive the apology I didn’t get earlier.”
“…”
“Earlier, in front of the bathroom, when you criticized me with ridiculous words when the person involved wasn’t even there.”
I spoke as clearly as possible, without being intimidated.
“Apologize here.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
