Chapter 141
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141
January 30th.
The birthday of The Dawn’s sub-vocal, Seo Ho-yun.
The Noeuls were buzzing with excitement.
[Guys, The Dawn must be really popular!!! Ah, I’m so damn proud ㅠㅠㅠ The department store fancam is up, and there are so fucking many people there, and they all know the fanchants ㅠ]
[So touching. I told you he’d become the Yen Prince~~~]
[Fuck, I can even graciously forgive the Japanese fans for calling Seo-tokkaeng a cat.]
The reason for this was not only that The Dawn was cruising smoothly in Japan, but also…
[Ho-yun’s birthday>
…because Seo Ho-yun’s birthday was just around the corner.
Listening to their Japanese B-side, “Colors,” everyone was eagerly awaiting the day.
[Wow, but it looks like Seo Ho-yun is a confirmed popular member, for realㄷ The Korean Noeuls’ experience is on another level.
For an idol who just debuted in Japan, they just went and put up a birthday ad on a building billboard in Japan.]
They had even managed to get a birthday ad on a building in the middle of Shinjuku, Tokyo. It was a short video, only a few dozen seconds long, but it was more than enough to fill the Noeuls’ hearts with joy.
[But I’m tearing up watching the video…
Ho-gyong, thank you so much for being born…
Sincerely… I’m so moved.
└ Why are you so sentimental today?
└ Because Ho-gyong was born with a god-tier face………
└ Okay, that’s moving….]
[The members will turn on a B App for a birthday party, right?
The only downside is that they’re in Japan…]
[Has the birthday hashtag been decided yet??]
Though fan interest was at an all-time high…
[A surprise camera is probably impossible, lol.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ A surprise camera for Seo Ho-gyong…?
└ Baffled…]
[If he acted surprised, it would just be acting, right?
└ Obviously.]
…this was the majority opinion.
Even if he were reborn, they couldn’t imagine a Seo Ho-yun who would be surprised or cry at a surprise party or a hidden camera prank.
[If he cried now, it’d feel like a hallucination.
└ Ah, fuck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Because of this, the Noeuls were only expecting some simple content, like the members of The Dawn baking a cake together or exchanging gifts.
[Mission Impossible - A Surprise Camera for Seo-tokkaeng (Feat. Yi-chae)]
But the title of the B App was strange.
[?????]
[What’s this???]
As the Noeuls hurriedly logged into the B App, Kang Yi-chae’s face appeared.
“Hello~”
With a hotel room as his backdrop, he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, framing his face with his hands in a flower-cup pose as he grinned.
“Everyone’s starting to trickle in. We don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point. You all know what day is coming up, right?”
Humming, Kang Yi-chae tapped on the keyboard of the laptop the planning team had prepared for him.
“It’s our sub-vocal’s birthday. …We can’t just let something like this pass by, can we?”
[What what what]
[Huh, are you guys really doing a surprise camera??]
[Wow, Kang Yi-chae is brave ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Seo Ho-yun was no longer fooled. He might have been caught off guard in the beginning, but now he had the members’ personalities completely figured out.
More importantly, his already brazen personality had been equipped with a will of steel, making it impossible to even tease him anymore.
He’s changed a lot. Back during the role-swap self-produced content, he was still fun to mess with.
Seeing Seo Ho-yun now retort with things like “Carrot-carrot” when teased with “Tokkaeng-tokkaeng” or “Ho-u Ho-u,” Kang Yi-chae felt his pride sting.
My ego won’t allow me to just let this go.
So, Kang Yi-chae had put his heart and soul into setting the stage.
It was a plan he himself was quite satisfied with—a stage that, if done right, might even fool the one and only Seo Ho-yun.
“Mission Impossible: Seo-tokkaeng’s Surprise Camera Party. Now, let’s get into the quick explanation.”
Kang Yi-chae snapped his fingers.
As if on cue, the Mission: Impossible theme song blared.
—Dun dun, da-da dun dun, da-da!
