(Watching someone pick something up to eat and burst into flames, then joining them and catching fire too GIF)]
The fan song teaser received quite a positive response. Upon watching the teaser, all fans were tearing their hair out.
[Oh my, from, oh my, the high teen world]
[This-this-this, that thing! Isnât it from the Shining Star Glow series!? Cabinet!!! Letter!!! Basketball!!! Euaaaaagggh]
[Ah fuck, and itâs a 1980s concept too! This is for me, thank you]
While everyone was losing their minds, a making-of film was uploaded one after another. The making-of film showed the members holding a meeting at Daepaseong Entertainment.
â âWe decided to make a fan song.â
Clap, clap, clap.
The membersâ faces turned red with applause. A hint of anticipation and excitement could be seen.
Jeong Dajun raised his hand and asked a question.
â âAre we making everything ourselves?â
â âYes. Excluding props and stage, we are responsible for the concept, composition, and camera.â
â âAh, alright! Then Iâll record a guide with Ichae.â
â âThen Iâll⊠figure out the stage directions.â
Seo Hoyun naturally led the meeting, and the rest of the members volunteered to divide the parts smoothly, making fans both laugh and cry.
[Itâs so nice here⊠But⊠Iâm a bit flustered since Iâve been into K-pop for a long time. Do they really have to do everything from composing to concept these days?
âUnexpected softie
âNo, itâs just⊠Daepaseong Entertainment is like thisâŠ]
[Tasting Shining Starâs group project hard carry once again]
[Daepaseong, are you out of money? Didnât you taste a bit of money last time??]
In fact, Daepaseong had made quite a bit of money. Especially after the Jeong Dajun incident, Seo Hoyun genuinely advised (by cursing a lot) and even intimidated the CEO to carry out an organizational restructuring. Lee Jihyeon had a very comfortable budget to execute the concepts she wanted.
However, whether they had a lot of money or not⊠Seo Hoyun and Lee Jihyeon agreed on one point.
Although it could be their personal taste, a fan song should have a taste that only fans and singers could feel.
It meant that idols needed to show their love for their fans!!
So, Lee Jihyeon quickly changed the original concept.
[Oh, itâs going to be a self-cam vibe]
[Ah⊠Okay, okay, thatâs good]
It was a âself-cam atmosphere made by the members themselves.â
It matched perfectly with the beat Kang Ichae completed.
And Seo Hoyun sneakily sprinkled breadcrumbs throughout the making-of video.
â âI canât wait to show it to Noeul.â
[Hoyun suggested making a fan song first, right?]
[Kang Ichae seems a bit sensitive today and even more like a punk⊠itâs driving the girls crazy]
[Seong Jiwon, donât shine your smile like that if youâre not going to marry us; itâs driving people crazy]
Fans were overjoyed. For days, their hair was tightly clenched (and not so gently, too), and their teeth were gritted to the point of losing them because of the breadcrumbs they received.
What do you mean Seo Hoyun didnât care about The Dawn? What nonsense was it that he wanted to be an actor rather than an idol! He was even planning it himself for the fans!
Although fans kept posting that âSeo Hoyun suggested making a fan song first, thinking of Noeul more than anyone else,â as expected, there were people who openly attacked them.
[Yeah~ Regardless, heâs a crazy bastard for individual activities~]
Of course, they were quickly silenced. Not only because The Dawn was just a prelude but also because V-Lives poured out before the fan song was released.
[Aaah, Kang Ichae made the fan song concept like this: He got inspired by marathon-watching 1980s American movies; heâs such a genius]
[He and Dajun watched a movie together, popped some popcorn at night, and got scolded by Jiwon for overdoing it⊠Ahă ă ă ă ]
[Kim Seonghyeon was the best at skateboarding on set, even with extras⊠This excessively set-up man is mine]
[Ahă ă ă ă ă ă Seo Hoyun seems to be teasing the younger members while constantly sucking on red ginsengă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă Hoyun directly organized ită ă ă ă ă The most sensitive person when teased: Kim Seonghyeon >> (Slightly)â >>>> Jeong Dajun
The person who smiles and moves on: Seong Jiwon
The person who doesnât get teased but teases back: Kang Ichae
âJeong Dajun grumbles beside him, saying that if you make a mistake with Seo Hoyun, youâre in big trouble because he never lets it goă ă ă ă ă ă ă
Moreover, breadcrumbs were constantly being dropped on set.
