Side Story 7 [End]
When the stage ended and Seleste was formed, it was said that there would be a total of 3 years of group activities.
And time passed very quickly, and Ji Yoon-chul, who was 17 when he first debuted, is now 20 years old.
That means that Seleste's group activities are about to end.
The contract termination, which is like the fate of a survival group.
Ahead of this time, there were many rumors.
Will Seleste extend their contract, or will the members be called by their respective agencies and Seleste naturally disband?
Over the past 3 years, Seleste has built up an enormous fandom worldwide.
Excellent album performance.
Great chemistry between members.
And the official channel that Sigma Entertainment carefully managed, etc., many factors rolled the snowball and gathered a huge number of fans.
The Seleves' wish was all the same.
For Sigma Entertainment to create a miracle and leave the members as Seleste.
However, everyone knew how difficult this would be.
No matter how good the results were, groups that debuted through survival programs were often forcibly disbanded.
They had to negotiate with each member's agency, and various complicated matters were bound to become obstacles.
No one could predict the future in this uncertain situation.
Of course, the members really wanted to keep Seleste.
Because the seven of them have to be together to be happy, and they can't give up the memories they've built up in an instant.
A month has passed since Seleste's 3rd debut anniversary concert was held successfully.
Did the earnest feelings of the fans and members reach out?
A surprising piece of news has been revealed to the world.
[Exclusive] Seleste will not disband...... 'Full contract renewal' success]
[Seleste, first survival group to renew contract......… All 7 members return to fans]
[Seleste, dramatically succeeded in renewing contracts, 'All members wanted to remain as Seleste']
There were many conflicting interests involved, and since there had been no precedent for successful contract renewals, the public had a pessimistic view of Seleste's situation.
However, as Seleve hoped, Sigma Entertainment truly performed a miracle, and Seleste was able to continue to make their name known to the world, rather than ending their activities after three years.
The exact story of the contract renewal has not been revealed, but rumors circulated among fans that Sigma Entertainment had fully utilized its enormous capital power.
When Seleste was first formed, Sigma Entertainment was criticized for handling matters without considering the feelings of fans.
As the group's activities progressed, they gradually handled their work more smoothly and fully supported the members' activities, showing remarkable growth, and eventually achieved the feat of being the first survival group to renew their contract.
"I really wanted to write this line! Can I? Can I?"
"What is it this time?"
"Yoo Min-ha, are you going to say that line from another weird animation?"
"Guys, we're going to do it for another year!"
"If we were going to do it anyway, why did you ask?"
"...We're not just doing it for one year."
Naturally, the members were extremely excited.
The seven of them were tightly knit with the thought that they wouldn't have been able to get this far without each other.
They even declared that if they heard news that Seleste was disbanding, all the members would go to the Sigma building and talk to the management and people from their original agency.
There was no need for that anymore.
The members and Seleve couldn't hold back tears of joy when they found out that the 3rd anniversary concert that they thought would be the last was not the end.
However, two weeks after the news of the contract renewal, another somewhat expected news came.
That is, the news of the eldest brother, Chae Eun-gyu, enlisting in the military band.
It was not surprising that Chae Eun-gyu, who is now 29 years old, had to fulfill his military duty.
The biggest issue was when to do it, and after several deep discussions with the members, Chae Eun-gyu decided that now was the right time.
If he only did a little bit of activities after the contract renewal and then left in the middle, the fans would be very disappointed.
So everyone agreed that it would be better to leave the military service of 1 year and 8 months now that they had a semi-forced hiatus of about 5 months due to the contract renewal.
[Seleve, I was surprised by the sudden news. I feel bad because I think you will be sad even as I read this article now.....… ]
In September, a letter written in Chae Eun-gyu's neat handwriting was uploaded to all of Seleste's official accounts.
A letter expressing how sad and regretful it is to not be able to see Seleve for a while.
I want to continue to show Seleve a wonderful side of myself, but I'm sorry to be leaving for a while.
However, I can trust the other members and leave.
[I will be leaving Seleste for a while, but I feel secure because the members are here. I will return as a better person, so please wait a little longer until then. I hope we can all smile together next year with a healthy and bright appearance.]
An inevitable absence.
The members knew very well how important this time was.
They have to work even harder so that the eldest member's absence is not felt.
They have to communicate more diligently and do their best so that Seleve does not feel regret.
The clock hands moved busily, walking the path of effort and fruition.
***
"Loyalty!"
"Wow, this hyung's hair has grown a lot?"
"That's right! Oh, no. It's not like this."
Ten months have passed since Chae Eun-gyu enlisted.
In the meantime, a year has passed, and Chae Eun-gyu's hair, which was like a pine mushroom when he first enlisted, has grown a lot.
