Episode 131. Customer Reviews
Jeong Seongbin, who walked out first, had soft waves put into his light brown hair, creating a gentler impression than usual.
Wherever he had found such a cute scarf, the look of him tying a short, deep burgundy scarf around his neck was reminiscent of a boy straight out of an old animation.
More important than that was the fact that pink glitter pieces rested lightly upon Jeong Seongbin’s face like jewels.
Kim Iwol was Spark’s greatest aesthetician, officially recognized by Sparkler.
The very same Kim Iwol who said tuning’s end is stock had attempted something destructive: putting glitter on a face worth 850,000 won per unit area. Right now!
‘Are there still people who don’t use sheet masks before bed? Do I have to come find you every night and put one on for you?’
‘Are you trying to choose from just three photos right now? Giyeon, I’m about to be disappointed in you.’
‘Juu, let’s go with a round tee instead of a polo neck. That way we can see the veins in your neck during the high notes.’
After all the hustle and bustle with which Kim Iwol had cared for the members’ faces all this time.
They say joy comes after hardship, and today, Spark’s lineup was nothing short of paradise.
Park Juu came out wearing a gothic monocle with a chain attached. Baek Haewon, who loved classical beauty, nearly fainted for a moment.
Baggy sleeves paired with shorts and a casual fabric belt created an unexpected charm from an uncommon combination. With his hair neatly slicked down, he exuded the wholesome feel of an innocent country boy.
Choi Jeho, whose skin tone was slightly darker than the other members, wore black glitter unlike the rest.
It suited his black hair unbelievably well. It looked so good that one could believe the pieces on his face were obsidian rather than plastic scraps.
Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Giyeon were wearing matching outfits, the punks. Thrilling an otaku’s heart with such cheap means was deception and a grave sin.
How dare they wear sailor shirts with only the color schemes changed? And while doing so, one in long pants and the other in shorts to balance it out? How dare someone wear knee-high socks with shorts? It was all so lovely that she decided to forgive them.
And Kim Iwol—the classmate of that damn oppa, the eldest hyung of Spark, and the one who had just become Baek Haewon’s bias.
“F*ck, Kim Iwol!”
Revealing his wide forehead with the comma hair that every idol tries at least once wasn’t enough; he came out with frills on his sleeves too. He was the very image of a languid young master.
Wasn’t pairing that kind of shirt with high-waisted pants against the rules? Baek Haewon couldn’t contain her overwhelming heart.
And Iwol, who told you to expose your chest so freely in this harsh world? Seeing the chest of a man older than herself left open about 5cm, fastened only by a drawstring, Baek Haewon howled like a beast.
Baek Haewon’s fingers danced and leaped across the keyboard.
≫ Seongbin, the world is such a dangerous place, how could you come out wearing such a cute bread hat? What are you going to do if someone snatches you away?
└ Sorry, but I think you’re the one who’s going to snatch him away
≫ Whoever put star glitter on both of Park Juu’s cheeks, please accept my bow
≫ Suspenders and shorts on Choi Jeho? Gotta hand it to the Ahwangsil guys, they know good taste
≫ Is Lee Cheonghyeon’s face level for real? I’m not sorry. Even if he doesn’t bait for attention, if you’re human, you should automatically look at this face. How can a face the size of a palm contain the entire universe??
≫ Everyone, please look at our Giyeon's thighs. Our kid is a sassy-faced boy, but his muscles are all man
└ His face isn’t exactly boyish either, though
└ Shut up. Resident registration numbers don't lie
└ It’s not supposed to lie, though
≫ Ah, Kim Iwol *#@%^%*&^*@#@ I decided to live a good life, don’t make me curse!!!!!!
└ Respect, Kim so-and-so, and congrats to user Mihyeon on winning your bias
└ Congratulations to user Mihyeon on the end of your denial phase~~
Until now, Spark had fought with the good looks they were born with and killer physiques. That point had stimulated the fresh perfume of youth.
But now, Spark was something far, far more distant than that…….
That is, they evoked a perfume reminiscent of early modern England. Even though Baek Haewon had never lived in that era.
≫ First place…… It’s first place.
For the first time, Baek Haewon thought it was fortunate that viewers like herself had no voting rights.
Because if she had a vote, she might have cast one for Spark before even watching the stage without knowing it. But if any audience members pulled any funny business, she would not forgive them.
The stage lights went out. The song title appeared alongside a music site logo, then disappeared, and piano music flowed out.
* * *
『A windy field
A cozy sky』
A soft voice was transmitted through the speakers.
It was a vocal with a feeling quite different from the firm tone Lee Cheonghyeon usually showed.
‘Lee Cheonghyeon is singing this time? He must be crazy.’
『I am standing there
Waiting for the stars to rise』
‘He’s good at singing too…… How commendable…….’
With the heart of a parent who had come to watch their child’s first kindergarten recital, Baek Haewon vigorously patted her cushion.
Park Juu came to the center, brushing his back against Lee Cheonghyeon’s as they passed. Naturally, the part passed from Lee Cheonghyeon to Park Juu.
『You don’t know
How much time
Flows riding the Milky Way』
An impression cold as frost melted like snow with a single smile.
