Chapter 165
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165
[Guys... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭]
On private SNS accounts, the reaction to Jeong Da-jun’s performance was explosive.
[I was so, so worried about Da-jun that I planned to tell him he was the best no matter what he did... but it turns out I didn't need to worry at all, which is just... LOL!!!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ahhh!!! ㅠㅠ He’s driving me crazy ㅠㅠ]
[I really cried my eyes out... but this is the first time I’ve been this happy while crying. The hand kiss at the end made my tears go right back in. Holy crap...]
[I didn't intend to love him this much, but I'm way too deep in my feels... Beyond just being proud of him, my heart aches and it's bittersweet and funny and—ah, fuck, I just love you so damn much, Jeong Da-jun! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Evidently, opinions within the fandom had been divided regarding the 2nd Competition.
Since the pre-release and the broadcast hadn't happened yet, everyone was careful with their words, but they couldn't stop the rumors that "Jeong Da-jun tore up the stage."
"This is so good."
At that very hour, while fans were secretly losing their minds and crying out for their "precious baby," Jeong Da-jun was busy devouring meat. The manager and road manager were grilling it diligently, and the members were shuttling it to their plates.
"Is it good?"
"Yes!!"
After the filming for the 3rd Competition ended, the manager had declared that such a momentous day required meat. Holding the corporate card aloft like a triumphant general, he led the members of The Dawn as they scurried into the barbecue restaurant.
I flicked my eyes upward to check the stats floating above Jeong Da-jun’s head.
[Jeong Da-jun
He is so, so, so precious that I want to feed him nothing but Hanwoo beef.]
Did you raise him or something?
[Singing: B-
Dancing: A-
Variety: B+
Acting: C-
???: ???
Charm: B+]
Looking at him, I felt like I understood why he had been particularly anxious.
Are stats not absolute?
As I pondered where the discrepancy came from, Jeong Da-jun, who was busy gnawing on a rib, scanned the members with his eyes.
"Hyungs."
He set down the bone he had picked clean and spoke.
"Honestly, you're glad you have a maknae, right?"
"Of course we are~!!"
Seong Ji-won, sitting next to him, placed a fresh, meaty rib onto Da-jun’s bowl and pampered him. Da-jun grinned, looking satisfied.
In truth, Jeong Da-jun had completely dominated the stage during the group performance. While High Five’s main dancer hadn't been overshadowed, the others were visibly faltering.
Though they trailed slightly behind High Five in the audience vote, Jeong Da-jun had the upper hand in the professional judges' scores.
Ultimately, The Dawn snatched 1st place in the performance unit.
High Five took 2nd, and TEW took 3rd.
It meant the maknae had taken 1st place, beating out guys with massive public recognition.
"Eat up."
"Yes!!"
Well, he’d cried enough to work up a massive appetite.
"But how did you do so well? You were way better than in the rehearsals."
"Oh, that! Ho-yun hyung gave me some advice."
"..."
"He told me to just think of the rest of the contestants as total nobodies..."
"Wait a sec...!"
"Hey!! You said things like that to the kid??"
"I mean, he’s an adult now..."
Kim Seong-hyeon, who was pouring cider into Da-jun’s glass, looked at me with a dubious expression. Da-jun looked back and forth between me and Seong-hyeon before quickly continuing.
"Th-there’s that, too... but there was more! Hyung told me once that if I feel wronged, I should just lie down on my bed and think..."
"...You told him to just go to sleep?"
"Uh, that’s not it..."
Da-jun struggled to remember, clutching his head before giving up and grabbing a lettuce leaf.
"Eh, whatever. Who cares?"
He piled about five pieces of meat onto the leaf, topped it neatly with kimchi, and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.
"I did gud, didn't I? (I did good, didn't I?)"
Da-jun gave a wide grin.
I smiled back at him.
"Our maknae is all grown up now."
The meat party continued joyfully after that.
The bill came out to be much higher than expected, and I swiped the corporate card on behalf of the trembling manager before we stepped out of the restaurant.
As expected, food bought with company money tastes the best.
