[INTRO]
yACE debuted at the tail end of the second generation of idols as the ambitious project of K-dum, a small-to-medium entertainment company.
To survive in the oversaturated idol market, they came out with the concept of “angel boys in a dystopia praying for peace through hip-hop.”
Title | Views
What the hell was that just now? lolololol (2) | 89
Why are you guys watching a comedy show when there’s a 3-minute stand-up comedy here (4) | 113
Mr. President, please make a law where Solar Boys perform 2 songs instead of giving time to flop idols (32) | 851
The result was, naturally, a complete disaster.
Their pretentious yet shoddy sets and cost-effective costumes created stages that drew mockery from both viewers and the studio audience.
The term “flop idol” was accurate for yACE.
Everyone expected that the group called yACE would disappear without a trace within a few years.
True to those expectations, yACE hit rock bottom with every release after their debut album—both mini and full albums alike. The excessive apocalyptic concept was funny once or twice, but soon even the attention from mockery began to wither away.
Title | Views
For yACE, it’s not read as “Yae-seu” or “Yay-seu” but “Young ACE”… please just give us a crumb of attention.. (2) | 22
Please, can’t you look at Young ACE’s faces instead of their clothes and stages ㅠㅠ (0) | 12
K-dum, you guys should take down your entertainment company sign, you fuckers, stop doing whatever you want (2) | 55
What should I eat for lunch? (15) | 187
—I will now announce the winner. The 201X Music Awards Best Artist Award.
Just as despair began to settle on the faces of the members who had been stubbornly putting out low-budget albums while desperately ignoring reality.
—…The glorious winner is, Young ACE! Congratulations.
In their fourth year since debut, yACE created a reversal.
“Waaaaaaah!!!!!”
The moment the winner was announced, ear-splitting cheers erupted from the audience.
The camera focused on the group that had won this year’s Best Artist Award—in other words, the grand prize.
All six members had their eyes wide open in disbelief.
“Ah, ah…!”
Soon, one of them burst into tears and buried his face in his palms. As if that were a signal, all six embraced each other.
By the time they climbed onto the stage, most of the members’ faces were drenched in tears. Confetti poured down like flower rain over the winners’ heads.
—Two, three.
—Young Forever. Hello, we are Young ACE!
The microphone for the acceptance speech went to the leader first. The tall man with a heavy-set impression squeezed his eyes shut as if to gather himself, then opened them.
—…Thank you so much. I never even imagined I would receive such a huge award in my lifetime.
As the eldest, he was barely holding back tears, but in the end, his trembling breath escaped through the microphone.
—I thought this year would be Young ACE’s last. But, for something like this to happen to us…. It’s been such a miraculous year that I think I’ll remember this moment even when I’m dying. To our Spades who believed in us and supported us until the very end. We really love you and thank you.
He bowed deeply toward the yACE fan section. The capital A-shaped light sticks symbolizing yACE shook like crazy.
The leader then called out each member one by one, offering praise and gratitude.
Cha Yeonsu, Kim Yeban, Big Room, Yunjin, and….
—Lastly, our best producer and maknae, Henzel. Baek Hanje. Thank you for creating songs that let us shine. Being able to stand here right now is all thanks to you.
Following the leader’s gaze, the other members’ eyes fixed on the member standing at the opposite end.
Two years younger than the member directly above him, barely seventeen this year. The maknae, Baek Hanje.
While his hyungs’ faces were flushed red from crying, the maknae was so calm he appeared almost resolute. Like a victor who had just won a life-or-death battle.
‘Fuck, I did it.’
Of course I’d react this way.
Because for Baek Hanje—for me—this year’s grand prize wasn’t a miracle but something I absolutely had to achieve.
With my hyungs’ pats of encouragement, I ended up holding the microphone after the leader.
—Thank you. With such good results, I’m truly, truly happy.
The hand mic in front of my lips trembled. Everyone thought it was from nervousness, but actually it was because I was clenching my fist too tightly.
