pappabearbooks Chapter 203: Summer (6)
Chapter 203: Summer (6)
On the 11th, with just one day left until Vanguard’s concert in Japan. Kang Rojun and the members started the final rehearsal from the morning. A rehearsal where everything was done exactly the same as the actual performance, from costumes to direction, in accordance with the set cue sheet.Leader Kang Rojun gathered the members and shouted.
"Believe in ourselves who worked hard until now! Let’s go!"
"Let’s go, let’s go!!"
"Uaaaah! Fighting!!"
In the waiting room, shouts full of energy from the members, the choreography team, and dozens of others echoed loudly.
The concert hall was still empty.
By tomorrow, it would be filled with 35,000 people. But Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung gave their best in the rehearsal, imagining the tens of thousands of audience members already present.
-♬♪
Colorful lights beamed down, fireworks and flames exploded on stage, smoke effects, and visuals displayed on the giant monitors. The final rehearsal proceeded no differently from Vanguard’s debut show-con, as if today were the official concert.
Around the same time in Japan.
《'Vanguard' Concert, 35,000 Expected to Gather!》
《Returned Even More Amazing After the 'Produce That 100!' Mini Concert, ‘Vanguard’ Takes the Stage Tomorrow at Saitama Arena》
In Korea as well, the public was being constantly informed about Vanguard’s Japanese concert, just a day away.
《'Vanguard' Rewriting KPOP Legends, Just One Day Until They Completely Captivate 30,000 Japanese Fans / Photo》
《What Kind of Place Is the ‘Saitama Arena’ Where ‘Vanguard’ Will Hold Their Japan Concert?》
《[Star Photo] Concert Rehearsal Scene Uploaded on Vanguard’s SNS...Japanese Fans Go Wild in the Comments》
A Japan concert just a few months after debut. It was an unprecedented speed in the idol scene, and it was a record set by 'Vanguard' for the first time. Thanks to that, many domestic entertainment companies responded in various ways.
Some simply slandered 'Vanguard'.
"A concert tomorrow, huh? I’m so jealous it makes me sick. These guys made the god-tier move by debuting quickly without breaking the flow from 'Produce That 100!'"
"Ugh, 35,000 people... that’s excessive for rookies."
"Jealous and all but phew- hope they mess up from nerves."
Others straightforwardly admired Vanguard’s unstoppable rise.
"They pulled off the 20,000-person debut show-con with ease, so 35,000 will be no problem."
"Aren’t they seriously amazing? Not just selling out 30,000 seats, but the guts to hold a Japan concert just months after debut..."
"Who’s CEO Ha Seo-hwan again? That guy’s always been a straight-charging type."
"Vanguard’s killer performance helped too."
Maybe it was because they were aware of this momentum, but on the stage of ‘Saitama Arena', ‘Vanguard’ poured more and more into their final rehearsal as time passed. Sweat, passion, energy, and more. Interestingly, rather than being drained during the rehearsal, their energy seemed to rise higher.
Their final rehearsal only wrapped up in the late afternoon.
But maybe because they still felt unsatisfied, Kang Rojun and the members stayed on stage to continue checking everything. They candidly expressed everything they had felt during rehearsal, about the sound, lighting, choreography, vocals, and more. In any case, they had to wrap it up at this point. The concert was tomorrow, and from now on, 'Vanguard' needed to manage their condition.
A few dozen minutes later, they gathered in the waiting room.
Perhaps because the aftereffects of the final rehearsal still lingered, the members’ hearts were still pounding. Kang Rojun also couldn’t calm down.
‘Hoo... I feel like I could jump on stage right now. I can’t sit still.’
The compressed energy from the final rehearsal hadn’t been released. If anything, it had grown larger. Yes, this feeling and emotion, this thrill, anticipation, and restless excitement, lead straight to joy, and when it all wraps up, it brings with it an immense sense of accomplishment and wild ecstasy.
‘That’s why the gap after the concert feels so extreme. I still want to go wild, but the world is quiet.’
It was the same during the debut show-con. Something like flames continued to blaze in his brain and body, but the world where the audience’s screams had stopped felt far too silent. That gap brought uneasiness, regret, and even going as far as depression.
Maybe that’s why Kang Rojun had worked even more busily.
