Chapter 302: 1st Anniversary (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: 1st Anniversary (3)
We decided to keep the "Is That So?" segment almost entirely unedited. For one, there’s rarely a dull moment in Spark’s broadcasts, and more importantly, it’s the kind of content fans hate to see cut from variety shows—things like phone calls with family or stories from team dinners.
Choi Je-ho called out Jeong Seong-bin. Seong-bin isn't the type to hold grudges, so I wondered what Je-ho could possibly have to say to him.
"Why aren't the photos of Kim I-wol on our official account?"
"Huh?"
"The ones I took at your graduation."
It turned out he had come out to protest because the photos he took hadn't been uploaded to SNS. I thought to myself that he had a lot of nerve, considering he’d made me look like a bug-eyed mackerel in those shots.
"Is that so? I’ll make sure to upload them today."
I mean, why would you even upload those...?
"Hyung, how many photos did you take back then?"
"Three."
"We just need one more to make a full set. Anyone want to be in the fourth one for the unreleased footage?"
"Wouldn't it be best to use one of the photos I-wol hyung took of Seong-bin hyung? One that hasn't been posted yet."
And so, the Spark official account ended up featuring unreleased photos of Jeong Seong-bin graduating, alongside photos of my passionate, desperate struggle to capture them.
Naturally, I was paired with Lee Cheong-hyeon. His eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
"I nag Cheong-hyeon so much normally that I don't really have anything special to add."
"You think so too, right, hyung?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon laughed confidently, his shoulders squared with pride.
"But since the opportunity is here, I might as well say one thing."
"Go ahead, by all means."
He was acting generous. I opened my mouth without much pressure.
"Cheong-hyeon."
"Yeah, hyung?"
"Did you really dislike the nickname 'Cute Pretty Visually' that much?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon looked genuinely shocked. I’d caught him trying to change his nickname on Bubble Pop a while ago, but he clearly hadn't expected me to bring it up here.
"If you didn't like it, you should have told me. I had no idea, so I was trying to make 'Cute Pretty Visually' your permanent brand."
"No, that's not it!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon waved his hands frantically, but it was no use. I’d seen it with my own two eyes.
Besides, it would be a problem if he disliked that nickname. That’s the name Sparklers have loved for ages. I’m out here trying to preserve it like an intangible cultural heritage; how dare he try to change it?
"I had no idea you hated it, so I was the only one who kept your name saved like that in my phone. It’s been weighing on my mind."
"That is not an 'Is that so'! This is a total misunderstanding!"
"Just say 'Is that so.' I'll change the nickname for you."
"Is that so! You misunderstood and thought I didn't like the nickname! That wasn't it at all!"
"What keywords should I put in the next nickname?"
"Just saying I'm cute, pretty, and beautiful is enough!"
"Well, that certainly covers all the bases."
Kang Gi-yeon chimed in from the side, snickering. Thanks to the captions editor who didn't miss a beat, everyone watching now knew that Kang Gi-yeon was messing with Lee Cheong-hyeon. Cheong-hyeon’s face turned bright red.
After barking back for a good while, he finally spoke with a dejected expression.
"I will explain everything on a live stream."
This is revenge for the fan meeting, you brat.
Next was the reveal of the Secret Santa game that had been going on behind the scenes.
"Who was my Secret Santa?"
As soon as the segment started, Kang Gi-yeon jumped out of his seat and asked.
"I honestly had no clue."
"Really...?"
Park Ju-woo asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Yeah. Every time I woke up, there was something new sitting above my head..."
"Like what?"
"A keychain and some other stuff. I figured it was from my Secret Santa, so I wore it today."
Kang Gi-yeon fluttered the strap on his jacket. A small, cute black star-shaped keychain was hanging from one of the holes.
"You didn't even have a guess?"
"Lee Cheong-hyeon? Since he’s the most likely to leave things without getting caught."
While Kang Gi-yeon was seriously pondering, Park Ju-woo spoke up in a dejected voice.
"It was me..."
"Really?!"
Park Ju-woo, the undisputed champion of stealth in Spark, gave a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, hyung. I really didn't know. You were just too meticulous."
"...I did a good job as a Secret Santa, right?"
"Of course. You were so good that I was completely fooled."
Kang Gi-yeon hurriedly comforted Park Ju-woo. This was a hyung who barely even leaves the dorm, yet he’d snuck out just to buy a keychain for his younger teammate. Everyone, except maybe Choi Je-ho, knew just how much effort the extreme introvert Park Ju-woo had put into this.
"Since the Santas gave us gifts at Christmas, I wanted to do it this time..."
"You connected it like that?"
"That’s some excellent payoff on the foreshadowing, hyung."
At the younger members' praise, Park Ju-woo’s face turned red enough to be seen through the screen. It was a sign of pure joy.
Kang Gi-yeon then pulled out a bunch of items from his bag like a pawnshop owner, proving just how diligently Park Ju-woo had delivered gifts. Gi-yeon praised him as the best Secret Santa, saying he truly loved the gifts.
