Chapter 105
Chapter 105
5 p.m.
A community post where people gathered to watch Music Record's live broadcast together came back to life for the first time in a while.
—Pretty lively today lol
The recent Music Record lineup consisted of a few rising idol groups, the digital streaming powerhouse solo singer Sol, and some mid-to-low tier rookies who hadn't yet shed the 'newbie' label — what was commonly referred to as an empty house lineup.
Today wasn't much different.
Despite that, the reason they'd all gathered here was singular.
HAZERD.
And....
—Tuned in to the live broadcast to see Yoon Haejun and Seo Cha-gyeom meet
—Every time Jun mentioned Gyeom I wanted to smack him on the back and tell him to knock it off, but now that we've hit the beating a dead horse stage I'm just like... whatever... do what you want... what can a mere fan do anywayㅜㅜ
—Ah they're that special and the fact we'll never ever get to see them debut together for the rest of our lives is so so sad
The fact that Seo Cha-gyeom was under the same company as Yoon Haejun was already common knowledge among fans.
And the reason this simple factual relationship got packaged as a 'special bond' and established itself as one of the intriguing bits of lore was largely thanks to the man himself — Yoon Haejun, the MC of Music Record.
Since his debut, Yoon Haejun had consistently mentioned Seo Cha-gyeom on multiple occasions through radio shows and personal communication apps.
His comments, tagged with keywords like 'Mary-era best friend' and 'affectionate former labelmate,' spread everywhere, and naturally, quite a few fans who rooted for their friendship emerged.
In a market where liking multiple idols had become the norm these days, it wasn't that far-fetched.
But even so, things couldn't stay entirely wholesome between rivals.
Naturally, there were those who didn't take kindly to it.
—Plea~se stop mentioning himㅠㅠㅠ
—So what if he was from Mary, fuck, is he the only Mary alum or something?
—Not mentioning each other would be better for both of them, why doesn't the company stop him...
Yet the reason these negative opinions failed to rise to the surface and got dismissed was simple.
Because HAZERD was still... nowhere near AWER's level as competition.
A competitor you don't need to keep in check is just a colleague.
Ultimately, the relationship between the two was accepted by Yoon Haejun's fans as 'past anecdotes that offer a glimpse of their ultimate bias's human side,' and by Seo Cha-gyeom's fans as 'an opportunity that helps raise his recognition.'
In other words, it had been maintained as a dynamic that didn't really hurt either side — a win-win, if anything.
So today's Music Record, where the two would officially reunite for the first time, was more than enough content to look forward to.
[Hello! Music Record's beaming sunshine, Yoon Haejun~]
[Sparkling moonlight! This is Mun Yun-ah!]
Soon, the two MCs' bright greetings announced the start of the live broadcast.
After the first few teams' stages passed, people heated up the chat window while waiting for HAZERD's turn.
And after a wait that wasn't too long, Yoon Haejun finally picked up the mic with his signature soft voice.
[Yoon Haejun: An unpredictable charm like fog, an inescapable allure like a maze! Today's hot debut stars, HAZERD, have come to the MC seat!]
After Yoon Haejun finished speaking, the camera zoomed out to show the HAZERD members.
—Oh for goodness' sake
—Kyaaaaahhh
—Don't even try the geek-chic look unless you're this sure you can pull it off,,,
—Jun wearing nerd glasses today, don't tell me he coordinated dress codes with HAZERD lol A total genius of flair
Yoon Haejun conducted the interview smoothly.
[Yoon Haejun: First, please say a greeting to your fans!]
[Kim Yuri: Yes, hello! I'm HAZERD's sparkling-sparkling leader Yuri! We're truly so grateful to our fans who waited for us......]
—Sparkling-sparkling Yuri lol They probably matched with beaming and sparkling, so cute♥♥♥
—Yuri's not as nervous today, maybe because he's with Hae-jun
└What does Yuri have to do with Hae-jun
└Because Yuri was a Mary trainee too
└Huh?
[Yoon Haejun: Our HAZERD members are now approaching their first week since debut. Mr. Yuri! As the leader, I'm sure you have some sort of resolution. Could we hear it briefly?]
[Kim Yuri: Ah, yes! A resolution. My resolution is! To guide the members well as a leader, grow together step by step, and showing a perfect image... is a given of course! More than anything, I want to enjoy every moment with my members and share the stage with no regrets!]
[Yoon Haejun: Ah, as expected. I felt exactly the same way. Guess leaders just get each other!]
Several more scripted questions and answers went back and forth after that.
The members read their script diligently like rookies, and overall they responded to the interview with far more composure than during their showcase.
Fans who had watched them from the beginning were amazed, saying they'd made a dramatic leap in just five days.
Meanwhile, certain people's attention had been fixed elsewhere the entire time.
—So when are Yoon Haejun and Seo Cha-gyeom gonna talk
—Are they more awkward than expected lol Though I guess it's been a while since they saw each other
—Ah I'm so curious, did the company stop them because it'd draw aggroㅠㅠ??
And at the tail end of the interview.
As if he'd read those people's minds, Yoon Haejun made a suggestion with a playful smile.
[Yoon Haejun: The performance for your title track 'MAZE' was really amazing! If it's not too rude, would it be okay if I tried dancing it too?]
[Kim Yuri: Yes, of course! It'd be an honor, sunbae!]
[Yoon Haejun: Then... Cha-gyeom's part is my favorite part, so if it's alright, could Cha-gyeom teach it to me personally?]
—Kyaaaaahhh finally!!!
—This is insane, insane, insane
—Isn't it not the part that's your favorite but the person singing it?
[Seo Cha-gyeom: Yes, then just a moment.......]
Seo Cha-gyeom accepted readily and walked out to the center of the studio.
