Chapter 113
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113
"Have you gotten in touch with the Japanese management yet?"
Daepasung Entertainment was bustling as October arrived. Min Ji-heon, already a Hallyu star and top-tier actor, saw his popularity skyrocket even further as Please Take Care of the Camera expanded into overseas OTT markets. To make matters even more hectic, Seo Ho-yun’s popularity had also surged simultaneously due to his supporting role.
On top of that, Shining Star had spread across the ocean, and The Dawn’s popularity was causing a massive stir in Japan. Consequently, Lee Ji-hyeon was hammering away at her keyboard like a madwoman to prepare for the coming year.
"I’m so desperate I’d take help from anyone—even a cat."
"If you have time to say that, go find a cat first and then talk."
Lee Ji-hyeon, suffering through another day at Daepasung, sighed as her dark circles reached down to her chin. Just looking at the Daepasung logo on her computer wallpaper made her hands tremble with rage.
Small-to-medium agencies, goddaaaaammit…
Still, Ji-hyeon endured. Just when she was so exhausted she wanted to scream, "Ah, fuck it, everyone can just screw off," a bonus was dangled in front of her eyes. After seeing the amount, Ji-hyeon decided to suffer in silence.
It was simply too much money to refuse…
Unaware that Seo Ho-yun had been working hard behind the scenes to pave the way, Ji-hyeon muttered to herself while looking at the fan merchandise on her desk.
"Ah… when am I ever going to finish my daily battles… when will I see our rolling editor and the third blonde prince… No, when is the 'unfilial son' SSR event coming…?"
"Ji-hyeon, what are you talking about?"
"She’s like that when she’s tired. Just leave her be."
Ji-hyeon gritted her teeth and pounded the keys. It was a mistake to list "fluent in Japanese" as a selling point on her resume. Because of that, every single matter related to their Japanese advancement was being dumped onto her desk.
If they don't promote me, someone’s gonna die.
A year ago, Ji-hyeon had been a bright-eyed rookie who would nod politely at anything her seniors said. Now, unable to withstand the atrocities of a small agency, she had finally "blackened."
"I just sent over the proposal for The Dawn’s Japanese debut."
"Oh~, as expected of Ji-hyeon."
Shut up…
Now, whenever her senior said anything, a string of curses rising to her throat was her default passive state. As her senior cheered while clicking away, another employee nearby looked at Ji-hyeon with a face full of pity.
Ji-hyeon let out a deep sigh and opened a new window to process the next agenda.
"The Dawn is really popular, aren't they? With this much hype, a tour should be possible, right?"
"We won't know until we open the lid. Well, maybe a small hall in the countryside might be doable."
"That’s a shame. Should we have planned a small concert or something?"
Are you insane??
Ji-hyeon’s rage flared at her senior’s words. Perhaps because he only managed actors, he was completely empty-headed when it came to this side of the industry.
"We haven't even done a domestic concert, and you want an overseas touuuuur? Are you joking? That’s the same as screaming at the top of your lungs that you want Daepasung to get dragged through the mud!! Huh?! There are so many concert halls and stadiums in Korea, so why! Why can't we do those first?!"
"Uh, ah, uh…"
As she screamed like a lunatic, reminiscing about her past bias, people turned their heads and began to avoid her.
In this world, you already get flayed alive if you have even one more concert overseas than domestically. What if they debuted with an overseas concert first?
[Daepasung you fcking pieces of sht]
[I thought their work was getting better, but they’re still the same lol ㅗ Hey Daepasung, we’re trying to give you money but you can’t even take it and you’re wasting time doing (beep-) (beep-) (beep-) (beep-)]
[You (beep) sons of Daepasung, you (beeeep-) (beeeep) things really think domestic fans are a joke lolol wow I’m losing my mind lol]
The rest were insults too foul to write. Ji-hyeon brushed the goosebumps off her arms, imagining the slander Daepasung would face without even needing to search for it.
Wow, seriously, just thinking about it is terrifying…
In truth, Ji-hyeon felt that a Japanese debut was a bit of a gray area even as a fan, but it couldn't be helped. She felt sorry for the fans, but from a long-term perspective, an overseas debut was ultimately for the artist's benefit.
Ji-hyeon squeezed her eyes shut as she hit send on the planning document.
I’ll just have to take the heat!
.
.
.
At that same moment, Seo Ho-yun was having similar thoughts to Ji-hyeon.
