Chapter 119
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119
On the surface, Seong Ji-won seemed surprisingly composed.
Even during fan signings or events, he smiled brightly as if nothing were wrong and chatted easily with the members.
However...
"Seong Ji-won-ssi, could you take a look at this for a second...?"
"Yes?"
"...Whoa!"
The staff member flinched and took a step back.
"W-what is it? Ji-won-ssi, is something wrong?"
"...Hm?"
"Your face... no, it’s... never mind."
When Seong Ji-won, failing to understand the staff member's reaction, tilted his head while maintaining his smile, the staff member let out an even more awkward "Ha. Ha. Ha." before quietly slipping away.
Seong Ji-won’s condition was strange. No, it would be more accurate to say it wasn't good.
While he was full of life while working, dark clouds would gather over his head the moment he finished.
That wasn't all.
"...What did you say?"
"No, that's not it..."
"Ah, should I give you the card key to return? But wait, my phone battery is a bit low... Ah, did Yi-chae take it?"
It was common for him to say nonsensical things, as if his mind were elsewhere.
He was likely trying his best to keep it together, but even from a distance, it was glaringly obvious that his mental state had collapsed.
When the main vocal is like that, what am I supposed to do?
I knew how to break someone’s spirit, but I didn't know how to fix it. As I watched him with my arms crossed, Kim Seong-hyeon sidled up next to me.
"Why don't you fix your expression?"
"What?"
Instead of answering, Kim Seong-hyeon nudged my side and gestured with his eyes. Following his gaze, I saw staff members glancing our way.
Only then did I realize that my own condition was so poor that I wasn't even managing my facial expressions. I hurriedly pulled my hat down lower.
"...It’s suffocating, man."
"……."
"Did something happen?"
Kim Seong-hyeon deliberately turned his head away from both me and Seong Ji-won. I looked down at the floor for no reason and gave a half-hearted reply.
"Does it look that way?"
At that, Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyes turned toward me.
"If it looks that way, then I guess it is."
"...You're actually really scary when you're like this."
For someone with an Acting Stat of E-, Kim Seong-hyeon’s flustered reaction was written all over his face.
I laughed.
"Pfft, what are you talking about?"
On the other hand, I trusted my own peak acting skills.
Thanks, Min Ji-heon.
I never thought I’d have a reason to be grateful to Min Ji-heon, but I spoke with a hint of a smile.
"It’s nothing. You don't need to worry about it."
"……."
I wasn't sure if he was truly fooled, but Kim Seong-hyeon pressed his lips into a thin line, nodded, and walked away to greet other staff members.
I let out a deep sigh. While replaying yesterday's events in my head, my head automatically bowed in polite greetings to those passing by.
Just then.
"Hyung~."
At Kang Yi-chae’s call, I turned around, only to have my right cheek poked.
"……."
"Pfft! Hyung, even you fell for that."
As I stood there agape at the childish prank, Kang Yi-chae looked back at Jeong Da-jun, who was wearing a shocked expression.
"Jeong Da-jun, I won. You're buying the ice cream tonight~!"
"No way!! Ho-yun hyung, why were you so naive? That's so unlike you!"
"Our bunny is more innocent than he looks~."
It seemed they had made a bet on whether I’d fall for it or not.
Good grief, how ridiculous.
"Hey."
"Hm? Why, why?"
"Why are you being so tactless?"
Kang Yi-chae’s eyes widened at my scowling face, but then he gave a sly grin.
"Poke, poke!"
He poked both of my cheeks.
Twice.
"……."
"Pwahaha! You fell for it again~?"
"...Kang Yi-chae."
"Eek~."
I quickly snatched Kang Yi-chae by the scruff of his neck and held out my hand.
"If you used me as bait, you have to give me my share too."
"We don't have any Babam-O."
"I didn't say I wanted that."
"So you don't want to eat it?"
"I didn't say I didn't want it either."
While I was having this idiotic conversation with Kang Yi-chae, the staff members watching us passed by with chuckles.
Feeling the atmosphere soften significantly, I let go of Kang Yi-chae. Instead, I pulled a candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth.
Kang Yi-chae, you scary brat...
This was his own way of being considerate.
And as a bonus, it was a signal to stop ruining the team's mood and make up already.
However, I felt a bit wronged.
I’m the one who got exorcised yesterday, dammit.
To be honest, yesterday was practically me getting one-sidedly hammered. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have let it drag on this long or left such a bitter aftertaste.
...But I didn't want to be like that with Seong Ji-won.
Right, Ho-yun. Let's calm down.
Do you want to start discord rumors?
I organized my thoughts, rolled the candy around in my mouth, and sighed again. Then, I strode toward Seong Ji-won.
"Seong Ji-won."
"Oh, uh?"
After he finished greeting a prop staff member, I approached the dazed Seong Ji-won from behind and called his name. He turned around, startled. I grabbed one of his hands and, with the other, pulled a handful of candies from my pocket and dumped them into his palm.
"Here."
"...Huh?"
"Is your blood sugar low? Why are you so out of it?"
Seong Ji-won blinked as he looked at the candy. I looked away, pulling the brim of my hat down again for no reason.
"What, do you want me to peel them for you too?"
"...N-no?"
"Then eat them quickly."
Since I didn't leave and stood right in front of him, Seong Ji-won obediently unwrapped a candy and put it in his mouth. With one cheek bulging, he looked as young as his actual age.
...What am I doing with a kid ten years younger than me?
Let's just wait for Seong Ji-won's answer.
He said he wouldn't contact them or receive calls from them again anyway, and since he said he'd tell me in his own time, I just needed to wait and enjoy the results. There was no need to be impatient.
"...It’s good."
"Is it?"
