At the greeting of Huang Yezhun, who held the microphone, a scream of "Kyaa!" was heard.
It was Christmas Eve, the day of lovers and families. Many people came to the outdoor stage of KBC Music Channel.
Before the last performance by BrownBlack, the sound equipment malfunctioned due to the cold weather.
While temporary measures were being taken, instead of the MCs who were continuing to host outside in the cold, Huang Yezhun, the member of BrownBlack with the best speaking skills, went on stage to buy some time.
Huang Yezhun's face appeared on the large screens set up in the center and on both sides of the stage. This live broadcast was being aired nationwide.
[There are so many people here. Can you see me over there?]
-Yes!
[Ahahaha.]
Huang Yezhun smiled brightly.
[Thank you all for coming out in the cold. The MCs have worked so hard, so I will take over the hosting for a while. Is that okay?]
From various places, shouts of "Yes!" and "BrownBlack, fight!" were heard.
[But wouldn't everyone feel a bit disappointed with just one MC? That's why I've brought a special MC!]
The audience clapped at Huang Yezhun's words, but as he bought time, the staff, who were quickly working to fix the sound equipment, turned their heads.
"What? There was a special MC?"
"I've never heard of this before?"
Everyone was puzzled, and then the PD's voice came through the earphones. To maintain secrecy, even the staff were not informed.
-I asked for it. And make the security around the stage tighter. Be careful in other areas too. More people might come, so be prepared.
"But? There are already so many people here. It seems like almost everyone who wanted to come has already arrived."
A concert by BrownBlack, known as concert idols and live idols, was scheduled.
BrownBlack's concerts, where fierce battles and numerous reviews among fans take place, are so intense that many people who couldn't get tickets came to watch from a distance.
Curiosity about what kind of performance it was that made everyone who came back so amazed couldn't be contained, and as a result, the audience seats were filled.
Even those who were not particularly interested thought they should come at least once, and everyone gathered.
-...Good luck.
"PD? Why are you saying that? It sounds really scary."
-...I'll give the others a bonus later too.
"…Who is coming?"
[Let me give you a hint, and see if you can guess.]
Huang Yezhun was jumping around excitedly. His high energy made even the BrownBlack fans wonder what he was doing. This was the first time they had seen him so happy.
[The hint is a video hint! Honestly, I don't think anyone will miss it.]
Huang Yezhun smiled meaningfully. At the PD's gesture, the large screen in the center of the stage turned black.
[By the way, I have permission!]
With Huang Yezhun's last words, sound came from the only working speaker.
Ding!
Ding ding!
"Ah!"
Park Sung-won, who had come out reluctantly due to a persistent friend's request, took a deep breath.
The sound was small because there was only one speaker, but it could be heard. The audience fell silent, all with puzzled expressions. No, this is it. It's that, but why is it here?
[William?]
The video ended with a woman's voice, and then again.
Tinkle!
[Little one?]
The video ended with a man's voice.
Huang Yezhun shouted loudly.
[Our Hollywood star, Lee Se-jun, who gave a brilliant performance as William and the baby shaman!]
Then, a small child walked out from behind the stage and stood next to Huang Yezhun. Se-jun's face, beaming with a wide smile, appeared on the large screens.
Se-jun was wearing a thick white cape and a warm fur hat. The cape had small white wings, and the fur hat had a round ring.
Known as Kim Hee-sang's masterpiece, the Christmas baby angel.
It took a week to make the clothes and decorations, all handcrafted.
The parents, seeing their son's image on the screen, gave a thumbs up to Kim Hee-sang, who was drinking beer nearby.
"Ah!" Someone screamed.
"Wow!" And cheers were heard. Even those watching on television were startled and shouted.
"Really? It's really Lee Se-jun?!"
"He's here?!"
"No wonder Huang Yezhun was so excited."
The relationship between BrownBlack and Lee Se-jun had already been in the news. Everyone nodded. Nearby entertainment reporters started posting articles with only the headlines on the internet.
[Hollywood Star, Lee Se-jun, as a Special Guest on Music Channel?!]
[Lee Se-jun from the Shadowman Series, with BrownBlack!]
