Chapter 218 : Want to Have Fun Like We Used To?
Chapter 218: Want to Have Fun Like We Used To?
My old friend, Skippy, called out to me.
I rested my hand on the second-floor railing.
Looking down, I saw every gaze in the packed Dance Floor focused on one place.
Right here.
The very spot where I stood.
Every light was shining toward me.
The glow of smartphone cameras sparkled like constellations.
"Blackhole!"
"Blackhole!"
The cheers grew louder and louder.
Shouts exploding like fireworks.
Every single one of those voices was pouring toward me.
Thump, thump, thump-thump-thump...
My heartbeat quickened.
Was this...
The moment I'd truly dreamed of?
Without any barriers or prejudice.
A moment where I connected with the audience through music alone...
I loved it.
It was enough to drive me crazy.
"Blackhole!"
Amid those deafening cheers...
It suddenly became real.
I was standing at the center of this incredible club.
Then...
I had to answer them.
The Lift?
Too slow.
At a moment like this, you couldn't keep the audience waiting.
Then my eyes suddenly landed on the staircase off to one side.
Right.
There!
After Club Lunatic's interior had been completed...
When Executive Director Kim Jinsoo and I were touring the club together, he had once told me this.
"If I were going to build Lunatic halfway, I wouldn't have built it at all."
"Wow... That's amazing."
"Right? That staircase connects directly to the stage. So whenever they want, a DJ watching the stage can immediately run down onto it."
Wasn't that "whenever"...
Right now?
Surprisingly...
The situation fit perfectly.
In that case...
It wouldn't hurt to ride the flow Executive Director Kim Jinsoo had envisioned.
Without a moment's hesitation, I threw myself toward the hidden staircase beside the VIP Floor.
The moment I stepped onto the stairs...
I realized something.
Ah.
The VIP Kim Jinsoo had envisioned...
Wasn't a wealthy guest capable of spending hundreds of millions of won in a single night.
Nor was it a celebrity demanding the best seat because of their fame.
The VIP he imagined...
Was a DJ looking down upon the stage with an objective perspective after finishing a performance.
Tap, tap, tap...
My footsteps grew faster.
Even faster than my heartbeat.
The moment Etica called out to Blackhole...
Not only the audience inside Club Lunatic...
But even the listeners watching the live broadcast couldn't contain their excitement.
Etica's transformation alone had already been astonishing.
Yet she called Blackhole so naturally...
So confidently...
As though she already knew he'd come running onto the stage.
[ Did she just give him a shoutout??? She's got guts. Are they close? ]
↳ Doesn't seem like they've really had any connection.
↳ If it were me, I'd want to perform with Blackhole too. LOL.
↳ Exactly. It's not like only Guldan gets to perform with him.
↳ But aren't Etica's and Blackhole's styles completely different? Etica's performance-focused...
↳↳ Seriously? How can you still say that after watching this performance? Did we even watch the same thing?
↳ I agree with the comment above. Etica and Blackhole actually match surprisingly well.
↳↳ Isn't that kind of disrespectful to Blackhole...? Damn.
↳ Nah. They both use heavy kicks, but their melodies are delicate and beautiful.
↳↳ To explain further, both of them tend to build up the atmosphere longer before the Drop to fill the space.
↳ Yeah. Even the way they use bass is similar. They're both secretly bass fanatics. LOL.
However...
There was no way Blackhole could fight through that sea of people.
Which meant there was only one place he could possibly appear.
The Lift.
Everyone's attention focused there.
[ Blackhole's coming up, right? Holy crap, I'm so hyped right now... ]
↳ Same. I can't even imagine an Etica and Blackhole dual set.
↳ Huh? Looks like he's about to jump down from the second floor?
↳↳ From where? He's not literally jumping, is he?
↳ Huh???? There he is! Wait, what? That's so cool.
↳↳ That was practically teleportation.
↳ Where did he come from? The stage design is insane.
↳↳ As expected of KW Hotel. Just how much money did they spend?
That's right.
Blackhole appeared on stage in an instant.
Before anyone even had time to anticipate it.
Taeyoon stepped onto the stage and met Etica's eyes.
"..."
They didn't exchange a single word.
Yet Etica already knew exactly what Taeyoon wanted to say.
She silently held out the microphone.
Taeyoon accepted it.
Just for today...
Instead of using his familiar Signature Sound...
He wanted to capture the audience's attention with something different.
No long speech was necessary.
Just one sentence.
One sentence was enough to tell her—
"Want to have fun like we used to?"
"DJ Skippy!"
The audience began murmuring.
Who was that?
Was another person coming up?
Was it even possible for three people to DJ together?
Only one person understood Taeyoon's shout.
Etica.
She simply smiled broadly as she looked into his eyes.
As though saying—
"Go ahead. I'll catch it. Just like back then..."
Her expression was relaxed.
Bright.
Nod.
Instead of answering...
Taeyoon simply gave a small nod before adjusting the headset hanging around his neck.
Three years ago.
There had been a time when they'd argued in the community until three in the morning.
