Chapter 214
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214
"Sigh, I'm exhausted."
Because she’d messed up her course registration, she’d been forced to take night classes just to fill her credit requirement. For the past few days, it was late at night by the time she finally made it home.
The university student flopped onto her bed after washing up, rolling around as she seriously considered skipping her morning class tomorrow.
At that moment, her phone buzzed with a string of notifications.
[Traitorous Friend: Hey hey hey hey]
[Traitorous Friend: Those two went to Europe together. Ugh, why is my baby so good on stage?]
[Traitorous Friend: Sigh... I think I love this guy.]
[Traitorous Friend: Yeon-hu is actually kind of cute lol]
'Ugh, seriously.'
It was a message from a friend she’d bonded with through High Five, only for the friend to jump ship to the Noeuls after falling for The Dawn’s maknae. They had even sat together to watch the second competition of Shining Star Season 2 after both luckily winning tickets.
After checking the messages, the student sent a half-hearted reply and closed the chat.
'Must be nice to have something to live for these days.'
She still felt a lingering bitterness in a corner of her heart. It felt like The Dawn had snatched the top spot away from High Five—who had been practically guaranteed first place in Shining Star Season 2—all thanks to Seo Ho-yun’s influence and a scandal that broke at just the right time.
'Well, at least I’m satisfied that High Five ranked higher than The Dawn at the Berlin concert.'
Kang Yeon-hu was an idol who handled himself so perfectly he never showed a single crack.
The variety show she’d been worried about, Singing Variety Show, had ended without incident, and there didn't seem to be any particular contact with Seo Ho-yun afterward.
She had breathed a sigh of relief knowing their relationship was strictly business to avoid the production team's tyranny, but as a High Five fan, she didn't want to hear anything more about The Dawn.
'Whatever, Yeon-hu will take care of himself.'
Since she wasn't sleepy, she turned on her phone to see if Min Ji-heon’s drama had been released on any OTT platforms.
However, as if reflecting her restless mind, her fingers moved of their own accord. Even after opening Letflix, she soon found herself browsing online communities.
She spent some time hopping between SNS and various sites, chuckling at funny memes and cute puppy videos, when a post title caught her eye.
[Title: An idol doing a Pop-Pop Live of themselves busking in Italy to earn money for food]
"What kind of crazy clickbait is this?"
She thought people would do anything for views these days.
Despite that thought, she clicked the post anyway.
And that was how she found out that The Dawn was currently busking live in real-time.
'What?'
In truth, busking was a cliché in the world of content creation.
It was frequently used to generate buzz—like holding a surprise first performance in a crowded plaza near a station when a new album dropped, or doing dance performances on streets abroad.
Just as she was thinking The Dawn was jumping on the busking bandwagon to churn out some self-produced content while they were overseas, Seong Ji-won, The Dawn’s main vocal, filled the screen as he lightly warmed up his hands on an electronic piano.
The student’s eyes narrowed.
[I guess... there are angels in Europe too]
[Yeah... he must feel right at home. This is the true Korean-Angel]
[You crazy bastards, showing us a busking session. They look like indie musicians right now, my heart is racing]
Even as she told herself she needed to distance herself from K-Pop, she habitually began to analyze the situation.
'Is this the kind of content you can only do because you're from a small agency? It’s too experimental. If it were High Five, they would’ve appeared on a cable TV variety show first to gauge the public's reaction. Are they doing this because they have the shield of Daepasung? That agency is notorious for neglecting their artists to the point of letting them run wild, so I guess a little more criticism won't change much.'
She was someone for whom distancing herself from K-Pop was an absolute impossibility.
[Traitorous Friend: AHHHHHH! Hey, are you watching the live?]
[Me: Yeah]
Just then, Seo Ho-yun picked up a bass guitar.
Predictably, the live comments exploded.
[Wait, Seo Ho-yun knows how to play bass????]
[Wait, he’s actually good???]
[Oppa... this is too much (grins)]
Unlike the ecstatic Noeuls, the High Five fan was unimpressed.
