Since HALO’s return on that channel was specified in the contract, there were quite a few conditions that the HALO side had put forward.
First, since there was a patient, medical staff must be kept on standby to respond immediately in case of an emergency.
Second, they would not spare any support, including a private jet.
And finally, Seunghyun’s return would be kept secret until the very last moment the performance was revealed.
Because of this, the performance proceeded directly without the usual interviews, which was highly unusual.
The time purely dedicated to the performance was 13 minutes, excluding the New Year’s countdown that took place in between and the short interview after the stage.
The vast plaza was packed with crowds of people who came to enjoy the festival, fans, and reporters.
Most were bundled up in layers of clothes due to the cold weather, but one could feel an incredible vibrancy.
The previous artist’s performance ended with flashing lights, and the festival entered a brief lull.
The soft lights that had brightened the pitch-black night gradually dimmed.
The murmurs of the crowd were filled with palpable excitement.
Then, at some moment.
Click!
All the lights went out at once. It was HALO’s turn.
A huge roar erupted as the crowd chanted “HALO” over and over, but it lasted only a moment before the cheering died down.
Then, accompanied by a muffled sound effect as if submerged in deep water, a VCR began to play on the large screen behind the stage.
Drip, drop.
Water droplets fell onto a dark surface, and the camera instantly plunged underwater, shifting the scene.
“Kyaaaa!”
At the same time, as if on cue, excited screams erupted from everywhere.
“Seunghyun!”
Seunghyun appeared on the screen, submerged in water with his eyes closed.
It was the moment Seunghyun’s return was confirmed.
Overwhelmed with the emotion of seeing that glorious stage in person, some fans were already welling up with tears.
The camera zoomed in slowly on Seunghyun’s face, which had gone limp and sunk while wearing thin white clothing.
His hair floated, casting shadows over his face.
Seunghyun’s skin glowed white in the light penetrating the water.
And then, Seunghyun turned his head toward the camera and opened his eyes very slowly.
—…….
His lips parted, but only small air bubbles came out; no sound was made.
Even the people gathered in the plaza were holding their breath, focused entirely on the VCR.
Splash!
Suddenly, with a loud sound, water splashed across the quiet screen.
It was as if…….
Someone had thrown their body into it.
As the murky bubbles cleared, the protagonist who had thrown himself into the water appeared.
It was Park Chiyoon.
Chiyoon was swimming powerfully toward Seunghyun, cutting through the water.
However, Seunghyun only drifted further away into the deeper, darker water.
Soon, the screen showed Eunwoo, who was screaming silently underwater, followed by Yijeong, who was struggling with both hands bound.
In an instant, the entire screen was covered in white light, and this time, it was filled with Yooju’s face.
People gasped at his stunning appearance, which would be universally recognized in any culture.
Even with his sorrowful expression, the sparkle in his eyes could not be hidden.
Thanks to his hair, bleached to near-white, Yooju gave off an aura as if he might disappear at any moment.
—No…….
Yooju muttered. Then, with a scream-like shout, the screen shifted once again.
—No!
As Seunghyun sank deeper into the dark water and disappeared, and the screen went completely black, Seunghyun’s narration flowed through the speakers.
—I’m drowning, drowning, drowning…….
On the stage where smoke was rising, all five members of HALO stood with their backs to the audience.
“Kyaaaa!”
Thump, thump, suffocating at every moment
Blocked by this terrible solitude
The invisible front, the bottom where you disappeared,
I’m drowning, maybe dying
‘Drowning LOVE’, the title track of their 3rd full album, newly rearranged for the performance, began by pulling Chiyoon’s rap part, which originally appeared after the second chorus, to the very front.
The intense rap delivered in a heavy tone heated up the atmosphere.
It was a voice and a beat that even those who didn’t know Korean couldn’t help but fall for.
Sinking days
Days shattered countless times,
Will you save me?
Bang!
Fireworks erupted, and,
“Happy New Year! Everyone, have a Happy New Year!”
HALO shouted “Happy New Year!” loudly in Korean and bowed deeply toward the crowd.
And this scene was broadcast to the entire world without missing a beat.
It was fan service for the fans who were disappointed that the comeback stage wasn’t happening in Korea, and a performance that filled the general public with, to put it mildly, a sense of national pride.
“The next song we’d like to share is a surprise reveal for this very moment! A performance for the first time in this place! Our New Year’s digital single, !”
In short, the stage was a massive success.
When HALO’s surprise release dominated the #1 spot on every chart, the editors of the official HALO WeTube channel were grinding their souls in real-time to keep up with the schedule.
This was the perfect moment, with the world’s attention focused on HALO!
They needed to capitalize on this buzz—which felt like it had pierced the atmosphere—and cement their status.
The behind-the-scenes video, which was decided to be pre-released as a rough cut on the HALO channel, was originally scheduled to be produced and served as a reality documentary through an exclusive contract with an OTT platform.
However,
“Go for it!”
Driven by Director Yoon Daewon’s incredible initiative, the highlight was being pre-released as a rough cut on their own channel.
The OTT side, which had initially opposed it, decided it was a good promotional opportunity and accepted it, on the condition of Seunghyun’s special appearance in their original drama series later.
Below the streaming screen counting down the time until release, real-time chats from fans waiting for the WeTube premiere of the behind-the-scenes video continued to scroll by.
And exactly on the hour, the video was released with subtitles in seven languages.
—Keep rehearsing. Finish it to the end, and then do it one more time.
The 40-minute behind-the-scenes video began with a scene of Seunghyun staring intensely at himself in the mirror, filled with grit.
The fans’ chats began to rise rapidly in real-time.
The chats, made up of languages from all over the world, were all welcoming HALO’s ascent in their own ways.
The protagonist of this comeback was Seunghyun, no matter what anyone said.
Naturally, the behind-the-scenes video was also focused on him.
—Haa, haa.
The camera zoomed in on Seunghyun’s gasping breath and the sweat glistening on his skin one by one.
The chat window filled with tears.
Seunghyun looked literally like he was about to lose his breath at any moment.
‘My goodness.. did you really have to go that far ㅠㅠ?! ㅠㅠㅠ’
‘I said I wanted to see Seunghyun on stage again, but I didn’t want our baby to suffer this much ㅠㅠㅠㅠ’
Seunghyun’s ordeal continued as he filmed the VCR and the music video.
—The water, the water is too dark…….
Though he didn’t realize it himself, the Seunghyun on screen looked like he was experiencing a panic attack.
The water tank, which looked deep and cold at first glance, was dark.
Seunghyun’s lips were blue with cold as he shivered, drenched in water while wearing only a thin shirt.
—I apologize.
Considering Seunghyun’s condition while filming was only possible if time allowed.
In the limited time, Seunghyun filmed while literally putting his life on the line.
‘My precious puppy.. I’m sure you wanted to film this..! But still! Seunghyun, this isn’t what we wanted.. .’
Half the chat window was now covered in angry messages.
Yet, every time Seunghyun’s face appeared, answering “It’s fine” when asked if he was tired, it was flooded with tears.
‘I don’t ask for much.. I just want Seunghyun to be healthy and happy..’
‘No, you’ve made it to this level, why are you still so Sparta ㅠㅠ Seunghyun, you can afford to lose your ‘original intent’ a little at this point.. ㅠㅠ Please, let’s lose the original intent just a little ㅠㅠㅠ’
