I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

“I was thinking the concept for this stage arrangement would be Eastern style.”

“……!”

“……!”

The team members flinched at my words at first, then…

“…It’s difficult, but we can handle it.”

“Indeed, it’s a concept with a solid fanbase, yet strangely, no team has attempted it until now.”

…They nodded in agreement, showing positive reactions.

As Seo Yoo-jin just mentioned, the Eastern style was a concept with a solid demand.

In fact, it was also a fresh concept since none of the teams had attempted it while doing Na Ah Ah.

But my idea of the Eastern style concept wasn’t just because of that.

The Demon King from ‘Hero and Demon King: The Tale of Light and Corruption.’

And my trait, Sky Demon.

The Demon King and Sky Demon images overlap, differing only in cultural context.

Every time I looked at my trait Sky Demon, I wished to manifest it on stage, and it was a coincidence or fate that a song themed around the Demon King came out.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Besides, the Sky Demon was truly an alluring subject.

“An Eastern style Demon King and an Eastern style Hero… That’s quite an interesting setup!”

“It reminds me of the martial arts dramas my dad used to watch. Sounds fun!”

Most girls don’t really know martial arts, like our team’s reaction.

It could provide a fresh shock to the girls while giving the boys the joy of familiarity.

“So should we finalize our stage concept as Eastern style?”

“Agreed!”

And so, our First Team’s stage concept was set as Eastern style.

But just then.

Swish.

As the mood was coming to a close, someone suddenly raised their hand, prompting a startled glance…

“Um….”

“…Lee Hye-jeong?”

Lee Hye-jeong had her hand raised, looking like she wanted to say something.

‘Could it be that she’s against it?’

The mere thought of Lee Hye-jeong, my always firm ally, opposing my opinion hurt me a little.

I stared at her with wide eyes and asked…

“Are you… against it?”

“Oh, no! Ye-rin! It’s not that…!”

Lee Hye-jeong hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

“It’s just… I like the Eastern style, but I’m worried the stage might become too loose…”

“Then that means you’re… against it.”

“Not against….”

Lee Hye-jeong hesitated while trying to continue her sentence, then after a moment of fidgeting, said with determination.

“How about mixing Eastern style with rock?”

“…Huh?”

We all tilted our heads at Lee Hye-jeong’s unfamiliar suggestion.

It really didn’t seem to fit…

‘Mixing Eastern style with rock?’

That just sounds off, doesn’t it?

As everyone’s faces turned into question marks, Lee Hye-jeong grinned and started explaining.

“Of course, they don’t seem to go together at all. But that’s what will give it a more dramatic feel. Here, look at this.”

She showed us a video of a collaboration performance between a traditional singer and a rapper on her tablet.

Pansori and rap… These genres seemed completely mismatched at first glance, yet…

‘…That’s a good performance.’

The extreme imbalance created from blending two entirely different genres brought an oddly pleasant balance and delighted the ears.

“This song distinctly highlights the boundaries between the Hero’s side and the Demon King’s side. So, for the Hero’s side, we can create an aesthetic and noble atmosphere with the Eastern style concept like Ye-rin suggested…”

“…….”

“Then for the Demon King’s side, we switch it to rock for an explosive twist.”

Lee Hye-jeong’s words made me momentarily close my eyes and dive deep in thought.

The Sky Demon certainly needs to project a strong impression.

But achieving that intensity solely with the gentle Eastern style concept might be a challenge.

‘Could replacing it with rock actually work…?’

Plus, as Lee Hye-jeong said, the Eastern style concept had a downside of potentially becoming thin, and introducing rock could dissolve that issue.

Nodding to myself to finish my contemplation, I opened my eyes and spoke first.

“I think it could be… good?”

“…….”

“It’s definitely the final stage, so it would be great to show the fans an impactful performance, and bringing in rock seems like it could solve that problem.”

“Hmm…”

With me agreeing after Lee Hye-jeong, other team members glanced at each other and slowly raised their hands.

“Then I’ll agree too.”

“It does seem like it could work.”

“What if we mix electronic rock instead? It might be more effective than just rock.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

“Then I’ll start working on the arrangement right away!”

And just like that, our First Team’s final stage concept was decided to be a fusion of Eastern style and electronic rock.

Just as Lee Hye-jeong said, introducing rock provided a great twist.

As I appeared with strong rock vibes, the previously calm atmosphere shifted immediately.

I stepped forward, performing with Sky Demon Enchantment…

“-Don’t try to hide, just accept it.”

“-This is your instinct.”

“Woooooo—!!!”

“Ha Ye-rin—!!!!!!!”

“Awesome—!!!!!!!”

“Gyaaaaa—!!!!”