If a troll appeared once, another breadcrumb would suddenly be poured out, another story revealed, and another photo released.
Noeul was just busy devouring everything.
[Wow, thereâs so much content here]
[I admit]
[Thereâs been non-stop activity and breadcrumbs since the beginning of the year⊠Do the kids have three bodies?]
Everyone was so distracted that there was no chance for anything to happen from the start.
[The Dawn â Will You Go to Prom With Me?]
And not long after, the fan song MV was released.
The video was like a 1980s movie, capturing such nostalgia in a beautiful way.
With Lim Hyeonsuâs sophisticated beat that made one feel a bit empty, combined with the self-cam concept planned by Lee Jihyeon, there was no way it couldnât be good.
Jeong Dajun, waving his hand with a bright smile at someone, walked down a hallway lined with long cabinets, bustling with children. Stopping in front of one, he lifted his sports bag and opened the cabinet wide.
[Hey, are you crazy?]
There was a letter in the middle of it.
[Starting with Jeong Dajun receiving the letter ahă ă ]
[Gl-o-w se-rie-s]
[Iâm going crazy⊠This is insane⊠Thank you for not forgetting GlowâŠ]
In the Shining Star version of Glow, Jeong Dajun received the letter and ended with a rather ambiguous ending. Will You Go to Prom With Me? started from that last scene.
Jeong Dajun opened his mouth, stared blankly for a moment, then hurriedly pulled out the letter and read it. Blushing slightly, he leaned his forehead against the cabinet and mumbled.
âHa, what do I doâŠ?â
Soon, the noisy surroundings quieted down, and the intro composed by Kang Ichae flowed.
The piano intro seemed bright and cheerful but also set the atmosphere.
Soon, the screen darkened, capturing the back of someone riding a skateboard down a narrow street. Kim Seonghyeon, who stopped in front of a small, cozy-looking house, opened the gate and entered. He awkwardly looked at the mirror hanging above the shoe rack and scrunched his nose.
âHa, okay.â
At that moment, the refreshing piano performance changed to an up-tempo beat typical of the 1980s. The uniform drumbeat and electric guitar melody enriched the song.
âWill, will you go to prom with me?
Iâve been rehearsing, but things arenât going as planned
Ah, letâs try it again, with you, with me, by chance, ah, truly!â
Kim Seonghyeon seemed annoyed with the reflection of his irritated face in the mirror as the camera angle moved.
Bang, bang, an old motorcycle zoomed past a yellow school bus.
In what appeared to be a college parking lot, Kang Ichae, with his red hair, stopped the motorcycle and propped one foot on the ground, biting a candy. Then, he took an old camcorder from his bag and scanned the campus.
Following that, Seo Hoyunâs passing figure was briefly captured, and the screen shifted, showing Seo Hoyun wearing a hooded sweatshirt, like a real student.
âHi, what you doing today,
I tried to strike a conversation,
but youâre as prickly as ever today.
In fact, thereâs something nice about it,
Whenever I see your face, I just start to laugh.â
The camera shook as if Kang Ichae was playing a prank while filming. Seo Hoyun, slightly annoyed, covered the camera lens with his hand. Next, Jeong Dajun appeared with dark brown hair.
Holding the letter tightly in his hand from the opening scene, he sighed in front of a flower shop.
âWhatâwhat did you say?
What is this flower called?
Rose? Lilies? Freesia? Okay, whatever, give me all of them.â
Twirling a thick pen, Seong Jiwon nodded with a bright smile, his kind eyes narrowing gently.
âBuying a bouquet of flowers, I carefully pour my heart into a sketchbook
With any luck, by this promâŠâ
After scribbling something, Seong Jiwon stood up. He had a satisfied look on his face as he examined his sketchbook.
In the next cut, the members were standing nervously at the doors of different colors. As if in a high-teen movie, the trembling before a confession was clearly portrayed.
The moment the five members in prom suits knocked on the doors,
âThe words Iâve rehearsed so many times, now I want to tell you,
I will open your door and give youââ
The song paused for a moment as the door slowly opened, and Jeong Dajunâs surprised face was seen as a closed-up.
As if he had forgotten all the words he had memorized because the other person was shining so brightly.
ââŠOkay, I forgot.â
The screen darkened again as if to take a deliberate break from the playful scene.
