Chapter 317 : Dust Apocalypse (1)
Chapter 317: Dust Apocalypse (1)
A silent stage shrouded in darkness.
Dusty Lee Hyunji swallowed nervously.
Even though she wasn't the one standing on stage,
her heart had been pounding like crazy for a while now.
If it hadn't been for her Fellow Fan, who had also won the pre-recording lottery and come with her,
she might have been even more nervous.
Gripping her light stick tightly,
she muttered,
“I'm the one who's nervous....”
Her Fellow Fan snickered before replying,
“Huh? Why are you nervous?”
“It's my first time seeing the boys perform this close....”
It had already been over a year since she'd become a Stardust fan after falling for Cha Seongbin's incredible producing during <Boy's Dream>.
Her favorite member was still Cha Seongbin.
She had never attended any offline events besides concerts and fan meetings,
but since she'd won the pre-recording lottery,
she had taken the opportunity to finally see Cha Seongbin in person.
Because of her financial situation,
she had never been able to attend a fan signing event,
so this was the first time in her life she'd ever seen the members from the front row.
Half of the excitement pounding in her chest was anticipation.
The other half was worry.
“He'll be okay today, right?”
Lee Hyunji lowered her voice as she asked her Fellow Fan.
Cha Seongbin's younger sister's personal information had been exposed through online communities.
Since it had happened without warning on the very first day of music show promotions,
everyone who saw him said Cha Seongbin had looked like someone who'd lost half his soul.
Hopefully,
he'd managed to pull himself together today....
“Cha Seongbin will do fine.”
Her Fellow Fan replied with complete confidence.
“It's Cha Seongbin.”
At those words,
Lee Hyunji's eyes sparkled.
That's right.
It's Cha Seongbin.
My boy who's amazing on stage.
The dance genius who never allowed himself a single mistake all the way through the Starf finale.
He'd only been shaken for a moment by an unexpected incident.
Today,
he'd prove his reputation all over again.
Gulp.
Swallowing hard,
Lee Hyunji stared straight ahead at the stage.
Through the dreamy effects that made it seem as though the stage were covered in mist,
Cha Seongbin's silhouette came into view.
And then.
Blink.
Blink.
At last,
the crimson lights came on,
and screams erupted from the audience.
“Waaaaaaah!”
The performance had begun.
The intro started.
A rapid beat,
followed immediately by an intense melody.
It was a captivating concept unlike anything Stardust had ever used for a title track.
Passionate lyrics asking someone to accept every part of you because you wanted to know them better.
Seo Ian,
who opened the song,
walked forward with a sly grin.
A dark night.
I've been trapped inside this prison waiting for you.
I've turned back time countless times.
Yet I still haven't found the answer.
Hearing Seo Ian's unusually low voice,
Lee Hyunji immediately covered her mouth.
“What's with this spicy Sundubu...?!”
He's trying to seduce us on purpose, isn't he?
Her Fellow Fan,
whose favorite member was Seo Ian,
was already trembling so hard she looked ready to fall over backward.
Before Lee Hyunji even had time to calm her racing heart after seeing the members' breathtaking visuals together,
the rappers' parts began.
Kang Siwoo,
who had always pulled off powerful concepts as though they were made for him.
Wearing the same outfit from the music video—
a black leather jacket like a biker—
he lightly brushed his fingers across his lips.
“Aaaaaah!”
The fans continued cheering,
to the point where no one could tell whether they were shouting the fan chants or simply screaming.
Honestly,
they weren't supposed to be doing this.
Half the fan chants they'd memorized all night had already flown out of their heads.
“Uhh... uhh....”
Dusty Lee Hyunji kept both hands over her mouth,
waving only her light stick.
She'd promised herself that,
unlike the people beside her,
she wouldn't scream.
That resolution crumbled the moment Cha Seongbin stepped into the center.
His dance lines were flawless,
as though yesterday's mistakes had never happened.
Perhaps he'd intended to finish the pre-recording in a single take,
because there wasn't the slightest flaw in the formation.
Then came the rappers' duet.
Kang Siwoo flashed a grin and casually draped an arm around Cha Seongbin's shoulders.
“Ah!”
Screams exploded from the front rows.
I can hear my heartbeat, we go higher.
I can't hold it back—I follow where my heart leads.
Don't stop me, I can't control.
Once I've set my sights on something, I'll make it mine.
“This is insane....
This is seriously insane....”
The hardest choreography they'd ever shown in any title track.
It felt as though their feet never touched the ground,
yet they moved across the stage as though they were flying.
More than anything,
<Figure out> completely rediscovered the youngest members.
'Sehyeon was always good with this kind of concept....'
His powerful,
refreshing vocals cut cleanly through the song.
No wonder the fans weren't worried about the encore stage.
And then.
There was one person who had been making Lee Hyunji's heart beat even faster the entire time.
For some reason,
Do Seohan had left the first button of his shirt slightly undone.
Smiling,
he slowly brushed a hand across his neck.
“……!”
Her Fellow Fan froze in place,
unable to believe her own eyes.
“Holy shit, Seohan!!!”
As though speaking for everyone present,
someone shouted from behind.
“Seohan, button it up— no, don't button it— no, button it....”
By this point,
Lee Hyunji felt like she was starting to lose her mind.
Figure out, I want to know you more.
The faded UTOPIA that disappeared.
Hidden secrets scattering like lies.
Figure out, come in even deeper.