I was patting my stomach contentedly when I saw Kang Yi-chae clinging to Jeong Da-jun in front of the van, whining. Da-jun, looking annoyed by the pestering, was muttering something while stroking his own chest to calm down.
"Da-jun, you're an adult now, an adult. Let's just ignore this level of provocation..."
"Right, right~."
"...Ignore him."
"If you're an adult, you have to let this kind of thing slide~."
"...Ignore..."
"Our Da-junie is a super-duper cool aduuult~."
"Ack!!! Seriously!!"
After watching the two bicker like usual, I turned toward Seong Ji-won, Kim Seong-hyeon, and the managers.
"I'm going to stop by the company before heading to the dorm."
"Huh? Why?"
"I need to meet with the planning team for a bit."
Having calculated things while going through the Shining Star Season 2 competitions, I had something to think over.
"Then go with the road manager. It's dangerous to go around alone."
I wanted to leave him behind because it was a hassle, but the manager wasn't wrong.
When I agreed, the manager whispered something to the road manager.
"See you at the dorm later."
After saying goodbye to the members, I caught a taxi with the road manager.
With the final stage approaching, I could roughly see how the results would play out.
We had mostly made up for the 2nd Competition results through the cross-unit. So, our current score put us in 2nd place, right behind High Five.
Verci and Try were fighting for 4th and 5th place and didn't seem likely to climb higher, but TEW was a wild card.
"...Hmm."
It was because of the scoring system for the final.
Up until now, it had all been on-site voting, but the final was strictly live voting. Moreover, the points were worth almost triple, so there was no telling how the rankings might flip.
Is 1st place possible?
No, I have to make it happen.
It wasn't like there was no way to secure 1st place for sure.
...Hmm.
This is a bit, well...
"...The performance today was impressive."
Perhaps because I was silently staring out the window, the road manager spoke up. He was usually someone who just worked silently, so this felt a bit unfamiliar. I wondered if my expression looked bad.
"Ah, thank you."
"I mean it sincerely."
With that, the road manager turned his gaze back to the front and didn't say another word.
A short while later, the company building came into view.
"Ah, please let me out here."
I got out of the taxi, entered the building, and sent the road manager home. As I headed toward the elevators, I spotted someone crouching near the ground floor.
It was Min Ji-heon, sipping coffee through a straw.
"Oh!"
I tried to ignore him and walk past, but Min Ji-heon stood up with a bright expression and intentionally blocked my path.
"No way! I was just about to text you."
Had it been about six months?
His light brown hair fluttered slightly.
"Who are you?"
"Wow~ I really missed this prickly tone of yours."
"State your business."
"Ahaha, are we the kind of people who only see each other when there's business?"
Obviously.
Min Ji-heon fumbled through a drink carrier he had set on the floor, pulled out a Frappuccino, and held it out to me.
He wasn't the type to mess with food, so I took it for now, but he kept stalling instead of getting to the point.
"No matter how busy we both are, seeing each other once every six months is a bit much."
"I've seen plenty of you."
"Eh?"
Because Jeong Da-jun had been secretly rewatching Min Ji-heon’s movies at the dorm and sobbing.
In a disaster film where he played a college student dreaming of becoming a firefighter, Min Ji-heon had lived up to his reputation as a box-office guarantee and hit ten million viewers.
"—Ah!! You mean you watched my movie?"
"No, I didn't watch it because I don't like you."
"..."
"Jeong Da-jun watched it."
Seeing Min Ji-heon pout as if he were offended actually made me feel better.
"Did you come here to get an autograph for your sister?"
"...How did you know?"
"You're standing here with a shopping bag full of stuff; how could I not?"
Plus, he was waiting in front of the company with my favorite drink.
I chewed on the straw and held out my hand to Min Ji-heon.
"Give it."
"???"
Min Ji-heon’s eyes widened as if he hadn't expected this at all.
"Quick, before I change my mind."
"...Uh, yes, sir."
He hurriedly pulled out albums and posters from the shopping bag.
"There's a lot of them."
As I popped the cap off a pen with my teeth and scribbled my signature, Min Ji-heon narrowed his eyes.
