Chapter 61

Mentions from my fandom friends began flooding in all at once. At this rate, it looked like they could get Gowon’s name onto the real-time trends even without an organized push.

They had truly come prepared to fight.

Not only the artist himself, but Division Five—and even Baek Hanje, the song’s creator.

“If I don’t get into an in-person fan signing with platinum-blond Gowon, I’m just going to die. Pull in every cent you can, even if you have to empty out your in-laws’ eighth cousins’ underwear drawers....”

The kindhearted fan beside me delivered yet another immortal line.

Below the stage, meanwhile, the reporters covering the showcase exchanged glances.

This was bigger than <Unlimited(∞)> and <DRIFT> from his debut album.

Once the music video was released and his music-show promotions began in earnest, he would soar even higher. At that moment, no rookie came to mind who could match the ability and desperate determination Gowon had shown onstage.

“Gowon’s got Rookie of the Year locked down.”

No one objected.

***

After finishing the new-song performance, Gowon waved while breathing hard. His face, as he thanked the audience over and over, was filled with nothing but satisfaction in the stage. Apparently having completely forgotten his album-promotion lines, he simply stood there smiling, his face drenched in sweat.

But that seemed to stir the fans’ hearts even more. Especially those who knew about all the hardships he had endured since <Debut Chart>.

Even though he knew it was time to leave, Gowon kept bowing and waving. He stared insistently at the exact spot where he had stood in the center of the stage before finally heading backstage.

But I could picture him standing somewhere out of sight from the audience, continuing to watch the stage.

It looked like he’d carved away his own flesh and bone for this one performance....

The brutal practice load and schedule that let him sleep barely two or three hours a day.

A diet tightened to the absolute limit, with even his water intake restricted starting the day before.

On top of that, he had spent the entire hour dancing without a single chance to sit, tense from beginning to end.

Gowon

Stamina 5%

Gowon’s stamina had finally hit rock bottom.

Gowon

Current Status: I’m so happy I can’t breathe.

That is a dangerous condition, so hurry up and put on an oxygen mask, you idiot.

Still, if he’s happy, that’s enough.

I let out a long breath from my seat in the invited-guest section.

There was no way I did not know the adrenaline surging through Gowon’s body, ready to burst.

A flawless stage. A singer who had thrown every last part of himself into it.

The elation of gathering years of effort into one place and detonating it all at once. A rush so intense it turned your mind blank.

Getting swept up in every kind of scandal and disaster was inevitable when you worked in entertainment. You were constantly torn apart by people who treated celebrities like faceless targets.

And yet that overwhelming exhilaration was what willingly brought singers back to the stage again and again.

“Ah, this is bad.”

When I watched Gowon’s first debut, I had only found the process of watching him grow adorable.

HBN’s awakening adjusts the maximum level cap for all abilities.

Current MAX LEVEL: 120 → 150

Gowon

Dance Lv. 147 (▲27)

Vocals Lv. 125 (▲5)

After quietly preparing for so long and unleashing everything in a single instant, he had shattered his previous limits and grown in the blink of an eye.

Gowon’s senses seemed to flow into me, leaving even my fingertips tingling.

That was why this was bad.

What I felt this time was envy.

I really want to stand onstage....

I would not even mind tearing my hair out in agony in front of a monitor or practicing choreography until my arms and legs felt ready to fall off.

An album packed with perfect tracks suited to Young Ace.

Choreography we would practice to death until our movements aligned.

A stage where Spades cheered for us.

By normal standards, we were already far enough into our career for our prime to have ended, but Young Ace still sat firmly on the throne.

Our last album had rewritten first-week sales history both domestically and overseas, and the record still had not been broken.

After finishing a spectacular world tour that had circled the Earth eight times, not one member had suggested working on a new album.

Of course, part of that was probably consideration for the one who had left the country after growing exhausted by life in entertainment.

But even I, who used to pester the older members to promote again, had begun thinking that if we had managed twelve years as idols without falling apart, perhaps it was best to end things while we were still at our most brilliant....

