The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 130: "Aboji~"

On the KBS Music Festival stage, after the EXO-CBX sub-unit's performance, the dark screen suddenly flashed to a backstage interview with the singers.

On the screen, Twice's Kim Dahyun and IOI's Kim Sejeong introduced their upcoming performances to the audience at the scene and those watching the live broadcast with smiles on their faces.

"Aboji?"

As Kim Da-hyun asked the question, Gong Sung's bright smiling face appeared in the camera, and the scene in the KBS hall suddenly erupted with deafening screams.

"Tarot and Chanyeol look so handsome today." Kim Sejeong looked at the two brothers in admiration. It was really pleasing to the eyes to see them working together on the same stage. "I heard that the song you two are collaborating on is a hip-hop song?"

"As far as we know, although Tarot's debut album is pure hip-hop, this is the first time they've performed this type of music on stage?"

Following Kim Sejeong's introduction, the camera gave Gong Cheng a close-up shot. He wore a loose black sweatshirt, a white base layer underneath, black casual pants, and Vans sneakers, looking casual and relaxed. However, the star-shaped earring in his left ear and the eyebrow stud on his brow added a touch of edge and unruliness to his face, often called a "goddess."

"Inside."

Kim Da Hyun cue Park Chan Yeol next to him: "Well, Chan Yeol, this is your first time working with Tarot. What are your thoughts? Can you tell us?"

"You know, Tarot is me..."

……

After seeing the backstage interview on the big screen, the atmosphere of the audience was instantly aroused, and the stage, props, etc. for the next show were almost set up.

As Gong Cheng's brightly smiling face disappeared, a VCR about Lim Nayeon's mother lit up on the screen. Gong Cheng and Park Chanyeol, who had finished the interview and were about to go on stage, were also in the waiting corridor, watching the VCR and Lim Nayeon's next stage performance.

In the video, Lim Nayeon smiled and said in a video recorded for her mother: "I can debut so beautifully because of my mother. If it weren't for my mother, I probably wouldn't be able to survive the training life... I haven't sung a song for you, so today I want to sing a song for you..."

After the vcr ended, Lin Nayeon on the stage wore a black suit jacket with white buttons and lace decorations, and a black hip skirt. The overall look was capable and simple. Gong Cheng stood in the waiting aisle, looking at the face under the light.

Long brown hair draped over the shoulders, cherry red lips... kind of pretty, what's going on?

"Has the once gentle person forgotten me?"

"Have you forgotten me so soon?"

As the soothing prelude sounded, Lim Nayeon hummed a song and sat on a silver-gray crescent moon (prop) with her mother. The mother and daughter sang a duet, bringing the audience a song "Only Thoughts Accumulated".

"Is it good?" In the waiting corridor, Park Chanyeol looked at Gong Cheng, moved closer to him, and asked suspiciously.

"It's okay..." Gong Cheng curled his lips, and just withdrew his gaze, he couldn't help but glance at Lin Nayeon on the stage again.

"You really don't like me?"

"Appreciate, you know?" Gong Cheng listened to Lin Nayeon's singing. Her singing skills were pretty good, right?

"Irene, do you admire it too?"

"Hmm~"

"Tarot, Chanyeo, get ready, you'll be on stage soon." The staff in the waiting area heard the director's instructions in the headset and stepped forward to remind them.

……

Five minutes later, Nayeon and her mother walked off the stage together.

Looking at Gong Cheng, who was holding the microphone and making final preparations, she wanted to go up and give this stinky scoundrel a high five, but because her mother was beside her, she pursed her teeth and whispered a pep talk: "Huai Ting~"

Gong Cheng greeted her mother with a chuckle, then gave Lin Nayeon a thumbs up, smiled, and didn't say much.

On the stage, as the staff set up the venue, in order to keep the audience in the audience and the live broadcast room busy, the pre-recorded VCR sounded again on the big screen.

In the picture, Park Chanyeol's mother opened the red gift box handed to her by the staff under the guidance of the staff.

Inside the gift box, there is an iPad with a video recorded in advance by Park Chanyeol.

"Mom, Saranghae~"

"..."

……

The VCR screen gradually came to an end, and the dim lights on the stage made the audience feel a little overwhelmed.

