Chapter 367

Unlike what many fans had hoped for, time passed all too cruelly, and before long, the day of Pantheion’s final concert arrived.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted to death.”

Overcome with exhaustion, Kim Hayeon-ssi, the famous fansite master for Han Seungbeom, let out a zombie-like groan and downed a powerful liquid fatigue recovery drink in one shot.

“If we’re this worn out just from watching, how on earth do our boys survive running around for two whole hours? I guess nothing beats being young.”

She dragged her miserable self into the pharmacy with Pantheion merch that could almost pass for inconspicuous, only for the pharmacist, as if reading her mind, to slide over a 25,000-won fatigue recovery set without a word. The reality check hit hard. Clearly, she wasn’t the only Muse who’d come in for one.

‘Alright. Let’s all eat and get our strength back.’

Frankly, running on both the first and second days and then going straight into the third was a brutal schedule for an office worker with such pitiful stamina. But to only go on the last day? That was simply out of the question.

Rather than regretting it and crying later after Pantheion disbanded, it would be better to collapse right there in the concert hall.

No, actually, she’d rather collapse.

You’re telling me today is Pantheion’s last day? No way, don’t lie to me

It just doesn’t feel real… I’m so f**king depressed……

“Haaa…….”

Kim Hayeon let out a deep sigh and, as she typed on her phone, took a quick glance at the account she was logged into. Once reassured it was the right one, she pressed the upload button.

Everyone, get lost. I’m going to regress. Let’s start over from the beginning

└ ~Regressing After Failing to Accept the Project Group’s Disbandment~

Can people even guess? The legendary fansite master who appeared perfectly composed until the very last moment, writing sentimental lines such as “ Here’s hoping for a beautiful ending ” and consistently uploading concert preview photos, was actually pouring out curses and wallowing in depression on her private account.

“If you lose your ticket after entering, please come to the ticket reissue booth on the left!”

After swiftly completing the ID verification, she heard a staff member stationed nearby shouting loudly. Back when she used to be a fan of Frick, she’d heard the warning over and over that if you lost your ticket, you would never be allowed back into the concert hall, so hearing something like this now felt strangely unreal.

‘…Will I ever meet a celebrity like Seungbeom again in my life?’

Simplified identity verification procedures, ticket reissues, large and clear electronic display boards, free cushions provided for fans, and even the more courteous atmosphere among staff and security. There wasn’t a single part of these fan-focused improvements that didn’t have Han Seungbeom’s hand in it.

After that live broadcast, Han Seungbeom never showed any emotion in front of the fans, but everyone could tell what was happening because he was often seen scolding company employees in the group’s behind-the-scenes videos.

[“Just let them use their phones to record.”]

[“They’re not filming with professional equipment. It’s just fans sharing for fun on social media, isn’t it? There are even cases where concert videos go viral and boost a group’s popularity. Even if you try to prevent filming, you can’t completely stop people. Besides, it won’t make people who wouldn’t buy a Blu-ray suddenly buy one.”]

Watching that, she sometimes felt angry, wondering if the celebrities she had liked all along could have done this but had ignored it or pretended not to know. Still, that feeling didn’t last long.

As far as she knew, the only artists who had ever stepped up for their fans to this extent were Seo Yutae and Han Seungbeom.

But since one of them had already passed away, she thought it was practically something only Han Seungbeom could do.

“…….”

She felt somewhat regretful.

She wondered what kind of person Seo Yutae was.

She was curious about what it must have felt like to love him.

Though he looked completely different from Han Seungbeom, she thought that if she had given him even a moment of attention, she would surely have come to love him too.

‘Well, anyway, I’ll still love Seungbeom until the very end! Pantheion’s disbanding, but that doesn’t mean Seungbeom is retiring from the entertainment industry!’

She absentmindedly pondered those thoughts before hurriedly wiping Seo Yutae from her mind as if she had made a grave mistake. Then, she calmed her restless heart by imagining Han Seungbeom’s future.

‘Ugh, I really need to get my head straight.’

She had felt this way ever since Pantheion’s final activity date drew near.

The reason this anxiety that made her heart restless wouldn’t go away was probably because Han Seungbeom hadn’t made any comments about looking forward to the future or promising a next step.

Woo Kangwon was seriously considering a career as an actor by taking on minor roles. Baek Kiryang had firmly established himself as a solo artist thanks to the massive success of his recent OST. Nicholas had mostly finished preparing to return to his home country and resume his activities there. Do Yuda and Zen announced all over the neighborhood that they were starting a band centered around those two. Lee Danbi was confirmed to appear as a regular panelist on a variety show.

