<Episode 15>
The day of Spade Joker’s first comeback stage had arrived.
Before going on stage, they were so nervous they couldn’t even swallow a sip of water properly.
“Why am I this nervous when it’s not even my first time on stage?”
At Sora’s question, Heeseo shook his head as if he felt the same, wetting his lower lip with the tip of his tongue.
“…Hoo.”
Juseok kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.
“Honestly… before, we had kind of given up, didn’t we?”
At Cain’s words, the members looked at him as if asking what he meant.
“The song, the choreography, the outfits. Everything was at such a disastrous level that we didn’t have any expectations.”
“Ah….”
A short realization escaped their lips.
“But it’s different now. We have expectations now.”
Cain continued in a calm voice.
“We must’ve been giving up subconsciously.”
No one had said it out loud, but they all felt the same way.
They worked hard, but they didn’t dream of a better future.
Because they knew all too well that they could never reach the top with songs and choreography like those.
“And now that we have hope, it’d be weird not to feel nervous.”
“Yeah.”
“True.”
The members nodded in agreement with Cain.
“And it’s been a while since we’ve been on a music show stage. But let’s not be too nervous. This is an opportunity we barely got… we have to grab it.”
Cain said that with a faint smile.
“Let’s do well. Three years… if you think about it, it’s short. We should do everything we can so we won’t have regrets.”
Spade Joker stepped onto the stage.
The fans shouted at the top of their lungs so the group wouldn’t lose confidence.
“Spade Joker!”
“Clover is here!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Spade Joker smiled brightly and waved at their fans.
They were wearing white shirts, light blue jeans, and black sneakers.
“What is this? I’m so moved by how pretty they look.”
“I know, right? They look so good.”
Their natural makeup, which subtly highlighted their features, along with their black hair styled to fall over their foreheads, was more than enough to shake the fans’ hearts.
Spade Joker formed a circle and knelt on one knee.
“It looks like they put quite a bit of effort into the stage, too.”
Unlike before, when only the background visuals changed, this time was different.
The floor was covered in green grass, and cotton-like props resembling clouds were placed here and there.
“Yeah… looks like they’re finally doing things properly. It would’ve been nice if they did this from the beginning.”
“…Please, I hope the song is good. If the song is good, I won’t ask for anything else.”
“The teaser was good, so let’s trust it. Honestly, I feel stupid for believing again, but….”
Since only a short teaser had been released, Clover clasped their hands together in desperate prayer.
Dududung.
It was the familiar guitar sound from the teaser.
Spade Joker slowly rose to their feet in rhythm.
[When I look around, it’s nothing but darkness
I can’t see anything]
Heeseo took the opening.
Though officially the main rapper, his clear and clean tone suited the intro perfectly.
[Pitch-black vision
I see myself buried deep underground]
Spade Joker covered their eyes with both hands, then raised them while showing a smooth wave.
Then they took a step forward.
[Look around]
Like someone searching for something, they placed a hand above their brow and moved their head and upper body from left to right.
The choreography was simple and intuitive, but thanks to their natural facial expressions, it didn’t feel empty at all.
[Something falling
Presses down on me
But I won’t sink]
Even though no official fan chant had been released yet, Clover shouted in unison as if they had rehearsed it.
“Spade Joker!”
Their unity was incredible.
[A small light in front of my eyes
Holding onto just that]
Leejoo, who had been in front, finished his part and smoothly moved back, forming a zigzag formation.
[Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo
Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo]
After a light jump, they changed formation again.
Rather than rigid synchronization, the stage had a free and enjoyable vibe.
Clover liked this much better.
Before, every time they tried their best with strange songs and concepts, it hurt to watch.
And with those songs, it was hard to see them actually enjoying the stage.
“Woohoo! Woohoo!”
[Shall we go to the end?]
“Woohoo! Woohoo! Spade Joker! Cain! Zen! Sora! Leejoo! Juseok! Heeseo! Ai!”
[Say hello
Breaking through the hard soil for the first time]
Whether it was the new styling or not, their faces seemed full of life compared to before.
[I’m happy
I believe nothing can stop me now]
When the youngest, Leejoo, did a cute flower pose, Clover went wild.
“This is insane!”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this on stage!”
“Leejoo!”
[I’m anxious
Strong winds and a burning sun
Everything brushes past me]
The second verse was practically a showcase of facial expressions.
Cain winked and high-fived Juseok as he passed the part.
[Gently close my eyes
I have to become stronger]
Juseok blew a kiss to the fans.
[Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo
Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo]
Their voices blended into one.
Clover could feel their hearts pounding.
This stage was guaranteed to succeed.
[That once fragile child
Now stands over everything]
Leejoo lowered his gaze and sang in a soft, delicate tone.
“Leejoo!”
“Our maknae is amazing!”
[I’m gonna be harder]
That alone was enough to overwhelm Clover.
And right after came Zen’s powerful, refreshing high note.
Everything was perfect.
[Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo
Toward the sky
Woo Woo hoo]
In the third highlight, they faced each other and harmonized.
Zen’s high note continued through the entire section.
What? How does he even breathe?
Not only Clover but even the staff filming were visibly impressed.
For people used to idol stages, that reaction was rare.
Clover felt proud seeing that.
Is this what it feels like to be a parent?
Though she was a woman in her early twenties who had never had or raised a child, in this moment, she felt she understood exactly what it meant to be proud of one.
[I]
Spade Joker lined up in a straight formation.
[I want to become stronger and stronger]
After finishing the final part, they lay down on the stage.
There was no need to worry about the hard floor… the grass-like stage props cushioned them.
“Waaaaaah!”
With roaring cheers, Spade Joker’s first comeback stage came to an end.
Only after a while did Clover begin to move again.
“Wasn’t that insane? I love this concept so much.”
“Same here.”
“The company must’ve finally come to its senses.”
“This isn’t the time for this… SNS! We need to promote them!”
Until now, Clover hadn’t been able to promote Spade Joker’s albums.
Or rather, they had to do it differently from fans of other groups.
[Our boys… they look like this on stage, but off-stage they’re really handsome.
(Stage capture) (Bare-faced photos)]
↳ What? Isn’t that supposed to be the opposite? lol
↳ This is a first.
↳ But they’re professional. How do they perform like that without changing expressions?
Instead of praising songs or performances, all they could say was that the members were handsome off-stage or kind-hearted.
Recommending the group felt like asking others to share their suffering, given the massive “landmine” that was the company.
“This time, it’s real.”
“Let’s properly support them this time. Subway ads, we should do that too.”
“And let’s prepare fan support gifts. This is their first time promoting like this.”
“I’m so excited. We can finally step up for Spade Joker.”
“Me too. Let’s really do this.”
Clover united their hearts for Spade Joker, burning with more passion than ever before.
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Comments (3)
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🥳🥳🎉🎉
Yay! Thanks for posting!
I really like the song!