When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar - Chapter 192
# 193
#KK (1)
“Uuuh!”
“Wow. “The wind is no joke.”
The members who arrived at the simple waiting room made of a tent shivered from the sound of the wind blowing outside. Even if it was the same wind, the power blowing straight from the sea was different.
The height of the waves crashing over the blue sea that you can see just by looking at it was quite high.
Whatever the wind, the notice had already gone out and the performance was just around the corner.
The members were startled by the force of the wind that seemed to break through the thin fabric, but they busily moved around and changed their costumes.
Because we performed five songs in one hour, including the speaking time, we had to wear not one, but two sets of stage costumes.
In addition to the costumes, there were also stages to match. This was because today’s performance included songs that were different from the previous first performance.
Dowook came out of the busy tent.
Outside, stage setup and checks were in full swing. The sound equipment setup seemed to have been completed, and the staff was using tape and twine to fix the small lights installed on the stage. It was a scene that seemed as hectic as the situation inside.
Director Oh Baek-ho was seen talking with Kwon Woo-chan, acting director of stage production. There was concern on the faces of the three people.
Director Oh Baek-ho, who discovered Do-wook, spoke to him.
“Do-wook. Where.”
“The staff said I should turn around and go to the public restroom in the back.”
Manager Oh Baek-ho nodded at Do-wook’s answer.
Because the stage was set up in a location other than the original performance location, the environment was inevitably poor. It was fortunate that there was no one there yet.
There are two hours left until the performance.
So far, the only people who saw the stage being set up and the promotional text written on the banner were the elderly people who came out to see what was going on.
It felt a bit odd to see the staff members standing around to help arrange the audience.
“Ugh… can the performance go ahead?”
In response to Do-wook’s question, Director Baek-ho Oh said as if he should not worry too much.
“uh? what. “Local people say that the wind will become stronger as night falls.”
“Oh yeah? thank god.”
“That’s right. I’m glad it’s a nice day and the wind isn’t blowing. Well, the directing team said they came fully prepared, so you just focus on the stage.”
“yes.”
Dowook relaxed a little and answered.
“Anyway, no matter how many people there are, why go alone? “Just in case, go with Cheolmin.”
“No, it’s okay…”
“Hey! Cheolmin!”
Before Do-wook could stop him, Director Oh Baek-ho called Gu Cheol-min. Director Oh Baek-ho’s voice calling for Koo Cheol-min was enough to make Saryangdo cry.
Even though it was at the end of the Korean Peninsula, it was near the concert hall. It wouldn’t be a big problem, but if Do-wook wandered around alone and had even a small problem with his personal life, there would be an uproar over how he managed his celebrity in these days.
Gu Cheol-min, who was chatting with the coordinators near the entrance to the simple waiting room, quickly followed the gesture of Director Oh Baek-ho.
“Tell the other kids to leave before the crowds gather. “Unless you want to go to the bathroom with everyone watching.”
“haha. yes.”
To Director Oh Baek-ho’s words, Do-wook responded with a shy smile.
“The wind should calm down soon…”
“Don’t you think it’s better than before?”
Do-wook spoke with the hope that everyone would not have a hard time, and Gu Cheol-min responded. I was wondering if that was the case and was raising my hand to feel the wind.
“That… wow! sir!”
It was a narrow street a little away from the stage. In front of a shabby public restroom, an old man with a bent back was standing calling out to Do-wook and Gu Cheol-min. Although the sun had set and it was dark, I could clearly see my white hair and deep wrinkles.
“What’s going on?”
Gu Cheol-min asked, although he was a little wary. It was just a very basic boundary when dealing with strangers.
“Leisure… Is it true that it is Keke or Keki?”
“yes? I beg your pardon?”
“yes! That’s right, old man.”
Do-wook responded kindly instead of Gu Cheol-min, who couldn’t understand because he listened half-heartedly.
“But you have to go further over there.”
When Do-wook pointed toward the stage, the old man nodded, patted his knee, and grumbled. “Hi… my granddaughter was so fussed about going there to see it, so I packed it up and came… but I don’t know what picture to take… I don’t even know how to take a picture. Uzzano.”
In the old man’s right hand, he held an old-fashioned flip phone that is hard to find anymore. If you tried to take a picture of the stage from the audience, it didn’t seem like it would be possible to take a picture.
Gu Cheol-min, who had been listening to the complaint, was about to end the conversation by nodding his head as if to send the old man away.
“Is it difficult for your granddaughter to come?”
Dowook asked.
“uh? My daughter goes to school in Seoul. I’m already a national student, but the teacher is telling me to take pictures of something instead of studying. Hi, it’s a bridge. “I’m already over eighty years old…”
The old man hesitated despite the short question.
After hearing it briefly, I felt like I knew it. It seemed that my young granddaughter, who was attending elementary school, was a fan of KK. When they heard that there was a performance in Tongyeong, it was clear that even an elderly woman living in Tongyeong urged them to go. Since he couldn’t go, he probably desperately wanted someone he knew to go.
One thing the young granddaughter overlooked was that she would rather watch the live broadcast on the computer than take pictures with the old man’s cell phone.
At that moment, the flip phone the old man was holding rang loudly.
Gu Cheol-min signaled that all was well and that he should leave, but Do-wook did not feel at ease.
All of the people passing by on the street, regardless of age or gender, came down to Tongyeong with the intention of seeing the performance and having fun, but they did not want the elderly who should be resting at home to come here and suffer.
“It came.”