Heo Yu-bin stroked Chae Eun-gyu's hair, who was on vacation, and shook his head.
"Hyung, when you were shaved, it felt really good."
"Ha, haha....... Can we stop talking about that time?"
"Why, are you embarrassed?"
"I was really ugly back then."
After joining the military, Chae Eun-gyu took vacations here and there to spend time with the members.
The location was the same as usual, our dorm.
It was fun to observe Chae Eun-gyu's changes every time he went on vacation.
His hair seemed a little longer than last time, and his body felt a little bigger.
I nodded with satisfaction while rubbing his biceps.
"You've been working out hard, too. That's great."
"Just wait and see. I've been lifting weights a lot lately. I'll definitely win arm wrestling later."
"Do you still have that grudge from back then? Even you, hyung, are secretly holding a grudge."
Chae Eun-gyu, who was completely defeated by me in arm wrestling at the sports day during the filming of
It seems like he still remembers it clearly even though it was several years ago.
"Challenges are always welcome. The result will be the same, though."
"That's true."
"Why are you so quick to accept?"
"I realized it when I went to the military. What can't be done can't be done."
We all laughed at Chae Eun-gyu's words.
Chae Eun-gyu smiled and asked about his younger brothers' recent activities.
"I saw Hyungbin's solo debut this time, and the choreography was no joke. How did he memorize all that?"
"When I first got it, I was like, how on earth do I do this? But once I tried it, it worked."
After Chae Eun-gyu enlisted, we really worked harder than ever.
We decided to reduce the frequency of releasing albums as much as possible so that no one's absence would be felt, and we also started releasing individual albums that we hadn't done before with the company's permission.
The first to debut solo was the leader Song Hyung-bin.
The single album
Following Song Hyung-bin, Heo Yu-bin also participated in various drama OSTs using his specialty and received favorable reviews.
A unit album consisting of me and Kang Si-yoon is also currently in preparation.
Yoo Min-ha leaned forward and asked Chae Eun-gyu.
"But aren't you super busy these days? I think you often go on stage with the military band."
"Honestly, I think you do all your vocal practice here."
"I saw that."
Kang Si-yoon snapped his fingers.
Even before he continued, he was already laughing.
"Hyung trying to sing
"Oh, that's a total black mark! Doing all seven people's parts by himself is reallyㅡ."
"I didn't know whether to laugh or worry when I saw hyung's face flushing from shortness of breath in the middle."
"Why on earth are you laughing? Do you like it when hyung suffers even in the military?"
"Of course!"
"This."
Chae Eun-gyu tried to hit Kang Si-yoon's forehead with the edge of his hand.
Kang Si-yoon laughed like a child, wondering what was so good about it.
'It's been a while since I've seen you, but nothing has really changed.'
I smiled at the warm sight as usual.
Even though we have to be apart until next year, we are doing our best in our respective positions.
The six members are devoting themselves to Seleste until Chae Eun-gyu returns.
Chae Eun-gyu is trying to show Seleve a proud appearance until he returns to his proper place.
Ji Yoon-chul, who had been quietly touching the water cup alone, broke the silence and opened his mouth.
"......I hope Eun-gyu hyung comes back soon."
Everyone stopped their actions at the youngest's words.
Chae Eun-gyu stopped hitting Kang Si-yoon and smiled warmly at Ji Yoon-chul.
"It'll be soon. There's less than a year left."
"But it still seems far away. I wish everyone would hurry up and be here like before...."
Chae Eun-gyu patted the youngest's head. The smile didn't disappear from his lips.
"It'll be soon."
***
April 202X, the traces of winter have completely disappeared and warm spring has arrived, the season of blooming flowers.
Today, too, a huge crowd gathered in front of Gocheok Sky Dome, where numerous concerts were held.
'How much I wanted to see that poster.'
Karis's homma, who was holding a lot of MD goods, looked at Seleste's concert poster hanging on a streetlight.
It was a moment of mixed emotions.
[One, Again] written in large letters at the bottom of the poster.
She waited for nearly two years to see that phrase.
One year and eight months have passed since Chae Eun-gyu began his military service, and Seleste's eldest brother finally returned to the arms of the members and fans.
While in the military, Chae Eun-gyu's face, which didn't age but rather looked younger, returned, and soon after, news of a full-group concert by Seleste including Chae Eun-gyu came out.
She wondered if it was okay to hold a concert this quickly, but it turned out that Chae Eun-gyu had already talked about it before his discharge.
While Chae Eun-gyu was away, Seleste did a great job as a six-member group.
They even released solo albums and unit albums here and there, which was what the fans had hoped for.
However, the fans who had been supporting them since
That sight of the seven of them standing side by side with bright smiles.
