Kim Hayeon, a fan of the born-to-be center and the national beauty superstar Han Seungbeom, was desperately trying an armbar
1
on her pillow.
The reason was ridiculous.
It was because those lowlifes, RH or whatever they were, had the audacity to use Pantheion for noise marketing.
‘Wouldn’t it be fine if we just buried them without a trace?’
Kim Hayeon was someone who would normally reveal all of her innate violent nature unless she was in front of her baby Jesus, Han Seungbeom. How could she possibly remain calm after seeing those daring enough to lay a hand on the majesty of Han Seungbeom, whom she loved so dearly? Even though quite a bit of time had passed since the incident occurred, her anger showed no signs of fading.
“Die. Die. Die. Die. Just die.”
It was blasphemy.
She had faced countless heretics, but this was the first time she had felt so offended.
As her followers grew, anything she said would cause a frenzy in the quote section, so she didn’t express it publicly, but it was getting frustrating. COMA-1 was clearly going to start its activities around the same time as Pantheion, and just thinking about how many times they would run into each other and become the talk of the town during their activities gave her a headache that felt like it was splitting her brain.
Just as the sound of something breaking was heard from the pillow, which surely had no joints, she thankfully managed to calm herself down and released the pillow.
“I should stop looking at it! This crazy, crazy thing!”
And as soon as she got over her anger, she reached for her phone out of habit.
Despite knowing that it would stress her out, constantly searching to check whether there were people insulting her precious baby was almost like a fate for highly dedicated idol fans.
“Haa…..”
When she searched with her private account, she didn’t see any of the hateful comments because most of them had already been saved as PDFs and sent to SU Entertainment and POX Entertainment, and their accounts had been blocked. Instead, what appeared were the responses from the muses expressing their displeasure with RH Entertainment’s mediaplay.
— No, seriously, the more I think about it, the more outrageous it is. What? Comparing them to Pantheion? Hahahahahahaha Pantheion revived a dying survival program and made it a record-breaking hit. Why the hell are they bringing in unknown people and putting them on the same sentence with kids who are already treated as top-tier idols even before their debut?
— I was seriously planning to just focus on my bias and ignore the rest, but they went and messed with the whole group. These crazy people he he he
— If they have time to talk about other people’s group like this, they should just take care of their own kids ㅜㅜ … Right now, their legs are torn because they tried to chase after a stork,
2
and yet they’re acting so arrogantly
— I guess they became addicted to noise marketing after watching their Prism sunbaenims broke through all the rumors and achieved success. It’s just the way it is, those who are destined to succeed will succeed, and those who aren’t, won’t. Lol.
‘That’s weird.’
Kim Hayeon, who had quite a lot of experience being an idol fan, could immediately sense that the atmosphere of the fandom was moving in an unexpected direction as she saw those reactions.
If she had chosen a member with a more ordinary position as her bias, she might not have thought much about it, but since she chose the leader, she couldn’t help but consider the group as a whole. After all, if the group’s atmosphere turned strange, it would be her beloved leader, Han Seungbeom, who would suffer.
“….Isn’t RH a bit cooked?”
3
For groups that debut through survival programs, the fandom was formed by people who fought hard, tearing each other down, to get their baby’s name on the final debut member lineup. As a result, they have a weakness in that their fandom had a tendency to have a strong individual fan mentality.
But looking at the current situation, even the
individual fans
were all rallying together and chanting “
PANTHEION IS ONE
” as slogan.
RH Entertainment overlooked an important fact.
The fact that creating a common enemy was the quickest way to unite people who were pulling each other’s hair just yesterday.
Pantheion, my love.
Pantheion, my light.
Pantheion, my darkness.
Pantheion, my life.
Pantheion, my joy.
Pantheion, my sorrow.
Pantheion, my rest.
Pantheion, my soul.
Pantheion, my self.