'If they mess this up, it’ll ruin their image.'
The reason she judged it as experimental was that it was rare for idols to busk abroad to showcase their musicality through singing alone.
The members of The Dawn exchanged glances as if they were ready to perform.
Seo Ho-yun leaned his face close to the standing microphone.
[Chill out, Do not go too far]
She expected him to introduce them as a boy band from Korea, but the lyrics flowed out immediately.
"......!"
Accompanied by Kang Yi-chae’s guitar, an old Britpop melody began to fill the street. Soon after, the notes from Seong Ji-won’s piano seeped in.
[You and I are waiting fear hid underneath the bed]
This was a song the university student knew well.
It was a track released by a world-renowned rock band in the 1990s. It had been a hot topic because the member who composed it was high on drugs at the time, but it was also famous for being difficult to sing well despite not having flashy techniques or high notes.
'...He’s good?'
However, the song, harmonized with Seo Ho-yun’s mid-to-low tones, sounded quite convincing.
No, it was actually quite impressive.
[As we cannot leave all the things behind]
Passersby on the street began to stop in their tracks.
The wind ruffled Seo Ho-yun’s hair.
He continued the song, plucking the bass strings.
[What is this, a movie?]
[Why are you filming an indie art film.........]
At that moment, the student suddenly realized something.
'The beautiful scenery, the time of day as the sun sets, a pleasant vocal tone, and music that fits the atmosphere perfectly.'
All of these elements clicked together to make it look like a scene from an indie music film.
The Dawn wasn't trying to get a reaction by showing off their skills. They were creating a narrative.
[Lay down, do not go too far
You and I are waiting hope over the sunlight]
Then, as if he’d been waiting for his cue, Seong Ji-won joined in.
A refreshing vocal tone paired with explosive volume.
People began to open their wallets.
[LOL, someone just started an account to count the busking money The Dawn is making right now ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Checking that post, the student let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
"Are they crazy?"
'Is this a management tycoon game? Dammit!'
But even if they might get some flak, it was a concept that worked well with the public.
The fact that the number of followers and live viewers was skyrocketing in real-time was proof enough.
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL No, seriously, who comes up with this kind of planning?]
[Honestly, I feel like they should feed them before making them work, but this is damn entertaining]
[They’re actually collecting quite a bit ㅋㅋㅋ]
To block any potential controversy in advance, a notice regarding the busking was pinned at the top of their profile.
「It’s a secret from The Dawn, but all tips will be donated. Dinner will be a flex on the company card!」
[I wanted to curse them out for being a shitty small agency, but this is actually kind of cute, dammit.....]
The specific charity was listed in detail, leading to a wave of fans donating in The Dawn’s name during the live stream and posting proof on SNS.
[I’m opening a bottle of cheap soju again because of this guy. It’s so hard to leave the fandom.]
[└The way she switches between calling him "this guy" and "oppa" so naturally...]
After finishing a few songs, The Dawn, now in high spirits, even performed an unreleased track by Kang Yi-chae that had been cut from a previous album.
[Do they really have to go all the way abroad to do that.... They don't even do it in Korea]
[It’s probably a desire to be recognized overseas, or the agency is so broke they’re actually desperate for money lol]
Negative comments popped up, questioning why they were doing this when they’d surely earned enough, or why they were releasing unreleased songs through a Pop-Pop Live abroad.
However, the backlash against those comments was even stronger.
[Whatever~ It’s all being donated anyway]
[While keyboard warriors are tapping away gloomily at home, these kids are using their talent to take care of fans and donate, right? lol]
[Are you leaving hate comments just to help them trend? Thanks a freaking lot.]
[Wow... the kids have really made it, hearing stuff like this.... If they were a total flop group, people would just feel sorry for them instead of hating.
└Getting pity would be a luxury at that level....]
"But they really are good."
Because of High Five, the student had watched Shining Star Season 2 and Singing Variety Show, inevitably seeing The Dawn’s performances a few times. Even though not much time had passed since those programs, The Dawn’s skills—especially Seo Ho-yun’s—had improved noticeably.
