Episode 28: What Comes After the Applause
AX1's re-debut shattered expectations.
But now came the echo.
What happens after the cheers die down? After the lights dim? After the world turns its head to the next headline?
The boys had to face something more terrifying than fame.
Normalcy.
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Morning After the Stage
No packed schedule. No 4 a.m. call time. No stylists knocking.
Just sunlight creeping through thin curtains. Cheap cereal. Socks mismatched in the laundry basket.
Seon sat cross-legged on the living room floor, still in his pajamas.
Jaewon emerged, toothbrush in mouth, hair defying gravity.
"You okay?" he mumbled.
Seon nodded slowly. "I think so. I just… don't know what we're supposed to do now."
Jaewon leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Now, we live."
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Flashback: Dorm Chore Charts
Back in their pre-debut days, the biggest arguments weren't about lyrics.
They were about who washed the dishes.
Minho refused to touch anything sticky. Jun pretended not to hear cleaning announcements. Seon once used a hair dryer to dry a wet T-shirt on schedule.
Now?
Now they did dishes together while humming Second Sunrise.
Growth.
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GAN Office — Strategic Meeting
"We broke the internet," their manager said, flipping through social media metrics.
"But?" Minho asked.
"But now the industry expects more. You guys aren't underdogs anymore. You're competitors. Threats."
Jun raised an eyebrow. "We didn't ask for that."
"Doesn't matter. You lit a fire. Everyone's watching what you burn next."
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Day 2: Fan Letters
They arrived in sacks.
Some scrawled in glitter pen. Others typed with spelling mistakes and unfiltered emotion.
One from a high school boy in Busan: "I came out because of your stage. My mom cried but said she was proud."
Another from a girl in Manila: "You made me stop deleting my songs. I want to sing again."
Seon read until his eyes blurred.
Then wrote one back.
Dear Echoes,
We heard you.
We'll keep singing.
Don't disappear.
Love, AX1.
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Midnight Documentary Crew
GAN partnered with a film crew to document AX1's post-comeback journey.
"Call it Noiseproof: After the Echo," the director said.
First shoot location?
The old practice room.
Cracked mirrors. Dented flooring. But still sacred.
Jaewon traced a scratch on the wall and whispered, "That's where Seon kicked the speaker when he forgot choreography."
Seon flushed. "That's where you cried when your harmony got cut."
They both laughed.
The crew caught it all.
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Fanmeet Planning
Their first in-person fanmeet would be in Seoul.
2,000 seats. Tickets sold in under 30 seconds.
AX1 chose a non-traditional venue: an open-air campus amphitheater. Grass. Night sky. Fans on picnic blankets.
They called it: AX1 Under the Stars.
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Seon's Voice — Studio Troubles
Too much singing.
Too much crying.
Too much emotion.
Seon's voice cracked during rehearsal.
The doctor's verdict: early signs of vocal strain. He needed rest.
But the fanmeet was in 3 days.
Seon cried in the bathroom again.
Jaewon found him.
"You don't need to sing to be heard."
Seon blinked. "But they came for me."
Jaewon shook his head. "They came for us. Let us carry you now."
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Day of the Fanmeet — Seon's Silence
Seon walked on stage with a mic — but didn't use it to sing.
He smiled. Bowed.
Then held up cue cards.
> "My voice is healing."
"But I'm still here."
"Thank you for waiting."
The fans stood up. Applauded.
And then… began singing Second Sunrise for him.
2,000 voices.
Seon wept openly. Jaewon hugged him from behind. Minho and Seo-jin harmonized softly. Jun mouthed every word.
And somewhere above them, the stars stayed still.
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Post-Fanmeet — Seon's Journal Entry
> "I used to think silence meant being forgotten.
But today, I learned silence can also mean being held."
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Late Night — Group Talk
They sat on the dorm floor, hotteok in hand, blanket tent over their heads.
Jun asked, "Do we ever go back to how it was?"
Seo-jin: "We shouldn't."
Minho: "We can't."
Jaewon: "We won't."
Seon: "But we'll go forward. Together."
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Next Steps — World Tour Offer
GAN dropped a bombshell.
"Japan, Thailand, Philippines, LA, Paris."
A five-stop fan-con tour.
They wanted answers by next week.
Seon looked at his voice specialist's note.
Three months of rest required.
Could AX1 perform without Seon as the lead?
Should they?
Would fans accept it?
They'd have to decide.
Together.
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Ending Scene: Rooftop Projection
The boys set up a sheet on the dorm rooftop.
Projected old performance clips.
Young versions of themselves danced, cried, laughed.
Then came the final clip: their comeback stage. Second Sunrise.
Seon watched his own face fill the fabric sky.
"I'm not afraid anymore," he said.
"Of singing?" Jaewon asked.
"No," Seon replied. "Of being loved."
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To be continued…