Chapter 48: The Crowd Finally Moved

It would have been nice if the effect worked on the existing PamPams as well.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

The notifications showed point values, but there was no way to know exactly how much influence each number represented. How strong was a +10 compared to a +20? He had no idea.

Still, having it quantified made things easier to understand.

The higher the number, the better.

[☆★☆★ SPECIAL EXPERIENCE ☆★☆★]

Remaining Time — 00:00

Time’s Up!

☆★☆★ Did you enjoy your trial? ☆★☆★

☆★☆★ Let’s never meet again! ☆★☆★

The notification vanished with a cheerful pop the moment the ten seconds ended.

Easy for you to say.

If it really didn’t want to meet him again, maybe it should stop showing up in the first place.

Pouting slightly, Eunchan stared at the empty space where the message had disappeared.

Why did the system insist on using messages that sounded like spam advertisements?

Its taste was truly impossible to understand.

Still, he had confirmed one thing.

Human Catnip was definitely working.

Now all that remained was to do his best.

The stage was still dark.

Taking their positions, the members lined up according to formation.

Then the familiar intro began.

The song they had practiced until it felt like it had worn holes in their eardrums.

As they had seen in the fan-chant video uploaded for Get Ambitious, the PamPams immediately started cheering.

This was the first time in his life he had heard support on this scale.

Call him sentimental if you wanted.

Who wouldn’t be energized by a roar like this?

His heart beat pleasantly.

So this was what people meant when they said their blood was boiling.

Three minutes and twenty seconds.

A short time.

A long time.

For these three minutes and twenty seconds, they had spent countless hours practicing.

At this moment, he didn’t care how sick he was.

He didn’t care what kind of backlash his body would suffer afterward.

He refused to leave this stage with even a single regret.

A live broadcast stage only happened once.

There were no retakes.

No second chances.

Only this moment.

“Actually, I was sick.”

“Actually, this happened.”

“Actually, that happened.”

Excuses meant nothing.

On stage, no one cared about excuses.

If he was sick, then he had to smile harder.

If he was sick, then he had to dance harder.

If he was sick, then he had to work even harder.

More.

A little more.

He could do better.

Eunchan pushed himself relentlessly.

I can do this.

I have to do this.

I can do this.

He repeated it over and over.

Strangely enough, he wasn’t nervous.

The Mental Rank downgrade hadn’t completely erased his anxiety.

But something stronger than fear was supporting him now.

Faith.

Faith in himself.

Faith in the team.

The song approached its midpoint.

Yet the Field Alpha fans remained completely motionless.

The other members were trying not to pay attention.

But no matter how hard they tried, it wasn’t possible to pretend the audience didn’t exist.

Eunchan glanced toward Wooyoung.

Since this was his first stage with the group, Eunchan had worried he might be affected.

Thankfully, perhaps because of his high Mental Rank, Wooyoung looked fine.

Eunchan quickly checked the others.

Then his gaze stopped on Ryu Seo-oh.

For only a moment, but clearly enough—

Seo-oh’s eyes wandered.

The audience’s lack of reaction was affecting them.

Thankfully, it hadn’t reached the choreography yet.

That was probably because they had practiced so much that their bodies moved automatically.

But luck only lasted so long.

What if someone missed a beat?

What if a step got tangled?

Bad things had a habit of falling like dominoes.

He couldn’t allow that to happen on their comeback stage.

Maintaining his smile, Eunchan clenched his teeth.

If they wouldn’t cheer, then he would work even harder.

He had to make them want to cheer.

Eunchan fixed his gaze on the Field Alpha fan section.

The stage lights were bright, but they didn’t completely obscure the audience.

He looked at their faces one by one.

I can move them.

I can make them cheer.

No.

I’ll make it impossible for them not to.

An inexplicable confidence, something almost identical to certainty, supported him from within.

This was his part.

Still smiling, he stepped forward.

“Without regretting the time we’ve passed through…”

“Without turning back, we’re standing here…”

“I’m telling you…”

Eunchan made eye contact with as many audience members as possible.

He added a small ad-lib during his vocal section and moved closer to the crowd.

Then he smiled.

As brightly as he possibly could.

And continued dancing.

Then—

Something changed.

One lightstick began to move.

A single one.

From the previously motionless Field Alpha fan section.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Like a drop of paint falling into clear water and spreading outward.

One became two.

Two became five.

Five became ten.

More and more lightsticks started waving.

The change was impossible to miss.

B the 1’s fans stared in shock.

Fans of other groups stared in shock.

Considering Field Alpha’s reputation, their reactions were completely understandable.

By the time Moon Sebyeol finished his line and the part switched to Ryu Seo-oh—

Every single person in the audience was cheering for B the 1.

And the Field Alpha fans weren’t merely waving lightsticks.

“B THE 1!”

“B THE 1!”

“B THE 1!”

The same people who had sat in complete silence moments ago were now shouting at the top of their lungs.

The audience’s cheers grew exponentially louder.

Ryu Seo-oh’s eyes widened in surprise when he noticed.

His gaze met Eunchan’s.

But by the time they returned to formation, Seo-oh had already hidden his shock behind a smile.

He had clearly been affected by the audience’s change.

His movements became more energetic.

More lively than during practice.

The excitement spread throughout the entire team.