Eventually...
They settled it through a single track.
She definitely remembered.
As a joke...
Taeyoon placed a cue on the sample from one particular song.
Four Tet - 《Love Cry》.
A futuristic soundscape...
Stretching well beyond nine minutes.
Taeyoon used to call it the sound of a printer.
Etica insisted it sounded like a computer booting up.
A complicated track woven together from irregular percussion layered over a thin harp Loop.
The kind of song an ordinary DJ would never choose as an opener.
Taeyoon's intention was simple.
He wanted to bring back those awkward...
Yet unforgettable emotions that only the two of them remembered.
'Can she still catch it like she did back then?'
At the same time...
Just in case she couldn't...
He had already prepared an escape route into the next track so he could laugh it off naturally.
This wasn't meant to put her on the spot.
Nor was it an attempt to show off his skills.
However...
She didn't hesitate even for a moment.
"OK!"
While absentmindedly adjusting the pen tucked into her hair like a hairpin...
She moved first.
Opening the Fader halfway...
She layered her own kick over Love Cry's dry kick.
The previously hollow rhythm instantly became twice as thick.
'Oh!'
A look of genuine surprise appeared on Taeyoon's face.
She was this good?
His voice was buried beneath the music.
But his expression...
And the shape of his mouth...
Were more than enough to convey his amazement.
Seeing that, Etica's fighting spirit ignited once more.
If they stopped here...
There would've been no point in him coming back onto the stage.
At the very next cue...
She brought in the vocal sample from Nicolas Jaar - 《Space Is Only Noise》.
The distorted voice slid effortlessly between the percussion.
Blackhole's style and Etica's style quietly blended together.
The unfamiliar whisper...
Something no one had ever heard before...
Silenced the Dance Floor.
Everyone's ears were captured.
Even their feet froze.
'She answered it like that?'
Taeyoon lightly poked at the beat.
A playful challenge.
'Can you answer this too?'
As though she'd been waiting...
Etica stripped away the highs and sharply boosted the bass.
The moment the low frequencies struck the Dance Floor...
Everyone's feet were finally released.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The Dance Floor shook.
The lighting director, who'd been holding his breath while watching the stage, immediately gave the signal.
The lights overhead brightened and began rotating in a full 360 degrees.
Within the gentle light that resembled falling stars...
The two tracks completely intertwined into a single flowing sound.
More.
Just a little more.
Blackhole gently pushed the Fader upward.
Etica layered a long Synth Pad over it.
The sounds continued piling up.
Higher.
Higher.
Just as they were carrying the flow toward an uncontrollable explosion—
Click.
The kick disappeared completely.
All that remained...
Was the heartbeat-like rumble of the bass...
And the floating Synth drifting through the air.
"..."
The entire Dance Floor held its breath.
As though hundreds of people had stopped breathing at exactly the same time.
Those empty...
Silent...
Two seconds.
'Right now.'
Smiling...
Taeyoon pressed the cue button.
Boom-boom-boom!
A powerful kick and explosive Drop crashed down simultaneously...
Announcing the finale of Skippy and Blackhole's dual set.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Thunderous cheers.
Applause that made hearts race.
"Blackhole! Blackhole!"
One section of the audience shouted Blackhole's name.
"Etica! Skippy!"
Another group mixed Etica's and Skippy's names together.
But only for a moment.
The audience exchanged glances with one another.
Then...
"Skippy! Skippy!"
Everyone became one.
Chanting Skippy's name.
"..."
Etica—
No.
Skippy.
She simply stared at them with her mouth hanging open.
Then...
Something lightly nudged her.
Turning her head...
She saw Taeyoon wearing his mask, grinning as he extended his fist.
Skippy smiled brighter than anyone else...
And gently bumped her fist against his.
"Blackhole! Blackhole!"
"Skippy! Skippy!"
The roaring cheers filling their ears.
The sound overflowing with madness.
The starlight-like lights pouring down from above.
And standing right in the middle of it all...
Her old friend.
Right beside her.
Taeyoon thought,
Yeah.
There'll never be a more beautiful night than this.
[ Real-Time HOT Trends ]
DJ Blackhole
Club Lunatic
KW Hotel Club
DJ Etica
DJ Guldan
DJ R.O.K.
DJ Skippy
Lunatic Ticketing
.
.
Even before the performance had fully ended...
The entire world was talking about Lunatic.
The grand reopening of KW Hotel's Club Lunatic sent shockwaves not only through the entertainment industry...
But even throughout the business world.
Something everyone had believed impossible.
Something dismissed as an outdated relic of a bygone era.
A true nightclub...
Had returned.
The first to recognize this changing tide...
Were, of course, the media.
One after another, they rushed to report Club Lunatic's success.
