The Idol Who Returned from Hell Chapter 152

Finally, today was the day.

‘I endured that damn summer semester until the very end just for this day……!’

A college student who had perfectly organized her bedside table looked at the digital clock hanging on her room wall with a reverent heart.

There were still 10 minutes left until exactly 6 PM, but she needed to log into NeoTube starting now.

Third year of college, also called the cursed year, and the summer semester she took to recover the credits she unintentionally lost due to her late entry into idol fandom.

The only refuge for her heart was returning to her, someone who had been consumed by a disaster she brought upon herself and had walked only on the path of hardship instead of enjoying a comfortable vacation like others.

‘Should have just debuted when I was in high school.’

CENTIX had debuted in that semester when she stubbornly crammed 21 credits because she wanted to graduate quickly.

She, who had been unshakeable even when friends around her constantly promoted how about trying to get into idols, fell to CENTIX all too easily.

The college student who hadn’t anticipated how stimulating the taste of learning something new would be had caught up with all the content including 〈Idol Stove League Season 2〉 as a latecomer. Unfortunately, her GPA also couldn’t withstand it and collapsed, forcing her to take summer semester.

But now it was fine.

Summer semester was over, and CENTIX had returned from their hiatus period!

‘I filled in all the holes in my GPA, so now I just need to focus on fangirling.’

With such hopeful feelings, she was diligently refreshing CENTIX’s official NeoTube channel.

When the pre-set alarm announced exactly 6 o’clock, an unfamiliar thumbnail immediately appeared at the top.

[Centix(CENTIX) 「Find Me」 M/V]

It was a side profile of Ryu Si-hwan looking down at a blue butterfly perched on his finger.

“Whoa—!”

An exclamation instinctively escaped the college student’s mouth.

As if drawn by some unknown force, her index finger clicked on the thumbnail, and CENTIX’s second mini album title track 〈Find Me〉 music video began.

The video’s opening was very similar to the trailer.

A drone shot taken from far above the blue forest where Yu Ha-woon had appeared.

Soon someone appeared running breathlessly.

Yu Ha-woon, who had been walking in the trailer, was now busily moving his feet somewhere while his bright brown hair fluttered.

When passing through a section of the dense forest, the camera meaningfully descended at an angle.

The hourglass that had been employed as an object since 〈Chronic〉 was captured sitting alone in the middle of the bushes.

The moment a faint light flickered inside, the accompaniment began.

「A breeze brushes both cheeks

Something suddenly comes to mind

Who am I, Who are U」

A clear tone that captivated attention from the start.

It was Ryu Si-hwan, the undeniable opening master.

「Taking a deep breath

This unfamiliar freedom

I still don’t know where to go

Where to go, I don’t know」

Ryu Si-hwan, who had come out of the abandoned factory, looked around hastily with anxious eyes.

Not a single star could be seen in the dim, misty sky.

The pluck sound and house beat filling his ears gradually began to become more upbeat, and following that tempo, Ryu Si-hwan also ran forward.

All developments followed the trailer.

Kang Seon-woo, Ma Si-hyeok, Seong-hwi, and Chae Ha-ru also came out of the spaces where they had been trapped and ran somewhere as if enchanted.

The previously dark scenery also gradually brightened, and the song’s atmosphere ripened further.

「But nothing’s meaningless

Nothing is decided

This emotion I’m feeling now

This feeling that has settled in my heart

So I」

Ma Si-hyeok entered a dizzyingly disheveled room.

What greeted him was one antique full-length mirror.

When the mirror’s surface rippled like a lake, he slowly reached out and touched the glass.

And at that moment, everything was sucked into Ma Si-hyeok’s enlarged pupils.

The house beat that had been rising in tempo completely mixed with pluck sound that felt both refreshing and wistful simultaneously, and the chorus verse that had appeared in the trailer came out, providing cheerfulness as well.

「Find the reason, find the meaning

I won’t stop

That pouring light

There must be something at the end of it」

A feast of light embroidered the sky.

Like aurora encountered in the Arctic, waves boasting colorful bodies danced brilliantly.

As the darkness covering the heavens lifted, breathtaking stars that seemed to bring the entire universe filled the view, radiating white light and announcing their existence.

CENTIX’s group dance exploded with this indescribably beautiful background.

In the trailer, partially edited scenes had appeared, making it difficult to connect the choreography in detail.

But in the music video, CENTIX performing smooth movements on what seemed like a lake made of transparent ice stood out tremendously.

The college student continued staring at her phone screen without even having time to express admiration.

The movements that felt clean yet powerful seemed to represent how much they had practiced this choreography.

The group scene orchestrated like a painting without any member falling behind ended, and the story continued again as it moved to the second verse.

Green energy swirled in Yu Ha-woon’s forest.

In the space where the thick fog had also disappeared, Yu Ha-woon breathed heavily with a bright smile.