Soon after, the drums rang with a thud, and the scene shifted to the auditorium illuminated with dim purple lights.
As each member took turns playing the drums, guitar, bass, and piano, adding richness to the sound, Seo Hoyun stood in the front, holding a standing mic, slightly furrowing his eyebrows in the bright lights, yet still smiling. Then, the melody burst forth like an explosion.
âWill you go to prom with me?â
They had borrowed the image of a band often seen in high teen movies.
Just moments ago, Seo Hoyun had been dressed casually, but now, he slicked back his hair, donned a double-breasted suit, and snapped his fingers. Behind him, Jeong Dajun, who had been (pretending to) play the drums, suddenly raised his drumstick-holding hand high.
âSay Yes!â
Beside them (playing for real) was Seong Jiwon, pressing piano keys with his long, white fingers and bringing his mouth close to the mic set up on the piano.
âWill you go to prom with me?â
Then, Kim Seonghyeon, while holding an electric guitar, leaned his upper body slightly toward the standing mic and smiled as he spoke.
âSay Yes!â
Watching him, Seo Hoyun chuckled and tilted the mic forward.
âAhâbabe please answer me,
Iâve been waiting a long time.â
Then, a shot of all the members appeared.
An American band concept?
Is this really the crazy official thing theyâre serving us?
The Noeul fans could only shed tears.
Originally, the fansâ tear ducts would activate automatically just from seeing their idols smiling brightly. Seeing them happily smiling on stage like a page from their memories, they felt like they were going crazy.
âWill you go to prom with me (Say Yes!)
Will you dance with meââ
As the chorus ended, Kang Ichaeâs rap part began.
The camera screen suddenly rewound quickly, showing Kang Ichae sitting outside the prom venue, nervously chewing on the end of a red plastic cup.
âAh~, I know I shouldnât be like this.â
He threw the cup toward the trash bin like shooting a basketball and stood up. His slightly playful behavior showed a subtle mixture of excitement and anxiety.
âBut when Iâm in front of you, I want to act irrationally
I wanna grab your arm and dance, my love,
I wanna put my hand on your waist, my everything.â
Kang Ichaeâs rap skills, slightly off-beat to the rhythm, showed a marked improvement from before.
âI want to hold you tight, and pour out such words,
But I have to hold back
What can I do?
I donât wanna get ditched, babe.â
Kang Ichae flipped his hair and sighed softly, a facial expression fans couldnât usually see. The boyish charm overflowed, making the fansâ feet twitch as they watched.
âI want to look good to you, I do.â
As the chorus began again, the camera showed the members dancing wildly and joyfully, as if they were really enjoying a party under the dim lighting of a school auditorium.
âWill you go to prom with me? (Say Yes!)
Will you go to prom with me? (Say Yes!)â
Jeong Dajun playfully grabbed Kim Seonghyeon and jumped around while Seo Hoyun swayed his body and took swigs of a drink nearby. Seong Jiwon laughed as he filmed the scene with an old-fashioned camera, and Kang Ichae sat on the auditorium stage, swinging his long legs.
âAhâbabe please answer me,
Iâve been waiting a long time.â
The upbeat sound of a trumpet playfully entered, and the camera zoomed in for a close-up of Seo Hoyun. He was leaning against the auditorium wall with his head tilted back and gaze lowered. Meeting the cameraâs gaze, Seo Hoyun showed a languid smile and sang the final lines.
âYes, babe, Iâm asking you.â
The drumbeat gradually slowed down. Under the purple lighting, everyoneâs backs were visible as they sang the last group verse with boisterous laughter.
âWill you go to prom with me?â
Sounds of hurried footsteps and what seemed like motorcycle engines starting echoed as everyone rushed out of the auditorium.
Vroomâ
The motorcycleâs exhaust roared, and just like in a movie, the credits rolled, marking the end of the video.
Although it was a suddenly produced fan song with a low budget, giving off a strong DIY vibe, it actually emphasized the unique freshness of the old high school teen atmosphere.
[âŠâŠ.]
After watching the entire video, Noeulâs fans remained silent for a moment.
[I⊠I just want to be a fan of Noeul forever.]
[If I ever stop being a fan (of Noeul), Iâll be done for. Got it?]
When stans get too emotionally invested, they lose their vocabulary. Noeulâs fans could only express their direct opinions after watching the MV one more time.
âShove it into the mouths of the punks riding bikes
âYeah!]
