Chapter 202
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202
[Ah, FNL was freaking hilarious lolololololol]
Ever since Can You Sing With Me?, the number of variety show and commercial offers had surged, and with FNL added to the mix, their promotion period was being extended.
[Title: The 5-Minute Boyfriend skit was legendary...
Kim Seong-hyeon was such a proper boyfriend, but then he’d suddenly bolt to help someone every five seconds. It was so cool but so frustrating <
Lolololololololololololololololololololololol
The comedian Ji-yu is also freaking funny.
Ji-yu: What... why are you helping them all of a sudden?
Ji-yu: Seriously... why are you helping people every 0.5 seconds?
Ji-yu: What’s with that... why do you look so proud of yourself?
Lolololololol.
And Kim Seong-hyeon is just running around helping people like it’s a hero movie. Ah... seriously, such a random, baseless comedy skit...
└ As expected of our Seong-hyeon.
└└ What do you mean, Seong-hyeon? Was someone there? All I saw was pure light??
└└ Lolololololololol]
[Title: How do the FNL producers capture these annoying points so well?
Jeong Da-jun’s 5-Minute Boyfriend was also infuriating lol.
Even if there’s a script, I’ve never seen a male idol pull off that school-kid slang so naturally...
Jeong Da-jun: Mariah? Oh, Carey~
Ji-yu: (Trembling with rage)
Jeong Da-jun: Onion? Oh, nion~
Ji-yu: Let’s break up.
Jeong Da-jun: Is the wittle princess mad~?
Ji-yu: (Fuck, let’s break up right now)
Guys... I know you’re idols, but...
Seriously, you psychos... lolololololol]
True to FNL’s reputation for creating a buzz with every broadcast, the skits successfully highlighted each member’s charm and personality, earning rave reviews from fans.
However...
[What do you think it means that S-J-W was a trainee there for seven years? lol. He’s probably seen it all already. It’s amazing how he acts like his image is so clean.]
[He should’ve just done a military run instead, tsk.]
The rumors surrounding Seong Ji-won weren’t dying down as easily as I’d hoped.
“Hmm.”
No matter how I looked at it, this didn't feel natural. It felt like someone was constantly tossing kindling onto the fire to keep it burning.
Well, I did tell Kim Jae-yeon to look into it.
For now, I had no choice but to focus on my own work.
After finishing a magazine interview, I looked around the pension that served as our final schedule for the day. The white two-story building had a Southeast Asian vibe, with large pots of palm trees placed here and there. Beside them, the turquoise water of the swimming pool sparkled under the clear summer sky.
“Yi-chae, let’s start the interview~.”
With that scenery as a backdrop, we were filming a "deep-dive" interview with Kang Yi-chae for Nutube. The planning team had added this as a light piece of content to wrap up promotions, knowing that videos showing an idol’s honest thoughts were quietly gaining popularity among fans.
Since the staff members were people who had worked with The Dawn frequently for self-produced content, a warm atmosphere naturally settled in as Kang Yi-chae gave his characteristically witty answers.
Yi-chae is doing fine.
I glanced at Seong Ji-won, who was watching the scene with a satisfied expression. His complexion looked normal. He wasn't the type to search for himself online, and even if he did, the current Seong Ji-won would likely brush it off. Still, the conversation I’d had with Chae Jeong-woo kept nagging at the back of my mind.
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
Seong Ji-won noticed my gaze and looked puzzled.
“You’ve been staring at me a lot lately.”
Since I’d already been labeled as overprotective, I decided to act bold.
“Why? Got a problem?”
“...No, it’s not that.”
Swept up in my pace, Seong Ji-won gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his neck. Just as he was about to say something, a burst of laughter erupted from the filming area.
“Oh my, aren’t you laughing too much~?”
The staff were giggling; Kang Yi-chae must have cracked another joke.
“Then, one last question. There’s been a lot of talk lately that your composition style has become more mainstream. What are your thoughts on that?”
As if he had expected the question, Kang Yi-chae rested his chin on his hand and spoke calmly.
“Well...”
Then, he gave a playful smirk.
“I’m just thinking about how I can be loved even more.”
Yi-chae, you sly fox.
The filming ended with that interview. The planning team began packing up their equipment at lightning speed, shouting about how excited they were to go home. As the members and I started heading toward the van, the manager blocked our path.
“No, no!”
He shook his head, arms spread wide.
“You guys are staying here to rest today!”
I narrowed my eyes at the road manager, wondering what he was talking about, but he just nodded in agreement. Just then, Lee Ji-hyeon added as she walked past:
“Since there are no more schedules and tomorrow starts late, we booked this place specifically so you could get some proper rest!”