Seeing a faint smile touch Seong Ji-won’s lips, I turned around and walked toward the van. I could feel him following closely behind me.
"...Ho-yun, are you going straight to the company?"
"Why do you care?"
"……."
When I played hard to get, he immediately became dejected and shut his mouth. Seeing Seong Ji-won’s troubled expression made me burst into laughter.
He’s such a fool.
"Seong Ji-won."
"……Yes?"
"Come here."
If something happened to Seong Ji-won, I could just take care of it then.
It wouldn't be too late, and I’d make sure it wasn't.
And...
"We have to practice for the year-end stage."
Now was the time to focus on our main job more than anything else.
Watching Seong Ji-won nod cautiously, I took the opportunity to throw out a joke laced with sincerity.
"Ji-won, if you're really sorry, cut our practice time by two hours."
"...I can't do that."
"One hour."
"That’s also, a bit..."
"Are you even sorry?"
This sweet-natured practice nut.
* * *
[Title: Guys, The Dawn is confirmed for the year-end stage]
(Lineup_List.jpg)
OMG.
Ah... my heart is swelling....
I promised myself I'd never love another man again,
But my K-pop addiction treatment failed. GG.
└ Whoa, they're seriously popular.
└ Was the Kabu effect that huge?
└└ Kabu was a syndrome. Thanks to that, Yoo Ji-ah and Min Ji-heon's popularity is insane right now. Their popularity far exceeds the viewership ratings lol.
└└ Did you see Yoo Ji-ah's online fan meeting profits? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's crazy.]
[Title: Eh lol, can the lineup order really be like that?
The Dawn isn't at that level yet.
Shining Star is understandable, they were a total hot topic back then.
The titles they released after that were consecutive hits and got good reactions, but...
Aside from Kabu's Seo Ho-yun and Shining Star's Kim Seong-hyeon, their public recognition is still a bit low, isn't it...?
Also, they aren't rookies anymore, so it's awkward for them to get awards lol. I wonder if there's a need to squeeze them in here..
└ No, this is right. There are so many people who like The Dawn these days.
└└ Eh.. really? Is it that much?
└└ Yeah, they're sweeping the domestic scene. Honestly, the concept this time was killer.
Especially K-pop stans are obsessed with the Kang Yi-chae and Jeong Da-jun line (Seong Ji-won is just an angel..)
└ Just a passing non-fan, why is Kang Yi-chae so popular??
└└ Delinquent vibes + shamelessness + top-tier mental strength........
Wait,
Do I really need to explain?
Just look at his face.
└└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah, sorry.
└└ He does look incredibly flashy, for sure...
└ Don't The Dawn's songs come up often on Tick-Tock lately too?]
[Title: I admit they haven't had a massive 'explosion' yet,
But you're hating while pretending to be worried.
It's only been a year since they debuted.
Of course, I'm not counting the time before Second Chance (Are you watching, Daepasung? You bastards).
└ Eh, are there people who don't know The Dawn is just winning by default because the big names are away.. lol
└└ Characteristics of hate commenters:
Pretending to know everything about K-pop...
Pretending to be cool...
Pretending they're actually someone important...
└└ Can a group that's just 'winning by default' beat Yeolhwa with Kill the Lights? ㅋㅋㅋ
The kids are doing well, so they're attracting so many trolls. Sigh...
└ If you count from when Ho-yun joined, The Dawn is only 10 months old. ^^ Of course, the other members might have relatively less public recognition, but don't post stuff like this to stir up trouble and show off how empty your head is, you prick.]
"...Wow."
The internet... no matter how many times I see it, it’s truly fascinating.
Seeing fans leave comments and get angry on behalf of The Dawn, it was amazing to see them get so passionate about someone else's business.
After looking at the fiery reactions, I turned off my phone screen.
"It’s brutal..."
"What is?"
"Nothing."
Kim Seong-hyeon, who was sucking on an ice cream next to me, shrugged. I had searched for internet reactions to see if anything had been posted about Seong Ji-won’s sasaeng, but there wasn't a single mention of it. Instead, a controversy was brewing in an unexpected place.
Hmm, I guess it’s about time people started picking fights.
Actually, it was a good sign. The more people tried to keep us in check, the more it meant we had made it.
It was true that I had worked my a— off behind the scenes to sweep and polish the floor, but our recognition had risen faster than expected, and the influx of outsiders had made things chaotic.
Strangely enough, the mental strength of The Dawn’s fans was always rock-solid, but since it was a complicated time both internally and externally, it felt like we needed a "hit" of some kind.
In other words.
We need a shot of hype.
The next comeback would be early next year at the earliest, or mid-year. Since we had released three titles in one year, the company's internal opinion was to take it a bit slower next year and focus on quality... and I agreed.
If this state continued until then, it would be too late. If there was a major event...
It’s the year-end stage, right?
It was a hard-won opportunity, so we couldn't afford to miss it.
After finishing my thoughts, I was about to put my phone in my pocket and stand up when Jeong Da-jun, still in his school uniform, walked through the front door.
"What are you doing, hyung?"
"What about you?"
"Aaaaah... whoa, wait a second."
His hands were full of shopping bags, and his pronunciation was slurred because he was constantly munching on something he’d picked up on the way.
"What are you eating now?"
"Do you want some too, hyung?"
"I'm good."
I wondered where he got those endless snacks, whether he was eating something weird, and if I should occasionally check inside his mouth.
I started thinking about puppies... but then realized I was going too far and quickly took a mental step back.
"...For some reason, I feel offended??"
"It’s your imagination."
Jeong Da-jun’s intuition has gotten sharp lately.
When I cut him off and feigned ignorance, Jeong Da-jun grumbled, swallowed what was in his mouth, and set the shopping bags on the floor.
"I got birthday presents!!"