"I feel like crying already......."
"Will Karis cry today? Let's bet?"
"Honestly, if it's for conditioning and dramatic effect, it's the right thing to cry at the last concert. But with Karis, you can't really predict what's going to happen."
"Then I'll bet on chicken for crying alone."
The same goes for Pyo Joo-hyun and Pyo Joo-hyun's sister who waited for the complete Seleste.
While the Seleste members were getting older, they also got older, but their hearts were the same.
The moment they first saw the members taking the level test.
The moment they overcame adversity and confirmed their debut on the final stage.
And the records that led them to this point while leaving behind numerous great albums, all of Seleste's moments remain in Pyo Joo-hyun's heart.
As the sun set beyond the horizon and the sky grew dark, the audience finally began to enter Gocheok Dome.
Inside the dark dome, the stage ready to welcome the Seleves came into view.
Ken Hashimoto, who entered the second floor side invitation seats, could not hold back his excitement.
The promise he made during the last stage of
Ken Hashimoto kept his promise and came up to the same place with the Seleste members.
And now, thinking about seeing one of his favorite people return to his original place after a long journey with his own eyes, his heart raced just like back then.
'You've worked so hard!'
Ken Hashimoto wanted to say this to Chae Eun-gyu right away, but he waited for the stage to start while calming his swelling heart.
Owen, who sat with Jerene's cue in a seat a little away from Ken Hashimoto, was trying his best to control his expression.
'Finally. Finally, I can see my hyung-nim's stage in person.'
Owen always wanted to see Seleste's stage with his own eyes.
However, since he was an idol with a busy schedule, he didn't have time to go see other groups' concerts.
Miraculously, there was nothing scheduled for the concert date that Karis mentioned.
"Wow, it's really big! I wish I could see it from a little closer."
"Then it would be too noticeable to other people."
"Is it okay to wear a hat and a mask like this?"
"No."
One thing that's regrettable is that Karis's heart is too kind.
Owen pushed away the sparrow-like Q next to him.
He could have just invited him. He wouldn't feel lonely even if he came alone.
He doesn't know why he gave him two seats as an invite. He doesn't know how this guy came along.
But...…
'If even one more person can see the splendid stage, that's good enough.'
He knew how much Karis had suffered while that one person was gone.
Owen smiled as he thought of his brother's face, whom he loved and cheered for more passionately than anyone else.
On the other side of the second floor, there were other people who had been invited by the members, waiting for the concert to start.
It was the families of the seven members.
In particular, the Von Walden couple, who had set foot on Korean soil for the first time, continued to look around Gocheok Dome with curious eyes.
They could feel with their whole body how far their son, who had decided to go to a faraway country to pursue his dream, had reached.
And they cheered on their son with emotions that Karis had never felt in his previous life.
'You're really amazing.'
At that moment, when the air inside Gocheok Dome was gradually heating up with anticipation.
The dimly lit lights went out, and the inside of Gocheok Dome was completely dark.
And right under the main stage, the seven members put their hands together.
"Do you remember what we've always said from the beginning?"
"Yes!"
"Of course."
Song Hyung-bin looked around at everyone with a grin.
This feeling that they haven't felt in a long time.
Even though only one person came back, the stage seemed to be full already.
Manager Yeo Chang-min, who was holding a vlog camera behind them, felt his eyes turn slightly red.
He bit his lips slightly because he thought that a grown man, especially a manager, shouldn't cry in front of the members, but he couldn't help but feel his emotions welling up.
Because he knew better than anyone how hard the members worked, who were closest to them.
"One, two, three!"
"Let's have fun!"
"Let's gooo!"
Karis laughed as he heard Yoo Minha's powerful shout, which was just like a routine.
Chae Eun-gyu, standing next to him, exhaled deeply as if he was slightly nervous.
"Are you nervous, hyung?"
"Haha, is it too obvious?"
"There's nothing to be nervous about. Just do as you always have. Just do as you always do."
Karis confidently raised the corners of his mouth and held out his fist toward Chae Eun-gyu.
Chae Eun-gyu, who stared at his unwavering eyes for a moment, nodded and lightly bumped his fists together.
".....Let's go."
Seven members stood side by side on the lift heading to the stage.
Members who ran together, looking at the same place.
No one knew where this final destination would be, but everyone felt it again in their hearts.
"Wow!"
A cheer that made their hearts flutter.
A wave of light that sparkled like stars that fell from the sky.
We will move forward together to enjoy this beautiful scenery whenever we see it.
Karis came down from the lift with everyone and put the microphone to his mouth.
And after a really long time, the seven voices shouted powerfully.
"Hello, this is Seleste!"
<『The Crown Prince in the Ruined Game is an Idol』 Side Story Complete>
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