35: Relief Concert (2)
Baek Yuri looked at Gal Neoul in a daze and then took out his wallet.
Why did he suddenly need 50,000 won before going to bed?
Mermaids were creatures that were completely unpredictable.
I wondered if he would be able to pay it back since he asked me to lend it to him. Although I didn't like it, I thought there must be a reason, so I decided to just give it to him.
"Do you need it right now?"
"Probably."
When Baek Yuri took out his wallet and handed over 50,000 won, Baek Namoo made a displeased expression and stomped his feet in the air, throwing a tantrum.
[Hey, this kid! How can you give money to someone who doesn't seem able to pay it back? Huh? I thought you'd gotten smarter! Baek Yu-ri's gullibility hasn't disappeared! This won't work!]
Neoul took the 50,000 won and looked at Baek Namoo in a daze.
Why are you making a fuss when you told me to borrow it?
It was a look that contained such accusation.
[Oh. Are you being rude to the teacher?]
Baek Namoo punched Baek Yuri on the shoulder twice and told Neoul to lie down on the bed he had been lying on earlier.
[Hold on to the money.]
As Neoul-i lay down, holding the money in his hand, Baek Yu-ri and Baek Gi-yeom, who were watching from the side, had questions on their faces.
In particular, Baek Yu-ri's shoulders suddenly felt tense, so he checked the air conditioner temperature.
"Neoul-i. Why are you holding 50,000 won and sleeping?"
"I have some use for it."
Neoul answered Baek Gi-yeom's question halfheartedly. He laid his head back down on the pillow and fell asleep right away.
Soon, the lights in the room went out.
Baek Namoo put his thumb and middle finger together and blew a "ha-" with his mouth, then hit Neoul's forehead hard.
[Aah!]
Neoul, who had been half asleep, suddenly woke up, covering his forehead. The bills he was holding in one hand were crumpled in Neoul's hand. Neoul was so shocked that he completely lost his sleep.
[What are you doing?]
Neoul looked at Baek Namoo with wide eyes, and this crazy grim reaper grabbed his arm and threw his body out the window, as if he was going to take him to the afterlife.
[Huh, huh?!]
Neoul was shocked once again. No matter how much Baek Namoo kicked and punched him, Neoul's body was still intact. He had always passed over, but this time, Baek Namoo grabbed his arm.
Neoul's body was dragged out of the building through the closed glass window and screen.
Neoul turned his head and looked back, and saw his body still lying asleep in the room.
[No way... am I dead...?]
What the hell is this crazy guy...? What did he do?!
Neoul's pupils shook as he looked back and forth between his sleeping body and Baek Namoo to figure out the situation.
[Kyahahaha! Mermaid Prince! Is this your first time experiencing an out-of-body experience?]
[Huh?!]
[Here we go!]
[Okay, wait!]
An out-of-body experience!
A gust of wind blew by and the location changed. When he closed his eyes tightly and opened them, he was in the middle of a dark and eerie amusement park.
Broken glass windows, an old, dusty carousel, a roller coaster with one of its rails broken and abandoned, a picture frame with a bizarre painting.
The amusement park, which seemed to have been deserted for a long time, had a cold and eerie atmosphere.
[Let's see. Ah! Over there!]
Baek Namoo pulled Neoul's arm once more. Neoul found that he was standing on top of a structure that looked like a castle tower. If you lower your head, you can see the outdoor stage below at a glance.
[If you watch the performance here, if a ghost passing by recognizes you and tries to harm you, take out a ten-thousand won bill and give it to them as extra money. Everyone will be busy watching the performance, but just in case.]
Neoul, who were absorbed in the amusement park view from up high, nodded roughly and put the money in his pajama pants pocket.
[Then have fun!]
Baek Namoo disappeared in an instant, making the sound of earrings clinking.
Neoul looked down quietly. He saw countless ghosts gathered around the stage.
At that moment.
Paat!
The entire amusement park, which had been dark, was lit up.
Before the lights were turned on, the rides that had been gloomy were filled with colorful lights, creating a beautiful scene. The yellow bulbs and colorful lanterns hanging in all directions added to the fantastic atmosphere.
The tower where Neoul stood also blinked on and off several times before soon sparkling brilliantly. The ghosts raised their heads toward the tower, so Neoul hurriedly bent down and hid behind the railing.
'But why should I hide?'
Even if the ghosts tried to harm him, what could they do when they're already dead? Neoul was really not afraid of ghosts at all.
♬ 𝅘𝅥𝅮 𝅘𝅥 ♬ 𝅘𝅥𝅮♬ 𝅘𝅥𝅮 𝅘𝅥
Just as Baek Namoo was trying to stand up, music came from somewhere. Neoul opened his rabbit eyes and looked around, wondering what it was.
Looking closely, he saw instruments such as a keyboard, drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar on the left side of the stage. Ghosts with unique clothing and hairstyles played their instruments cheerfully.
In particular, the drummer had only bare bones where his arms and legs should have been, and he wore gloves with open fingers and freely swung his drumsticks.
[Ummmmmmmm-Yeeeeeeah!]
A throat-scratching sound like a motorcycle engine followed by a loud shouting echoed throughout the amusement park. Baek Namoo appeared on stage with the refreshing drum sound.
Cheers that sounded like screams erupted from the ghosts below the stage.
Kyaaaaah!
Baek Namoo was wearing a black harness over a white shirt with two buttons undone, black pants, and black leather gloves. Although his clothes had changed, his accessories were the same as before.
The ghosts who had been looking at the top all moved their gazes toward Baek Namoo who showed up on the stage.
[It was the end! You knew it!
It was the first time, so everything was difficult
Even though it was a mess, we did our best
We laughed, cried, and ran hard
The traces of the past
[I'm afraid that everything will disappear]
Baek Namoo, holding a hand microphone, walked freely on the large stage. The sweet and refreshing pronunciation and the unique, appealing tone were attractive.