"You're being surprisingly cooperative."
"If it were for you, I'd never do it. I'm doing it because your sister is Noeul."
"Mmm. Thanks."
"If you're thankful, grab a meal with Jeong Da-jun sometime later."
"......Eh?"
"He's a huge fan of yours."
Min Ji-heon blinked, then slightly covered his mouth.
"Whoa, what's this?"
"..."
"Ahaha, did you actually grow fond of your members? I knew you were secretly soft, Hyung, but this happened a bit fast, didn't it?"
"Mr. Min Ji-heon, your nonsense is in full bloom today."
I grumbled and shoved the signed items back at him. Min Ji-heon grimaced slightly but carefully tucked them back into the shopping bag.
"Well~ it's good to see you looking healthy. It's nice to have good people around you."
"..."
"I was actually a bit worried. But you seem fine?"
"Why would you worry about me?"
"I care about you in my own way, Hyung~."
Min Ji-heon replied nonchalantly and took another sip of his coffee.
"Anyway, thanks. Chae-yeon is going to be so happy. She’s been moping lately because of the competition."
"Is that so?"
"She should just stick to liking me. Why does she have to make things so difficult?"
"That's just how younger siblings are—"
I replied without thinking and quickly shut my mouth.
But despite his ditzy behavior, the guy was sharp and instantly caught the word.
"Siblings?"
I messed up.
I never talk about my brother at work. You never know how that kind of information might come back to haunt you.
I looked away, but Min Ji-heon’s gaze followed me intently.
"...You have a sibling?"
It was then.
"Whoa~!! What are you guys doing here?"
Startled by a new voice cutting between Min Ji-heon and me, I turned around to see the manager staring at us.
"...Manager, what are you doing here? Didn't you go to the dorm and then head home?"
"I haven't finished my report yet..."
The manager trailed off, glancing at Min Ji-heon. Following his gaze, I saw Min Ji-heon, who had been silent for a moment, instantly break into a smile.
"Ah, hello~."
"Hello, Min Ji-heon-ssi! I watched your recent movie and cried my eyes out!!"
Since when were you a Min Ji-heon fan?
The manager didn't even notice my glare; he was blushing and even shaking hands with Min Ji-heon.
It looked like he would keep shaking hands forever if I let him, so I pulled the manager back and nudged Min Ji-heon.
"If you're done with your business, you should get going, Mr. Min Ji-heon."
"Yes, that is the plan."
Despite his answer, Min Ji-heon hesitated even after packing up the shopping bag.
He acted as if he had something more to say.
Just go, seriously.
"Do you have any other business here?"
The manager asked, his eyes sparkling.
"...Ahaha, no, I should go."
Min Ji-heon’s eyes flicked toward me, and he shrugged.
"Thanks for the signatures~."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Call me if anything happens."
"......?"
I frowned slightly, and as Min Ji-heon started to walk away, he dropped a bomb.
"Good luck, Hyung."
Shit!
He was a guy who could never just leave quietly.
I clicked my tongue while glaring in the direction he disappeared, then I heard the manager’s voice.
"...But why did he call Ho-yun 'Hyung'?"
"..."
"Ah!!"
The manager gasped in realization.
"Is this... over-immersion?"
"Sigh..."
"Are you two still immersed in your roles from Please Take Care of the Camera when you meet?"
Sometimes, his lack of intuition was a blessing.
I let out a deep sigh and gave him a look of disapproval, but our manager just looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
"Min Ji-heon-ssi’s method acting is on another level, but our Ho-yun is truly amazing, too!!"
It’s not 'another level of method,' it’s 'another level of crazy'...
Watching the manager make a fuss about how The Dawn was the best, I stood there with a sour expression.
Then again, in many ways, Min Ji-heon was truly something else.
Why do I feel dirty every time I see him?
Regardless, there was something more important than Min Ji-heon.
After parting ways with the manager, I headed toward the planning team, my mind racing with ideas on how to decorate the final stage.
The announcement for the Shining Star final competition was fast approaching.