Chapter 157. Final (1)
“Unnie! Over here!”
A stadium in Seoul where the final live broadcast of *Miro Maze* was being held.
As Gwajam walked while looking around after getting off the subway, she turned her gaze towards the voice calling her. She saw MalangGgom waving at her from under the cool shade of a tree near a pavilion. Adjusting the bag slung over her shoulder, Gwajam walked over.
“Wow, there are really a lot of people today.”
“I know, right? If my dad hadn’t dropped me off, I almost couldn’t have made it.”
Today, the two had planned to watch the final together. Another friend, Soda, also succeeded in getting a ticket, but it seemed like she was watching separately with her sister, who was a fan of Hajin. However, they had planned to meet up afterward for an after-party at a nearby hotel they had reserved.
“Do we still have some time before we need to enter?”
“Yeah. Do you have anything you want to get from the fan distribution? I’m going to do a first round.”
“Not really, but I did arrange to meet a few people from my friend list.”
“Oh, really? Then should we go to a nearby cafe? Actually, it’s not that hot, so I’m okay with staying here.”
“There’s not much time left until we can enter anyway, so let’s just stay here. Hold on.”
Gwajam put down the bags she brought next to MalangGgom and took out her phone.
When she opened the Bluebird app, her timeline was already filled with posts from her friends arriving at the venue or sharing their fan merchandise. Gwajam posted a picture of one side of the pavilion where she was waiting, saying she would be there, and soon received a DM from someone.
“GangHadi-nim is on her way.”
“What? That GangHadi-nim? Unnie, are you mutuals with her?”
“Yeah. Somehow, it just happened.”
“Wow, so we can see GangHadi-nim in person? That’s amazing.”
When Gwajam mentioned she was mutuals with GangHadi, a well-known Hajin fan, MalangGgom got even more excited, unable to contain her enthusiasm. Gwajam just watched her fondly, also looking forward to meeting GangHadi, whom she had always admired.
After a while, two women approached them—one wearing an elegant suit set with sophisticated wavy hair, and the other, with strikingly bleached hair and a hip outfit that accentuated her tall figure.
“Excuse me, are you Sunset-nim by any chance?”
When someone called her by her private account nickname, Gwajam stood up and nodded. Then, with a curious expression, she asked cautiously.
“Yes, that’s me. Are you GangHadi-nim…?”
“Yes, hello. It’s really nice to meet you.”
The woman in the suit greeted her warmly, brushing her hair back. Then, she introduced the woman next to her, who was dressed casually.
“This is Kang Daejang. She really loves the photos you post, so I brought her along to introduce you.”
“Hello, Sunset-nim. I reopened my account after seeing the third-round photos of Hajin that you uploaded.”
“Oh, wow. Daejang-nim! I’m such a fan of yours. Nice to meet you.”
Gwajam was startled to find herself meeting not just one, but two famous Hajin fans. The fan site *Sunset University* that Gwajam had created recently gained a significant number of followers after Kang Daejang retweeted her photos with an enthusiastic caption.
“Sunset-nim, you really have to make those photos into merchandise. I was saving up to buy a slogan when you said there were no plans for it. I was so disappointed…”
“I really wanted to, but a lot of things came up this time, so I couldn’t do it. But I did print some photocard replicas to give to friends, so I can give you one.”
“Oh, we also prepared something. Just a moment.”
A warm exchange of fan goods followed. Sensing that their conversation would go on for a while, MalangGgom tactfully excused herself to go to the convenience store. The three of them ended up sitting in the pavilion, deeply immersed in fan talk, with the obvious topic being Kang Hajin.
“Honestly, I’m not happy about him being ranked 7th, but… I still think there’s hope. This time, the votes were skewed towards other members because of special events.”
“Right, if you look at Hajin’s vote count alone, it’s actually increased from before. And in the final, public votes are crucial too, so I think he can debut. The important thing is what rank he gets.”
“Really? You think so? Oh, I really hope Hajin can debut. His ranking has been too low every time… Even when he was happy about getting 7th place last time, it was just so heartbreaking.”
Though it didn’t feel like they had been talking for long, time flew by as they chatted. The three of them, now addressing each other as “unnie” and “Sunset,” had bonded as if they had formed an unbreakable friendship.
When MalangGgom returned from the convenience store with bottled water, snacks, and batteries after a second round of fan merchandise exchanges, the conversation finally began to wind down.
“That’s it. We absolutely have to get Hajin to debut today and have another meet-up next time.”
“Sounds good. Sunset, you owe us a meal.”
Is this what they call the “luxury of being a working adult”?
With a smile, Daejang and Hadi coolly bid farewell to Gwajam and left. Gwajam, who usually played the leader when with MalangGgom and Soda, didn’t mind being treated like the youngest this time. She checked that she had saved the phone numbers of the two women properly and gathered her belongings.
“Did you have a good conversation? It looked so fun I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Yeah, there’s definitely a special kind of fun when talking with fellow hardcore fans.”
“Well, there’s a sense of camaraderie among true fans…. Should we go in now?”
“Yeah, let’s go. Did Soda’s group arrive?”
“No, I contacted her earlier, and she said her sister has some work at the office, so they’ll be coming in right on time. Let’s go in first. You brought your camera again today, right?”
“Of course. I’ll try to take a few shots of Siwoo and Doha too.”
“Thanks! Oh, I’m so nervous!”
The two of them grabbed their bags and started walking towards the concert hall to enter.
The afternoon sun was gradually losing its heat over Seoul.
