156 – I am 16 years old (2)
ㅡNow I’m smiling~
Part 1 of the awards ceremony where new idols are performing on a special stage.
Among the Coral Blue members, Lira arrived a little later and sat down in her waiting seat, and she started talking to me.
“It’s been such a long time. Maybe half a year.”
In a voice that only I can hear.
Even if I said it loudly, it would have been drowned out by the sound of the music.
“Yes, senior. I think that’s about it.”
‘I don’t think that’s how I feel.’
I get confused after talking through messenger.
Why are there so many songs to talk about?
‘She’s not even on the A&R team.’
But Lyra didn’t seem to care, and she spoke calmly at her own pace again today.
“Because our team mainly works overseas, we don’t have a chance to meet each other. We’re on tour all over the world, from the United States to Asia, South America, and Europe.”
With a somewhat boastful tone.
So it was better for her to answer appropriately.
“Yes, you must have been very busy with your world tour.”
Our conversation was always like this.
“Saven must have been busy touring Asia, right?”
Lira takes the lead and I answer.
“Yes, only Coral Blue seniors will do it.”
And if my answer is not satisfactory, Lyra adds one more word.
“But these days, since I’m an ambassador and I’m done with going to fashion week, I have some free time… So let’s eat together next time we have time.”
This was also a joke about being a luxury brand ambassador.
“Yes, yes.”
Lira probably seemed to enjoy my reaction.
Lyra chuckled and turned her head back towards her stage.
The words that followed did not suit Lyra.
“Still, I’m jealous of Saven.”
“Why?”
Because it was a bit self-deprecating.
“We couldn’t win the grand prize. Because NND was so sweeping. We should have targeted it when NND was on a break like now.”
Actually, if NND had been active all year, there would have been a higher possibility that we would not be able to ride.
“We are still candidates, right?”
“But you topped the annual chart not too long ago. Congratulations.”
What’s going on?
“Uh… Thank you.”
Lyra nodded and smiled.
“But you know? We won Top Social Artist at the Billboard Awards last week, right?”
That’s right.
They say that having high self-esteem makes you cry.
“Yes, congratulations.”
“It’s just a joke. I’m jealous of winning the grand prize.”
They always say it’s all a joke.
It seemed like our conversation ended like that.
After several stages and several achievement award announcements, I opened my mouth.
“But junior.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it a pity? Even if you win the grand prize, it will be disbanded a few months later.”
“ㅡIt’s a shame.”
It doesn’t feel real yet, but of course it’s disappointing.
Because they are close members who have worked hard together for over a year.
“I like these people.”
Lira smiled brightly.
“That’s a cute answer. That’s not what I meant when I asked the question. I’m just saying, isn’t it a shame that they are disbanding when their grades are this good?”
Isn’t that unfortunate too?
The third quarter settlement alone was enormous.
4Th quarter settlement is when my copyright is included…
Hey, Mom, swipe my card!
“Let me be a little honest.”
Lyra lifted the water bottle in front of her.
“Honestly, our group is a group that deserves recognition, but we can’t even dream of being like NND. NND is the group that gets invited to the Grammy Awards, which doesn’t reflect fan sentiment. In Korea… No, in Kpop, it’s overwhelming.”
Then I opened the lid and drank it.
He seemed annoyed.
“But after listening to this new song, I got the feeling that if time goes by like this for Saven and Dohee’s abilities grow, they might be able to surpass NND someday.”
“Ah, yes… hehehe.”
And Lyra pulling my cheek.
“Facial expression.”
“Eh?”
“It’s the expression. There’s something I don’t like.”
“Hmph.”
“Don’t think anything strange.”
“Eh.”
Only then did Lira, who released my cheek, continue to speak in her own words.
‘But why is everyone pulling my cheek?’
“Don’t misunderstand. Dohee is there, but the Saven members are that much more topical.”
What, weren’t you praising me…?
But it is true that I am the prettiest.
“…Facial expression.”
“Eh.”
“No, what am I talking about with a middle school student?”
“Eh…?”
“I’ll just tell you something interesting. Do you know Jin Hye-in, who’s sitting in the first row over there?”
I know.
You’re an actor whose recent drama has been a hit and is famous for playing the role of first love.
I think he was in his late 20s.
“I know, I know, but let’s go back to what we were talking about earlier.”
“Jin Hye-in is a person with a broken personality.”
“Oh…?”
“I’m famous among the staff, so I decided to abuse my power.”
“But you also told me…”
“But the funny thing is that Jin Hye-in started a fight with me too.”