The unified cheers gave them strength.

Like a painkiller, the noise made Eunchan forget how sick he was.

The goodwill, support, and applause from the crowd flowed through his body like warm blood.

Even his feverish haze felt pleasant.

When was the last time he had enjoyed performing this much?

His heart pounded.

Whether from the intense choreography, excitement, or both.

I can keep going.

I can smile more.

On stage—

He felt like he could do anything.

The music ended.

As the designated ending fairy, Eunchan smiled brightly and winked at the approaching camera.

The camera lingered on him for what felt like an unusually long time.

Keeping his breathing under control while maintaining a beautiful smile wasn’t easy.

But he enjoyed even that.

The stage was finally over.

After thanking the staff and walking offstage, Eunchan breathed heavily.

An indescribable sense of satisfaction filled him.

He had originally planned to simply endure until the performance ended.

Instead, all he felt now was regret.

He wanted to sing more.

Dance more.

Smile more.

Even small things bothered him.

Maybe his arm hadn’t extended quickly enough during that one move.

Maybe he could have done better.

Unable to shake those thoughts, he approached Wooyoung after removing his microphone.

“You did great. It was your first stage, but you didn’t seem nervous at all.”

“Are you okay?”

“Come on. I’m your senior, remember? Of course I wasn’t nervous.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Eunchan smiled so widely his eyes disappeared.

“I’m okay. We finished the stage, didn’t we?”

“That’s not—”

Wooyoung’s gaze fell to Eunchan’s hand.

It was trembling.

Whether from excitement or illness, it was hard to tell.

After hanging the microphone around his neck, Eunchan clenched and unclenched his fist.

Trying to hide it would only make people worry more.

Better to act naturally.

“Because my hand’s shaking? Really, I’m fine. Seriously. Thanks.”

And strangely enough—

He truly felt like everything would be okay.

Even if he had to crawl home from the broadcasting station.

The moment that thought crossed his mind—

His vision blurred.

A terrible sensation washed over him.

As though all the blood in his body was draining into the floor.

The feeling was similar to riding a roller coaster.

Only ten times stronger.

Okay, I said I’d be fine crawling home…

But I didn’t mean literally.

His fading consciousness grumbled weakly.

“Eunchan hyung?!”

“…Eunchan!”

Voices called his name from far away.

The last thing he saw was Wooyoung’s face.

His eyes wide with shock.

Don’t worry.

It’s just a penalty. I’ll get better soon.

You don’t need to look like that.

But the words never left his mouth.

Wow.

How is he still so handsome in a situation like this?

That completely inappropriate thought was the last thing that crossed his mind before everything went dark.

In the end, Shim Eunchan didn’t leave the station by crawling.

He left on Hyun Wooyoung’s back.

* * *

[B the 1 Fan Community]

Today’s stage absolutely destroyed me. Holy crap. Eunchan…

Ending fairy Eunchan was INSANE.

I didn’t imagine that, right? What happened to Stone Alpha? I just watched them cheer for another group in real time??

└ I got chills when that happened.

└└ Same here. What the heck was that?!

I’m another group’s fan who was there today. Honestly, it was incredible. Everyone around me started whispering because they were so shocked. The atmosphere was unreal.

└ Seriously. Even I’d have reacted like that.

└└ Considering who those people are? I thought someone edited the footage.

Apparently Eunchan was carried out by Wooyoung today.

What? Seriously? You’re not joking?

(Photo)

(Photo)

Look at his arm hanging there. The other members were crowded around too. They looked worried.

Wait, wasn’t he jumping all over the stage? Seriously??

I heard Eunchan went to the hospital.

…What?

└ Is that real?

└ What’s going on?

└ Was he really that sick?

└ Not sure, but seriously… how hard are they working him if he collapsed right after the comeback stage?

TenHigh, stop overworking them. My baby deserves better.

He smiled through the entire stage while feeling that bad? I watched the fancam and there wasn’t a single moment he stopped smiling.

Damn it… they pushed him way too hard. This is making me cry.

I spent the whole day screaming because I was happy and now I feel guilty.

I got into the broadcast today and thought I was lucky. I was cheering because Eunchan smiled right in front of me. Now I find out he was sick the whole time… I feel awful.

└ Don’t think like that…

└ I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been crying ever since I heard.

Seriously… seriously…

Who’s the new member? Hyun Wooyoung? Instant bias. I was flipping channels and nearly had my eyes blessed.

└ Why is someone that handsome in this company?

└└ That’s what I’m saying. Why didn’t a major agency take him?

└└└ Stop doom-posting and talk about that somewhere else.

Seriously though, who IS this guy?

└ B the 1’s new member is insanely handsome. Saw him in person. He practically glows.

└ Somehow he ended up there… and now he’ll probably leave too.

└└ This isn’t your wish-list thread, thanks.

You could tell Sebyeol came out determined to kill it today. Perfect performance.

└ Seo-oh always works hard, but today he was unbelievable.

└ Sebyeol was crazy good. My cousin actually asked who he was.

Eunchan is the definition of a professional idol. How can he perform like that while sick? But please don’t be that professional.

└ Please rest if you’re sick…

└ I hope it wasn’t too serious.

Can the company at least post an announcement? They’re probably too busy because it’s comeback season, but please let him rest for a while. Seriously.