Save a Failed Idol’s Life

As I stepped out of the minivan and onto the stairs leading to the stage, two of the staff members greeted me with a loud scream.

Behind them, the elderly villagers who were sitting in a row clapped their hands, as if they were happy to see me, even though they probably had no idea who I was.

Thank you… I tried to look natural as I glanced at the audience.

‘There are more people than I expected.’

More than half of the hundred plastic chairs were occupied, and there were only a few empty seats here and there, about twenty or thirty in total.

And even those would be filled by the time the show ended, as some of the residents who heard the news late rushed over.

“Hello, nice to meet you. We are Climax!”

I greeted them enthusiastically with the hand microphone, and to my gratitude, the whole audience cheered.

They didn’t know who we were, but they were kind enough to respond.

“Today, we had a meaningful and happy time helping out with the work and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Goseong County. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.”

I finished my brief introduction and handed the microphone over to Kyunghwa. He smoothly took over the speech.

“Thank you for coming. On this hot summer night, we have prepared a great stage that will blow away the heat. We hope you enjoy it!”

Soon after, a staff member came up the stairs and reached out his hand to take the microphone.

I quickly took the microphone from Kyunghwa and handed it to the staff.

We all found our positions and made sure we were in the right place. Then, the speaker started playing the intro music.

We had worked hard to raise our vocal grades from D to C, but it was all in vain. The stage was all lip-sync.

It was inevitable, since we had to dance to songs that were not ours.

♩~♪~♬♪-.

My heart was pounding fast. 

The stage looked shabby from below, but the lights pouring down from above were dazzling.

The eyes of the village elders widened in surprise. No wonder.

Just a while ago, we were wearing baggy pants and work clothes, looking ridiculous as we worked. Now, we were idols on the stage.

[I’m the star of today, who will steal your heart!]

[Your Pick My Idol~!]

[I’m born from your fingertips, a brand new me today~.]

I felt strange as I stood in the middle of the stage, receiving everyone’s attention. The elders also waved their arms, as if they had heard the song from a popular program.

[I prepared today for you, Tonight.]

[Right now, I’m shining with you, Boom Boom]

[I’m born from your fingertips, Too shine. Today’s me~.]

The lyrics that I had heard countless times during practice suddenly felt real.

I didn’t feel much difference between being a broadcaster and a professional in the food industry, and being on stage.

When I was Lim Hyun-seong, people recognized me quite often. But when I became Cheonise, no one bothered me even if I walked around with my bare face.

Radio appearances, live broadcasts, and so on. 

They were not much different from what I did when I was Lim Hyun-seong.

I just answered the questions that the host asked, and showed the people what they wanted to see and hear.

I didn’t think much differently while preparing for the stage. I just had to show the audience what they wanted to see along with the music.

‘I can see the expressions of the people so well when I’m on the stage.’

But the moment I stepped on the stage, I realized that I was mistaken.

The stage was not a one-man show by the singer. It was a collaboration that was led by the audience’s cheers and responses.

[I’m the star of today, who will shine with your support!]

[Your Pick My Idol~!]

[You and I are dreaming together, My heart is beating again-!]

I wanted to sing, I wanted to show them. Not just dancing to someone else’s song, but who we really were.

What kind of voice we had, how we sang, how we breathed. What kind of people we were, who jumped on the stage with you.

The blood rushed to my head, and it was hot. I wanted to show them a stage that was possible because we were Climax, not just anyone.

‘I hope they don’t regret spending their time to watch us today.’

My fingertips tingled as my heart pounded hard.

[Your Pick My Idol~!]

[Your Pick My Idol~!]

[Your Pick My Idol~!]

The chorus that was the symbol of the My Idol stage ended, and the lights changed.

After finishing the intense choreography, Kyunghwa took the microphone from the staff again to take a break.

“Your pick, my idol! Did you enjoy it? Next, we will play our title song from last summer, Heat your wave!”

Kyunghwa casually held the microphone in one hand and clapped his hands above his head, as if to signal the audience.

The two middle school students in the front row, of course, and the elders who were sitting behind them also raised their hands above their heads one by one, following Kyunghwa.

“Wow, these guys can dance really well.”

“I know what this is, my granddaughter likes this.”

“Oh, this is fun, they’re not just fierce, are they?”

We had warmed up the atmosphere with a familiar song, and now it was time to play our own song.

[Tonight, the mood is as hot as midday.]

It was our song from last year’s activity, so naturally, I was the center. I took the center position, with Seon-woo and Seong-won on the left, and Yejun and Kyunghwa on the right.

[The sea that I walk with you always feels like summer.]

As I brushed past Kyunghwa’s side and moved to the back, it was time for Kyunghwa, the lead vocal, to come forward.

[This night, my toes are cold in the endless waves.]

[Cool and Chic, I’m blinded by your cold eyes.]

Kyunghwa raised his right hand and closed his eyes, turning his head through the gap between his fingers. It was the point choreography of this song.