“If we shove a camera in the face of the highly suspicious Mr. Seo Ho-yun or install one clumsily, the probability of getting caught is high. So, with the hotel’s permission, we’ve already installed them in the hallway of the floor that’s fully booked by our company staff and members, as well as in a part of our room.”
[Crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Hey, don’t play the spy movie BGM, you crazy bastard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ This fucker Kang Yi-chae is having the time of his life.]
Since this was a pre-arranged announcement coordinated with the planning team, getting their cooperation hadn’t been difficult.
“You all will be able to watch the entire situation from here.”
The large TV screen positioned like a backdrop behind Kang Yi-chae turned on. A four-way split screen of CCTV footage appeared.
Kang Yi-chae had connected his laptop to the TV in advance so that the fans watching on the B App could follow the situation with him.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHey, Kang Yi-chae ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Why are you so serious about this? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
The meticulous preparation, which surpassed that of most broadcast variety shows, made the Noeuls laugh even harder.
Still, the Noeuls didn’t have high hopes.
[It’s probably a bit much for Ho-yun…ㅎ]
They knew Seo Ho-yun all too well.
“Throwing a surprise party for Mr. Seo Ho-yun is impossible. He’s the type of person who would walk in and immediately ask, ‘Where’s my cake?’”
[This read on his character is too accurate.]
[Chills, for real.]
“But that’s why it’s Mission Impossible, isn’t it, everyone?”
To challenge the impossible.
Kang Yi-chae flashed a confident smile.
Just as the movie BGM raced toward its climax and the second hand ticked past zero…
“Mission Accepted!”
Seo Ho-yun’s surprise party had begun.
.
.
.
“Where’s my cake?”
As soon as January 30th began, Seo Ho-yun, who had been practically kicked out and sent back to his own room, opened the door to the hotel room assigned to Jeong Da-jun, Seong Ji-won, and Kim Seong-hyeon and asked.
Inside, he saw Jeong Da-jun holding a cake with both hands, wearing a hat with teddy bear ears and glasses shaped like birthday candles. Next to him was Seong Ji-won, a cone hat on his head and a sparkling blue tinsel boa wrapped around his neck, sticking candles into the cake. And finally, there was Kim Seong-hyeon, a half-slipped cone hat dangling around his neck, holding a match. All three of them were frozen in surprise.
“Why-why-why are you here already?!”
“Why? Am I not allowed to be here?”
“Just as I thought…”
[Fuck, Seo Ho-yun asked the exact same thing, not a single word off.]
[Kang Yi-chae’s character analysis is scarily accurate ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
While the Noeuls, thoroughly creeped out, were freaking out in the comments, Kang Yi-chae watched the situation with a sharp eye.
First, the premise of him not being conscious of his birthday was impossible.
Except for the preparation and promotion period for Second Chance and the time Kim Seong-hyeon had suffered through Shining Star Season 1, The Dawn had always celebrated each other’s birthdays. It was good content for the fans and a great way for the members to build a stronger bond.
So, the premise of this Mission Impossible was this:
A birthday party ruined by being discovered.
“H-How did you know? No, why did you come in already?!”
Walking past a wide-eyed Jeong Da-jun, Seo Ho-yun casually plopped down onto a one-person sofa.
“How could I not know?”
There was no way he wouldn’t know.
Even when Jeong Da-jun had asked if he could take his phone with a clumsy excuse to prevent him from watching the B App, and when they had dragged him out of the room, telling him to rest so they could prepare the party, Seo Ho-yun had complied without a fuss.
He had been certain since then.
“So, where’s Kang Yi-chae?”
“Look at that, look at that.”
That Kang Yi-chae was plotting something.
“He’s already looking for the camera.”
[I have goosebumps all over my arms.]
[Wow, this is thrilling…]
As expected, he was not an easy opponent.
As Seo Ho-yun’s eyes scanned the room from top to bottom, Jeong Da-jun, Seong Ji-won, and Kim Seong-hyeon put on a natural performance.
“Yi-chae is downstairs buying drinks… It’s such a shame we got caught.”
“Hey, how did you really….”
