Chapter 151
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 151
High Five. A six-member junior group from Black Call's agency, now in their third year since debuting.
And they were being hailed as the next leaders of K-Pop, set to follow in Black Call's footsteps.
Well, at this point, most people should know what I’m getting at.
They were a group that had no business being here.
Shameless bastards…
As I walked toward our waiting room, meticulously greeting other groups and staff members, Seong Ji-won tapped me on the arm.
“Ho-yun.”
“Yeah.”
I turned my head, and my gaze followed his to where High Five was standing.
“Hello.”
The moment our eyes met, the leader of High Five spoke up as if he’d been waiting.
“Wow, that was truly amazing just now. Congratulations on first place.”
“You all worked hard as well.”
“My name is Kang Yeon-hu.”
“Yes. I’m Seo Ho-yun.”
High Five’s leader, Kang Yeon-hu, smiled amiably.
As we exchanged greetings with their leader and main vocal, I could feel the members of other groups nearby sneaking glances at us.
But Kang Yeon-hu acted as if he didn't notice at all, his eyes fixed only on us.
This guy…
I was starting to get a feeling about this.
My expression shifted, and I broke into a bright smile.
“We enjoyed your performance, High Five.”
“To be honest, the ranking is a little disappointing, but it can’t be helped. Seong Ji-won, you were absolutely incredible. I got goosebumps.”
“Ahaha, thank you.”
“But we won’t lose next time, you know?”
Kang Yeon-hu playfully scrunched his nose. Without adding any other useless remarks, he and his members walked away.
Seong Ji-won watched them go and slowly opened his mouth.
“He’s very friendly.”
“He is.”
I swept back the hair that had been messed up by my hat and was poking me in the eye.
Woo-seong.
The appropriate distance, the right comments, and even a polite smile. In other words—
Your junior is a bit shady.
He was the type who clearly knew how to act and present himself to others, a guy who reeked of being a long-term trainee.
It meant that, at the very least, he wasn't a thoughtless idiot like the members of Today, who went around carelessly exposing their own weaknesses.
Do I need to rethink my strategy?
I organized my thoughts as I walked slowly.
Working at a broadcasting station, you inevitably had to deal with people. Especially in the variety department, planning a good program was important, but so was shaping and refining the cast's characters.
In conclusion, having rolled around in this industry for so long, I was confident that my judgment of people was quite accurate.
Which is why I could say this: with a bastard of that level, you could shake him down all you want and you’d be hard-pressed to find a single speck of dust.
Not because he was flawless, but because his self-management was impeccable.
“Ho-yun.”
At that moment, the person next to me—another long-term trainee with outstanding intuition—called my name.
“Huh?”
“Let’s not think any strange thoughts.”
“…What? When did I?”
After a brief pause, I brazenly retorted to Seong Ji-won.
“You really weren’t?”
“I swear on my conscience.”
Since I didn’t have a conscience to begin with, I could swear on it.
Seong Ji-won let out a disbelieving chuckle just as his phone rang. When he answered, Jeong Da-jun’s excited voice echoed through the speaker.
“—The dance unit got second place.”
“Really?”
An S- stat getting second place.
Objectively, Kim Seong-hyeon’s dancing skills were superb.
In fact, I judged that his talent would shine even brighter if you took away the "idol" label, or if you covered his face.
So I’d naturally assumed Kim Seong-hyeon would win…
“That’s unexpected.”
“I know… Ah.”
I was thinking I’d have to ask for the details about the incomprehensible result when we met, but a short report from Kang Yi-chae arrived in the group chat.
[Kang Yi-chae: Rap 1st place]
[Kang Yi-chae: ^^V]
“Wow.”
That’s Kang Yi-chae for you.
First in the rap unit, first in the vocal unit, and second in the dance unit.
“That’s a good start.”
Seong Ji-won beamed and started walking. Following behind him, I poked the back of Seong Ji-won, who was diligently bowing his head to every staff member we passed.
“Seong Ji-won, I’m a little proud of you.”
“……Huh?”
You grew up so well-mannered among all these shady bastards.
* * *
Although the face-to-face ceremony was over, not a word about Shining Star Season 2 had leaked out.
So, the Noeuls were enjoying a period of utter peace.
[Title: Guys, did you see the texts posted on The Dawn’s official account?
So damn funny
Kang Yi-chae posted a pic with the caption ‘Hyung, you’re so mean.’
Yi-chae: Kyaak, Yi-chae wants praise, hurry><
Ho-yun: cgrats
Da-jun: Whoa!! For Ho-yun-hyung, that’s pretty sincere
Seong-hyeon: He actually replied
I guess that’s his version of praise
Look at the kids being so impressed by those two letters. Seo Ho-yun, you bastard, how have you been living your life?
