Chapter 4: The Accidental Triumph

Of course, the staff’s breakage was indeed an accident, not a mistake. Yet, Hari couldn’t shake the feeling that if he had been just a little more careful, if he had managed his expression better at the very end, perhaps things would have been different. He found himself consumed by regret, even over the most trivial details.

After all, it was true that Daon was leveraging the drama’s popularity. Given this reality, they needed to deliver a performance that was undeniably impressive to everyone.

The other members prioritized checking if Hari was injured over the on-air accident he had caused. However, Hari, who had finished the stage with a look of horror still plastered across his face, couldn’t hear their concerned words.

He wasn’t even sure how he had made it back to the waiting room. A heavy sense of self-reproach weighed him down. This sudden surge of attention was overwhelming, almost unbearable. Even the smallest flaw felt magnified into a gaping chasm.

Ultimately, Hari could no longer hold back his tears. He sobbed uncontrollably.

Seeing Hari silently weeping, tears streaming down his face, Sanghyeok approached him. He knelt on one knee before him.

“Hari, it’s alright.”

“Hyung… I, I ruined the stage…”

His voice, ragged and broken, tugged at the hearts of those who heard it. Sanghyeok looked down at Hari, whose gaze was fixed on the floor, and swallowed a sigh. ‘Why is he so shaken?’ he thought.

It had been an accident, and Hari had fulfilled his role by not getting hurt from the broken staff. Though he didn’t seem to see it that way, objectively, that was the truth.

However, the members understood Hari’s feelings, knowing the significance of their comeback stage and how desperately they had yearned for it. Yet, understanding was one thing, and the situation another…

“It was an accident. How is that your fault? The prop was made of wood and a year old to begin with; it would have been strange if it *hadn’t* broken. The practice room even had mold.”

Sanghyeok spoke with unwavering certainty.

“Even if it was a mistake, it’s fine. Anyone can make a mistake during a performance once in a while. And this isn’t even your fault, is it? Understand?”

Everything he said was undeniably true. Though his tone was a little stiff, it carried a gentle desire to comfort Hari. Hari nodded, tears like chicken droppings still falling from his eyes. As he seemed to calm down, Se-an, who had been hovering nearby, offered Hari a high-quality tissue to his nose. “Blow!” he added, as an extra.

It was a gesture filled with affection for their youngest member.

‘Should I pay for it?’ Hari wondered.

He absently blew his nose, worrying about the cost to compensate for the damaged floor. Stage sets were expensive, and their agency was struggling financially. He fretted that they might even earn the broadcasting station’s displeasure. Hari’s thoughts spiraled further into negativity. The more he thought, the more he felt tears welling up again, so he squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Our company really has no money left…’

“And honestly…”

“…?”

“Things like this often create more buzz than a perfectly flawless stage. You didn’t see our manager hyung’s eyes sparkling backstage, did you?”

“…Pardon?”

“First, he was worried. But once he confirmed you were okay, he practically skipped off to call the CEO, completely ecstatic.”

Hari gazed at Sanghyeok, an expression of disbelief on his face.

“Well, this was supposed to be a secret. But honestly, because the reaction to our last comeback wasn’t as good as expected… the company actually discussed whether we should break a staff or something for this comeback stage, to get mentioned by the public and media at least once more.”

This was the first Hari was hearing of it.

“Manager hyung and I objected, saying you guys might get hurt, so it was scrapped.”

Hari’s tears instantly receded. He stared at Sanghyeok with wide, astonished eyes. Sanghyeok merely shrugged in response to Hari’s gaze.

“The company is monitoring reactions, so he must have gone to call to check on that. He should be back soon.”

No sooner had Sanghyeok finished speaking than the waiting room door opened, and the manager, who had disappeared, re-entered.

Whether he noticed the members’ gazes or not, the manager approached Hari with a grave expression.

“Guys… we’re in big trouble.”

“…Hyung?”

Taking quick strides, the manager suddenly embraced Hari. Hari’s body stiffened. The manager simply patted Hari’s back without a word, as if to soothe him.

Hari couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the manager’s reaction.

Those around them wore similar expressions to Hari. They approached the two, puzzled.

“Why? What happened?”

“Ta-da!”

As if waiting for someone to ask, the manager pulled away from Hari and took out his phone. His face, which had been so serious just moments before, was now beaming with a wide smile. The manager and stylist, along with Daon’s members, clustered together, leaving Hari behind, to peer at the screen.