On the other hand, there was someone who had correctly guessed their Secret Santa. It was Lee Cheong-hyeon.
"What did Seong-bin do for you?"
"Hyung told me separately because my schedule overlapped with composing and challenge preparations. Usually, Kang Gyeon is the one who does that kind of thing."
"You guessed Seong-bin was your Secret Santa just from that?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon wasn't the type to be certain based on just one clue.
Sure enough, he had other suspicions.
"I asked you if you were my Secret Santa, didn't I?"
"You did."
"Huh? You asked I-wol hyung too?"
The brat had laid out bait for every single member and observed their reactions.
"Honestly, I thought it would be either I-wol hyung or Seong-bin hyung. But you never know, so I poked around and watched everyone."
"Does that usually give you an answer?"
Choi Je-ho muttered skeptically.
"You heard us talking earlier, right? Who does I-wol hyung nag the most? Me!"
"True."
"So I thought he might be my Secret Santa. Because there’s a bit of a gap between what that hyung thinks is my happiness and what my actual happiness is."
"That’s fair," Kang Gi-yeon agreed.
"I poked hyung during the break, and he said he thought his Secret Santa was Ju-woo hyung. As soon as I heard that, I knew it wasn't him."
"How were you so sure?"
"Seong-bin hyung is the one who looks out for him the most, so it was weird that he specifically pointed to Ju-woo hyung. The fact that he excluded Seong-bin hyung—who is the most obvious candidate—was proof that he was actually Seong-bin hyung's Secret Santa. If I-wol hyung had been someone else's Secret Santa, he would have lied and said he thought it was Seong-bin hyung just to fool people. Everyone would have fallen for that."
"You're really something else," Choi Je-ho praised. Even his style of praising was unique; he really was a born center.
"Everyone else acted normal. The only one doing things he doesn't usually do was Seong-bin hyung. Does that answer your question?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon smiled proudly. As a reward for finding his Secret Santa, he was given a crown.
Next up was Jeong Seong-bin, who had been swept up in the Secret Santa controversy. Even though Lee Cheong-hyeon had dropped the bombshell earlier, Seong-bin still looked confused.
"Uh... actually, I didn't think I-wol hyung would be my Secret Santa."
"Why?"
The camera caught my bewildered expression in a close-up. Jeong Seong-bin’s face was just as priceless.
"I was good to you."
"I might have missed it, but could you tell me what kind of good deeds you performed...?"
I tried to sleep on time. I ate every meal. I didn't skip the gym. All of that was to save Jeong Seong-bin the trouble of having to nag me.
But come to think of it, those things were for my own health; they didn't exactly help Jeong Seong-bin. Wasn't it a bit selfish to think he’d be happy just because I gave him less to worry about?
"...Now that I think about it, I guess I wasn't that good to you."
"No, of course, hyung is always good to me."
"No. I'll do better."
"I'll hold you to that promise."
"You're not even going to decline?"
Seong-bin and I hugged each other. It was our second reconciliation hug of the day.
Needless to say, Choi Je-ho failed to guess his Secret Santa. It turned out his Secret Santa was Lee Cheong-hyeon.
"That's so mean, hyung! Do you know how many photos I took of you?!"
"...Oh, right."
"I followed you around from morning till night taking pictures! Weren't you happy seeing the best photos of your life?!"
"What can I say? They all look the same to me."
This is why handsome guys are the worst. They have no desperation when it comes to photos.
Just as I was starting to worry that no one except Lee Cheong-hyeon would guess their Secret Santa, Park Ju-woo made a surprise announcement.
"...I know who my Secret Santa is."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Who is it?"
"...Gi-yeon."
Kang Gi-yeon’s jaw dropped.
"You two were each other's Secret Santas? That's crazy."
"How did you know?" Gi-yeon asked, ignoring Cheong-hyeon’s comment. Judging by his shocked expression, he clearly thought he’d hidden it well.
"Gi-yeon came by a while ago and gave me a Bluetooth speaker, saying it was an extra he had that was compatible with my headset."
"I did. And I'm sure I peeled off all the seals?"
"The product still smelled new."
"I spent a week trying to get that smell out, and it still smelled new?"
The youngest had prepared thoroughly, but he couldn't fool the keen nose of Master Park Ju-woo.
"But thank you so much... I'm using it well."
"I'm glad you're using it. I hope the smell fades soon."
A heartwarming third hug followed. Park Ju-woo was also given a crown for guessing correctly. The screen was filled with the kind of friendship-rich moments fitting for a 1st-anniversary special.
"That just leaves I-wol hyung..."
As he spoke, Jeong Seong-bin looked back and forth between me and Choi Je-ho.
Right. Since everyone else had found their Secret Santa, the one remaining person had to be mine.
I knew that, but...
"I'm Kim I-wol's Secret Santa."
...Choi Je-ho, why on earth are you my Secret Santa?