The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees – Chapter 33 – Showcase (2)

Author: CleiZz

“Victory! You’re up soon—get ready to go on stage!”

“Yes!!”

All the members of Victory answered with bright, excited faces—everyone except one.

Kang Ye-seong.

He stood a little stiff, biting the inside of his lip as he stared toward the stage.

“Muse-hyung, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? It’s nothing.”

Kang Ye-seong brushed off Cheong-ryang’s concern.

“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?”

Ji Ye-chan slung an arm around his shoulder.

“You nervous?”

“Nervous? No way.”

Kang Ye-seong lightly shoved his arm off. “I’m just… a little tense, maybe.”

“Really? I guess that’s normal. It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper stage. Anyone would feel the same.”

Muttering, Ji Ye-chan suddenly shouted, “Hey, guys! Muse says he’s too nervous to go on stage!”

“What?! Hyung, no way!”

Lee Nak-hwa rushed over in alarm, with Shin Yoo-soo hurrying behind him. Cheong-ryang and Haneul followed, all of them crowding Kang Ye-seong with worried looks.

“Hey! Ji Ye-chan!”

“What? I didn’t do anything.”

Ji Ye-chan shrugged innocently while Kang Ye-seong glared at him, then quickly tried to calm the younger ones.

“Guys, I can go on stage just fine. You don’t have to—”

But before he could finish, Ji Ye-chan called out, “Let’s help Muse loosen up!”

“Okay!”

At once, the Victory members swarmed Kang Ye-seong.

“Ah! Wait—ow!!”

Stage staff walking by chuckled at their playful antics. The manager and stylist, on the other hand, could only stomp their feet in frustration.

Through the laughter, a new voice spoke up.

“Looks like you all get along well.”

Still caught in the group’s roughhousing, Kang Ye-seong looked up.

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan!”

He immediately rushed over.

“Did something happen to the CEO?”

That was the real reason for Kang Ye-seong’s unease.

The comeback showcase was about to begin, but the CEO of their agency was nowhere in sight—and that worried him.

Unlike Kim Sang-cheol, Kwak Yoon-hoo had always looked out for them, supporting every step of their album preparations. Especially last night.

“Victory.”

He had come to the practice room himself to say:

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

So of course, they expected him to be here today.

This wasn’t just a performance—it was a press conference–style event. The CEO’s presence was crucial, since the members themselves couldn’t answer questions about the company.

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan, why aren’t you saying anything? Did something happen to the CEO? Something did, didn’t it?”

“No.”

Seo Do-hwan flatly denied it. Scratching his head, he looked more annoyed than concerned as he explained:

“He said something urgent came up, but he’ll be here before you go on stage.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So stop worrying. Your face is already giving you away.”

And just as he said, the other members were staring at Kang Ye-seong with concern. Kang Ye-seong forced a bright smile to reassure them, then turned back.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Seo Do-hwan waved him off, shooing him back to the group.

As soon as Kang Ye-seong rejoined them, Seo Do-hwan muttered to himself.

“What the hell is taking him so long?”

Did something happen? No, Lee Yoo-seong went with him—so that couldn’t be it. Unless he got hurt? Impossible. But then again, ‘impossible’ was how people got blindsided…

“Damn it.”

Running a hand over his face, Seo Do-hwan swore quietly. Then he called out,

“Hey! Kang Ye-seong!!”

“Yes?”

Instead of agonizing over questions with no answers, he’d do what he could right here. And right now, the best thing he could do was cheer Kang Ye-seong on.

“You saw Yoon-ju, right?”

“Yes? Oh, yeah.”

“And your grandma too?”

“Yes.”

When Kang Ye-seong nodded, Seo Do-hwan said,

“Then even if the CEO isn’t here, you’ve got those two watching. Go out there and give them your best performance.”

Kang Ye-seong’s eyes lit up. With a spark of excitement, he answered,

“Yes!”

But then quickly corrected himself.

“Actually… it’s not my stage.”

“What?”

Seo Do-hwan blinked, just as a staff member announced:

“Muse, you’re up now.”

“Muse-hyung! Let’s go!”

“Come on, hyung!”

Leaving the voices of his members behind, Kang Ye-seong turned back to Seo Do-hwan with a bright smile.

“It’s our stage.”

Seo Do-hwan stared blankly for a beat, then let out a chuckle.

So the saying was true—good-looking guys really did live up to their faces. Kang Ye-seong was no exception.

“Yeah, you’re right. I misspoke,” Seo Do-hwan said with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Go out there and show them your stage.”

Kang Ye-seong’s face lit up with the brightest smile.

“Yes!”

With that, he went up on stage with the other members.