“Is this… is this real?”

“Would it be fake?”

Hari hesitantly approached the people chattering among themselves about him. He wasn’t entirely oblivious; he could infer from their reactions that there was good news. It seemed like a much better outcome than he had feared and blamed himself for. Had they found some positive comments about today’s performance?

“…What do the comments say?”

“Our lucky charm!”

Hari’s courageous question was completely overshadowed. Starting with an unknown voice, Hari found himself being passed around. One moment his back was being stroked, then his arm was grasped, his cheek was lightly pinched, and his bottom was patted.

Receiving congratulations without knowing why, he grew curious as to what could possibly be written to elicit such an intense reaction. Sanghyeok, who finally noticed Hari’s continued confusion and burst out laughing, extended his phone.

“Look at this, Hari. See? You’re trending at number one on real-time searches.”

– Real-time Search Rankings –

1. Yeon △3

2. Palace Bathed in Moonlight ▽1

3. Hari NEW

4. Daon NEW

5. Chicken Price Increase –

6. Music World Stage Damage NEW

…

The rectangular screen came into view. Hari read the words listed in a small box on one side of the site. He didn’t just read them; he traced the characters with his finger. Two words stood out clearly on the blurry screen, accompanied by an upward arrow indicating a rise in rank: ‘Hari’ and ‘Daon’.

As if to mock his earlier composure, tears began to fall from Hari’s eyes once more. His vision blurred, and he squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.

‘Is this truly reality?’ It was excessively, overwhelmingly joyful.

Hari wiped away his tears and slowly scrolled down. It felt as though he was on a hidden camera show. Otherwise, such good things couldn’t possibly happen one after another.

His worries had been for naught; ‘Daon’ was indeed garnering significant attention. And it was positive attention, almost like a lie. This feeling was far more overwhelming, incomparably so, than when he had ranked first under the name ‘Yeon’.

Hari pressed his hand firmly against his wildly thumping chest, trying to calm himself. ‘So, extreme joy can also bring tears,’ he thought. He smiled faintly, struggling to wipe away the tears.

The article headlines and reactions he glimpsed were overwhelmingly positive. While some mentioned his mistake, there were no mocking or critical comments. It was a huge relief. Hari truly felt a profound sense of relief.

“Truly… I, we…”

Beside him, a choked voice trailed off, broken and unfamiliar.

He suddenly remembered that the same person who had so casually comforted him earlier had been trembling before the performance.

Even if the manager had hinted that the reaction might be good, seeing it with his own eyes must have been different.

Hari’s eyes widened in surprise at Sanghyeok’s voice, which clearly conveyed his agitation.

It was the first time he had ever seen Sanghyeok cry.

As the members stared at him with shocked eyes, Sanghyeok tried to hide his face with his hands. In that moment, Hari recalled the image of him practicing day after day in the studio.

“Why are you crying… on such a good day?”

When Sanghyeok, who rarely cried, began to weep, his tears seemed contagious. The other members, who had been trying to smile despite their trembling lips, also burst into loud sobs. The agency staff were no different. Their brightly smiling faces slowly contorted as they, too, gave way to tears.

It felt like the end of their ‘unknown idol’ days was finally in sight.

Only then did Hari feel the crushing burden on his shoulders finally lift.

In the end, all the Daon members had to go on stage for the first-place announcement that day with their makeup completely washed away by tears. They stood almost at the very back, but there was no hiding their swollen, red eyes.

****

The biggest reason Daon became a hot topic was, of course, ‘Yeon’. The members nodded, as if they had already guessed. Yeon’s stage at the Acting Awards had garnered significant attention. Hari, not having looked up many articles, seemed unaware, but that day’s performance, linked with the national actor Jung Ihyeon, had received an even greater reaction than anticipated.

Therefore, the agency had predicted that even a performance hinting at ‘Yeon’s identity during this comeback stage would become a hot topic. However, the unique circumstances of the stage and prop damage had combined, creating an even greater synergy. There were already countless related articles.

“You broke the stage well!”

Though it sounded like an encouragement to violence, it was a compliment. Only then did Hari let out a sigh of relief and offer a shy smile. Contrary to Hari’s worries, Daon’s comeback stage concluded with the achievement of ranking first on real-time searches. It was a resounding success.