🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 60
It was an unusually hot day.
Scorching sun, maximum humidity.
It felt like being a fish boiling alive in a pot.
But for a former Color (컬덕), now Yooncheong (윤청) stan—aka a Blue stan—there were no regrets about coming out today.
Rumor had it that the guerrilla concert was happening at Banpo Hangang Park.
Reports started popping up online that a stage was being set up there.
Blue stan’s home? Jinju City in Gyeongsangnam-do.
The moment the guerrilla concert news dropped, she didn’t hesitate. She booked a KTX ticket right away.
A chance to see her fave’s first outdoor stage with her own eyes?
Would never come again.
You can always earn money later—but time with your fave? Miss the chance, and it’s gone forever.
So Blue stan left home boldly, and after nearly five hours, she arrived.
‘Damn it, the fate of a rural fan…’
At least this time, they gave a 12-hour heads-up for the guerrilla concert—which made it barely possible.
Usually, guerrilla concerts for rural fans?
‘Everyone’s happy… except me. Always except me.’
That’s how it goes.
Determined to be born in Seoul in her next life, Blue stan arrived at Banpo Hangang Park.
She was about to wonder where exactly the concert would be when—
She spotted a crowd of thousands.
With slogans and fans in hand, they were clearly manicure stans even from a KTX train window.
‘Just follow them.’
Suddenly, she didn’t feel so alone anymore.
“Stop pushing!”
“That’s where we were sitting first. Don’t you see our bags? Show some manners!”
“Seriously? You’re the ones being rude. Holding seats is bad etiquette, everyone knows that!”
“Can you put your camera down? You’re completely blocking the view!”
…Blue stan felt alone again.
Maybe it was the heat—everyone seemed on edge.
Compared to other idol fandoms, the Manicure fans still lacked cohesion or camaraderie.
That’s because someone’s fave had to be eliminated.
Naturally, tension existed when their biases clashed.
The one bit of comfort was spotting plenty of fans holding Yooncheong slogans like her.
‘But wow, Kim Ryeoyu has so many fans too.’
Kim Ryeoyu was known for having a strong core fandom.
Also… notorious for having a lot of crazy fans.
Because they produced haters and stans at an insane rate, Ryeoyu’s fans claimed it was due to his star quality, but—
‘More like his awful personality…’
Lately, he was even declining in popularity.
So much so, people started calling it Ryeo-rak-se (Ryeoyu + decline).
‘Meanwhile, our Cheong is totally steady.’
There’s always demand for a pretty visual main vocalist.
Blue stan knew just how rare it was to find a well-rounded “perfect pentagon” idol.
Even in the talent-rich group Colors, such all-rounders were rare.
But Yooncheong? Truly flawless.
‘It’s not because she’s my fave—it’s because she really is that perfect.’
While she was busy thinking like a shameless fangirl, someone sat next to her.
They had a fancy camera setup.
At a glance, the equipment looked expensive.
“Phew. It’s hot, huh?”
“Ah, yes. It’s sweltering.”
Blue stan answered awkwardly.
It had been so long since her last offline event that she felt shy.
“….”
“….”
And so began an infinitely awkward wait.
“Are you… here for anyone in particular?”
“Yooncheong…”
“Me too!”
“Gasp.”
Thus began the legendary first meeting of Blue stan and Prism fan site master.
Time passed—not like an arrow, but more like a slow crawl.
By 9 p.m., things should’ve been starting soon. The notice had said the guerrilla concert would begin at 9:30 p.m.
[Testing. Please bear with us. Due to crowd congestion, the event is delayed slightly for safety and traffic control.]
Apparently, something had caused a delay.
“Wow, Manicure’s really popular, huh?”
“Yeah. Looks like tens of thousands here. Banpo Hangang Park is packed even when nothing’s going on.”
“Oh, is it always this crowded?”
“Yup. And it’s Friday night—so it’s bursting.”
Not being from Seoul, Blue stan hadn’t known.
Now she did.
“We’re probably gonna get roasted online tomorrow… by non-fans…”
“Yeah well, the Color freaks are destined to be hated anyway. Don’t think they’ll care.”
“True, but I hate when our girls have to apologize for it…”
“If that happens, those Color bastards and M-Ten freaks are going down.”
“Agreed.”
The two of them bonded again over their shared hatred of Colors and M-Ten.
After another hour’s delay—
Suddenly, all the stage lights shut off.
