Chapter 139 : Crossing Today
Chapter 139: Crossing Today
The sun had gone down.
Store signs flickered on one by one along the Hongdae Streets.
As the lights lit up the stage—
A small platform in the middle of the city turned into a concert hall.
“Wow……”
Even the once-noisy crowd held its breath and stared at the stage.
Tak, tak, tak, tak.
Like a greeting from the crisp sound of the hi-hat.
With the drummer's count, the performance began.
The audience’s attention was drawn to the hands gripping the drumsticks, and just as they inhaled—
The weighty kick of the drum struck deep into their hearts.
One of the audience murmured in a choked-up voice.
“……So this is why people go on about bands.”
Was it because of the vibration from the drums flowing through the ground?
A couple passing by stopped in their tracks.
The man asked the woman,
“Wanna stop and watch too?”
The woman nodded shyly and thought,
‘Why am I shaking.’
Just passing through this spot—
Her heartbeat had quickened, at least twice as fast.
She couldn’t tell whether it was because of the man beside her,
or the drums sending pleasant tremors through the entire Hongdae Streets.
“Whoa, Bang Gicheol!”
Then came the bass.
Bang Gicheol’s solid playing pulled in even the hesitant crowd to the Blue Road.
He grinned and gestured backward with his eyes.
As if saying, We’re not the stars today.
And as soon as the guitar and keyboard joined in, fully set—
Step, step.
Someone walked to the center of the stage.
Slacks and a hoodie. An outfit so plain it almost felt deliberate.
It was Baek Junhyun.
And behind him came another figure.
With deep-set eyes, a checkered shirt and denim jacket evoking the past—
a neat, unlikely image for a fallen idol—Do Gibong.
“Whoa! Busan Goblin!”
Cheers erupted from those in the crowd who recognized him.
“Shh!”
Do Gibong playfully pressed his index finger to his lips.
A light laugh followed. It was seasoned flair befitting an experienced performer.
“Hoo……”
Even in the midst of it, Junhyun took a deep breath, visibly nervous.
Noticing this, Do Gibong gave Junhyun’s arm a light tap.
“……?”
Grin—
Do Gibong flashed him a calm smile.
Right. You’re not alone.
There’s someone standing with you.
So Junhyun nodded and smiled back.
Do Gibong gave a nod of his own and signaled the session band.
As the familiar piano intro played—
This place was no longer a noise-filled city.
It was a quiet night, where only music flowed.
Over the streets stained with lingering sunset, a gentle warmth spread.
“Shh.”
“It’s starting.”
The noise from the audience faded.
Passersby turned back and stood before the stage.
Camera shutters slowed.
Smartphones were lowered from hands.
They simply watched and listened—experiencing Doubline’s performance firsthand.
Baek Junhyun slowly exhaled and grabbed the mic.
“Like a dream just out of reach, tomorrow feels so far away……”
It sounded like a confession, or perhaps a monologue. The song began softly.
Have I really become an adult?
Was this really the path I wanted?
He gently reflected the anxiety of early twenties through the lyrics.
Between dreams and reality—
Questions everyone asks at least once.
That simple confession quietly settled into the audience’s hearts.
And then—
Do Gibong picked up the verse.
“Don’t rush too much.”
The trembling in people’s hearts seemed to pause at his steady voice.
Like words of comfort once heard long ago—
They quietly faced their own tomorrows.
“Isn’t that guy a composer? Why’s he so good?”
“The one next to him has such a clean voice.”
This wasn’t just some casual busking.
Unprocessed vocals, and crisp instrumentals flowed through the speakers.
“Cross tomorrow, and if you’re there at the end, it’s okay—even slowly.”
Their plain and unpolished voices gently consoled those desperately sketching out their tomorrows.
Do Gibong retraced the past.
Baek Junhyun looked toward the future.
Together, they were crossing today.
They had walked different yesterdays,
but in this moment, they were inside the same song.
One dug up an old dream.
The other gave a name to a dream for the first time.
Their anxieties and their hopes—
Raw and honest.
They sang today.
“……Wow.”
A breath-like murmur of awe escaped the audience.
And just as Do Gibong sang the last line of the bridge—
—Cross tomorrow, and if you’re there at the end, it’s okay—even slowly.
Something incredible happened.
Somewhere in the crowd—
Then another.
And then dozens.
Eventually, hundreds.
And in the end, everyone.
They were all singing the chorus in perfect timing.
“Holy……”
Taeyoon let out a quiet gasp.
In that moment, he saw it. Do Gibong’s expression of wonder, clutching the mic tight.
And Baek Junhyun, wide-eyed, barely able to get a sound out.
The lyrics that had once flowed from someone’s lips—
Now surged toward them like a wave.
—Cross tomorrow
Hundreds of voices echoed as one.
The lyrics and notes were all over the place,
But their hearts were united as one.
Taeyoon looked at Baek Junhyun and Do Gibong.
