Idol Hides His Military Service

Fuu.

Yunkyung kept her gaze up, staring straight ahead without lowering her eyes even as she panted for breath.

Right now, sweat was pouring down her entire body to the point where she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gotten this exhausted from just being onstage.

If today’s makeup hadn’t been waterproof, Yunkyung’s face would’ve already turned into a panda—her makeup running down from all the sweat.

And it wasn’t just Yunkyung. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other members beside her too, drenched in sweat and sucking in rough breaths.

Which made sense—after Spotlight announced the start of the stage, they’d gone on to sing three more songs in a row, so there was no way they wouldn’t be wiped.

Since this was their first time doing a stage where they sang this many songs outdoors instead of indoors, the stamina drain was worse than expected.

To the point where everyone could understand exactly why Raon, the producer, had stressed stamina and condition management so hard.

Because of that, even though the Iam members normally didn’t look tired at all even when they repeated things five or six times during practice, right now each of them was breathing hard.

-Don’t forget. From the moment you step onstage, you have to think every second that you’re the protagonist.

Even in this situation, Yunkyung didn’t lose focus. She was recalling what Raon had pointed out during the past week, when they practiced separately.

The first of those many notes: posture onstage.

Raon had called out Yunkyung’s habit—when it wasn’t her part, she’d go light on the choreography, or her eyes would drift down to the floor a lot.

'She’s right.'

At some point, Yunkyung had started making excuses to herself, telling herself that easing up when it wasn’t her part was actually better for the stage, and letting herself rest.

But Raon said that even when it wasn’t your part, you couldn’t relax—you had to carry the mindset that ever since the stage started, you were always the protagonist.

-You’re confused. Just because each part has a member who’s “main” doesn’t mean the others can slack off. If anything, you relax when you’re main, and you put power in when you’re on the side—that’s what makes the stage come alive.

When you were main, you had to pull people’s eyes with relaxed movement and expression—but when you were on the side, you had to make your movements even more precise to support the member who was main. She’d realized that, late.

After that, Yunkyung checked her choreography with focus every practice, paying closer attention and tightening her movements to fix the bad habit.

Because of it, she got picked at a lot by the members, and unlike before, the stamina drain was brutal, so it was really hard—hard enough that the old Yunkyung might’ve given up easily.

But.

'I want to get better.'

At first she’d started because she didn’t want to be a burden on the group, but somewhere along the way, a fire had lit inside her too.

-I like this part!

-Yunkyung, isn’t that too little?

-The captain or the other members fit it better.

When it came to part distribution or stage formations, Yunkyung had always avoided stepping up as main.

Part of it was because she didn’t have confidence in her skill, and part of it was because she thought other members taking more parts was a “sacrifice” for the group.

'It was stupid and selfish.'

But now she understood.

That was running away—and dumping the weight on the others.

"Ready?"

Lee Sion asked carefully, covering the mic with her hand as she spoke to Yunkyung while Yunkyung caught her breath.

Yunkyung nodded to show she was ready, not just to Lee Sion but to the other members too.

♬

"Oh? This is Lucid Dive!"

"We’re doing Lucid Dive today too?"

"Wow, it’s been a while. This was seriously legendary."

Once the members shifted into a new formation and finished ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) preparing, the melody of Lucid Dive started pouring out through the speakers.

"What? Lee Sion isn’t center."

"Im Yunkyung is center."

"Wasn’t this song originally Lee Sion center?"

At the same time, Yunkyung could hear the audience murmuring as they recognized what song it was.

-For this Lucid Dive, I’m going to give center to Yunkyung.

There was only one reason she’d practiced separately with Raon.

Not for the whole guerrilla concert stage—just to give her center for a single song.

'Can I do it?'

As she listened to Lucid Dive’s intro, standing at the dead center of the stage, Yunkyung felt her heart pounding and sweat pooling in her palms.

Lucid Dive.

It was the signature song of Boyvicious, an idol group that was still actively promoting even now.

And it was also the song she’d chosen and performed with her teammates—including Lee Sion—during the Concept Evaluation, back when she’d been team leader.

[Lucid Dive Team A is a legend, for real]

(A clip of Im Yunkyung, Lee Sion, Lee Gahyeon, Geum Shinyu, and Kim Suyeon standing after finishing the stage)

"Still can’t believe four out of five debuted"

⤷And the fact that four out of five were F class

⤷Are you trying to say the only one who failed to debut, Kim Suyeon, was the only one who got B grade?