“Gasp. They’re coming out! They’re coming out!”
Just as Blue stan yelled, the intro of Manicure’s official theme song began to play.
And eleven trainees quickly took the stage.
“Cheong! Cheong, she’s over there…!”
Though their formation had shifted slightly from twelve to eleven, spotting Yooncheong wasn’t hard.
Prism fanmaster lifted the camera. Blue stan opened her eyes wide.
Seeing her fave in person?
“She’s unreal.”
“She’s not even human.”
“And those damn Colors jerks kept this beauty to themselves…”
Blue stan was on the verge of tears.
It felt completely different from the studio broadcasts.
This was only the second time seeing her live—but it felt way more vivid.
“She’s wearing the golden pendant again.”
“So the ‘rainbow goddess’ interpretation must be right?”
“Yep, yep.”
The trainees wore the same outfits as their debut stage.
Even though she’d seen them like 12,323 times, Blue stan wasn’t sick of them.
“It’s starting.”
🎶 I’m your new color
Paint me, draw me
I’ll color you, I’ll sketch you 🎶
Center Kim Ryeoyu started the lead vocal.
Naturally, cheers exploded.
“…He really is pretty.”
“Not in the classic handsome way but…”
“He’s got this weirdly magnetic pull.”
They had to admit—there was something about Kim Ryeoyu.
That would explain the intense core fandom.
But before they could get lost in thoughts—
🎶 Like a twelve-color crayon
Like our budding childhood dreams
Color color me 🎶
Their fave appeared.
“Holy—”
“Wow.”
“Holy—”
“Wow.”
“Huh? This was originally Heeon’s part…”
“So they gave it to Cheong.”
“Cheong’s killing it…”
Hopefully no one picks a fight over this.
They were happy—but also a little anxious.
If anyone dared to complain that their girl got Heeon’s lines… someone might end up dead.
But for now, it was pure joy.
“Her visuals just keep leveling up.”
🎶 What’s your favorite color?
Tell me that’s me 🎶
Next came Ryu Bora’s soft, whispery vocal.
“Bora is just…”
“She’s not of this world.”
“Maybe it’s the acting background, but her features are unreal…”
🎶 Coral coral burst rouge
Color color burst rhythm 🎶
“Juhong is so cute.”
“She doesn’t have many lines but when she shows up—boom. Full charm attack.”
“Her line fits her perfectly too…”
“That fancam of that part hit 100k RTs.”
“I did about 10k myself.”
“I got the other 90k.”
🎶 I’m your new color
Paint me, draw me
I’ll color you, I’ll sketch you 🎶
After another chorus, came the part every Blue stan awaited—
🎶 But suddenly, the rainbow disappears
Only the blue sky remains eternal 🎶
Yooncheong’s line flipped the mood entirely.
“!!!”
“!!!!”
They couldn’t even speak anymore. Only worship.
🎶 I’m your whiteboard
Your doodles become my poetry 🎶
Seo Baekyoung appeared, finally letting them breathe again.
“Cheong is really…”
“Baekyoung is great, but our God-Blue…”
🎶 Over the rainbow
We’re waiting for you
I’ll steal your colors
And overlay them with mine 🎶
The highlight—sung together by Kim Ryeoyu and Yooncheong.
The song neared its end.
“Here it comes. The last part.”
It was the most beloved moment by fans—
All eleven trainees form a circle, pointing to the center with their hands.
Even with one member gone, it felt seamless.
🎶 Over the rainbow
We’re still here
We’re still blue 🎶
“Wait?”
But something was different today.
That was supposed to be the end.
Yet the trainees raised their joined hands high.
They held each other’s hands tightly.
🎶 We’re still here
We’re waiting for you
Forever 🎶
Yooncheong sang the final line once more—with a slightly changed lyric.
“Holy—”
“Is this…?!”
“A message to Heeon…?”
“Oh god, I’m crying…”
The fact that Yooncheong was the one who sang it made it even more meaningful.
After Cho Heeon left, Yooncheong had been the target of countless baseless rumors.
Her fans had to endure it too.
They fought back daily—but the never-ending hate wore many down.
Eventually, the situation calmed, and the chaos faded.
“But for Cheong to do this… I’m so grateful.”
“Feels like it was for us too, don’t you think?”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
How could anyone not love Yooncheong?
They looked up at her.
And when the song ended—
“Thank you!”
Yooncheong looked back at her fans.
