Chapter 14
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14
[Title: Did you see Ju Woo-seong’s Starstagram?
I’m not even a Black Call fan, but I follow Ju Woo-seong.
Isn’t he famous for never posting videos? His fans are always crying about it.
But then a video suddenly dropped yesterday.
‘Ju Woo-seong Nyang-nyang-i.gif’
‘I think she likes me more.gif’
Who is this guy??? As far as I know, there’s no trainee like this at Black Call’s agency.
Is he just a non-celebrity?
└ Looks like a non-celebrity.
└└ Oh, really?? But that’s not the face of a non-celebrity??
└└ FR.
└ At the very least, there’s no trainee like that among the rookies the agency has announced.
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ No, Woo-seong... please post your own face lol.
└└ ㅋㅋㅋ This is so true...]
[Title: Another post on JWS’s Starstagram.
Why is he suddenly posting so many videos????
And when fans asked him to post his own face, he actually did ㅋㅋㅋ A total change of heart lol.
‘Photo of Ju Woo-seong with a cat.jpg’
‘Video of him teasing a trainee and then looking sulky.’
But he’s with that trainee/non-celebrity again.
Their chemistry is great ㅋㅋㅋ They look really close. It’s cute.
└ I figured it out!!! He’s a member of T.D. from D.P.S. Ent.
└└ T.D.??? Sorry, I’m clueless, tell me what that is.
└└ The Dawn (Deleting this soon).
└ Who the hell is that?? They’re total nugus.
└└ ㅠㅠ Just a passing... fan of The Dawn... His name is S.H.Y. He didn't debut due to health issues, but he did participate up to the recording. They’re hard-working kids. I hope you’ll look kindly on them...
└└ Ah... (Respectful silence) My apologies. Fighting!]
[Title: Summary of Ju Woo-seong and The Dawn’s Seo Ho-yun.
My friend is a fan of those nugus (sorry) called The Dawn, and she went crazy after seeing Ju Woo-seong’s Starstagram.
I’ll summarize it for you.
1. The Dawn’s debut album seems to have flopped hard, but they still have a handful of fans.
2. Seo Ho-yun, who appeared on Ju Woo-seong’s Starstagram this time, is a member of The Dawn, but he’s never been on an official stage.
3. Ju Woo-seong and Seo Ho-yun are weirdly close; I don’t know where he suddenly came from.
I checked him out because he’s trending ㅋㅋㅋ Seo Ho-yun has that fox+rabbit look, and he’s more my type than I expected, so I’m writing this summary. There’s talk of a comeback soon, so I’m looking forward to it.
└ Thanks, Speedwagon!
└└ You’re welcome!
└ Oh, thank you.
└ Ah... but I’m not really feeling it lol. It feels like a nugu is trying to ride Ju Woo-seong’s coattails.
└└ It’s not like it was posted on S.H.Y.’s Starstagram; J.W.S. posted it himself, so what’s the problem... ㅋㅋㅋ
└└ Yeah, they looked really close. Honestly, it looks like they’ve known each other for a long time.
└ Black Call fans are currently busy devouring the flood of new Ju Woo-seong content. Besides, this is the first time I’ve seen him so comfortable with someone outside his group ㅋㅋㅋ
└└ This is so true... I’m very grateful to this guy. It’s my first time seeing Ju Woo-seong’s timid side. So cute ㅠ]
[The Dawn’s Comeback: Noise Marketing?]
[The Trainee on Ju Woo-seong’s Starstagram: A Corporate Strategy?]
“Ho-yun hyung!”
I was collapsed on the practice room floor, holding up my phone to check the situation. It seemed like I was becoming quite a hot topic on internet communities and social media. Of course, I was getting some hate, but for viral marketing, this wasn't bad at all.
The planning team and the choreographer had mostly sorted out the choreography checks, blocking practice, and part distributions. There were about three weeks left until the showcase.
This much fire isn't enough.
It was time to start preparing other content. I put my smartphone away and looked at Kang Yi-chae.
“Yeah, what?”
“Drink this.”
Kang Yi-chae tossed me a water bottle. I was on the verge of exhaustion, so I drank the water gratefully. Kang Yi-chae clicked his tongue and asked.
“Why are you practicing so recklessly, hyung? Are you even sleeping?”
“I’m sleeping.”
“That’s a lie! Hyung only sleeps three hours a day! And that’s in the break room!”
“Is hyung Napoleon or something? Sleeping only three hours a day?”
When Jeong Da-jun snitched, Kang Yi-chae clicked his tongue again. I didn't even have the energy to respond, so I ignored them.