Then something rippling in the distance slowly flew over.

It was a butterfly with impressive green wings that seemed to contain the full spirit of the forest.

For Seong-hwi, who came out from where glass had shattered and entered a path lined with subtle purple gems, came a butterfly with purple wings.

For Chae Ha-ru walking along a lakeside filled with transparent water, came a white butterfly.

For Kang Seon-woo who climbed to the top of a black rocky mountain, came a dark gray butterfly.

For Ma Si-hyeok standing in the middle of a city where the sun was slowly rising, came an orange butterfly.

And finally, for Ryu Si-hwan standing on a grassland where blue flowers grew from the ground, came a blue butterfly.

Six pairs of wings, Sixth Wing.

It was a series of scenes that implicitly revealed this was where the album’s title came from.

「Gray starlight in the ashen sky

My reflection in the mirror

Call your name until my throat burns

cause I know you’ll find me」

The song climaxed further, forming heart-swelling catharsis.

The guitar riffs that occasionally mixed in were also charming, and the sophistication of pluck sound imbued with the pop sensibilities of overseas artists breathed different energy into it.

Following that flow, the visual beauty in the music video created even more beautiful lights, making one feel like they had fallen into the middle of space.

Group choreography and individual cuts of each member looking at the butterfly perched on their hand with tender eyes appeared intermingled.

As expected, Ryu Si-hwan’s individual cut that had been spoiled in the trailer was truly outstanding.

The college student, who was one of those who thought this ash brown style was better than black hair, wanted to immediately pause the music video and capture screenshots, but stopping the song wasn’t polite, so she suppressed the urge.

Even Kang Seon-woo’s individual cut, which had caused legendary responses in the 〈Find Me〉 concert, was directed so impressively that she couldn’t take her eyes off it for a second.

「Remember the warmth

That breathed life into me

Spread your wings

I know you’ll find me」

「Following those stars beyond the horizon

I’ll make my own way

Crossing limits, I won’t stop

Till the time

You find me」

In the scene where the rap part passed, a faint energy effect appeared above the members’ bodies.

It seemed like they were communicating with the butterflies perched on their hands.

And in the second chorus that followed, as the pluck sound rose and fell, the costume in the group dance scenes changed consecutively.

When the Void and Scarlet version outfits revealed in the concept photos were passed along through smooth cross-editing, excitement welled up in the college student’s chest.

‘Seriously production masters, masters!’

The long-awaited climax arrived.

Any MILLENNIUM already knew the pattern that climax meant high notes, and high notes meant Ryu Si-hwan.

So the college student was also very curious about what format Ryu Si-hwan would showcase his destructive capabilities in this time.

「Spread your wings」

Instead of a long drawn-out high note, he cut short and powerfully through just one brief English phrase.

Just when she thought it might end there, Ryu Si-hwan’s voice could be heard decorating all the following repeated chorus phrases with high note ad-libs.

‘Yes, this is it!’

Two-level high notes, high notes lasting over 10 seconds—all good.

But ad-libs that blend expressiveness along with following the lyrics like this have an incomparable taste.

And Ryu Si-hwan naturally digested his part superbly.

‘But singing this live with this choreography would be really tough even for Si-hwan.’

The college student felt slightly worried while watching the group dance heading toward the ending.

CENTIX’s choreography boasting extreme difficulty was still the same in this comeback.

Since Ryu Si-hwan had always constantly devoured AR using even handheld mics as secret weapons during every major stage, there was a high possibility he would definitely sing live this time too.

She immediately slapped her own cheek and regained her senses.

‘Who am I to worry about whom, when it’s Si-hwan who never made a single mistake even on year-end stages. I’m the fool for worrying!’

Meanwhile, the music video gradually approached its conclusion.

Low humming filled the sound.

CENTIX blew one by one, sending the butterflies that had been perched on their hands back to that distant sky.

With Seong-hwi decorating the finale, the six butterflies of light disappeared into the night sky drawing shining curves.

And when the camera suddenly looked back, the hourglass placed in the blue flower field came into view, very similar to the last scene of the trailer.

Instead of the scene that had only shown Ryu Si-hwan watching, now all six members stood together.

「Find Me.」

The music video ended like that, creating a strange feeling where brilliance and wistfulness coexisted.

The college student, who had forgotten to even blink, wiped away tears and even clapped.

‘I have to leave a comment today!’

With a full heart, she wrote a long gushing comment and pressed enter.

She had hoped to get an early like and receive algorithm recommendations to get a best comment.

“……What, mine isn’t even visible.”

Already overwhelmed by countless crowds who were a hundred steps ahead of her, the college student’s comment was instantly buried.

The college student made a dejected expression while replaying CENTIX’s new song, which had surpassed 1,000 comments just 10 minutes after release.

It was truly the beginning of global obsession.