The stage transition happened fast.
Ace Team's crimson casino vanished beneath bright blues and yellows. Animated storefronts sprang across the LED walls, complete with traffic lights and crosswalks stretching into exaggerated perspective.
Five figures emerged from backstage.
I recognized them before the cameras found their faces.
DayBreak.
Two years ago, I'd watched their season of Rise of the Idols from our apartment couch, Soojin beside me. Sudden evaluation changes, shocking ranking reversals, eliminations that seemed almost cruel—it had been a notoriously brutal season.
I'd followed every episode, replaying performances until Soojin threatened to confiscate the remote.
Especially the vocal stages. I still remembered sitting through the finale with my knees pulled to my chest, arguing with Soojin over who deserved the last debut spot.
When Yejun made the lineup, I had cheered loudly enough to annoy our neighbors.
