After the shocking congratulatory stage had ended.
White Siu and I stepped out of the formation and moved to the stage waiting room.
This was because the congratulatory stage with her and me was about to start soon.
“Ah, it was funny. Mr. Siwoo, you really can’t dance, can you?”
“Ugh.”
“But, how can someone with such good reflexes be so stiff when dancing? You’re completely different when you do action scenes.”
“It’s different, you know. Dancing is different.”
“I laughed sincerely for the first time in a while.”
“Are humans supposed to be good at everything?”
“Isn’t Yoo-a good at dancing for someone like that?”
“…Yoo-a Senior can’t really sing.”
“Ah, that’s right. So she can’t.”
Even while moving to the waiting room, Moon Suyeon couldn’t stop laughing about how amusing something was.
My wobbly squid dance must have been hilarious to her, someone considered the top dancer.
Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Damn Pentaring.
Once again, I sincerely pledged my revenge.
“Hello!” “Hello!”
As Moon Suyeon and I entered the backstage waiting room, the idols preparing the stage all stood up and greeted us formally.
What is this? It’s creepy.
They shouldn’t have any reason to greet me, so they must be doing it for Moon Suyeon. But seeing how they reflexively greet, it shows just how infamous she is.
Still, what could she have possibly done to deserve such treatment?
I heard that because of the music show, the discipline in the music industry is stricter than in the acting field, but I also heard that this sort of thing doesn’t happen much anymore.
Of course, most of the idols invited today are younger generations, but it seems that a significant part of the infamous rumors about Moon Suyeon that Tae-kyu mentioned as a joke were actually true.
All right, time to escape.
“Hey, Mr. Siwoo?”
Avoiding the idols greeting her, I hurriedly made my way to the change room.
I really don’t want to be grouped with the scary older sister.
Her faint voice calling me from behind was heard, but in situations like this, pretending not to hear is the best tactic.
Of course, it wasn’t out of retaliation for her genuine mockery of my dancing ability.
“Hey, if you just run away like that, it makes me look weird.”
“Ah, you’re here?”
“Yes, I’m here. There seems to be some misunderstanding, but I’m not that strange, you know. What happened earlier with…”
“Yeah, if there’s someone who annoys you, you destroy that person’s stage atmosphere, isn’t it?”
“…Where did you hear that from? Ah, from Tae-kyu, wasn’t it?”
“Eh? No, I didn’t.”
“Are you joking? It could only be Tae-kyu. Why is someone who can’t act telling such bizarre rumors around?”
Moon Suyeon, after having spent some time in the waiting room, pointed out that I seemed to have some misconceptions, even though I believe they aren’t misconceptions. She quickly figured out that Tae-kyu was the culprit.
Ah, Tae-kyu. What should we do? It looks like Moon Suyeon’s about to retaliate.
I feel oddly cheerful for Tae-kyu, since he probably deserved some scolding.
“The outfit looks pretty. It seems even more beautiful than during the shoot, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, it’s a slightly different version from the shoot. The slits are the same, but an extra sheer layer has been added to the top.”
“Ah.”
It felt a bit off-topic, so I complimented her outfit.
You’re better off throwing compliments when things feel awkward to avoid major issues.
It’s not my fault whether the music industry keeps discipline or not.
Honestly, my true desire is for Pentaring to take charge of the discipline.
She seemed quite enthusiastic, explaining the special stage outfit to me, which she seemed to like.
Indeed, with such a costume, it’s worth liking.
Her outfit, fitting the Steam Punk Joseon theme with a hanbok base but quite reformed, looked impressive even to my fashion-sense-zero eyes.
This stage will surely be beloved by Luna fans.
-Ms. Moon Suyeon and Mr. White Siu, please prepare immediately.
While I was admiring her stage outfit, the signal to start the stage came.
The stage is about to begin soon.
Although I just have to strum the seven-stringed zither, she has to sing and dance, so I’m somewhat concerned for her.
“Returning to the stage is a bit nostalgic. Heh heh~”
Of course, she wasn’t showing any signs of tension at all.
Well, the stage is essentially her life, after all.
-“We’re entering.”
“Let’s enjoy this stage today. You might expect, it’s going to be good?”
“…Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”
The stage is just a stage, and I don’t expect much.
For someone like me, this is the first time on such a stage, so I’ll be busy just strumming gold wires.
Also, from the previous day’s rehearsal, we just confirmed our movements and didn’t know much about it.
“Ugh, this is kinda uncomfortable.”
Besides.
Why did they give me a saber for this kind of stage?
Why did the awards ceremony organizers meticulously prepare a saber for me, even though I just sit and play the zither?
It’s unnecessarily cumbersome.
The signal arrived, and I followed Moon Suyeon to my designated spot where I sat down.
I looked for a seven-stringed zither with a base that looked like a rock.
-Special stage, number two. Performed by Luna, “The Moon Flows Night”
-♬~~~~♪♬~~~
I plucked the strings following the violin and piano music.
This was a song that I had already recorded as a track, and it was so familiar that I could play it with my eyes closed.
The seven-stringed zither provided by Cheonyuha was an excellent instrument that perfectly matched my hands.
During the prelude, Moon Suyeon, dressed in a dreamlike see-through dress, floated like a butterfly to the center of the stage.
Her base was as soft as classical dance, but because of the added wave elements, it made her look even more elegant and mysterious.
The alluring legs revealed through the slit were enough to make an “ah” sound.
