Chapter 206. Kairos (5)
The second part of Kairos’s showcase, held together with Destiny, was broadcast live to the entire world through the Iverse app, as well as being streamed live from the venue itself.
Unfortunately, Gwajam and her 덕메 (fandom mate), who couldn’t make it to the showcase in time, were watching the online live stream together.
-Yes, everyone. That was the music video for ‘Over The Night,’ which was released at 6 o’clock. The MV really feels like a movie, doesn’t it? The song also gives off a vibe like it would be great to sing along to during a concert finale~
“Nam Daun, that guy, probably hosted events like this in the military too.”
“He actually did. Every time the Ministry of National Defense had an event, they’d draft him as the MC and make full use of him.”
“After being discharged, he even hosted his senior’s wedding.”
Gwajam, who had once dabbled lightly in Utopia, shook her head as she grabbed a snack and listened to MalangGgom, who was already well-versed in various idol news, and Soda.
“I want to say that it’s amazing how far his generosity goes, but I’m kind of scared that our Hajin might end up like that too….”
Gwajam, recalling her favorite, who was just as friendly, proactive, and skilled at hosting as Nam Daun, smacked her lips.
…Little did she know that her favorite had a history of singing congratulatory songs and hosting friends’ weddings in a previous life, along with attending all sorts of other events.
-Now, let’s invite the main stars of this showcase, the members of Kairos! Members, please come out!
“The boys are coming out. Wow, I really should have been there.”
“What are they wearing? The press photos showed some overdressed outfits.”
“But honestly, since all their hair and makeup have been on point lately, everything they wear looks good, doesn’t it?”
As Nam Daun continued his hosting, the members began to slowly rise from behind the stage. The members, starting with Doha, were dressed in coordinated black and white suits.
These outfits were a more personalized version of the basic uniforms they wore in the music video for ‘Ruins’ and were part of the ‘THE NIGHT’ version of their debut album.
Siwoo, standing third from the left, just as in the press photos, raised his voice.
-We will now greet you. Two, three!
-KICK US OFF! Hello, we are Kairos! Please take care of us!
Even though it was an online broadcast, the resonant shout and the responding cheers from the audience conveyed the excitement of the scene perfectly.
As soon as Gwajam saw Hajin, who had buttoned up his shirt to the neck, tied a black tie, fastened all the buttons on his jacket, and even secured a waist belt, she immediately punched her own thigh.
“Oh, you crazy! Kang Hajin!”
“Geez, you scared me.”
“I understand you, unnie. Honestly, the ‘THE NIGHT’ outfit is legendary. The fact that they put Siwoo in a blouse shows the stylist knows their stuff.”
While MalangGgom nodded in agreement, the members took their seats, and the real talk time began.
When Nam Daun asked them to introduce the album and songs, the youngest, Haru, picked up the mic and began explaining the pre-memorized content clearly.
-Yes! The debut album ‘K:ONCEPT’ is a mini-album composed of five songs that embody Kairos’s concept and aspirations.
-In addition to the title track ‘Over The Night,’ which is a melodious song based on modern rock, there’s ‘Kick Off,’ a song with a strong hip-hop beat that showcases our performance, and ‘Wings,’ a medium-tempo ballad where you can fully appreciate the members’ vocal abilities! These are the three new songs included.
As soon as Haru rattled off these long sentences without taking a breath, the members jumped up, clapped, and cheered as if they’d been waiting for this moment. Our shameless youngest didn’t seem embarrassed by the praise, looking rather proud as he clapped and even asked for more compliments.
The sight of the hyungs being as moved as parents sending their kid to an elementary school essay contest was something to behold.
“Do they want to praise Haru, or do they just want to practice looking like they’re really moved?”
“As long as the group atmosphere is good, it’s fine. They say groups that really love their youngest members last longer.”
“Every time I see this, I’m always surprised that Siwoo or Doha genuinely joins in. They really don’t look like they’d act like that….”
“Look at Hajin. It’s like he gave birth to him.”
Seeing Hajin, who was pulling out a handkerchief from his chest pocket and dabbing at his dry eyes, Gwajam shook her head again. But she couldn’t help smiling at the members’ cute behavior.
Once things had calmed down a bit, Nam Daun, who had been pretending to hold back tears by looking up at the ceiling, returned to the mic with a completely composed expression.
-All right, that’s great. I heard that in addition to the three new songs, there are also two familiar ones. Siwoo, could you tell us about them?
-Yes, that’s correct. We’ve re-arranged and re-recorded two songs, ‘Daylight,’ which you heard through Miro Maze, and ‘Destiny,’ which we performed in the final. Both of these tracks are included in the album in Kairos’s voices.
-Before coming to today’s showcase, I listened to all the tracks, and they really consist of a variety of genres, don’t they? How should we interpret Kairos’s color and concept?
At Nam Daun’s sharp question, the members paused for a moment, exchanging glances.
Just before the silence could grow awkward, Hajin, who had slicked back his red hair, quickly took the mic.
-We’d be grateful if you just feel it as it is. The concept of this album is that we can challenge ourselves with anything, regardless of genre.
-So, the concept is that there’s no concept?
-That’s right. If you look at the music video, there are more than five different outfits. By showing you so many different sides of us in one album, this is the beginning of us finding our unique color.
Seeing how smoothly Hajin answered, even though it seemed like an impromptu question, Gwajam barely resisted the urge to slam the table again.