‘…Seungbeom is the only one who has nothing planned yet.’

Isn’t it strange?

Looking back on everything so far, Han Seungbeom should have been the one she worried about the least. He is an exceptional person who succeeded through his own abilities, not relying on the company or others, so she believed that even if his environment changed, he would continue to have a successful career just as he is now. She trusted that he would do just fine.

But when the end actually approached, he acted as if he had no plans at all for his future after Pantheion.

[“I bought my mom a car this time. I’m such a filial son, right? She raised me well, didn’t she?”]

[“I bought a guitar. I satisfied my vanity first. I’ll punch myself for unfilialness. Mom, please forgive me because I’m rich.”]

[“I used the money from my first settlement to move out and live on my own. Now that I’m making my own money, I should try to live well without my parents’ support.”]

It had been reported by various media that the highly popular group Pantheion received an impressive amount in their first settlement. Because of this, when people asked out of curiosity where they had spent their first payout, each Pantheion member gave a different answer.

But Han Seungbeom…….

[“…Nothing. I just kept it as it is.” ]

He didn’t seem to have spent any of the money, except for the time he bought everything the members asked for in a recent episode of their own content.

‘Besides, it makes me feel even more uneasy that he’s giving out gifts like that. It’s too much. Even if Seungbeom made a lot from commercials, it must still be a considerable sum ……. He acts like someone who’s feeling guilty about something.’

Han Seungbeom really hadn’t bought a single thing for himself. However accomplished he might appear, he was still at an age where he must have plenty of things he wanted to have and do, so she couldn’t understand how he could be like that. She knew it wasn’t right to get too curious about a celebrity’s personal life, but from what she’d heard, he hadn’t even secured a proper place to live. She’d also heard that contract negotiations were still ongoing, yet there hadn’t been a single report about which agency he had actually signed with.

‘Does Seungbeom not have any plans for his next activity yet?’

As she was thinking that and looking at the photos of Han Seungbeom plastered all around the concert venue, Kim Hayeon spotted a few Muses standing there looking utterly lost, sniffling and wiping away tears. They were most likely people who had failed to get tickets from the start or had been scammed on-site and couldn’t get one. They would probably be out there cheering at the top of their lungs for the entire duration of the concert.

‘Does it make any sense for the concert hall quality in the home of K-pop to be like this?’

Pantheion’s final concert was held at one of the biggest venues in Korea, yet the tickets sold out in an instant, leaving many people disappointed that they couldn’t attend. Both the company and Han Seungbeom made every effort to accommodate as many fans as possible, but with Korea’s severe shortage of large-scale concert halls, it was simply unavoidable.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder if he’s arrived by now?’

After slowly entering the concert hall and taking her seat, Kim Hayeon-ssi thought of her younger brother, who was probably in tears in an upper-floor seat with a poor view thanks to his less-than-successful ticketing attempt, and murmured to herself.

‘Guess what … it’s none of my business.’

To think he’d been so lazy with his fan activities that he couldn’t even land a decent ticket for the final concert … in her eyes, he was nothing but a weakling.

.

.

.

Soon enough, it was time for the concert to start. Just as with any other concert, the lights inside the hall went out and a countdown started on the screen. The Muses let out cheers full of excitement and waved their lightsticks.

When the opening VCR ended, a massive screen behind the set—bordered by what appeared to be Doric-style columns—unveiled the temple’s deep interior, something the physical set alone could never convey. In the background, a night sky crowded with constellations stretched across the screen, while clouds drifted below in a mysterious glow.

It was as if the stage itself were a temple floating above the clouds.

On the first day, the members were seated on thrones. On the second, the VCR was designed so that the famous paintings it showed seemed to spring to life. And now, seeing that today’s setup was different yet again, it seemed they were changing the entire composition of the concert every single day.

The moment she saw it, Kim Hayeon suddenly felt proud of herself for pushing through her fatigue and attending the concert three days in a row.

‘Wow, it was so worth it to come every day.’

Thick, cloud-like smoke from the fog machines spread across the stage floor, and the moment the song started, dozens of dancers ascended the long staircase built beneath the stage, their arms intertwining and reaching out as though in worship of something within the temple.

Then came the opening line of the song.

The instant Han Seungbeom’s pure, clear voice resonated through the venue, the white veil fluttering in the wind was suddenly swept aside from the center of the stage, revealing Pantheion in full.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

At the very center of the stage, of course, stood Han Seungbeom, the group’s center. The moment his face appeared on the big screen, the venue erupted with screams even louder than the roar that had followed the countdown.