What about Tarot?
What about Tarot’s vcr?
Just as the audience was puzzled, the originally dark big screen was filled with starlight. At first glance, it looked like a galaxy painted by stars.

On the stage, Gong Cheng sat on a staircase set up by the prop team. A beam of light, along with the twinkling stars behind him, shone on him. His face beneath his hoodie, his hand holding the microphone, showed no expression.

The flickering starlight on the big screen behind him suddenly disappeared, and a pre-recorded VCR slowly played.

"Well, when Xiao Cheng first came to Seoul, he didn't have many friends..."

Gong Cheng stood up and looked back at the VCR behind him. His adoptive father on the screen looked much better than before.

"When I look back~"

"I realized I'd gone further than I thought~ I suddenly got scared~"

"Look at myself~I'm exhausted~but I don't know~I'm lonely~"

"..."

A low, hoarse voice rang out from the corner of Gong Cheng's mouth under the brim of his hat, accompanying the prelude, like an old radio, pulling the audience's thoughts back and forth.

In the waiting corridor, Lin Nayeon did not go backstage to rest with her mother. On the contrary, there were many artists backstage who were crowded here, watching Gong Cheng's performance on the stage.

"The live performance of this song is amazing." The three members of Bombardment Meteor gathered together. Park Jae-beom, a senior in the hip-hop circle, watched Gong Cheng's collaboration song with Park Chanyeol during the morning rehearsal.

In his opinion, this song won't be that explosive when performed live, but it can easily stir up emotions.

"Ahbo Ji Ahbo Ji~"

Son Chaeyoung and IOI's friend Jeon Mi-so smiled and waved, humming a few lines of the lyrics they had memorized during the morning rehearsal.

"You did well, if it was confusing~"

"Just do it like we've always done~"

Gong Cheng slowly walked down the stairs, rapping clearly and calmly. He leaned against the unbridled face beneath his eyebrow nails, and a smile gradually formed on his face. "After experiencing setbacks once or twice, it's no longer interesting anymore~"

"Opportunities always appear during life crises. Don't you know how to get back on your feet?"

The VCR on the big screen behind him, after editing, edited the interview at Gong Cheng's home, Gong Cheng's MV and various materials together. The scrolling images were like a kaleidoscope movie.

As the audience erupted in screams, the screen showed behind-the-scenes footage of "Fireworks are eternal", where Gong Cheng practiced the dance over and over again. Then, the screen flashed away.

The screen was frozen on a yellowed photo. The boy was surrounded by his adoptive parents, one on each side, with his lips curled and his eyes cold.

"Don't stop, there's still a lot for you to do."

"Looking at the photos of your parents who took care of and raised you, you are a role model for your peers and a star for your family."

"..."

Nayeon watched Gong Cheng gleam on the stage, and for some reason, she could hear a hint of fatigue in his voice. The VCR on the screen was still playing, but the interview with Gong Cheng's parents was drowned out by the voice of the boy on the stage.

But the person in charge of the VCR editing seemed to have anticipated this situation and thoughtfully put up subtitles.

"It seemed like Gong Sung oppa didn't like to smile much when he first came to Seoul?" Yu Jeongyeon poked her shoulder and said in confusion. The photos in the VCR scrolled from a group photo of Gong Sung on the streets of Philadelphia when he was six or seven years old to his high school years.

Those eyes that were praised by the public looked very... except when the oppa was taking photos with his adoptive parents, that face seemed to have a smile on it.

"Looks a bit... aloof..." Minatozaki Sana wasn't sure if this was the right word to describe him, but the photo of Miya Makoto from high school, with his tall figure and a smile on his face, gave off a strong sense of oppression, making people feel uncomfortable and stressed. It made people overlook his handsome and aggressive face.

"Cold?" Lin Nayeon curled her lips, thinking back to the alley where she and Gong Cheng first met. That scoundrel had been quite cold when he'd punched someone, and he'd also looked at her with disdain.

"Oppa, did you fight a lot in the past?" Zhou Ziyu pointed at the screen where Gong Cheng's adoptive father was saying, "But later on, the kids in Yeongdeungpo District were all afraid of him..."

