boyutpedia Chapter 227: Fruit (8)
Chapter 227: Fruit (8)
The image of ‘Vanguard’ was displayed on numerous monitors. Starting from Do-kyung at the end, the camera panned to Kang-min, then Si-hoo, then Rojun, before capturing a full shot of ‘Vanguard’. A massive scream erupted, shaking the concert hall. Soon after, several idols began clapping, and the first to notice the footage on the monitor was Kang Rojun.-Swish.
He waved with a smiling gaze toward the nearest camera. Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung also greeted the fans in their own styles, following their leader.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
“Kyaaaa!!”
Just as the excitement deepened, the monitor angle switched from ‘Vanguard’ to another male idol group. A few seconds later, the actress in charge of the opening appeared on stage again. While she was delivering her lines, Kang Rojun paid extra attention to how he handled his gaze.
‘From what I can see, it seems like the other groups are also trying not to do anything that stands out? I guess it's obvious since any odd move would immediately get photographed??’
This was the ‘K-POP Awards’, where all the top idols in Korea had gathered. The audience easily exceeded 50,000 people, and cameras were scattered everywhere. With so many eyes watching, it was only natural to be cautious with even the slightest gesture or glance.
Especially.
‘Yeah, don’t even look at the girl groups.’
The beautiful girl idols scattered around them were the most dangerous presence in this situation. Even if a nice scent drifted by or laughter rang out, he kept his gaze locked on the stage. The girl idols probably felt the same. A quick glance at his members showed Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were also focused solely on the stage.
Eventually.
“Then! Let’s begin the 2021 ‘K-POP Awards’!”
The actress’s opening line concluded. At the same time, the lights in the entire venue dimmed, and the lights on the side of the main stage lit up. As soon as the girl group ‘Luminis’, who had prepared the first performance, appeared, a thunderous scream once again echoed throughout the grand concert hall.
-♬♪
Even as ‘Luminis’ gave an energetic performance, various cameras were busy. While some cameras focused on ‘Luminis’, others were filming the audience full of fans or idols cheering from the sidelines.
Some girl idols chatting casually with their members while clapping could also be seen. Of course, their mouths were covered with their hands.
“Rojun’s side profile is driving me crazy.”
“I greeted him when we entered earlier, and he looks way more handsome than before.”
“I really shouldn’t be looking, but my eyes keep going to him.”
“Hold it in. You’ll get caught on a camera somewhere if you mess up.”
“This is an act of God, how can anyone resist that super handsome face?”
Anyway, once ‘Luminis’ finished their performance, the actress in charge of the opening reappeared on the main stage.
“The first award of the ‘K-POP Awards’ is for Best Performance - Male Group!”
The ‘K-POP Awards’ progressed with a few award presentations, interspersed with performances by idols or singers. It was divided into two parts, and naturally, the major awards were concentrated in the second half.
Soon, in this venue packed with the top idols in Korea, the first group to receive an award at the ‘K-POP Awards’ was announced.
“Congratulations! ‘Vanguard’!”
From the very first award, ‘Vanguard’ was called. The cameras quickly focused on the seated ‘Vanguard’, and the members dressed in suits showed expressions of genuine surprise. The male and female idols seated around them stood and clapped. Countless screams poured in from the audience seats, of course.
While continuously bowing to senior and fellow artists, Kang Rojun thought,
‘Right from the start??!’
Though surprised inside, he was the first to step forward. He had seen the staff's signal to come up on stage. Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung followed behind Rojun.
Each wearing a uniquely styled suit, Rojun and the members soon reached the stage.
-Swish.
Rojun received the trophy from the actress. The actress then stepped back naturally. Standing at the standing mic, the first thing Rojun did was hand the trophy to Do-kyung. Do-kyung had been sparkling-eyed while looking at the trophy earlier.
Then, a truly awe-inspiring sight was captured in Rojun’s eyes.
Cameras all filming ‘Vanguard’, tens of thousands of audience members, and an overwhelming number of idols rarely seen all together. After taking a brief look around, Rojun brought his mouth to the mic.
“Let us greet you first! Two, three!”
“Hello, we are Vanguard!”
