Translator Note: Guys, you’re in for a good time.Halo took a deep breath.It felt like just yesterday he had given a demo performance at the camp, but now he found himself backstage in a venue filled with excitement.“Roh Haeil-ssi-“Though the stage had not yet opened, Halo eagerly soaked in the atmosphere. To some, he looked nervous, while to others he resembled a child standing before a gift box.“Here’s some water. If you need anything or if there’s any discomfort, please let me know.”The former was Team Leader Park, the manager of Hwang Ryongpil.Team Leader Park, whom Halo had met at Hwang Ryongpil’s home, had been taking care of him like a manager every time they met since then.While his kindness seemed odd, Halo accepted it naturally. In fact, not just the manager, but most people he met on set had become increasingly kind to him.It felt similar to his rookie days, so Halo just went along with it.“The lift is coming up, please be careful.”Staff members bustled about.Liv, wearing a white one-piece dress, came up on the lift. Sin Joohyeok extended his hand to her. They made a well-matched couple.The MR started playing, and they began to match their steps to it.After them, one rehearsal remained. They were proceeding in the order decided at the camp.“Roh Haeil-ssi, please prepare for rehearsal.”By then, Hwang Ryongpil was already on stage.The legend of Korean pop music reached out his hand towards the approaching young man.“Come on up.”The veteran’s hand and the young singer’s hand crossed.:The sun that had been highest in the sky began to set. Around the time the sky was dyed in a palette of colors, admission for paid seats and free standing areas began.“This is Gangwon Ski Resort! Can you see? An incredible crowd has gathered! The standing area has just opened, but we can’t see the end of it. How far does this line stretch?”Cameramen and reporters flocked to film the stage that had been converted from the Gangwon-do ski resort. The people waiting for the stage also became subjects of coverage.Despite it not being winter, countless people visited the Gangwon-do ski resort. Instead of ski poles, their hands held small bags or mini fans, and they wore light cardigans instead of ski suits.“Do you think… we’ll be able to get in?”“I know. There are more people than trees here.”The girl anxiously looked around at the line filling the parking lot. Her friend’s face was equally distraught.Even for an outdoor concert, there must be a capacity limit.The article she saw this morning said 40,000 people had come.Since then, office workers who took half days off would have boarded public transport or their own cars after lunch. This was the second parking lot, and it was impossible to tell how far it stretched.“I guess you were right about coming a week early.”“I told you! I said we should skip classes on our own!”“Well, a week is a bit…”Skipping a day or two of classes is one thing, but a whole week on their own is too much, isn’t it?But the girl didn’t sympathize with her friend’s feelings. She was too busy calculating whether they would be able to get standing room, fidgeting nervously.If they weren’t careful, they might end up having to go back home.They regretted not coming even earlier than the crack of dawn they had waited from.Looking back, there were signs early on.Train tickets had sold out early, and accommodation bookings looked ominous from a week ago.Believing that most visitors would be heading to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm or Sokcho was just self-consolation.“It looks like we might just make it.”“Surely no one would suddenly have something come up and leave, right?”“Suddenly? Give up on that hope.”By the way.The girl’s friend looked around.Just as the girl had brought a red lightstick as a fan of Sin Joohyeok, people around them showed who they were fans of.The purple crown was the symbol of Liv’s fandom, Lover,The black body with a white sphere, looking like a lighthouse, belonged to Lee Seongrim.Also, dark blue was famous as the official color of the idol group CB.Unless specifically prohibited, the singers would see the fans’ lightsticks, and the size of each fandom would be clearly visible.They wouldn’t wave lightsticks during other artists’ performances, but it might be disappointing if no lightsticks were visible at all.Well, there shouldn’t be any singer without a fandom, but…“…There actually is one.”“What?”“Nothing.”The girl’s friend shook her head.One artist who had recently been in the spotlight but hadn’t yet properly formed a fandom came to mind.They said he was a rookie. Would he be able to pull it off in this thick fandom atmosphere and among this enormous audience?It’s true he sings well and has been active on broadcasts, but live performances are different.Personally, she hoped he would do at least as well as during the mid-point check.Even if she was more excited about other combinations, the singing of Team 1 was the best.She had lost an hour while doing homework, captivated by its grandeur. If he could perform that well, it would be enough.“Oh, the line’s moving. Let’s go.”No, it seems what she should worry about is not Roh Haeil, but their standing room.“Will we make it? Please…”It seems God’s grace reached even these two who had no religion. Stamps were successfully pressed onto their hands.“This is the end of the standing area.”“What? It’s already over?”“Please let us in. We came from Jeju Island. Please.”“You speak Seoul dialect too well for that, though?”“Ho, honjeo opseo-ye.”
