Ten minutes earlier, So-hyung had navigated through thousands of frantic fans to reach the backstage entrance, with Namgi trailing closely behind to watch his back. The concert speakers thundered right beside his ears.
"And now! Get ready for them! D\8/"
"Aaaah!" As So-hyung forced his eyes open to scan the arena, a breathtaking spectacle unfolded before him. Tens of thousands of glowing, multicolored light sticks rippled through the crowd like an ocean wave, shifting from blue to yellow, then to brilliant red. The neon glare was so blinding that So-hyung instinctively pulled down his cap.
The two men pushed past the security guards and stepped into a long corridor bustling with frantic backstage crew members. So-hyung pulled out a blueprint to check the stadium layout. They were currently in room SG1, which was five doors away from the CCTV control room, SG6.
"A'ight! From here we just need to go a bit further, turn left, turn right, pass the cafeteria, and..." In the middle of explaining, So-hyung blanked on the room's name. Just then, a mysterious woman's finger pointed directly at the map slot right next to the surveillance hub.
"The Free Space room."
Startled, the two men looked up to find a youthful-looking woman with striking purple-emerald hair, a faux-fur shawl draped over her shoulders, and her right eye replaced by a milky-white glass orb.
Namgi dropped his jaw in disbelief. "Holy shit, It's Ahn Suhee!"
The producer of D\8/ was standing right in front of them.
"Li Hong already told me in on everything you two are up to," she whispered, referring to their business with Jinam.
"Wait, you knew too?!" Namgi elbowed So-hyung.
"Well, she just said so, didn't she?" So-hyung replied in a rush.
"Come on, I'll sneak you past the Free Space room. Ordinary staff aren't allowed in there anyway." With a sway of her slender hips, the producer led them safely past the restricted zone without a single worry. Feeling anxious, Namgi couldn't resist asking a personal question.
"Hey, Ma'am—just curious, are you really fifty?"
"Naturally! Why else would I wear a glasses? And don't you dare saying surgery, it's all good genes, darling!"
"Whoa... Must be nice being rich," Namgi muttered, grabbing the shoulder of So-hyung, who maintained a deadpan expression.
"Yeah! I had no idea security around here was this airtight," So-hyung remarked.
The producer nodded knowingly. "That's just because Xu Wen is a paranoid control freak. That's why the whole place is locked down like a fortress."
The three of them climbed a short flight of three stairs leading to the backstage stands. "This way is much faster," she noted.
"Annyeong, everyone! Did you miss me?!" Jinam shouted through his high-end microphone.
"Aaaah!" As the crowd erupted into deafening cheers, the trio had to slap their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter.
"I swear, that guy is as charming as he is dangerous," Namgi teased as they walked down the steps toward sector SG5, an area patrolled by high-ranking officials at regular intervals.
"So, what's your next move? I can only take you this far," the producer asked.
"My team will handle the rest." So-hyung raised his phone to his ear and called his girlfriend. "Babe! I'm almost at the CCTV room."
"Got it, lover boy! Time to play with fire, Psycho Wolves!" Yoona commanded through her comm-link.
Fwoosh!
The doors of a van parked behind the loading dock slid open, and four figures wearing neon masks quietly emerged, stepping onto hoverboards—gadgets similar to skateboards, but completely wheeless.
"Time to raise some hell, boys!"
Im Hyuk and Daeho were the first to leap onto their boards, rocketing out toward the arena courtyard with pressurized fuel rods in hand. Meanwhile, Chaeyeon and Handong sped off in the opposite direction carrying flammable supplies.
"Hey So! Don't forget to wipe the security footage for us! We wouldn't want to look too cool, haha!" Daeho laughed heartily as he crouched on his board, dragging his fuel rod across the ground. It left a blazing trail of fire that formed a fiery ring encircling the entire stadium.
"Woohoo!" Slap! Im Hyuk and Chaeyeon high-fived as they sped past each other in opposite directions. Upon spotting the flames, the firefighters immediately scrambled for their truck, completely unaware that the nozzles had been unscrewed and rendered totally useless.