Now I've become curious.
I won't let go, grab it.
Even amid all that,
one conviction grew stronger than ever.
This was going to be a hit....
The title track composed by Cha Seongbin,
the one the A&R Team had pushed for.
Figure out, I want to know you more.
The faded UTOPIA that disappeared.
Hidden secrets scattering like lies.
Figure out, come in even deeper.
Now I've become curious.
I won't let go, grab it.
The true power of the trendy beat revealed itself on stage.
At this point,
cheers erupted from every direction,
and no one even knew who had started them.
The first performance had been amazing,
but this pre-recording—
with everyone back in perfect condition—
was even better.
Stars that shone simply by existing.
Our Stardust.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Within the sea of swaying light sticks,
the Dustys became one.
It was an unforgettable four minutes.
[Bustling Cosmic Diary : Dust Apocalypse EP.1]
Bzzzt.
Static crackled noisily from the walkie-talkie.
Dressed from head to toe in a black suit,
Ha Junseo frowned and let out a short sigh.
The sight before him was utterly devastating.
Every step crunched broken glass beneath his feet,
and animal bones,
long since rotted,
were scattered everywhere.
No further explanation was necessary.
Earth had been destroyed.
[Due to the CG budget, please use your imagination.]
[We're sorry. —Double즈 Self-Content Team—]
“Phew....”
Completely unaware that those subtitles were floating beneath his face,
Ha Junseo continued acting with complete seriousness.
Holding the walkie-talkie,
he spoke in a dry voice.
“Mayday, mayday.
Earth in this parallel universe has been destroyed.”
Their spaceship back home had crashed,
and they had no tickets remaining.
It was the worst possible situation.
Ha Junseo spoke calmly once more.
“Mayday, mayday.
Requesting reinforcements.”
A transmission sent toward Planet Dust Dust.
There had been a response,
but it was drowned out by static.
“Damn it.”
Clicking his tongue in annoyance,
Ha Junseo put away the walkie-talkie.
Until the next transmission arrived,
he had nothing left to do.
Just then,
the navigation device attached to his waist spoke in a stiff mechanical voice.
[A zombie-infested zone is located 100 meters ahead. Please drive safely.]
“I've already run out of gas. What driving...?”
His car had fallen into a crater on the way here.
Whether it had been caused by a meteor or something else,
the crater was so deep that its bottom couldn't even be seen.
He'd only just picked up that new car somewhere....
Putting that tragic story aside,
he suddenly heard footsteps in the distance.
On Planet Dust Dust,
that would've been one thing.
But on this Earth,
where surviving humans were nearly impossible to find,
hearing another person's footsteps felt strange.
Ha Junseo looked up,
his face tense.
Then.
To his surprise,
it was someone he recognized.
Ha Junseo's eyes widened.
“Kang Siwoo?”
“Oh, hyung?
Long time no see.”
Like Ha Junseo,
Kang Siwoo was dressed in a black suit.
They were agents from the same class,
both dispatched to the planet Earth.
And beside him....
A zombie?
“Huh?!”
Ha Junseo let out a short scream and took a step backward.
“What the heck is that?!”
Anyone with functioning eyes would've been shocked.
Stagger.
Behind Kang Siwoo,
Do Seohan stumbled along.
Judging by both his complexion and the way he moved,
he definitely didn't look like someone capable of holding a conversation.
And on top of that....
“Nom.”
Zombie Seohan finally bit Kang Siwoo's shoulder.
[A zombie-infested zone is located 1 meter ahead. Please watch your step.]
“Hey!
You should've told me that sooner!”
Ha Junseo shouted frantically at the navigation device,
ready to run at any moment.
Just then.
Seeing the horror spreading across Ha Junseo's face,
Kang Siwoo spoke first.
“It's okay.
He's a pet zombie.”
“……?”
“He's been vaccinated,
so it's okay if he bites you.”
“Woof.”
Even while Do Seohan clung to his suit collar with his teeth,
Kang Siwoo's expression never changed.
“Huh?
A pet zombie?”
“Yep.
They're trendy these days.”
“…Just what kind of universe is that supposed to be trendy in?”
Grabbing his throbbing head,
Ha Junseo desperately tried to process everything happening before him.
Despite appearances,
he had once worked as a counselor,
with extensive experience communicating with people.
Even if his conversation partner happened to be a zombie,
he figured it was worth trying.
Carefully,
Ha Junseo asked Do Seohan,
“Can you... talk?”
“Woof?”
“I don't think he can...!”
“He can.”
“Ghk!”
The moment Do Seohan suddenly answered in perfect standard Korean,
Ha Junseo choked on his own breath.
The sheer absurdity made him frown automatically.
“Hey!
If you can talk,
why are you committing to the concept?!”
“Woof?”
Forget it.
At that point,
Ha Junseo decided that trying to communicate with a zombie had been a mistake from the very beginning.
But their troubles had only just begun.
Bzzzt.
Bzzzzzt.
“Hm?”
His walkie-talkie suddenly erupted with loud static.
Looking startled,
Ha Junseo hurriedly pulled it out.
A delayed transmission from headquarters.
“What is it?”
“Looks like it's headquarters....”
Kang Siwoo asked curiously.
“What are they saying?”
The walkie-talkie answered in his place.
[It has been confirmed that there is a spy among the agents.]
[Find the traitor and report them to headquarters.]
“A traitor?”
Both of their expressions darkened.