When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar
Chapter 182

# 183

One in a Million (4)

Con—Con—Continue!

We keep moving forward!

〈Michelle’s Night〉 On the studio stage, KK’s ‘Continue’ was already resonating with magnificent sound.

The members, wearing satin suits specially provided by Coco for today’s stage, performed the choreography of ‘Continue’, which they had practiced hundreds and thousands of times, without a single faltering motion.

In fact, it was my first time on stage since I was active. Although they did not know whether the stage would be the stage of ‘Michelle’s Night’, the members were confident that it would be on any stage anywhere.

Dowook stretched out his arms wide. Kim Won, standing next to him, was seen sweating and holding the microphone to sing his part.

It was the same movement as the people who stood on this stage yesterday and the day before. It was difficult to think that this was the first stage performed in a long time, and it was also difficult to think that it was the first stage to advance to American broadcasting.

The members’ eyes sparkled and shined under the colorful lights.

Girls of various skin and hair colors went wild, waving placards with the names of KK members and keyring cheering tools.

Even the color of the eyes were different, trying to capture the members without missing a single moment. But the names they shouted were all the same.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“K! this! K! this!”

“Aaaah!”

“I LOVE YOU—!!!”

Even though they were all Americans, they sang along to the lyrics of the chorus in Korean.

“Continue!”

“jeon-! jin-!”

It was a great sing-along.

“We are still young forever young—!”

Even though it was a little bit inarticulate, it was a sing-along song just like in Korea. What was a little different was that they were all imitating Kim Won’s English rap without difficulty.

Kim Won screamed in ad-lib while rapping. The tension had long since disappeared and it was difficult to control the excitement.

It was a different kind of excitement than overseas concerts.

I also did a K-POP related concert in New York. At that time, of course, many American fans were enthusiastic about Korean singers. However, they were closer to enthusiasts of K-POP culture than to the American public.

Gathering a fan base was meaningful enough, but appearing on “Michelle’s Night” meant that it was also possible to advance into the mainstream market.

Because Kim Won had the experience of studying abroad, the meaning was especially close to his heart.

Kim Won was not always comfortable and happy while studying abroad. Although it was a place where people from various cultures mixed, racial discrimination existed only to a degree.

Especially in middle school, there were many white students who made tearful eyes or imitated monkeys.

Due to his naturally positive personality and high academic performance, he had many friends and was not in a position to be ignored.

No matter how long one lived, a stranger was still a stranger.

However, there was no one here booing Kim Won, a stranger. Everyone cheered for Kim Won and clamored to receive Kim Won’s gaze just once more.

Kim Won felt a strange thrill at that.

“I’ll run forever-” As

Ahn Hyeong-seo reached the high-pitched voice, the atmosphere became more intense.

Next was the dance break section with dozens of dancers.

But this time, dozens of dancers did not come up. The stage was too small to follow the original plan. Instead, the choreography of the dance break section was modified.

Taehyung Park stood in the exact center and the members lined up in a triangle formation.

The members danced the powerful choreography of the original plan, and Taehyung Park was like the leader standing in front of the group of members.

Taehyung Park’s choreography was new. Even though it was a different choreography from the members, it came together as if it had been one choreography from the beginning. It was a powerful yet all-encompassing dance.

It was a dance that felt both strong and soft at the same time.

As Taehyung Park jumped up as if he was flying, the gathered members dispersed.

“Holy shit!”

At that scene, exclamations like swear words came out from the audience.

The same was true for Michelle, who was watching the stage in the studio with a talk space next to the stage.

Michelle, who was watching the girl fans singing along to Korean without knowing the lyrics, also looked surprised.

It was Michelle who had invited and met many stars. Among them, of course, were not only American stars, but also stars from other countries who were attracting attention.

However, Americans’ reaction to seeing them was mostly curiosity. Such an enthusiastic response was rare to see. I even wondered if it was this hot when an American pop star came out.

At the same time, Michelle was able to understand why so many American girls were crazy about the Korean boy band called K.K.

I had been thinking about it since the rehearsal, but it was definitely beyond my imagination when I went on stage.

It was new and best of all, it was good.

Although Michelle was not a music expert, she still enjoyed listening to pop music. KK’s song had a trendiness that rivaled any pop song recently released in the United States.

There was something different from the energy shown by American boy bands. They already deserved applause for being able to perform live while dancing so intensely.

And in the group dance led by Park Tae-hyung, Michelle’s mouth fell open.

Through preliminary research, I found out that K.K.’s full name is King’s Key. It was literally like a key held by a king.

The stage was like a door leading to anywhere. And when the door was opened, tens of thousands of sensations, including ecstasy, seemed to pour out.

Someone tapped Michelle’s shoulder while she was losing her mind.

When Michelle turned around, an assistant who had been with her for a long time was there, wearing a headset over her ears and holding a note.

“I’m sorry for disturbing Michelle’s performance. But there’s some news that came out of nowhere. “I think Michelle should break this news during the talk show.”

“What happen?”

Michelle asked, her eyes wide.

“The nominees for each category of the Billboard Music Awards have just been announced. “They say KK has been nominated for the Rookie of the Year Award.”

“Oh my….. they don’t know anything at all?”

“yes. Since it has just been announced… the person in charge of those friends said that we wouldn’t even know about it in our wildest dreams. I think I can just greet them casually, follow the script, introduce their names, and then deliver the news.”

