Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 126.1
The lights flickered back on above the stage, and the second day of the concert began.
Even though it was the same space, the same set, and the same songs as yesterday, the feeling was distinctly different. My body remembered everything first, where to catch my breath, at what timing to lift my head, and how many beats to leave until the next movement. As soon as the intro of the first song played, my heart beat loudly, but that pounding was mixed with more composure than nervousness. I realized that having done it once before truly makes such a massive difference. If yesterday was spent frantically trying to follow the flow, today it felt as if I were riding on top of it. The gaps between parts and the breathing between comments all felt as if they were within my grasp. My field of vision while looking out from the stage had also widened significantly.
Perhaps that was why. Every time another member’s part started, I found myself naturally scanning the audience. As usual, the individual cameras held by the fansites caught my eye. The lenses that had appeared only as blurs yesterday were relatively clear today. So, in every moment I didn’t have a part, I tossed a glance in their direction. Not too excessively, yet not too indifferently either. I smiled with the corners of my eyes slightly upturned or subtly changed my expression to match the lyrics. Sometimes, I deliberately lingered before pulling my gaze away so that I would be captured on camera for just a bit longer. I felt like this was what it meant to “perform” on stage. It was fun, and I got excited thinking about the fans who would enjoy seeing it.
Strangely, as these minor experiences accumulated, the anxiety that had been lingering in a corner of my mind since before the concert began to fade. The annoyance caused by the maknae staff member and that hard-to-explain discomfort I felt then—those thoughts that had been circling my head until just a moment ago seemed to evaporate bit by bit under the stage lights today.
By the time we moved into the encore stage, it felt as if those worries had vanished entirely. This was free time with no planned movements and no rigid choreography. Only the moment existed—roaming the stage, making eye contact with fans, playing around, calling out names, and waving hands. My tension rose naturally. No, to be honest, it rose quite a lot.
I was excited to a point that even surprised myself. When fans in the front row said something, I would lean down and pretend to listen, then playfully wave them off, or make everyone laugh by suddenly imitating a dance. The laughter and cheers erupting from the audience surged in like a wave, making me even more giddy. My body felt light, and my voice came out better than ever. I was enjoying this moment so much that I even thought I didn’t want it to end.
Then, quite coincidentally, our paths crossed. I didn’t realize it at first. It was just a sensation that someone was next to me, but when I turned my head, Baek Jae-heon was right beside me. And behind him, at a very close distance, I saw two familiar cameras. His fansite and mine. They were positioned quite close to each other.
Baek Jae-heon was natural, as always. With a face devoid of hesitation or calculation, he approached and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. The term “putting an arm around the shoulder” fits perfectly. It was a contact that had become far too familiar on stage, and it wasn’t a scene that would particularly surprise the fans. However, the problem came next. Baek Jae-heon smiled and held his microphone out toward me.
He was telling me to sing his part. Even without words, his expression said exactly that.
Normally, I would have pushed Baek Jae-heon away and run off, but today my tension was too high, and this situation was simply fun. So, just like that, quite nonchalantly, I overlapped my hand on top of the microphone Baek Jae-heon was holding. As if placing my hand on the back of his. And then, I sang Baek Jae-heon’s part in his stead. I could feel my voice projecting through the speakers.
The fans’ cheers grew even louder. Even at that moment, I was just having fun.
And, without a single thought, this time I held my microphone up to Baek Jae-heon. Signaling for him to sing my part as well.
Thinking about it now, it was truly reckless. It wasn’t just any part of mine; it was a part with quite a high level of difficulty. A section where one is out of breath and the notes are high. However, Baek Jae-heon wasn’t flustered in the slightest. Instead, his eyes sparkled. As if he were saying, “This is nothing.”
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