⤷That guy up there is a real devil

⤷This stage legit bewitched people and played a huge role in the girls debuting

⤷Honestly Lee Sion carried, agreed?

⤷Yeah, Lee Sion’s impact was huge, even now when you think Lucid Dive, what comes to mind is Lee Sion’s face in the ending

If you’d watched Agbaek, there were legendary stages everyone would point to.

Like Lucid Dive right now.

A legendary stage where four out of five teammates debuted.

Not only had the YouTube video already blown past ten million views, it was still popular enough that people kept leaving comments saying they were still watching it even now.

'It was because of the captain.'

It was true the whole team had worked hard to build the stage, but Yunkyung believed the reason Lucid Dive got this kind of attention was Lee Sion.

Because Lee Sion, who’d taken main vocal and the stage highlight in Lucid Dive, was still more than enough to enchant people even now.

-I hate to admit it, but Sion is a genius. It’s like she instinctively knows what she has to do to make people pay attention to her.

Watching the stage video over and over—dozens of times—while preparing with Raon, Yunkyung came to realize Lee Sion’s greatness in a way she hadn’t back then.

It was a time when her skill was still really lacking, but she didn’t waste a single movement or a single vocal line, pouring everything into mesmerizing the audience.

The more closely you looked, the more it was almost scary—how much detail, blocking, and even the audience’s gaze and reactions had been planned out for the sake of the stage.

'Why did I think it was only because of her looks back then?'

Yunkyung felt ashamed of herself for assuming the reason the audience responded better during Lee Sion’s parts was simply her looks.

Tap.

The Lucid Dive center—a role that, the more you knew, the more it felt like only Lee Sion could pull off.

But now it was time for Yunkyung to take that Lucid Dive center.

-Yunkyung, you can do it, right?

-I’ll try.

When Raon said she was going to give Yunkyung Lucid Dive center, the members reacted more calmly than expected.

-You can do it, Yunkyung.

Lee Sion, who in a way had had her center taken, simply said Yunkyung could do it, and the other members just focused on their own parts like they weren’t worried.

'They were probably really worried.'

Yunkyung knew that kind of reaction was to keep from putting pressure on her.

And that it was also because they believed in her even more than she believed in herself.

A quiet night comes down

When I close my eyes, I see me

In that smile as you look at me

Your heart sinks in again

While she tried to calm her racing heart, Lucid Dive’s first part began.

The people taking the first part of this newly arranged Lucid Dive—arranged once again by Geum Shinyu for Iam—were Lee Gahyeon and Geum Shinyu.

'Gahyeon and Shinyu got better so fast you can’t even recognize them.'

There was a simple reason Lee Gahyeon, who’d taken the first part back in Agbaek’s Concept Evaluation too, was taking the first part again.

-Gahyeon is the most captivating!

Because she was more than enough to grab people’s eyes in an instant and lock their focus.

"Lee Gahyeon!!!"

Just hearing the especially passionate cheers from the men in the crowd the moment Lee Gahyeon appeared told you it was a good choice.

And like she wasn’t going to lose to that response, Geum Shinyu gave a small wink, loosened the tie she was wearing, and made it just a little relaxed.

And then—

"Shinyu!! I love you!"

This time, screams like cheers burst from the women.

In the faint scent that brushes past

Hold your breath and follow me

In my dazzling eyes

You fall in

After Lee Gahyeon and Geum Shinyu, Kurosawa Yuri and Lee Sion stepped to the front of the stage with soft vocals.

'Their voices are perfect for this song.'

Lee Sion had grown so much through Agbaek and Iam that you barely recognized her skill, but if you had to pick her best point, it was still her vocals.

Before, it felt like she was just singing on raw talent—but after going through proper, structured vocal training, she’d gained technique and stability to the point where she was absolutely worthy of being a group’s main vocal.

And even though Yuri had yielded main vocal to Lee Sion on their previous album DON’T BLINK because of the overall mood, in a song that matched her voice like this, Yuri shone brighter than anyone.

When Yuri’s delicate but clear voice layered with Lee Sion’s firm voice, it was like the crowd got drunk on the harmony—cheers died down, and the venue went quiet just to listen.

And into that stage, Seo Ryujin and Ryu Ayeon were stepping up to show their parts.