Soon after, Nam Daun, with a playful expression, threw another question at Hajin.
-Speaking of the music video, Hajin. The MV is really cool and fun, but opinions seem to be divided on its interpretation. Could you explain a bit about the world view?
Hajin blinked slowly. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like this was also an unscripted question.
However, the Destiny fans at the scene, who were curious about the content of the MV and the world view, started shouting Hajin’s name.
Hajin, who was hesitating slightly and glancing around, leaned forward a bit with a refreshing smile that fans loved. Then he spoke in the same tone as the narration in the music video.
-Well, does that even matter?
-What matters is that you get to enjoy everything from our school uniforms to our military uniforms during this promotion. Isn’t that what’s important…?
With that, cheers erupted once more from the venue. Gwajam and her 덕메, who were watching from the comfort of their home, also cheered. Nam Daun, seemingly out of things to say, simply nodded and flipped over his cue card.
As they listened to the ongoing talk time, the three of them started their own side conversation.
“So, I guess they’re going to wear school uniforms on the music shows too. Wow, this is already insane. Miro must have spent a lot of money.”
“How many albums do I need to buy? Seriously. Will the fan signing event cutoffs be high? They probably will, right? They just came off To Me, so they’re really hot right now.”
“That friend stans a group that’s kind of… not quite nugu, but, like, 4th-tier? Anyway, they said the cutoff for their fan signing event was dozens of albums. K-pop is just crazy. Absolutely insane.”
As MalangGgom grumbled, Soda, who had already downed a can of beer, chimed in.
“They say it’s actually worse when there are a lot of mid-level fans. But with Miro, I think you can still get lucky with just one album? When my sister was stanning Enderway, she got into a video call event with just one album.”
“What? Jaehee unnie stanned Enderway too?”
“Just for a bit, as a casual fan. My sister’s basically got Miro’s blood running through her veins. She’s just in denial about it.”
“Isn’t it just because she likes monolids? Honestly, I think it’s amazing that Jaehee unnie works at Renes. Her tastes are totally the opposite of Renes.”
“She’s actually quitting next month.”
“What? Unnie’s quitting?”
“Yeah. She said she’s leaving as soon as the group she’s been managing debuts. The photos are out, so I guess it’s okay to talk about it now? It’s that Renes rookie group.”
At the news of Soda’s sister Jaehee quitting, MalangGgom and Gwajam perked up. They had known that she worked in the rookie development team at Renes, but this was the first
time they heard specific details about her work.
As soon as they heard the word “Renes rookie,” which had been a hot keyword in the idol community for a while, MalangGgom looked at the members of Kairos on the live stream and sighed quietly.
“Ah, but it looks like they’re already planning to promote that Renes rookie group alongside Kairos. A lot of people on that secret Twitter account said they’re interested in checking them out when they debut.”
“Renes hasn’t had a rookie group in a while, so I guess there’s some anticipation.”
“The photos of Cha Minseok were just too strong. Honestly, I almost wavered a bit… but then I watched Siwoo and Eunchan’s livestream and pulled myself together.”
“You too? Same here. I still watch Jojonze’s livestream every now and then.”
The three of them laughed as they recalled the fun and entertaining relay livestream.
Feeling the slight buzz from the alcohol, Soda rested her chin on her hand and spoke lazily.
“But I am a little worried. Honestly, the survival show was fun, but… the momentum after debut is a whole different story, isn’t it? It’s easy to get compared to that time.”
“Yeah, it’s different from just doing well on a cover stage and coming out with their own songs. There’s already some talk like that. People are saying Kairos might just end up being Seo Taeil’s imitators. We’ve been promoting with Seo Taeil’s songs since Miro Maze.”
Hearing the rare serious conversation, Gwajam leaned back and fell into thought.
She knew that worrying about celebrities was the most pointless thing in the world, and that it was better to worry about her own life instead…
But she still couldn’t help but worry about her kids’ future.
MalangGgom, the high school student who knew the idol industry’s ins and outs better than anyone, added her opinion.
“This is the thing. Utopia and Enderway have that kind of image, right? They’re like self-made idols who succeeded on their own in tough environments, a real skill-based image. But Kairos doesn’t really fit that category.”
“Right. But they feel a bit different from Renes rookies. Renes feels like a full-on big company kid vibe, while with our boys, it’s more about how they differentiate themselves as an average mid-tier idol group?”
Nodding in agreement as if they were all scholars of idol studies, the three of them turned back to the livestream.
By then, the talk time was almost over, and the members were standing up to perform.
-Yes. What’s the first stage you’ll be showing to Destiny today, Doha?
-Ah… The song is a b-side track, ‘Kick Off,’ which we’ll also be promoting as our coupling song.
Doha answered, showing a hint of nerves.
Having already streamed the song as soon as it was released at 6 o’clock, Gwajam clapped her hands in excitement.
“Oh my god, I love this song.”
“Me too. This song is really good. It’s just pure K-pop. I’m expecting some really intense choreography.”
“But I noticed that the composer wasn’t Seo Taeil. It was a name I didn’t recognize.”
“Who was it?”
“Hang on.”
MalangGgom picked up her phone and checked the composer credits on the music streaming site. She then read out the first name listed for composition, lyrics, and arrangement.
“…Deon? It says Deon. I’ve never heard of him before.”