Bab 100: Debut (1)
It was Mi Yong.
It was Mi Yong dressed in the media-branded ragged clothes. Only his heavy breath was heard as he ran through the large expanse of a forest.
He kept looking behind him. A large bit of light decorated just yards behind him as if chasing him.
He tripped. He tripped and watched as the light he had been running from caught up to him. The light overtook the whole screen.
"I've been waking up without you–
since we've begun to grow–"
Joon-woo's youthful voice began. An electronic, almost indie sounding melody played. The white slid from behind a white wall to reveal Joon-woo sitting alone at a cafe table made for two.
He checked his notably zoomed in Samsung phone for the time. He frowns. It's as if he's waiting for someone.
"My sun is barely shining,
like a boy without his glow–"
Joon-woo's voice sung as the Joon-woo in the video stared longingly at the empty chair across from him. The camera zoomed on the empty chair.
Suddenly, Jung Hyun-Ok slipped into the seat. And the camera turned to reveal Joon-woo not at the other end. The whole camera zooms out and it's a totally different cafe now.
"Sometimes I miss you, us,
and who've we grown to be–"
Jung Hyun-Ok in the video mouthed, taking a sip of a coffee cup in front of him.
"I drink my coffee black,
for a talking point of when we'll soon meet…"
Jung Hyun-Ok makes a face at the bitter taste.
Suddenly the scene returned to Mi Yong.
But this time he wore normal university student clothing and appeared to be running through a library.
Many other students were studying, drinking, and talking with their friends. It appeared that they didn't even notice Mi Yong practically sprinting down the aisles of books.
"[Don't run~]
From me, from you. [from I–]
[Open your eyes– and see–]
to see me shine~"
Reggie's voice sang a slowly escalating pre-chorus.
The camera zoomed in on one of the chip bags a student snacked on while studying.
The camera zoomed out to reveal all of ASCEND huddled and watching a movie together in highschool uniforms. It was Ryeo Hyun grabbing a handful of the chips that it zoomed out on.
"Let us grow! Let us make our lives our lives–
Let us breath! We're breath– we're breathing fine–
All we've wanted is our time
All we've done are for these nights~
So let us GROW!"
The camera cut to ASCEND standing in a window-like stance. The space between Reggie, Jung Hyun-Ok, and Mi Yong was filled with Baek Du-Ho, Ryeo Hyun, and Joon-woo.
They danced with house-like steps, as a mix of Joon-woo and Mi Yong's higher voices sang the high beat of the chorus.
The lyrics dissolved as a dance break ensued.
Reggie stepped up to the plate, practically flying through the air with house steps marked as difficult by many. The others did simpler versions behind him, making Reggie the star.
After the ten second break, Baek Du-Ho stepped up with a handheld microphone in his hand.
"Our photo album's are bare–
We're all finding lives, we're all finding wives–
Soju calls our name like a high-goodbye–
When you look at me, I hope you see your best
And I'll look at you like a lifelong friend…"
Baek Du-Ho rapped over a sequence of memories playing in the head of himself in the video as he ran his hand over a pin board of photoed memories.
As if there was a knock at the door, Baek Du-Ho turned his head and approached. The camera followed him all the way to the peephole.
After a shot of Baek Du-Ho's squinting eye. ASCEND barreled onto each other at his door with excited smiles. The camera panned on Baek Du-Ho's frown, turning slightly upward.
"[Don't run~]
From me, from you. [from I–]
[Open your eyes– and see–]
to see me shine~"
Ryeo Hyun and Reggie split the pre-chorus over scenes of the group running from mall cops, playing card games, watching movies huddled, and playing ball at a park. It was at this point that the beat began to get slower, similar to the beginning.
""Let us grow! Let us make our lives our lives– (LIVE OUR LIVES!)
Let us breathe! We're breath– we're breathing fine– (FINE~)
All we've wanted is our time
All we've done is for these nights~ (THESE NIGHTS!)
So let us grow…"
The last verse was an adlib filled part. Ryeo Hyun sang it along with Mi Yong, while Joon-woo covered each high adlib.
The last scene was of ASCEND laughing and casually hanging out with university-student like clothes. The laughing could be slightly heard over a slowly fading beat…
–+–
ASCEND, in real time, huddled at a computer with wide smiles.
"Your high notes at the end were so good!" Reggie exclaimed and pulled Joon-woo into a hug.
Joon-woo rolled his eyes and shoved Reggie off of him and it earned a good laugh from the others'.
"Your rap verse was good, Du-Ho Hyung." Joon-woo found it in himself to say.
Baek Du-Ho didn't reply and stared awkwardly away while the others' awaited his reply.
Joon-woo clicked his tongue. He was really trying here.
"Yeah it really felt like real rap, not the normal idol rap." Mi Yong added.
"Thank you Hyung…" Baek Du-Ho replied with a respectfully distanceful tone.
Perhaps the whole mood was offset then.
Joon-woo sighed. Deeply.
"Well. What are the views at right now?" He asked Mi Yong, who was in control of the computer.
Mi Yong paused, then ever-so-slightly grimaced.
Only Joon-woo caught the slight drop in expression. Had their music video not done well in its first hour? He knew their album's pre-order sales were quite impressive for a rookie group
"Are the views not good?" Joon-woo asked, after a second of thinking. Now everyone would notice Mi Yong's expression change.
Mi Yong sighed, "Joon-ah, can nothing escape you?" He joked. "We were low on the Welon or Mugs charts, last time I checked."
"Oh." Joon-woo was the only one to reply, pondering on Mi Yong's words.
"We worked hard." Jung Hyun-Ok clenched his fists.
'But didn't the song music video just come out an hour ago?' Joon-woo thought.
He looked at his groupmates dimmed expressions.
'Isn't even being on the charts good? Not many rookie groups from smaller companies can do that…'
"Hyung, check the views again." Joon-woo almost demanded it.
Mi Yong raised an eyebrow.
Joon-woo always spoke as respectfully as he could still in a friendly way.
"If it's only been up for an hour and it's already charted, isn't that good?" He asked.
Mi Yong hesitantly nodded and scrolled down to the view count. He refreshed the page and they all anxiously watched the screen.
1,430,004.
No one said a word.
No one, until Reggie slightly whined over Joon-woo's shoulder.
"No way…" Jung Hyun-Ok quietly murmured.
Reggie silently let out a short cry behind Joon-woo.
"So many…" Jung Hyun-Ok muttered again.
Mi Yong just kind of stared at the screen blankly.
Joon-woo had effectively lightened the previously tense mood. He promptly shut the computer then. He couldn't have these guys too hung up on views.
"Tonight, let's order chicken." Joon-woo suggested with a small but real smile.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone