86 Awash in Starlit Splendor

Dauntlessly, the quintet strode out onto the stage and took their positions. The dim lights flared into dazzling beams, streaking across the floor before settling their halo-like spotlights on each of the members.

The five girls glanced at one another from the corner of their eyes and mouthed each other words. "Fighting, LUXIA~!"

The audience below didn't miss their confidence entrance and cute, whispered group cheer. Already, expectations and excitement had risen before the performance had even begun.

"Look at those outfits!" One fan remarked with loud gasps to her friend. "They're so beautiful and intricate yet so sleek! Who's their stylist?! I can't think of any group who's done this style before!"

Her friend nodded her head vigorously. "It's clearly a fantasy-esque theme, but why do some of them look like royalty and others so heroic like a knight? And oh!! Look at that one on the right side with the fur! OMG! She looks like some dark modern viking princess what the heck?!"

"Viking princess?" The girl tittered at her friend's funny phrasing. "I guess, haha! But what 'viking' looks as amazing as this? I'd say she looks more like some cunning princess villainess! That diagonal cut of her pants and side drape, leather... so rich yet so bold!"

Both of the girls squealed having found possibly their bias or bias wrecker in the new girl group already since Iris Huang was already well known.

But while those girls had noticed Rinah, others yet noticed each of the other members.

"Whoa! That girl is wearing a freaking prince's jacket! Omg, she's badass cool! That sharp gaze..I'm feeling hot!"

"WTF, you're so weird! I don't know you!"

"Hey! You can't leave and pretend not to know me! Come back! Oh... Hahahahaha! You're stuck in this spot because of the crowd anyway!" She cackled with a hand over her tummy.

"Stop laughing idiot!"

"Did you see that long dress? Wow! So glamorous yet elegant! She looks like a real modern princess straight out of a fairytale!"

"Modern fairytale...?" His friend raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Does that even make sense?"

"....Shut up."

"Such a cute girl to the left of Iris. Who's she? The one with the sword on her back?"

"Oh, you mean Ariel? Cool yet cute, isn't she?" The guy smirked and nudged his friend's side. "I can't believe she has an actual freaking sword as part of her costume. What kind of dance will they be doing with that? Or it's just an accessory? But wouldn't that be hard to dance wearing it?"

"Um, did you even see the sword on Iris's side? Gosh, do you guys always go for the adorable ones. My queen Iris gets no respect, tut!" A girl by them sneered.

"Hey! Quiet down! It's starting!"

Several hands waved in the air, gesturing for everyone to get quiet, and the venue quickly descended into a hush as the music hummed into gear.

Usually, fans would still be boisterous throughout the entire music show with every artist performing that day. And yet, with this new debut, everyone couldn't help holding their breath in order to focus and take it all in.

But the orderly hush didn't last long. As soon as Iris began singing the first line of the song, slowly and strongly in a captivating introductory melody, her fans immediately couldn't help crying out in admiration. Some even jumped or waving their light sticks and posters in admiration and excitement.

LUXIA didn't yet have an official light stick, so people made do with the ones they brought for other groups performing that day. It wasn't considered disrespectful or rude to use another light stick when a new group didn't yet have an official one.

Instead, their fans' sincerity and fervor made the five girls feel warm and buoyant inside. However, they didn't linger on this happy experience and first thrill of performing in front of a large audience in order to focus on what they were doing.

After Iris's short beginning hook, Rinah took up the melody, her higher pitched, clear voice making a lovely contrast with Iris's alto, multi-layered voice.

Seamlessly, Iris and then Ahreum joined in on the background melodic and rhythmic vocal inserts before Ahreum took the lead singing again. And then, it was back to Iris as the group continued to execute their sharp yet graceful choreography.

The onlookers let out successive gasps and cheers, amazed by the fluidity of not only the vocals, but the dancing. This choreography wasn't exactly the type of idol dancing they were used to, and yet also felt familiar enough with all the engaging factors that typically made up idol dance.

With five members, LUXIA was able to create tight knit formations that then extended outward into looser structures that gave each girl a space to be seen. They kept their audience on their toes with precise musicality, following every beat and shift in the song. They were only five members, and yet they filled the stage with movement and commanding presence.

And even with the backtrack and high level of difficulty in their moves, each of their voices were still heard loud and clear. This was a point that Iris really pushed for their group to have.

She didn't want them to only be good recording artists, in other words, their voices only sounded good in the studio due to being altered and enhanced by technology. Iris wanted each of them to vocalize stably while performing live.

Having participated in Produce 48, she was more aware than anyone else in the group about the importance of strong live vocals. It was often due to unstable or stable live vocals which broke or made a performance on a Produce stage.

In one particular round, the fans were very close to the stage, and the venue size was relatively small for on-spot voting. So, any mistake was easily noticed. And no one could hide behind a loud backtrack.

Thus, their entire LUXIA group had particularly focused on this aspect of their vocal abilities. They strived to practice their dancing with their vocals whenever they could without damaging or overtaxing their vocal cords too much. Each week, they improved the duration and quality of their vocals while dancing.

Soon, the song was building up to its peak, the first chorus. Cindy led the pre-chorus, singing in deep, rich tones that would pair perfectly with Iris's following vocals in the dramatic chorus.

"Whoa..." A fan shivered, turning to her friends. "I'm getting some 'Fake Love' vibes."

"Omg, sameee! But it's still very different and yet the song's mood is similar!"

"'Fake Love'? No no, it's more like 'I Need U', what're you saying?"