People called us legends and praised us to the skies, but one day we might disappoint them.

So I had thought perhaps the courteous thing to do was remain forever as a beautiful memory for Spades.

...Right. Maybe that would be the correct choice, but I’m not that kind of person.

Watching Gowon’s stage today made all those complicated calculations feel meaningless.

When I thought about it, every album preparation had been like that. I would begin full of worry, but the moment I stood onstage under the name Young Ace, that alone made everything worthwhile.

Ah, I want to show them the moves we worked ourselves half to death perfecting in the practice room....

As I headed out through the staff-only exit, I moved my finger to a saved number in my contacts.

—The person you are calling is unavailable....

As always, the automated message played. Today, I listened to the stiff mechanical voice all the way through and left a voicemail.

“You bastard, it’s me. ...I want to perform as Young Ace.”

Not that I knew whether he would ever listen to it.

“You’re supposed to be the older one, and you’re making the youngest member call you like this and beg.”

Saying it out loud made me sound even more pathetic. I muttered deliberately, as though making sure he would hear, then added one final sentence.

“I miss you. Call me.”

And with that, I ended a voicemail more desperate than something an ex-boyfriend would leave while clinging to old feelings in the middle of the night.

Sigh. I had enjoyed the performance, so now it was time to go back.

I followed the staff passage all the way to the waiting room. When I opened the door, quite a few people were inside.

“Hm?”

But one person immediately caught my attention.

A schoolgirl sat quietly in an utterly plain, almost monotonous T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

How should I put it? If you shrank Gowon down, grew out his hair, and dressed him as a girl... she would probably look like this.

Meaning she was much taller than the average woman and had a cool, striking beauty.

“.......”

She noticed my gaze and awkwardly dipped her head in greeting. Even the prickly, guarded expression on her face was exactly like Gowon’s.

I soon arrived at an extremely reasonable conclusion.

“Gowon’s sister?”

“...Ah, yes.”

She even brought back memories of how Gowon had been an “Ah, yes” robot when I first met him.

There was no way they could lie and claim they were not related. Gowon was remarkably beautiful, and his younger sister, who resembled him, naturally drew the eyes of everyone around her as well.

“God, what a waste. Hanzel, I tried to lure our Miss Go Sua into becoming a trainee, but Gowon shut me down immediately.”

“Hm? Why?”

“She’s ranked first in her entire school.”

“Ah. Then why would you try to recruit her?”

She should study hard, get into a good university, and become an executive. That path was far better.

Gowon’s younger sister, Go Sua, did not seem particularly affected by the conversation about her, but she appeared conflicted over whether she should react somehow since these were people from her brother’s company.

The head of talent development watched even that with eyes dripping with regret, then clenched her fist with renewed determination.

“Whew. I still have one chance left. I heard Gowon has a younger brother too. I’m going to bet on him now. We need to fill out the male trainee pool anyway.”

Sua replied in a small voice.

“He’s... still in third grade.”

“Mm, I have no intention of quitting even ten years from now. And the person standing in front of you debuted at fourteen.”

“.......”

The way she widened her upturned eyes in surprise was a perfect copy of Gowon too.

Well, if someone was guaranteed to have the looks of the Gowon siblings, it made sense to scout them early even if they were still in elementary school. Gowon himself had first shown his face on <Debut Chart> in the winter when he was eighteen.

The waiting-room door flew open.

Gowon, who should have been here all along, finally entered. Chief Manager Park was beside him.

“What, where have you been?”

“Oh, Hanje, you’re here. Our baby got lost, so I went looking.”

What?

I stared at Gowon in disbelief.

“You still get lost backstage?”

“What?”

“...? Hey, Gowon might be young, but come on! You seriously think I’d call him a baby?!”

Chief Manager Park nearly jumped out of his skin. To be fair, Gowon was about ten centimeters taller than his manager.

“.......”

Gowon stood there with reddened ears, holding the hand of a child who truly could be called a “baby.”

He looked around ten years old.

Since he had entered with Gowon and Grandma and Grandpa were also there, he appeared to be Gowon’s younger brother.