Chapter 120
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120
…Come to think of it, was Jeong Da-jun’s birthday tomorrow?
Jeong Da-jun neatly lined up his birthday presents, still in their packaging, and took a selfie with them in the background.
“Whoa~, this is awesome!!”
Then, as he began unwrapping them, he tilted his head in confusion several times. Standing behind him, I looked at the gifts and felt a spark of admiration.
Damn, Jeong Da-jun… you’ve really gotten popular.
Seeing letters written in English and other languages I didn't recognize, it seemed there were gifts from overseas fans as well. I crossed my arms and looked down at Da-jun, who was making a fuss, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Whoa! This is insanely pretty!”
“It is.”
“And I’ve never even seen these before!”
I bet.
Every single one of them was from a craaaaazy expensive high-end brand.
Whether Jeong Da-jun didn’t know the first thing about brands or just didn't care, he was too busy unwrapping to do anything but offer commentary like, “This is a weird pattern,” or “Whoa, sunglasses!”
Kim Seong-hyeon, having finished his ice cream, hovered nearby.
Da-jun proceeded to put on everything he could—a scarf, sunglasses, even a necklace.
Kim Seong-hyeon, who likely didn't know much about brands either… actually, he probably knew at least the basics… was also excited, handing Da-jun whatever he could grab to put on. As a result, our youngest member ended up looking quite ridiculous.
“Are you a Christmas tree?”
“Oh! That’s a great idea! Should I wrap some fairy lights around me too?”
“Pfft, forget it. Want me to take a picture?”
“Yes! I want to post it on the fan cafe!”
He’s a real idol, our silly maknae.
I took photos until the birthday-boy-to-be was satisfied. Leaving him to tap away at his phone with a proud expression, I started putting on my sneakers to head to practice. Suddenly, Kim Seong-hyeon grabbed my clothes.
“Where are you going?”
“Practice.”
“It’s a holiday. And you stayed up almost all night yesterday. Get some rest.”
Well, it was a holiday, but I didn't have anything else to do.
When I didn't answer and just gave him a sly look, Kim Seong-hyeon clicked his tongue and called me a “workaholic.” This was coming from a guy who had just spent three hours at the gym despite it being a holiday.
“Why don't you come with me? We shouldn't lose our edge if we’re going to do the year-end stages.”
“…Seo Ho-yun, do you even have a sense for the stage??”
“Do you want to die?”
Kim Seong-hyeon chuckled and thought for a moment before snapping his fingers.
“Speaking of which, shouldn't we be hearing about the collaborations soon? What did the manager say?”
“We’ll probably find out by tomorrow.”
After answering, I glanced toward the corner of my vision, and the system obligingly popped up a quest.
It was a quest that had been sitting there for a few days.
[Quest Arrived!
Successfully complete a collaboration stage with a sexy concept!
Show off overwhelming quality to the public.
Success Reward: 5,000 Points
Failure Penalty: Slight decrease in Dance stat
(B+ ➝ C+)]
No matter how I looked at it, a drop from B+ to C+ was not a “slight” decrease.
When I complained about how hard it was to raise stats compared to how easy it was for them to drop, the system window left a snarky reply—“Think of it like the stock market”—and vanished.
Well, when you put it that way, it does make sense.
Anyway, Kim Seong-hyeon, who had no way of knowing I was sighing at a quest window, furrowed his brows slightly.
“Oh, really? How do you know?”
“It seems like decisions are being made and word is getting around.”
Besides, when I went to Ju Woo-seong’s house a few days ago to see Nyang-nyang-i for the first time in a while, I heard that Black Call and White Cherry were doing a collaboration.
Ju Woo-seong’s face had instantly soured the moment he took the call from his manager.
I had been gently rubbing the nose of Nyang-nyang-i—who still only listened to me—and asked him curiously.
“What’s wrong? You seemed fine with it before.”
“…Ugh.”
Ju Woo-seong, who was quite thick-skinned (well, you’d have to be to have that many girlfriends), had even served as a special MC for U-U Bank with Han Chae-ri recently.
So I thought running into an ex-girlfriend would be nothing for a playboy like him, but Ju Woo-seong avoided my gaze.
“Look, running into Han Chae-ri, who hates my guts, is one thing… but her members are seriously scary….”