Kang Yi-chae whined that it wasn’t sincere enough, and when Seo Ho-yun got annoyed via text, he posted a few more.
Yi-chae: You seem like a really fun(ny) and affectionate(trash) person.
Sometimes I’m left in (beautiful) awe, Mr. Seo Ho-yun (no-ssagaji).
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL why is Kang Yi-chae like this? LOLOLOLOL
And Seo Ho-yun’s reply
Ho-yun: gamsa
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
But Ji-won caught it too
Ji-won: ching-chan!!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL is that supposed to be ‘praise’?
Ji-won, please don’t be like this
└ LOLOLOLOL the crazy energy spreading is so hilarious hahahahaha
└└ No, but for real, what’s up with Seong Ji-won these days?
└ The other day on B App, Da-jun said Ji-won suggested they all get The Dawn tattoos…
└└ fr that’s pure madness…
└└ Even Kang Yi-chae would probably flinch at that.
└ Honestly, I’m most worried about Seong-hyeon these days…
The rest of them are all strong-willed, but Seong-hyeon… lol
└└ How is he going to survive in that Dawngle (The Dawn + Jungle)...]
Everyone was giggling and joking around with the content from the official account, just like any other day.
Until a certain post appeared.
[Title: But that text asking for praise…
Isn’t it about Shining Star? I heard they were doing some kind of unit battle.
Maybe Kang Yi-chae did well in the rap unit?]
Faced with this highly accurate prediction, even the Noeuls who had been saying, “Nah, no way,” started to get fired up.
[FML… is this for real?]
[Ah fuck, just hearing they’re on another survival show is giving me PTSD…]
They had all been burned too many times.
[Do we really have to go through this again, watching them get their hair pulled out over everything… I’m already so over it.]
[It’s a bit annoying, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to go on it. Thanks to the last Shining Star, their first-week sales jumped a ton… I think they’ll sell even more this time.]
[Honestly, do they even need to do this? Can’t they just promote happily?
jk that’s bullshit, go all out!!!
Let’s stan like this is our last time!!!]
Opinions were divided.
But since they had already won Shining Star Season 1, it was a given that they would appear in Season 2, so the Noeuls’ attention was sharply focused.
And so, on the day the news broke.
[Shining Star Season 2 is coming back!]
The broadcasting station’s website server crashed.
[For real, the server crashed?
└ Such a glass server LOL. These bastards still have no intention of fixing it.]
It was only natural, as not only The Dawn’s fans but all the fans of the groups in the lineup had rushed to the site.
Shining Star Season 1 had been a massive success, and the pre-released lineup for Season 2 was also quite impressive, so the interest was bound to be huge.
[Shining Star Season 2
Star Will Shine Again!
High Five
Verci
TEW
Try
The Dawn]
At the same time, the fans of most of the idol groups in the lineup felt their heads spin.
[High Five???????????]
[Fuck, the tyranny of big corporations is insane… Do you know what their first-week sales are? They have no reason to be on this show.]
[Their capital scale is on another level lol (obviously, they were raised with the money Black Call earned;;) Do they really have to butt into something like this? FFS lol]
Naturally, the criticism directed at High Five grew.
[We’re pissed off too, lol]
The High Five side was just as irritated.
As a result, the tension between the fandoms only escalated.
[It’s so humiliating to have them compete with groups that aren’t on their levelㅠㅠ Our boys ㅠㅠ What do we do?
└ Yeah, well, your idol is trash.
└ lol are you an idiot?]
With the official site launched and some promotional videos posted on Nutube, the program was being advertised at a terrifying speed. Amidst the increasingly hostile atmosphere, the Noeuls, who had already experienced Shining Star, trembled with anxiety.
【Say you love me-!】
Of course, that was only until the pre-released highlight edit video was uploaded before the first episode aired.
The moment Seong Ji-won sang the first line, you could tell the audience was stirring, even through the screen.
The Noeuls felt a thrill run up their spines.
[AHHH!!! JI-WON!!! HO-YUN!!!!!!!]
[If this doesn’t get first place, it’s ridiculous.]
It was because they got the distinct feeling that they had dominated with pure skill.
[Seong Ji-won is really in his prime these days. I guess he really is the next god of K-pop after Black Call’s Chae Jeong-woo…]
[He is Korean....]
While they were busy replaying that one video and showering it with praise, the rap unit video was uploaded next.
He wore a black mask, a cap, and a hood pulled down low, but the faded grapefruit-colored hair peeking out was unmistakably Kang Yi-chae’s.
【It's chasing!】
And he was truly one of a kind.
[Wow...]
Even in the short clip, he unleashed a stream of techniques and performances, playing with the stage with complete freedom.