They must be really moved.
Do Gibong pursed his lips, a furrow between his brows.
Baek Junhyun stared at the crowd, eyes trembling.
It was the moment to continue singing,
But he stood frozen, eyes fixed on something.
What’s he doing?
Taeyoon waved his hand to hurry him along.
But Baek Junhyun kept his gaze fixed on one spot.
He simply made an expression only he could wear on stage.
Because his heart had already arrived at the two people beyond the stage.
Maybe it was thanks to the dimmed lights.
Junhyun spotted a familiar silhouette among the people in front of the stage.
More precisely, familiar eyes.
At first, he tilted his head slightly.
No way. It couldn’t be.
There’s no way it’s them.
But his eyes kept being drawn to that direction.
Taking a step closer to the center of the stage, he clearly looked into the eyes pointed at him once again.
‘Yeah, it really is them.’
His heart sank.
A kind of attention filled with love and trust—
Something he had never received in his entire life.
His parents' gaze felt grander than any applause, more moving than any cheer.
Even so.
‘……Everyone’s singing our song.’
The song continued.
Not through the stage speakers, but through hundreds of voices echoing from every direction.
Car horns, distant street music.
All the noise of the city quieted—if only for this moment.
Taeyoon spoke as if to himself.
“This is music.”
Kim Minsoo, standing beside him, also gave an answer like a murmur as he patted Taeyoon’s back.
“A moment where we don’t even need to sing the song we made…… Didn’t we go through months of hell just to see this?”
Though the song ended—
Doubline remained in the hearts of the audience as a warm memory.
For some, it was a long-forgotten dream they pulled out again.
For others, it was a moment to steady themselves anew.
And for some, it was just a fun day singing along to a good song.
But this one day made an ordinary day extraordinary.
They had lived a life completely distant from music.
Even when their son said he was going to become a singer, they’d brushed it off as a fleeting youthful challenge.
But now.
The scene before their eyes defied all words.
It began with Cheongseong’s accompaniment.
The overwhelming sound made it clear instinctively—a great performance was about to begin.
Young people standing nearby murmured.
“I’ve seriously never heard a live like this before.”
“No joke. Why am I the one getting nervous?”
“At first, I was worried the vocalist might get buried next to Cheongseong, but wow—once the song started, all I saw was the singer.”
“Who even are you, putting Moon Jungbae of Cheongseong on chorus……”
It felt good.
A stage that had seemed like a mere challenge from their son was now touching the hearts of the audience.
And then—
“Whoa! Baek Junhyun.”
“The real vocalist is Baek Junhyun.”
“He’s a rookie, so how is he that good?”
The moment Baek Junhyun—their son’s name—spilled from the audience’s lips, the two looked at each other at the same time.
The father let out a pointless cough.
The mother simply nodded silently.
No words were exchanged, but every feeling was already shared.
Right here, they heard their son's voice for the first time—properly, fully.
And now they understood.
“……Right?”
“Hm?”
Baek Junhyun’s mother whispered into her husband’s ear.
The audience singing along was so loud, the meaning of her words didn’t quite carry.
“Our son is amazing. You’re moved too, aren’t you?”
“Ahem……”
It had been a long time.
Since she’d leaned in and whispered like this.
The same went for him.
How long had it been since his wife came close, shyly sharing her heart?
“It’s nice.”
For the first time in a very long while—
They were mingling with the heat of Hongdae, reliving the emotions of their youth.
In this moment, it felt like their younger days were echoing once again.
Excitement and pride, long buried under the weight of life.
All of it had returned through Doubline’s stage.
Right now, on this stage—
Their son’s voice wasn’t just a song.
It was a feeling that had crossed a long time to reach them.
“Aaah……”
I woke up with a groan.
Doubline were the ones who debuted, so why was my whole body aching? Had the effect of the wild ginseng already worn off?
Before we went into yesterday’s performance—
We’d definitely made a promise.
We’d just nail the title track, <Crossing Tomorrow>, and disappear.
But then, I suddenly felt it was a waste—everything we’d prepped so hard.
So I quietly approached Do Gibong, who was about to head offstage, and asked,
“What if, instead of ending here, we filled it up as much as we could? We practiced a lot of songs, right?”
“What? All of a sudden? Live?”
He was surprised, but didn’t say no.
That was as good as a yes.
Then I shifted my gaze to Junhyun.
“Doesn’t it sound fun?”
“Of course it's you, Seo Taeyoon. Totally insane.”
“If you don’t want to—”
“Did I say that? Hyung, are you okay with it?”
I jumped in immediately.
Come on. I already told you—that earlier line? That was a yes.
“Of course he’s okay. Look at his eyes…… they’re completely wild.”
Not just the stage—he was wild in general.
We’d gotten up at dawn, gone to the Cheongdam salon, got our hair and makeup done. Do you know how much that costs?
Surprisingly, the one who liked it most was Junhyun.
