UNISTAR : Invisible Moon [English Version]

ลำดับตอนที่ #9 : Chapter 7 : The Carp Fish from the Moon

 

Invisible Moon
 

Chapter 7

The Carp Fish from the Moon

"The fish in the water couldn't fly upon the sky,

but the fish on the moon could dive to the ground."

#WINisWIND

I got P'In's signature! This was my first senior signature and it was a UNISTAR's signature too!

I heard that the fans could only get UNISTAR's signature at fanmeets or if they could pass through the crowd to reach the UNISTAR members. Even so, getting the Invisible P'In's signature was exclusive, as he only made rare appearances at fanmeets. This was also why he was the member with the longest queue for autographs.

P'In's signature!

I glanced at my book excitedly, still couldn't believe that I really got his signature. This actually made me forget other things.

The reason P'In signed for me was probably because I sacrificed a page from my book for his carp fish. I was initially shocked when the paper was torn, but now it was worth it.

'But...carp?' I felt curious. 'Why does P'In like to fold the carp?'

Who could answer this question? I was thinking of my one true friend — Google — who knew everything. Then, I searched on my cell phone.

'IN UNISTAR fold carp fish'

I found many fans posting on Twitter, many of them tagged @intrakorn and said that they wanted to get the carp from P'In too. Some even dubbed P'In as 'Nong Carp', some also practised folding and posted photos of them with the caption - they could do it because of P'In. Extremely crazy fans would even go as far as wearing a carp fish costume.

I finally found the video about it on YouTube that was uploaded by MW Entertainment.

UNISTAR SHOWTIME! Following the life of the Moon - episode: IN and his carp fish.

I connected my cell phone to the university Wi-Fi to download the video. Like the previous one I watched, the video started with interviews of other UNISTAR members.

The first person was P'Leo.

Interviewer: Many fans are wondering, why does N'In like to fold the carp fish?

Leo: N'In? Ever since I knew him, I've always seen him folding them whenever he's free. But I need to be alert because sometimes — No! N'In! That's P'Kwang's money!

The camera immediately shifted to P'In, who was about to tear a thousand baht banknote to weave into a carp. He was expressionless, as if he didn't even think he was doing anything wrong.

Then, a small-figured man walked in and asked P'Leo what was happening.

Leo: P'Kwang, N'In was trying to fold the carp with your money. // His face looked concerned.

Kwang: What? No way, you can't! That's the money for everyone's food! // Turning to P'In in shock. Accordingly, P'In returned the banknote.

Interviewer: PD[1] Kwang almost had to pay with your own money, right? // Laughing

Kwang: Sigh... // Facepalming.

I heard the MC called P'Kwang as 'PD'. If I wasn't wrong, this person might be Kwang, the producer that everyone was talking about. PD Kwang was the supervisor of the UNISTAR project and participated in the selection of members. Many successes of this UNISTAR project can be credited to him. Although he was small in size and young, he was very capable.

Then, the scene shifted to the next person, P'Sea.

Sea: N'In? I did ask him. He said he felt relaxed when he's folding them. Probably, it could help N'In to release stress, like people who like to grit their teeth, shake their legs or chew gum.

Interviewer: And what about you? Do you have a similar habit as N'In?

Sea: Me? Well, maybe spinning a scalpel?

Interviewer: // Her face suddenly turned pale.

Why was P'Sea talking about this scary thing with an innocent smile like that? Oh no, I must skip!

Then, the camera shifted to P'Natee, the bad mouthed one.

Natee: P'In folds the carp fish, I can fold a plane. What did you say? It's not interesting? Hey...Why is folding a plane not cool, huh? Look! It's difficult. What? You've already folded a lot? No way! My folding technique is unique.

The cameraman seemed to be bored by P'Natee's bragging, so he decided to shoot the surrounding scenery instead.

Natee: Hey! Wait! I'm here! // Pulled the camera back. // Record me. I'm folding a plane. You must record everything. Do not cut, okay?

