LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 247
Chapter 247
The ones who graced the thumbnail of ‘Again’, following Ban Yo-han from ‘Dream’ with his platinum blonde hair, were Kang Ji-woo, radiating the refreshing charm of a 22-year-old man like the sun, and On Raon, who always provided a new and thrilling visual shock.
“Orca has shattered K-pop….”
“Wow… How can a person look like this?”
“When a really handsome guy is next to another incredibly handsome guy, it has an excellent calming effect on the mind.”
Contrary to the lively and fresh impression given by the thumbnail, the music video began with a toned-down, almost black-and-white scene, starting silently when played.
The gymnasium, one of the most dynamic spaces in the school, was eerily quiet as if no one was there.
However, it wasn’t truly empty.
[…]
On Raon, dressed neatly in his summer uniform, placed a well-folded uniform set on an empty bench. Then, he walked out among high school students dressed in basketball team jerseys with the word “真實” (truth) written in bold white font on a black background as if he had never existed there in the first place.
His steps were neither light nor heavy, neither fast nor slow, but dry and emotionless. Yet, in contrast to his indifferent gait, his slender face, which the camera intentionally didn’t show from the front, exuded a serene power that made people outside the frame hold their breath while watching him.
That moment felt like an extension of the earnest determination of the boy shown in ‘Liberation.’
When a careless person dropped the uniform to the floor, making the word “真實” no longer visible, the screen, which had been zoomed in to be filled with black, displayed new typography.
**Again**
**Orca**
After watching up to this point, fans who played the music video of ‘Again’ with excitement and expectations for unblemished freshness from the numerous concept photos and teasers released until now were filled with multiple question marks in their minds.
“What is this? Where did my precious freshness that I cherished all month go?”
“Did Juyeolum deceive us with teasers again? Sigh….”
“But it’s so good that it’s a big problem….”
“When On Raon makes that expression with that face, I… I…”
Except for On Raon, who accessed Orca’s official VTube and played the music video as soon as it was 6 o’clock, Sarca also opened his eyes wide.
“This cut wasn’t in the file we received, right?”
“What? This is my first time seeing this too.”
“That’s right. This wasn’t in our preview.”
It was a cut that didn’t exist even in the ceremonial file, which had been renamed ‘Addictive Happiness Serum’ after considering that the term ‘narcotic painkiller,’ first coined by On Raon, was too intense and could cause serious misunderstandings if misheard.
“Isn’t this not our music video? If it’s an upload mistake….”
“Then we won’t see Manager Seung-gun from tomorrow….”
While Orca paused the music video and half-jokingly, half-seriously worried about the safety of the uploading staff, Ban Yo-han quickly concluded, as if even this time was too precious.
“But there can’t be two such unbelievable faces in the world, so it’s definitely our music video.”
“Right?”
“So what is this?”
The members’ gazes turned to On Raon, who was leisurely watching their conversation as if unaware of their skit.
“You know the additional shoot I did alone? That’s it.”
“Oh, that one?”
“Yes. During the music video editing, I discussed it with Director Juyeolum, and it got added later as the ‘final_final_this_is_absolutely_final’ version, so it’s not in our preview. That’s probably all that was added.”
The members quickly accepted the existence of the unexpected scene from On Raon’s explanation.
“Wow, but isn’t this openly trolling?”
“Trolling? Who?”
“I don’t know what it is, but… Trolling? Aren’t you two’s language habits too crude?”
Gyun Seong-ha, who along with Seo Moon-gyeol, was one of the best in Orca for using proper and gentle language, frowned and criticized his hyungs’ crude words.
“It’s okay. Even if he’s not, I become sophisticated when needed.”
“I’m always ten thousand won more sophisticated than him.”
“Then I’m fifty thousand won.”
“You two are really hopeless.”
“Anyway, look.”
Ban Yo-han dragged the playback bar forward.
“Look at this character, true truth (真實).”
The members, who had casually overlooked the uniform in the tablet screen, looked at it again after Ban Yo-han pointed it out.
“Truth….”
“True?”
There was no one so ignorant that they couldn’t realize that the ‘truth’ in the music video referred to True Entertainment, the mortal enemy of On Raon and his fans.
“At least the buzz will be guaranteed.”
“Reporters will write tons of articles.”
People who had already watched the music video were flooding SNS with related impressions.
– (GIF of a uniform falling off the bench) Ah, this is hip-hop! National hip-hop top, On Raon.
– Wow, LOL. Seed is coming out strong, LOL. Wasn’t this their original image?
┗ Yeah, Seed used to have a small image of getting pushed around everywhere, but now they’ve suddenly become a big bully.