“We can just rest at the dorm.”
“Oh, come on, Ho-yun. You should relax and let your guard down in a fresh environment!”
What is she on about?
I just stared at her without responding, so Lee Ji-hyeon held up both hands even more shamelessly.
“Of course, that includes taking 100 natural-looking photos.”
“......”
“‘It was summer! The youth of my life!’ The kind of photos that make people feel guilty for peeking into a page of your memories. Not many, just exactly 100.”
It was obvious she wanted them for social media. Right, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Actually, there had been some talk online recently that The Dawn’s schedule was too grueling. For Daepasung, who was currently in Noeul’s bad graces, this seemed like a ploy to soothe the fans by providing us with a luxury resort under the guise of a vacation and posting pretty pictures.
“Fine, whatever.”
I looked at Lee Ji-hyeon, who was standing with her chin up and a prim expression, and let out a short laugh. It wasn't a difficult request, so I agreed. The road manager handed over the cameras.
I stood there and listened as Lee Ji-hyeon went on a detailed explanation of angles and what we needed to do.
“You never miss an opportunity. You’ll probably get promoted fast, Ms. Lee Ji-hyeon.”
“Isn’t that why I work day and night? Soon, I’m going to swallow this whole place up.”
Lee Ji-hyeon gave a confident smile, said her goodbyes, and quickly disappeared with the rest of the staff. The manager and road manager repeated several times that they’d be back to pick us up tomorrow and to call if anything happened before they finally drove off in the van.
“I’m going to go get some rest.”
“Okay~! We’ll go get some groceries!”
Since it was summer, the sky still held a faint twilight glow even though it was quite late. I went into an empty room and flopped onto the bed. Kang Yi-chae would handle the photos well enough, and for food, I could just eat whatever Jeong Da-jun and Seong Ji-won—who had run off excitedly—brought back. All I had to do was rest, but...
“...This feels awkward.”
My life had been a continuous cycle of work, work, and more work. Usually, I’d pass out the moment I hit the dorm, so just lying here like this was a rare occurrence.
Should I do something?
I was contemplating whether I should use this gap to plan some simple content when the door swung open.
“Seo Ho-yun, what are you doing?”
It was Kim Seong-hyeon.
“Breathing.”
“Well, you’re certainly doing a diligent job of it.”
Thinking this was a good opportunity, I tossed out the ideas I’d been mulling over.
“How about we film some cooking content?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Just rest.”
“Then how about a hidden camera prank?”
“I think you should go clean out your ears.”
Our little 'Water Dumpling' can be quite spicy when he wants to be.
As I savored the rare sharp tongue, Kim Seong-hyeon threw a blanket over me and rolled me up in it. Then he plopped down on a chair and looked down at me.
“You’ve been running too hard. You need days like this once in a while.”
“I had a break after Shining Star.”
“Seo Ho-yun, were you even sane back then?”
Kim Seong-hyeon clicked his tongue as if he couldn't believe me.
“It’s like you’re someone who doesn't know how to rest.”
I didn't really have any intention of getting up anyway, so I stayed still. Kim Seong-hyeon randomly pulled a book from the shelf next to the bed, flipping through the pages and closing it repeatedly.
“...About Kang Yi-chae. Did you see his interview earlier?”
After a long silence filled only by the sound of turning pages, Kim Seong-hyeon’s cautious voice followed.
“I saw it.”
“Don’t you think he’s changed a lot?”
I glanced up; Kim Seong-hyeon was pulling out another book. He didn't look like he was actually reading. This seemed to be the real reason he came in.
“His motto has always been that as long as it’s fun and he’s happy, it’s fine.”
That was true. Kang Yi-chae didn't have a strong desire to be loved by others, nor did he care about how people viewed him.
“But lately, his composition style has changed, and he seems to be paying attention to a lot of things. It’s like he’s curious about how his songs are perceived by others.”
I had noticed that too. Kim Seong-hyeon closed the book with a thud and looked me straight in the eye.
“He always acts so relaxed or mature that we often just let things slide.”
“And?”
“Just... let’s pay a bit more attention to Yi-chae.”
He made it sound so difficult, even though it wasn't a hard thing to do. My attention had already been focused on Seo Ho-jin and The Dawn for a long time. However, hiding my true thoughts, I asked playfully:
“Is this your sense of responsibility as a leader?”
“What? No.”
Kim Seong-hyeon gave a clear smile.
“It’s just that, as an older brother who knows him, he’s on my mind.”
As he put the book back in its place, noisy voices drifted in from outside.
“The kids must be back. Let’s go eat.”
