"One, two. All in us! Hello, we’re Inus!"
The season after the one that gave birth to Saven.
Inus, who debuted through , a male trainee audition program, won the Grand Prize for Album of the Year at the MWMA the year before they were set to disband.
"Cha Hun, I love youuu!!"
"Si-hwaaan!!"
"Kyaaaah-!!"
Though it was only possible because, as an Mwave group, they had received comparatively generous judging, it still meant they were popular enough to be counted on one hand among fourth-generation boy groups.
"Baekhwi, over here!!"
"Make a heart!!"
And Baekhwi, the youngest member and visual center of that group, was enjoying popularity that anyone would envy.
"Aren’t we winning the Grand Prize again today?"
"Ah, hyung, don’t jinx it."
Having left the red carpet, Baekhwi, now in his second year, moved familiarly toward the awards ceremony waiting room.
Then, while moving with his hyungs, he ran into Lee Dohee.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and get in."
"Ah, seriously, hyung, why do you keep hitting me? I’m gonna tell on you for this."
"When did I hit you?"
In truth, rather than saying he ran into her, it would be more accurate to say that, for the brief instant Lee Dohee passed by on her way into the waiting room, his gaze was naturally drawn to her.
'...She’s wearing a dress today.'
Baekhwi knew Lee Dohee made headlines every time she stood on the red carpet anyway, but he thought the off-shoulder black dress he glimpsed looked especially good on her.
'That’s strange. She’s pretty... but she looks cool.'
Her sharply squared shoulders, revealed without a hint of excess flesh, seemed to reflect Lee Dohee’s crisp, no-nonsense personality.
And those thoughts lasted only a moment.
Once he entered the waiting room, Baekhwi went over the stage they had practiced, checked outfits with the members, and finished his makeup check.
The waiting time passed quickly.
─Kyaaaaaah!
Part 1 of began.
The stage with its lights off.
A heated opening performance.
The many idols seated in the artist section.
Baekhwi was conscious of Lee Dohee, who was two seats to the side and two rows below.
She could have been a little more relaxed, but as always, Lee Dohee stood with her back straight, watching the stage with a slight smile.
Sometimes she chatted about something with the unnies beside her and chuckled, and sometimes she posed for the camera filming her.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he openly watched all of that.
In this place, where there were countless cameras filming them.
Even a gaze alone could become a nuisance.
All he did was naturally shift his eyes between the stage and the audience, stealing a glance at her profile in the process.
More than anything, Baekhwi had debuted too, and he had developed an awareness that he needed to repay the love he received from his fans.
And so, after occasionally glancing over and also enjoying the performances of his fellow singers.
Before he knew it, Part 1 was nearing its latter half.
And now, when he looked toward the stage, Debonair was there.
Oriental, East Asian-style stage outfits.
As far as Baekhwi knew, hanbok were a staple of year-end stages, but he had never once seen a girl group wear outfits like this.
Because the durumagi resembling the gonryongpo they had on now was usually men’s clothing.
But somehow, with Lee Dohee standing in the center, gazing diagonally to the side with an expressionless face.
"...It looks really cool."
"Right? That outfit suits women really well too."
"Should we try a stage like that at our concert this time?"
It seemed that Lee Dohee’s indescribable, unique atmosphere gave it persuasiveness.
Then the sound of rain began to spread softly through the hall.
Along with it, the sound of strings and a gayageum spread sorrowfully.
"Oh~"
"Ah~"
Here and there came faint reactions of recognition.
"They’re starting with Debonair."
"The showcase stage for this one was really fun to watch."
"It was cool."
Debonair’s debut title track, "Debonair," had not only ranked second on the annual chart, but Debonair’s showcase stage had been a hot-topic video that hit number one on the trending chart, so most people besides Baekhwi had seen it too.
And even without seeing it, it was clearly a version adapted in an East Asian style.
─Ttring—
That was because the gayageum melody was from that OST, The Phantom of the Opera.
At that moment, amid the sound of rain, a thunderous drumbeat overwhelmed everything.
─Boom!
At the same time, a flashing light.
Lee Dohee’s head had somehow turned to the front.
─Boom!
A flashing light. This time, Lee Dohee swept her dopo behind her waist with a slightly chic air.
─Boom!
Another flashing light. This time, she had turned around.
