Episode 27: The World Watches, So We Dance Anyway
The announcement of AX1's return under GAN wasn't just news — it was a storm. Media outlets ran double-page spreads. Fansites broke servers. Industry veterans watched, stunned, as a group many had already written off turned the tide without even dropping a full album.
But with eyes come expectations. And AX1 had just weeks before their first official re-debut stage.
It had to be perfect.
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Day 1: Practice Room Heat
The floor was slick with sweat. The mirrors fogged with breath.
Seon counted beats in his head as Jaewon matched his footwork.
Minho adjusted choreography on the fly. "We drop into the second chorus like a punch. Think thunder, not rainfall."
Jun, exhausted, dropped to the floor. "I haven't slept since the harmony adjustment."
Seo-jin threw him a banana and laughed. "That's because you keep rewriting the bridge."
"Because it's not right yet!"
Seon crouched beside him. "It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to be honest."
They exchanged a look.
That was AX1 now — not flawless idols, but fiercely real ones.
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Flashback — AX1 Dorm, Two Years Ago
The old dorm had thinner walls, smaller beds, no hot water past 8 p.m.
But it had memories.
Jaewon had helped Seon tape glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.
"Every time you want to disappear," he'd said, "look up. I'll be there."
Back then, they hadn't dared hope they'd still be singing together in the future.
Back then, Seon hadn't known how much those stars would save him.
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Day 3: Interview Invitation
A major variety show requested AX1 as their next guest.
The script? Shallow fluff. Relationship gossip. Tear-bait questions.
Their manager slammed the printout on the table.
"You can walk away. GAN supports that."
But Seon took the paper.
Read it.
Then ripped it cleanly in half.
"We'll go," he said. "But we'll say our lines."
---
Studio Set — Filming Day
The interviewer smiled too brightly.
"So, Seon, rumor is you and Jaewon have been close since pre-debut. Care to share why?"
The boys looked at each other.
Seon smiled back, calm. "Because he held my hand the night I almost quit."
Silence.
Cameras shifted.
The host floundered. "And… was it just friendship?"
Seon turned to Jaewon.
And Jaewon…
"I loved him then," he said. "And I still do."
Shock. Audible gasps. The production assistant dropped her clipboard.
Seon added, "Love is not a scandal. Abuse is."
---
Social Media Fallout
Within an hour, #AX1LoveIsLoud trended.
Fans shared stories.
Coming-out videos.
Old clips of Seon and Jaewon being soft with each other.
The world, once brutal with expectations, softened.
And Seon cried in the bathroom for twenty minutes.
Not because he was ashamed.
But because he was finally free.
---
Flashback — Training Room, Winter 2019
Seon practiced until his feet bled. No one noticed.
No one except Jaewon.
He knelt, bandaged them, and didn't say a word.
That silence held more safety than any praise ever could.
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Week 2: New Track Recording
The title track had been chosen: Second Sunrise.
Lyrics by Jun.
Composition by Minho and Seo-jin.
Melody led by Seon.
Bridge: an emotional monologue.
Spoken.
By Jaewon.
> "You don't have to break to rebuild. But if you do, let your pieces fall into hands that catch — not cages that claim."
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Fan Club Revamp
They changed their fandom name.
From "Stardust" to "Echoes."
Because AX1 no longer wanted to shine alone.
They wanted to reflect the hearts that kept them going.
They opened applications for community moderators, mental health volunteers, translators — a fandom as a safe haven.
They weren't building just a fan base.
They were building a movement.
---
Midnight — Dorm Rooftop Again
The stars were real this time.
Seon leaned back on the railing, Jaewon beside him.
"Do you miss the old us?" Jaewon asked.
Seon thought.
"Yes and no. I miss who we could've been without fear."
"And now?"
Seon smiled. "Now we're writing that story."
---
Rehearsal — Last Week Before Stage
They rehearsed until their knees buckled.
Until their voices cracked.
And when they fell, they helped each other up.
That was the choreography.
Not perfect steps.
But perfect timing — in holding each other through it all.
---
Day of the Comeback Stage
Hair. Makeup. Outfits sewn with lyrics from their own songs.
The green room buzzed. Lights flickered.
A knock.
The stage assistant: "Five minutes."
Seon looked at his members.
Jaewon nodded. Minho cracked his knuckles. Seo-jin gave a double thumbs-up. Jun whispered a prayer.
And together, they walked.
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The Stage
Black. Then white. Then sudden light.
Fans screamed.
The music started — slow, vulnerable.
Second Sunrise.
Seon's voice carried the first line.
His voice didn't shake.
It soared.
And when the monologue hit — Jaewon's voice echoed through the arena, and Seon turned, stepped forward, reached out —
Their hands clasped.
Not hidden.
Not edited.
Held.
And the world cheered.
Not for spectacle.
For survival.
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Ending Scene: News Flash
> "AX1 shatters record for highest live stream engagement in debut stage history. Multiple major labels issue statements of policy reform. Youth mental health centers report spike in donations lab
eled 'Echoes.'"
But AX1?
They weren't reading headlines.
They were backstage, laughing over spilled water bottles and Jaewon's broken in-ear mic.
And Seon?
He looked in the mirror, wiped off his stage makeup.
And whispered:
"I made it."
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To be continued…