All in all, I couldn't find out anything about P'In from P'Natee at all.

Next, P'Wayu — the lame joker. This could either be something useful or a dumb joke, let's see...

Wayu: The reason why P'In likes folding 'carp' fish? Because he uses it to eat noodles, oh, that's 'chop' stick not 'carp' stick. Or he must be making a movie, using 'clap' board. Hahaha, not funny? Then, because P'In is neat and delicate, he loves doing 'crepe' fabric.

Such a horrible homophone joke, but the fans still loved it, as I saw many comments like: 'P'Wayu is funny', 'Love his jokes', 'How can P'Wayu come up with such amazing jokes // LMAO[2]'.

Well, I didn't think he was funny, but it was funny because he dared to make these jokes!

Interviewer: What's about N'In? Why do you like folding carp fish?

The camera finally shifted to P'In who was folding a carp.

In: // Looking up at the camera and staying still.

Interviewer: Can you share with the fans?

P'In seemed to hesitate.

In: Wanna try? // Handing the paper to the interviewer.

Interviewer: Oh, I have to help the Invisible Moon to fold them now. So then, the UNISTAR SHOWTIME will end here. See you next time! Bye Bye.

"What? How can it end like this?" I complained. It took a lot of effort to watch it.

"Limb - branch - leaf~, chacha~, leaf - branch - limb~..."

I came back to reality when I heard my friends singing in order to get the seniors' signatures in exchange.

I almost forgot that I intended to get P'Noey's signature. I hurriedly queued up and opened my book. When it was my turn, P'Noey signed it and moved on to the next person. This method could work for a fading person like me.

I managed to get another signature! I glanced at my book happily. At least, it wasn't a wasted attempt.

"Freshies who want me to sign, come here quickly. I will leave in 10 minutes. So, anyone else?" P'Noey was shouting.

"Noey, where are you going?" P'Tong asked.

"You don't know?! I think the first-years will leave soon too, believe me." P'Noey grinned at the female first-year students and they all screamed excitedly.

"Oh! UNISTAR event..." P'Tong understood immediately.

"Arhh, is P'Noey a Unity too?" One of them asked.

'Unity' was the official name of UNISTAR's fan club, meaning the state of being united, just like its name.

"Of course, I must cheer for my future husband." P'Noey giggled.

"Wow! Who is your bias?"

When the topic started to be a UNISTAR topic, everyone was excited.

"Seagull." P'Noey smiled passionately.

"P'Sea!"

Oh right, I think I saw some tweets mentioning fans calling P'Sea as 'Seagull', since P'Sea had bright, fair skin, pure and innocent look - like seagulls. That was why his fandom was named 'DomSeagull' or 'DomNangnuan' in Thai language.

"What about you? Which UNISTAR member is your bias?"

"P'In!" "P'Wayu!"

Most of them mentioned these two names.

"Oops! Don't tell me, you took the entrance exam here because of these two guys?" P'Noey was teasing the first-years.

Since everyone was planning to go to the UNISTAR event, the signature collecting activity suddenly changed into a Moon idol gossip activity. I heard P'Tong talking with his male friends about having a meal after and discussing the buddy-code family activity. Letting all the females follow their idols.

There was a UNISTAR event today. I thought.

Honestly, I had never been interested in any of these before. However, since I met P'In, I also wanted to know how he was under the spotlight.

Anyhow, since I had time today, there's no harm in going.

The UNISTAR event would begin at 4 p.m. at the plaza beside the city mall. This mall was quite far from my university, so I took the BTS sky train to get there.

I knew there would be many fans occupying the space, as I heard that it was already crowded with almost no place to stand. Only the special zone, which was reserved for the media and lucky fans who used their membership points to redeem the spot.

"Ohho!"

Once I arrived, the plaza was full of people as expected. Most of them were female fans, but there were still some male fans.