[Undoubtedly a Hollywood Actor! Lee Se-jun!]
-Lee Se-jun?! I'm a fan! Why isn't he here?!
-If he's coming, he should have said so! No, I'll go now!
-Wow. Music channel. How much did they pay?
The staff swallowed hard at the audience's unusual reaction.
"It doesn't seem like it will end with just hard work. PD."
[Hello everyone!]
Se-jun picked up the microphone. Everyone screamed at the sight of Se-jun, transformed into a baby angel for Christmas Eve.
[Does everyone know Lee Se-jun?]
-Yes!
[We have a small connection with BrownBlack, so I'm here. There will be a special performance after this, so please look forward to it!]
A short conversation between Huang Yezhun and Lee Se-jun followed, broadcast live across the nation.
Fans of Lee Se-jun, who lived near the outdoor stage, started gathering, and the staff were busy.
Finally, the repairs were complete. A staff member who had done a quick fix waved his arms at Huang Yezhun. Seeing the signal, Huang Yezhun gave his closing remarks.
[Today is Christmas Eve. Have a happy day!]
[Have a happy day!]
Se-jun also greeted the audience and activated his ability. It was a convenient ability, easy to use whenever he wanted, perhaps because the owner was kind.
[The baby angel's feather of generous giving - Low Rank - is activated.]
The baby angel's feather of generous giving.
It slightly purifies the hearts of those who see it.
It can bestow a small blessing once a day.
Feathers visible only to Se-jun fell sparsely into the audience and were absorbed by the people. Now, the people could set aside their worries for the day and live happily.
[Now, let's meet BrownBlack's performance. Se-jun, you can sit over there.]
Huang Yezhun guided Se-jun to a chair at the end of the stage. Audience members near the chair turned on their phone cameras to take pictures of Se-jun.
Se-jun waved and sat down, sighing inwardly.
'Wow, if I had gone to a children's festival, it would have been a disaster.'
The reaction was even bigger than the first day of kindergarten. If he was getting this much attention on stage, imagine what it would be like on the streets. Se-jun shook his head inwardly.
[This is BrownBlack's performance.]
Meanwhile, the MCs, who had come back to warm up, introduced BrownBlack's performance. When Se-jun clapped, it was visible on the screen. The audience followed Se-jun's lead and clapped. Se-jun smiled at the camera.
"Kyaa!"
BrownBlack, who had climbed onto the stage, also chuckled. Soon, the music started.
[The connection of the orchestra conductor is activated.]
Wow.
People who had never seen BrownBlack's performance live opened their mouths in awe. Se-jun watched the stage, seeing the sparkling numbers.
He saw his older brothers performing their usual elaborate dance routines. Although they were more impressive than other artists' performances, it seemed they had reached the limits of their talent, and there was little difference between the two songs.
[The connection of the orchestra conductor - Lowest Rank]
The music skills of connected beings can increase or decrease by up to 1.3 times based on the bond with the conductor.
The bond with the conductor and the bond with the connected beings is expressed in numbers.
Maximum connection: 4
'Is this 1.3 times the limit of my brothers' talent?'
After finishing their performance, BrownBlack approached Se-jun.
They had become accustomed to their current limits and believed that their current performance was the best they could do.
Isn't it too early? It seemed they were already reaching their limits and facing a slump, but they all hid it skillfully.
Now it was time for the special performance by Se-jun and BrownBlack.
Se-jun, who had stood up from the chair, walked to the center of the stage with BrownBlack and took the microphone passed to him.
Music started playing from the speakers.
It was time to perform the song they had prepared for a week. Se-jun stood in the center, and BrownBlack stood on both sides. A gentle melody seemed to envelop the five on stage.
Se-jun had not prepared any special ability for this performance. Why? Because,
[The connection of the orchestra conductor - Lowest Rank - is activated.]
He already had a good ability.
Se-jun understood the mindset with which BrownBlack approached their performances. Even though they were on the same stage, he could feel and understand the music.
Se-jun enjoyed BrownBlack's music with a pounding heart.
There was a clear difference between a performance with the skill activated and one without. The five voices blended perfectly, as if conducted by a conductor.
