Chapter 277
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 277
The Dawn’s two-day concert at the Gymnastics Stadium had come to an end.
[Title: Dropping my review of The Dawn’s concert at the Gymnastics Stadium
It’s been a few days, but it still feels like a dream...
Maybe my ancestors were watching over me, because I managed to get a seat in the very front row ㅠㅠ My heart was pounding the moment I walked in...
First off, I’m a casual fan and my bias is Jeong Da-jun. ㅇㅇ
He’s the only baby angel who heals me in this grueling, exhausting, competitive society...
First, the part that was freaking insane:
The Dawn showed zero signs of getting tired throughout the concert.
Especially our puppy, Jeong Da-jun... I feel like that kid could do five full concerts in a row and be fine. Seriously, you know how large dogs never get tired no matter how much you walk them? It was exactly like that.
In my head, Jeong Da-jun was just a puppy, but seeing him in person, he’s actually huge and incredibly handsome. There’s a reason he always walks around wearing that "World’s Most Handsome Man" T-shirt.
Jeong_Da-jun_Most_Handsome_T-shirt_Meme.jpg
But the moment he opens his mouth:
Da-jun: Noeuls~~~~ I missed you so much~~~~!!!
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You could practically see a tail wagging furiously behind him...
Plus, during the ment, they were doing the usual "Hello to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors~~" thing.
Da-jun: I’m sad I couldn’t make it up to the 3rd floor... I’m sorry, T.T
Noeuls: (Haaaa... ㅠㅠㅠ) Da-jun is a baby angel...
Da-jun: Next time, I’ll fly up there!!!
Noeuls: (A bit scared) Eek.
Since it’s Jeong Da-jun, I was genuinely terrified that he might actually come flying up on a window wiper or something later....
As for Kim Seong-hyeon... I’ve seen him get bullied by Seo Ho-yun so much that I had this image of him being a "Fluffy Mallang-i <3" in my head, you know??
Meeting_Kim_Seong-hyeon_In_Person.jpg
But holy shit, seeing him in the flesh, he’s just a man.... I saw him waving right in front of me and I couldn’t breathe....
No, seriously, I’m not just being dramatic. It was like, "Ah! So this is what a man looks like..!" lmao fuck
But toward the end, he was sobbing by himself. I heard he cries often, but it was so damn cute..... Now I get why high school seniors go crazy for Kim Seong-hyeon.. I think I understand why.
Seong Ji-won... seriously.... he’s just holy.......
To be honest, my type is usually the "cold handsome" look ㅠ so I thought, "Seong Ji-won is gorgeous, but not really my style~" but seeing him in person, light was just... Whoosh──!!!!!! radiating off him.
Our eyes met right in front of me, and I thought I’d turned into a vampire or something. I felt like I was about to turn into ash right then and there.
He speaks so softly and beautifully, too.
Though it is scary how he has such a strong personality with a face like that.
Kang Yi-chae..
Don’t say he looks scary on screen. He looks even scarier in person.. There’s a reason people say he has the "face that gets rejected by the in-laws immediately."
But seeing him smiling and acting all charming during the duet stage was insane. There’s a reason he’s a popular member.
It just feels like this guy has "star quality" crammed into every inch of his body.
Seo Ho-yun..
Now I know why they call him God Ho-yun.
He is the God of Fan Service.
He did everything the fans asked for at the concert.
If you held up half a heart, he’d complete it for you.
He did cheek hearts, he waved.
He even blew hand kisses to the God’s Seats.
And that scene.........
The moment that’s currently trending as the most-watched clip on Nutube... The moment the Noeuls' screams were the loudest...
Seo Ho-yun..
He flashed his abs.
And I have decided to worship him as my God.
Seo_Ho-yun_Godly_Ab_Wave.gif
He’s never properly shown them before, only teasing a little bit, so it was absolute madness. It felt like a religious experience.....
That day, the Noeuls were collectively possessed by madness; everyone was throwing their placards and tearing their hair out.... I thought we were a cult...
Of course, I was doing it too.....
Anyway, I’ve been to a lot of concerts ㅋㅋ (when will I ever escape K-pop?), but even putting aside the fact that it’s The Dawn and they’re in their 3rd year, their skills are so outstanding that I loved it.
At concerts, if the choreography isn't synced, it can look like they're just flailing around (since broadcasts use cameras to make it look perfect), but The Dawn didn't have any of that ㅋㅋㅋ They must practice a ton.
Anyway, this casual fan had a great time!!
└ This friend seems to have enjoyed it quite "deeply," though?
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ fuck, My thoughts exactly, the fangirling is top-tier ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ How does a "casual fan" even snag a seat in that section in the first place ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ fuck, You have to hand it to Noeuls, they're hilarious.
└ Seo Ho-yun really is the God of Fan Service.
I totally agree with this.