'How did he do it?'
In the end, the university student couldn't turn off the live stream until the streets of Italy grew dark and The Dawn concluded the busking with a fan song after several encores.
People whistled, cheered, and applauded.
The members of The Dawn, who had been lightly waving to the crowd, soon ran toward the camera.
"They say we collected quite a bit of money! We’re going to go eat dinner now."
"See you again!"
And so, the two-hour busking session ended.
Even though it was already past 2 AM in Korea, online communities and SNS were buzzing with activity.
[Eat something delicious, guys... ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Ah, but the sound quality was a bit poor, so that’s a shame ㅠㅠ sob]
That morning, a new notice was added as a post on The Dawn’s official Nutube account.
[#The Dawn’s live has ended. Separate filming was conducted alongside the live video.
Experience the busking in clearer quality through a Nutube Premiere!]
[Oh ho~~~ I knew I could trust Daepasung~~~~!!]
[Bowing down repeatedly]
The university student, who had ultimately skipped her morning class, woke up at a leisurely hour and checked the news late.
She later found out that even after the busking ended, the maknae, Jeong Da-jun, had continued to provide updates through Pop-Pop while they ate dinner at a restaurant.
There was Seo Ho-yun, laughing more than usual at trivial things because he was in a good mood; Jeong Da-jun, chatting excitedly; Kim Seong-hyeon, listening intently while nodding; Seong Ji-won, taking meticulous care of all the members; and even Kang Yi-chae, playing classical music on a grand piano located in a corner of the restaurant.
'This is insane, seriously....'
[A video of Kang Yi-chae playing the piano while drunk after two glasses of wine just went up ㅠㅠㅠ It’s Liszt’s Mazeppa, holy shit ㅠㅠ You’re my Cheon Seo-jin1) ㅠㅠ]
[What do you think of an idol who plays classical music at a professional level... What do you think of a man who plays without sheet music while drunk..
└A man whose limit is two glasses of wine is so charming
└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Two glasses of wine is seriously weak ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
There were still no updates on High Five’s Starstagram, Twitter, Pop-Pop, or Nutube.
'To think I’d actually be jealous of The Dawn…….'
Letting out a deep sigh, the student vowed to cast aside her useless jealousy and stop looking up The Dawn.
However, a few hours later.
[Traitorous Friend: Hey, did you see The Dawn’s SNS update?? It’s so cute ㅠㅠ What do I do?? ㅠㅠ]
[Traitorous Friend: Now they’re making Yi-chae wear clothes sold on the street during Fashion Week ㅠㅠ]
[Traitorous Friend: All the Noeuls are getting worked up because everything looks good on Kang Yi-chae. What am I going to do ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ㅠㅠㅠ Our boys are so pure, it’s so lovely ㅠㅠ]
She was refueling with caffeine after her late afternoon class when her friend’s KakaoTalk messages started flooding in again.
'Everything is the result of someone using their brain very hard, my friend.'
A little more bitterness accumulated in a corner of the student’s heart today.
Because today, she couldn't help but admit that High Five had taken a loss.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Seo Ho-yun was wondering what on earth was happening.
“Hi, have we met?”
Before he knew it, he was inside a private party for a famous brand.
'What in the world….'
He’d been caught up in Kang Yi-chae’s antics.
Seo Ho-yun brushed past people who were incessantly striking up conversations in English or Italian, offering nothing but a faint, placid smile.
'This is so damn annoying.'
He decided he needed to get out of there and moved quickly, but suddenly, someone grabbed his arm firmly from behind.
"Hey, hey!"
"......?"
The familiar Korean was a welcome sound in a foreign country and a strange place, but more than that...
"Wow, I never thought the day would come where I’d be so damn glad to see Seo Ho-yun."
The voice was far too familiar.
He quickly turned his head.
"Please, save me."
A pale-faced Ju Woo-seong stood there.
*
1) A character from the drama The Penthouse, which aired on SBS from 2020.10.26 to 2021.09.10 over three seasons. Known for her dramatic personality and talent as a soprano/pianist.