[Kang Yi-chae seems like such a genius that it’s almost sickening sometimes… Not just composing, writing lyrics, and producing, but just;; his rapping is insane.]
[The vibe is crazy.....
He must have crushed them with ease. Ah, he’s driving me crazy.]
However, in the case of the dance unit’s Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun, while they drew attention with a flashy breakdance performance, the reason for their failure was all too clear.
[Ah.]
High Five’s main dancer had flashed his abs.
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Ah damn it, I’ll give them that.]
Since it was based on on-site voting, unless there was a massive difference in dance skill, it was hard to beat a performance that left such a strong impression.
In the end, High Five had indeed won first place by an overwhelming margin.
[This got 1st place???
└ yup, that’s the rumor
└└ lol damn it ㅠㅠ It’s a shame, but I accept it.]
[Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun danced like madmen, but it’s said they couldn’t beat the ab-dol.]
[Seong-hyeon ㅠ You should’ve flashed yours too while you were at it.
└ Sneakily making a wish…]
Just then, a post predicting the face-to-face ceremony rankings appeared on a community site.
It was a conclusion reached by combining reviews from the general public who participated in the unit voting, analyzing the edited clips, and examining the comments.
[Title: My Prediction
Dance Unit 1st Place: High Five
Vocal Unit 1st Place: The Dawn
Rap Unit 1st Place: The Dawn
└ Guys, don’t give this attention.
└ -------IGNORE IGNORE IGNORE------]
Contrary to the comments, the atmosphere among the already on-edge fandoms was buzzing.
[I think this is right?]
[Hmm, I’m rewatching it now, and it seems right. The Dawn’s dance unit is 2nd.]
At this news, the Noeuls tried to act nonchalant, but they couldn’t hide the smiles even in the posts they made on SNS.
After all, it meant they had won based on pure skill through a blind vote.
[Well, we won’t know for sure until the show airs.]
[The song was so good this time ㅠㅠ Genius idols.]
However, with the atmosphere already so hostile, there was no reason to stir up more controversy, so everyone tried to let it pass quietly.
But that was short-lived.
The situation was completely overturned when someone leaked the planning details for the Shining Star face-to-face ceremony.
[Guys
They said 1st place in each unit gets 1,500 points.]
That’s right.
First place in each unit was awarded 1,500 points, and second place was given 1,000.
The fury of the fans—excluding the Noeuls—erupted across various sites.
[The Dawn 4,000 points
High Five 1,000 points???]
[Ah, fuck LOLOLOL an idol’s popularity is also a skill, you know?! I’m so pissed. If you don’t like it, then get popular!! Have the producers still not come to their senses?!!!!!]
[If you want to be the Masked Singer, then go on that show, you motherfuckers~~ LOLOLOL Are you kidding me? You bastards???]
Everywhere, only the Noeuls were at peace.
[Oh my??]
Having already been through countless hardships, they were able to package their composure well. They moved to their private accounts to gossip without causing any trouble.
[Guys, they said the vote was based on skill ㅠㅠ Aww, don’t be so angry~ㅠㅠ]
[Hey… let’s not be too harsh… From other fans’ perspectives, it could be pretty upsetting. Let’s be real, it’s a ridiculous system lol
But I’m a Noeul
And our babies got first place
└ Ah LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[What does an idol do if they don’t have skill..? Just curious hehe
└ If they don’t have skill, they have their face… but our boys… their faces are heavenly too… what to do;;ㅠㅠ This is so hard..ㅠㅠ]
[Ah~ If only Seong-hyeon had flashed his abs, it would’ve been 4500 points. What a shame lol. Hey Seong-hyeon, let’s show them at our gala concert later!]
It was a mystery who they took after, but their skill at throwing shade was top-notch.
[Sigh… Every time I get disillusioned, I want to quit K-pop.
└ The ones who say they’re quitting are the ones who stick around the longest.
└└ LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I’m roasted.
└└ The ones who really leave just go silent without saying a word like that.
└└ You guys~~~!!!
I’m only loving them for a little while…
I’ll leave after I see the Deonging-i-deul get first place…]
But regardless of the Noeuls’ tough mentality, the tension between the fandoms continued to build.
And so, on the day of the Shining Star filming.
The moment Seo Ho-yun entered the set, he felt a subtly cold atmosphere.
“Hello! We are The Dawn.”
“…Ah, yes. Hello.”
No matter who we greeted, the response was one that put up a thorough wall, as if looking at outsiders.
“Hello~.”
“Oh! It’s been a while.”
All the idols gathered here had been in the industry for a few years, so they greeted each other familiarly.
Of course, there were checks and balances being exchanged in between.
But toward The Dawn?
“Ah, The Dawn? Right, right, I know you~.”