“……?”
They didn't give off that vibe when I saw the White Cherry members last time.
I didn't bother telling Ju Woo-seong, who deserved no sympathy, about the kind words Han Chae-ri had said about him.
Recalling the conversation I had with Han Chae-ri and Liz and the warm atmosphere surrounding them, I said, “They all seemed nice. Very considerate.”
“What are you talking about? Are we talking about the same White Cherry?”
Ju Woo-seong shuddered.
“Sure, their teamwork is great and they’re cool, but… how should I put it? People’s opinions on them are divided. If you get on their bad side, they are terrifying. Seriously.”
“That’s probably because you did something to get on their bad side, Mr. Ju Woo-seong.”
“Ugh, I’m suffocating already.”
Remembering Ju Woo-seong grumbling about how his own Black Call members wouldn't even cover for him and how he’d be an outcast in the practice room made me feel incredibly refreshed.
Yes, it was about time Ju Woo-seong got a taste of his own medicine.
“I guess karma really does exist. Seeing as you’re doing this collab.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you like that? Are you worried about the collab?”
“No, I’m fine because there’s someone else who’s more worried than me.”
In any case, having finished scrolling through the reactions to the photos he posted on the fan cafe, Jeong Da-jun was back to draping birthday presents over himself and taking more pictures.
He was wearing his school uniform, so I figured the fans would probably like it, but…
Wait.
What time is it?
“Hey, Jeong Da-jun. Aren't you supposed to be at school right now?”
Flinch.
Jeong Da-jun froze for a second before giving a bright smile.
“School ended early today.”
“He said he left early,” Kim Seong-hyeon chimed in.
“N-No, I didn't!”
“He said he’s running low on attendance days.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Like a meddling sister-in-law, Kim Seong-hyeon was quick to tattle on him.
“Wow, hyung! You said you wouldn't tell…!!”
Even though he was the one in the wrong.
Jeong Da-jun puffed out his cheeks and glared at Kim Seong-hyeon before putting on a wronged expression and rambling out excuses.
“I’m still taking the CSAT! Isn't it impressive enough that I haven't dropped out and still show up for attendance occasionally? Besides, university is for people who want to go, right? And I’m perfectly satisfied being an idol!”
“So?”
“…You’re really the master of making people speechless, seriously.”
He grumbled about how I was such a “Confucian boy” and how even his parents said it was fine… and when he realized it wasn't working, he started rolling around on the floor.
I grabbed Jeong Da-jun and made him look me in the eye.
“Fine, let’s set the attendance aside. What about your CSAT studies? You said you were going to take the exam.”
“……!”
“It’s not far off. Get your workbooks out. I want to see how much you’ve done.”
“…Hyung, I’ll just tell you one thing.”
“What.”
“I haven't done a single page!”
I gave him a flick on the forehead, and only then did Jeong Da-jun grumble as he tidied up his gifts and brought out his workbooks.
Ding!
[I thought you said you were going to practice?]
I’ll just give him a quick look-over. Whatever.
I sat down listlessly and looked at Jeong Da-jun’s workbooks, which were so clean they looked brand new.
“Why are these so clean, kid?”
“…For my collection?”
“Are you joking?”
Who buys workbooks for a collection?
Jeong Da-jun pouted as he picked up a mechanical pencil, and I, drawing on my experience from working seven tutoring jobs during university, began to nag him relentlessly. Jeong Da-jun let out high-pitched screams as he forced himself to solve the problems.
Thud!
In the middle of my Spartan-style crash course, Seong Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae opened the door and walked in.
“Wahahaha!!”
“What’s with him?”
“Just Kang Yi-chae being his usual self.”
Since Kang Yi-chae being in attention-seeker mode was nothing new, I gave Kim Seong-hyeon a casual response and tried to go back to checking Da-jun’s problems… but Kang Yi-chae was acting truly strange.
“Wow, this is really not going to be easy!”
“…….”
For some reason, he was laughing like someone who had completely lost his mind.
“Well, life wouldn't be fun if it were easy! Right, Ho-yun hyung??”
“Just get to the point.”
“Eeeeh~, why are you so cold today~?”
“That’s just the usual Seo Ho-yun….” Kim Seong-hyeon muttered quietly beside me.