What should I do about this…
The K-POP wave was blowing worldwide, and these days, it was easier to spread overseas through Nutube or SNS, so the timing for international advancement had indeed become faster than before. There were even groups formed with the explicit purpose of debuting overseas.
Of course, the rumor that "they’re only touring overseas because they aren't popular in Korea" still circulated, and domestic fans could drop off. A proper balance between domestic and international activities was necessary.
Currently, Daepasung was busy rowing now that the overseas tide was coming in.
Ho-yun’s brow furrowed naturally as he heard about the overseas plans through Ji-hyeon.
Overseas activities were ultimately a matter of timing, but they had just started to settle down and gain traction in Korea. If they started wandering abroad now, it was obvious the domestic fans would have a lot to say.
In Korean, the nuance of a word can change everything; it’s all about how you frame it.
Even if it’s for next year… how on earth do I even bring this up?
He was agonizing over a solution he had never needed to find in his previous life when Jeong Da-jun, who had been scribbling in a Japanese CSAT workbook for his second foreign language, suddenly collapsed onto the table.
"…I can't do it."
Did you even solve a single problem?
"Shut up and solve them."
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had grabbed an ice cream from the fridge and handed it to me, glanced at Da-jun’s workbook and looked appalled.
"You haven't solved a single one?"
"Ah… should I just not study? Can I just go for the 'CSAT attendance' photo op and come back?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
If you’re going to take the CSAT, you have to study. Where does this kid think he’s going, trying to slide by? Just as I thought the matter was settled with that rebuke, Kang Yi-chae slid down from the sofa and put his arm around Da-jun’s shoulders, grinning.
"Maknae, just study half-heartedly and guess the answers~. Is success more important than being happy in life?"
"Of course success is more important…"
"That is so Seo Ho-yun…"
As I replied bluntly, Kim Seong-hyeon muttered beside me. I reached out and poked the crown of Kang Yi-chae’s head.
"Hey, be honest. Don't you think so too?"
"Think what."
"I’ll let the money thing slide since you hate it. But if you worked your ass off composing something and the result flopped, what would you do?"
"I wouldn't care."
"…What about when you were talking about box office success and all that before?"
"That was because it was important to us."
Kang Yi-chae chuckled.
"Other than that, as long as it’s precious to me, that’s enough."
…Right, what was the point of talking to this guy with his monstrous mental strength? Kim Seong-hyeon asked, resting his chin on his hand.
"Kang Yi-chae, do you really think that?"
"Huh?"
"You’re actually looking forward to Jeong Da-jun failing the CSAT."
"Eeeeh?? Really!?"
Da-jun suddenly threw his pencil. He was definitely overreacting just because he didn't want to study… but surprisingly, Kang Yi-chae flinched.
"……??"
We were all shocked.
…For real?
"Hey, hyung. What are you talking about~? I’m rooting for our maknae."
"Yeah, seriously… why would Yi-chae do that?"
Yi-chae laughed belatedly, trying to fix the situation, and even I, whose personality is no walk in the park, chimed in to help. But Kim Seong-hyeon stretched his legs out and retorted.
"He’s thinking it would be more entertaining if he failed than if he did well."
What kind of Satanic thought is that?
"Uh…. Ahaha."
"Hy-hyung. Is that true?"
"Mmm…."
The ever-shameless Kang Yi-chae couldn't say a word and just blinked rapidly. Then, he gently covered the ears of Jeong Da-jun, who was looking at him with disbelief, with both hands.
"Of course it is…."
"……."
What are we going to do about our main rapper’s personality?
Whether his ears were covered or not, Da-jun had heard everything. Unable to bear the betrayal, he trembled like a vibrating phone.
"Hyung… sometimes you’re meaner than Ho-yun hyung."
"Heol! How can you say something so harsh?"
"Want me to go even harsher? Except for the cursing, Yi-chae hyung is exactly the same as Ho-yun hyung!!"
"Gasp, Yi-chae is hurt~."
"I think I’m the one who should be angry here…."
Seong Ji-won, who had been typing away on his laptop at the dining table, approached the noisy members.
"Ho-yun, by the way, did you say you were going to a separate schedule?"
"Ah."
That’s right.
I turned my head slightly.
"With Ju Woo-seong."
"Hey, where did the 'Senior' go?!"
Kim Seong-hyeon fumed, but I didn't have a single gram of energy to spare for Ju Woo-seong. It was just a "Best Friends" special for Yoo Ji-ah’s Nutube channel.