[Ah, Seong Jiwon, ah piano, ah piano, ah
âShove it into the mouths of the elegant beauties playing the piano
âfucking yeah!]
[Kim Seonghyeon skateboarding⊠Ah⊠I really donât know what to be afraid of⊠Iâm watching his skateboarding tricks for the 300th time right now.]
Within minutes of the video being uploaded, SNS was flooded with emotional reactions from fans.
[I thought the fan song would be more of a K-pop ballad style like You Are My Everything⊠But then they came out with an 80s American high school band concept, whatâs up with that?]
[No⊠Guys⊠If they release a fan song like this, what should I doă ă ă Ahă ă â And on top of that, the casting is perfect⊠And whatâs up with Kang Ichaeâs rap? Is he kidding?
Hold my arm and dance, put your hand on my waist
Ah
I canât take it anymore
âYou can lean on me for support
âShit, I admit it.]
First, there were compliments about the concept of the fan song. Then, it went on with praises for the members.
[Jeong Dajun is so adorable when he canât speak with the door open ă ă ă Ah ă ă ă He really looks like a baby squirrel, what to doă ă And when he says, âSay yes!â and lifts the drumstick, itâs insane.]
[Our rabbit tore it up, our rabbit looks crazy in a suit
Ah
Iâm so pissed off
âWhy are you madă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ă ]
[Seo Hoyunâs smirk is seriously driving me crazy. The least likely person to call me âBabeâ makes me want to sue.]
[Seonghyeon, are you doing well? I went to your house to dance with you, but you panicked and called the police, didnât you?
âAh, howâs the prison?
ââThe food is good.]
Already, clips from the fan song MV were flooding SNS.
In particular, a short video of Kang Ichaeâs rap started spreading on TikTok, even though it hadnât been many days. Muggle[1]Â viewers who found the video without knowing it was a fan song were leaving comments asking for the title.
[Title: The fan song produced by a small idol group, The Dawn (ta-da-!)
Will you go to prom with me?
(Basically, it means âletâs go to the partyâ or something like that)
Itâs a 1980s American high school prom concept, but the members took care of everything from composing to filmingă ă Itâs a bit low budget, but they used that to their advantage. The self-cam occasionally appears, and if it wasnât for that, they wouldnât have been able to capture this atmosphere. It definitely has an 80s vibe, but the beat is super modern. I looked up who composed it, and found that itâs The Dawnâs rap member. Iâm at the stage of just getting into them, but Iâm getting deeper
âRap member is Kang Ichae, many compliments
âHis name is Kang Ichae, thank you
âThese guys⊠They have the ability to survive even on a deserted islandâŠ
ââThatâs right, even if they were shipwrecked, Seo Hoyun would calmly find a place to stay, and Kang Ichae would be fishing beside him
ââAgreed. Jeong Dajun would carve âSOSâ with stones, but when he checks the next day, the waves have washed it away, and heâll collapse in despair
The community reaction was good, as was the fan reaction. The appeal that âthe members thought of Noeul and made it themselvesâ seemed to work quite well.
Good.
I had worked hard and had fun filming in my own way. I buried myself in one of the vanâs chairs, checked various sites, and sighed in relief as I put down my cell phone.
ââŠ.â
Even when I got in the car, I still felt slightly nauseous, but I tried to distract myself by listening to music or monitoring.
Honestly, the fan song was well done. The hyperventilation symptoms hadnât reappeared since then, maybe because I was too busy to catch my breath.
And today was⊠an important day.
âHoyun, fighting!!â
When I reach the venue, not only the writer and director I saw before but also the actors will be there.
âDonât be nervous! You got praised for your audition! You can handle this script reading! Donât be scared!â
âDo I look scared?â
ââŠUh, no.â
I stared at my manager, who seemed more frightened than me. It appeared that he wanted to say something else. He finally added another unnecessary remark.
ââŠMin Jiheon will be there when you go, so heâll take good care of you.â
âWowâŠ.â
I covered my mouth and laughed.
âIâm really looking forward to it.â
And then, I got out of the van and scanned the building.
Today, I had more combat power than any other day.
Iâll somehow corner him and find out.
What the hell did that crazy Min Jiheon do to me?
[1]Â Muggle is a term borrowed from the Harry Potter series, meaning someone who is not involved in or aware of the activities or interests of a particular group or fandom.