Seong Ji-won, who had just entered the practice room, must have heard and looked at me with concern.
“Hmm... Ho-yun’s dancing has improved, but...”
“…….”
“It’s still not enough... Why? How can we make it better?”
“Ji-won hyung... I think he’s possessed by a ghost that died from not being able to practice.”
Jeong Da-jun shivered. I also rubbed my arms as a chill went down my spine.
Seong Ji-won was truly not someone to be taken lightly. I thought he was a fragile person, but right now, his eyes were flipped, and he cared about nothing but the comeback stage.
Kim Seong-hyeon entered next, and we turned on the music to practice the blocking further.
Once the part distribution was finished, we slightly modified the choreography so that the member in charge of each part would stand out.
【Ooh, Pick a card, a future seen more clearly
You’re anxious about the low odds, but there’s no need to be】
【I’ll tell you once more, this is our beginning
I will come back every time
This strange déjà vu, don’t be afraid of it
No, there’s no need to wander
Because I will find the way】
Since we were dancing and singing live at the same time, everyone would collapse on the floor in exhaustion after about three rounds of practice.
“Aren’t we going to die before we even get to the comeback stage?”
“...Want to rest for a bit? It’s about time for lunch anyway.”
Finally, the 'OK' came from Seong Ji-won. Jeong Da-jun sprang up.
“Let’s go to the convenience store, the convenience store!”
“I’m going to raid the whole place, so get ready~!”
Jeong Da-jun said as he pulled out a crumpled thousand-won bill.
“This is from my allowance!”
“…….”
“The hyungs will pay.”
“Hey, I can at least buy ice cream!”
You can't buy much with a thousand won these days...
Kim Seong-hyeon, Seong Ji-won, and I looked at him with disbelief before patting each other and heading out.
When we arrived at the convenience store right in front of the agency, the maknaes were flying around in excitement.
“I’m going to have a triangle kimbap and cup ramen!”
“You have to put cheese in Buldak, are you a novice?”
These elementary schoolers...
I felt like I understood why Seong Ji-won and Kim Seong-hyeon had become so mature.
Kim Seong-hyeon silently took care of the younger ones, and Seong Ji-won handed me a cup of ramen. As the five of us stood huddled together at the bar table in the convenience store eating our ramen, someone suddenly tapped me.
I turned around to see a woman wearing a mask standing there restlessly. She was holding her phone out toward us.
“Gasp! Are you perhaps Mr. Seo Ho-yun?”
“……? Yes.”
“Wait, wait. The people next to you are all members of The Dawn! My friend is a fan of The Dawn... Could you wait just a moment?”
“A fan?”
Seong Ji-won’s eyes went wide. I hoped Seong Ji-won wouldn't say anything weird.
Right now, this person seemed to be filming us with her camera. Fortunately, Seong Ji-won just nodded his head vigorously with a flushed face.
“Yes, of course. I’ll wait for you.”
“Thank you!”
Actually, I think he would have reacted the same way even if there were no camera. Strictly speaking, The Dawn were the celebrities, but these guys were looking at a non-celebrity who recognized them as if she were the more fascinating one.
……Guys. You are technically celebrities too.
Even participants in competition programs weren't this unpopular. It was... a wave of pity washed over me.
“You’re Mr. Seong Ji-won, right? I’ve known about you since your trainee days! How can you be this handsome? Why are you so tall?”
“Haha, thank you.”
“How old are you, Noona?”
Kang Yi-chae even had the gall to strike up a conversation first. At his blunt approach, the woman answered shyly but diligently.
It was true that we had to watch our words since the camera was rolling, but I wasn't that worried about Kang Yi-chae. He was a guy who knew how to read the room.
“……?”
I was giving appropriate responses while letting my gaze wander, and then I saw a strange scene outside the convenience store.
An old lady was walking while clutching her bag tightly, and a man wearing a mask was following her cautiously from a few paces away, looking around. It was as if he was about to snatch the bag.
“Hey.”
“What?”
I called Kim Seong-hyeon. Kim Seong-hyeon immediately turned his head to look where my gaze was fixed. Then, his face hardened terrifyingly.
We put down the food we were holding. Sure enough, the man suddenly lunged and snatched the old lady’s bag.
“Oh my, oh my! Thief!”
To think such a mugging still happens these days!
Crazy bastard.
I frowned deeply. I had suspected it, but I never imagined such a development would actually happen.
Kim Seong-hyeon and I immediately burst out of the convenience store door and ran. To catch that shameless robber.