What’s more, her eyes were completely different.
When acting and dancing on stage are so different, I thought her dancing would be just another routine for her.
But, I was completely mistaken.
Even the much-praised dating scene of Mung and Wolhee from her series did not fully encapsulate her charm.
On stage, she was a completely different person from what I had seen.
“Is this what Tae-kyu called Luna’s performance?”
An amazing performance that makes the stage feel too small to contain her.
Her every move and the sound of her breathing were stimulating.
It was as if I was being drawn in despite just watching.
-Never let go~♬ Hold me~♪ Never forget me forever~
As the performance continued, she appeared even larger.
She was utterly overwhelming on stage.
-Reply to me~♬ You want me too~♪ Don’t let go of these hands~♬
When she turned in an intricate dance, she winked at me and continued dancing.
Watching her enjoy the stage made me catch the vibe, and my fingers became tense, my shoulders started to move rhythmically.
Various musical variations started to seep in without disturbing the main melody.
As my fingers moved faster, her dance became slightly more energetic.
Is this what they call stage synchronization?
Right now, we’re sharing the same breath.
“Hot!”
The final dance break before the ending.
I placed the seven-stringed zither aside and ran to the middle of the stage.
I drew my saber from my waist and stood next to her.
This was entirely unplanned.
But I trust her.
She must feel the same way as me.
In the first place, putting a saber as a prop in a seven-stringed zither performance stage must be a message to perform a sword dance with her. (Absolutely not true)
When I drew the saber and approached her, she looked a bit surprised, widening her eyes, but seamlessly continued the next movement.
With every move of her dance, I twirled the saber, blending into her.
With our backs to each other, I swung the saber in the opposite direction of her fan, then returned and moved to fill empty spaces where there was none.
Even though I’m more of a percussionist but not bad in sword dance, we blended like we’d practiced for a long time.
Especially in such a heightened state where heightened intuition is sharpened further due to the rush, it became even more apparent.
The zither stayed silent for a while, but it didn’t matter.
After all, the main melody of this piece was violin and piano, and the zither was more of an accompaniment.
Here, fans must want to see a cool scene where fan dance and sword dance come together,
Unless it leads to any issue, no one will interfere as long as the stage is good.
Is there any issue to occur anyway?
With this stage, the synergy between us is the most perfect.
So there was a big joint stage.
The stage ended with us back to back and then with my hand on her waist, we spun around once.
“Mr. Siwoo, are you crazy? Are you crazy?”
After all, this was the price for a surprise action, as she hammered me on the back.
“…Ah, it happened.”
“That’s right. Why did you do that?”
“That’s right. Just because?”
“Ha ha ha, really?”
“Okay, then what is it? The stage was good, right?”
“Yeah, the stage was perfect. Mr. Siwoo, you may not dance well, but you sure know how to handle a sword dance.”
“I do know how to handle a sword dance. Ah, first, let’s move.”
“Ah, I’m tired. Help me catch my breath. I was shocked.”
She looked surprised despite pretending not to be.
Indeed, I was a little surprised too, realizing I was capable of such impulsive actions.
Dangerous, oh so dangerous. This girl’s stage is truly perilous.
But one thing was certain.
This girl’s true charm is on the stage, and being on stage is truly the time she feels fully alive.
This girl seems destined to live through stages.
*
After the stage, we smoothly returned to our seats without drawing any attention.
Among those who know the structure of this stage are myself Moon Suyeon, and the producers.
In the world of broadcasting, which operates on results above all, no one will question a show that’s been done perfectly.
Sure, the production team overseeing might have gone crazy like the world was ending, but since the stage went off well, it’s all in the past now.
Though Cheonyuha, being Cheonyuha, tilted her head suspiciously, wondering why there was a sword dance in there.
Given that if the sword dance was planned, she would have seen it practiced in the company, it was only natural to be suspicious.
But since the stage ended successfully, Cheonyuha also didn’t have any particular reason to comment.
-Best Couple Award. ‘Gold Rush, Joseon’ Lee Myung – Wolhee Couple.
“Ooh!”
Then, Moon Suyeon and I were chosen for the Best Couple Award.
Could the reason for requesting the special stage have been a signal to give Moon Suyeon and me the Best Couple Award?
And that’s why the supporting actor award was skipped, too?
Considering that the supporting actor award was more prestigious than the couple award, I was a bit disappointed.
“It’d have been better to get the supporting actor award instead of this.”
“What are you talking about? I wouldn’t accept the supporting actor award even if offered. This is the best!”
The rumor had it that the supporting actress award should have been hers, but it was taken by another actress.
So there was an atmosphere that the Best Couple Award would be thrown to wrap things up.
Among the supporting actress winners was Senior Kang Ji-woo. Since it was somewhat weird to give the award to both Senior Kang and Moon Suyeon, the supporting actress award went to a woman from another drama who worked with Senior Kang.
In exchange, the special stage and the Best Couple Award were given to Moon Suyeon.
This was the typical “share and share alike” at award ceremonies.
Even though the atmosphere was clearly obvious, Moon Suyeon was all smiles.
She said that the Best Couple Award was the best, not the supporting actor award.
What was funnier was that Cheonyuha looked frustrated, with a wrinkle on her brow.
Could Moon Suyeon think she won this way?
And could even Cheonyuha agree with that?
As long as she’s satisfied, that’s all that matters, but these women were always so juvenile and radiant.
