Chapter 24

Chapter 24. I Love Party!

Once I suggested that idea, the planning moved quickly.

Why had Aran suddenly blown up when she first filled in as the MC for Live Singing Contest?

How had a simple cute little “Eeeing~” from Aran become such a huge issue?

It was because, before showing off her aegyo, she had successfully imitated Mr. Kim Song almost perfectly.

The age groups of the audiences for Live Singing Contest and the I Love Party concert were roughly similar.

If they were the kind of audience who enjoyed Aran's impression of Mr. Kim Song, then an imitation of Kim Yoonja would definitely work too.

Wasn't there an extremely famous video on YouTube?

The one where a seven-year-old girl passionately sang When a Woman Turns Forty.

Even the footage we'd already recorded wasn't bad.

Ordinary trot backup dancers usually performed identical movements, but the choreography Blue Moon created gave each member slightly different movements that reflected their own individuality.

They also switched positions occasionally without making the choreography too complicated.

“Then what about Kim Yoonja sunbaenim's Miari Hill this time?”

Youngchae made a suggestion.

Crying as I Cross Miari Hill was a song originally composed in the 1940s.

In modern times, thanks to the upbeat EDM arrangement by Kim Yoonja, it had become one of trot's representative songs.

“The proposal we received says they're going to raise the EDM tempo of Crying as I Cross Miari Hill even more and add a janggu performance in the middle.”

Youngchae continued.

“While Kim Yoonja sunbaenim is playing the janggu, what if we do a percussion performance to match the beat?”

It was a good idea.

By interacting directly with Kim Yoonja's performance, they could actually get closer to becoming Kim Yoonja themselves.

We added some bolder movements to the choreography we'd already created.

We also came up with special performances that could become memorable highlights during the instrumental sections.

Apparently, my advice to “become Kim Yoonja” had left a strong impression on them.

The members genuinely began imitating her.

It went far beyond simply copying her choreography.

They even searched for old interviews she'd done with Japanese broadcasters in the 1990s and organized lists of her memorable sayings.

A few days passed.

Then several weeks.

We finished the rehearsals while keeping several performances hidden so Kim Yoonja herself could experience them as an audience member.

Kim Yoonja especially liked the percussion ensemble she would perform together with Blue Moon.

“Doing this makes me feel like I've become a member of Blue Moon too.”

“Wow, really?”

Until now, each member had approached the performance with the mindset that she herself had to become Kim Yoonja.

But when Kim Yoonja instead said that she felt like she'd become part of Blue Moon, the members were genuinely surprised.

It wasn't the usual—

How could such a great senior consider humble people like us her equals?

That wasn't what moved them.

Hearing Kim Yoonja say that gave them strong confidence that they could truly create perfect chemistry together.

And eventually, September 28 arrived.

I visited the members' dorm early in the morning to pick them up.

It was empty.

Don't tell me they got up at dawn to practice.

Their condition on the day of the concert was incredibly important...

Just in case, I headed toward the practice-room hallway.

The music for I Love Party was playing.

I opened the door.

“Have you all been practicing this whole time without sleeping?”

Aran hurriedly turned off the amplifier.

“We went to bed early because we wanted to sleep, but we couldn't really fall asleep.”

She smiled awkwardly.

“We thought we'd practice until we got sleepy, but somehow it's already this late…”

They seemed even more nervous because this wasn't a Blue Moon solo stage.

Still...

They had stayed up all night.

I checked each member's face one by one.

None of them really looked like they had barely slept.

Youth really was the best.

They were all still overflowing with energy.

Except for one person.

“Anna. You're not sick, are you?”

Anna's face was slightly paler than usual.

She shook her head.

“I'm a little tired, but I'm fine. I'll sleep a little while we're traveling.”

“Have you at least been sleeping properly lately?”

Anna nodded.

I'd already ordered her to rest as much as necessary, even if that meant slacking off a little during evening practice.

Ever since Music Bang Bang, Anna had been practicing particularly hard.

Starting two days ago, I'd even locked the practice-room door to stop her from going inside because I wanted to control her condition.

Apparently, her stamina still hadn't fully recovered.

“Ah! Actually, being a little tired made me stop feeling nervous. Everyone, let's do our best!”