Watching the video, the Noeuls discovered something unexpected.
[Huh? Why is Seong-hyeon so good at acting?]
Putting aside the fact that he shone on stage while dancing, the Noeuls were well aware from their self-produced content that Kim Seong-hyeon was a terrible actor.
In response to the recurring questions from the Noeuls, Kang Yi-chae let out a relaxed smirk.
“That’s because Seong-hyeon doesn’t know anything.”
[?????]
That’s right.
Kang Yi-chae didn’t have the confidence to tell Kim Seong-hyeon to act. No matter how hard Seong-hyeon tried, Seo Ho-yun would surely notice something was off in a heartbeat.
So, he devised a way to handle Kim Seong-hyeon.
“He probably thinks the surprise camera really failed by now.”
It was to deceive Kim Seong-hyeon as well.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh, shit, is Kang Yi-chae a fucking madman? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Not only the B App’s comment section but also the people who were live-tweeting their reactions on SNS went wild.
Of course, no one said it was going too far.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh, Seong-hyeon, I really love you ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
The ones laughing the hardest were Kim Seong-hyeon’s fans.
“Couldn’t you have at least pretended to be surprised? This is so anticlimactic…”
“My bad?”
“So annoying.”
Every time the innocent Kim Seong-hyeon grumbled with genuine disappointment, the chat exploded with laughter.
Kang Yi-chae observed the situation carefully before putting in an earpiece. It was connected to a device he had prepared to communicate with Seong Ji-won and Jeong Da-jun, telling them how to react depending on the situation.
The reason Jeong Da-jun was wearing an animal-ear hat and Seong Ji-won had a flashy boa wrapped around his neck was to hide the earpieces in their ears.
“Maknae, let’s go.”
Just as Seo Ho-yun, having found even the fake camera, was about to offer some token greetings and wrap things up, Jeong Da-jun moved on to the next stage.
“Ah, what the…”
Puffing out his cheeks and pouting his lips—an expression he often made when he was sulking—Jeong Da-jun placed the half-candled cake on the table and muttered.
“Hyung, but couldn’t you have at least pretended to be surprised?”
Phase 2 had begun.
Operation “I’m Hurt.”
“We spent hours preparing this. I didn’t think you’d be easily fooled, but… you could have at least pretended.”
[ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ Jeong Da-jun’s stellar acting ㄷㄷ]
[And Seong Ji-won pretending to cautiously read the room next to him is perfect.]
In reality, Jeong Da-jun, the expressive and sensitive maknae, would have been a little sulky even if the birthday party had genuinely failed, so he was currently half-acting, half-sincere.
“Running around in this weather to buy your cake. It was so hard…”
Getting overly immersed, Jeong Da-jun spat out the planned line with a choked-up expression.
“You won’t even pretend to be fooled.”
Jeong Da-jun furtively glanced at Seo Ho-yun before lowering his gaze. The atmosphere in the room sank.
Seo Ho-yun, who had turned off the fake camera and turned around, stared at Jeong Da-jun.
“……”
And said nothing.
[OMG, Ho-yun really fell for it.]
[Look at his expression;;]
As fans buzzed with amazement at the imminent success of the surprise camera, Kang Yi-chae himself narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.
Is he, really?
Kang Yi-chae knew Seo Ho-yun was no pushover.
He had observed the recent Seo Ho-yun, painstakingly crafting each and every line that might shake him, and Jeong Da-jun had practiced them over and over.
Seeing Jeong Da-jun’s eyes finally redden, Seo Ho-yun sighed and swept his hair back.
“Haa…”
Without missing the timing, Jeong Da-jun threw out the final planned line.
“When you’re like this, Hyung… I kind of hate it.”
A carefully chosen line, perfect timing, and Jeong Da-jun’s passionate performance, complete with reddened eyes!
It was a perfect trifecta.
Jeong Da-jun, having delivered a line that might have impressed even Min Ji-heon, squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head.
Seo Ho-yun just watched him quietly.
Then, he tossed out a single question.
“Do you really hate it?”