Chapter 357
When we attended the year-end award ceremonies last year, I couldn't help but feel nervous even if I tried not to notice it.
I was a rookie who had only debuted for a year, and I hadn't experienced such a fancy and large-scale filming location.
But this year was different.
When we walked on the red carpet and did the official filming, all seven members were confident.
Even after we entered the filming location and sat down in our assigned seats, no one seemed nervous at all.
On the contrary, the younger line was very happy about the much better seating location than last year.
"It's really close to the stage!"
"Karis hyung-nim, look over there! There are two cameras fixed on our table?"
"It's true."
I turned my gaze to where Yoo Min-ha was pointing.
In the cast area, there were noticeably many cameras that turned to this side, perhaps because it was the Seleste's table in the front.
'That means our performance this year was good.'
The more awards we receive, the more times we are naturally exposed to the cameras.
Especially since more attention is focused on the team that takes one of the three grand prizes, there is a reason for the production team's seating arrangements.
I was definitely thinking about not drinking kimchi stew until I got out of the car....
But when I see these parts, my shoulders automatically go up again.
'It's only natural when I think about the results we showed this year.'
The success of
The successful launch of our first full-length album and the overwhelming popularity of breaking album sales records every time.
And we also perfectly started our first world tour.
As I thought back on the meaningful results we achieved with the members, I felt the instinct of the crown prince that was sleeping inside me stir little by little.
The arrogance and confidence that was characteristic of the crown prince that I had been suppressing well was awakened.
"It's natural that we're getting this much attention. So we should just sit back and enjoy this moment."
"I feel like the main character!"
"That's right. Min-ha, today's awards ceremony is being held for us."
When I spoke with a voice full of energy, Song Hyung-bin, sitting across from me, shook his head.
"Here it goes again. Karis's strange moment that comes a few times a year."
"Aren't you used to it anymore, hyung? He was just cute."
"He was cute until recently, but since we came back from Estonia, something feels strange. I used to think it was a bit strange. But now, it just feels natural."
I didn't really care what Kang Si-yoon and Song Hyung-bin said.
Instead, I checked the linked quests and achievements floating in the status window.
As it is a system that gives linked quests that are appropriate for the current situation, [Get at least 1 grand prize at the year-end awards ceremony] was registered as the main quest.
Looking back at my old memories, I don't think there was a quest like "Get the grand prize" from the beginning last year.
I think the system raised the difficulty level on its own because we won the grand prize once.
'If I'm lucky, we might win more than one grand prize this year.'
This is exactly why I checked the achievement list.
To see what kind of rewards await me if we win two or more grand prize.
I checked the achievement rewards given when I win two or more grand prizes and summarized them comprehensively.
'First of all, assuming that I win the grand prize, the minimum system recovery is 5%. If I get better results and get the achievement reward, I might get a reward close to 10% today.'
The higher the difficulty of the achievement and quest, the more rewards I get.
Since I know that I can't get 100% system recovery with just a few small quests, I have to clear the most difficult achievements at these year-end awards ceremonies to get one step closer to completing the final grand quest.
'We need to quickly and completely restore this system so that we can solve the problem regarding the Demon King. Today is a very important day.'
I closed the status window and straightened my back.
I have no doubt.
The path that my members and I have run on without rest for the past year.
The sweat we shed and the passion we have built up in our hearts as we walked that path.
I have no doubt that everything will be revealed as a result here today.
Fans poured into the audience seats that were high up.
The KAMA awards ceremony that will soon settle the year began in earnest.
Since our stage was scheduled for the latter half of the second half, we had to sit at the table and watch the other groups' stages for a very long time.
However, before the big awards were announced, there were occasional opportunities to go up on stage after receiving popularity awards such as the Global TOP 10 Artists.
"Thanks to all fans abroad...."
With more experience in winning awards, it was never difficult to leave a speech in Korean.
Originally, the leader Song Hyung-bin was in charge of all the comments, but now the other members took turns saying a few words, so they were not nervous.
My foreign language comments were also included, and I conveyed my gratitude to the overseas fandom well.
"......Did I say that well?"
"Oh, really, I think Hyung-bin hyung speaks more calmly than me?"
"...I have to practice more and take Hyung-bin hyung's place away from him."
"Why are there so many people coveting my spot these days?"
Ji Yoon-chul, who delivered his comments in a calm and relaxed tone without hesitation, even looked over at Song Hyung-bin's spot like a proud cat.
In a peaceful atmosphere, the members waited for their turn and watched the other groups' performances.
It was a little before the grand prize winners were announced. We performed a great performance on the year-end award ceremony stage that we had practiced for a long time.