But here, the excitement was burning hotter than ever.
Finally, it was the final.
* * *
The opening line of the final for *Miro Maze* was, of course, this:
“To reach the sun, soar high. Embark on the journey to become the Icarus of the maze!”
Even though it was a line they had heard countless times over the past three months, today it felt different.
As she looked at the dazzling lights, the large electronic display, and the LED screens set up like sculptures, Gwajam finally realized that today was the last day of *Miro Maze*.
“Finally, today, the group that will become the future of Miro will be born.”
The final counting method, judging criteria, and an introduction of the judges followed.
Today’s judges included Miro’s representative Han Sewon, Miro’s artist development team led by Ji Suho, guest participant Sarin, and several others including senior artist Park Woong from the same agency.
“Who will be the seven boys to shape the future of Miro? After a long three-month journey, we are finally at the end. *Destiny* viewers, please stay with us until the very end of their challenge.”
After Seo Taeil’s announcement, a simple VCR began playing.
It was a sketch video recording the journey from the first episode to now. Although it was just three months ago, the footage felt fresh. The title song of *Miro Maze* was rearranged into a piano version, subtly playing in the background. Though it was a typical survival show cliché, the video somehow touched the emotions, and Gwajam clenched her eyes to hold back tears as she silently watched the VCR.
“Oh no, I feel like I’m going to cry.”
“They really worked so hard….”
When Gwajam looked to her side, she saw MalangGgom already halfway to tears. She pulled out a tissue from her bag and handed it over, sniffling a bit herself. Meanwhile, the VCR ended with an emotional caption.
♩♬♬― ♩♩♪♬,
The melody that had been playing on the piano now resumed with a familiar guitar sound.
Everyone recognized the intro, and the stadium erupted in screams of excitement.
As the intro of the song they had heard countless times in their dreams played, the round lift stage in the center slowly rose. When the blue lights filled the darkened stadium, ten boys in navy blue uniforms were already standing on the stage.
Perhaps they had arranged the formation based on the rankings from the second round elimination, as Jung Siwoo, with his neatly styled hair, was standing at the center. His perfectly balanced features gave off an almost divine aura.
“Those uniforms are insane!”
“Unnie, Siwoo… Siwoo is so handsome… What do I do….”
While MalangGgom, who had Siwoo as her pick, seemed on the verge of fainting, Siwoo, who had been gazing downward,
slowly raised his head and made eye contact with the center camera. His lips curved into a perfectly calculated smile, as if drawn with a compass.
Tilting his head slightly, Jung Siwoo began to sing.
Hello, it’s me.
The stadium filled with cheers once more as Siwoo sang the first line with a soft smile, as if he was genuinely glad to meet everyone.
With that first line, the formation quickly changed, and the choreography began.
For a long time, we looked at different places.
Jung Siwoo sang while performing a paired choreography with his partner, Seo Taehyun.
Originally, the choreography was designed for a group of nine, but since there were ten members in the final, the production team allowed some adjustments.
They decided to reuse the even-numbered choreography that Hajin’s B team had created in the first round.
Starting the long journey, right now
I’ll run towards the dream that is you, my One and Only
I won’t stop, only sailing towards you
Finally free from the rap position, Eunchan sang the sub-vocal part with Jaeyoung. Compared to Jaeyoung, who still looked a bit boyish in his uniform, Eunchan looked as if he was born to wear one.
The belt emphasizing his waistline, the epaulettes on his shoulders, and the buttons done up to his neck didn’t make him look stuffy but instead highlighted his tall and sturdy physique.
Moonlight filling the sky,
Stars pouring down,
When all those journeys end,
We’ll finally face our highlight.
Without thinking much, when this voice appeared in the song, you would instinctively want to rewind and listen again. Taehyun, who had a pretty and unique tone, took center stage.
His silver chain and brooch sparkled under the lights. His sharp features and varied expressions on the large screen were more than enough to captivate the audience.
“Oh, this is just amazing. It’s crazy.”
MalangGgom’s voice trembled with emotion, but in reality, everyone in the stadium felt the same way, so no one would have pointed it out.
Then, Lee Doha, who wore a dark blue sash draped from one shoulder to his strong hips, and Lee Yugeon, who had two wide leather straps crossing his chest like a belt, passed the rap parts back and forth in their distinct tones.
The voices of these two, similar yet different, unexpectedly harmonized well, filling the stadium with their presence.
The song now approached its first chorus. The formation changed again, and someone from the back adjusted the position of the mic on his ear and confidently stepped forward.
“Amazing….”
And the moment that “someone” appeared clearly on the big screen, Gwajam lowered her camera and stared blankly at the scene.
Another sun has risen, to shine on you and me.
With his first profile picture, he made her become a fan instantly—the sharp eyes adorned with burgundy eyeshadow.
A refreshing and sweet voice that never got old, even after streaming it hundreds of times.
A powerful voice that filled the entire stadium, and the long uniform coat that emphasized his 182cm height, with black leather gloves that made his long, beautiful fingers stand out.
“Unnie, Hajin, Hajin’s hair…!”
“……”
As she saw Kang Hajin, singing with a confident smile and an expression filled with excitement, his red hair fluttering like the sun, Gwajam knew she would never forget this moment for the rest of her life.
Take my hand, so you won’t get lost.
I’ll go with you, so the night won’t come.
Hajin reached out his hand towards the camera, shining more brightly than anyone, more than anything.
It was a brilliant sun that she would never forget.