“Yeah! Fighting!”

Encouraged by Anna, the members stacked their hands together and shouted.

After making sure they ate a proper meal, we arrived at Gocheok Dome.

It was such a massive stadium that baseball players looked like ants from the audience seats.

The entire stage had already been installed.

From Music Bang Bang to an event at Gocheok Dome.

Only after arriving there did it truly sink in that Blue Moon had now experienced two events that any top-tier idol would want to perform at at least once.

“Sunbaenim!”

During Live Singing Contest, Aran had been extremely respectful toward Mr. Kim Song.

Now, she immediately stuck close to Kim Yoonja in the waiting room.

Kim Yoonja was wearing a dress with a cape and receiving her base makeup.

She warmly welcomed the members.

“Oh! Aran! And my Blue Moon girls. Aren't you here way too early?”

“We came early so we could practice! We should've come even earlier~. We didn't know you'd already be here.”

Serin answered politely.

Kim Yoonja tilted her head.

“Hmm? Anna, you don't look very well.”

“I was so nervous I couldn't sleep at all…”

Anna quickly brushed it off as though it were nothing.

We had checked her temperature on the way here.

She had a slight fever, so I'd already given her one fever reducer.

When I checked again a little while ago, her temperature seemed to have gone down...

But apparently, medicine couldn't fix her complexion.

“There's no reason to be nervous.”

Kim Yoonja smiled.

“Think, ‘I'm the star. No matter what I do, the audience will love it.’ If you think like that, you'll feel much more comfortable.”

“You're right! Thank you. We'll work as hard as we can today to make sure your stage is a success!”

“Good!”

The members chatted lightly with Kim Yoonja and gradually relaxed.

Meanwhile, I called Anna aside for a short conversation.

“Anna. You really don't look like you're in good condition right now.”

I lowered my voice.

“Once you get your makeup done, people probably won't notice, but… are you really okay?”

“I'm fine. Once today's performance ends, I'll just sleep properly.”

Right.

Between maintaining her condition and practicing, Anna had simply chosen practice.

I knew how desperate she was to succeed.

There was no way I could suddenly drag her to a hospital now.

I handed her an energy bar and sent her back into the waiting room.

The moment the stage ended, however, I planned to take her straight out.

Gocheok Dome had been chaotic since midday.

But as the sun went down and the lights began turning on one by one, the entire stadium gradually became dazzling.

Because of the tension created by the enormous space, even the surrounding noise seemed quieter.

Normal stages at Gocheok Dome were usually square-shaped.

But the I Love Party stage was designed as a circle.

It was a format Jangtaek had preferred ever since his days in Japan.

By allowing the audience to watch the stage from the front, back, left, and right, the performers and spectators could become one.

For Blue Moon, who were appearing as backup dancers, it was the perfect setup.

—All right, we're starting the lighting check!

Jangtaek's low voice echoed throughout Gocheok Dome.

The entire stadium immediately went dark.

Then the lights began switching on and off one by one.

Each time they did, a man standing onstage drew a circle with his arm and signaled toward Jangtaek.

Flames.

Moving lights.

Smoke machines.

Stage LEDs.

The special effects were incredibly extravagant.

It was truly a stage made for Kim Yoonja.

Every time I saw the lights flashing from every direction, I imagined the members standing beneath them.

My heart started pounding.

By the time the concert was scheduled to begin, tens of thousands of people had filled Gocheok Dome.

From the ground floor to the upper audience seats, there wasn't even room to place a foot.

Holding my camera, I waited right in front of the stage, holding my breath.

Then, at the exact starting time, every stage light went dark again.

The intro to I Love Party began.

Fireworks exploded.

“Waaaaah!”

“Kim Yoonja! Kim Yoonja!”

All fate eventually fades away.

Everyone leaves this world empty-handed.

Even a joyful life like a movie has no audience watching in the end.

Kim Yoonja walked onto the stage while singing surprisingly pessimistic lyrics over cheerful instrumental music.

The crowd jumped wildly as they welcomed her.

I'd been working in the entertainment industry for more than eight years.

But this was my first time hearing Kim Yoonja sing live.

She had complete control over her vocal cords.

During the intro, her voice was thin and delicate, almost like an R&B singer.