"Have you forgotten? When we were drinking before, this guy boasted about being the little bully of Yeongdeungpo..." Lin Nayeon recalled with amusement. She didn't know why, but she remembered some of the words that this stinky gangster said clearly.

As the VCR slowly zoomed in on a photo from high school, Gong Cheng stood beneath his own photo, creating the illusion that Gong Cheng from years ago and Tarot from today were intertwined. "Hey~ Don't give yourself away, you idiot!"

"Be strong. I know it's lonely, but you have to persevere!"

"You crying kid, stop crying and pick up your sense of responsibility!"

Gong Cheng rapped vigorously, reaching the edge of the stage, his body swaying to the beat. His uninhibited presence seemed to bring back memories of when the audience first met Tarot, when he drunkenly freestyled on the Han River Bridge.

As the stage microphones were being collected, Park Chanyeol stood under the light and shadow door on the stage and walked out while singing the hook: "Eh~ When I don't want to see anything, I deliberately open my eyes wide~"

"Just because I'm scared~ Oh~"

"When you don't want to say anything, you deliberately raise your voice~"

"Just because I'm scared~"

"I'm afraid, that's why~"

Park Chanyeol’s appearance immediately caused the audience to roar again, with everyone under the stage shouting “Tarot, Chanyeo”.

The silver-gray cheering sticks had already occupied the entire venue when Gong Cheng appeared on the stage, and the fans watched the VCR on the big screen with emotion.

"..."

"Tsk tsk, these two guys turned the Song Festival into a concert!" Kim Taeyeon and Jung Eun-ji were talking in the waiting corridor, while many newly debuted boy groups were looking at Gong Sung and Park Chanyeol on the stage with longing, yearning for their popularity.

There wasn't such a warm response when they performed just now.

After Park Chanyeol's chorus, Gong Cheng's rap brought the song to a climax. This song was written a long time ago and has been in his personal music library for many revisions. It is very meaningful to him.

“Fear of losing my mind in the ongoing struggle.”

"I live in the spotlight, watching everyone, but I'm just digging desperately in one place. That might become my grave!"

Gong Cheng's casual figure danced on the stage, and then he half-crouched down.

"It's just because I'm afraid, Aboji (father), if you are watching me, please tell me the answer."

"I'm still young and vulnerable to becoming an adult."

Gong Cheng strides across the stage, rapping and rapping, he forcefully removes the brim of his hat, letting out his innermost feelings. His tall figure slowly descends to the stage. Behind him, a large screen plays a VCR, and the director slowly switches the camera to the audience.

"I still don't know what to do. It's too painful to just face all these things."

Two middle-aged men and women sat under the stage. Gong Cheng's adoptive mother lowered her head and wiped the corners of her wrinkled eyes.

Gong Cheng came to his adoptive parents, took his adoptive mother's hand, and hummed a hoarse voice under his bright smile: "Only ignorance spurs me on, too many wounds have not healed."

"Eh~ When I'm not thinking about anything, I deliberately open my eyes wide~"

"Just because I'm scared~" Park Chanyeol's hook spoke again, and he also followed the camera and came to his mother's side in the stage.

On the big screen on the stage, Gong Cheng put down the microphone, squeezed into the center of the crowd, and hugged his adoptive father, who was clapping his hands and looking proud.

The fans in the audience, upon seeing this scene, instantly covered their mouths and cheered with emotion: "Woo~~~Aboji~~~Tarot!!"

His adoptive father hugged his back, as if reluctant to let go, then he simply patted his shoulders firmly and let him return to the stage.

"When you don't want to say anything, you deliberately raise your voice."

"Just because I'm scared~"

"I'm grateful for everything, including the times I was scorned."

“eh~”

Gong Cheng's second verse is interspersed with Park Chanyeol's honk: "Teach me how a man should live."

"That's all the comfort I get for today! Tomorrow I will no longer be a coward, but will become mature."

Park Chanyeol nodded his head on the stage, humming a song, and performed a solo dance to Gong Cheng's rap.

“oh~can you see me now~”

"oh~"

The two of them performed the song to the end with waving their arms. As Park Chanyeol sang the last line of the lyrics, the lights on the stage dimmed.

