Chapter 40

“Baek Hanje!”

“Hanzel! Hanzel!”

“Baek Hanje, you’re handsome! Make a comeback with the others too!”

I waved toward the voices and bowed deeply. When the outstretched hands threatened to reach over the barrier, the manager moved a little closer to my side.

“We can’t see in front of us! Turn off your flashes!”

“Lower your camera lenses!”

I narrowly dodged a lens that looked ready to ram straight into the side of my face. Keeping my smile in place, I gave a brief nod and continued walking.

“We came at night on purpose, and it’s still chaos. Just how many people are here?”

I answered him while waving.

“Remember when we used to tour.”

“Right. I’ve been following a rookie around lately, and now I’m saying spoiled shit like that.”

“Spades. Thank you. Thanks.”

The crowd filling the airport moved along the route we were taking.

I was incredibly grateful that they had waited for us and still loved us even though it had been so long since we had promoted, but I would feel terrible if the commotion at the airport grew and they ended up receiving criticism for no reason.

It was only when we reached immigration that we finally escaped the crowd and caught our breath with the staff.

“Young Ace really is Young Ace. I was starting to think Baek Hanje was nothing but a ghost haunting the company, but this was a great chance for me to remember you’re actually a celebrity.”

“Why would you erase a career someone has busted his ass building since he was fourteen?”

When I glanced crookedly behind me, Gowon came into view, following us with his hood pulled over his head.

Not that there was any chance of missing him. He was so tall that he rose above everyone else like a dark pillar, making him impossible not to notice.

“I was worried we’d lost the kid, but look at him following along so well. How admirable.”

That was a relief, but his inexplicably wide eyes were staring at me from between his cap and mask.

“What? Why?”

He had been staring at me like that every now and then lately.

Gowon lowered his mask, revealing his lips. They moved several times before he finally managed to form a sentence.

“...When I’m with you, Brother, it feels like I’m discovering a world I never knew existed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not only the fans, but almost everyone inside the airport recognizes you. It’s fascinating....”

“Why are you suddenly talking like an overly formal junior again? Hmm....”

I slowed down slightly and moved beside Gowon.

“Since we’re on the subject, should I teach you one more thing?”

I gestured to him. He obediently leaned his ear toward me.

“You have to take your shoes off before you board the plane.”

The respect instantly vanished from his eyes.

“Even I know that’s a lie.”

“Huh? Oh. Right, I suppose people used to prank others with that.”

I gave him a gentle, understanding smile.

“That’s only in economy class. We’re flying first class. The airline made those seats so people who paid a fortune could relax comfortably. Why would anyone keep their shoes on?”

“...Oh....”

“Managers forget to tell you things like this too. Good thing I warned you in advance.”

I sent Gowon ahead of me with a convinced expression on his face. First class had a separate boarding gate. With a flight attendant and the captain welcoming us, Gowon returned their greeting, then immediately bent down and took off his shoes.

“Ah, sir... You can leave your shoes on while board—”

Click.

The shutter sound at that exact moment had, of course, come from my phone.

“Pff—khh, hk, khh....”

Some of the blame belonged to the staff, including the manager who had not stopped me from the moment I started spewing bullshit, but Gowon’s piercing glare remained fixed solely on me for quite a while.

***

The special episode of <Music Building> was broadcast live.

Once the audience seats had filled, an introduction video for Gowon, one of the special hosts, appeared on the screen first. Several of Gowon’s music-show performances had attracted attention, so some international fans who recognized him cheered.

Next came Hanzel’s introduction video.

The volume of the screams was on an entirely different level. The people gathered at the venue practically lost their minds as they shouted.

Ah, this really is the country that once gave Young Ace thirty consecutive weeks at number one.

Wasn’t that Taiwan?

No, Taiwan kept the same song at number one for forty-something weeks.

That era was the absolute Wild West lmaooooo.

When the host introduction videos ended, the two men walked out through the gap between the stage screens, which had split apart to either side. The intro to their special stage began the moment they appeared.

What song is this?

It’s Hanje’s stage, so he probably rearranged it himself. Is it a Young Ace song?

As if answering the question, Gowon raised his handheld microphone first and sang the opening lines.

—There’s no need to struggle to remember the moment, just

Smile through every second without exception—that’s enough for us.