Park Juu’s unique, otherworldly atmosphere, as if he had transcended the mundane world, harmonized with the melody to create an even more mystical vibe.
From behind that Park Juu, Kim Iwol approached.
Kim Iwol draped an arm over Park Juu’s shoulder and pretended to observe the sky with a telescope in one hand.
『I wonder why the night sky
Is blindingly bright』
‘Yeah, it’s because of the light reflecting off your face.’
Kim Iwol was a coward. With a face that looked like it belonged to a young new gang boss in a noir film or a division chief in an office drama, how dare he pull off sparkly star glitter full of fantasy spirit? Wouldn’t other idols be too miserable to live?
Baek Haewon was indignant. But Kim Iwol didn’t stop there.
『Darkness shines
So beautifully』
Kim Iwol’s bright, sunny smile filled the screen.
‘Smiling there is against the rules!’
Let it be said again: Kim Iwol was indeed a coward. How could someone who looked colder than anyone smile so refreshingly like that?
Baek Haewon wanted to sue Kim Iwol right that instant. But if she sued him, she wouldn’t be able to see more of the stage, so she had no choice but to endure with great magnanimity.
If the original song had been an ordinary love song, Spark felt like they were looking at something else.
Far from approaching someone else, they were busy generously putting their arms around each other, interlacing fingers, and pressing their heads and backs together.
‘The beautiful times we spent together? Something like that?’
Continuing to watch the stage, she felt—how should she put it—that it was like a painting.
Not just because their appearances were beautiful.
Costumes with textures and colors that matched overall, with no one standing out too much, a subtle background, and smoothly flowing choreography made her feel as if she were peering beyond a picture frame. The fact that the dance was led by elegant, beautifully lined movements rather than dynamic, high-energy choreography also played a part.
And beneath all these thoughts lay well-crafted music.
Though Baek Haewon didn’t know much about music, she could at least feel that there were no jarring or unnatural parts.
It wasn’t simply easy listening, either. Just…….
‘The song is good, though?’
……A good song. A track that felt like a curator had carefully selected to match the paintings in a splendid gallery, and even the lyrics.
In other words, it was a song that would make someone say, “This is what a music program should be like!” on a music competition show.
At that moment, the tone of the music shifted from a traditional idol ballad to classical.
In the hand of Lee Cheonghyeon standing at the center of the stage was a small light bulb.
Lee Cheonghyeon’s fingertips lightly touched the top of the sphere in time with a switch sound.
The sphere slowly opened, and finely cut golden confetti scattered over Lee Cheonghyeon’s face.
A close-up was shown of Lee Cheonghyeon’s face smiling with pure joy. Star-shaped paper confetti fluttered above his cheeks and hair.
≫ Cheonghyeon
└ You sure you’re not going to be found dead in your room tomorrow?
At the same time, the entire stage was flooded with night sky constellation patterns.
It was the moment revealing that what the six members had wanted to see was the night sky!
Orchestra music flowed over the stage, which was like the universe itself. In time with the melody, a group dance unfolded that had a slightly different texture from what Spark had shown until now, with a hint of contemporary dance feeling.
≫ (crying)
└ The stage photo looks exactly like that, doesn’t it? Van Gogh’s Starry Night?
Only then did the changed background color and stars shining with a pale yellow light reflect in Baek Haewon’s eyes.
As various instruments piled up layer by layer, Jeong Seongbin and Park Juu’s voices cozily blanketed over them.
『We will shine here
For a long, long time
Yes, just like a dream……』
The music died down with Jeong Seongbin’s voice whispering like a lullaby as the last note.
When the lights illuminating the heads of the six members sitting leaning against each other went out, starlight covered the dark stage and the members’ silhouettes.
Baek Haewon thumped her forehead with her palm.
She wanted to scream right away, but she couldn’t do something so uncivilized in a multi-unit residential building!
Instead, Baek Haewon ran to the hometown of her heart: SNS.
There, she poured out her overflowing heart to the fullest.
≫ Cheonghyeon is indeed a composing genius
The dance line are indeed dance geniuses
The vocal line are indeed singing geniuses
And Iwol…… you’re just a genius. Go back to university but don’t stop your activities
Baek Haewon’s proud children naturally took first place, as was expected.
Having savored even the beautiful scenes, Baek Haewon quietly turned off the TV. Then she returned to her room, turned on her computer, searched for Spark’s second round competition stage Full.ver video, and played it on loop.
Somehow, it felt like it would be a very long night.
* * *
The stage, embroidered with the Milky Way stars one by one using money, ended beautifully as expected. As expected, pretty is the best.
Thanks to Ahwangsil generously adding money to the sound equipment, the song that Lee Cheonghyeon had mixed by grinding his soul came out nothing short of perfect.
While organizing the cushions he had laid out on the practice room floor with a proud heart, he spotted Jeong Seongbin leaving the practice room with Park Juu.
“Where are you two going?”
“Manager hyung told us to pick up the camcorder before he gets off work. We’re going to get it ahead of time!”
Ah, that’s right…….
The Ahwangsil production team wanted to get behind-the-scenes broadcast footage, but they didn’t have the staff to send another filming team and were pressed for time, so they had asked each team to film themselves and send it in—specifically a “packing for the retreat” video, right?