The audience roared as if crying out in ecstasy.

Watching that sight made me smile widely as I moved forward.

Next was my solo Dance Break.

And….

[Sky Demon Martial Arts second skill, Sky Demon Moon Shadow Step activated!]

Without delay, I unleashed Sky Demon Moon Shadow Step.

Fwoosh!

“Waaah….”

At first, the audience screamed just at my appearance, but now they were captivated by my dance.

It felt like I was wrapping myself in moonlight, gliding through the air.

As I cast my gaze downward, graceful movements and dance lines that seemed almost foreign to me caught my attention.

How surreal must this scene appear to others.

The audience looked at me as if they were entranced.

And those emotions from the audience resonated strongly within me.

Yearning, admiration, joy, gratitude, and…

Love.

I felt it with my entire being, recalling what Han Si-woo had said.

‘This stage will be an unforgettable experience for you all.’

Just as Han Si-woo promised, I would never forget this moment.

Nodding at that thought, I realized once again that being an idol was my true calling.

If I could feel this feeling again…, I wished to be an idol for life.

“-Come a bit closer.”

“-I am not the abyss but the ideal you desire.”

“-What you long for so desperately.”

As the audience’s cheers filled the void in my heart…, my dance flourished even more.

“-This isn’t corruption.”

“-It’s the process of finding your true self.”

The moonlight enveloping me…, the emotions…, the aura…, something indescribable…

Made me remain solely on this stage while erasing other members from my mind.

The audience’s love belonged solely to me.

Was it I who was entranced by something, not the audience?

In this moment, I forgot everything and surrendered my body to instinct.

Soon, my body felt relaxed, and my heart soared as if floating….

My consciousness began to fade.

It was a state of ecstasy.

Ha Ye-rin’s source of magic was…

Resentment from a lonely and desolate past.

And

A fierce longing for love.

Once this began to fill her, she forgot herself, monopolizing the audience’s cheers and gazes, devouring the stage as her own.

“-Don’t resist.”

“-Accept me.”

Ha Ye-rin’s husky voice combined with the raw rock captivated the audience’s ears, while her movements and dance lines combined with Sky Demon Martial Arts highlighted her overwhelming beauty and presence.

Then it happened.

Ding!

A familiar sound echoed as a new status window appeared, unnoticed by Ha Ye-rin, who was lost in ecstasy.

[You are with the Left Guardian Law and Right Guardian Law. The synergy is activated!]

[The Sky Demon Martial Arts skills are combining with your outfit concept. The synergy is activated!]

[You are in a state of non-self!]

[You have temporary fulfilled various conditions!]

[Locked traits are temporarily released!]

And it was….

[You can use unrevealed skill from Sky Demon Martial Arts!]

Ha Ye-rin saw a black status window that she had never seen in her life.

[The state of non-self has been confirmed! Skills will activate automatically!]

[Casting Sky Demon Martial Arts unrevealed skill: Sky Demon Ruler Step!]

With the Sky Demon Ruler Step unfolded, it was Ha Ye-rin’s final breaking dance.

Though challenging for Ha Ye-rin’s vocal ability, filled with numerous techniques, she let nothing limit her.

In the grand highlight of ‘herself’ stage, she promised the sweetest ecstasy and overwhelming presence to her fans.

Bang.

“-Look at me.”

Every move captivated gazes.

Bang.

“-Think only of me.”

Next, she snatched away emotions.

Bang.

“-Worship me.”

Finally, she stole souls.

“Wah…”

“……….”

“…….”

Though Ha Ye-rin had taken everything from the audience, she still craved more love.

More, more, more.

Love me harder. So hard it breaks my body.

In that process, the joy blooming on Ha Ye-rin’s face grew richer, and the status window turned a deeper black.

So dark it seemed to engulf her completely.

Then it happened.

“-Awaken.”

It began with a single white dot.

That pure white dot slipped through the dense blackness Ha Ye-rin had painted the stage with.

“-Overcome and see.”

“-The will within you.”

It was Seo Yoo-jin.

As her part began, the harsh rock of Ha Ye-rin’s part was filled with gentle Eastern sounds.

Seo Yoo-jin anchored the overwhelming emotion with her poignant high notes and precise dance.

“-The fight never ends.”

“-We haven’t lost.”

Adding her voice like placing a hand was Lee Hye-jeong.

With the good start of both, the Hero side part followed.

With Seo Yoo-jin’s powerful high notes awakening the audience frozen as if entranced, our team’s sharp choreography unfolded.

Ha Ye-rin’s overpowering performance saw a fine balance as well…

“U—Wowwwww—!!!!”

“Gyaaaaaaaa—!!!!”

