Idol of the Heavenly One - vanish into fiction

After AGAINST TIME ended, all the lights in the arena went out.

“Ahhh—”

Fans let out disappointed groans.

Then, suddenly, an explosion of powerful guitar and drum sounds burst forth. In stark contrast to before, bright lights engulfed the stage and the entire arena. At the same time, my voice rang out through the mic, echoing against the ceiling.

“Soar, up into the sky fly away—”

A new stage, the new song Soar.

We had agreed to reveal one minute of the chorus, and that chorus was my part. So once again, I had to step forward for the opening of this stage.

“Beyond the clouds, toward the light—”

At that moment.

“Waaaah—!!”

The audience erupted in cheers. Tens of thousands of light sticks waved like a great tide, the waves of light wrapping the entire arena.

Even as I continued singing, my whole body shivered from the overwhelming energy.

But even as the song ended and I moved into the choreography, a shadow spread deep in my heart. Thanks to Baek Jae-heon I had managed to step onto the stage, but once all this cheering and this performance ended, would I just have to wait again?

What is meant to happen will happen.

Even if the police had been dispatched today, what if the same thing happened anyway? Even if I prevented the fire, what if that fan still met death as fated? If fate could not be defied?

Then, what could ever change?

Once again, my throat tightened, my breath catching as though suffocating.

As despair welled up from deep inside, I could not help but darken my expression and lower my head. Thankfully, it was another member’s part, so this face would not be broadcast.

“Ji Cheonmyeong—!”

But from the nearby standing section, I heard someone call my name loudly, and I reflexively lifted my head to look.

“Ji Cheonmyeong, you’re amazing!!”

A fan who seemed to be mine was waving their hand, shouting my name with all their strength. At that exact moment, our new song ended, and the lights went dark once more.

Yet I kept staring in that direction.

……Ji Cheonmyeong.

Yes, I am Ji Cheonmyeong.

In my previous life, I was an unknown person who lived alone until the age of fifty and then died in vain. But I was born again, and now I am an idol no one ever expected could exist.

What is meant to happen will happen? Fate is predetermined?

No. If that were true, I would never have become part of YEARZ. I would have gone on to study again, become a government worker, and lived the same life all over.

No. Fate is not a set path, it is an unknown voyage.

No one knows where it ends, where the winds will blow from, when the waves will swallow you. It is a voyage without end.

Not just me, but everyone is merely riding on the ship. We do not even know if our hands are on the helm. And so, there will certainly be times when we lose our way. But if at those times we let go of the oars, the ship will drift into the unknown, maybe even crash into the rocks and sink. Yet if we do not give up and keep rowing, if we steer clear of the rocks, someday we will reach the place we long for.

Back in the waiting room, the first thing I did was grab my phone and search.

“Phew……”

There was still no news of a fire at Arena Station or nearby. If, as expected, the AAM Awards ended and then the accident occurred, I would find a way to stop it, no matter what. Even if that fan’s fate was ultimately death, if I could save them so they lived one more day, I would do so. To accept and submit to fate, that would be the same as pushing them toward death.

The reason I am here today is, yes, to sing. But more than that, it is to protect the members who sincerely wished for fans to listen to those songs.

Checking the time, there was about one hour left until the end of AAM. At the very end, there would be a joint stage where all the singers came together to perform a song. I felt sorry for my fans who would be waiting for that, but when the time came, I would slip away, steal Baek Jae-heon’s clothes, and change into them before heading to Arena Station.