Kang Joon remembered the moment the Daesang was placed in his hands, he understood something was wrong.
The applause was deafening. It poured down from every direction—fans screaming, camera shutters firing, staff clapping backstage where they thought no one could see them. Confetti fell in shimmering sheets, sticking to hair, clothes, the stage floor already slick with sweat and adrenaline.
STEL-R stood in a straight line, five silhouettes under white light.
Gun-woo was openly crying, shoulders shaking as he tried and failed to bow properly.
Han-bin kept lowering his head again and again, murmuring thanks until the MC gently stopped him.
Jae-hyun smiled for the cameras, calm and composed, already fitting the image of a veteran idol rather than a rookie who had debuted less than two years ago.
And Do-Hyun—
He was smiling the widest.
