Chapter 107 Chapter 107
After the rehearsal, Kwon Ji-yong walked down from the side of the stage. The backstage lights were much softer than on stage. Makeup artists, stylists, directors, and stage managers moved quickly and expertly through the narrow corridors.
His body had long been accustomed to this kind of environment and rhythm - opening his eyes in a strange hotel, the stage and dressing room during the day, the lights and the crowds at night, and then moving on to the next city and the next hotel after the performance. He had been to many places,
But it seems as if he has never really "been" to those places. When he first debuted, this kind of life made him excited - applause, screams, and carnivals,
The fans' expectations, the media's attention, everything seemed to confirm that he was moving forward along the path of his dream. But when running became the norm, he gradually began to lose track of what he was chasing.
Or maybe he was just being pushed forward by inertia. Constant watching day and night would make people tired and forget their original intentions. There was always a flame in his chest, wanting to declare war on everything, but he didn't know who the enemy was. Many people loved him,
He was the destination of all gazes, but this energy gradually lost its destination in the cycle of day after day, like the tide crashing against the reef—tremendous and powerful, but with nowhere to go.
He felt for a moment that this was the end. He felt passionate, tired, and lost. He knew the other members felt the same way.
Until last year's sudden scandal, which brought him down abruptly. Surprisingly, that forced pause allowed him to calm down and see clearly what he truly wanted to hold on to and what he should let go of.
The stage remained an integral part of his life. He continued on that path. The smell backstage was the same as before, but he once again found happiness in his busy routine.
Sometimes this happiness would be magnified by the presence of certain people - like today, he had a special guest.
The members went to the dressing room to touch up their makeup and change their clothes one after another. He took the water handed to him by his assistant and took a sip. He walked along the corridor and saw Teddy and Han Yiseul when he passed a waiting room.
Han Yise was sitting on a chair, leaning over and whispering something to Teddy. He walked over to greet him and exchanged a few words, but his eyes subconsciously glanced around.
Teddy probably guessed who he was looking for and said casually, "Kush and the others went to take pictures with Hualei."
Kush showed off excitedly in the group early in the morning, saying that they had prepared a "heavy-weight wreath" for him, and they deliberately kept it a secret and didn't let him see the photo in advance.
Quan Zhilong nodded. He had been planning to go over after the rehearsal, so this was the perfect time.
Turning the corner, he saw Lia standing in front of the wreath from afar, carrying a SLR camera that was almost as big as her entire face on her shoulder. She was leaning forward slightly to take a picture with a focused posture.
She wore a simple black T-shirt and light-colored jeans, her hair tied in a high ponytail, revealing a sliver of her fair neckline behind her ears. A pair of dark green geometric earrings, matte in texture, were understated yet striking. The dark green color suited her perfectly.
This thought flashed through his mind. She was concentrating on adjusting the angle and didn't notice his approach. He walked over and looked down at the screen in her hand. "So cute--"
This was his preferred method, and he knew exactly what kind of reaction he'd get—no subject, ambiguity. He thought girls would love it. But Lia was visibly stunned, subconsciously glancing sideways at him, her expression not particularly encouraging.
The next second, she quickly put away her surprise, smiled at him, put down the camera, and simply said hello. Quan Zhilong felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
But Lia looked calm and even handed him the camera so that he could take photos. Kush and others who were posing in front of the wreath also stopped and walked over.
"Hello, Oppa." Xia Qing also followed Lia's greeting and greeted her politely. Quan Zhilong recognized her.
"Long time no see, Xia Qing." He said with a smile, his sunglasses covering his eyes, so that only his pointed chin and slightly upturned mouth could be seen. Xia Qing was surprised that he still remembered her.
She had been infatuated with him for a long time in high school - of course, it was the kind of fan's crush on an idol - but her interest always changed quickly, and later she stopped chasing stars. But even if she stopped chasing stars, this was also the famous G-
Dragon. She couldn't help but jump for joy. Kush saw Quan Zhilong appear and immediately grabbed him for a photo, showing off her masterpiece.
Quan Zhilong walked up to the wreath and looked at it carefully. When he saw the line "King's Crown", he couldn't help laughing and nodded with satisfaction - he liked it very much.
The photo is very handsome, the wreath is big and beautiful, and although the captions are a bit childish, they don’t look out of place on him... Full marks!
He couldn't help but curl his lips in triumph, pulled out his phone, and took a few close-up photos of the wreath, putting the slightest feeling of disquiet behind him. Then, several people took photos with the wreath in turn.
When it was Lia's turn, he leaned forward slightly, deliberately pushing his sunglasses up to the top of his head so that the camera could clearly capture their faces. "I'll have Kento pass it to him later," he thought contentedly. * Evening, Osaka Dome.
The lights in the hall suddenly went out, followed by a surge of screams like the ocean. A huge circular screen lit up, and the black cosmic background filled the field of vision, slowly rotating galaxies and flowing stardust intertwined.
Five enormous capsule spacecraft traversed the interstellar space, trailing long trails of light as they glided from deep space toward Earth. Five capsules slowly descended from the center of the stage, synchronizing with the screen. As the countdown numbers flashed, intense white light erupted. The next second, the capsules landed on the stage, their hatches opening simultaneously.
"What's up, Osaka——" The greeting from Bigbang made the air tremble through the surround sound system, and instantly set off screams from the whole audience.
Five figures emerged from the cabin, fireworks and dazzling laser lights interweaving into a dazzling curtain of light. Everyone put down their phones and immersed themselves in the torrent of music, light, and voices.
Lia and her friends sat in the side stands. There were no special seats for friends and family, but this small area was mostly occupied by invited guests.
This position is just enough to see the entire stage and the stage lights. Compared with the front stands, it is closer to the stage and can capture the movements on the stage with the naked eye.
She hadn't watched a concert for a long time. Holding the crown lamp in her hand, her eyes were fixed on the center of the stage - the person in the center of the light seemed to be integrated with the entire dome.
Unlike the studio versions I've listened to over and over again through headphones, here, those tracks, polished to near perfection, suddenly come alive. The rhythmic rise and fall of the music, with its unstable improvisations, overlaps with the audience's reactions, giving the music a second life.
That’s the magic of live performance: songs that were private and one-way when they were written become a two-way flow between the performer and everyone listening once they’re on stage.
In this flow, the musical notes and techniques are just the background. What really makes the music warm is the person on the stage.
He was skilled yet unconventional, his every glance electrifying the atmosphere of the room, making it hard to tell whether this was the mastery gained through countless training sessions or his innate charisma. Ultimate charisma.
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