Actually, there was no need to rush, but since a two-week time limit had appeared in the quest window last time, I had readily accepted the offer.
"Ahaha, have a safe trip."
Actually, I’m a bit concerned.
Using Ju Woo-seong for the quest was fine, but I was worried that I was doing too many solo activities lately, starting from Over-immersion Master.
The members didn't seem to mind, but it was easy for people to talk about the distribution of screen time among members. I was worried about fatigue accumulating if conflict broke out within the fandom.
"Isn't Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim really active lately?"
"His last new song was so popular…."
"That’s true. The reaction was insane."
While I was pondering how to resolve this, my phone buzzed with a text.
It was from Lee Ji-hyeon.
[Planning Team Lee Ji-hyeon: Ho-yun-ssi]
[Planning Team Lee Ji-hyeon: You’re filming with Ju Woo-seong-ssi soon, right?]
[Planning Team Lee Ji-hyeon: It’s a live broadcast today]
[Planning Team Lee Ji-hyeon: Before you go to the variety show, take a look at this]
"……?"
[Planning Team Lee Ji-hyeon: (Video)]
I played the video with a puzzled look and let out a hollow laugh.
"Wow, Lee Ji-hyeon-ssi is truly amazing…."
"Huh?"
* * *
[Guys, Ho-yun is filming with Ju-seong tomorrow]
[Eh?? All of The Dawn?]
[No, a solo variety show. I heard it’s a Yoo Ji-ah Nutube special]
Fans on private SNS accounts were buzzing, but they didn't add much else. He had appeared with Ju Woo-seong on Over-immersion Master before, but this time, the reaction was a bit more complicated.
[Ah.... Hmm]
Everyone held their tongues. This was largely because the promotions for Kill the Lights had overlapped perfectly with Black Call Kings' promotions, and The Dawn hadn't performed as well as expected.
[Well, yeah.. It’s not like we’re in a position to compare ourselves to Black Call lol (that would be shameless). Of course, I was a bit pissed during Kill the Lights, but it couldn't be helped.
It’s not Ju Woo-seong’s fault, it’s because Daepasung is so sh*t at their job....
└ Stop crying and speak slowly...]
[Well... if he goes on, it’ll raise awareness..]
Everyone was a bit reluctant but tried to let it go. Seo Ho-yun went rogue sometimes, but he really did seem close to Ju Woo-seong, and they figured he’d handle it well.
Since solo activities were unavoidable anyway, they wanted to let it slide as quietly as possible, but of course, the trolls didn't miss this timing to start stirring trouble.
[Lol Seo Ho-yun really has no tact. Right after Kill the Lights..?
└ Lol for real...]
When posts like this started floating around, fans just let out hollow laughs.
Seo Ho-yun has no tact…?
[If our bunny has no tact,,, f*ck... what about the other half of the world?
And what about you?]
[Ho-yun-ie doesn't lack tact, he just chooses not to look at it.
└ My point exactly
└└ Lol I want to play the clip of him pointing out the 'military run' in Shining Star right in front of your eyes]
Even if they were used to being attacked, it didn't mean they weren't getting annoyed.
[Ah, so annoying
└ Don't get mad, just go do your hobby
└└ Okay]
Eventually, the Noeuls, whose suppressed irritation finally exploded, engaged in a keyboard war with the anonymous trolls attacking Seo Ho-yun.
[Seo Ho-yun fans really are masters of squeezing every drop of content out of him,,
└ Yep, planning to squeeze him down to the marrow ♡]
[Isn't his personality trash though? ㅜ I’m a bit.. drained by him
└ You know nothing, that’s the best part about him]
They didn't forget to save PDFs of the excessive hate comments to send to Daepasung. While doing so, they laughed.
[Ah, if I could be drained by Seo Ho-yun, I think that would be,, a happy life,,,,
└ You’re getting a bit excited, aren't you?
└└ Hahahahaha seriously so funny, look at everyone’s personalities lol]
There’s a saying that you become like the person you stan, and indeed, Seo Ho-yun’s fans were becoming just like him.
The fans, who were laughing on their private accounts while replying to hate comments with unshakable mental strength, suddenly widened their eyes at a video that began to circulate.
[Heol]
They quickly clicked the link.
[Heart-Pounding Let's Eat Salad – The Dawn Cover]
A short 30-second video had been uploaded to The Dawn’s official account.