“Waaaaaaahhh—!!!”

Once the audience regained their senses, they roared back to support our First Team with even louder cheers.

Only then did it reach the moment.

[The temporarily released traits will lock again!]

[You have escaped the state of non-self!]

Ha Ye-rin had emerged from her trance.

Slide—, Swoosh.

Bang.

‘…Ah.’

As I watched my body automatically continuing the dance moves like a machine from a third-person perspective, I jolted back to reality.

‘Wha, what the…! I can’t believe I completely lost my head on stage…!’

At least from the audience’s responses, it didn’t seem like I made a mistake.

Instinctively, I continued moving while piecing together my fragmented memories.

‘Surely I didn’t make a mistake. But….’

Even if it was a solo part, it felt like I was trying to stand out too much just now.

That shouldn’t have been the case.

This isn’t my stage; it’s OUR stage.

As I reflected on that and slightly frowned, Seo Yoo-jin, making a brief eye contact with me while moving, asked me her part.

“What’s wrong, unni? Is something up?”

Performing on stage provided a truly fascinating experience.

One of those experiences was being able to communicate without speaking.

I smiled faintly at Seo Yoo-jin’s concerned expression and replied.

“I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

“It’s nothing.”

After chatting with Seo Yoo-jin, I could hear other voices.

“We’re doing great right now!”

“Let’s finish strong!”

It wasn’t just mutual understanding.

Over a week of practice, a time that felt both short and long, we had shared every moment, syncing our movements and rehearsing dances…

In this moment, our hearts harmonized together.

‘Heh…’

I chuckled inwardly.

This experience was delightful.

Indeed…, the stage is much more enjoyable when not done alone but as a team.

“-To you, light.”

“-To you, corruption.”

Finally, our parts overlapped, as the members of the Hero side reached out against the backdrop of me from the Sky Demon side.

The poignant sounds of Eastern style met the intense sounds of rock, creating a dissonance that ironically matched harmoniously.

“-To you, salvation.”

“-To you, darkness.”

The stage progressed toward its final climax.

Originally, the ending of the song ‘Hero and Demon King: The Tale of Light and Corruption’ concluded with the Hero defeating the Demon King.

But we changed it up a bit.

Bang.

As the clash-like choreography between me and the other members ended, the stage went dark.

“…Huh!”

“……Ah!”

The audience, focused on the stage, displayed different reactions filled with confusion.

And after a short while…

Bang.

The lights came back on, and we revealed ourselves in the pre-prepared ending formation.

Slide—, Swoosh.

In the center of the stage, there was the pitch black me.

And surrounding me were the pure white other members, as if sealing me with their arms, legs, body, and neck.

One of the most vital aspects of a performance is undoubtedly the ending.

So we posed for our ending with a more polished and precise formation than ever before.

And perhaps this effort had worked well…

“Waaaaaahhhh—!!!!!”

“Gyaaaahhh—!!!”

“Encore—!!!!!”

“Waaaaaaaah—!!!”

“Ha Ye-rin—!!!!!!!”

“Seo Yoo-jin—!!!!!!!!!!”

The audience’s cheers directed toward us after our final performance were more genuine than ever.

“Hah… Hah…”

After using Sky Demon Moon Shadow Step, I always found myself breathless.

Panting, I faced the ten thousand audience members shouting our names.

Then it happened.

“Pfft, unni.”

“…Huh?”

Suddenly Seo Yoo-jin called out to me and smirked while pointing.

She was pointing at my face.

“Looks like you really enjoyed this stage.”

“…Huh?”

Wondering what she meant, I touched my face.

And….

‘Ah…’

I realized I was wearing a smile I had never shown in my entire past life or this one…

A pure, untainted grin.

“I also… enjoyed this stage.”

“…….”

When Seo Yoo-jin whispered this, I stood there dazed for a moment before leaning down to whisper back to her ear.

“It wasn’t just this stage that was good.”

“…Unni?”

“Every stage has been wonderful. And you, Hye-jeong unni, Yoo-jung, Han-na, Seol unni…and all the other participants…”

“…….”

“The cheers from the audience, the support, and even all the countless fans watching me through the broadcast…, I just loved everything about Na Ah Ah. Except for the production team.”

Yeah.

I loved everything about Na Ah Ah except for the production team.

And this was….

Na Ah Ah’s final stage.

“Waaaaah—!!!”

“Ha Ye-rin—!!!!!!”

I savored the audience’s cheers with every fiber of my being and closed my eyes.

A deep resonance took hold.

“Ha Ye-rin—!!!”

“Ha Ye-rin, I love you—!!!!!”

Was I reborn to feel this moment?

I felt a void within my being fill completely.

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