Each fan wore shirts in a specific colour. The fans grouped themselves with others who were wearing the same colours and were the fandom's light sign. I just noticed that each UNISTAR fandom had its own colour.

P'Sea — white, P'Leo — yellow, P'In — grey, P'Natee — light blue, P'Wayu — purple, and the colour combinations that represented the imaginary couples like white-yellow or light blue-purple.

And what colour was I wearing today? I looked at myself — black shirt, not related to any fandom.

I realised the benefit of being invisible today; I could get myself into the crowd near the stage, this exclusive space that had been reserved since morning.

I saw the UNISTAR logo with the Maxxwell clothing brand and other sponsor logos on the stage backdrop. In front of the stage, there were many cameras for broadcasting on the MWTV channel and live on online social media.

I didn't need to wait for too long before the event host came out and fans started to scream. This host is the interviewer that I often saw on the UNISTAR SHOWTIME programme.

"Hello all Unity! Make some noise! Welcome to the launch of Maxxwell's latest fashion collection! Wow! I see a lot of Unitys today—"

"And of course, it's because our brand ambassadors for today is — The national Moons — UNISTAR!"

Then, the host briefed about the schedule of today's event and thanked all sponsors on the list. He then briefly introduced the Maxxwell brand, a subsidiary of MW company.

"...without further ado, let's meet our five UNISTARs!"

The screams heightened the moment the host mentioned 'UNISTAR'. I had to cover my ears as it was too loud, it was almost dizzying. I noticed that this event was attracting the attention of everyone in the area. I could see people looking over from within the plaza, the mall and even the SKY train station.

Right now, the stage, which was arranged into a makeshift runway, was lit by colourful lights. An upbeat song was also playing in the background.

When the first UNISTAR member stepped out, everyone was screaming uncontrollably.

I stared and focused on the first man who was tall and had bright skin, wearing casual fashion clothing with a simple colour tone. The design looked gorgeous and was suitable for hot weather.

At first, I didn't recognise who this person was, until I heard a group of fans wearing white shirts shouting.

"Ahhh, P'Sea!"

That Seagull Sea? I eventually recalled. I blinked and kept watching. He looked a bit different in real life. On screen, he seemed to be thinner, but his actual body was quite firm. He was also tall, with very fair skin — as if he was dazzling.

"Ahhh, P'Wayu!"

Next, the fans screamed as if on cue as P'Wayu stepped out the moment P'Sea was walking back in. When I saw the real P'Wayu, I finally understood why he was able to attract crowds whenever he walked around our university.

P'Wayu looked so attractive in this attire. Where was the unfunny P'Wayu? Where was P'Wayu who always made those horrible lame jokes? I wasn't sure if I knew him anymore. Here. I only saw a cool outstanding man, as if he walked out of a modelling magazine. His serious gaze was so damn hot.

"Ahhh, P'Natee!"

P'Natee walked out with a seductive smirk. His seductive charm was different from P'Wayu's. P'Natee was more muscular and had tanned skin. The most attractive part was his devastatingly handsome smile, which was able to melt every girl's heart at any time.

"Ahhh, P'In!"

The name of the next member caught my attention.

"P'In...really?" My eyes widened as I stared at the man who just stepped out.

P'In was still handsome like an angel — an emotionless angel. In addition, P'In was wearing fashionable clothes, sported stylish hair, and had his face made up like an actual model. I wasn't sure...

'Is that the same P'In I saw in the morning?'

The P'In on the stage right now was ten times more attractive than usual. All attention was on him even though he was only walking normally, despite no expression on his face.

I eventually realised why many people said that P'In was literally glowing, because even a man like me couldn't even take my eyes off him.

After P'In walked back, it was P'Leo's turn. He was the main model for this event. Normally, every brand campaign would select the most suitable UNISTAR member to be featured as its centre model. The selection criteria weren't specific. Sometimes this position was chosen by the PD or by the brand. This centre could also be selected through fan votes or based on trends.