‘Crazy, crazy, crazy,‘

Other members occasionally posted selfies during their concert preparations, but since Han Seungbeom was nowhere to be found in any of those photos, she did get the feeling that something big was on the way.

“KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The light blond hair that most people first think of when they hear the name ‘ Han Seungbeom’ was back. It wasn’t just the hair alone that caused such an explosive reaction, though; the real impact came from the styling.

‘Yesterday and the day before, his hair was short!’

On the first day, Han Seungbeom unveiled a shocking visual: his golden blond hair, lengthened to the point of nearly pricking his eyes, styled into soft, fluffy curls, reminiscent of a poodle’s coat. His appearance sparked real-time trending keywords like ‘ Eros ‘ and more, becoming a hot topic not only among the Muses but also the general public.

And on the second day, he swept his bangs back and used all kinds of props to bring the concept’s vibe to life.

She had been eagerly wondering how he would appear on the highly anticipated last day, but she never expected in a million years that he’d come with hair extensions. As she watched his long blond hair, flowing smoothly like silk and weaving around the curves of the members’ arms, it felt as if she were witnessing a scene straight out of a myth.

‘Aaaah … his face is seriously crazy.’

Her brain, bombarded with more stimulation than necessary, sparked a crisis. She was tormented by a messy mix of emotions: the desire to pause for about three seconds before diving back in, and the obsessive thought that she couldn’t miss even a single second of seeing Han Seungbeom in person.

In the end, what she chose was to take a deep breath, clutch her head with her hands, and keep her eyes wide open until they turned bloodshot.

As she kept doing that, the question ‘ Am I acting too much like a pervert? ‘ would suddenly pop into her mind, but a quick look around would make even that worry disappear.

“Crazy. Seriously crazy. This is crazy … absolutely crazy.”

The woman next to her had lost all vocabulary except the word ‘ crazy ‘.

“KYAAAA! AAAAAAAH! WAAAAAH!”

The woman in the row ahead had lost the ability to speak human language and was only making sounds like a crow.

“…….”

Kim Hayeon herself was unable to make a sound, tears streaming down her face.

‘You’re so beautiful, Seungbeom-ah…….’

While she was gasping for breath with her mouth covered, the high-definition screen showed Han Seungbeom’s emerald eyes turning toward the camera. Then, as he flashed an eye-smile through his softly falling hair, a strange sound erupted from the Muses—not cheers, but a mix of anger and agonized cries.

“AAAHHH.”

“Did you snap it? Did you get a shot just now? Please tell me you got that.”

“Mom…….”

“He’s trying to seduce me…….”

She was so dazed she could barely think straight. But even in that state, her finger was still diligently pressing the shutter button.

“AAAHHH! SEUNGBEOM-AAAHH!”

There was a person who honestly admitted defeat to Han Seungbeom and got excited like a dog. And there was a lone slaughter machine who, in this space where the vast majority had completely lost their sanity, acted as if she were perfectly fine and rational, like a descendant of a cold-blooded AI who would one day bring about the end of the human race.

So, between the two, who is truly the abnormal one?

The depression that had been plaguing her mind just moments ago? She couldn’t even remember it anymore.

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Translator’s Corner:

I want to say I want to be there so bad but knowing myself, I probably wouldn’t go even if Pantheion was real …. I dislike crowded place I don’t understand how people managed to survive for hours in concert asdfghjkl and somehow it reminded me that one of the earlier readers mentioned they’re going to SKZ concert … idk if that concert already happening or not, but I wish you have a great time ….

But can you imagine how Han Seungbeom used to hide his face …. and now Yutae is out here making sure his son’s face is worshipped by the whole nation …. in another life I just know Yutae is personally handpicking which brand deserves to be promoted with his son’s visual…. you guys check the comment to see the real life visual

Also all these people (and definitely sasaengs) keeping tracks to see if ‘Han Seungbeom’ going to buy property (since he can’t live in dorm again soon), when that man is already acting as if Choi Jeokhyeon’s house is his own house …. don’t worry, Muses …. he won’t be homeless even if he broke ….

I haven’t been properly reading any comments since last month (that one depressive episode where you just cut off communication with everyone somehow included this blog too now), but Gale-san was catching up with like 30+ chapters and they left comments in every one ….. I can’t say I’m not tempted to read them …….. I’m going to start digging up the comments tomorrow then …. wow, there’s so much from July too T_T Thank you always for the kind words and praises, everyone …. (I’m shy)

Ah, and yes, this is the start of disbandment concert arc. We’re going to have quite a few concert chapters.

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