— % I won’t change it, won’t go back~ No matter how much you struggle, Kim Saemyeong couldn’t join Pantheion because he didn’t have enough votes~ No matter what anyone says, the
maknae
of Pantheion is Lee Danbi, so everyone else can get lost
— I wasn’t originally fully on board, but after this incident, I’ve completely changed my mindset. Pantheion is one. If you mess with Pantheion, I’ll kill you all
— For real, I thought I wouldn’t be that interested in the group itself, but when the
maknae
got hit out of blue, I was so much more annoyed than I expected, haha;; I guess I really love Pantheion. Forced self-realization.
— Honestly, messing around with a child is crossing the line. Come to your senses.
It seemed that RH Entertainment obviously never imagined that the Muses, who were previously divided, would form such a strong bond as a result of being unexpectedly hit.
Kim Hayeon felt a sense of satisfaction and pride as she watched the Muses come together, but that didn’t mean she felt completely at ease. After all, this newfound solidarity was a direct result of the attack they had suffered.
“…Seungbeom seems to care a lot about his youngest. I hope neither Seungbeom nor Danbi gets hurt.”
Han Seungbeom had the kind of fighting-chicken temperament that would hurt others, but never got hurt himself. He was staying quiet right now simply because he was biding his time for a kill. Kim Hayeon, who didn’t know this in the slightest, wiped away her tears while worrying about pointless things today as well.
***
After spending days full of worry and diligently preparing her wallet to buy the album, before she knew it, the music video release date and the showcase were approaching.
‘Finally, we can see all of the Apollo styling without anything being hidden!’
Hearing that they had taken a part of mythology and created a new worldview, she was very excited to see how they would begin. With both hands clenched tightly and a reverent heart, she prepared to watch the music video.
Those who were questioning, saying “
Isn’t this concept a bit too much
?” had already been assassinated a thousand times in her mind. In the world of K-POP, it was customary to nod in understanding and say, “
Our children are good children who listen to the company
“, even if the idols sometimes breathed fire from their hands, suddenly floated in the air, or sprouted angel wings from their backs. They shouldn’t be speaking such weak words over something like this.
Should we blame the generation?
No, that kind of concept was overkill in any era.
Having gritted her teeth to justify the mythology concept, Kim Hayeon immediately recalled the information from the reality show and tilted her head.
‘Come to think of it, I heard Seungbeom really pushed for Danbi’s concept, which was unusual for him. I wonder if he had a specific reason in mind.’
She recalled Lee Danbi’s teaser, which was the only one with an undisclosed concept, but didn’t have time to ponder the question because the alarm she had set went off. It meant that the music video was about to be released.
“3, 2, 1…….”
And at the moment the countdown ended, she clicked on the video uploaded to the official Pantheion’s NeoTube channel.
The first sound she heard was the clear sound of water and the mysterious sound of grass being trampled.
Then, on the screen, a man appeared walking through a blue forest with a large golden antlered deer. Under the contrast of bright moonlight and the dark night, his white garments and long blond hair stood out. Kim Hayeon, even just by the silhouette, immediately recognized that it was Han Seungbeom and held her breath.
‘…Isn’t that Aphrodite, not Apollo?’
As the deer came to a gentle stop, the screen shifted to Han Seungbeom’s face, and his golden hair, shimmering in the moonlight, was blown around by a wind that seemed to envelop his entire body. Then, his green eyes were close-up on the screen, and after that, the intro began with a mysterious-sounding melody.
[“Pray for the birth of the great hero
For only he can bring us victory.”]
As soon as that part ended, a performance video briefly flashed by, showing the members standing in formation. The members were wearing outfits that were a modernized adaption of ancient Greek-style clothing.
‘This is … the visuals are believable?’
It was a moment that completely shattered all the concerns she had about the match between the concept and the members. She was even mind-blown about how they were able to pull off such a difficult concept without any issues.
She had originally expected Han Seungbeom and Nicholas to blend in well because of their visuals, but seeing how perfectly the other members also fit together made her feel just a little prouder.
She briefly hesitated, wondering if she should rewind the scene that had passed so quickly, but decided to hold off, wanting to watch the first viewing without interruptions, and turned her focus back to the music video.
The deer next to Han Seungbeom was shown running alone through the forest, with someone seemingly chasing after it. Then, in the performance video, Han Seungbeom and Lee Danbi exchanged verses of the song.
