Chapter 267
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 267
"Sigh..."
Hallyu star Min Ji-heon had thought, as of this morning, that today would be a pleasant day. However, reality always had a way of defying expectations and veering off in absurd directions.
He had finally found some time to meet his younger sister, but she had spent the entire time staring at her phone, fuming with rage.
"Chae-yeon, what's wrong?"
"It’s just so annoying!"
His sister gulped down her drink and slammed the glass onto the table.
Ji-heon stole a glance at her phone screen and saw a post.
[Title: Doesn't Seo Ho-yun seem like he's in a bad mood lately??
Seo_Ho-gyong_Expression.jpg
Why does his face look so rotten lol. He’s been like this ever since that Hallyu Con.
└ I’m saying.. ㅋㅋㅋ Fans kept saying 'dead eyes' would never happen to Seo Ho-yun, but here we are in his third year.
Stop stanning him just for his face ㅠ
└└ Fuck off, that’s a sasaeng photo. Could you smile at a stalker?
└└ Which tune are the antis even dancing to? The bastards who like this photo because he looks 'sexy' should all be locked up too.
└ Did something happen at Hallyu Con??
└└ No..?
└└ Ah, isn't it because of his brother? I think he’s been like this since his brother’s photos got leaked.]
"Ah..."
Ji-heon frowned slightly at the blunt language and spoke to his sister.
"Chae-yeon, why do you even look at posts like that?"
"Excuse me. I have my reasons."
Her eyes remained glued to the phone. Her finger scrolled down and clicked on another post.
[Title: S.H.Y.’s personality was always like that lol
His fans are just pro-level at closing their eyes and ears while they stan him.]
"Are they crazy? What are they talking about! Ho-yun is so sweet!"
"You're calling him by his name now?" Ji-heon asked. Even he added a polite suffix or called him 'Hyung.'
"I'm just so mad! Is it because there’s so much talk about them entering the first-tier lately? The gatekeeping is insane."
She ignored Ji-heon’s question entirely, rambling on with her own thoughts.
"Is loving someone always this hard?"
"Umm..."
"Does it have to be this painful?"
Anyone listening would think she was reciting lines from a drama. It didn't sound like something a middle schooler would say at all.
His sister muttered with a dejected expression.
"I just want him to be happy, but the world won't leave him alone. Why are there so many bad people in this world?"
"Ahaha, your love is truly profound, Chae-yeon."
"..."
"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm sorry."
She glared at him as if she might kill him for that one joke.
Ji-heon awkwardly looked away, then brightened into a smile when he saw someone entering the cafe.
His sister, meanwhile, had moved past gloom and into pure fury.
"Seo Ho-yun, he! Do you know how well he treats his members! How sweet he is to his fans!! They don't know anything, ugh!!"
She really should stop now.
However, Ji-heon was feeling a bit mischievous toward his sister, who had done nothing but talk about Seo Ho-yun since they met, so he didn't bother to stop her.
"Is that so?"
A voice familiar to both Ji-heon and his sister drifted over. It was slightly deeper than usual, with a bit of a rasp at the end.
His sister’s neck turned like a robot that hadn't been oiled.
"...!!!"
The man wore a black cap pulled low and a mask, but his pale skin and the bluish-black hair covering the nape of his neck gave away his identity.
Meeting the girl's eyes, his own crinkled into a soft smile.
"Hello."
It was Seo Ho-yun.
The sister couldn't say a word, her mouth just hanging open.
After a brief greeting, he sat down in front of her.
"Oh? Ho-yun, when did you get here?"
Ji-heon had called Ho-yun here, thinking he’d show his sister the real deal since Ho-yun had reached out to him for once. He had known the moment Ho-yun entered the cafe, but he asked anyway.
"Right around... 'How sweet Seo Ho-yun is...'"
"Whoa~! Ahaha. You got here fast..."
"..."
His sister’s face turned beet red. She hovered her hands awkwardly, caught in a state of panic. She had just created a massive 'dark history' moment right in front of the first celebrity she had ever liked.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
"Yes..."