“Seo Taeyoon. I’m so excited. If it ends here, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
Tch. Who knew? Guess he’s a stage natural.
Then came the Cheongseong members.
To be honest, I’d been a bit worried.
They were always the stars.
I wondered if they’d be upset—doing shadow-like session work based on my suggestion, and watching Doubline get a hundred times more attention.
But—
“Of course it’s Taeyoon. He gets how we feel.”
“Feels good to perform in front of a big crowd again.”
“Anything’s good. I’ll sing nursery rhymes if I have to. You go charm them properly.”
“I won’t sing loud. Can’t I at least do chorus?”
“The drummer’s crying! Out of joy! At broadcast stations, no matter how good the setup is, you can’t play the drums freely, you know? They say it ruins the sound……”
Turns out, my bandmates were more fired up than I was.
Especially Drum Teacher No Byeongcheon—his plea was practically begging.
And I got it.
Drums, as wild as they are, have to be handled carefully.
For broadcast setups, you had to deliberately tone down flashy fills or fast patterns.
If the drums popped too much on stage, vocals and bass would lose their rhythm.
But yesterday was different.
Broadcast settings? Forget it—this was pure, real sound!
It was, truly, a drumming performance that felt possessed by the gods.
How good was it, you ask……
I’ve always been a bass-lover. Always.
But now? I felt like my dream had become to be a drummer instead.
“They say even the wishes of the dead come true or whatever. You’ve heard that one, right?”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Of course!”
Whoa, scared me.
I was thinking the same thing.
It felt like such a waste to leave with the heat still lingering on Blue Road after just four minutes.
Plus, just in case there were any delays on site, I’d already gotten the performance permit extended to the max time.
And on top of that, the audience was all voicing how much they didn’t want it to end.
As a producer, I just couldn’t let that slide.
So Doubline and Cheongseong went on to perform live non-stop for nearly two hours.
Sure, we’d rehearsed a few songs—
But most of it was 100% real, improvised performance.
I still haven’t come down from yesterday’s high.
I wonder… can DJs busk too?
With that thought, I opened YouTube.
“Ohho.”
Every single algorithm was filled with Hongdae busking, Doubline, and Cheongseong.
[ Legendary Group Singalong at Hongdae! Was it Doubline? ]
[ 12 hours ago · 1.63M views ]
↳ Holy sh*t lol I’m gonna change pants brb ㄷㄷㄷ
↳ I thought “nah, no way” but it really was them.
↳ Crazy. They sang for two hours straight.
↳ Doubline’s vocal cords? Literal steel chords……
↳ I’m on my third hour of Crossing Tomorrow. What a damn good song.
↳ Got comforted… and weirdly uplifted too……
[ Doubline <Crossing Tomorrow> 1-Hour Live Loop ]
[ 10 hours ago · 920K views ]
↳ Doesn’t get old. For real.
↳ New favorite. I even bought the CD. Why is there no Do Gibong photo card?
↳↳ Why do you even want a Do Gibong photo card LMAOOOO
[ Insane Drum Performance! Never Seen a Live Like This! ]
[ 7 hours ago · 770K views ]
↳ How is this all improvised?
↳ Damn, this is Cheongseong. This is drums.
↳ Teacher, something’s wrong… Why isn’t it over after three hours????
↳ I signed up for drum lessons after watching this.
↳ 😭😭😭 Whoever designed this stage 😭😭😭 Come out now 😭😭😭 Take my bow 😭😭😭
Hmm. A bow might be a bit much—but I’ll accept the compliments. Heh.
The plan hit the bullseye.
Live performances? All about the group singalong.
The music video and early digital release were strokes of genius.
Thanks to the legendary singalong clips in short-form, Doubline shot straight to #1 on the Maron Chart.
[ Maron Real-Time Chart ]
<Crossing Tomorrow> – Doubline (–)
Since last night, they’d been cemented at the top.
“Hmm hmm hmm~”
I couldn’t help but hum a tune.
Felt like I could burst into dance at any moment.
As I was watching various fan-captured live angles uploaded by the crowd, my phone buzzed.
A message from Junhyun.
[ Doubline Junhyun: Seo Taeyoon, where are you? ]
[ Me: Home. ]
[ Doubline Junhyun: Send me your home address. ]
[ Me: Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul……. ]
I shared the address without much thought.
Then an hour later, I got a call saying he was in front of my house, so I went down without thinking—
And saw Junhyun, hesitantly standing there, both hands full of stuff.
“……What’s all this?”
“Mom said to tell you thank you.”
“No, no. I’m seriously fine…….”
Grrrrr—
My mouth lied, but my stomach told the truth.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s smells—I’ve got the nose of a bloodhound.
The aroma of side dishes drifted up and made me dizzy.
This was definitely……
“Mom and Dad made it all this morning. They told me to make sure I gave it to you.”
Side dishes. Homemade side dishes.
An irresistibly charming gift I had no way of refusing.