[In the cold ground, under the shade of the trees
In the hot fire
If you thought eternal night had come
Don't worry anymore
Lift your head and look at the world!
You've shed enough tears already
Shake off your fears and regrets and
Hold my hand!]
Boom! Doo doo doo doo doo dung! Boom doo!
A powerful voice filled with deep emotions rushed through the sky, seemingly piercing through the increasingly intense drum sound.
[I'll tell you that this is not the end, but the beginning
A new world will open up—!
Saying that you're no longer excited is a bright yellow lie
It's a big red lie to say that everything is boring!
In fact, it's always like a little boy or girl
I just wanted my heart to beat without thinking
If you want it again-
Don't hesitate
Hold my hand!]
Hopeful and exciting rock. Baek Namoo, who had been singing nonstop while running around the stage, threw the mic high, did a somersault, and snatched it back.
Kyaaaaaaaah! Aaaaah!
Lights flickered between the screams of cheering and jumping in place. The tickets that the ghosts who had been invited to the concert were waving sparkled like fireflies.
[Oh oh ohohoh ohoh oh-]
At the end of the stage, Baek Namoo, who had come very close to the audience, sang the song with precise pitch as if he was picking out each note.
[Come on, you guys! Let's sing together! Let's go!]
Then he shouted at the audience and passed the mic.
Oh oh ohohoh ohoh oh-
Then came the chorus.
There were audience members who sang well, and there were also audience members who got the notes wrong or lost the beat... but everyone sang along with one mind and one heart.
Baek Namoo's face, which held out the microphone to the audience and stretched out his arms, had a big smile on his face. Baek Namoo nodded his head and kept the beat.
Neoul suddenly felt goosebumps and swept his arms away. This was the first time he had ever seen such a sight. Baek Namoo was not only filling up this large stage by himself, but was also naturally and happily interacting with the audience below the stage.
Neoul couldn't take his eyes off the stage and the audience for even a second, and he took in everything in his eyes.
[Hold my hand! Oh oh ohohoh ohoh-]
Oh oh ohohoh ohoh oh-
The audience responded once more, and after the exciting intro, Baek Namoo's voice stretched out refreshingly again.
[Don't be afraid and hold my hand!
Throw away gravity and shout hotly
Ooh-! Even without wings, we can fly!]
Boom! Boom! Fireworks shot into the sky. The fireworks burst, spread, and shattered, and the crowd was lost in their adoration of light. Instead of the smell of gunpowder, the fireworks gave off the scent of incense.
[There is no ending, meet me in the Prologue
A new door has opened-!
It's a big lie to say that I lived like everyone else
It's a white lie to say that it's okay now!
In fact, I've always been like a young boy or girl
I've always hoped for a special day without thinking.
At this moment, if you felt it once more—
don't hesitate
Hold my hand!]
Baek Namoo took off the rings on his ten fingers and threw them evenly toward the audience. Then, with his lightened hands, he grabbed the outstretched hands of the audience in the front row one by one and moved from one end of the stage to the other.
[Hold my hand! Oh oh ohohoh ohoh-]
Oh oh ohohoh ohoh oh-
The ghosts responded enthusiastically. There were even a few who burst into tears. The cheers were louder than before and the hands waving the shining tickets trembled with excitement.
[Don't be afraid, take my hand!
Throw away gravity
And shout out loud Ooh-!
Even without wings, we can fly!]
Baek Namoo, who was flying around the stage, seemed to have been born for the stage. Neoul recalled what he had said.
—ɪ'ʟʟ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴏʟ ɪꜱ.
The chain hanging from his gorgeous silver earrings shook ceaselessly and finally stopped moving. Baek Namoo, who was a grim reaper, should not have been out of breath at all, but he pretended to be out of breath and shook his body to show off his cool pose.
[Hold my hand—]
Kyaaaaaaah!
There was an explosive response. Baek Namoo, who was enjoying the response with a bright expression, disappeared from the stage like smoke, and a woman with her hair tied into pigtails took over the stage.
[Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming to the Relief concert where you can relieve all your old grudges!]
Waaaaaaah!
[Worry! Foolishness! Sadness! Pain! Let's put all the burdens on our shoulders down on this world and sing our hearts out with our lightened bodies!]
The speaker blared every time the woman spoke.
The concert, which started off excitingly with Baek Namoo's rock, continued with a splendid and diverse stage.
The grim reaper with long hair covered a popular female idol song, and Baek Namoo, who reappeared, presented a dance pop stage.
Pop rock, synth pop, trot, rock ballad, and even a group stage with the five grim reapers.
Neoul couldn't take his eyes off the stage that was constantly moving. Baek Namoo, as he boasted, continued to appear on solo stages, mixed stages, and group stages, taking up 70% of the concert stage.
When Baek Yuri told him, "Now I'm better than you," he jumped up and down in amazement, and it wasn't for nothing.
When he danced, he showed perfect angles and lines, and his vocals were one step, no, two or three steps higher than Baek Yuri's.
Not only was the tone so beautiful that it was like lightning striking your ears, but the range was incredibly wide and the transitions between registers were as free as breathing. It was a bonus that it was so innate that you could only say it was natural talent.
Baek Namoo, who had become a grim reaper, was not a living person, so he didn't get tired even if he didn't eat and moved around for a long time, and his throat didn't hurt no matter how much he sang or scratched his throat. He also had a light body that could fly, so his dancing was like a feather.
Neoul noticed that most of the ghosts who had been stuck to the ground were gradually lifting their weight off their lives and floating in the air.
[Hey. Student.]
At that moment, someone spoke from behind Neoul.
[Why are you, Student, watching here alone?]
—