Just as the explosive cheers slightly died down, Kang Rojun continued his speech.
“First, we love our fans who supported us so we could receive this award.”
Rojun’s speech, with a warm smile, was smooth and flawless. Part of it had been prepared beforehand, and among the members, Kang Rojun was relatively experienced in awards ceremonies.
“Thank you!”
After finishing their speech, ‘Vanguard’ bowed once again. Accompanied by a wave of applause that rang in their ears, the members returned to their seats, trying their best to hide their emotions.
“Amazing, I didn’t think we’d get an award right from the start.”
“If it keeps going like this, just like the manager said, we might really end up collecting trophies.”
“Let’s sit down first. Don’t forget to greet the fans.”
Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung listened well to their leader Rojun. They eagerly waved at the fans seated in the back rows. After ‘Vanguard’, a girl group went on stage to receive an award. Once the two acceptance speeches were over, the lights in the venue changed.
Meaning it was time to enjoy the next idol performance.
-♬♪
This time, it began with a male idol group, then a girl group, and then another male group, three different performances in total. Next, some famous TV personalities appeared on the main stage where the cameras focused, and from their lips, ‘Vanguard’ was called again.
“Male Group Rookie Award!! ‘Vanguard’!! Congratulations!!”
Just in part one, ‘Vanguard’ had already received two trophies.
And then.
In the first part of the ‘K-POP Awards’, which alternated between award presentations and performances, ‘Vanguard’…
“Wow! ‘Vanguard’, congratulations!!!”
…raised a total of four trophies. Even receiving two had been impressive, but the moment their name was called for the fourth award, ‘Vanguard’ set an unprecedented domestic record.
“Whoa- four awards just in part one... that’s insane, right?”
“This is a first, isn’t it? No rookie in their debut year has ever taken home four awards.”
“Never happened. People expected ‘Vanguard’ to win a few, but... no one thought they’d grab four in part one alone.”
“And part two is still left.”
“They’re probably strong contenders for the grand prizes, aren’t they?”
“If things go well, they might actually make history.”
Just like this whispered conversation between two male idols, ‘Vanguard’ was the first to ever become a four-time winner at the ‘K-POP Awards’ right after debuting. The material for a major story had already been delivered in full. Thanks to that, reporters present or watching the ceremony live had their fingers flying, and with the final performance of part one, the first half of the ‘K-POP Awards’ came to a close.
Murmurs, buzzing chatter.
The awards venue became bustling with singers heading to the bathroom and tens of thousands of audience members moving around, while on the live TV broadcast, it was time for commercials. In the meantime, the real-time chat window exploded.
-Congrats to Vanguard on the 4 crowns already!!!!!!!!
-Wow... Vanguard’s vibe is insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-4 crowns in just part one? That’s kind of too much…
-What’s with the exaggeration ㅋㅋㅋ Vanguard was actually insane this year
-Vanguard legit
-Real talk, no one compares to Rojun in visuals ㅋㅋㅋㅋ not even the actors presenting the awards
-So annoying, can Vanguard just disappear already?
-Don’t know whose fan you are, but sounds like you’re pissed, huh???
What can you say, it was basically a battlefield? But it was to be expected. Everyone rooted for different groups. Because of that, the chat window was a complete mess, hard to clean up. During the break, as the members stayed in their seats, Kang Rojun thought to himself,
'Ahh - just based on feelings, I want to do the butt dance and shoulder dance right away!'
It was torture trying to hold back his rising smile.
Liking it was fine, but overdoing it wasn’t. But acting indifferent would backfire too. The right answer was to stay calm with a modest smile. This advice came from Manager Kim Ki-baek. From Kang Rojun to the rest of the members, they all tried to follow Kim Ki-baek’s instructions as much as possible.
“Hyung, what do I do? My butt keeps twitching.”
“Hold it in, Do-kyung. My shoulders are twitching too, but I’m holding back.”
Hiding their surging adrenaline wasn’t easy. What unexpectedly put a stop to their excitement were the ‘K-POP Awards’ staff.
Just as break time was coming to an end, a call for ‘Vanguard’ came.
Rojun and the members followed the staff without fuss, as if they had known in advance.