“Oh…”
“We’re shooting a commercial together, but he deliberately delays my schedule. It’s a kind of fight. It’s fun, right?”
I nodded.
Gossip is definitely fun…
But is that the extent of that person, Jin Hye-in?
Still, Lira is considered one of the celebrities among celebrities.
“Ah, her boyfriend is a third-generation chaebol. She’s actually a spawn, but it looks like she wants a rising soul.”
“Oh…”
Spawn really still exists…
“Actually, there are quite a few people like that among celebrities, especially actors. Because they have a strong sense of class, they think they have become that kind of person because people like them and envy them so much. But I think of people like that….”
Lyra swallowed her words.
The sound of cheers and applause echoes through the concert hall.
“The special stage is over. I have to look at the camera.”
No, it was just a fun part…
***
The MWMA Awards ceremony, which was held over two days, was scheduled to announce two grand prizes on the first day.
First of all, the Record of the Year Award, which is 100% judged by experts.
And another thing we are aiming for is the song of the year award in the music category.
Of course, before the announcement of the two grand prizes, there were numerous performances and awards of special awards, new artist awards, and best awards.
We also received a special award for Best Performance Female Group and expressed our thoughts to the fans, but in my mind, it was still just the grand prize.
‘Since our turn is near the end…’
Generally, the further back the stage is, the closer it is to the grand prize, meaning the higher the chances of winning the grand prize.
After about an hour, we finally headed to the backstage to prepare for the stage.
“Wow… It’s really pretty…”
The stylist who was attaching the microphone looked at me intently.
“Thank you.”
The stylist, who was muttering under her breath, quickly closed her mouth as if she thought she had made a mistake.
It wasn’t a mistake and I didn’t hate it either, so I smiled, said it was okay, thanked him again, and walked towards the stage set and towards the lift.
Normally, I would have spoken a little longer so as not to embarrass myself, but since the stage order was ahead of me, I was a bit on the edge.
As I closed my eyes and took a breath, his hand was grabbed.
“Dohee…!”
When she opened her eyes, Sarah was smiling and holding me.
“Huh?”
“Hana is shouting slogans again…”
When I looked back, the members had already gathered in a circle.
“Now put your hands up!”
“Are you going to chant again?”
“It was before the awards ceremony. Now it’s before the stage.”
“No…”
I grumbled a little and stood next to the members who were gathered in a circle.
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And then, one by one, the members’ hands folded in the air.
Of course, there were no touching comments because they had been made earlier.
There was no relief.
Instead, there was only one simple word from Hana.
“Let’s work hard and come back.”
Suddenly, I remembered the days when I first went on stage.
At that time, it was thrilling to be stared at in front of 500 people, and my heart trembled as I imagined an audience of 1,000 or 3,000 people.
And now I was standing in front of tens of thousands of people as a candidate for the grand prize.
Of course, I am still as nervous as I was then.
Hana smiled.
“Seoyoon’s hands are shaking so much?”
‘Seoyoon is more than me.’
Unni Seoyoon lowered her hands down as if she was embarrassed.
“The lift is coming up soon!”
Along with that, the urging of the staff.
“Guys, big big!”
We moved quickly to find a seat.
The lift under the stage with the lights finally turned off.
We stood at our seats and waited for the lift to go up.
Thanks to the loud cheers of fans in the stadium, the members’ breathing was not heard at all.
Everyone had an image drawn in their head to the point where they could tell where they were standing.
Because it was a formation that had been practiced hundreds of times.
And I held the hand of Seo-yoon, who was next to me.
My hands are still shaking a lot.
As I held her a little without saying a word, the trembling of Seo-yoon’s hands subsided.
My hands, which were a little shaky, also became stable.
ㅡuuung
Instead, the vibration of the lift was now conveyed.
And the light slowly seeps in.
After making eye contact with Seoyoon and smiling for a moment, she let go of her hand.
ㅡWaaa!!
As the lift went up, the cheers grew proportionately.
I closed my eyes one last time and lost my expression.
The first performance was an ‘extrage’ that started with a blank expression.
In fact, it was correct to have an expression that contained both sadness and joy rather than a blank expression during the extravaganza.
I decided to keep an expressionless expression because I didn’t have enough acting skills to express it.
But today seemed to be a day when that kind of expression naturally appeared.
Because it was a strange feeling.
Of course, it was not yet a day for sentimentality.
Because we have 120 days left to be together.
Still, let’s dive in a little bit…
Every day we spent together was a happy day.
And somehow, I feel like today is the happiest day.