-really? Did you really go? grandma?
“Am I right. “Didn’t you tell me to go?”
The granddaughter’s surprised voice came out from the flip phone, which was turned on to the maximum volume. As Dowook expected, the voice was very young, as if he was in the lower grades of elementary school.
“Elder.”
Dowook called the old man. The old man who was on the phone looked at Dowook in surprise as if asking what was going on.
If we send the old man away like this, he will see KK’s performance. However, without any reward from watching the performance for my granddaughter, I would only get photos that did not show her face properly, and my granddaughter would be very disappointed.
The granddaughter’s disappointment was the disappointment of the old man who came to the concert hall out of love for his granddaughter.
A small action on your part could bring joy instead of disappointment.
“A well-mannered student asked me to change it for a moment.”
-huh? who?
The old man handed the flip phone to Do-wook with a slightly puzzled look.
“hello. “Miss Jeong-eun.”
-Ah yes! hello! But who are you?
Dowook responded with a small smile to the bright voice.
“I’m Kang Do-wook.”
-Huh?!… Huh. Really? Are you really Dowook oppa?
“yes. My grandmother met me here in front of the concert hall. Miss Jeong Eun. “Did you ask your grandmother to take pictures of our performance?”
-yes! yes Oppa, that’s a key ring! I also joined the cafe!
“haha. thank you. “But my grandmother’s cell phone is so old that I don’t think I can take pictures.”
-Oh really?
The young student quickly became excited, but then quickly made a sad voice that conveyed disappointment.
“yes. “Can I take a selfie on my phone instead?”
-yes?!!!
“Grandma, can you go home instead? “I heard your legs hurt too…”
– Wow. yes yes of course! Oppa really! I really like it!
Dowook’s smile deepened as he heard the clear voice.
When I handed the phone back to the old man, I heard the excited granddaughter shouting to her grandmother, thanking her and saying she loved her. The call ended after someone told me to go home quickly.
“Did my daughter boil and eat the train barrel?”
The old man muttered in a voice that was difficult to understand. Nevertheless, her face was full of laughter, as if she was proud of her granddaughter’s happy voice and confession of love.
A deep sense of pride spread through Dowook’s heart.
‘Yes, even if I don’t necessarily accomplish something huge… I’m so happy that I can bring these small joys to someone’s life by becoming a star…’
Do-wook thought and hung up the phone. I took several selfies with the old man’s flip phone.
The ugly street lamp in front of the public restroom provided illumination. But there was no need for fancy lighting. In the photo, a soft glow was emanating from Dowook’s face.
***
“Let’s go, K-K!”
The KK members shouted slogans again and went up on stage, rubbing their eyes.
“oh my god.”
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help but open my mouth.
I was even more surprised because I had already seen the scenery around the stage when the announcement had just been made. The area around the stage, which was extremely peaceful and quiet, was filled with over 2,000 fans.
About 2,000 spectators in three hours on an island with poor accessibility. No matter how you think about it, it was surprising.
The performance staff, who had prepared the audience with a generous expected number of people around 1,000, were surprised by the crowds just before the performance, so they wasted a lot of effort to install additional seats.
“Aaaah!”
“K-K!”
Watching KK appear on stage, fans once again cheered without hesitation.
As soon as they heard the news, many people, not only those living in Tongyeong but also from Geoje Island, Busan, and even Yeosu, booked tickets and rushed over.
All seats for the train after 6 o’clock from Geoje and Busan to Tongyeong were already sold out.
In the fan community, fans with personal vehicles came forward and brought nearby fans. As we gathered together in groups of twos and threes, so many fans had already gathered.
The number of people on site was large, but the number of people watching the live broadcast was even more impressive.
Due to the circumstances, not many fans were able to come to the venue, and the main reason was that the first performance went viral.
Although the me app had already expanded its servers, the number of concurrent users of 800,000 was astounding.
It was an even more incredible record considering that all times around the world are different.
All the officials below the stage, including Manager Oh Baek-ho and Assistant Manager Kwon Woo-chan and Koo Cheol-min, shook their heads as they checked the number of connected users on their mobile phones.
It seemed like there was nothing that could stop KK from where he was now.
Unlike the first performance, the first song of today’s performance was ‘Blue Sky’. The song was chosen considering that the age group would be relatively older.
When KK began singing ‘Blue Sky’ passionately, the audience sang along with ‘Blue Sky’ in unison.
During the live performance, the sound of the wind was mixed in like noise, but it was at a similar level to other outdoor performances. The sound of waves occasionally played there, creating a certain elegance.
Even the middle-aged people in mountaineering clothes and the elderly in colorful flower-patterned clothes were shaking their shoulders and saying,
“It’s crazy, but it’s worth seeing!”
One of the older people, whose face was red because he had already served lunch, shouted. He was a resident living in a neighborhood near the stage. The surrounding residents giggled and nodded.
It was a quiet place where the ‘National Singing Contest’ came and went once 5 years ago and there have been no events since. All the residents came out and enjoyed the noisy time.
This was the picture that the KK members wanted.
Below the stage, the elderly person whom Do-wook sent back earlier was also clapping and laughing, albeit clumsily.
Since I was here, I decided to go see the performance.
Dowook’s voice became louder as he checked the elderly people in the audience.
Next was the second song, ‘Connection’.
Just when the stage was going smoothly with Jeonju, the wind started to blow strongly.
***
And that time. A series of key figures were summoned to the office of the president of broadcasting station TBN.