[“Unaware of being deceived
You must not move your hands”]
[“Even if it takes a long time
Even if it takes a year
You must not become impatient”]
[“That will soon become poison to you.”]
After the endlessly running legs and the shaking vision were shown through the camera, a hand holding the deer appeared. It was as if it was directly showing the perspective of a certain person.
[“Unaware of being controlled
You must not despair carelessly.”]
[“There will definitely be a way to overcome it
From now on, your time will come.”]
An animated painting of six gods looking down on a single human being appeared, and Zen, holding a jar with handles on either side, poured out the wine from the jar. Then, the black wine filled the screen, and the scene transitioned.
And then, from the camera angle that seemed to look down again, there was a hand holding a golden apple.
[“Take courage, hero”]
The performance video played again, and what followed was Woo Kangwon’s part. Given that it appeared with the point choreography, it seemed that this was probably the chorus.
[“Stand up, hero”]
In the first one, Woo Kangwon’s soft voice echoed alone, but this time, Do Yuda added harmony.
[“Conquer it, hero”]
And in the end, Baek Kiryang joined, creating a much richer sound. With Woo Kangwon’s solid and smooth voice as the base, the vocal line members’ distinctive vocal colors stood out in this section.
As soon as that ear-catching part ended, it was immediately followed by Do Yuda’s part.
[“You’ll reach it in the blink of an eye
Please don’t be afraid
The ‘invisible’ will protect you.”]
As the scene of Do Yuda holding someone’s hand and leading them passed by, accompanied by a part that instantly raised the intensity of the song passed, the screen immediately transitioned to Nicholas sitting on a pitch-black throne, resting his chin on his hand.
A shadow of a sharp-toothed monster was cast over Nicholas’s pale face. The ferocious figure baring its teeth vanished in an instant when Nicholas raised his index finger to his lips.
[“Shh, there’s no need to make such a fuss over something this trivial
Please refrain from showing the disgrace of biting at everything indiscriminately
You see, it’s nothing but their filthy instincts.”]
[“Are you scared? Hero
.
“]
Following this, the high notes from the vocal line drove the song closer to its climax, and the dance break began.
“Wow…….”
It felt less like a group dance and more like watching a carefully crafted project. The dancers’ hands intertwined like vines, and the wide, thin silk fabric entangled with the joints of countless people fluttered in the wind. It felt as if she was witnessing a scene straight out of a myth rather than reality.
And in the center, controlling all the movements, was Han Seungbeom.
‘This, Seungbeom planned it.’
The formation was very similar to what Han Seungbeom had explained to the dancers in the reality show. Kim Hayeon, who remembered the scene that appeared for 0.5 seconds, covered her mouth and tried to calm her overflowing excitement as she continued watching the music video.
After the parts showcasing Woo Kangwon and Zen’s deep voices, and Han Seungbeom and Lee Hwayoung’s chorus parts passed, the dancers began to move their arms and legs one by one with refined, contemporary dance-inspired movements. As the dancers unraveled the intricately tangled fabric in sync with their movements, ensuring it didn’t knot, they extended the fabric into straight lines and exited the frame one by one. Lee Danbi, who had been concealed among the members, then slowly rose to his feet.
Now, the song was about to end.
The atmosphere, which had reached its peak of intensity, suddenly sank into calm, and the screen transitioned again.
In the pitch-black night sky, the stars shone in a pattern that resembled a human being standing upside down. The camera moved towards Lee Danbi, who was standing with his back to those stars, which radiated a brilliance that was both dazzling and daunting.
Lee Danbi was holding a spark of flame that scattered into tiny pieces, like the light of a sparkler.
Soon after the scene came into focus, Lee Danbi’s eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, glimmering through the strands of hair scattered by the gusting wind in the close-up.
The boy stared straight ahead, his serene gaze never wavering, and then, in a perfectly composed voice, he began to sing.
[“I will become a hero who will leave a name beyond countless trials”]
As soon as she heard the lyrics, she was convinced.
