* * *
First, Louis climbed into the car, sniffing the leather scent appreciatively and exclaimed, “It’s brand new!”
“Wow, a brand-new car!” Heungmin echoed, matching his excitement.
Jung Giljoo said with a thrilled voice, “Yeah, this is the dedicated van I mentioned before. It’s a baby born just yesterday!”
Until now, the members had been splitting into two cars or using a company-provided shared van for the artists.
But this time, they had arranged a brand-new dedicated van for MOST.
“Wow! Amazing!”
A commotion erupted among the members.
“Everyone, fasten your seat belts. We’re taking off!”
“Let’s go!”
With excited shouts, the black van sped smoothly down the eight-lane road in the early morning.
The members were not only happy about the new dedicated van but also excited to be perforMINg on stage after a long time, forgetting their fatigue.
*
The KVS Music Festival aimed to bring together artists from various genres and generations, symbolizing the opening of a new spring.
Unlike the year-end award shows of other broadcasters, there was no concept of awarding prizes, and the lineup was incredibly diverse.
Due to the presence of veteran singers who were rarely seen in regular music shows or award ceremonies, MOST found themselves bowing constantly as they moved through the waiting rooms.
The special performance lineup even included the KVS choir and a geomungo (Korean Zither).
Naturally, this meant a longer broadcast time.
In the long broadcast that continued from part 1 to part 3, MOST’s performance was scheduled towards the end of part 1.
Following MOST was The Origin, who were the closing act of part 1.
“Come on. Our kids have won more rookie awards… Isn’t this too much company power?” Jung Giljoo, holding the cue sheet, grumbled to Manager Kim Seokchul outside the waiting room.
The order implied that the broadcasting company ranked The Origin higher than MOST.
Manager Kim Seokchul wasn’t pleased with this treatment either but responded calmly.
“Even though the difference isn’t huge, our team did debut later.”
“Ugh… This definitely feels like some backstage politics. Even with variety shows… The new side seems to be putting in more effort than expected.”
“Yes, but we don’t need to worry too much. Not yet.”
Manager Kim Seokchul believed that this year was the real battle.
MOST, who debuted last year, surprisingly outperformed The Origin, who received significant company promotion.
Initially, their popularity seemed similar, but towards the year-end, MOST’s popularity skyrocketed.
However, to someone who wasn’t interested in the music industry, they might appear to be at the same level.
“Newly debuted groups all look similar at first glance.”
Since there wasn’t an overwhelMINg gap from the beginning and MOST gradually surpassed The Origin, it could easily look that way.
So the real competition began now.
“While you can brush off the beginning as a practice game, it’s different from now on.”
Popularity didn’t have a fixed quantity, and thus the rivalry between groups couldn’t be seen as a zero-sum game… But if the other side wanted to play a zero-sum game, there was no reason to avoid it.
Manager Kim Seokchul was confident.
Anyone within Kingdom Entertainment would feel the same.
It wasn’t baseless confidence either.
Seeing the members’ excited and eager faces before the stage gave him natural confidence.
“What if I accidentally start singing ‘Yours’ during the live performance?!”
“You’ve practiced the stage a lot.”
“I’ve been singing it so much lately. It feels stuck in my mouth.”
“You’ve sung ‘I’m Different’ and ‘Dynamic’ even more. You won’t make a mistake.”
In the waiting room, Dojae was calMINg a nervous Woochul before the long-awaited performance.
“If you make a mistake, just recover immediately. That way, you’ll gain more stage experience.”
“You must have lived at least ten lives as a singer.”
At Woochul’s exaggeration, Dojae chuckled and patted Woochul’s shoulder.
Kijoon started gathering the members.
Watching the members huddle and cheer as usual, Manager Kim Seokchul smiled secretly.
It was a rare, precious smile.
“These guys will do even better.”
The members were giving their best every moment.
“I need to do my best too, so we can succeed together.”
With this deterMINation, Manager Kim Seokchul watched the members run out of the waiting room.
*
“Wowww!”
“MOST! MOST!”
“Oppa!!”
The appearance of MOST filled the thousand-seat hall with thunderous applause.
The officials and audience members in the front turned around in surprise at the loud cheers.
The BESTs, gathered in one section, were wildly enthusiastic even at the silhouettes of the MOST members hidden in the darkness.
Soon, the lights came on with the MC’s introduction, fully revealing MOST.
“Eeeek—!”
The screams were ear-piercing.
Even the MOST members, who were stepping on stage for the first time in two months, were taken aback by the sheer volume.
Despite having no major activities recently, the fanbase had grown through videos uploaded on MyTube.
The members were exhilarated by the cheers calling their names.
“Open your eyes and see this world!”
It was the first line of “Dynamic.”
Holding their microphones, the members jumped in unison.
Woochul glanced at Dojae and smiled briefly.
Dojae was right.
His body moved on its own.
The members dynamically filled the stage, true to the song’s title.
“Indeed…”
Running around the stage frantically, Dojae thought.
“I love being on stage.”
He enjoyed working on songs and improving his skills through practice, but being on stage was the best.
It wasn’t hard to tell that the other members felt the same.
All the members were in top condition, dancing even more energetically than usual.
Despite this, there were no signs of exhaustion.
Even though they felt incredibly heavy with accumulated fatigue during practice yesterday, their bodies felt light as if they could fly.
‘I want to get back on stage as soon as possible.’
Although they were on stage, they were eager for more.