"What the hell?! Why won't this thing spray? Son of a—!" The firefighter slammed his fists against the steering horn in a fit of rage while police officers outside were hemmed in by flames raining down from above. Yoona hovered in the air, dropping her signature glass orbs to sow absolute chaos below.
"What in the world is going on here?!" Panicked backstage crew members sprinted to sound the alarm with security.
"The courtyard is completely engulfed! I need a hand here—!"
Hearing the commotion, the security team rushed off to handle the emergency. Seizing the moment right as a guard approached, Producer Suhee dramatically tripped and tumbled right in front of him. "Ow!"
"Oh! Ma'am, are you alright?" The guard dropped down to steady her.
"I'm fine..." She shot a quick glance back at the two men. Catching the cue, Namgi grabbed So-hyung and made a sharp turn straight toward the CCTV room.
Just in time—or rather, a second too late! The camera technician turned around, preparing to take a bathroom break near the stairs leading up to the control booth.
"Hey! Who do you guys think you are?!" the guard shouted, rushing to block them.
Hiss! Namgi blasted a full stream of spray right into his face.
"Ugh! Ahem! What the... I feel... so... sleepy..."
As the man collapsed unconscious from the potent knockout spray, the pair dragged his limp body into the restroom and flipped the door sign from Vacant to Occupied.
"That spray worked exactly like Yoona said it would! Alright, you need to head upstairs now, Boss. Yoona said you've got to keep watch on the upper catwalks."
"Got it! Watch your back, Namgi."
With that, the two parted ways. So-hyung plugged his device directly into the CCTV monitor, rapidly typing in his own override code to access administrator privileges.
"All right, I'm calling the shots now! Now, where is little Rose?"
Muttering to himself, the young man monitored the feeds from the conference room above the stadium. Inside, the concert was proceeding normally without a single hint of panic, completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding outside. Police reinforcements were steadily arriving to secure the perimeter.
Outside, the four masked rebels spun their hoverboards around and headed back toward the city, shouting at the top of their lungs, "This year's concert is totally killer!"
"Stop right there!" A cornered officer tried to draw his weapon, but it was useless as the four radicals sped past without a backward glance.
"Later, officer! Catch us if you can! Woohoo!" Im roared at the top of his lungs.
"Aw, my fire bombs are all gone!" Yoona grumbled, hovering stationary in the midair as the power levels on her jetpack began to dwindle. "Damn it! Party's over... Oh well, I guess this much fun is enough for one day."
The young lady shot out of the stadium area, soaring into the moonlight past neon-lit skyscrapers and hanging glass terrariums on the rooftops until she vanished into the clouds.
"See you at the concert, guys~~~~!" Yoona called out in a lingering goodbye.
Meanwhile, a high-stakes meeting was underway inside a sleek, cubic conference room. Xu Wen flicked open a holographic projection to showcase the era's latest innovation: humanoid androids.
"Gentlemen, I present to you... the innovation of a new era!" Xu Wen gestured proudly toward the floating hologram with a confident smile.
"Is that... what I think it is?" one of the board members asked.
"Indeed, gentlemen! What stands before humanity right now is the ultimate path to ease. Human employment will no longer be a necessity; everyone can own one of these. From billionaires to pop stars, down to everyday households. These machines can handle everything from crunching numbers to washing clothes. If you think of it like a game of chess, this is our tactical knight to turn the tide!"
Xu Wen swiped the display to show projected export schedules for the coming years.
"Starting next year, according to my projections, TAOS can generate twenty billion a year from android exports alone. This revenue will allow TAOS to expand globally far beyond what ARCI managed back in 2067. Over the past year, investors' confidence in ARCI has wavered, but we at TAOS are ready to restore absolute faith to our backers."
"And how can you be so certain this product is entirely free of flaws?" another board member challenged. "From my experience, no such android has ever been released in a truly flawless state."
"We have that entirely under control. We still have over two months before the official launch event," Xu Wen reassured them smoothly.
"If we consider human ethics, we can't rely on robots for our entire lives. The more androids we introduce, the more employment rates across companies will plummet. That's just opening the floodgates to countless other problems."