“Stop right there!”
“Get lost!”
The thief glanced back at the sound of the fierce footsteps approaching him and began to run even faster.
But who were we? We were the proud idols of the Republic of Korea. As much as we danced and practiced until dawn every day, we were more confident in our physical stamina than the average man.
“Stop!”
Kim Seong-hyeon, in particular, was exceptional when it came to physical movement, and he threw himself forward to grab the man in an instant.
“Got him!”
“Hey, Kim Seong-hyeon!”
I followed a step behind him and kicked the hand of the man who was pulling out a multi-tool knife.
Clang. With that sound, the knife fell to the ground. Kim Seong-hyeon’s face went pale upon seeing it, but then he gritted his teeth and held onto the robber again.
“Ow, ow, ow! Let go, you sons of bitches!”
“Aren't you insane? Where did you throw away your conscience?”
“Kim Seong-hyeon, hold him down firmly.”
I helped Kim Seong-hyeon by pinning the thief down with my foot. When I looked back toward where the old lady was, fortunately, Seong Ji-won and Jeong Da-jun, who had already grasped the situation, were helping the fallen woman.
“Grandmother, are you okay?”
“Oh, thank you, thank you...”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, oh... I’m fine. I’m more worried about you young men.”
“We’re fine.”
Furthermore, Kang Yi-chae was waving his hand while on the phone inside the convenience store. It seemed he had called the police.
Soon after, the sound of a police car siren could be heard.
“Wow, the Korean police are fast.”
“I said let go!”
“Stay still, you punk.”
I muttered as I pressed down firmly on the robber’s neck.
I looked back to see if the police had arrived yet and saw the woman still holding her phone, filming us with a dazed expression. And as I turned my head, I locked eyes with Kim Seong-hyeon.
“…….”
We were both thinking the same thing.
Oh, this might just—.
* * *
“Oh, you did a great thing. He followed her after seeing her withdraw money from the bank. He even deliberately looked for a place without CCTV, so it would have been a disaster if it weren't for you young men.”
After handing the thief over to the police, the officers praised us several times.
I glanced toward the old lady. It seemed she wasn't hurt.
“Thank you, young men. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“It’s nothing, Grandmother. It was the natural thing to do.”
“This is money my daughter sent me. It’s money she saved up little by little for my hospital bills... If I lost this, I wouldn't even be able to get treatment. Thank you, truly.”
“It really could have been a disaster.”
Seong Ji-won muttered sympathetically. From what I could guess, Seong Ji-won seemed to have been raised by his grandmother. The way his eyes were fixed on her and wouldn't move suggested it was weighing on his mind.
I tapped Seong Ji-won.
“That’s enough, let’s go. Grandmother needs to rest too.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I held you for too long.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry, taking up the time of young people.”
The old lady continued to bow her head repeatedly. Seeing her made me think of my own grandmother, and I suddenly felt a strange emotion.
I gave a polite greeting, and once the situation was settled, I led the members out.
“Wow, we really did something big.”
“Kim Seong-hyeon almost got hurt. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Seo Ho-yun blocked it...”
“Right, the comeback isn't far off, so be careful.”
“Aw, hyung. It was cool, though.”
“Being cool isn't everything.”
Seong Ji-won gave the immature Jeong Da-jun a light noogie. Jeong Da-jun grumbled while holding his head, but the sense of accomplishment settled among the members couldn't be erased.
“Good job, guys.”
“Ho-yun hyung looks like he’s in a good mood too.”
Well, for me, the sense of accomplishment was one thing.
But there was something else I was looking forward to.
Kim Seong-hyeon probably realized it too.
After returning to the practice room and continuing to practice for about two or three more hours, the manager burst through the door.
“Guys!!”
As expected.
“Whoa, you scared me.”
“Guys, I heard you caught a robber! Why didn't you say anything!”
The manager shook Jeong Da-jun’s shoulders in excitement. Jeong Da-jun, unable to grasp the situation, held his dizzy head.
“W-well, we were going to tell you when you came by later. But wait, how do you know?”
“You guys hit the jackpot right now!”
“What?”
“The story of you catching the robber was posted on the internet, and we’re on the real-time search rankings!”
Bingo.
The manager shoved a post from the internet right in front of our faces. I slowly read the flashing title on the screen.
[Just your average Korean boy group catching a robber today]
…The title was certainly catchy.
Amidst the members who had faces of disbelief, I locked eyes with Kim Seong-hyeon once again.
For now, I just smirked.