‘The song was not bad.’

If it wasn’t for the disaster with Floss, it might not have resulted in such a terrible outcome.

Maybe… If I hadn’t had this opportunity, I shuddered at the thought.

I scanned the audience with a dazed look and turned around with Seong-won, balancing myself. The glance I caught seemed to scold me, ‘Focus.’

‘You don’t have to worry so much, I’ll do well.’

I felt dizzy every time I looked down at the audience.

The vocal line of the first verse was over. Now it was time for the hook and the rap line.

[When the waves hit and the sand grains scatter.]

[Heat your wave, you turn away with a fox-like face.]

Seon-woo, who was shining brighter than anyone else in the world under the spotlight, shot his hand out like a gun toward the audience.

“Ahh-! Na seon-woo, you’re so handsome!!!”

“Who is that guy? Oh my, how can a boy be so pretty?”

Heat your wave was a song dedicated to ‘you’, a charming but dangerous woman who played with me.

Was it okay to call the girl I liked a fox?

I wondered, but everyone was so envious of the protagonist of that part that they wanted to be a fox too.

I was worried that it might be a waste to give the rap part to Seon-woo, who belonged to the vocal line, but…

‘It was a complete lie.’

He was already a dynamite just by appearing.

Click click click-.

Shutter sounds poured out from everywhere. He had a face that deserved it. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cover of My Idol Stage, and they sparkled under the stage lights.

On a summer night, a light and refreshing beat poured out, with the real South Sea night sea as the background.

Soon, it was time for Seong-won’s highlight.

[Blue sea. For our bluer memories.]

Seong-won came out through the line, passing by Yejun who had moved to the back, and belted out the high note part.

The sound equipment was poor, so everyone was lip-syncing, but Seong-won, the main vocal, had a personal microphone from the beginning.

He adjusted the microphone volume so that it wouldn’t stand out too much from the lip-sync, but I thought there wouldn’t be much difference.

[I want to hold you at the end of this wave-!]

This was also a perfectly wrong guess. His clear and delicate high note reached the back row of the audience without losing its sharpness.

It was a natural decision to hold the microphone far away from his face, as if he had been given a hand microphone. 

If he had sung with that much volume on the microphone, he would have swallowed up the sound source as well.

‘This way, I have to do my best until the end.’

I was also the type who had made a living out of the mud with effort and struggle. I couldn’t ignore someone who was trying.

Not only me, but everyone was desperate on the stage. We wanted them to remember us, not to forget us.

To other people’s eyes, to the broadcast, they might wonder why we were so passionate about a village festival stage that wouldn’t even last three minutes.

But that was no problem for the castaways who hadn’t even had such an opportunity for the past six months.

[When summer ends, and the waves go away.]

[You will forget me as if nothing happened.]

[But I, blind to you, will wait for the next summer.]

Now it was time to go back to Cheonise and do the dance break part. 

The members paired up and split to both sides, and I jumped down to the center.

The sweat that hadn’t flowed when I performed Your pick my idol ran down my cheeks.

The choreography was full of b-boy-like moves to keep the cool atmosphere of summer. The sweat drops on the ends of my hair scattered like raindrops.

I unconsciously raised my hand and wiped my forehead between the moves.

“Take a picture, hurry! Picture!”

The girls sitting in the front row screamed and pressed the shutter like crazy. I would have been embarrassed if it was the old me, but I didn’t care at all now.

‘Damn, why are they all so sincere and desperate!’

The fingertips that I accidentally brushed were all hot with fever.

The last part was where we all sang one verse each.

[Heat your wave!]

Seon-woo winked at me with a fresh smile and a chest that heaved with breath.

Everyone gasped at his beauty that transcended generations and genders.

[When summer comes back again]

Everyone laughed at Yejun’s playful expression that followed.

[This blue sea, this hot summer night.]

Seong-won calmly took over Yejun’s part.

He didn’t have as much impact as the previous two, but everyone couldn’t take their eyes off the stage.

[Remember me, this sea is for you, I am.]

The sound of fainting was heard from the middle-aged housewives who were centered on Kyunghwa’s sorrowful expression.

That guy, he was surprisingly popular with older housewives. He had a good student impression that would do well on morning broadcasts.

[Heat your wave!]

My part was the last one to end all the lyrics. The applause poured out as the stage ended.

We had prepared these two songs. Now it was time to listen to the village songs for a few minutes, as it was a village festival for the elders.

The other members also had a relieved and happy expression after giving everything they had prepared.

It was an unexpected event that happened when we were intoxicated by the emotion of the first stage as idols.

“Encore, encore, encore!”

The voices started to gather as one, centered on the elders sitting in the front row.

The cheers and heat that made my ears ring filled the vacant lot.

“Encore, encore!!”

“Encore-! Encore-! Encore-! Encore-!”

It was a situation that no one expected.