Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Translator: Penny
Chapter 174
The agency was well aware of Ryu Jaehee's cherry allergy.
That's why, despite the cakes tasting absolutely awful, they had always custom-ordered cakes made solely with whipped cream, just in case they contained even a single cocktail cherry.
So, even though the cakes were disgustingly bland, we had shut up and pretended to eat them. But this? This was too much.
"Seriously, you should at least bring a cake everyone can eat! What kind of reaction do you think we'll get if we put this out there, huh?"
Just as I was about to grab the cake box and move that damn cherry cake out of sight, Ryu Jaehee, who was as much a victim of this situation as anyone, stopped me.
"It's okay, Hyung. We're three minutes from going live. How could we get a re-lettered cake in just three minutes? I'll just skip it."
The words "Jaehee, are you a pushover?" nearly burst from my throat, but Ryu Jaehee's wink stopped me.
As expected, our Reve's strategist, Ryu Gongmyeong, always has a plan. Though I had no idea what that wink meant, I'd ask him after the broadcast.
Seo Yehyeon, who had been glaring fiercely, snapped at the staff member who brought the cake:
"Hey! Are you taking allergies lightly? If something goes wrong, someone could actually die—"
"One minute until broadcast!"
A staff member's booming shout cut her off.
With no time to delay the live stream, Seo Yehyeon reluctantly backed down.
Though irritation and anger still lingered on their faces, they forced themselves to manage their expressions as they faced the camera.
As soon as the candles were lit on the cake, the signal went out that the live broadcast had begun.
"Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Happy 2nd anniversary to our beloved Reve!"
They sang the birthday song in unison, clapping along, and then blew out the candles together.
"One, two, Dream of me! Hello, we're Reve!"
At my signal, they shouted their slogan in unison and waved enthusiastically at the camera.
"Yes, it's been just a week since Eden Hyung's birthday live stream, and now we're back to celebrate Reve's 2nd anniversary!"
"Today's concept is a potluck party! Yuje, do you know what a potluck party is?"
"Dobin, you're not asking me because you don't know either, are you?"
"What are you talking about? I already know!"
The Maknae Line held their spoons like microphones, channeling their inner MCs as they bantered back and forth. Ryu Jaehee raised a finger and answered, "A potluck party! It's a party where everyone brings a dish to share and enjoy together."
"Exactly! Which means all the food here was prepared by us, the members of Reve!"
"Now for a Reve affection test! Daydream, are you confident you can guess who made each dish?"
"Ah, we should have kept our dishes a secret and played a guessing game too!"
Kim Dobin, who had been bragging about his "French Braised Short Ribs" all over town, clutched his head in despair.
He glanced at his phone, checking the chat:
Tornado Omelet is definitely Yoon Leader's.
No matter how I look at it, that's definitely Cherry's cherry cake.
Tornado Omelet ㅋㅋ There's no mistaking who made that ㅋㅋ
Jln, are you crazy? Cherry?
Okay, the Tornado Omelet is definitely Eden's.
Who made the Braised Short Ribs? Hajun? Or Yehyeon?
Braised Short Ribs are high in calories, so it can't be Yehyeon.
Yuje was hospitalized for an allergy just this year, not even a year ago! What's ᄋ3 doing? Not even checking for allergies?
There are five members, so why are there seven dishes?
The Hopeless Trio's cooking is definitely inedible, so Hajun probably made their portions too. 99.9% chance.
If the cake was at least high-quality, I could understand them saying it's just for display since the kids are on a diet. But the quality is utter trash! Isn't this just telling Yuje to get screwed? Does this agency think our Artist is some kind of joke?
Did they bring that cherry cake just to smash it into Kim Nodap's face, not even knowing if he's allergic to cherries? Get Kim Nodap over here, OMG!
That Cajun chicken salad is definitely Yehyeon's.
With chicken tenders in it? No way that's Yehyeon's.
Isn't that Salmon Signature Wrap Yehyeon's creation?
At least show some effort and buy a decent cake from a bakery nearby to replace it. I've always thought their anniversary live stream cakes were subpar, but today's is truly the worst ever.
Is that weird thing on the far left Dobin's or Yuje's?
Amidst the chat's guesses about who owned which dish, waves of fury toward the cherry cake surged.
Let's see how you like a fax barrage of rage, you damn LnL.
"The Tornado Omelet definitely belongs to Eden Hyung. It's the only dish he can make."
"I said it's not the only one."
"Right, my mistake. It's one of the two dishes he can make, along with ramen. And this braised short ribs... it's not braised short ribs! It's Boeuf Bourguignon! This is my dish! This is Yuje's dish, everyone!"
Kim Dobin pointed at his braised short ribs, making a V-sign, then gestured toward the dish that had been dubbed "the weird thing" because no one could guess what it was, snickering like a tattletale.
"Could you introduce what this is?"
"...Egg in Hell."
"It certainly looks like hell, being so dark. Did you add squid ink?"
