"You'll get everything you've ever wanted…" Iris Jun Ho said, his voice low and deliberate.
"But sometimes, the price you pay is steep. You know, when I first stepped into D8, I was just an innocent—just like you are now." He downed the last of his drink, ran his tongue across his lower lip, and tilted his head to meet my eyes.
♫ A roar echoes from within. I'm not the only one who feels this way. ♫
♫ I want tomorrow to be just as good as today. ♫
"Now look at me," he said. "What do you see?" The piercings on his nose, lips, and brow told me everything "I can't promise you'll still be the same Woo Seok Jin once you walk into that world. But I hope you make it. I really do. But do not make a deal with the devil. Because you'll never know what's coming."
"I understand. I'll give it my all," I nodded.
"A good guy like you shouldn't go to waste." Jun Ho leaned in, smirking as he tapped my nose with his finger. "Now, just go get that prize."
Suddenly, I was back on stage. I ripped open my shirt, sending the judges into wide-eyed shock.
Screams erupted. "He took his shirt off! AHHHH!"
"Damn! My G's on fire!" Jin shot up from his seat and fell backward off the stage. "Whoa whoa whoa—Gae SaeKK[1]~"
Thud! "Kang Yoo, you're so cool!" One of the audience members asked him from behind.
"And you're too sweet~~ Ay ssilb-!" he replied to the fans, rubbing his head.
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~
"My F--- EARS!!"
♫ 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 the final piano note faded, I dropped to one knee, leaned back, and stretched my arms wide—welcoming the roar of the crowd.
KYAA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wooooo! LIVE viewers just hit one million!" Sanghye shouted, hyping up the fans at home.
"A million view?! For real?!" Juwon grabbed his phone, eyes wide. "Dang! It's fucking real!"
"Bro, He was like a BBQ or some'." Baek Giyul raised one eyebrow. "My man's freaking HOT."
"Hey! Someone help me back up here!" Jin yelled from below the stage. The three turned to see fans and staff clashing in a frenzy, all trying to reach.
"Kyaaaa! Come here, Oppa~" / "Step back, please! No touching the artist!" the guards tried to block the walkway in the hallway.
"Why meeeee~?~!~" Jin Kang Yoo asked himself calmly[2].
Seokjin's shirt slid down his arms, revealing his bare torso. Behind him, shimmering pink butterfly wings unfurled like a mythic godchild's gift. One wing fluttered off his back and soared toward the farthest seat in the crowd.
There sat a man in a butterfly mask, his hair the same pink as a mugunghwa blossom. A serpent tattoo curled along the left side of his face. The pink wing landed gently on his shoulder, transforming into a cloak.
"Had fun, didn't you, sweetheart?" he whispered, turning to leave the hall just as the announcer began revealing the SHIFT winner.
Fans flooded through the doors, rushing past the masked man as if he were invisible.
And the next D\8/ throne goes to—!!!
[1] Gae saekki (개새끼) = S.O.B (not gae sek, lol)
[2] Typical wizard joke.