Yet there seemed to be absolutely no restriction on how freely she moved between notes.

Then, as she rushed into the chorus, her voice became brighter.

Her techniques stretched out with the chewy elasticity of Imsil cheese, practically forcing the audience to sing along.

Less than thirty seconds passed between the first line and the dance break in the chorus.

But that was more than enough time to raise the crowd's excitement to one hundred percent.

The rhythm of the second verse was broken into even finer beats than the first.

As Kim Yoonja sang to the faster tempo, the Blue Moon members suddenly ran onto the stage.

The audience was already pouring out one hundred percent of their excitement.

Blue Moon pushed them past the boiling point.

Even if I live according to fate, I'm still the main character.

I'm not afraid of tomorrow~!

I Love Party!

The second chorus dance break began with Blue Moon.

From this point on, there were no more lyrics.

For the next two minutes, all they had to do was smile and dance.

The members linked arms and spun around.

They moved with lively steps.

Kim Yoonja happened to glance behind herself and burst into laughter.

Then she awkwardly tried imitating the members' steps.

Near the end, all five of them even held hands and spun around together like they were performing ganggangsullae.

At the perfect moment, they shouted the final line together like a cheer.

“I LOVE PARTY!”

Fireworks exploded again.

The accompaniment ended.

The audience burst into laughter and thunderous applause.

Kim Yoonja raised her microphone.

“Wow, seriously! First, let me greet all of you properly.”

She smiled toward the crowd.

“It's been such a long time since I've greeted everyone here at Gocheok Dome. I'm Kim Yoonja. It's wonderful to see you!”

After finishing her brief introduction, Kim Yoonja seemed so pleased with the opening stage that she began handing the microphone to the Blue Moon members one by one, giving them a chance to introduce themselves.

“Everyone kept talking about Blue Moon, Blue Moon, so I was really looking forward to meeting them.”

She grinned.

“And now I understand why.”

Then she gestured toward the members.

“Everyone, please give our Blue Moon girls a huge round of applause!”

The audience, who had been chanting Kim Yoonja's name, now began shouting Blue Moon's name as encouragement.

The later stages were just as successful as I Love Party.

Even Anna, despite not being in good condition, energetically beat on the drums.

Every performance they'd prepared received an enormous response.

By the time all the songs with planned choreography were finished and the members left the stage, Kim Yoonja almost seemed more disappointed about it than they were.

I packed up my camera and hurried backstage.

The members were gathered in the waiting room, changing clothes and wiping away sweat.

“Manager Do!”

Youngchae was the first to spot me.

I grinned.

“That stage was incredible! You saw how much Kim Yoonja sunbaenim loved it, right?”

“Yes! I think that was the best we've ever done out of everything we practiced!”

Youngchae's eyes were sparkling.

“I think we got power from Kim Yoonja sunbaenim. The moment I got onstage, I suddenly felt really confident!”

“Yeah. The response is amazing right now.”

I laughed.

“I'm almost worried she'll ask you to appear at her next concert too.”

It was true that I had secured them these rare opportunities.

But not everyone could actually seize an opportunity once it appeared.

Every time, Blue Moon's ability to deliver this level of performance shone through.

At Live Singing Contest.

At Music Bang Bang.

And now at I Love Party.

The members excitedly repeated lyrics from I Love Party, trying to burn off the excitement still left in their bodies.

Meanwhile, Anna sat away from the fan, wiping off her sweat.

I approached her.

“You worked hard, Anna. Starting tomorrow, let's seriously get you some proper rest.”

I smiled.

“Your percussion performance earlier was great.”

Anna smiled faintly.

“Maybe I'm naturally suited for percussion. I'm thinking I should seriously learn drums.”

“Sure, sure.”

Then I immediately changed the subject.

“More importantly, we need to go to the hospital first. Let's hurry and get you checked.”

Kim Yoonja's singing and the audience's cheers could still be heard clearly even in the backstage waiting room.

Anna listened to the sound for a moment.

Then she thought about something before answering.

“No. Let's wait until the entire concert is over.”

“Why? You want to say goodbye before leaving?”

Anna shook her head.

Then, as if she were certain, she said,

“I think she'll call us back onto the stage one more time before the concert ends.”