Meanwhile, at the main stadium boasting the largest scale in Seoul, Moon Beomjae’s solo concert was in full swing.
And up in the second-floor seats…
Clap clap, clap clap clap, CLA—P!
Hyuna, seated with a friend, was clapping so hard her palms stung.
Word had spread that “The Moon” would appear as guest artists at the Seoul stop of Moon Beomjae’s nationwide tour, so Hyuna had jumped on ticketing fast.
She got lucky, scored seats, and came with her friend.
“Kkyyaaaaaaa—!”
Sure, Moon Beomjae is one of those powerhouse singers every Korean loves.
But these two were girls in the very bloom of youth, weren’t they?
“Oppaaaaa—!!!!!!!!”
When the idol group The Moon came out as guests, they let loose cheers with a volume they’d never produced before.
Hyuna’s pick among them was—
“Ahn Jiho!!!!!!”
The group’s leader, Ahn Jiho.
When she first saw the “Eungheon Jiho” and “Colt-Foal Jiho” memes, she’d thought he was just silly and cute.
But before she knew it, she’d fallen for him hard.
By the time she came to her senses, she was already a member of his fan cafe “Colt-Foal hey-ho.”
Why’s the fan cafe name like that, you ask?
It wasn’t always that way. Word is that Ahn Jiho himself asked for it to be changed to “Colt-Foal hey-ho.”
Ahh. Everything else is fine, but it seems he’s not so great at naming things.
Still…
It’s way better than her brother Hyunseung’s aesthetic sense, so that was that.
Fweee—, fweee—.
When The Moon’s stage wrapped and Ahn Jiho began his solo “fallen leaves,” she lifted both hands high and swayed slowly left and right.
“Ha, the singing form is insane. Doesn’t Ahn Jiho’s voice fit this like glue? Before I die, thanks to HS I get to hear a voice like this.”
Hyuna smiled at her friend’s fangirling, unsure whether she was praising Ahn Jiho or HS.
Honestly, even Hyuna found it hard to believe the song she was hearing was one her brother had written.
Such a great song…
Another moment of freshly realizing her brother’s ability.
— Hello, we’re The Moon!
After the song, the members lined up and Ahn Jiho took the mic as the representative.
Because Hyuna was way up in the far second tier, she had to look at his face on the jumbo screen.
But even that was bliss.
She wasn’t the only one who’d come to see The Moon; cheers erupted from pockets all over the venue.
“Kkyaaaaaaaaa—!”
As if to compete with the crowd’s volume, Hyuna also shouted his name with all she had.
“Ahn Jiho! Ahn Jiho!”
In an instant, the venue turned from Moon Beomjae’s concert into a The Moon fan meeting.
— For everyone who came to Mr. Moon Beomjae’s concert today, there’s a surprise gift waiting…
Ahn Jiho continued speaking, but the roar drowned it out.
— Then please, with even stronger applause than you gave us, welcome…!
Hyuna couldn’t make out what he said, but as asked, she smacked her palms together with force.
Clap clap, clap clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap clap clap—!
The lights went out and the hall fell into blackout.
“Is another guest coming out?”
“I don’t know. Couldn’t hear.”
Whispering in the dark with her friend about what was happening—
— ♬ ♬ ♬
A familiar melody tugged at her ears.
What song was that again?
She tilted her head, thinking, and then—
— Everyone curses me, says I’m the bad one.
A rap voice from the darkness made her slap a hand over her mouth.
Gasp!
Lights cascaded down over the left side of the stage.
— But that’s by your standard.
As the shadows peeled back, Jayble came into view.
— What do you know to talk about me? Everyone has their reasons.
Instead of cheering, the audience started to murmur. They were surprised that Jayble had suddenly appeared as a guest, yes, but—
— Yeah, I move for money and live for money. So what?
This song was “letter,” the title track from Jayble and HS’s collaborative album, the one both composers had sung on.
Right.
If Jayble was performing it, that meant HS might be here too.
“Hey, Hyuna, Hyuna, surely—no, right? HS wouldn’t come to a place like this, would he?”
Her friend, an HS fan who’d failed to win the fan-meeting lottery, grabbed her, dazed.
But her friend’s face also betrayed a secret hope.
“W-well…”
It was all Hyuna could say. Given her brother’s personality, she didn’t think he’d show himself at a big concert like this…
But it was odd that Jayble had chosen a duet like “letter,” so she couldn’t say anything for sure.
— Which is why I’m singing with this guy, aren’t I?
Jayble walked slowly; the spotlight flowed along above his head.
Then, when he reached stage right, the light spread, and a second figure faintly took shape.