I was in the God’s Seats, so I was just prepared to hear "Thank you to the 3rd floor too~~!!" at the end, but he looked over and waved at us so many times ㅜ If the 3rd floor was like this, the kids on the 1st floor were truly blessed..
└ Luckily, Seo Ho-yun showed his abs on both days. Ha~~!!! I went on Sunday, and the moment I saw them, I wanted to bow down on the spot.]
Two university students—one a fan of The Dawn and the other a fan of High Five, who had even attended the Shining Star Season 2 filming together—were chatting in a studio apartment in Seoul.
"Haaaa... Seo Ho-yun is handsome, but his body is great too..."
"Yeah, I bet it is, you brat."
"He has abs......"
They had polar opposite personalities, but they both felt that was exactly why they got along so well.
"High Five’s new song is so good~. I really like Yeon-hu."
"Don’t even bring up Yeon-hu..."
"Why?! Did Kang Yeon-hu have a scandal?!"
"No, I just get teary-eyed whenever I think of him."
"You’ve got it bad too..."
Though she was a fan of The Dawn, through her friend’s endless stories, she knew that High Five had reached their current position largely because Kang Yeon-hu had practically carried them on his back.
The friend sniffled uncharacteristically at the mere thought of Kang Yeon-hu.
Noeul realized this was a regular occurrence and became indifferent. She flopped onto the bed and began searching for concert reviews of The Dawn on her phone.
Just then, a post caught her eye.
She quickly tapped the title to check the content.
[Title: I love everything, but I was a bit disappointed by The Dawn’s concert.
Because there wasn't a seat for me.
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Ah, damn, I can feel the sorrow in such a short post ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Next time they really have to do it at Gocheok Sky Dome ㅋㅋㅋ Seriously, please hold it in a bigger venue next time.
└ Even Daepasung probably couldn't have imagined it would come to this.
But I didn't know either.
That there wouldn't be a seat for me.....
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah.......... It's funny but it's not.]
As their popularity surged, posts expressing disappointment from those who missed out on the concert appeared frequently.
Relieved that it wasn't anything serious, Noeul let out a small sigh as she scrolled back to the list.
"Seriously, the popularity of this album must be no joke. It seems like tons of people couldn't go to the concert. Even though I went."
"Are you a sociopath?"
"But... I’m a bit worried."
Ignoring the retort, Noeul muttered seriously, lost in her own thoughts. Ha-i-ri, the High Five fan, tilted her head.
"What if they send the boys on an overseas tour now that they're popular? I’m even more worried since there are rumors about Daepasung being acquired..."
"Eh, would they really work them that hard? Surely they know what’s important right now?"
"It’s because our Pasung—no, that CEO Jeong Gyeong-jo bastard is completely clueless about the idol market!"
"Huh??"
"I should have known since the 'Pop-Pop-Pop' days!"
Noeul, who had jumped up shouting, "Gyeong-jo, please get your act together!", quickly calmed down and sat back on the bed.
"...Hey, surely... no matter how bad Daepasung is, they wouldn't just sell them off to just anywhere."
"Phew, I really envy you guys at times like this. At least you're with a major agency, so you don't have to worry about stuff like this."
"Well... I guess so."
"Of course, WH also does stupid shit periodically..." Ha-i-ri added in a melancholy tone.
For a moment, their eyes met, and they both let out a deep sigh.
A brief silence hung in the room until Noeul suddenly gasped loudly.
"Heol~~!! It looks like Ho-yun was a bit sick after the concert! He went to the hospital to get his ankle treated!! What are we going to do with our angel......"
An eyewitness account had been posted saying he visited a hospital the day after the concert. Ha-i-ri, who finished comforting the overdramatic Noeul with a simple "Hang in there," finished boosting the view count for High Five’s music video on Nutube and logged onto social media.
[Crazy! What the fuck is this?
https://entertain.never.com/read!!oid=001=WH_DaePasung
WH Entertainment acquires Daepasung. Black Call, The Dawn, and High Five to be under the same roof.]
And upon seeing the linked post at the top of her feed, she couldn't help but scream.
"Whaaaat?!!!"
Startled by the sound, Noeul snapped her head up and huddled close, asking what it was.
"Uwaaaaaagh!!! Fuck!!"
"Aaagh!!"
With trembling hands, Ha-i-ri clicked the link to the article.
《...─WH Entertainment has acquired Daepasung Entertainment.
CEO Jeong Gyeong-su announced, "Even after the acquisition, Daepasung will be operated independently under the systematic support of WH Entertainment."
While WH Entertainment aims to create a multi-label system, expand artist IP, and target overseas markets, some experts added, "It might have been a strategic move to recruit Min Ji-heon, who is called South Korea's top Hallyu star, in order to expand their actor management, which WH Entertainment has been particularly weak in."
(Omitted)
─….》
Before they could even finish the article, their blood pressure hit the ceiling.
Between the two of them, who were struggling to suppress their rage, Noeul was the first to speak.
"......Are we screwed?"
"Probably..."