They had only been active for a month and a half and took a two-month break.
They missed the stage.
It was different from the earnest desire they had when they wanted to debut.
Back then, the concept of becoMINg a singer and standing on stage was still vague.
But now it was different.
‘We have fans who are waiting for us.’
It was uncertain if they would love the next album title track [Yours] as much as they did [I’m Different] and [Dynamic].
Despite the anxiety about this uncertainty, their excitement was greater at this moment.
They believed their fans would resonate with their youthful songs.
―I’m different!
The stage that started with [Dynamic] ended with [I’m Different].
It was a 2-MINute and 50-second remix stage.
But for the members, it felt like the blink of an eye.
*
“Well done, well done!”
Stylists and Jung Giljoo, who were in the waiting room, greeted the members with cheers.
“Great job!”
Lee Jungyeon handed a bottle of water to Kijoon.
“Thank you.”
Bowing his head in thanks, Kijoon gulped down the water.
Today, in addition to the usual Kingdom staff, there were also staff members for a reality program filMINg in the waiting room.
As a result, the already small waiting room, which they shared with Big Boys, felt even more cramped.
However, the members had no energy to care about such things.
“…The stage was really good today.”
Hearing these rare self-praising words from Kijoon, the members all smiled happily.
The energy the MOST members exuded today was felt by the audience on site and those watching the live broadcast.
The members on stage together both radiated and absorbed this energy from each other.
There was a sense of understanding without needing words.
“Let’s keep this up.”
The members nodded at Kijoon’s words.
“It’s been a while, so the adrenaline rush is real!”
Excitedly, Woochul, who was checking the stage reaction on his phone, shouted.
The reaction was indeed the best.
There were many compliments about the members’ appearances and conditions.
Each community had posts asking, ‘Who’s that guy?’
“The effort to lose weight was worth it…”
Kyuseong quietly muttered.
Louis, unable to shake off his excitement, hummed [I’m Different] as he changed his clothes.
“Louis, you need to change into this outfit!”
“Yes!”
It was a hot pink knit and jeans.
The special stage was the opening of the second part.
“Louis, do well!”
“We’ll be watching on the monitor.”
Receiving encouragement from Hyung-MIN and Dojae, Louis left to prepare for the special stage.
*
[K-pop Festival Running Hot Plate 444444444]
– Ohnine seems stable, so they’re probably the first part’s ending
– It’s just according to seniority
– Anyone can see it’s by seniority
– It’s unfortunate for MOST
– I keep thinking about MOST’s stage, someone quickly get me a linkㅠㅠ
– MOST was legendary todayㅠㅠ they always do amazing on stage
– I wish they could perform 365 days a year
– If they did, MOST members would be worn out
– Ohnine lacks energy for rookies, but they cover it up with stability
– Don’t bash them
– I think I became a fan of MOST today
– You’re not a fan yet???
– There are so many MOST fans here
– Part 2 is starting!!!
– Wow, amazing!!!! The youngest members’ stage!!!
– So cuteㅠㅠ hot pink, what’s thatㅠㅠ
– Youngjin definitely looks like the older brother
– They’re doing Bling Bling’s stage
– Is it because most of the youngest are dancers? The stage is great
– Eun-sang is pretty good too. He seems to have practiced a lot
– The kids are cuteㅋㅋㅋ
– Who’s the one with yellow hair? His skin is super white, and he dances well
– MOST’s youngest, Louis!! His main job is being an angel
– Chaehyun is handsome. I thought only Myeongwoo from The Original was good-looking
– Yeah, Chaehyun is handsome too, surprisingly versatile
– Oh, Chaehyun dances well too?? Look at those waves
– Louis is amazing. He never misses a second on camera
– He’s so good at dancing, he stands out. Is he MOST’s main dancer?
– Yeah, he’s in the main dance line with MIN
– What’s with Chaehyunㅋㅋ so flexibleㅋㅋ
– He’s really flexibleㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Youngjin looks awkwardㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Infinite Boys song is too cute for himㅋㅋㅋ
– Come back to Infinite Boys, oppa
– He’s awkward but does well, definitely differentㅋㅋ
– Of course, Infinite Boys has that experienceㅋㅋ
– Chaehyun just messed up the choreography
– Louis!!!
– Wow
– Wow
– Wow
– Wow
As part 2 began and the special stage featuring the youngest members of four groups started, the internet buzzed with excitement.
Various fans gathered to watch the special stage.
The community reactions were at their peak at that moment.
The members watching Louis’s stage from the waiting room had their eyes wide open.
“Wow! Kim Louis!”
Woochul jumped up from his seat, calling out Louis’s name.
In a brief few seconds, Louis had blown a hand kiss from his thumb to his pinky and winked precisely at the camera.
Then he immediately switched to a fierce expression and danced powerfully.
It was a dazzling moment that felt like an illusion.
The members were amazed at his quick reflexes and screen presence.
After that, Louis doMINated the stage as if it were his own.
Real-time comments about Louis kept pouring in.
– Mom, I’m holding my heart right now
– The gap is insane
– Hurry, someone get a screenshotㅠㅠㅠ this is an iconic moment
– Louisㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– The dance just now was amazingㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– He’s been standing out and now he’s flyingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Wow, look at this, guys!
After the stage ended, Woochul, waiting for Louis, once again exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the internet reactions.
“What is it? Does it have something to do with Louis?”
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
I knew you could do this!
So proud of Louis💓