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TLN: (혼저옵서예) Attempting Jeju dialect
“I’m sorry, but we’re closing the standing area.”And behind them, a merciless line was drawn.Even if people begged to be let in, the staff absolutely wouldn’t allow it. It couldn’t be helped for safety reasons, they said.While understandable, it must be even more frustrating for those who had waited since dawn like them.The girl and her friend felt sorry for them but also relieved at the same time. If they had been just a little later, they too would have been going home feeling wronged like those people.Ignoring the envious gazes piercing their backs, they hurriedly climbed up the hill.“Wow…!”The main stage and the huge electronic displays on both sides.Everything was prepared so that everyone could see the stage at a glance, and cameras were positioned in front of the stage as if a live broadcast was also taking place.Even though the show hadn’t even started yet, hearts were already pounding.At that moment, when Wonder appeared on one side of the stage, screams erupted. Wonder was immediately shown on the giant display. As Wonder, with newly dyed blonde hair, waved and made a heart shape, the screams grew louder.Since it wasn’t being broadcast yet, this was a benefit only they could see. Artists could be seen checking the band and reviewing stage movements intermittently.Whenever their singers appeared, fans waved their lightsticks. As mentioned earlier, with various fandoms mixed together, the non-unified lights seemed chaotic.Then, at 6 o’clock sharp.The MC came on stage. It was one of the three MCs who had hosted episodes 1 and 2 of Rendezvous.“Hello, everyone! It’s a beautiful evening! You’ve all been waiting a long time, haven’t you?!”“Yes-!”As the MC’s voice echoed through the audience, they responded loudly. A brief stage introduction and Q&A followed.When asked why the festival was named 2030 in 2031, PD Jang said it was chosen with the hope that it would become the representative music festival of the 2030s, but viewers believed he had either forgotten the ‘s’ in 2030s or confused the year.The stage, which had been delayed for final checks, finally began about 15 minutes later.With the MC’s resounding shout!“Now, let’s begin the 2030 SONG FESTIVAL – Rendezvous!”Waaah-!The voices of countless people, young and old, echoed all the way to the back of the stage.The curtain-raiser was a ballad.A duet of cool, husky vocals and clear, beautiful voices that matched well with the mountainsThe confetti showered on them blended well with the setting sun, and as their song ended, night began.The second was a heavy, sticky tango.The provocative combination of a female singer and an idol drew cheers from the crowd.The third and fourth were electronic hip-hop dance and retro-style dance.Two completely different atmospheres for dance songs.And people started to go wild for the dance of an artist who seemed like they’d never dance in their life. As they stomped their feet, people followed and responded.They gradually felt the stage flowing towards something.The heightening atmosphere and deepening night.The fifth stage was Sin Joohyeok and Liv’s duet performance.With the appearance of these two who essentially had the largest fandoms, applause and cheers echoed more loudly than ever before.Their fandoms began to raise their lightsticks.Crimson red and ultraviolet blended together, illuminating the man and woman on stage.Liv in a white one-piece dress and Sin Joohyeok in a blue suit jacket glare at each other as they sing a rock ballad.And at this point, Halo watches Sin Joohyeok and Liv’s “Pride and Prejudice” while tapping his foot. In a different sense from the audience.His heart was pounding like crazy.“You’re not nervous, are you?”“Me?”At Halo’s smiling face, Hwang Ryongpil nodded.He didn’t think Halo would be nervous.Even from backstage, the audience seats were visible.The blend of Liv and Sin Joohyeok’s lightsticks made the audience look like velvet.“In my day, we didn’t have things like that.”Hwang Ryongpil looked at the lightstick lights with regret.“Don’t you do that kind of thing?”“Well…”‘In my time, we didn’t have things like that either.’The culture of people holding lights and interacting with singers didn’t exist in his time either. Halo looked at the audience with curious eyes.“That’s a shame.”As Liv and Sin Joohyeok’s dazzling performance ended, the lightstick lights dimmed. Though it wasn’t theirs, it had been quite impressive, so Hwang Ryongpil was genuinely disappointed.“Soon, you’ll see an even brighter light.”“…That’s true.”Hwang Ryongpil smiled along with Halo’s words.Besides, even when their performance ends, it’s not the end of the festival. A special performance will follow.For those who waited day and night for the festival.And for the singers who don’t want to end this brilliant night with just one song.The stage lights go out.Sin Joohyeok and Liv went down on the lift.Now it was their turn to go up on stage.Boom.A drum sounded.The stage cloaked in darkness.Halo swung his black coat that at a glance looked like a cape.Boom boom!The drum sounded again.The murmur of the crowd, excited from the previous performance, subsides.His time was coming.And when it was time for the drum to sound once more, he snapped his fingers.