Ryu Jaehee pursed his lips at Seo Yehyeon's attempt to soften the blow before replying bluntly, "...It's just burnt."
"Ugh, if I ate everything named after me, I'd be in hell in no time."
Clap, clap! I applauded in admiration, and Ryu Jaehee playfully nudged my side. I immediately retaliated by firmly pressing down on the crown of his head.
"Our youngest member is hitting his hyung now? Daydream, I'm living a life of being beaten and disrespected by the maknae."
"When did I ever hit you, Hyung?! Ow, ow! Ilmongs, did you see that? How can I possibly disrespect Eden Hyung when I get punished like this immediately?!"
Now I have to raise my arm this high just to press down on that jerk's head. When he was smaller, it was so much easier to press his head or put him in a headlock without straining my muscles. Sigh.
"This Salmon Signature Wrap and Cajun Chicken Salad are both Yehyeon Hyung's creations! Many people initially doubted it was his work because of the chicken tenders in the salad. Yehyeon Hyung, could you explain?"
"Since this food is for everyone, I had to compromise a bit. If it were just vegetables, the three youngest members of the Maknae Line would refuse to eat it."
Seo Yehyeon gestured to me, Ryu Jaehee, and Kim Dobin, shrugging his shoulders.
"And as everyone probably guessed, the lasagna and gambas are Hajun Hyung's creations. My braised short ribs... well, some people mistook it for boeuf bourguignon, but most correctly identified those two dishes as Hajun Hyung's work."
Since no one was going to eat the cake anyway, I swiped my finger across its surface while the camera focused on Kim Dobin, who was standing at the far edge.
I licked the pink cream off my finger, and the full cherry flavor burst through.
Even a strawberry cream cake with a cherry on top would be enough to make me swear, but a cherry cream cake? It's practically an invitation for another trip to the emergency room.
My expression soured again, and Gyeon Hajun nudged me, lowering his voice to ask, "Is the cream cherry-flavored too?"
"Yeah, it's got a strong cherry taste."
"Hmm, I see..."
A crooked smile flashed briefly across Gyeon Hajun's face.
I blinked, wondering if I'd imagined it, but Gyeon Hajun grinned reassuringly, as if to say, "Just trust me."
Seeing my usually cautious friend act like this made me uneasy. Should I flip the cake over right now before Gyeon Hajun pulls something?
Kim Dobin kept insisting I try the braised short ribs—or whatever fancy French name he was using—so I stopped worrying and picked up a piece of meat, popping it into my mouth.
"What's this? Why is it so good? Did you really make this, Dobin?"
"See! I told you I'd finally escape The Hopeless Trio this time! Now it's just Hyung and Jaehee who are The Hopeless Duo, right?"
"Take me out of it too."
"Then the youngest member will be the only Hopeless one left...?"
Ah, Seo Yehyeon's acting skills had truly vanished.
Gyeon Hajun lifted the gambas dish in front of him with one hand and extended it toward the cake.
"Dobin, take some of this over to Jaehee and the others—"
Just as I thought he was holding the dish precariously, it tilted sharply and crashed to the table.
The dish landed with a splatter, overturning onto the cake and lasagna.
This time, it was clear to everyone that it wasn't a deliberate spill but an accidental slip. Gyeon Hajun's bewildered expression as he stared down at the ruined cake only added to the convincing performance.
"Uh... uh... the gambas and lasagna, no, the cake..."
"Ugh, I can't even look at the cake."
"We should get this off the table right away."
Everyone clamored for the cake to be removed, as if they'd been waiting for this moment. While I admired Gyeon Hajun's grand scheme to get rid of the cake, I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Damn, I really wanted to eat that.
As I couldn't tear my eyes away from the gambas dish, Gyeon Hajun whispered in my ear, "I'll make it for you again at the dorm."
Well, if that's the case, then fine. I reluctantly looked away from the shrimp rolling distastefully in the pink cream.
The offensive cherry cake was soon cleared from our sight.
Nice one, Jun!
Why does Yoon Eden look so disappointed? He knows his younger brother can't eat cherry cake, yet he's making such a big deal about it being gone.
"He probably just wanted gambas. Who would want to eat that kind of cake? Stop being so salty."
"Maybe he spilled it on purpose?"
"Nah, the situation and Jun's panicked expression were totally genuine."
"He covered the lasagna with more gambas oil than the cake anyway."
Since the lasagna was too good to waste, we just scraped off the gambas oil and ate it.
"It's already been three years since we debuted with Daydream," I said.
"Time flies, doesn't it? Next year, none of us will be minors anymore. Even the youngest member will be an adult by then."
"Wow, Jaehee, how old were you when you debuted? Seventeen? Time really does fly."
As we ate and chatted, occasionally glancing at the live chat questions, the broadcast time slipped away.
The moment the live stream ended, we immediately approached the staff member who had introduced the cake to us.
With barely concealed irritation, I opened my mouth.
"About the cake... I think we need an explanation."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny