Chapter 219
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219
Kang Yi-chae considered himself a fairly decent person.
Moreover, he was enjoying a rather respectable life.
Of course, reaching this point had required him to navigate through hardships and adversity, accumulating a fair share of hatred and resentment toward the world along the way, but now he was living quite sincerely in his own right.
"Hyung!! What are you thinking about?"
"About how delicious that ice cream the maknae left in the freezer was."
"You—you ate mine?!"
To reiterate, he considered himself a decent person.
Good looks, respectable talent, and a sharp mind. He hadn't lacked much since the day he was born.
But it’s a bit boring.
Complete fulfillment led to boredom.
However, he was skilled at hiding his feelings, allowing him to maintain a wise attitude toward life even while navigating a dull and dry existence.
Then, a very peculiar human being appeared in his smooth-sailing life.
"Noeul, are you all having a happy day today?"
"..."
"Ahaha, I’m doing well too."
It was Seo Ho-yun, who would shamelessly pile on the charm—whether it was referring to himself in the third person, calling fans 'honey' or 'baby,' or whatever else it took—all for the sake of the Noeuls.
Just moments ago, he had been slumped on the sofa, refusing to answer no matter how much the members called him. Yet, the second the camera turned on, he was sparkling and smiling, communicating with the fans.
Disgusted by that slyness, Kang Yi-chae watched him with narrowed eyes. Seo Ho-yun pulled his face out of the camera's frame and mouthed silently:
What are you looking at, brat?
At first, this two-faced guy seemed like a bulldozer, charging forward toward his goals without a glance at his surroundings.
Yi-chae found it entertaining and, since it was necessary for The Dawn, he let it slide. But Ho-yun truly seemed as cold as metal.
Yet, on very rare occasions, there were moments when he acted in a way that showed he was human.
Like when Jeong Da-jun got hurt during Victory is Mine.
"I'll take responsibility for everything, so just come."
Once Yi-chae realized that, the person 'Seo Ho-yun' slowly began to come into focus.
The person who committed himself to The Dawn more sincerely than anyone else.
The person who was the first to step up for the members' problems.
Yet, the person who was busiest hiding everything regarding himself.
Yi-chae knew, but he let it be.
He wasn't even ignorant of the various schemes Seo Ho-yun was constantly pulling, but he ignored them because he judged they wouldn't harm him.
He is fascinating, though.
The way Ho-yun treated him was also unique.
It felt like he was being tossed aside and neglected, but before he knew it, Ho-yun would have him all figured out and be taking care of him.
Kang Yi-chae felt a sense of intrigue toward this type of human he had never encountered before, and at the same time, he didn't find this unfamiliar feeling too bad.
Until that truly irritating moment, that is.
"You persistent bastard... I'm your hyung, can't you just let it go?"
Back when they were debuting in Japan, and Ho-yun was coughing up blood into the dorm's bathroom sink.
Kang Yi-chae had been utterly baffled.
How could a person vomit blood without being ill?
It was impossible to understand by Yi-chae's common sense, yet Seo Ho-yun’s clean medical records mocked him.
However, he pushed those questions to the back of his mind.
Even if he asked right then, he wouldn't get an answer, and—
He’s human too; he must have things he wants to hide.
—is what he had thought until then.
【 Black waves crash over me
My heart races wildly
Am I suffocating? 】
But his thoughts changed after Shining Star Season 2.
Especially during the final stage. Seo Ho-yun looked like he was standing on a precipice.
【 All the way to the end
Even if I don't know what lies there 】
Even in that state, seeing Seo Ho-yun try to shoulder everything alone became increasingly frustrating. And seeing the reactions of people who enjoyed others' misfortune for fun—pretending to be sad or comforting while jumping on the controversy Ho-yun had created himself—made Kang Yi-chae truly, incredibly pissed off.
At the same time, he revised his perception of Seo Ho-yun, whom he had previously thought only started things he could handle.
Our sub-vocal.
Seo Ho-yun was a real fucking lunatic.
Not just a lunatic; you had to put a swear word in front of it as an adjective to truly describe his level of madness.