Seo Do-hwan stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where they had disappeared before finally moving. If Kwak Yoon-hoo could not be there to watch them, then he would. He had to see Victory’s new stage with his own eyes, so that later, he could tell Kwak Yoon-hoo what he had witnessed in his place.

“You idiot, Kwak Yoon-hoo,” Seo Do-hwan muttered under his breath as he made his way toward the audience seats.

***

Flaaash!

The stage lights burst on.

“Hello! We Get Victory! I’m Victory’s leader, Muse!”

Applause filled the showcase hall.

Amidst it all, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] barely managed to hold back the scream that was about to burst from her lips.

The showcase had been structured like a press conference. There would be performances later where fans could join in the fun—but [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] could not wait until then. That was why she had mobilized all of her connections to attend this showcase. She wanted to witness with her own eyes the moment when Victory took their next leap forward.

―♩♬♪

The intro of U Know began.

After the emotional melody faded, a low voice resonated across the stage.

Yes, I know

You probably think I’m a fool

Yes, U know

But you know you’re the same, too

At the center of the stage, bathed in soft lights, stood Muse in a harness, brushing his fingers across his lips. Beside him, Lee Nak-hwa sang the next line with a wistful smile.

And we know

(Still, there are things we can’t do)

And they know

(Still, things we must do)

[BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] held her breath and quickly tapped at her phone.

[I’m at the boys’ showcase right now.]

They’re insaneㅠ I already knew they were talented, but this is literally the same as the music video; the reporters are staring at our boys with their eyes wide open like rabbitsㅠㅠ

?[Cheong-ryang and Haneul]: Oh my god; thank you so much for this live update;;

?[HonoraryNike]: Ughㅠ I should’ve burned down the office and goneㅠ I could totally sneak in disguised as a reporterㅠㅠㅠ

Comments poured in quickly, even from nicknames she had never seen before. Calming her racing heart, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] turned her gaze back to the stage.

Leave the past behind and move on

Turn your back on the future and move on

Even if the road is endless, keep running

It’s okay to fall

It’s a path where everyone falls

Stepping forward, Cheong-ryang and Haneul crossed their arms together, trading off lines before retreating with steady gazes.

This time, Sol took the mic.

Yes, I know

You probably think I’m a fool

Yes, U know

But you know you’re the same, too

As Sol finished the last verse and turned his body to the side—

‘Crazy!’

Muse appeared, back-to-back with Sol. [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] clamped a hand over her mouth. If she hadn’t, she would have screamed out loud.

‘Muse! I thought he had such a big build—!’

But apparently not. He had been hidden perfectly behind Sol’s frame.

Taking a deep breath, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] calmed herself. The stage was drawing to its climax.

Yes, we tried it, you know?

Lee Nak-hwa sang with a smile.

Why am I like this?

Why are you like this?

Why are we like this?

All the members sang together.

Yes, we tried it, you know?

Then Muse repeated that line.

Leave the past behind and move on

Turn your back on the future and move on

The others sang in response.

At that moment, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)]’s eyes welled up with tears.

Yes, I know it’s hard.

But you know, right?

This time, Sol sang with a smile. Muse draped an arm over his shoulder and softly sang the final line.

Yes, it’s what must be done.

With that, the lights went out.

[BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] quickly wiped away her tears and clapped louder than anyone else. Following her, the journalists also began to applaud.

“Thank you!”

The stage lights brightened again.

All of Victory’s members were beaming, their faces lit with genuine happiness and joy. [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)], who had come to support them, was also smiling brightly. She had been with them for a long time and knew that they had never enjoyed a stage more than they did now.

Opening her social media again, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] posted:

[It’s me, Nike, at the showcase.]

Everyone, let’s make sure these guys get first place this time!

As before, the comments came flooding in. Smiling, [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] exchanged words with fellow Nikes, sharing in the afterglow of the stage.

Meanwhile, the journalists’ questions began. Most were predictable, and [BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] only half-listened, though she memorized every one of Victory’s answers.

Then one question caught her attention.

“I have one question I’d like to ask Muse.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“As far as I know, Mr. Kang Ye-seong had significant conflicts with his previous agency. Could you comment on that?”

[BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] immediately glared at the journalist who had dared to throw such a question at Kang Ye-seong.

“There were rumors about financial disputes with the agency’s CEO. Is that true?”

Who dared to blurt out such a thing so carelessly? Who owed whom? Who had a debt relationship with whom?!

[BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)] struggled to calm her boiling anger and was about to post the situation online when another question followed.

“Moreover, I heard that this debt was because of Muse’s father. Is that true?”

This time, the question had clearly crossed the line.

[BigdolForever(@ILOVE_Victor_)]’s face twisted in fury.

What…!