"It’ll die down soon. I’m really okay, so please don't get too stressed out."
Ji-heon’s eyes narrowed as he watched Ho-yun speak to his sister in a gentle tone—completely different from how he usually treated Ji-heon.
It was absurd how large the gap was between the man who cursed at him, ignored him, or spoke in sarcasm, and this man being kind to a Noeul. But more than that...
'It’ll die down soon?'
What was he planning to do behind the scenes this time?
Unaware of Ho-yun’s true nature, the sister was deeply moved and began listing his virtues one by one.
He was handsome, a good singer, now a good dancer too, kind, sweet, and handsome again... By the time she got that far, Ho-yun let out a small chuckle.
"Oh, come on. That’s all only possible because my seniors lead the way. Senior Min Ji-heon treats me so well, too."
"Huh? Ji-heon Oppa does?"
Ji-heon suddenly felt like he was getting indigestion.
"Of course. He took such good care of me on set. Though I was a bit flustered when he threw in ad-libs that weren't in the script..."
"Wait. Ho-yun, hold on a second."
"Looking back, I think that was all just his way of being considerate..."
Ji-heon’s attempt to grab Ho-yun and flee the scene was blocked by his sister’s hand.
Ho-yun, casting his long eyelashes down to look pitiful, didn't stop there.
"Of course, he did ask me if I wasn't a bit of a pathetic person, but I'm sure he had his reasons."
"..."
"He also asked how I could have such a personality, but I understand. Those were Senior Min Ji-heon’s words, after all."
I made a mistake!
Only then did Ji-heon realize why Ho-yun had come here so willingly, even after being told he would be seeing Ji-heon's sister.
His sister’s sharp gaze pierced through him.
Ji-heon quickly tried to settle the situation.
"Kang Chae-yeon. Isn't it about time for you to go to your academy?"
"...Right. You and I, Mr. Min, will have a talk later."
Checking the time on her phone, his sister flashed a smile through gritted teeth.
"Goodbye~."
"Yes, yes...! Oppa, fighting!"
"Ahaha, thank you."
After making sure to get Ho-yun’s signature, his sister stood up. Ji-heon called out to her as she packed her things, unwinding the scarf he was wearing and wrapping it around her neck.
He watched her back as she grumbled about it being stifling but left it on anyway. Beside him, Ho-yun crossed his arms and asked.
"Kang Chae-yeon? Her last name is different."
"Remarried family."
"Ah..."
Ji-heon scanned Ho-yun from head to toe.
His exterior seemed to get more dazzling by the day, but his inside seemed to be turning more and more into a hollow shell.
"Why did you suddenly want to see me? To ruin my image in front of my sister?"
"That was part of it."
Ho-yun pulled the water in front of Ji-heon toward himself and took a sip.
"Your sister was worried. Is something going on lately?"
"Nothing for you to concern yourself with, Min Ji-heon."
The cafe, which didn't even have a proper sign, operated on a word-of-mouth reservation basis for a select few. Despite its size, Ho-yun and Ji-heon were the only customers.
Even so, Ho-yun’s attitude was strangely off.
What is it?
"So, why did you want to see me?"
"Hmm."
Since Ho-yun never sought him out for anything good, Ji-heon felt a bit tense. The last time they had seen each other, Ho-yun looked like he was on the verge of death.
"Just wanted to see your face?"
"......???"
Seeing Ho-yun answer with a sly, grinning face, Ji-heon reflexively leaned back. When that man acted like that, it usually meant the worst was yet to come.
"...What's wrong with you?"
"What? Can't I come see a senior from my own agency?"
Ji-heon felt his throat go dry. He took a sip of his Americano and said,
"I'd rather you just curse at me or hit me, Hyung. That would be better..."
Ho-yun burst into a laugh, which was unlike him.
"Yeah, I like that you're consistent, Ji-heon."
Ji-heon felt goosebumps break out all over his body. Usually, when people were possessed by something bad, they acted completely out of character like this.
"...My younger brother lost his original memories."
"......Ah, that brother."