When he asked Manager Kim Ki-baek about it, he was told that it’s something many idols and singers experience after concerts. That it’s important to do good mind control at such times.
Soon, Kang Rojun looked around.
Excited, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were endlessly conversing with the choreography team. Rojun felt once again that even his attitude and perspective were gradually changing into those of an idol.
‘Well, overall, it’s insanely fun.’
By now, there was no escaping this world. If it’s an addiction, then addiction it is.
At that moment.
-Slide.
As Kang Rojun caught his breath, a presence with faint presence approached him. It was Manager Kim Ki-baek, wearing a tired smile.
“Hm- Rojun, how do you think tomorrow will go?”
Kang Rojun replied with a faint smile as well.
“We have to pull it off.”
“Right, just enjoy it like during the show-con.”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“More than that-”
Dragging out the end of his words, Kim Ki-baek sat down beside Rojun.
“While you were doing your final rehearsal, we got a call from Netflix Korea.”
“For what?”
“We’ve been in talks all along, about your appearance as an actor in ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’.”
“Ah.”
Rojun, understanding what he meant, asked again.
“You mean the role of ‘Choi Si-baek', right?”
“Correct. Negotiations dragged a bit over the appearance fee, but it’s not like we made a fuss asking for a ton. Anyway-”
Placing one hand on Kang Rojun’s shoulder, Manager Kim Ki-baek delivered the conclusion.
“The role of ‘Choi Si-baek’ in ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ has been confirmed for you, Rojun.”
Catching his breath, Kang Rojun smiled with his eyes.
“Thank you, Manager-nim.”
“What for? I just did my job. Once the concert is over, start memorizing the script... Ah, since you’re the writer, I guess you don’t need to do that? Just need to practice acting, then.”
Then Manager Kim Ki-baek stood up from his seat.
“When you have time, could you try writing English lyrics for some of the ‘Vanguard’ songs?”
“English versions? It’s not difficult.”
“Mm- then I’ll leave that to you. And also-”
He made another request.
“Personally, I think it’d be good to have English versions of the songs you make, too. We have to start thinking internationally now.”
Morning of the 12th.
From early morning, the area around Saitama Arena was overflowing with people. Part of it was because the ‘Vanguard’ merchandise booths had opened early, but the main reason was the arrival of the 35,000 audience members ahead of the concert.
“Wow- look at all these people!”
Korean fans who had crossed over for Vanguard’s Japan concert also stood out. In their eyes, the scene was filled with intensely packed Japanese fans.
Of course, many people hadn’t been able to get tickets for today’s concert.
Regardless, for several hours since morning, the area in front of Saitama Arena was like a living hell. Long lines stretched out at every merch shop, massive crowds took pictures in front of ‘Vanguard’ posters, banners, and billboards installed everywhere, reporters were present to inform the Japanese public about the concert scene, and staff were stationed to control the overwhelming crowd.
The crowd only kept growing and growing.
By noon, the view in front of Saitama Arena was nothing but a sea of heads. Moreover, in the hands of well over thousands of people were the planet-shaped cheering light sticks of ‘Vanguard.’
Buzzing, murmuring.
Before long, the merch shop products were all sold out, and gradually, the fans who would be attending the concert began lining up at the front of Saitama Arena.
Today’s ‘Vanguard’ Japan concert start time was 6 p.m.
Though four hours still remained, the fan lines had already stretched nearly to the subway station. Around this time, Korean reporters began arriving at Saitama Arena.
“Whoa- look at that line? This is incredible.”
“Damn!! ‘Vanguard’ is blowing up in Japan too? The concert hasn’t even started yet.”
“This spectacle alone will get us a ton of clicks. Let’s start filming.”
They were reporters invited by GN Entertainment, and they quickly captured photos of the endlessly lined-up Japanese fans. That wasn’t enough, they even conducted interviews with a few of the fans. Though their Japanese was clumsy, the fans understood and answered perfectly.
“When did you start liking ‘Vanguard’?”
“Since ‘Produce That 100!’ Are you a Korean reporter?!”
“Yes, I am.”
“Rojun! Si-hoo! I love you!!”
“I like Do-kyung!”
“Kang-min is the coolest!!”