Even while breaking himself, he never once asked for help or leaned on those around him.
Kang Yi-chae realized it then.
If he keeps going like this, he’s going to cause a real disaster.
After that, Yi-chae calmed his anger and observed Seo Ho-yun more tenaciously, experimenting to see what would get through to him.
Haste would only ruin things.
Whenever Ho-yun had an unpleasant expression, Yi-chae would sidle up and poke at him. Since Ho-yun would at least respond, Yi-chae felt a small sense of relief.
However, through various experiences, Kang Yi-chae naturally came to realize one thing.
Seo Ho-yun never told the person involved even a shred of the truth.
The early days were better.
Back then, he would at least openly warn Kim Seong-hyeon that he was going to use 'devil's editing' on him, or bark at Jeong Da-jun to speak properly.
He didn't know what kind of change of heart Ho-yun had undergone.
How many times had it been now? Ho-yun would just smile slyly in front of the members, and then suddenly, every problem would be solved.
Even if I talk to him, he won't listen.
And then, the plagiarism scandal broke.
"Yi-chae-ssi, did you really plagiarize?"
First came the surge of anger, followed by a hollow laugh.
But immediately after, the thought crossed his mind that this was the perfect time to set a trap for Seo Ho-yun.
Is this an opportunity?
Kang Yi-chae lifted his bowed head and smiled brightly at the Planning Team staff.
"You're talking about the unreleased track, right?"
Perhaps.
It is an opportunity.
Because he could finally fix Seo Ho-yun’s bad habit.
* * *
"What?"
Seo Ho-yun’s already pale complexion turned even whiter, as if he had just heard a very bad joke.
"What kind of bullshit is that? Are you delusional? When I searched your name, that wasn't there."
"Where did you search?"
"The Copyright Association."
"That’s why it wasn't there."
Kang Yi-chae spoke while observing Seo Ho-yun.
"I registered it in the US."
Only then did Seo Ho-yun’s face become a sight to behold.
"Most people don't know. It’s a habit of mine. For personal songs I make for practice rather than release, I register the copyrights in the US. You can register copyrights for things like home recordings, you know."
"Don't talk nonsense. I searched for 'Kang Yi-chae' and nothing came up."
"I use a stage name."
"...!!"
Kang Yi-chae continued calmly.
"I only had the copyright registered in the US, and since I had no idea how to transfer it for a released song, it took some time to find out through a lawyer. Fortunately, they said it’s possible."
What is this bastard even saying?
It was written clearly all over Seo Ho-yun’s face.
"They said it has legal effect, but realistically, suing would take a long time and be a headache. Still, it’ll be enough to put the controversy to rest."
"You—why didn't you tell me?"
"If I had?"
"...What?"
Kang Yi-chae toyed with the wrapper of a candy from the pile on the table.
"If I had announced it immediately, the current controversy would have been suppressed quickly. But instead, things would have just dragged on. If we made a fuss without being certain and things got overturned later, the Noeuls would have suffered even more."
Kang Yi-chae was just as sensitive to public trends as Seo Ho-yun.
In the previous situation, the more they struggled, the more a negative image would have built up until they eventually faded from public interest. The opposing composer would have just repeated the same thing after some time.
He wasn't late in responding. He was waiting for the right moment to handle it more thoroughly.
"Now that it’s certain, I’m going to post the official notice."
There was only one thing Kang Yi-chae had done that was inappropriate.
Deliberately not informing Seo Ho-yun of this fact.
"Let me ask you instead. Hyung, why didn't you tell me?"
"...Because there was no need for you to know."
"It’s my business, though?"
For a moment, Seo Ho-yun couldn't say a word.
"Be honest. If I had told you then, instead of telling me your plan, wouldn't you have just hidden it even deeper, thinking, 'I should have hidden it more carefully'?"
"..."
Through living with Seo Ho-yun, Kang Yi-chae had felt one thing strongly.
This man could never be persuaded through reasonable conversation.
He was the type who had to experience it firsthand to realize.
So, just as Seo Ho-yun had used himself to bait Im Hyeon-su, Kang Yi-chae had used himself to bait Seo Ho-yun.