I kicked off the blanket and ruffled my hair. My eyes met Kim Seong-hyeon’s clear gaze as he waited for me. Feeling like I might be purified if I stayed with him any longer, I hurried out of the room first.
*
“The meat is so good!!”
Like typical boys in their prime, the heavy bags in their hands were filled with nothing but meat. After a hearty dinner cooked on the barbecue grill at one side of the pension, the sun set, and a black night sky surrounded us.
“Hyung, hyung, you know what~?”
“No.”
“You’re really the master of making people speechless.”
Even though the maknae had been chatting throughout dinner, it seemed he hadn't had enough. Like a large dog that still had energy after five walks a day, he couldn't stay still for a second and scurried around until he finally found something in the corner of the living room cabinet and ran over.
“Shocking but true!!”
“Why has he been saying that so much lately?”
“He says he wants to be a trendsetter.”
Until recently, hadn't he been insisting on using only mature language, throwing around words he didn't even know the meaning of?
“Look at what I found!!”
Jeong Da-jun revealed the object he had been hiding behind his back with a flourish.
“Ooh...”
“Wow...”
“Ahhh.”
“Yum.”
“Look at those soulless reactions! Barbecue! Pension! Sparklers! It’s the perfect combo~!”
Small fireworks that emit yellow sparks from the end of a long stick are usually used to set the mood at the end of such gatherings. I picked at my ear and looked at him indifferently.
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“It’s illegal on the beach... but on private property, it’s probably fine if you have the owner’s permission?”
“The notice next to the TV said it was okay!”
Jeong Da-jun whined, shaking the bag of sparklers as if he really wanted to do it. Seong Ji-won was the first to surrender to the maknae’s persistent pestering.
“Let’s go, Ho-yun. Let’s take some pretty pictures.”
“......What’s so great about a bunch of gunpowder?”
I dawdled out of laziness, but at Seong Ji-won’s urging, Kim Seong-hyeon, Kang Yi-chae, and I finally got up and headed out to the pool area.
“Hey, hey, how do you do this?”
The heat seemed to have subsided a bit, but the heavy, damp humidity unique to summer still clung to our skin.
“Does anyone have a lighter?”
“Don’t look at me.”
Did they leave a lighter with me or something? As everyone’s eyes turned to me and I grumbled, Kang Yi-chae chuckled and spoke up.
“Come here. You might burn your hand if the sparks fly, so let’s use the torch.”
Holding the barbecue torch, Kang Yi-chae lit the sparklers and handed them out to the members one by one. Then, everyone crouched down in a circle.
Sssssss, crackle.
The tips of the wicks burned, blooming into brilliant golden sparks. When Jeong Da-jun let out a "Whoa!" and shifted his body, Kang Yi-chae scolded him to hold it properly because it was dangerous.
“Eh? Hyung, have you done this before?”
“Um... my mom did.”
Kang Yi-chae spoke while his eyes were fixed on the sparks that looked like yellow flowers blooming in the darkness.
“I did it a few times with my mom. I used to whine that I wanted to do it.”
“...!”
I was momentarily surprised because he was someone who had never mentioned his family on his own. The other members also widened their eyes and looked at Kang Yi-chae.
“She said they were pretty and liked them.”
What’s this?
Why was he suddenly opening up, unlike his usual self? While I narrowed my eyes, Seong Ji-won and Kim Seong-hyeon shuffled closer to Kang Yi-chae and asked cautiously:
“Oh, then should we take a picture and show her?”
“But if she’s abroad, isn’t it time for her to be asleep? Where is she?”
They don’t know... about his family situation.
“Hey. You guys—”
I was about to change the subject and wrap things up before they dug any deeper, when suddenly Jeong Da-jun jumped up.
“Gasp, shocking but true!!”
“What’s wrong with him now?”
“I didn't put the ice cream we bought earlier in the freezer!”
“What?!”
Then, he started jumping around, saying we had to eat the ice cream right now and that it was the perfect time. He shoved all the sparklers into my hands and dragged Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won away.
Suddenly, I was left holding two sparklers in each hand.
“Da-jun is something else.”
At the sudden voice, I turned my head to see Kang Yi-chae bursting into laughter as he watched the direction Jeong Da-jun had disappeared.
“The first thing Da-jun did as soon as we got back from the mart was put the ice cream in the freezer.”
“Huh?”
“He said letting it melt for even a second was disrespectful to the ice cream.”
Ah...
I understood why Jeong Da-jun had suddenly made such a fuss about the ice cream that was perfectly fine.
“Hyung, you know what?”
Kang Yi-chae met my eyes, his own crinkling into a smile.
“Maybe he’s the most mature one among us.”