Chapter 279: First Full Album (15)

Chapter 279: First Full Album (15)

“I really put a lot of effort into writing that as beautiful as I could.”

“You wrote that, hyung? But your handwriting is terrible.”

“Yeah, but it turned out pretty good, didn’t it? It looks like it was written by a successful businessman.”

Goh Yoo-Joon was admiring his own handwriting in the video and laughed off Jin-Sung’s comment about his typically poor penmanship.

In the video, Goh Yoo-Joon had just finished writing on the chalkboard and was now stepping back with a stern expression. His face was a mix of complex emotions.

The camera then focused solely on the chalkboard's message and gradually faded to darkness. On the black screen, the words “Phantom Spirit (幻想靈)” appeared in white before slowly disappearing.

The scene shifted to a pastel-colored dance set featuring a close-up of me. The background gradually darkened as the camera pulled back to include all the members.

The music began playing. The choreography video commenced with us dancing, intermittently showing fleeting glimpses of someone running.

? Nightmares are rampant,

I sink into this place,

The more you meet me,

The larger my presence grows

The alternating shots of the choreography and someone running fully transitioned to just the runner. The camera moved up from the runner’s legs and revealed Yoon-Chan's face stricken with terror as he ran.

“Yoon-Chan really looks scared, huh?"

“Ah, I look like that because... I was tired from running so much earlier..."

Goh Yoo-Joon laughed at Yoon-Chan’s explanation. He said that whenever he saw that scene, he would only remember how exhausted Yoon-Chan had been during filming.

“This time, the mood is very grim. Isn't the music video scary already, even though it barely started?"

“That’s what I’m saying! Well, no one filmed anything scary, right?" Jin-Sung asked while half-hiding behind me.

The other members just laughed without replying to him.

“Why isn't anyone answering? Did you film something scary?"

No one did. But we didn’t respond.

Meanwhile, the music video scene shifted from Yoon-Chan to what could be considered the center of the narrative: a flower field.

“Wow! Who could that be?"

“Rings will probably guess right away!"

Lee Jin-Sung was smiling at someone across from him in his fantasy world. The stranger was also looking at him. A black shirt could be seen underneath the white cape that covered the stranger entirely, their face hidden underneath the hood of the cape.

“..."

That was me. I pretended to focus on the music video while ignoring the members' teasing and attempts at pretending they didn’t know who that was.

“Who could it be? Who is that? That guy has a nice head shape from the back!"

Jin-Sung and I shook hands. The camera slowly zoomed in on our clasped hands. Between the palms of Jin-Sung and mine was a pocket watch that had appeared in every music video so far.

? In the darkness beyond the night,

I wait for you to find me

When you awaken,

Then, Yoon-Chan, who had been running all day in the video, suddenly stopped in front of the school. He was visibly confused about how he ended up there as he looked at the school with a defeated expression.

The pastel-colored sky was reflected in Yoon-Chan’s eyes. He was about to step back in complete terror, but hesitated when he heard someone’s footsteps. Reluctantly, he stepped inside through the wide-open school gate.

“Yoon-Chan really ran all day that day."

“Even watching the music video makes you breathe hard. Good job, Yoon-Chan."

“Yoon-Chan got sick after that day."

“No, it was manageable. It felt like I worked out for a long time."

“...You are too kind."

I patted Yoon-Chan on the head and back. He had been sore for days from the muscle strain, yet he said it was okay. This truly was a testament to his kindness.

Someone chasing Yoon-Chan was caught on camera. Yoon-Chan avoided the owner of the footsteps and went deeper into the dark school building. The music video then switched to show me standing in the collapsing world of the flower field. I opened my eyes and looked at the camera before the scene changed again.

? I wait for this night

Even as dawn breaks,

I await your illusion,

And whisper eternal love

The song halted, and with it, so did the whirlwind of emotions it expressed.

Creak—

Yoon-Chan gasped for air as he opened a door somewhere that led to a classroom.

“Haah... huff..." His eyes wavered. This all-too-familiar place was the clubroom.

[He betrayed us]

Yoon-Chan stared blankly at the phrase Goh Yoo-Joon had left behind. The person who had been following Yoon-Chan into the classroom closed the door. Yoon-Chan got startled and turned around. The camera slowly moved up from the pursuer’s feet to reveal their identity.

It was Lee Jin-Sung, dressed just as he was in the fantasy world.

[He is not a friend]

White letters appeared on a black screen. Again, the scene showed an empty school without any signs of Goh Yoo-Joon and Park Yoon-Chan. The sports field was shown. I was dressed in a black shirt and wore a badge, looking at the flames inside a burning drum under a darkened real-world sky. There were no emotions on my face as I watched the fire.

I raised my hand to drop something into the flames before walking back into the school building. The burning items were the name tags of Goh Yoo-Joon, Lee Jin-Sung, and Park Yoon-Chan.

Joo-Han was watching me from the rooftop in his fantasy world attire. The screen darkened once more, and white letters carved another message.

[Guilt]

[Longing for lost memories]

[I will willingly live with it]

[For my brother—]

I walked into the clubroom and erased the phrase ‘He betrayed us’ written on the chalkboard. The tears fell spontaneously from my eyes, but the director made them appear as if they were part of the production. With that, the music video concluded.

“...Yes, it’s over.”

As the ending credits rolled, Joo-Han stopped the video and began to rouse the members one by one. We were all lost in the afterglow of the clip.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s share some thoughts. What did you think about it?”