"...Why did you do it?"
"You did the same, Hyung."
Yi-chae answered simply.
"I’m not saying I’m paying you back in kind or anything. I just wanted to show you."
"..."
"That if we had been open and talked from the start, we could have solved this much faster."
They might have been able to suppress it even more quickly while still drawing public attention.
There were countless ways that came to Yi-chae's mind right now. Among them were methods that wouldn't have even required involving Cheong-beom.
If he could think of them, Seo Ho-yun, who was an expert in this field, would have known even more.
Seo Ho-yun closed his eyes tight and then opened them, raking his hand through his hair while frowning deeply.
"Honestly, I messed up."
Kang Yi-chae lowered his eyes slightly, pressed his lips together, and then spoke slowly.
"I didn't know you'd go this far for me, Hyung."
If he had known Im Hyeon-su would get involved, Yi-chae wouldn't have hidden it from Ho-yun.
He had guessed Ho-yun would contact her, but he hadn't expected him to use such a bold method.
To begin with, Yi-chae couldn't understand it.
Why Im Hyeon-su, who was born with such natural talent, had committed such a wrong. In the end, she was the one fully enduring the consequences.
The composer isn't someone I need to worry about.
'Cheong-beom,' who didn't stop at despair but kept moving straight forward, was strong.
The members were the same. Even if they faltered for a moment, they walked forward without rest.
But as for Seo Ho-yun, he wasn't so sure.
He was a runaway locomotive with a broken brake lever.
He would crash into anyone who showed their thorns to The Dawn, regardless of who they were. He didn't care if his own body was shattered in the process.
That was why Yi-chae wanted to convey this to him even more.
That the time would come when even he would need someone else's help.
"Thanks for clearing my name. The copyright stuff will be wrapped up soon, so I'll talk to the lawyer."
Yi-chae stood up and spoke in a low voice.
"But you know you messed up a bit too, right?"
He was referring to the matter with Im Hyeon-su.
Seo Ho-yun remained silent.
After watching him for a moment, Kang Yi-chae gave a small smile and left the studio.
Left alone, Seo Ho-yun threw the tissue he’d used to stop his nosebleed into the trash and slumped into the chair Yi-chae had just been sitting in.
"...Wow."
Throughout Yi-chae's explanation, he had been endlessly retracing where things had gone wrong.
He picked up a candy that Yi-chae had been fiddling with earlier.
Then, he saw a small piece of paper folded into a square tucked underneath.
[Hyung, thanks anyway, and I'm sorry.
♡ I'll give you the settlement money when I get it, so don't be mad ♡
- From the pretty, handsome, and lovely Yi-chae]
"...Fucker, the student has surpassed the master."
It seemed Yi-chae had done this knowing Ho-yun ate candy instead of smoking.
At this point, all he could do was laugh.
Seo Ho-yun unwrapped a candy and tossed it into his mouth.
"My head is spinning. He’s really something."
Because he knew this betrayal was rooted in affection, he couldn't say anything more.
Lost in thought, Seo Ho-yun turned on his phone and looked for a contact.
[Im Hyeon-su]
After hesitating for a moment, he sent a text.
[Me: Composer-nim]
[Me: Are you very angry?]
Surprisingly, the reply came back quickly.
[Im Hyeon-su: 🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕]
A screen full of middle fingers.
[Im Hyeon-su: Kid, I wanted to ghost you for about six months]
[Im Hyeon-su: But I guess I can't help it, since I was the one who messed up first]
While he was debating what to say, another text arrived.
[Im Hyeon-su: Top Girl Trait)]
[Im Hyeon-su: Admits her mistakes readily]
"What is this?"
Where did she see something weird like that again?
Since Im Hyeon-su's state didn't seem too bad, he was about to shove his phone into his pocket and head back to the dorm when it vibrated.
[Im Hyeon-su: Beta Male Trait)]
[Im Hyeon-su: Is Seo Ho-yun]
Seo Ho-yun laughed for a long time after seeing that.
He couldn't help it.
This time, it was his complete defeat.