┗ But Seed always had a certain level of pride, even if they’re a small company.
Ever since they brought in Kwon Gyeo-ul on their own, they still haven’t reconciled with Music Bank, just look at that ^^,,,
┗ Oh, seriously… Seed, stop being so stubborn and just make up already. It’s a shame we can’t see them on Music Bank’s pretty stage because of this. And thinking about how they can’t go to awards shows because of it…
┗ I heard this was because Alt didn’t properly compensate the Pick Heart manipulated kids.
┗ Huh? I thought Seed rejected the compensation? What’s the truth?
– LOL, this is hilarious. If it were me, I would’ve stomped on that uniform right in front of me.
– Ending it like that was actually pretty polite. There’s no one in Airie who doesn’t know how much Seed treasures Orca.
┗ True.
But now Seed can’t even dream of a perfect, capable butler like Sebastian. Today, they’re still clumsy and making mistakes, using the young master as a front and saying “Oops, sorry”.
┗ How the hell did this tweet happen?
By inserting a short scene into the music video, the True incident, which had partially faded from public interest, came back into focus.
“Let’s keep watching. There might be more subtle changes in the back.”
“But doesn’t this clash with our song’s vibe? Can it connect naturally with the back part that we know?”
Kang Ji-woo tilted his head and touched the screen, continuing to play the music video that hadn’t even reached the prelude yet.
And then…
“!”
Countless colors that had lost their original hues and turned pitch black burst forth from the ominously silent darkness.
The clear blue light of an autumn sky that made one’s chest feel open, the intense red light of a sports car that simultaneously stirred up noise and envy, the sandy color of a playground where dust rose between the legs of students playing freely, the dark brown of a tree withering after a long life.
Pale purple, deep crimson, light blue, lemon yellow, olive, gold and silver, dark green, chocolate brown, forsythia yellow, maple leaf red, violet, white…
Countless rays of light darted to their proper places like fireworks exploding in the night sky, vividly imprinting on the retina.
With that, the colorful world bloomed brilliantly, and the initially gloomy atmosphere disappeared completely.
An Airie, who had been worried after watching only the very beginning, thinking ‘Could it really have been a teaser scam?’, relaxed as they sensed the familiar refreshing energy.
‘They spent a lot of money, huh?’
‘It feels like watching an animation.’
‘The quality… looks more expensive than Dream.’
Amidst such impressions, On Raon appeared in a different school uniform than earlier.
‘What? The uniform seems different from just now.’
‘Did they transfer to another school from there?’
While Airies were speculating about the overall story of the music video, which boasted an outstanding visual aesthetic more than ever.
The everyday noise of the school subsided, and the prelude of “Again,” which had a light reverberation, filled the space.
Before they knew it, they had returned to the
starting line
As everyone had noticed by then, On Raon, the protagonist of this music video, was watching the other Orca members enjoying basketball with bright faces from one side of the playground.
The acting skills accumulated over time ensured there were no embarrassing moments where On Raon’s acting was so awkward that viewers couldn’t bear to watch.
‘Honestly, even without rose-colored glasses, he’s good at acting.’
‘We might need to have our kids act too.’
Rather, the well-balanced atmosphere, natural movements and expressions, and flawless visuals combined perfectly, sparking another wave of love calls from drama production companies including web dramas.
Just when he was about to stand up after barely taking his eyes off the members who were far away.
Then you appeared
Even without wishing for it
Kang Ji-woo, who had somehow come close, grabbed On Raon’s hand.
Behind him, Ban Yo-han was seen saying something to On Raon.
The scenes flowed naturally as the parts connected smoothly.
On Raon, being led to the basketball court by the members.
Seo Moon-gyeol quietly offered a basketball to On Raon, who didn’t know what to do after coming to the court. On Raon stepped back, unable to accept the ball.
Behind them, Gyeon Seong-ha successfully made a shot, not even paying attention to On Raon.
The ball, smoothly passing through the net and bouncing off the floor, seemed to draw On Raon in, as he couldn’t take his eyes off Gyeon Seong-ha’s skillful ball control.
The camera switched, and the scene changed rapidly several times in a second.
As the thrilling beat, which had been building up, suddenly paused in a tense silence.
You
fall
deeper than those with depth
Kang Ji-woo and On Raon’s faces filled the screen in a close-up.
Eyes so deep they seemed to draw you in completely.
Just as On Raon picked up a ball that was rolling around and threw a perfect-looking shot.
And shouted
Again!
The screen switched, and the five members’ synchronized dance filled the screen flawlessly.