Even though it had been quite a while since they got in line, the Japanese fans holding cheering sticks and ‘Vanguard’ merchandise were bursting with energy. After interviewing a few groups of fans, the Korean reporters moved to the entrance of Saitama Arena ahead of the fans.
Letting out exclamations as they went.
“Is... is this really the firepower of a group that hasn’t even debuted a year ago?? This looks like an idol group that’s been dominating the scene for several years.”
“35,000 isn’t the record-breaking number, but... if their first Japan concert is pulling this off, it’s already legendary.”
“At this rate, I think ‘Vanguard’ could totally do a Japan tour concert.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
The reporters entered the concert venue. Once again, their mouths dropped open.
“Oh!”
They were overwhelmed by the massive and grand concert hall. Even these entertainment reporters, who often visited idol concerts.
“Look at that stage, look at it. They set it up amazingly.”
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen such a huge extended stage.”
“GN... just how much money did they pour into this?”
The scale of Vanguard’s concert venue and the quality of the stage were jaw-dropping. The extended stage, in particular, was the highlight. It stretched out from the main stage, connecting to three circular platforms.
Seen from above, it resembled large and small planets.
The reporters, overwhelmed, began frantically taking pictures of the venue.
Meanwhile, countless staff members were busy making final preparations for the concert. After the reporters finished touring the entire venue and sat in their designated seats, several hours passed.
“Oh, look, the audience is starting to come in.”
The audience began entering Saitama Arena endlessly. Around the extended stage, the seats further back, from the first floor to the third floor. With more than 35,000 fans expected to fill the venue, it took over an hour just for everyone to get seated.
Soon, tens of thousands of fans had taken their places in the audience.
As the unique noise and energy that fills the air when a massive crowd gathers began to rise, both Korean and Japanese reporters couldn’t help but capture the interior. This scene would soon be thrown out into the world with titles like:
《[Official] 35,000 Fans Waiting Eagerly for ‘Vanguard', a Wondrous Moment / Photo》
Around this time, a drone flew up to the ceiling of the venue.
It was to capture the heated excitement of the tens of thousands of fans.
Right then.
-Sssss.
The lights that had brightly illuminated the stage and concert hall gradually dimmed. The vast interior quickly became cloaked in darkness. The tens of thousands of fans screamed with all their might, wearing expressions that said, 'Finally!'
“Kyaaaaaaaa-”
“Kyaaaak!!”
With so many gathered, the screams and cheers alone seemed enough to flip the concert hall upside down. The reporters photographing the fans could feel the vibration in their fingertips and toes.
“It’s a spectacle, a real spectacle.”
Saitama Arena had already transformed into a universe.
In the dark universe, countless twinkling stars or small planets, those were the cheering sticks being waved by tens of thousands of fans.
At that moment, with a powerful sound effect.
“Oh! Is it starting now??!”
Blue lights turned on from the farthest end of the extended stage. Like a trail of fire, the stage lights lit up each part of the extended stage in sequence, finally illuminating the main stage. The deafening decibel level of the audience doubled.
Then, throughout the entire concert hall.
-♬♪
A gentle yet powerful piano melody began to spread. At the same time, on the ceiling, main stage, and other locations, the large monitors began playing videos.
Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung appeared on screen.
From the days of ‘Produce That 100!’ to now as ‘Vanguard’, smiling, crying, laughing, practicing, and more. It was like a history of ‘Vanguard’ being shown to the tens of thousands of Japanese fans. The fans who had followed them since ‘Produce That 100!’ cheered with all their strength.
“#*(%%(*#*%^%*!!!!!”
It was hard to understand the screams mixed together, but one thing was clear, they were in a excited.
The video and piano melody lasted for more than three minutes.
-Pop!
Suddenly, the video and stage lights turned off. The piano melody also came to a stop. The concert hall returned to darkness. But that atmosphere didn’t last long.
-♬♪
This time, intense sound effects erupted, and a barrage of lights shot wildly toward the main stage. As the red and blue lights crossed and flickered with increasing speed.
-Swoosh.
The lift installed on the main stage slowly raised four people up. Amid the countless lights and the earthquake-like screams pouring down, four people appeared on stage.
“Kyaaaaak!!”
“Uwaaahh!!”
It was ‘Vanguard’.