─Boom!
And behind where Lee Dohee was looking, a mysterious moon that no one knew when had risen was caught among the clouds.
─Boom!
Within the billowing clouds were the silhouettes of four figures.
─Boom!
The screen effect flipped over in a rush, like a folding fan closing.
─Boom!
And the members appeared.
"Wow... they really prepared the structure well."
"Seriously..."
With all of them wearing dopo, it was mystical.
"Seeing this, Top East has better planning ability than I thought."
"Sihwan, they’re complimenting your company?"
"Yes, I’ve often heard that Director Jeong Sohyeon is quite capable in planning."
Ji Ua, with a golden dopo tied around her as if emphasizing her waistline.
Kim Naeun, wearing white clothes resembling a dress beneath a silver dopo.
Chiyo in a black dopo, folding the fan that had covered her face.
Kim Seoyun, adorned with lavish decorations like a blue tail.
─Swish!
And when Lee Dohee turned with precision, making her hem flutter, that sound was captured fully by the microphone, just as clearly as the drumbeat.
When the face hidden by the dopo was illuminated by moonlight, went dark once, then lit up again.
The stage began with the screen filled with Lee Dohee and her languid voice.
[I can see you
calling devil more]
loving even more
fall in debonair]
* * *
"Maybe it’s because the song is good, but the stage really is fun."
Baekhwi’s gaze had been almost fixed on Lee Dohee throughout the entire performance, and while watching it live, he seemed to have kept his mouth slightly open in admiration.
"Hey, we have a lot of hit songs too."
"They’re hit songs, but what place were they on the annual chart?"
"Are you putting yourself down right now?"
"Guess so."
During the short break after Part 1 ended, even amid his excitedly chattering hyungs.
'From Debonair to the stage that led into Sweet Demon... it was all good.'
Baekhwi was still dazed, steeped in the lingering impression, turning it over in his mind.
It was an impression he had felt apart from the neat staging using the dopo and the planning behind it.
'...I should watch it again when I get home.'
Why did he feel that everything Lee Dohee did when she was visible had the power to draw the eye, to captivate?
Was he the only one who felt that?
"Hyung, I’m going to the restroom for a bit."
"Don’t wash your face! Your makeup will come off!"
"...Do you think I don’t know that after two years?"
To compose his expression, he headed for the restroom.
And by sheer coincidence, he ran into her.
"......!"
Lee Dohee, coming out of the restroom.
Joy and caution crossed within him.
'Should I greet her? No, how many people are watching...'
"Whoa~ Who do we have here? Isn’t this a Grand Prize-winning singer?"
Baekhwi inwardly blamed himself for the answer that followed.
"Uh, uh! Ah, hi."
'...Damn it, why am I stammering like an idiot?'
Since Lee Dohee had naturally spoken to him first, aside from being flustered, Baekhwi had held plenty of fan meetings by now, so he should definitely have been able to respond naturally.
"Ah, I watched your stage! It was cool!"
"Oh~ Really? Well, even I thought it was pretty cool."
But strangely, regardless of his intentions, the words tumbled out however they pleased.
"Uh, uh! I watched you really admiringly!"
"Me?"
'Damn it, why did I add “you”? Now she’ll think I only watched her.'
"Ah~ Are you talking about the very first performance?"
"Uh, uh! That was really cool. The planning too."
He felt as if he had become unprecedentedly stiff and awkward.
"Right? But I didn’t really do anything. Our unnies planned it all."
"Ah, ah~ Really? Your members are really talented too."
"Hehe, I think so too."
When he complimented the members, Lee Dohee grinned as if strangely pleased.
"Uh, uh, so."
But Baekhwi, actually nervous, avoided her gaze and turned his head slightly.
"Ah, ah, but."
Then this time, it felt as if everyone passing by was looking this way.
Maybe they really were looking this way.
"But?"
The childhood friend standing in front of him, Lee Dohee, was eighteen years old, but she was already one of the representative idols of fourth-generation K-pop.
That meant there were probably countless people even in this entertainment industry who were interested in Lee Dohee.
Still, he was a childhood friend who was acquainted with Lee Dohee, so a brief conversation should be all right.
"Uh, but..."
He turned his head back and, for now, spoke while looking at Lee Dohee.