Shortly after ‘Vanguard’ disappeared.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!!”
With ear-splitting screams from tens of thousands of audience members shaking the stage, part two of the ‘K-POP Awards’ began. One member each from male and female idol groups stood on the main stage and spoke into the mic.
“We’ll now begin part two of the ‘K-POP Awards’!”
Part two also started with awards, just like part one. Several idol teams received trophies, and as they gave tearful or excited acceptance speeches, fans in the audience began to realize that Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were missing.
The reason soon spread.
“Where are the boys???!”
“Ah!! Is it finally time for Vanguard’s stage?!”
“Yep!!”
It was true, ‘Vanguard’ was the opening stage of part two.
The fans' guess wasn’t wrong.
-Swish.
As the final idol’s acceptance speech ended, the vast concert hall lights turned off, and a few dozen seconds later, the giant screen on the main stage displayed the faces of ‘Vanguard’ members. However, no music played.
That screen stayed like that for about ten seconds.
Only the screams of fans echoed throughout the venue, and numerous drones flying near the ceiling filmed the over 50,000 audience members.
At that moment.
-Boom boom boom boom!
A powerful beat struck the ears of the audience. Dozens of dancers had already taken their positions on the main stage. While the giant screen played a montage of ‘Vanguard’s journey so far, Kang Rojun and the members could be spotted below the stage on a lift.
Kang Rojun, now changed into a vividly colored leather jacket stage outfit.
“Phew-”
Let out a small breath.
‘Every time, this moment is the most nerve-wracking yet electrifying.’
Just as Rojun was expressing his honest feelings internally, the lights burst across the entire venue, and the song blasted at full volume.
-♬♪
It was ‘GreenBee’. The members of ‘Vanguard’ smoothly rose to the stage via the lift. Blending naturally with the dancers who had already started the choreography, they kicked off the performance. Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung began with a group dance, then split according to the pre-planned formation.
Si-hoo moved to the left side of the stage, Kang-min to the right, Do-kyung stayed center on the main stage, and Rojun headed to the protruding stage.
Then, during the first chorus of ‘GreenBee’, ‘Vanguard’ regrouped.
But before the second verse of ‘GreenBee’ could begin, the song was cut off.
Kang Rojun and the members had exited via the lift. The second song, ‘Windveil’, was already playing throughout the venue, and Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were hurriedly changing their outfits.
“Ahhhh! Hurry, hurry!”
“30 seconds left!!”
“Run, run!”
They reappeared from the back of the stage with only their jackets changed.
Fortunately, the rearranged songs flowed seamlessly, and the transition of ‘Vanguard’ rejoining the stage also went smoothly. As they moved freely across the main stage, ‘Vanguard’ enjoyed the performance. Kang Rojun and the members radiated the exhilaration of winning four awards in part one all throughout their stage, and many idols stood and clapped, cheering for ‘Vanguard’. While some were clearly aware of the cameras, many others showed pure admiration.
Regardless, ‘Vanguard’s stage was more glamorous and larger in scale compared to other idol performances.
This was one of the conditions negotiated between GN Entertainment and the ‘K-POP Awards’ organizers.
Whether it was in part one or two didn’t matter, the only rule was that ‘Vanguard’s performance had to look like a main event. Of course, within reasonable limits, without overdoing it.
And there was more than enough justification.
“‘K-POP Awards’ really gave a lot of attention to ‘Vanguard’.”
“Fair enough. Honestly, ‘Vanguard’ was amazing. Their momentum is still going strong even now.”
Whoever was watching the ‘K-POP Awards’ at this moment would probably admit it. The accomplishments of ‘Vanguard’.
Just then, Kang Rojun and the members, along with dozens of dancers dominating the stage, suddenly stopped moving.
The music also came to a halt.
Tens of thousands of audience members thought the performance was over and screamed with all their might.
“Kyaaaaaaaa-”
But there was one more act left.
Just as ‘Vanguard’ and the dancers quickly adjusted their formation, in the wide venue filled only with audience screams and silence after the music had stopped, the sudden sound of a gayageum melody began to spread.
-♬♪
It was the moment ‘Royal Procession’ revealed itself.