Then,
The numbers above Se-jun's head started to rise. By the end of the first verse of TODAY, all the numbers above the heads of BrownBlack and Se-jun pointed to 100 and sparkled.
[All bonds have reached their maximum.]
[The rank of the connection of the orchestra conductor has increased.]
?
During the interlude, Se-jun's eyes widened at the visible text.
What?
Rank increase? Is there such a thing?
[The rank of the connection of the orchestra conductor has increased from Lowest to Low.]
Se-jun's eyes continued to widen as the text appeared. The pattern on his right hand glowed.
[The connection of the orchestra conductor - Low Rank]
The music skills of connected beings can increase or decrease by up to 2 times based on the bond with the conductor.
The bond with the conductor and the bond with the connected beings is expressed in numbers.
Maximum connection: 8 (4/8)
[The connection of the orchestra conductor - Low Rank - is activated.]
What?
The second verse of TODAY started. Without a moment to spare, Se-jun started the second verse familiarly, with BrownBlack's voices blending in.
The [connection of the orchestra conductor] at the Low Rank significantly improved the music skills of the five. It surpassed the maximum 1.3 times and approached almost 2 times.
From the first line of the second verse, BrownBlack realized their song had changed.
They were surprised but quickly resumed their calm expressions. Only the twitching muscles in their faces betrayed their wildly beating hearts.
BrownBlack's voices grew louder, as if pouring out all the energy in their bodies.
"Unbelievable."
Im Yeon, who had become a fan after seeing BrownBlack's debut performance, said without realizing it.
Her friend, Park Sung-a, was too stunned to even scold her. Everyone was mesmerized by the performance of BrownBlack and Se-jun.
BrownBlack's voices and Se-jun's voice complemented each other perfectly. The five voices harmonized like an orchestra, creating synergy.
There were no elaborate dance routines or impressive choreography, but the song alone, the voices alone,
captivated the audience.
Moved them.
"Concert idols, they said..."
Park Sung-won was also mesmerized. He regretted not attending BrownBlack's concerts until now.
The audience, both those at the outdoor stage and those watching on television, felt the same way. The audience at the outdoor stage were glad they had come today.
When the song ended, the audience was silent. No sound could be heard. Im Yeon clapped her hands, as if in a déjà vu.
Clap.
Clap clap clap!!!
Wow!!!
"Wow, really. What is this!"
Park Sung-a was in tears. She wiped the tears streaming down her face but didn't stop clapping. Im Yeon said with an excited face.
"This is it! The debut performance I saw! No, it's even more impressive than that!"
"This is the legendary debut performance I've only heard about..."
The people watching the broadcast were also shocked. BrownBlack had always been popular for their good songs and music, but this performance exceeded their imagination.
-Another perfect performance. The legendary debut performance recreated!
-It's a good thing this was the last performance today. If it had been the first, the rest of the performances would have been...
While the internet was in chaos, BrownBlack found a new goal. Everyone was filled with joy.
"I thought we couldn't improve any further..."
"Somehow, it feels like good things happen when I'm with Se-jun."
BrownBlack, in Seun-chan's car, looked at Se-jun, who had fallen asleep in the seat after the performance and the cheers.
Everyone had worked hard to get through the performance and the cheers. Se-jun, who had never been in such a situation before, looked visibly flustered.
"Get some rest when you get home, and you'll be fine."
* * *
"What is this?!"
Se-jun looked at the staff pattern on his right palm.
[The connection of the orchestra conductor - Low Rank]
The music skills of connected beings can increase or decrease by up to 2 times based on the bond with the conductor.
The bond with the conductor and the bond with the connected beings is expressed in numbers.
Maximum connection: 8 (4/8)
"Really? It really changed?!"
He was so surprised by the new situation that he didn't even know how the performance ended or how he fell asleep.
"Why did it change? I've never experienced this before."
No matter how skillfully he used his ability or for how long, it had never increased in rank. He read the book of [The Fairy of the Baton] but found no changes.
"Then... "
Although not certain, there was only one reason that came to Se-jun's mind.
"Damn tree!"
He never thought the tree, with its terrifying obsession with music, would go to such lengths. Se-jun looked at the pattern with a grim expression.