Beyond the shining waves

I reached my hand out to you

Is this a dream or is it real

My heart speeds up

A paired choreography from the two members who were first and second in skill among Iam.

A version that was upgraded several times over what Yunkyung and Shinyu had shown back in Agbaek.

'If I compared it, I’d blush so hard my face would turn red.'

It was so perfect it gave her the strong feeling that if she’d met those two as opponents back then, she would’ve earned a brand-new black history moment.

Seo Ryujin and Ryu Ayeon bickered constantly during practice because they both had pride in their skill—but the moment they stepped onstage, it was like none of that had ever happened, and they carried out their mission more perfectly than anyone.

Because of that, the venue’s heat rose even higher.

Tap.

Now it was Yunkyung’s time.

Lucid dive, take you away

To you inside that deep dream

In this moment where time stops

I’ll stay with you

Unlike the earlier parts that were split between pairs, this was a solo part given entirely to Yunkyung.

The nerves made her feel like she was going to throw up, but she swallowed it down and poured all her focus into doing what she’d learned—what she’d practiced.

'I’ve been avoiding this.'

Yunkyung had always stepped back whenever important parts were being assigned.

She’d thought it was “yielding,” but as she practiced for this stage, she realized painfully that it had just been running away.

Taking the most important part onstage meant getting everyone’s eyes—while also meaning the backlash would come down harder if you made a mistake.

She’d basically shoved that kind of spot onto the other members like she was doing them a favor—how heavy had that burden been on them, in ways she hadn’t even noticed?

Only now did she finally start to understand, a little, what Lee Sion always meant when she said doing it together is what makes it a team.

-Yunkyung, I think you really see the stage well.

-Me?

-When I’m onstage with you, it’s comfortable. Like I don’t have to worry as much, and I can just do the stage with peace of mind.

She remembered what Lee Sion had said to her, at some point.

The other members had nodded along too, agreeing that because Yunkyung watched the whole stage, they could always feel safe and just do what they’d prepared. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Back then, Yunkyung had thought they were only saying that to hype her up.

-I mean it.

But when she saw Lee Sion look at her with a serious, humorless expression and say it, she realized it wasn’t empty talk.

-Im Wiyeon, show that guts you had when you smacked the back of my head on stage too. Don’t worry about “being considerate” of us—do it like you’re the protagonist.

Protagonist.

Thanks to staying up nights practicing and practicing for this solo part, she’d gained a bit of margin—and using that margin, Yunkyung slowly swept her eyes across the crowd and the venue as she sang.

'Camera angles. Audience reactions. Where our members are.'

Until Lee Sion had said it, she hadn’t realized because it felt so natural to her—but Yunkyung was quick on the uptake.

She could easily read subtle changes, people’s moods, or what they wanted.

Slide.

She turned her angle just a little more than in practice as she danced, moving toward the edge of the stage closest to the crowd, and the cheers aimed at Yunkyung grew louder and louder.

Lucid dive, close your eyes

Until I reach your arms

A clean, youthful voice—still rough compared to Lee Sion or Yuri, but clear.

Choreography that wasn’t perfectly on-beat or dripping with groove like Ryu Ayeon or Seo Ryujin’s—but after days of practicing with Raon, it was now sharply defined, with real edges.

'I might not be captivating like Gahyeon. I might not have a talent like Shinyu’s, filling what the team lacks.'

She couldn’t do what the others did—but Yunkyung worked for something only she could show.

Adjusting her choreography angles on the fly to match the installed camera angles, and tuning her vocals to match the sound pouring out of the speakers—Yunkyung did it in real time.

It wasn’t easy.

Even if you read the atmosphere and the environment sensitively, matching yourself to it was hard.

But—

'I can do it.'

Yunkyung had to.

For this final part of Yunkyung’s, the members had gathered in a circle and fell backward toward the floor like sinking into water.

The stage the members had built—moving with not even a hair of error, executing the motions they’d prepared for Yunkyung’s ending—was the stage she stood on.

A night you can’t forget

Dive into this night

Little by little, but not slow.

As she sang the final part, Yunkyung walked slowly toward the crowd.

And then, at the edge of the stage, Yunkyung dropped to one knee and reached her hand out toward the audience.

It was Lee Sion’s final move—the one she’d watched countless times—and to recreate Lucid Dive’s highlight, Yunkyung put attention into it down to every last cell.

For an ending like Lee Sion’s, but one only Yunkyung could do.