Chapter 109: When It Explodes, It Explodes (9)
109. When It Explodes, It Explodes (9)
The song Candy Crush Team ambitiously selected was a seasonal track released by a male idol a few years ago, timed perfectly for Christmas.
The original concept centered around a high school nerd boy finally confessing his long-held feelings to his crush, delivering a heart-fluttering, explosive love confession.
The song's charm lay in its addictive whistle loop, the hilariously cheesy confessions thrown in at random intervals, and choreography so cute it bordered on cringe—but visually, they were already nailing it!
Ah! What do I do? I can't hold back anymore
Seo Tae-hyun's stable opening verse kicked off the song properly. From his startled expression to his foot-tapping gestures that screamed "I don't know what to do with myself," sighs of adoration erupted from all around.
Feels like I might just pop any second (pop!)
Our morning greetings every day (hello?)
You perfectly complete my 'Ha-ru'
When the lyrics mentioned 'Ha-ru,' all the trainees turned to look at Dan Ha-ru, who responded by showering himself with silver confetti he'd been holding, striking a flower petal pose with a wink.
'So soft and squishy, this baby bunny's flirting is delightful!'
What do I do? This is my first time feeling this way!
I searched up 'how to confess'
Learned it from a book, this love confession
The choreography stayed largely faithful to the lyrics.
Jaeyoung and Parang began rapping about various confession methods they'd researched—from classic moves like sketchbook confessions and rings hidden in ice cream to Japanese shoujo manga tropes like the kabedon wall slam (which was extra funny coming from Yuki, an actual Japanese trainee).
But the real explosion of reactions came at the end. After listening to the younger members' presentations, it was Seo Tae-hyun's turn.
"Noona, wanna come see my cat?"
No one knew when he'd prepared it, but Taehyun—now wearing black cat ear headbands—tilted his head with a mischievous expression, triggering another wave of screams. The gap between this and his nervous, innocent demeanor during his first verse was nothing short of legendary.
"How the hell did this guy NOT debut before?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!!!!"
Malanggom and Soda howled, echoing the mystery that even Kang Hajin pondered forty times a day. Waving away the cherry-print slogan they'd received earlier, they screamed along as the song transitioned into the chorus.
Dan Ha-ru, gripping a burgundy beret in one hand, fluttered toward center stage with a handheld mic. The way his long sleeves barely covered his pale hands clutching an equally pale mic was the visual highlight.
Can't wait!
I'm gonna say it all!
Gonna tell you everything!
You're pretty (so pretty!)
I like you (like you!)
Just your existence lets me breathe
"Holy... hell."
Ha-ru's clear, pristine voice led into the group choreography. Though the moves weren't particularly difficult, the non-stop steps perfectly captured the song's energy.
Say yes?
It's okay if you don't
I just wanna share these feelings
Only you in my sight (my sight!)
Everything's you (all of it!)
One smile from you changes my whole world
Ah! I'm gonna say it, my shy confession
"Damn, these kids can really sing live."
"No kidding, their vocal power?"
"Hello? It's Miro. Uphia and Endway's juniors—if they couldn't sing live, they'd die of shame."
While Ha-ru and Taehyun carried the chorus, the other trainees also belted out the backing vocals with impressive energy. The collective shouts of "Like you!" "See you!" felt electrifying.
'Wow... this is too cute.'
Even Soda, whose veins ran with hip-hop, found herself unconsciously swaying to the rhythm—it was that kind of infectiously happy stage.
By the second verse, the boys' chaotic confession preparations unfolded like a musical. By then, the audience had built up some immunity and could watch with slightly calmer excitement.
(Though their cheeks still hadn't descended from their ears, leaving jaws sore from grinning.)
I can't wait no more!
As the song neared its end, a pop echoed as pink confetti rained over the stage.
Ha-ru's high-note ad-libs led into each trainee's charm appeal segment—some pulled hand-cut paper hearts from their jackets, while others mimicked trendy challenge dances.
Seo Tae-hyun performed the titular choreography from Boyhood Under Heaven that had dubbed him "Cherry Boy," but his embarrassed laugh afterward somehow made it even more devastating.
Running to you
I can't wait no more.
The song closed with Taehyun's sweet vocals. As they gathered center stage to form heart poses, a piece of confetti stuck to Ha-ru's cheek. Gwajam instantly captured the moment—Ha-ru's radiant smile—on camera.
"Wow, insane..."
"Unnie! Dan Ha-ru! Dan Ha-ru!!!"
"Got it, got it. Calm down."
Malanggom, already heart-eyed, clutched her mouth in excitement. Gwajam pacified her with a water bottle, silently urging her to hydrate and regain her sanity.
Even as the breathless trainees slowly rose to prepare for interviews, the audience's fervor showed no signs of dying. Groans of adoration kept erupting. At this point, Soda started feeling slightly concerned.
"Yo, how's the next team supposed to follow this?"
"Like, how do you top this? What even competes? Not pressing the 'stage button'? That's an insult to K-pop."
"The only way to flip this energy is if Wolpyeongz strips to show abs. But Lee Do-ha would never do that."
