The excitement over the Rookies’ new song teaser wasn’t just felt by Ye-rin Su-ho.
“Wow, -! Awesome-!!”
While Yoo Chang-seon was just lounging around, the moment the Rookies’ teaser was updated, he played the video with wild exhilaration.
Vrrrr…
The first thing that appeared when the video started was a scene of meteors brightly shining and falling to the earth. And there were exactly six, matching the number of Rookies’ members.
Whoosh…
“Wow…, the CGI is insane…”
The realistic yet fantastical meteor show made by the video team captured Yoo Chang-seon’s eyes completely as it concluded.
Soon, the empty night sky zoomed out to reveal Ha Ye-rin.
It was as if Ha Ye-rin’s black pupils were depicted as the night sky itself. Then, the camera zoomed out from Ha Ye-rin’s appearance to the entire Rookies’ group.
The Rookies members stood in a dark field, striking poses against the setting night.
Phew…
Kaboom-!
“……!”
Behind the members, the six meteors that had vanished inside Ha Ye-rin’s eyes descended behind each member.
Then, Yoo Seol’s narration formed the background…
Meteors disappear shortly after falling from the sky.
But…
The unforgettable spectacle remains in the heart for a lifetime.
[Rookies’ 2nd Digital Single ‘Falling Star’ coming soon]
…And the video ended.
“Haa…”
Initially excited just at the thought of seeing a new teaser, Yoo Chang-seon was left in deep contemplation when it finished.
“What’s with all this significance…”
Six meteors.
The narration from Yoo Seol stating that meteors quickly vanish from the sky.
Anyone intelligent enough could connect the dots.
The meteors represented Rookies, a project group whose lifespan was merely around six months.
Rookies had announced they would release two albums and two digital singles over the year.
If they completed the single activities and did a round of album activities early next year, Rookies would disappear.
“Can’t we just stick together forever…?”
Yoo Chang-seon mused, but he was aware it wasn’t that simple.
Currently, the six Rookies members were bound to NAS Entertainment, but originally, they all belonged to different agencies.
Reuniting those six distinct members would be harder than unifying an entire continent.
The disbandment of Rookies was, in fact, something that couldn’t be changed.
So, he decided to shake off his bitter feelings and resolve to cheer for Rookies as long as they lasted.
The one silver lining was that he had successfully secured tickets for the showcase this time.
“…Sigh, I guess I’ll go support them and shake off my gloomy feelings.”
Worried about Rookies disappearing one day, his spirits lifted at the thought of finally seeing Ha Ye-rin again in person.
In the meantime, he spent his remaining time streaming Rookies’ songs and fangirling over their content leading up to the showcase day.
The third showcase venue was a university gym in Seoul, just like the second one.
“Cool….”
“Mmmm…”
It wasn’t far, but on the way to the showcase venue, the other members had fallen into a deep sleep in the car.
Even now, we were training individually at night, making up for the sleep we missed in our remaining time.
“……”
But I didn’t fall asleep.
With a stamina stat of 96 and having adapted, I wasn’t too tired.
More than anything, despite it being the third time, I still felt a bit nervous about the showcase.
“Sis.”
“Yoo-jin.”
I wasn’t the only one who stayed awake on the way to the showcase venue.
Seo Yoo-jin, who usually lacked stamina and tended to sleep a lot, was surprisingly wide awake.
“Sis, aren’t you tired? You should sleep a little…”
“I’m fine. Just a bit nervous, you know.”
I showed her my slightly trembling hand and asked back.
“What about you? You should be tired too, why aren’t you resting? Is it because you’re nervous?”
“Oh, um… I just…”
“……”
Maybe because I was always hanging out with Seo Yoo-jin, I had come to know her quite well.
The way she was fidgeting and twisting around meant she had something to say.
So, I gently ruffled her bangs and waited for her to gather her thoughts.
Eventually, Seo Yoo-jin rubbed my hand against her cheek and opened her mouth.
“…This is already Rookies’ third activity. It feels like just yesterday we debuted… It’s been quite a while.”
“I know, time flies, huh?”
“…I want to keep doing idol activities with you, sis.”
“……”
I felt the same.
Seo Yoo-jin was an adorable younger sister and an exceptionally talented individual with a hexagonal balance.
If possible, I wanted to stay in the same team with her until the very end.
Gently, I scratched her chin and nodded.
“I feel that way too, Yoo-jin. If I can, I want to keep doing idol activities with you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Well then, sis… it’s that…”
She wasn’t just holding back her words to share this simple story.
This was only the prelude; the main point was yet to come.
Fumbling, Seo Yoo-jin finally managed to continue.
“I got a call from the director at SAV…”
“……!”