But hearing the follow-up, Ji-heon couldn't continue his train of thought.
"...But, you know that 'spirit' you mentioned? It told me that if I work hard as an idol, it'll return my brother's memories."
Ji-heon stared at Ho-yun.
When they first met, Ho-yun had been surrounded by a thick black cloud that constantly gathered and dispersed.
"What do you think? Does that sound like a load of crap to you?"
Back then, Ji-heon had been wary, but he was also curious about what Ho-yun’s deal was. Above all, he had thought Ho-yun had a terrible personality.
But after spending time together, he realized Ho-yun wasn't just a bad person. He seemed to calculate gains and losses clearly, yet he was surprisingly soft-hearted. He tried to take responsibility for everything and only wanted to show the good side of things to the people he cared about.
And now, the clouds are almost gone.
Every time they met, Ji-heon felt the clouds thinning out.
What happens when they're all gone?
He couldn't know for sure, but if it was a power capable of dispersing even those black clouds—which Ho-yun had suspected were 'Notoriety'—then...
"...Wouldn't it be possible?"
It didn't seem like it would be that difficult.
At that moment,
"Is that so?"
Ho-yun stood up with a bright smile, like someone who had finally heard the answer they were waiting for.
"Got it."
"Huh?"
Seeing Ho-yun making a gesture to leave, Ji-heon instinctively blocked his path.
"What, you came all this way just to ask that? That's it?"
"Yeah. I'm going to go prepare for the comeback."
"You have nothing else to ask?"
Ho-yun looked at Ji-heon for a moment, then gave a thin smile.
"...Ji-heon."
That expression seemed to represent the hollowed-out Ho-yun. As if he had no lingering attachments to anything in this world.
"You're being a bit clingy, aren't you?"
"..."
Of course, he was also consistently a jerk.
* * *
I wonder if it reached him?
Noeul, who had sent a long letter to Seo Ho-yun, had been busy with work for a while. Even so, she hadn't missed a single thing that happened to him.
Our Ho-yun needs to be happy...
Recently, Daepasung had been taking the lead in showing a firm response to sasaengs and malicious comments. However, the more popular an idol was, the more negative attention and scrutiny they inevitably received.
Hoping that Ho-yun wouldn't see those things, Noeul logged onto SNS for the first time in a while and was shocked.
《[Exclusive] Seo Ho-yun has been secretly donating for years... The amount is 'staggering'》
《Who is the 'Angel Idol' who donated all their appearance fees from 'The Complete Singer' to children?》
Articles related to Seo Ho-yun were being retweeted everywhere.
"Oh my god... Ho-yun..."
My baby is so sweet.
Since there had been so much talk about The Dawn lately, she was incredibly moved.
《—...Looking at his history of donations, it's possible that Seo Ho-yun was influenced by his past car accident—...》
"Ugh, do they really get paid to write stuff like this?"
Of course, some of the content made her blood boil again.
Ho-yun hadn't mentioned the donations at all. He remained silent in interviews and Private Message Pop-Pop. That silence only made the Noeuls even more emotional.
[Seo Ho-yun.. I will love him for the rest of my life.
└ I thought you said you'd only love him for a little while..
└└ Life doesn't always go the way you plan..]
[ㅠㅠ I'm so proud to love Seo Ho-yun.. really... Ho-yun is such a good person..]
While the fans were basking in the heartwarming atmosphere,
[I've been waiting for the full album like a dog]
[I love you I love you I love you]
[Oh fuck, guys, the full album!!!! The full album!!!! The full album is coming!!!!!]
The countdown for The Dawn’s comeback began. The concept photos for the album had been released.
"Gasp!!"
The Noeuls felt their hearts stop when they saw Ho-yun’s photo.
[asdfjkl; what is this asdfjkl;]
[I'm going crazy.. I'm going crazy... I'm going crazy.... I'm going crazy.....]
He had ditched the black hair he had maintained until now—
[Seo Ho-yun’s first bleached hair, I'm fainting]
—and was staring through the photo with an intense gaze, sporting an ash-gray hair color with a silvery tint and light purple tips.