The brand collection this time featured classy casual clothing. This image was the most suitable for P'Leo.

P'Leo walked out confidently amidst the fans' loud cheering. Because he was the centre of this event, his clothing was the highlight. I had to admit that P'Leo was indeed the ideal Moon. Every inch, every angle, every part of him — appearance, shape, expression were all literally perfect.

After all of the UNISTAR members were shown, the background music changed. P'Leo was standing on a raised platform in the centre of the stage as other members walked out again and stood around him. Then, it was the end of the fashion show. The crowd was applauding loudly.

The main objective of the UNISTAR project was to select brand ambassadors. So modelling and shooting commercials were the most common jobs for UNISTAR members.

Once all the members were settled in on the stage, the host came out to continue the event. Although the fashion show didn't take so long, an interview with the UNISTAR members would follow along with fan interactions. The staff rearranged the stage, and replaced the makeshift runway with chairs.

"That's everything in the new Maxxwell collection. Does everyone like it? Let me hear some noise!"

To be honest, even if the host didn't ask, the fans were already screaming their lungs out. I really needed an earplug.

"Okay then. If any fans missed the event or wanted to rewatch it, you can watch it on the UNISTAR official fan page."

The host then proceeded to the interview segment.

"We now have the chance to talk with our UNISTAR members! Let's see... Can you introduce the collection for the fans? Any volunteers?"

P'Leo, the centre of this event, volunteered himself. He held a mic and talked about the brand and promoted the concept of the collection. Next, the host asked them some general questions: Have you been preparing for a long time? How did you rehearse for the fashion show? How did Leo and Sea - who study medicine - manage their time to work? Everyone answered at least a question each, except P'In who just sat there quietly.

"Oh, but every effort for the fans was worth it right? Before we conclude this event, we should give a chance to the UNISTAR members to greet the fans. I heard some of you have been waiting since morning just to see them today."

The fans were screaming in response.

"Let's start with N'Leo ka."

"Alright," P'Leo said. "Well, I'd like to thank the fans for supporting me all along. I'm very happy to meet everyone today. I promise to keep working hard and not to disappoint you. Love you krub. Miss you."

P'Leo gave an angelic smile and made a mini-heart for the fans. Everyone happily screamed. Sure enough, P'Leo lived up to his reputation as the prince of UNISTAR with this way of talking.

"Next, how about N'Sea? Please greet the fans."

"No problem!" P'Sea held his mic.

"Even though the weather today is hot and sunny, everyone is still willing to stand under the sun for us. So I'd like to thank you all for your patience. But please take care of your health. I'm always worried about you. If you're not feeling well, you can come to me."

Loud screams erupted as a response right away. P'Sea was a seemingly cold and calm person. Yet, when he was greeting the fans, he turned into a sweet and caring person.

"What about N'Wayu? Any sweet jokes for the fan club?"

"There's no 'Fan club'," P'Wayu grinned.

"They're all my 'Faen[3] krub'."

Another homophone joke? I wasn't sure. Anyway, the fans screamed again.

P'Wayu's simple sentences apparently had a lot of impact.

"Wow! Can I be N'Wayu's 'faen' too?" The host went along with his joke.

"Of course, that's why I'm named Wayu." He smiled.

"Huh? How?" The host couldn't get his joke. The fans and I didn't either.

"Because 'faen' created the wind, and 'Wayu' in Thai means wind. Wind and Wayu are like soulmates, like me and my fans."

P'Wayu winked at the fans, and the fans cheered the moment he finished his joke. Did they get it? I wasn't sure. He made jokes and the fans cheered. Fair enough.

"If your fans are all your girlfriends, isn't that too much? Several at a time? Very promiscuous." P'Natee suddenly criticised.

P'Wayu shot him a furious gaze.

"Wow, P'Natee is getting jealous."

"You don't like P'Wayu cheating on you, right?"