“Wait...?!”

The eyes of those watching the live stream and the fans at the venue both widened. This song was unmistakably....

<Here, Now, and Us>.

It was a mega-hit released eight years ago by Edelweiss, the girl group belonging to Division Five alongside yACE and Gowon.

As though borrowing from the original artists’ concept, in which they had worn flowing minidresses like guests at a party, the two men wore light-colored suits. They looked like another pair of guests attending a glamorous party.

Oh, it’s a teen-movie prom.

Fuck, after only ever seeing them on hip-hop stages, seeing both of them with ties on is making me so horny I’m losing my mind. Maybe I shouldn’t say that.

In Baek Hanje’s hands, the Edelweiss song [N O V E L I G H T] had been transformed so completely that it was impossible to remember it had originally been a girl-group song.

Wait, wait, doesn’t this have “that choreography”???

Please don’t cut it. If you cut it, I’ll shit in front of K-Dom.

The first verse contained pair choreography that had brought a massive influx of female fans into Edelweiss’s fandom, which had been much more heavily male at the time.

—The moment you look away, you lose.

The two stood pressed close together, one behind the other. Gowon, standing behind Baek Hanje, grabbed his head as though forcibly wrenching it around to face him.

Of course, Baek Hanje turned his head voluntarily. He looked at Gowon as though the fingers resting against his face were laughable, smiled, then pressed Gowon’s chin upward with his fingertips.

—You know how tricky I am. This much won’t surprise me.

It’s too... “too much” is all I can say. It’s just too much.

Are they rich heirs fighting over the right to inherit a conglomerate?? Fuck if I know, I’m clipping this no matter what.

The audience erupted into cheers at the overflowing tension between them, as though neither was willing to yield to the other.

Meanwhile, the K-Dom choreographer and director standing backstage finally breathed sighs of relief.

That section, which Gowon performed as a pair with Baek Hanje, had been the part he struggled with most.

Originally, out of respect for their seniority, the choreography had Baek Hanje grab Gowon’s head and turn it.

Yet Gowon, who had learned every dance move in a single day and performed with such energy that it looked as though the choreography had always belonged to him, inexplicably went rigid during that one part. He could not manage the facial expression at all, either.

In the end, they switched roles and instructed Gowon to maintain the stiffest, most expressionless face possible when looking at Baek Hanje. That produced the image of a solemn Gowon facing a slyly smiling Baek Hanje, bringing their chemistry to life.

The result was obvious from the audience’s reaction alone. Sometimes, cheers for a beloved singer transformed into mindless screaming.

This was one of those times.

Then came the chorus.

Gowon danced powerfully, like the textbook definition of a boy-group performer. He used his long limbs efficiently without letting a single movement go unfinished.

Baek Hanje’s dancing, meanwhile, carried slightly more ease. His movements flowed smoothly, and even throughout the continuous choreography, he hit every note with precise pronunciation.

God, a girl-group cover performed this seriously and intensely is such a fucking vibe 😭😭😭😭

Look how rock-solid Baek Hanje’s vocals are while he’s dancing. They’re built to seismic code;;

The second verse introduced a variation. The main melody disappeared, and Baek Hanje performed a quiet singing-rap.

Every lyric landed sharply, while his fluid dancing, gestures, and facial expressions made the venue look like a perfect ballroom.

And Baek Hanje was the star of the party.

When Baek Hanje’s section ended, Gowon stepped forward.

The rap section came next.

The live comments briefly fell silent.

Uh.

Huh.

Then the entire feed filled with “lmao.”

His rap skills were unquestionably excellent. He had often handled rap sections during <Debut Chart>, and his ability had improved tremendously since then.

There was only one catastrophe brought on by nerves.

The rich heir ditched the party, ran away to a back alley, and started rapping.

His diction was precise, preserving every rhyme. But he put far too much force into it, turning it into what was commonly called “power rap.”

It looked as though the rich heir had escaped the ballroom and ended up in a back alley with the hip-hop crowd.

Hanzel’s pitch didn’t waver, but we all caught him trying not to laugh lol.

Baek Hanje really is a professional idol. If it were me, I would’ve smacked Gowon on the back, blasted a gigantic laugh straight ahead, blown the take, and gotten kicked out of the entertainment industry. Fuck.