Michelle smiled brightly and nodded. It was clear that it would be quite surprising and it was a good surprise broadcast.

It was definitely good news for KK and the production team of “Michelle’s Night.”

At that moment, KK’s wonderful stage that will be talked about for a long time came to an end.

The members took deep breaths amidst applause and whistles. ‘Continue’ was always a song that you would get tired of once performed on stage.

“Michelle’s Night” was a program broadcast live.

The camera turned to the next studio.

Michelle sat in a prepared pose and continued her speech as she always did.

“It was a really great stage. Really… I can completely understand why so many girls are so excited about it.”

Of course, 〈Michelle’s Night〉 also had a script that could be considered a basic framework, but rather than relying on the script, Michelle often spoke her thoughts at the time. Michelle’s sincere way was also the reason why “Michelle’s Night” was loved for a long time.

While Michelle gave a heartfelt comment, the KK members quickly adjusted their makeup and tidied up their clothes.

Because it was a tight situation, the makeup artists’ work was faster than the wind.

After confirming that preparations were complete, Michelle introduced KK again.

“Now then, let’s invite KK here. I also want to quickly ask how on earth how much practice does it take to be able to perform on such an amazing stage. “I wonder if Dowook is really an alien!”

Haha laughter burst out. At the same time, KK members entered the studio.

“nice to meet you!”

Michelle said hello and the members greeted each other in turn.

The KK members sat in a row in the guest seats. In addition, an interpreter brought in by the production team of “Michelle’s Night” was also present.

“Then let’s introduce ourselves first. “It’s a boy band you shouldn’t know about, but there may be people who don’t know you yet, right?”

Michelle started the introduction with Kim Won. When Kim Won greeted him in fluent English, the shoulders of the members who were feeling pressured due to the fact that it was a live broadcast and that they had to speak in English felt lighter.

One by one, the members briefly greeted each other and introduced their names.

Taehyung Park said, ‘Ah… I am Taehyung…’ in an honest pronunciation, unable to hide his awkwardness, and Michelle smiled and accepted it.

“You look very shy, unlike on stage. “I was very impressed by the part where I danced alone.”

Taehyung Park, who was frozen at Michelle’s words delivered by the interpreter, smiled and nodded.

“This is Kang Do-wook. It is a great honor to be here. “I also got to meet you all.”

Finally, Do-wook said hello to the camera.

Michelle also responded to her natural appearance.

“Oh, this is him. No, it’s not a human… it’s an alien… Is this really true?”

Michelle asked in a playful tone. Dowook answered right away.

“What do you think?”

Michelle laughed at Dowook’s relaxed answer.

“It is clear that it is not a skill commonly found on Earth.”

Dowook responded to Michelle’s compliment by saying he was grateful. Michelle continued to explain.

“In case you don’t know, let me explain: Dowook is also acting. He is also a famous actor. He appeared in an art film and was even invited to Cannes, and the recent drama that Do-wook filmed caused quite a stir. He was an alien in the drama. “It is said that many people follow the scene because it is cool to use superpowers.”

Michelle continued speaking with a bit of a pause after giving a friendly explanation.

“Hmm… then I guess I should reveal the gift I prepared here.”

As usual, it was time to introduce the song ‘Continue’ that had just been performed. When Michelle’s words were translated, all the members looked puzzled by the unexpected story.

“A gift?”

When Kim Won asked, Michelle answered.

“Oh, that’s not actually the gift we prepared. “If I had to really ask, I would say it was a gift prepared by KK’s fans here.”

The members were speechless out of curiosity at Michelle’s words. Even Dowook couldn’t figure out what it was.

“This news arrived while you were on stage. Hmm…….”

“Michelle, tell me quickly!”

Kim Won, who has an impatient personality, was tired and fussed, which made him laugh again.

“They say you’ve been nominated for the Billboard Music Awards’ Rookie Award!”

Both Dowook and Kim Won’s expressions hardened at Michelle’s words.

The members who heard the story belatedly through an interpreter also had no reaction. Michelle continued her comment skillfully.

“Oh, was it a broadcasting accident? This is not a still image. “Please don’t change the channel!”

***

Director Seo Jung-won’s house in Hannam-dong.

The wife who greeted Director Seo Jung-won as he came in from work was frowning upon seeing him again today.

It has already been quite a while since his son, Seo Kang-jun, went abroad as if he was going into exile.

Meanwhile, Director Seo Joong-won has never been to see Seo Kang-joon due to his busy schedule. At least Seo Joong-won’s wife went to see Seo Kang-jun. She went to see Seo Kang-jun a week ago and was in that state the whole time.

Seo Kang-Jun was unable to adapt to life in a place where he did not understand the language and was becoming more and more broken. This was because I was relieving my stress by having parties with alcohol every day. It was only natural that after living a glamorous celebrity life, I suddenly found myself in a place where I didn’t receive any attention.

Director Seo Jung-won did not even listen to his wife’s request to bring him back to Korea immediately.

“There is a time for everything….”

“If I wait for that time, I will ruin my child’s life!”

“What do you want me to do about what you ruined? “Just wait a moment!”

As voices were getting louder, Director Seo Jung-won’s cell phone rang.

Director Seo Joong-won’s face crumpled as he checked his cell phone. The message that arrived from the secretary had a link to an article.

[KK Korea’s first Billboard Music Awards nominee for Rookie Award!]