All the scenes that had been shown from the first-person perspective until now were from Lee Danbi’s point of view.
Han Seungbeom created this song to show off to those who were debating about the child he cherished.
[“I will prove my existence”]
If you have something you want to say, say it on stage
.
Indeed, it was so typical of Han Seungbeom to do it this way.
[“I will make it known that I belong here, I’m one of them.”]
The concept of Lee Danbi, which Han Seungbeom refused to give up until the end, was that of a human hero.
A hero who would overcome countless trials and eventually ascend to godhood by defeating those who threatened the gods.
[Pantheion (판테이온) ‘Heracles’ OFFICIAL M/V]
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee!
Translator’s Corner:
Armbar is a grappling submission technique that involves hyperextending an opponent’s elbow to cause pain or injury. It’s a kind of armlock but hyperextends the elbow. A move used in martial arts. ↩︎
황새 쫓아가다가 가랑이 찢어진 this is from the idiom “뱁새가 황새 걸음을 걸으면 가랑이 가 찢어진다” that means “
If a Parrotbill (뱁새
)
walks like a Stork (황새
)
, it will tear its legs
.”.
뱁새 is a little bird and 황새 is a big bird which has long legs. So, if a smol bird like that tried to chase after a big bird with long legs, you can definitely tell the outcome … basically that one netizen RH tried to chase something way out of their league. ↩︎
This is funny because the expression is “죽 쑨” basically meaning “cooking rice porridge” which means they got screwed over, so it matched perfectly with the english internet slang “get cooked”. ↩︎
Oriental Stork (황새) vs Vinous-throated parrotbill (뱁새)
OMGGGGGGGGG AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
The author really crazy for even thinking about Danbi’s concept this way….
I thought about it and if you’re curious about what the song would sounds like, considering Pantheon is more like vocal-group with members heavily talented in singing, I guess the song would sound like GOT7 release … honestly it’s hard to find group who actually sings well with outstanding choreo too (+ good song), since most boygroups are either one of those two … and the trend in 4th gen is more in perfomance focused rather than singing focused. Everytime you watch survival show nowadays, there’s really a lack of main vocalist material everywhere. This is why Mnet always rigged main vocals to their group … well anyway.
I HAVE A VERY VERY BIG CONFESSION TO MAKE. Actually, on this chapter, I JUST REALIZED THE OFFICIAL NAME INTENDED BY THE AUTHOR WAS
PANTHEION
. The MV was written as “[Pantheion (판테이온) ‘Heracles’ OFFICIAL M/V]” which omg … I WAS SO COOKED. I really really didnt realize it because this is the one and only the romanized spelling came out, and before this and after this it’s always 판테이온 (Well, Pantheon. Pantheon is the universal standard name, Pantheion is the spelling in Greek). I’M SO SORRY.
Should I change it to “Pantheion” from now on? Or can I just keep the group name “Pantheon”?
(honestly … eio sounds awkward). Please let me know your opinion T_T I’m so sorry……
Anyway, this is kinda mood-killing, but actually today is my mother’s passing anniversary (did they even call this kind of thing anniversary????). Honestly, around this time of year, I usually very depressed and distressed. It’s been four years but as Lee Chise said, I guess it doesn’t get less painful no matter how much time passes. (but also, my life literally turned into Snow White-but-without-the-dwarves-and-prince tragedy after that, so I guess there’s also no timr to heal).
But this time I actually didn’t even think about it until I dreamed of it, because I was busy doing this novel lol It felt really warm watching everyone liked the story that I shared because I really loved it T_T and thank you so much for all the kind comments too … I have no idea how to respond to kind words, but I’m so grateful … it made me happy and I’m very serious….. the joy of reading this story with all of you kinda make everything became worth living, that kind of feeling.
Okay I’m shy. Please let me know your thought about the Pantheion and Pantheon name … (Even if I need to change it, the chapters to be edited still bearable so it’s okay. But I’m worried you guys already got used to Pantheon and like it more) (I like it more) (Why this happened omg I should’ve checked any alphabeth appearance in the original from long ago…..)