"Obviously. Our Doha's real hip-hop. He wouldn't stoop to cheap K-pop tricks."
(Though privately, Soda admitted she'd absolutely lose it over abs or a bare back.)
"Damn, but Seo Tae-hyun's legit insane. I've said 'insane' like 500 times already."
"The fact that Seo Tae-hyun is just Seo Tae-hyun is a travesty. How does that name not have a legendary group prefix yet?"
"Yeommentic debuted as an idol too..."
"Ah, f*ck. Don't even mention that name."
Yeommentic—Soda's former oppa, now a father and married man—had earned his nickname (short for "Yeom-byeong-haneun Romantic") due to his scandal-ridden romantic life.
When Soda shot Gwajam a withering look, Gwajam just laughed and promised to capture Lee Do-ha's stage just as brilliantly.
Meanwhile, the stage reset concluded, and Candy Crush Team with Seo Tae-il returned center stage.
"The energy here is insane. Let's greet our Desty fans!"
"Okay! Two, three!"
"Hello! We're Candy Crush, here to sweeten your day!"
With their slogan, the trainees bit their index fingers playfully and winked, as if posing with lollipops.
"Did you see Taehyun deliberately tilt his head again?"
"What do I do? Jaeyoung's too cute. I feel my preferences being rewritten."
Amid the chatter, the stage talk continued. Each trainee gave individual greetings before leader Seo Tae-hyun explained their song choice.
Still kids at heart, they kept fidgeting like chicks even during Taehyun and Tae-il's interview.
Soda held up her phone with a LED marquee app displaying <☆My Ha-ru is Completed by You☆>—not specifically to cheer for Ha-ru, but because they'd been taking turns writing silly slogans for each trainee.
'...Huh? Did he just look at me?'
Ha-ru's eyes seemed to meet hers—or did they? As she hesitated, Ha-ru flashed a smile and mouthed 'Me too' with a small wave.
"What, did I just see Helios?"
"Who's that?"
"The sun god from Greek myths."
"Don't you mean Apollo?"
"Common misconception, but Apollo technically inherited Helios' role as a second-gen successor. Historically, Helios was the more primordial sun deity—"
"No, stop talking. I was wrong."
"Why isn't that unnie a Rene fan?"
"She hates their 'fake deity' concept or whatever."
"Ah."
As they bantered, Candy Crush's basic interview wrapped up. Normally, survival shows would transition to the next team now.
But Seo Tae-il wasn't letting them go that easily.
"Everyone, remember how we asked you to submit questions or requests for the trainees during audience recruitment?"
"Yes~!"
"Well, since we've gathered our Desty fans here today, let's have the trainees pick some to answer live!"
A staff member in black carried out a box labeled with the trainees' names and faces.
This wasn't just a performance showcase? Though praised as an "angelic survival show," this was unprecedented. Gwajam nodded in understanding while checking her camera shots.
"Ah, right. With only three teams, runtime would be too short otherwise."
"True, even at 30 minutes per team, it'd wrap in 90 minutes."
"Total win for us."
As they murmured, Taehyun carefully drew the first question.
When Taehyun read it aloud sheepishly, the audience burst into laughter—likely referencing his past interview where he admitted feeling awkward since technically, he was Tae-il's uncle by family hierarchy.
Taehyun glanced at Tae-il nervously, scrambling to answer politely.
"Um, well, we're actually distant relatives. Not like Master calls me 'Uncle' or anything! It's just... when we first met, it was kinda... you know..."
"Ah, when I realized you were my nephew, I agonized over calling you 'sunbae'?"
"Huh? No! Of course not!"
"Should've just called you 'Uncle,' but I was too oblivious?"
"Sunbaenim, why are you doing this to me...?"
Taehyun sweating bullets before his senior was a rare sight, making his teammates giggle.
Similar Q&As followed for other trainees. Given the younger members, most requests involved aegyo, challenges, or cute poses.
Finally, Ha-ru drew his slip.
The audience immediately screamed a certain name, as if they already knew the answer.
"Kang Hajin!!!"
"Hajin-ah~!"
Even Soda, who usually despised personal comments, nodded—Hajin was the obvious choice. After all, Ha-ru and Joo Eun-chan were largely responsible for Desties moe-fying Hajin into a "giant puppy."
"Honestly, there are too many hyungs I love!"
"We know~!"
"But if I had to pick today's favorite... I choose Yu-geon hyung!"
...What?
Even if not Hajin, they'd expected Eun-chan or Taehyun. The collective confusion froze all reactions.
Were Ha-ru and Yu-geon close? Same A-Class, but no notable interactions? Was this damage control? Some deep, hidden bond?
As fans' brains spun faster than Earth's rotation, Ha-ru dropped his bombshell with a sunny smile.
"Yu-geon hyung's collar today was just... so sexy, ungh!"
"Pfft—Ha-ru-yah, I'm your favorite, right? Say I'm your favorite!"
Quick-witted Taehyun rushed to cover Ha-ru's mouth like a wasp, but Desties had heard it all.
'His collar was sexy?'
Soda quietly gripped her head.
And thought:
'Oh f*ck. This is big...'