"Why ever not?! We are their creators—why shouldn't they take care of us into our old age? This is the first step toward unlocking the true future: a world where humans do nothing save for giving orders. Just think of the impoverished or the disabled on the streets! If they have no one to look after them, who else is going to stay by their side and help them cross the street?"
Xu Wen stood up, sweeping his gaze across the room. He paced forward and gently tapped the shoulders of the board members.
"All of those struggles must be erased."
"It's simply too risk-prone. What if these AI machines decide to turn against us? What do we do if they pull a knife on us?" another director argued back.
"Only narrow-minded people think that way. As for me, because these machines are meticulously managed—I trust that TAOS has never dropped the ball on safety. The longer we hesitate, the closer our competitors are to seizing victory. Business is a game of timing and shrewd strategy. Do you really want ARCI to snatch our opportunity away?" Xu Wen challenged the room.
The security androids standing guard by the doors swept their optical sensors across the meeting room, casting a heavy, suffocating pressure over the board members, who fell into a tense, brooding silence.
"Well, what does everyone think now?" the portly executive asked once more. "Before long, I'll be stepping down from my position as the head of this company, and I truly hope some of you can finally share my vision. Because they are machines, they never tire, they never lose heart, and we don't have to pay them monthly. We are the only ones who give them orders. The more advanced the artificial intelligence, the more comfortable our lives become. Tomorrow, we won't need to rely on human sweat and toil ever again."
"We understand... We'll take it under advisement," the board members nodded in unison.
Hours dragged on as the meeting wore away. Outside the stadium, the fire department finally extinguished the ring of flames, but the authorities couldn't track down the culprits, who had slipped away into the city long before.
Inside her light, sheer cloak, the pink-haired young woman hid a triumphant grin behind her dark sunglasses. 'Today was absolute peak, boys,' Yoona messaged the guys.
'Even though my jacket almost melted, it was totally worth it,' Im Hyuk replied.
'So, how's our buddy holding up? #TaeSoHyung'
Backstage behind the curtains, So-hyung sat monitoring the screens, propping his boots up on the keyboard with a weary sigh. Seeing a notification pop up, he typed back:
'Super chill. My girlfriend's knockout gas is top-tier, I gotta say. Ask Namgi if you don't believe me.'
Meanwhile, perched up in the highest control gondola of the stadium, Namgi jumped at the incoming message and eagerly tapped out a status report:
'Absolute peak, no cap <3'
No sooner had he hit send than the heavy snoring of the two knocked-out gondola guards drifted to his ears from the corner. Disguised head-to-toe as a control operator, Namgi blended right in, lying in wait to intercept the business executives as they exited the boardroom.
Down on the bustling, jam-packed lawn, Yoona had finally slipped back into the crowd to catch up with her girlfriends.
"Yoona~~ Where have you been?! It's already eleven, and you're just now showing up?!" Eugene and three other friends asked, a hint of disappointment in their voices.
Yoona quickly spun a white lie: "So sorry, you guys! Traffic was an absolute nightmare, and then some family drama popped up, so I got held back..."
"Well, at least you made it! Come on, let's take some pictures first!" Irene pulled Yoona in to snap a few photos of the concert atmosphere. From that moment on, she enjoyed the show to the fullest, though a part of her mind remained fixated on the sky high above them.
Inside the cubic boardroom, Xu Wen rose from the head of the table as the meeting drew to a close.
"Gentlemen, I am deeply grateful that you listened to every word from start to finish. You aren't just business partners or people standing by my side, you are brothers and true confidants. I have nothing left to say after this. I only ask that you understand my vision, because what I am building isn't just an economic revolution; it may very well alter the course of this world toward a brilliant future. Do you remember TAOS's motto?" The portly man swept his gaze across the room.
"Anyone can build a grand enterprise, and this world no longer needs to be bound by convention," they chored in unison.
"Precisely! No matter whose descendants they are, anyone can forge a brilliant future just as I have." Xu Wen rambled on, pressing his palm against the glass wall of the cube. With a proud smile, he looked down at the concert stage of his adopted son. "No matter whose blood..." He chuckled softly, turning back to face the board members. "...that is the cold, hard truth."
Hearing those words, the board members broke into a respectful, heartfelt round of applause.