"Hey wait! Shush! Didn't you just hear that? This pre-chorus, chorus, and now following section broke down a lot like 'Blood, Sweat, and Tears'!!"

"Gosh, could you all stop comparing their songs to BTS already? Are you actually new fans or OG fans? Because this is their style since 'Everlasting' and 'Fearless.'"

"OG fans? Is that a thing already because of their pre-debut songs?"

"Duh! Of course! And don't forget Produce 48 days and Iris Huang, silly!"

"Yeah seriously, be quiet! I'm trying to listen and watch my girls!"

The song descended from its high, Jiyeon took over with her rap. The extended rap portion showcased her charisma and flow and tied cohesively with Cindy's rap accompaniment and shorter individual rap verses which then twined into a rap-singing segment.

And from there, Rinah took the lead from Cindy, once again contrasting the deep lows with her highs. The song continuously harmonized and fluctuated from low to high and back.

Then the chorus hit again, but a little shorter as it spiraled up to a climax with an Iris high note harmonized by Rinah and Ahreum. Swiftly, Ahreum shifted to sudden high-pitched raps that Cindy joined followed by Jiyeon in succession.

It was a barrage that the audience could barely keep up with—it made their skin tingle and hair stand on edge while their mouths hung ajar. Truly, this was one hell of crescendo, something truly unexpected and not usually done with a first debut song.

"This...this isn't just a debut." One person murmured. "This is a takeover."

"Where am I? What am I doing?"

"Am I witnessing something legendary? Guys. Write this down. This is a legend being born here. Just you watch tomorrow's news."

But the internet was already streaming with shocked reactions and praise for LUXIA. Sure, there were some that criticized their unorthodox entrance to the idol world, but the overwhelming response was a positive one.

Amazed by their avant-garde approach in not only fashion, but also in concept and song, LUXIA was pioneering a path not yet seen before. Just like BTS's unbroken story and movie-like storytelling in their songs' concept and lyrics, LUXIA followed in those large footsteps with their own unique spin.

It was almost equivalent to starting from a platform and place that BTS had reached and developed several years in to their career. LUXIA was performing and creating music not like rookies. It was like a comeback performance. They were ruling and reclaiming their throne.

Of course, that was merely the impression that their powerful debut evoked. They were still very much rookies even with the help of Iris who could no longer be considered a rookie with nearly four years of practical performing experience.

Thus, the internet swarmed with various reactions and analyses of where this group was heading. Many of the cynics thinking that Big Hit would yet again fail with a girl group were smacked in their faces.

[lovegurl347]: It's official. Rookie of the year. Calling it +1281

[opyeeter9]: rookie of the year? how about group of the year? +4053

[XdoofieX]: hm, my dude ^ let's be real +102

[luxiaBBY]: haters, your wigs have been snatched and they ain't comin' bacc +2198

[mogglepog]: Someone, please look at the identity of @luxiaBBY? I think an international fan broke into Naver. @admin +23

Yet, critics and haters continued to argue that time would tell. And indeed time would tell just how this group would fare in longevity and as a team. Would they be able to reach even half or come close to where BTS was now?

TXT still existed and couldn't be forgotten. But they were already a success story, and since a girl group was a new venture and completely different market, many wondered if Big Hit would be able to create a female version of BTS's success story.

Just the story, not the group, as LUXIA was composed differently from how BTS started. Despite people comparing the two because of being from the same label, BTS started out as a hip-hop that was more rap heavy while LUXIA was definitely more vocal-attuned. In that sense, they were more similar to how TXT started their career.

And very soon, the comparisons to existing girl groups and former ones would soon outpour. Such was the nature of the industry and k-pop fan community. Precedents, competition, and similarities never missed the eye of the public and industry experts. LUXIA would have much to battle in their new career.

But in a fashion that would soon be notably all their own, LUXIA displayed the prowess of their star abilities in their song's finale—a stirring mix of layered harmonies that elevated and dropped to showcase complex yet clean, difficult dance moves like a mini dance break before swelling together into a grand chorus remix that finally exited with some soft, alluring whispers by ending fairy Cindy.

At this song's finish, the audience mirrored the LUXIA member's quiet, still poses. Shocked into silence, only the sound of heavy breathing, gasps, and low murmurs could be heard for a split second before breaking out into rapturous applause.

Some swore loudly in exclamation, relating the grand proportions of the performance to an award show stage. "Is this MAMA? Melon? Golden Disk Awards? That felt like an epic finale to a concert."

"Guys, I think they've raised my bar and expectations way too high now. What kind of new wave of monster rookies will come out of this wave inspired by them?"

"Chingu (Friend), you are awfully eloquent today. Have you been infected by our queens?"

".....Please stop the cringe voice. I'm being serious! Stop making fun of me omg!" The girl whacked her friend playfully. This scene rippled across the crowd in variations. Everyone reacted differently, but all were amazed by LUXIA's performance.

Indeed, all their hard work had paid off. At this boisterous audience applauding and cheering for them despite it being their first physical meeting as artist and fan, the LUXIA members felt their hearts swell with elation.

Their tireless practices that bore their dance fundamentals and choreography into their bones and muscles until they became instinctive; their singing exercises, stamina, and breathing techniques that allowed them to perform without becoming exhausted by the end of a full performance; their countless brainstorms and studio renditions perfecting the composition, arrangement, story, and concept—all of it had paid off.

This was the best result Iris could ever hope for in her wildest imaginations. Indeed, it felt like she had finally experienced the moment she had been waiting for her entire life.