I spread my arms wide like a cross, embracing the roar of the crowd.
"Hey, hey! What's up, everyone?" I shouted into the lights. The spotlight beamed down, catching every shimmer of sweat on my skin.
"Go get 'em!" the W.K boys yelled from the VIP seats near the judges' table.
"You got this, Seokjin!" Sanghye waved the SPI Entertainment banner wildly as the fans screamed their lungs out.
"Quiet, everyone~!" A strange voice echoed from above. I tilted my head up and saw a golden chair slowly descending from the ceiling, landing in the empty space at the center of the hall. On the second balcony, seven men sat watching me — silent, unreadable.
"Anything you'd like to say before you start?" asked one of the judges.
The room fell completely silent. It felt as if every sound, every heartbeat, had vanished. I took a breath, gathered myself, and raised my head. "Just a reminder, I'm not here for a dance...."
My words struck everyone in the room "What, no dance?!" All the judges were shocked.
"What?!" A mysterious guy with blue hair shouted among the crowd, but he remained silent after that. Of course, I knew who that was.
"Surprised, right? I think anyone here could do it, and it's too hard to judge who's doing better, so I'm going to make everything easier. We're here for entertainment, yes?"
"Yeahhh!!" the audience replied.
I pointed my finger at the audience. "They said it! So let them get what they want."
"O-Okay, Mr. White, what are you going to perform for us today?" One of the judges asked.
"From this moment on, I want you all to call me… White. And this—" I smiled faintly,
"—is the song I wrote for all of you."
Clap clap clap!
Screams exploded through the hall. "He's so handsome!!" "Marry me, \1/hite!!!"
I inhaled deeply, pulling every ounce of energy from within. The background screen shifted to an image of a young boy standing before a house surrounded by pink wildflowers — his family beside him: father, mother, older brother.
♫ My life once bloomed like a flower ♫
♫ Every moment I stood here felt like everything I ever had.
♫ Have you ever wished to turn back time,♫
♫ Or perhaps, this moment's already the best it'll ever be~~♫
I turned gracefully with the slow piano rhythm, letting the melody carry me. The background shifted again — the boy had grown, now standing in a cityscape surrounded by friends and laughter. Spotlights dimmed until only one beam remained — shining right on me.
♫ I strung a thousand words, just to bring you back~♫
♫ Those days we shared, so bright, so alive with you~♫
♫ I locked myself in the dark....just~ to forget it~~ But why can't I ever forget you? ♫
♫ Maybe it's fate — the thread that binds our hearts. ♫
As I sang, old memories flashed before my eyes—
"I don't really drink soju," I told Jun Ho once. "Beer's more my thing. Helps me stay clear-headed."
"Got it. Beer it is!" he'd snapped his fingers at the server. "One cold beer, please!"
"Can I ask you something?" I'd said nervously. "If I win the throne… can you…" I swallowed hard.
"Um—never mind."
"Of course, Woojin. I'll give you anything you like." He laughed adorably.
♫ Can you hear the voice inside.... of me~♫
♫ Are we still together..... somehow ♫
♫ Back in the days~~ when love was all we had ♫
"Get on that stage and work a miracle." Jun Ho left a final message.
Clap, clap, clap.
Whowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
I was bathed in a golden spotlight. "I am.... the miracle" my arms outstretched like butterfly wings, bathing in a golden spotlight beam, embracing the audience's delight.