Kang Yi-chae headed straight for the sofa and flopped down face-first. Seong Ji-won, who had followed him in, seemed to share the sentiment as he scratched his forehead awkwardly before speaking up cautiously.
“Guys. Our collaboration stage has been decided.”
“Oh~? With who?”
“Lia Purple sunbae-nims.”
“……Hmm?”
Lia Purple… was that the idol group that almost got injured during ‘Victory is Mine’? I didn't know them well, but I remembered being impressed by how the members took care of each other.
…But a collaboration with a girl group?
I weighed the possibilities for a moment before quickly reaching a conclusion.
Well, it should be fine.
While it was true that a co-ed collaboration early in a career could easily cause friction and needed to be handled carefully, we weren't the only ones doing it.
Some fans might be hesitant, but it was a fairly standard event.
I also judged that this wouldn't be enough to shake Noeul, whose mental fortitude I’d seen online earlier.
Kim Seong-hyeon seemed to have similar thoughts, as he asked calmly without much surprise.
“Has the song been decided too?”
“Of course!”
At that, Kang Yi-chae, who had been lying motionless with his face buried in the sofa, suddenly bolted upright and started giggling again.
Wait!
I felt a premonition. Kang Yi-chae was about to do something crazy.
I quickly dodged to stand next to Seong Ji-won, and sure enough, Kang Yi-chae, having lost his target, suddenly twisted his upper body.
He grabbed Jeong Da-jun by the neck, pulled him close, and opened his mouth wide as if he were going to bite his cheek!!
“Let me take a big bite of our maknae’s cheek~.”
“Aaaaagh!”
Jeong Da-jun, whose only crime was being right in front of Kang Yi-chae, scrambled away in terror, barely managing to escape by rolling across the floor.
I was just as horrified watching it.
Is Kang Yi-chae insane?! Seriously?!
“Are—are—are you crazy?! Aaaah!!”
“Wahahaha!”
Perhaps because he had rolled away so frantically, Jeong Da-jun didn't see where he was going as he tried to stand up and slammed his head against the leg of the sofa. Clang!
“Ow, my head, that hurts….”
“Ah~~! Yi-chae is lonely~, give me a hug~.”
“Wow, I seriously, seriously, seriously hate this!!”
As Kang Yi-chae reached out toward the groaning Jeong Da-jun again, Da-jun’s expression turned dead serious as he slid backward like an eel to get away.
Then, he began scrubbing the cheek that hadn't been touched—but almost was—as if he were trying to rub the skin off.
Watching this, Kang Yi-chae casually rested his chin on his hand and began humming a tune that sounded familiar.
“Let me bite, bite~”
“Ugh… what’s wrong with Yi-chae hyung? He’s lost it.”
I pressed my hand over Jeong Da-jun’s mouth as he started to sound like Yi-chae, and to soothe his whining, I used my sleeve to help wipe his reddened cheek.
“Ho-yun hyung is being crazy kind today too….”
“Hey, watch your mouth.”
“Yes….”
I replied while squeezing the cheek of the grumbling Da-jun, who was probably thinking of hashtags like ‘#KangYi-chae_ExplainYourself,’ but my inner thoughts were different.
Thanks for being the sacrificial lamb, Jeong Da-jun….
Because, after all, I was the one who escaped.
Even then, Kang Yi-chae’s humming continued.
“…That melody sounds familiar.”
Seeing Kim Seong-hyeon tilt his head in confusion, Seong Ji-won spoke in a quiet, hazy voice.
“The actual lyrics are like that too.”
“…There are actually lyrics like that?”
Seong Ji-won let out an awkward laugh.
“‘Let’s Spend This Night.’”
…Ah.
“…That one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“…….”
“…….”
“……No way?”
“Yeah.”
“……As a co-ed group?”
“Yeah, as a co-ed group.”
I asked again in disbelief, but Seong Ji-won just nodded with a solemn expression, his mouth shut tight.
My mouth hung open slightly.
‘Let’s Spend This Night.’
A song by a solo artist from Lia Purple’s agency that had been a massive hit and was widely known by the public….
A sticky, suggestive song with… very clear intentions. A sexy concept song.
“Wahahaha!”
Daepasung….
Are you out of your minds?