"Thank you all so much." Xu Wen walked around to shake the hand of every participant, personally seeing them off at the elevator doors. Left alone inside the room save for two guarding androids, he let out a long breath.
"No one is going to snatch this success away from me, and no one but TAOS. I am the one leading the world's future into a golden age," Xu Wen praised his own reflection in the glass cube. He sat back down at the head of the table, turning his attention back toward the grand finale of the concert. Down below, the group of artists gathered on stage to deliver their closing thanks to the fans. Beads of sweat glistened across Jinam's exhausted face, drawing a slight scowl from the portly executive.
"Thank you all so much for supporting us through thick and thin," the boy band leader, Mickey, said with a tired smile and a heavy gasp for breath. "We've waited a long, long time for this day. This past year, we've been through so much together, laughter, warmth, sorrow, and pain that could never be forgiven."
WOAAAAAAAAH!
The idols drew a wellspring of renewed strength from the cheering crowd, steeling themselves to send off the night with a final surge of hope and encouragement for their fans.
"This song... This is a track we've never released on any album. But for Seoul Stadium, tonight is an absolute exception!" The performers all pointed upward toward the sky. "A month to the stars, tonight D\8/ is giving it everything we've got!" all eight artists shouted as one.
KYAAAAAAAAAAH!
"Are you all ready?!" Jinam rallied the crowd through his mic as the bandmates threw their arms around each other's shoulders.
"Let's~~~~!!!"
The entire stadium echoed with a thunderous roar. Seeing this, Xu Wen flashed a crooked grin and let out a dry, scornful chuckle.
"Hmph. You've certainly grown more spirited than before," Xu Wen muttered around the cigar he had just slipped between his lips, while the two androids stepped forward to light the tip with their index fingers. "Puff, And soon... I won't even need the likes of you anymore."
Xu Wen cast a sidelong glance at the twin machines. They bowed deeply in absolute, loyal obedience to their master.
"Do machines really know the difference about loyalty and betrayal?" A mysterious digital voice echoed from across the room. The lights inside the cubic chamber flickered erratically as the strange voice resonated. Xu Wen spun his chair around to find the exact same green-haired android he once owned, standing calmly on the opposite side of the conference table.
"Remember me?" Rose tilted his head, casually slamming a samurai sword straight down into the glass tabletop with a sharp crack!
"Of course~ My little cat. Wanting to come back to papa, are you? Though you looks an absolute mess right now." Xu Wen reached out to press the call button for the outside guards, but Rose didn't even flinch or try to stop him, knowing the room's signal traffic was already locked down tight by So-hyung.
"You actually planned to come after me right here? Hmph! Those two's gone was all because of you. Machines aren't supposed to deviate from their core. That doctor pumped way too much shits into your head, didn't he?"
"This world no longer needs to be bound by convention." the android shot back with a biting retort.
"For a scrap-metal like you, there are exceptions," the portly man sneered, dropping his cigar onto the floor and grinding it out with his heel.
"I didn't come here for your life. I'm here to make you taste of losing everything. Everything you've ever built... it ends right here, once and for all."
"Playing good guy, are you? And what do you hope to gain from that? Fame? Fortune? You don't even have any use for it, Slave." Xu Wen flicked his index finger, signaling the two bodyguard androids to prepare for combat. They instantly snapped their heavy-duty firearms out of their tailored white suit sleeves.
Watching the live feed from his monitor, So-hyung cheered aloud, "Give 'em hell, buddy! Smash those rust buckets to pieces!"
Seeing this, Rose drew the Hitodama blade from the sheath locked along his spine, leveling the sharp edge straight toward the faces of the two opposing machines.
"I couldn't care less about being good or bad. Nobody can hurt my friends."
Down at the concert stage, an eerie silence fell as nearly all the lights abruptly cut out, leaving behind only swirling plumes of purple and red smoke.
Standing dead center on the stage, Jinam lowered his microphone and slowly gazed up at the glass cubic room hanging high above. He closed his eyes to pull himself back from a lifetime of lingering fury, steadying his breath for the final song about to begin. Meanwhile, standing amidst tens of thousands of fans down below, Yoona pressed a hand against her chest, holding her breath to see how things would play out up above.