[Seo Cha-gyeom: This part's choreography embodies the image of searching for a path while lost in a maze. MC, have you heard of the left-hand rule?]
[Yoon Haejun: Ah, um, what's that?]
With dialogue that looked scripted to anyone, the introduction of the choreography continued, and Yoon Haejun nodded seriously, memorizing the moves he taught him with his eyes.
For those already familiar with their relationship, even this brief moment felt deeply moving.
—What's up with that face combo
—Fr is he teaching him on the spot? Why are they so serious lol
—What exactly did Mary miss out on
—Their expressions kinda feel,, wistful and,, tender,, am I the only one who feels this?
└It's just their working faces
[Yoon Haejun: Yes, thank you for the kind explanation! Then shall we dance it together?]
With Yoon Haejun's words, the highlight part of 'MAZE' began to play in the studio.
And the two's short performance was broadcast.
The reaction was... explosive, as expected.
—Whoa insane, he dances so fucking well;;
—Yoon Haejun, what is that learning ability, did he really just learn this? As expected of main dancer class ㄷㄷ
└Like he just learned it, obviously it's scripted...
—Whoa amazing lol They were labelmates once, fr they've got a similar vibe, should I say their dance lines have a similar texture?
—Of course it's a HAZERD song so HAZERD members dancing well is a given heh Jun's dancing is crazy daebak really~~ As expected, our Jun is the bestbb
And AWER fans' pure gushing over their idol soon reached the point of rubbing HAZERD fans the wrong way.
—Sigh, if Cha-gyeom were in AWER we'd get to see so many scenes of him bantering with Hae-jun
—Tch,, it's a shame in so many ways justㅜㅜㅜ
—Ah Cha-gyeom is too wasted, I just wish he'd go to AWER lol The group level difference is just too huge
└Wtf is this bullshit, suddenly craving someone else's group member and making a scene
└No it was a joke lol Why so serious lol So scary~ I just said it because they match well haha I'm not an AWER fan!!
In the end, this subtle war of nerves among fans gradually escalated into a full-blown standoff.
—Yoon Haejun fans, is your own team not satisfying enough, you keep clinging to Cha-gyeom lol
└Isn't it the opposite? lol
—Lol losers, no-name flop group fans stop with the relationship selling
└What are you talking about? Yoon Haejun did the most relationship selling, fuck
—This is why they say refrain from mentioning other groups, ends in a fight club finale as usual
The heartwarming reunion scene.......
Had devolved in an instant into a pride battle between the two fandoms.
* * *
By the time we got back to the dorm, it was well past midnight.
After quickly showering on the second floor, I dried my wet hair with a towel and came back to the living room to find the members who'd already washed up huddled together on the floor.
Ah, for reference, the second floor of our dorm was the private space occasionally used by President and the Director when they slept over. We only used the shower room.
Anyway, seeing the members who'd somehow still managed to keep their energy, I started what I'd planned to do today.
"Everyone worked really hard today."
And that was a good old lecture.
"On a separate note... you all remember what happened in the waiting room today, right? From now on, sunbae or hoobae, doesn't matter. The moment you see anyone from the industry, stand up immediately and bend your back. If bad rumors spread for no reason, it's hard to clear up."
Surprisingly, Baek Gyeonwoo had been listening intently without complaint, and the moment I finished, he opened his mouth right away.
"I know. I do know. But you and that hyung over there lecture me so much that I just had this inner sense of intimacy...."
"No, there's a sense of intimacy with Yoon Haejun that you haven't even built with me?"
"It was just a figure of speech, geez."
At Kim Yuri's words, Baek Gyeonwoo rolled his eyes and retorted.
And I passed the arrow to Kim Yuri, the main culprit of today's incident.
"Speaking of which, hyung, you... no, you know all this already, so why can't you control yourself the moment you see Yoon Haejun? And you took on the leader role and all."
"For real. That's love."
"Sowol, you, don't go provoking hyung for no reason."
Kim Yuri, who had been staring at the floor the entire time, suddenly let out an utterly aggrieved sigh and flopped down flat on the ground.
"Ah, fine, fine. I messed up today. Okay. I admit it."
"Don't blame yourself too much. Just do better from now on...."
"No but, I really did my duty as a leader, I'm telling you! I had to protect our innocent members from that sleazy Yoon Haejun, didn't I!"
This hyung was treating Yoon Haejun like some cult creep harassing good citizens.
Still sprawled out and gauging my reaction, Kim Yuri grabbed the leg of Han Neuti sitting beside him for no reason and shook it with his entire body.
"Hyung, hyung, you seriously have to teach him a lesson tomorrow! Just devour him clean to the bone like a hairtail fish!"
Despite Kim Yuri's impassioned speech, Han Neuti sat still without a twitch.
It wasn't like he was trying to uphold the dignity of the eldest hyung... surely not that.
'Something's weird.'
Wait, this hyung, don't tell me.
"You're nervous?"
At my question, Han Neuti flinched and lifted his head.
"Hey, of course I'm nervous. Should I not be?"
No, other reasons I'd understand, but this was the hyung who didn't so much as blink when stepping onto a stage.
'Nervous over a mere dance challenge?'
Was Yoon Haejun that amazing even in his eyes?
In front of me, slightly taken aback, Han Neuti paused for a moment before speaking in a voice that was almost crawling into the ground.
"Tomorrow...."
"Yes?"
"I have to go to Mary alone, you know...."
"...I'm coming with you, though?"
Of course I was going too. What trust could I put in this hyung to....
"Ah, really?"
At my words, color returned to Han Neuti's face.
And as if he'd never been nervous at all, he straightened his shoulders wide and cleared his throat.
"Ah, shit. You should've said so. I got nervous for nothing."