[ The First Day That Overturned "Impossible"—Club Lunatic Completely Sold Out Amid Explosive Reactions. ]
[ The Club Renewal They Said Would Never Work Proves Itself With a Complete Sellout. Why? ]
[ Who Is DJ Blackhole? The Real Reason Behind KW Hotel Club Lunatic's Success. ]
[ DJ Blackhole Creates the Unpredictable Opening of the Night. ]
[ A Spectacular DJ Lineup—What Exactly Is Club Lunatic? ]
[ A Hotel Club Without Age Restrictions or Entry Restrictions? It's Right Here... ]
Its impact meant far more than simply opening another club.
Self-proclaimed experts had confidently declared DJ clubs a dead business.
They insisted music-centered nightclubs soaked in nostalgia no longer appealed to modern audiences.
People, they claimed, only wanted comfortable lounge bars...
Or beautiful clubs where they could take pictures for SNS.
They even mocked the word "madness,"
Saying it was a vulgar concept that no longer belonged in modern times.
But...
Lunatic shattered every one of those predictions.
The place once abandoned as nothing more than a relic of outdated sentiment...
Had been reborn as the trend leading an entire era.
In just a single day.
Executive Director Kim Jinsoo, who had approved and overseen all of it...
Received endless congratulations.
"Executive Director, this is truly incredible."
"Wow... Honestly, I was speechless when I first saw the budget."
"Revenue isn't even the important part anymore. Rental inquiries are already flooding in."
"I think it'd also be perfect for DJ Festivals or small concerts. It's truly become a cultural icon."
Every single time...
Kim Jinsoo unfailingly mentioned DJ Blackhole.
He firmly stated that the true protagonist who completed Lunatic...
Was standing on the stage.
"As I always say, the stars of Lunatic are our resident DJs. Never forget that every DJ performing alongside Blackhole is an artist. In reality, KW Hotel is basically acting as their management company."
Most people welcomed the change enthusiastically.
People kept saying the world existed only inside computers now.
That everyone clung to smartphones because there was nowhere worth going.
Lunatic shattered those prejudices...
Giving consumers who'd been hiding inside their homes a genuine reason to step outside.
However...
Naturally, not everyone welcomed the change.
[ Is it just me, or does this Club Lunatic thing make me uncomfortable? At the end of the day, clubs and nightclubs are just nightlife. Who even goes to places like that? ]
[ KW's marketing really is impressive. I almost got fooled. The media and every community are talking about nothing else. Feels kind of suspicious. They must've spent a fortune on marketing... But isn't it still just a club nobody goes to? ]
[ DJing is such a niche culture. Go ahead and praise each other all you want. I don't care. Ever since that Blackhole guy became the Orbit Phone model, everyone's suddenly pretending to be DJs. It's honestly embarrassing to watch. ]
In online communities...
The very first opinion always seemed like it represented everyone.
Even so...
This time, one sincere post completely silenced all the petty sarcasm.
I used to absolutely hate clubs and nightlife too.
But after watching today's live broadcast, I completely changed my mind.
How about letting go of your prejudice?
This isn't a club.
It's a performance.
A DJ can absolutely be the star of a performance.
Maybe it's finally time we accepted that.
Honestly.
When was the last time you watched a performance that made your heart race like this?
Idol concerts and classical performances are great too.
But sometimes...
I just want to scream while watching a stage overflowing with this kind of madness.
I'm going next week.
↳ Seriously. I only started watching because I wondered what all the fuss was about, but I ended up staying until the very end.
↳ It might look like an ordinary club, but the stage design, lighting, and music are all artistically planned. It's a perfect example of what happens when art meets capital.
↳ Maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but it's the kind of place where mothers and daughters, fathers and sons could all enjoy together.
↳↳ Yeah. I'm seriously looking forward to Blackhole's song selection. They say the performance theme changes every week. Next week's theme is actually "Legendary 1980s Hit Song Remixes." Apparently only people over forty can buy tickets during the advance sale. I seriously want to go...
The next day.
"Ah, Mom! What are you doing?!"
Smack!
Smack!
Taeyoon shot upright in bed as heavy blows landed on his back.
He hadn't even fully opened his eyes before he had to defend himself against his mother's assault.
"Taeyoon, you..."
Fine.
Not giving her an invitation ticket to such an incredible performance was one thing.
But making her watch a recording instead of the live broadcast of her own son's performance?
Wasn't that just too much?
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
His mother's firm palm mercilessly continued striking his back.
Even so...
Taeyoon stubbornly defended himself.
"We don't have VIP tickets! There aren't even invitation seats! Whether it's Mom, Grandma, or my little sister, unless you're staff, everyone has to fight for tickets or line up!"
"What does 'fight for tickets' even mean...?"
"It means a bloody ticket war! Club Lunatic is fair to everyone!"
Seeing him even making smug little gestures...
Jin Eunha found him both ridiculous and adorable.
She yanked away his blanket.
"Hurry up and get out of bed. We have guests."
"...Who? At our house? Nobody should be coming."
"One neat and handsome young man... and another slick but very polite young man. They said you weren't answering your phone, so they came all the way here. Hurry up, wash your face at least. Quickly!"
Ah.
I knew who it was without even hearing their names.
It was Junhyun...
And Gibong-hyung.