“They said SAV is really interested in you… They’ll offer the best treatment in the industry and meet all the possible conditions… That’s what the SAV director said…”
“……”
“If you come to SAV, we might be able to debut together again… So… Of course, it’s not a forceful thing…”
During our many conversations, I realized something.
Seo Yoo-jin truly loved her company and felt a tremendous pride in it.
It made sense.
SAV was one of the top three agencies in South Korea, having a slight edge over JJ and YW.
It was indeed top entertainment in South Korea.
I would feel immense honor and joy if I could join SAV.
But…
“Sorry, Yoo-jin.”
“……”
“That’s just going to be tough for me.”
Naturally, my answer was a rejection.
Seo Yoo-jin smiled a somewhat awkward smile as if she expected it.
“I figured you’d say that…”
“……”
“Like I love my company, you love yours too. That’s why you refused, right?”
Of course, the reason I turned down Seo Yoo-jin’s offer was because of Brotherhood Planning.
I couldn’t betray Brotherhood Planning, the agency that raised me.
But it wasn’t only because of that reason.
“That’s part of it, but… I want to focus solely on Rookies right now.”
“Focus only on Rookies…?”
“Yeah, a lot of people have started talking about Rookies disbanding. But I don’t like that.”
Rookies still had six months left in their lifespan.
It wasn’t half gone; it was half remaining.
In those six months, we could create better memories and better appearances… So why discuss disbandment already?
“I want to focus on Rookies and our fans who support us. Everything I have right now is precious to me.”
“Ah….”
Hearing my words, Seo Yoo-jin lowered her head with an apologetic expression.
“…I’m sorry, sis. I…”
I pulled her into my embrace, comforting her.
“No, it’s okay, Yoo-jin. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Sis…”
“We’ve practiced a ton for this showcase. Let’s just think about absolutely smashing this stage, okay?”
“Yeah…!”
As I tightly hugged her and ruffled her hair, Seo Yoo-jin clenched her fist as if igniting her determination.
Finding Seo Yoo-jin so cute, I ended up rubbing her cheeks until we arrived at the showcase venue.
All the Rookies members had been cutting back on sleep to train diligently over the last few months.
Now it was time to showcase our achievements to the Rookies fans.
Yoo Chang-seon received a light pink cheering stick prepared in advance by NAS Entertainment and entered with other Rookies fans.
The majority of Rookies’ fans were still female.
From what I could see, about 90% of the total?
And…
“Aren’t Rookies going to have a concert? Are they just going to have one disbandment concert and that’s it?”
“I feel like that might happen. I’m worried about ticketing. It’s going to cost a lot for the full concert, and scalpers are a burden…”
“I have to use mercenaries for everything I can. I can’t do it alone. If I try to ticket alone like last year, I’ll get a trauma like with Lee Seon-jo.”
‘What in the world is that nonsense…’
Yoo Chang-seon still couldn’t understand their lingo.
Mercenaries? Why are they bringing up mercenaries when talking about idols?
Yet, occasionally he overheard something useful from their discussions.
“But what’s the concept for the new song this time? Will it be pure and dreamy?”
“Probably. The title is Falling Star… It seems completely lyrical.”
For example, their opinions on Rookies’ new song concept.
‘Well, I share the same prediction.’
Yoo Chang-seon thought the new Rookies track would be lyrical, just like the girls beside him.
The title and teaser of Falling Star seemed to represent the soon-to-disband Rookies group.
He thought the actual song would be filled with emotional content.
“Oh no… Am I going to cry?”
“Right…”
As the slightly somber atmosphere settled in, the stage lights went off.
Kaboom!
“Whoa, looks like it’s starting.”
The showcase stage kicked off.
But….
♪♪♪♬-!
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
Contrary to fans’ expectations, the intro of Falling Star began with bright synthesizer sounds.
‘Wow….’
Having only heard it once before, was it thanks to Han Si-woo’s reputation?
The intro already felt catchy, almost addictive.
And then, making their appearance in response…
Kaboom!
“Waaaah-!”
“Ahhhh-!”
The Rookies members appeared dressed in white-toned outfits, the exact opposite of their last activity.
-Don’t ever say it’s over
-Our story is just beginning
“……!”
Ha Ye-rin’s captivating introduction pierced through the ears.
‘Is that…? A rap?’
It was between rap and singing.
In an instant, Yoo Chang-seon was mesmerized by Ha Ye-rin’s singing rap.
Her voice was more beautiful than he remembered.
-We are Falling Star
-But in people’s hearts, we are eternal stars
He liked Ha Ye-rin.
More precisely, he liked her appearance, her dance lines, her stage presence.
But right now, without her signature captivating performance, she was enchanting everyone with just her vocals…
“……”
She was captivating him… no, all the fans at the showcase.
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