Checks and balances? Forget it. We weren’t exactly ghosts, but it was the first time in a while we’d been treated like nobodies.
Was it the effect of our first-place finish at the ceremony, or did they just not want to let us into their exclusive league?
Seo Ho-yun raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight but said nothing.
What a joke.
To the eyes of Seo Ho-yun, a former PD with the life experience of a 34-year-old, it was all just a useless, unhelpful, childish antic.
“When is our Da-jun gonna grow up~?”
“I’m gonna be taller than you, I said I’ll be taller than you…”
“Are your growth plates still open~??”
“They are!!”
Clicking his tongue softly, I turned my head toward Kang Yi-chae, who was already seated and playfully pressing down on Jeong Da-jun’s head.
“Kang Yi-chae, stop it. What do you want to drink? Tell me now.”
“……Hmm?”
“??”
“???”
For a moment, we all stared at each other, not understanding, before Kang Yi-chae burst out laughing.
“…Ah, you’ve already made it a habit, huh??”
“Ah, shiiit…”
Ever since he’d been sick in Japan, I had gotten into the habit of watching Kang Yi-chae’s mood and catering to him. Cursing under my breath, I stood up. Unwilling to miss such a perfect opportunity for teasing, Kang Yi-chae trotted after me.
“Yi-chae is happy, Seo-bunny-rampage~.”
“Never call me that nickname to my face.”
“Why are you so affected by it again these days?”
Having escaped Kang Yi-chae’s clutches, Jeong Da-jun’s face brightened as he smoothed down his hair.
“Agh… Does that hyung get a canker sore on his tongue if he doesn’t tease someone for even ten seconds?”
“Jeong Da-jun, we’re just sacrifices… Give up.”
“Is it unavoidable as long as we’re in this group with a Seo and a Kang??”
Though some resentful glares were shot at The Dawn for being overly relaxed, the members themselves were completely unaffected.
“Hoo… let’s be patient, Da-jun. Let’s just think about what to eat later.”
“What does Da-jun want to eat?”
“I’ll have whatever Ji-won-hyung wants to eat~.”
“Stop lying and tell me honestly.”
“…Hanwoo.”
“Alright.”
While Kim Seong-hyeon was a bit on edge, glancing around, Seong Ji-won and Jeong Da-jun were busy resting their chins on their hands and chattering away, picking a dinner menu on their phones.
Look at this?
The main vocal of the group TEW, who was sitting nearby, didn’t like the sight of it.
TEW had been around for a while, so he was being careful not to get into any unnecessary trouble, but seeing a group that had been around for less than two years, who should have been scared stiff, being so boisterous was getting on his nerves.
Back in my day, I couldn’t even drink water because I was so busy watching my seniors.
“Hello?”
So he struck up a conversation.
“Ah, hello.”
However, the person he happened to address was the iron-willed Seong Ji-won, through whom not even a needle could pass.
“Aren’t you nervous? Phew~, my hands are shaking!”
“Ahaha, of course. I’m very nervous.”
…Hmm?
Finding Seong Ji-won, who replied with a smile and not a hint of nervousness, to be no fun, he immediately switched his target.
“You’re nervous too, right, Jeong Da-jun?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, I couldn’t eat a single thing. I felt like I’d get indigestion if I ate~. It’s better to approach an important event like this with a serious mindset, don’t you think?”
= How can you even think about food right now?
Jeong Da-jun’s eyes went wide.
That’s right.
“Let’s work hard, both of us.”
= Get a clue, lol.
Seeing the pure soul who wore his expressions on his face, he thought he could easily crush a kid like that.
Just as Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyes narrowed fiercely upon seeing him raise the corner of his lips in a smirk,
“Hoh…”
A vague exclamation escaped Jeong Da-jun’s lips.
……Huh?
A year ago, Jeong Da-jun would have turned pale and been at a loss, flustered, or he would have failed to notice the subtext and taken the words at face value.
What’s with this kid?
However, he had spent the last year by Seo Ho-yun’s side.
As a result of being stir-fried like fried rice in a sizzling hot pan, The Dawn’s maknae was more than trained for situations like this.
In fact, living with the ultimate instigator meant he felt nothing at all from such a low-level provocation.
“Yep.”
Thanks to that, his reaction was extremely lukewarm.
“Well, I guess that could happen… Fighting, sunbae-nim~.”
= You do you, I guess…
“……”
“……”
“But for real, what should we eat, hyung?”
= I’m gonna eat, though. Heh.
This is why they say you have to be careful even when drinking cold water in front of a child.
Seo Ho-yun had tried to protect the maknae, who was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, coddling him dearly, but his efforts were in vain. Jeong Da-jun had long since mastered a new way of speaking.