Apparently, their fans had their own interpretation.

"Oh, then, as N'Natee is already holding a mic, how about greeting the fans now?"

"Hmm." P'Natee lowered his voice.

"Thank you for coming. Since you came this time, you must come next time as well. If you dare to not come and see me, I'll be angry. Seriously. Honestly."

P'Natee showed his thumb to the fans, as a sign of feeling neglected. And the fans also screamed. P'Natee's characteristic was straightforward and very direct. If he was mad at seeing fans ignore him, he would just say so. Surprisingly, this charm was the reason his fans couldn't help but fall for him.

"Who cares? If he gets angry, just come to me." P'Wayu shot back.

"Oh, P'Wayu is a tsundere."

"P'Wayu is just sulking because of P'Natee."

Their fans definitely had the best imagination.

"We've now come to the last person, N'In. What would you like to say to the fans?"

As soon as it was P'In's turn, everyone, including me, turned silent as if the sounds were automatically turned down. Everyone was paying attention to whatever P'In would say. It seemed like hearing P'In utter a word was a really rare occasion.

P'In slowly lifted the mic and reached out to pick a bag that was hidden behind his chair.

I glanced at it. It was a transparent plastic bag with hundreds of paper carps inside, obviously, they were all folded by himself.

Right... including the carp from my signature book's paper.

"I saw on twitter, many of my fans wanted it." P'In spoke in monotone.

"I kept folding until I had this much."

P'In looked over at the fans who were wearing grey shirts, he looked like he was trying to estimate the number.

"Should be enough for my fans." P'In then handed the bag to a stage staff.

The grey-shirt fandom became extremely excited. Nothing better than getting a hand-made gift from their favourite idol. Undoubtedly, the other colour fandoms could only look on with envy.

I looked at P'In, realising that it's not surprising that his fans loved him so much. Even though P'In didn't often post, respond, or appear anywhere, he didn't even need to utter sweet words as fan service. His love for them was shown through honest caring actions like this and it was more than enough.

"Wow! That's so sweet. He made a special gift for the fans, so touching. Since N'In has already informed the staff in advance, we've already made arrangements for DomKati. For everyone's convenience, after the event, All N'In fans can line up beside the stage to collect his gift. The staff on-site will guide you. Priority will be given to DomKati who are registered as Unity or wearing DomKati shirts."

P'In's fans were very delighted, and seemed to be ready to queue up. I estimated the number of his fans would be a lot, but he had also prepared a lot of paper carps.

I was impressed. How did P'In manage to fold so many paper carps like that? How long did it take? How many days, weeks, or months?

Unexpectedly, at the moment I was looking at P'In, he turned to me, and our eyes met.

P'In saw me? My eyes opened wider. At first, I thought perhaps P'In was just randomly looking over here, but after a while, I wasn't so sure anymore.

But P'In and I were quite far from each other. He was on the stage, under the spotlight, while I was surrounded by the crowd. How was it possible?

In order to test it, I waved my hand to greet P'In.

I thought P'In would stay still, regardless if he saw me or not.

Unexpectedly, P'In nodded slightly.

"Oh." I was surprised.

P'In pointed to the side of the stage, where the staff had arranged for the fans to line up for his paper carps.

However, I couldn't confirm anything more because as soon as the host finished thanking UNISTAR and sponsors, all members waved goodbye to their fans and headed inside.

Before P'In went back, he glanced at me, and again, pointed to the paper carp pick-up zone. Then, he was gone.

I didn't know why. It was only a short unclear communication, but I could understand him without thinking too much.

P'In seemed to say that of the many paper carps that he had folded -

He wanted me to keep one.

☽------------☽

Footnote

[1] PD (Producer) in this case refers to a person who is in charge of the artist's production, planning, management and marketing.

[2] LMAO (Laughing my ass off)

[3] Faen in Thai means 'boyfriend/girlfriend'. The way it's pronounced is similar to fan club or fandom in English.