Song Hyung-bin and Chae Eun-gyu's ambitiously prepared dance break solo ended without any mistakes, and the audience's response was also amazing.
"Haa, haa."
I swept my messy bangs back with one hand and looked at the audience, which was sparkling with various lights.
It's a sight that makes me feel good every time I see it.
I live to see this beautiful scene where everyone is cheering and waving at me.
"The stage was really fun!"
"Actually, it's been a while since I've danced in these suit pants, so I was a little nervous."
"Hey, I felt a little nervous when I saw you from behind."
After finishing the stage, we went backstage to fix our makeup and said this while looking at the cameras filming the behind-the-scenes of the awards ceremony.
The story about Kang Si-yoon's pants, which had unintentionally shown off a bit of a tight fit, came up right away.
Ji Yoon-chul, who always drops a bombshell every time something like this happens, did it again today.
"...... It's a good thing they didn't rip during the choreography."
"Hey, hey, hey! Ri, rip, such a ridiculous thing to say!"
"Even Siyoon was at the center at that time and the mic will pick up the sound."
"Oh, really! Why are you all like this!"
After our turn, KAMA's performance stage was almost over.
The last one was, as expected, Connex, but I don't know if it was because of my mood, but for some reason, I felt like the cheers were a little less than when we performed.
I turned my head to the side and glanced at Chae Eun-gyu.
Last year, he still looked uncomfortable toward his old colleague Bae Min-seo.
Today, Chae Eun-gyu was showing off his composure, completely different from that time.
'I have no idea what he's thinking.'
Chae Eun-gyu's expression barely changed, and he just had a faint smile on his face.
It was hard to guess what was going on in his mind.
All I could guess was...
He must be feeling a sense of stability and accomplishment that comes from his developed characteristics.
'If we can finish today perfectly, it would be perfect.'
There are three grand prizes in total.
Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year.
It is extremely rare for different groups to share all three awards.
If one song has an overwhelming success, the Album of the Year or Artist of the Year will naturally follow.
Last year, when we won the Album of the Year award, our record-breaking album sales were relatively low compared to our music chart rankings, so we were unable to connect it with the Song of the Year or Artist of the Year awards.
But this year is different.
We have shown a step up in every aspect compared to the previous year, so the results will be even better.
'I hope this wind doesn't blow only on me.'
The high-ranking officials from the KAMA organizers came up on stage to present the first award, the Album of the Year, and began to talk about the virtues of the K-pop industry.
The members, who sensed that it was finally coming, straightened their postures one by one and took a deep breath.
"Hoo..."
"It's okay, it's okay."
As Heo Yu-bin placed one hand on his chest and took a deep breath, Yoo Min-ha, who was sitting next to him, firmly squeezed his other hand.
Kang Si-yoon and Song Hyung-bin were looking at the stage in a still posture.
Ji Yoon-chul was fiddling with the Global TOP 10 Artist trophy we had just won, trying his best to keep his gaze elsewhere.
However, unlike the other members, I smiled confidently.
"The winner of the KAMA Album of the Year Award is none other than.... Seleste's
The result did not change.
Our first full-length album
Breaking the members' worries and concerns, Seleste's name confidently went up as the first grand prize winner.
"Congratulations~!"
"Congratulations!"
We moved forward, accepting the congratulations of the other teams as one body.
"The seven-member multinational boy group Seleste won the Album of the Year award last year with
I walked proudly while listening to the main MC.
Yes. Seleste's weight class has been introduced to the world for the second time in a row since last year.
Thanks to the survival audition, they have proven that the words that they shined brightly all year long are true.
[Congratulations, possessor-nim. You have successfully completed the linked quest.]
'Of course. It is just the cornerstone for soaring higher in the future.'
[I will also look forward to it.]
Along with the notification of the linked quest success, the system also spoke to me directly for the first time in a long time and congratulated me.
As I listened to the eldest brother, Chae Eun-gyu, giving his acceptance speech in a calm yet slightly excited voice, I felt like I was getting excited too.
And after a while.
"The Artist of the Year winner is none other than Seleste! Congratulations!"
We achieved our dream of winning multiple awards last year by winning Artist of the Year.
It's ridiculous to win both Album of the Year and Artist of the Year at the same time, but I was secretly hoping for a triple crown.
However, Song of the Year went to Connex, who only made a comeback once this year, and the dream of winning three awards was postponed to next year.
It was a little disappointing.
No matter how strong Connex was in the music charts,
However, I felt a little relieved because I thought I gained the driving force to work even harder on my album next year.
With it, I completed the linked quest and achievements, and my system recovery rate rose to the upper 60%.
This year was a year of great results, but I still had some regrets.
The day after KAMA ended, there was quite a bit of talk about this among fans.
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