#“Wow, that was insane, insane. The relationship dynamics were insane.”The girl turned off her lightstick as the next performance began. However, the lingering impression wasn’t as easy to turn off as the lightstick.It felt like she could go home now.No, she should watch the special performance before leaving.Team 1 was already gone from the girl’s mind.The stage of Sin Joohyeok and Liv glaring at each other repeated endlessly in her head. All the other performances were great too, but the climax was Sin Joohyeok and Liv’s duet.This wasn’t just because she was a Sin Joohyeok fan, it really was the best.The girl and others thought there couldn’t be a better performance than this.Until a snap! sound echoed across the stage, now cloaked in darkness and silence.Too soft for a clap, too thin for a footstep.But before anyone could figure out what it was, humming was added. It continued in the same tempo as heard on the broadcast.Before people could recognize it, the band’s session was added. By now, instead of finger snaps, footsteps continued.As they continued regularly, tap tap, the audience also began to match the beat one by one.Having already experienced it in the previous performance, they participated more actively and quickly.At that moment, over the boy’s sweet aria, Hwang Ryongpil’s solemn voice is heard.The king speaks.A nation shrouded in darkness.Let’s raise the flag and defeat the wicked crowd.The world is excited by his rule.Brave knights stomping their feet gather before the king.The knights, now an army, begin to march.The crowd of heathens lying before them.A fire-breathing dragon, raging waves, and a blinding snowstorm.In the face of all hardships, the king draws his sword.It was the perfect return of the king.The grand blade conveyed by the music instantly cuts through the romance of the man and woman. The audience couldn’t help but be drawn in, as if they had been hit on the back of the head.“As expected of Teacher… He hasn’t aged at all.”A master remains a master until death.Singers watching from backstage gape in admiration.On the other hand, they think it’s more like a featuring than a duet.Did they really decide to sing the first and second verses separately?In fact, it doesn’t seem to matter either way.They thought it would be fine even if Hwang Ryongpil sang the whole song like this.At that moment, the solid voice reached its highlight.The audience closed their eyes, enjoying the thrill.As it reached its peak, it faded out.And the song returned, becoming quiet like the first verse.Breaking the silence was again the sound of snapping fingers.While it was clearly the same beginning, it wasn’t completely identical.The tempo was faster than the first verse. And the humming laid over it. The old man’s solemn timbre.People who started to lose the lingering impression of the first verse let out sighs.At this rate, wouldn’t the boy’s voice be buried under Hwang Ryongpil’s?Just as they were thinking that.The boy’s voice pierced their eardrums.He is one of the crowd watching the king speak on the castle.Also, he is a young knight before the king,and someone’s son.The young knight speaks.The lyrics are similar to the king’s, but something was different.If the first verse felt grand, the second verse felt desperate.Perhaps it’s because the clear voice reached their ears with conviction.The crowd unconsciously leaned in to hear his voice better.The world ripples at the young knight’s desperate declaration.Someone clasped their hands as if in prayer.Tired knights at the end of hardship look at him.The wicked evil lying before them.The young knight stands before knights tired from the fire-breathing dragon, raging waves, and blinding snowstorm.His small back continues forward, undaunted by hardship.The knights, seeing his dazzling advance, rose one by one.Halo swings his black cape.It was just like the king’s.The music races towards the highlight.Although the highlight has exactly the same lyrics, people realized that the first and second verses could never be the same.If the first verse spoke of a grand advance, the second verse showed an unyielding will in the face of hardship.The tired audience stands up again and looks at them.The stage lights dimmed again.But everyone knew it wasn’t over yet.Once again, the snap! sound is heard.There was no more humming, but somewhere, humming began.Following it, humming began to spread through the audience.It soon reached the stage,and arrived at the two singers in front.Following the audience’s humming, the two voices intertwined and echoed.[Don’t be afraid of the darknessEndure the fierce waves]The brave king’s song andthe steadfast knight’s song resounded simultaneously.Neither giving way, the melody advances towards a crescendo.[Spread your broken wings again]As they stomped their feet, people followed suit,and the humming soon became the highlight.Everyone sang the hero’s song.Everyone advanced together through the fire-breathing dragon, raging waves, and blinding snowstorm.Ah-ah-ah-ahAh-ah-ah-ahThough no sound could be picked up on the broadcast buried under the crowd’s voice, this was enough.The united voice filled the stage.Flames rose on stage from the intense heat.“-!”A silent roar.Soon, an infinite cheer overwhelms the ears.What followed was “Encore!” “Encore!” Someone’s initial shout became a group chant sweeping through the audience.It was an excitement never seen in any performance before.“You’re not tired already, are you?”The main camera captured Hwang Ryongpil and the boy.The boy, panting but smiling more brightly than anyone,was shining as if receiving all the world’s spotlights.Halo stretched his arms towards the lights filling the area below the stage.People followed his gesture, making their presence known.They burn with passion as if there’s no tomorrow.Yes, this is exactly what he had hoped for.The moment his breath aligns with the people’s breath.It felt like he might suffocate and die from the fiery cheers at any moment.The boy answered, panting.“This is just the beginning.”Hi everyone, I've fully translated this series. 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