‘See that, you fucking Quest window bastard.’
The semi-transparent gray window—the source of both my rage and elation—appeared before my eyes.
Wish: yACE at the most splendid position on stage
Quest Scenario <The Idol Who Walks a Flower Path>
Q118. Win 5 grand prizes in 20XX (5/5)
—Music.com Song of the Year
—Music.com Album of the Year
—Korean Popular Music Awards Grand Prize
—VBC Year-End Arts Festival Music Grand Prize
—Music Awards Best Artist Award (New!)
Success: yACE’s fame (+200), Member cohesion (+110), Hidden reward
Failure: yACE permanently disbands
This strange window was visible only to my eyes. The contents of this damned quest were likewise known only to me.
Looking at it again, it was insane.
‘Five grand prizes?’
To achieve that, I needed a hit song that would stick to the top of the charts all year long, follow-up songs to sustain popularity, and I had to show my face on various stages and variety shows throughout the year to make our presence known to the public.
While handling a murderous schedule and creating a masterpiece album where even the B-sides charted, I almost developed hair loss, hand tremors, and arrhythmia in my teens.
‘…Honestly, when the Quest window first appeared before my eyes, I thought I’d gone insane.’
I wondered if I was escaping into hallucinations because I couldn’t accept the reality that no matter how hard we tried, it would be difficult for yACE to continue activities.
But the contents were far too realistic to be a phantom.
More than anything, the Quest window never lied. If I succeeded, it gave the promised rewards; if I failed, it made me pay the price.
‘Whether it was filling a total of 5,000 hours of dance practice by convincing the members, or begging the PD while clinging to their pant legs to get us on variety shows….’
It was full of absurd demands.
But as I carried out the near-threatening instructions, flop idol yACE gradually began to shine.
Our stages became hot topics, we left strong impressions on variety shows, fans flooded in, and our music performance rose.
It was also true that without the Quest window, yACE would never have made it to this position.
Well, whatever.
‘I did it.’
yACE had now risen to the ranks of top-tier idols that no one could dispute.
But this was just the beginning.
The other members were probably thinking the same thing. There were many more places to climb ahead.
After all, yACE had been floundering in the gutter and had only just soared for one year.
—Young ACE will work hard forever.
I bowed deeply at the end of my speech and lifted my head. In the meantime, the window before my eyes had changed.
Q118. Win 5 grand prizes in 20XX (5/5)
Clear
Rewards will be received.
Even without displaying a notification, I could feel more than enough that the quest rewards—’yACE’s fame and member cohesion’—had skyrocketed.
‘Ha, so what’s the next quest? After five grand prizes, do I have to win a Billboard Award next year or something?’
Even as I asked sarcastically, a smile forced its way out.
The exhilaration of achievement from running toward a goal with the resolve to die was addictive. It made me ready to charge forward again with everything I had.
I wanted to stand here again next year, showing an even better stage before the joyful cheers of our fans.
All Quest Scenarios necessary for wish fulfillment have been completed.
Congratulations to the wisher ‘HANZEL (Baek Hanje)’!
Reward: Permanent increase in composition ability (+20%)
User’s wish ‘yACE at the most splendid position on stage’ has been successfully achieved.
Quest will now terminate.
Thank you for using our service.
However, before I could even finish my solemn resolve, the semi-transparent window vanished before my eyes.
“Huh?”
My bewildered voice flowed into the microphone I was still holding.
“Wh-what?!”
At the sudden voice, laughter erupted here and there, and my hyungs, who had been sobbing, snapped to attention to look after their spaced-out maknae.
But I was truly having trouble gathering my wits.
‘Quest window. Quest window!’
The window that had been annoyingly blocking my vision at all hours while I performed 118 quests wouldn’t appear.
‘Flower Path-ssi! Transparent window? Wish-ya?! Is this really the end?’
Like magic that scatters into thin air after granting a wish in a fairy tale.