Two photos of the two of them flashed on the large screen behind them. The one on the left was a photo of Gong Cheng when he was in high school, and the one on the right was a photo of Park Chanyeol when he was a trainee.

Gong Cheng stood under a photo from his high school days. A beam of stage light slowly shone on his face, and his smiling face appeared on the screen. Comparing it with the photo from his high school days, the pair of eyebrows and eyes on the stage were a bit softer and more free and easy than those in that period.

"Tarot!!! Tarot!!!"

"Tarot! Uncle~"

"Aboji~"

“Chanyeo!!!”

In the audience, the fans' heart-wrenching cheers were extremely shocking.

The adoptive parents, sitting in the audience, listened to the deafening roar of the crowd and watched the boy on the stage with tears in their eyes. Gong Cheng's adoptive father frowned, then turned his head away and wiped away his tears.

……

"Hey, Lim Nayeon, why are your eyes so red?" After the show, Gong Cheng walked in the waiting corridor and looked at the slightly red eyes of the rabbit teeth in front of him and asked softly.

"That's the eye makeup that the makeup artist put on..." Lin Nayeon mumbled, baring her buck teeth. She actually thought she and Gong Cheng were the same kind of people. She didn't know why she felt so connected to the song they just heard on stage.

"The live performance is so scary, isn't it? It makes my scalp tingle." Kim Da-hyun, also a member of Twicerap, commented seriously. This song with the VCR is like a combination of the music video and the live performance, especially when the lyrics say "Abo Ji" is very powerful.

"Hehe~ Aboji~" Sun Caiying came over and smiled. This oppa likes her to call him dad so much. Now, in the stage just now, almost all the audiences shouted Aboji. This must make this oppa feel very happy, right?
Gong Cheng winked at the little tiger.

"Someday when you're free, my mom wants to treat you to a meal." Arriving at Twice's lounge, Lin Nayeon poked Gong Cheng's arm and cautiously mentioned the task her mother had assigned her. Then, fearing the scoundrel in front of her would overthink things, she quickly explained, "It's not just you, it's all the members too. Everyone's invited together."

"Your mother, why did you invite me to dinner?" Gong Cheng shrank his neck in surprise. What does this mean?
"Ah! Can you stop punctuating your sentences? You sound like you're cursing!" Lin Nayeon rolled her eyes at him speechlessly before explaining, "It's because of what happened before. After you beat up my mom's ex-boyfriend, he went to talk to my mom about it... That's why my mom knew about you a long time ago."

"Later, the company helped to deal with this matter. My mother heard that you helped me and has been wanting to thank you."

"Really?"

"Oh, oppa! Why are you so timid?" Yu Jeongyeon retorted to him. The other members all knew what had happened before. In their opinion, it was not a big deal for Nayeon and her mother to invite this oppa to dinner.

If it were someone else, they would do the same.

On the contrary, this oppa looked like a coward, which was nothing like what the song he just performed on the stage was about.

Lin Nayeon looked at his surprised and suspicious eyes and couldn't help but laugh. As the person involved, she naturally knew what this scoundrel in front of her was worried about.

She stepped forward and patted Gong Cheng's lower back, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, I'm only praising you."

As she said that, she pinched his waist angrily!
Why didn’t you feel scared when you measured my waist?

Are you scared now?!
There was a knock on the door, and Wu Sehun and Zhang Yixing walked in. "Maknae, after the show is finished, let's meet at the usual place."

Wu Sehun made a phone call gesture next to his ear and said, "Bombardment Meteor, Jackson, Chanyeol, let's get together."

Gong Cheng was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the Twice lounge had become a little tense.

Minatozaki Sana was snuggling with Naoi Minami on the sofa, and her puppy eyes suddenly glared at her.

Kim Dahyun sighed. This oppa shouldn’t make such a low-level mistake, right?
Zhou Ziyu clutched the corner of her clothes, pursed her lips and frowned, glancing at Wu Sehun at the door.

What old place? It doesn't sound like a good place!
How did Oppa learn bad things from them?

Also a cannon line... Damn~
This song feels quite fitting with the protagonist’s background. I’ll show you an Easter egg chapter later, and you can take a look.

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(End of this chapter)