* * *
Currently, I was inside the large and flashy WH Entertainment headquarters.
It was my first time here since Shining Star Season 2.
"Wow, this place is really nice."
I took out my phone and checked social media once more. Combinations of words like Daepasung, acquisition, merger, WH, and The Dawn were trending in real-time.
The quote-retweets of the article link were filled with all sorts of harsh language.
[Under the same roof, one family, my ass. Shut up and spit them back out.]
[Fuck you kyungjo you dont deserve to be DPS CEO]
[I think people are overreacting, everyone calm down;; They're still separate entities, it's just a label acquisition and seems to only be about investment.]
[Ah....... Did the heads of WH get shot? Just give Black Call a comeback.]
[What’s going to happen to Yeon-hu...............]
[I only feel bad for Ha-Pa. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Is WH crazy?]
[Why are people talking about Daepasung like it's a money-eating hippo? Hey, do you know how much money The Dawn made this time? hahahaha holy shit lol Aren't they more popular than High Five these days? Some people are being so ridiculous.]
[Stop dragging Ha-Pa into this. Who does The Dawn think they are? They aren't even first-tier, they have no professional ethics or conscience.]
[they are NOT family]
[They're just normally insane (laughs)]
[The Dawn is self-produced anyway, so it's fine. They said WH acquired Daepasung because they wanted to expand their actor side. They're just doing it to grow the company size and probably won't touch their activities. ㅇㅇ]
[It's so funny watching people huffing hopium hahahaha]
'Yikes.'
It was an absolute mess.
I clicked my tongue softly.
Guided by a WH Entertainment security team member who came to meet us, I passed through triple security along with our manager, two road managers, a few planning team staff, and the members, heading toward the pre-arranged location.
"...Seo Ho-yun, is your ankle okay?"
"Yeah."
Fortunately, it wasn't as serious as I thought.
Perhaps because the pain remained the same when I used the item but didn't worsen the injury, it was just a slight ligament strain.
Ding!
[But seriously, your recovery rate is like a monster's.]
I was born with great health to begin with.
I didn't think it was worth making a fuss over with a cast, but I couldn't ignore the doctor's recommendation and the manager's frantic worrying. Kang Yi-chae’s glistening eyes also came to mind.
Afterward, the members' glares when they saw me return from the hospital were not kind. They made a scene, saying they wouldn't believe a word I said about my condition from now on.
'What are you going to do if you don't believe me?'
"Hold onto me if you need to."
Kim Seong-hyeon, the most responsible one in the team, kept checking on me as if he were still worried.
"Want me to give you a piggyback ride, Hyung?"
"......"
I ignored him now.
He grabbed my arm and supported me.
"Hup!! Mr. Seo Ho-yun, you came even though you're in a cast? I feel so bad, what should I do?"
As we entered the meeting room, WH officials with haggard faces greeted us.
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be going through a lot of trouble as well.
"Hello, I am Jeong Seon-ui, the Team Leader of the Management Team at WH Entertainment."
He looked to be in his mid-to-late 30s, roughly my age if I were in my original body.
The man who introduced himself as the WH Management Team Leader continued with a slight smile.
"─There’s a lot of talk because this merger seems to have been carried out hastily in the public eye... but I don't think it's anything to worry about. It'll die down eventually."
The discussion began after the members of The Dawn, the planning team, and the managers took their seats. Today was a meeting to discuss the future direction for the idols, specifically The Dawn, excluding actor management.
"I'll be honest with you. Although we acquired Daepasung under a multi-label system, I can't guarantee there will be absolutely no interference. This is a business, after all, and we have to prioritize profit. I trust you'll understand this much. However, we will organize the parts of the Daepasung planning and management teams you've been working with into a dedicated team for The Dawn."
They said The Dawn’s color would be maintained as much as possible, and the museum, official goods shop, training PT, and personal injury therapists provided by WH Entertainment would be offered to us as well.
Furthermore, we would be moving to the new WH headquarters.
"Eh?? We can get those things too??"
"Of course. We're one family now, aren't we?"
'Damn, WH isn't called WH for nothing.'
Not a single thing mentioned was being done at Daepasung.
As the Management Team Leader of WH Entertainment—a company known as a powerhouse for boy groups and one of the "Big 3" agencies—he continued his explanation in a confident yet appropriately polite and soft-spoken manner.
'This is better than I thought...'
It was a stark contrast to the haphazard way Daepasung operated.
"Do you have any other questions?"
The WH Management Team Leader asked with a kind smile as he wrapped up.
"Ah, yes, I do."
I was confident I could manage the planning, whether it was at Daepasung or here. In fact, I had already pressured the Daepasung planning team to create a fairly satisfactory concept.
However, there was one thing I had been consistently dissatisfied with.
The very problem that a small-to-mid-sized agency can never escape, no matter how hard they try.
"I do have something I'm curious about."
I grinned and leaned forward. I was talking about the most important thing in modern society.
"Capital."
Money.