"You, you washed your face?"
'No, what am I saying, asking if she washed her face...'
Of course, Lee Dohee was sweeping her wet hair back.
"Hm? Ah, this? I just pushed my hair back with water. I’m going to get it styled again."
"Right?"
In the end, he turned his head again, avoided her eyes, and looked off into the distance.
This time, he saw idols doing a challenge together as a group.
Naturally, without passing through Baekhwi’s brain, words spilled out at random.
"But, um, could I maybe ask you to do a challenge with us? To promote our new song."
What a relief.
She might find it annoying inside, but according to the rumors he had heard, Dohee, who had been a music show MC, rarely refused most challenge requests.
To the point that he had heard many people asked her recklessly as if they were taking advantage of that side of her.
"Hmm... Let’s do that next time."
But Lee Dohee refused.
"Ah, uh."
'Well, I guess doing it with me would be burdensom—'
"I have another solo stage in a bit. I don’t have time, so I’ll do it for you next time."
"Ah? Ah, uh, right. I saw the cue sheet too. You have a solo stage."
Meanwhile, Lee Dohee swept her hair back into an all-back style, as if pointing to her head.
'She looks good even with wet hair...'
"Anyway, I’m going to go get my hair set now."
"Uh, good luck. I’ll watch closely too."
Lee Dohee let out a faint laugh.
Had he unknowingly let a hint of disappointment slip?
No, probably not.
"Yeah, I should make it cool. So the audience is satisfied."
But Lee Dohee, smiling broadly like that, headed toward her waiting room, the dobok resembling a gonryongpo that she still had draped over herself fluttering.
Unknowingly following Lee Dohee’s back with his eyes, Baekhwi quickly entered the restroom.
"Maybe I should at least wash my face... Ah, I can’t wash my face. Ha... Why am I really this stupid?"
His heart pounded even when he saw Lee Dohee’s face.
His heart pounded even when he saw Lee Dohee’s stage.
Even now, whether it was pounding because of the stage he had seen earlier.
Or because of the breathtaking appearance he had just seen.
Or because of the solo stage she had announced.
He couldn’t tell.
And so Baekhwi thought he really was stupid.
Whether this was truly a stubborn one-sided love that had not cooled for over ten years.
Or whether the feeling he had had from the first time he saw her, that she was a strange kid somehow, had turned into a stubborn admiration.
He didn’t even know that.
* * *
"How should I do it for you?"
When I sat down in front of the mirror, the hair and makeup stylist asked familiarly.
"Today, I think it’d be good if you let my hair fall straight down and just tuck one side behind my ear."
"...Huh?"
"Hm? Why?"
"I only asked out of habit... No, Dohee, you usually only ever said, ‘Please make it look pretty in your eyes, teacher.’"
"That’s true."
Because I naturally believed that the styling method suggested by the hair and makeup teacher, a professional, would be more suitable than my own opinion.
It was also a matter of respecting the expert.
"Exactly. You always said I was the expert, so you’d leave it all to me... N-no, no way! Are you dissatisfied with my styling now!?"
In an instant, the stylist made a crying face.
Of course, it was obviously a joke, so I should ignore it.
"Teacher, from now on, at least when it comes to the stage, I’m going to try to reflect what I have in mind as much as possible."
"...Really?"
"Yes, for the most part."
"Wow, now I don’t have to be nervous every day, waiting to be judged by Dohee. What a relief!"
"Ah, teacher, when did I ever do that?"
"Sob sob, I’m finally free..."
Why were there so many people around me who tried to tease me?
"But then, did you decide on the outfit you’re wearing now too, Dohee?"
"Well, yes."
Just as she said, these clothes I had just changed into...
"This is Lee Dohee’s style from now on. Because I decided it."
How should I express myself?
What style do I like?
It was the stage outfit I had chosen myself in order to show that.
"Oh~ The Lee Dohee style decided by Lee Dohee~ Awesome, isn’t it?"
I liked the sound of that.
That I had decided it.
"But this is where you were supposed to say seriously, ‘Oh... that’s really cool.’"
"Sorry, I’m a little slow on the uptake."
"Teacher, you’re a bit disappointing today..."
"Waaah, don’t change salons, Dohee. The director will scold me."
"Hmm... Hmmm..."
"Waaah."