— Listen up—this is a duet of Mozart and Salieri.
And then, when Jayble slung an arm around someone’s shoulders, the back screen flared to life with CG, confirming the other person’s presence.
— In just a year, my life’s changed too much.
A calm baritone, a tall, slim, yet solid frame.
On top of that, even from a distance the flame-emblem helmet with the rainbow visor grabbed the eye.
Anyone could see… this was undoubtedly composer HS.
Yes.
Her very own brother, Hyunseung.
“……”
The hall went as quiet as if doused with cold water but only briefly.
“Holy—”
Triggered by her friend’s curse, screams close to shrieks burst out across the stands.
“Kkyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!!!!!”
The roar dwarfed the cheers for Moon Beomjae, The Moon, even Jayble.
Then, the big screen captured HS in the flame-emblem helmet.
And then, with the visor slightly raised, he brought the mic and his index finger to his lips and spoke.
— Shh.
Even that whisper, like part of the track, made the crowd sway back like waves.
— The standard aimed at me—now it turns outward.
HS began to sing in earnest.
— Some will curse me. That’s only natural. If needed, I’ll play the villain.
A voice flowing calm yet rhythmic—half rap, half song.
— Fine. I’ll live as myself, knowing only myself.
He moved through his marks with an easy calm, as if stages like this were second nature.
— And still you’re by my side, the names engraved on my heart.
Hearing her brother sing live whom she’d only ever heard through studio tracks, Hyuna couldn’t close her mouth.
She’d hardly even seen him casually hum a tune, and she hadn’t gone to the fan meeting, either.
For the first time in her life, she was seeing her brother stand square and sing.
— I didn’t say it aloud. The word “undeserved” feels cheesy in my mouth. But I thought you’d know.
His voice was sweeter than she’d imagined.
No, if he weren’t her brother, it would’ve set her heart racing.
“God, I came to a Moon Beomjae concert and ended up hearing HS sing… I’m truly blessed.”
Her friend looked downright rapt, as if she’d handed over her heart.
— That I’m grateful to you.
At the end, Jayble and HS met center stage, backs pressed together and finished the song.
“Is HS gonna take off the helmet? Huh? Will he? Please!”
Beside her, her friend’s voice was giddy with excitement.
Contrary to her hopes, HS did not remove the helmet.
Instead, the stage lights came fully up and the two bowed their greetings.
— Welcome to Mr. Moon Beomjae’s concert. I’m composer Jayble. And the person beside me is, just as you guessed, composer HS.
When they greeted the crowd, chants of “Jayble! HS!” rolled in waves.
It was so loud it felt like the army. Her ears hurt.
Truly, even with repeated exposure, Hyuna never got used to scenes like this.
People going wild for her brother.
And it wasn’t like her brother was a top-tier idol group member, right?
He was just a composer. A pretty successful one. No, seriously successful.
Plus, she had to admit, he had a good-looking face.
Ahh.
Also tall, fairly built, and a decent singer.
“Hey, country mouse.”
To her, he was just the brother who constantly played mean little pranks.
They’re only like this because they don’t know the real him.
Her brother’s teasing face flashed vivid in her mind; she shook her head.
Before she knew it, the chant had shifted to “HS! ‘After the Flowers have Faded!’”
Apparently, they wanted him to sing the main OST from the recent hit drama Red Thread, the one he’d recorded.
Will he sing it?
Deep down, Hyuna wanted to hear it live too, and fixed her gaze on the face (helmet) on the screen.
Then—
— Shh.
HS again brought a finger to his lips to hush them.
— If you want to hear ‘After the Flowers Fall,’ please come to my fan meeting next time.
At that, the crowd let out groans as if their hearts were melting.
Ahh.
The next fan-meeting lottery odds were going to get even uglier.
— Instead, Mr. Moon Beomjae’s “Villain Daddy” stage is coming up, so please enjoy the rest of the concert with the same energy.
It could have been an awkward situation, but Hyunseung handled it smoothly, like he’d done this a hundred times.
With a light wave, he slipped backstage.
“Wow, hearing HS live… his voice is crazy.”
“R-right.”
“Who is that guy? From today I’m a one-and-only HS stan.”
Giving her friend an awkward smile, Hyuna turned her eyes to the stage as the next setup got underway.
Somehow, she felt like she’d just peeked into her brother’s private life.
He probably had no idea she was at this concert.
Ahh.
If she told him she came to see Ahn Jiho, he’d say something or tease her for sure.
Let’s keep this a secret for now.
That was her decision, and then the intro to “villain daddy” washed over her.
— ♬ ♬ ♬
This too, after all, was a song her brother had made.
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