Chapter 282
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 282
The news that The Dawn was heading to LA spread like wildfire.
[I’ve been waiting for this! The Dawn!! XD]
[I’m so, so happy! I can’t believe I get to see them in person again!]
Although The Dawn had already visited LA once for the IRIX Cup finals, they had left almost immediately after performing due to the jet lag and tight schedule. Overseas fans living in the US or nearby had been left feeling quite disappointed.
This time, although not much was known about their activities other than another IRIX-related stage, the news that they would be staying for a considerable period for training had everyone buzzing with excitement.
On the other hand, domestic fans were a bit more lukewarm.
[Ah, f*ck, I was so scared. I thought it was an overseas tour.]
[Yeah, it’s just US training and an IRIX stage.]
[Guys, please come back quickly. Please.]
[I’m holding my breath until they return to Korea.]
If this had been orchestrated by Daepasung, fans would have cursed them out for trying to break into the US without even a proper path, but now, the agency backing The Dawn was WH Entertainment.
[If WH catches a hopeless case of ‘America fever,’ I feel like Seo Ho-yun will just lie down in the middle of Incheon Airport to stop them, so it’s fine.
└ LOL, would an idol really do that? But knowing Seo Ho-yun’s personality, it actually seems plausible, haha.]
[Ever since The Dawn did those three lives, the other WH idols have been going live like crazy, too, lol.
Yeon-hu going live right away is so cute ㅠㅠ]
[Ju-seong was the biggest surprise. He rarely does lives and barely even posts on Starstagram...]
Recalling High Five’s premature overseas advancement, it was hard to fully trust even WH Entertainment. However, since they had solid capital, a track record of making Black Call a success, and were one of the top three agencies in Korea, the fan backlash wasn't significant.
Meanwhile, following the collaboration with IRIX, Kang Yi-chae had become obsessed with composing game BGMs and uploaded them to SNS as soon as he finished them. Naturally, IRIX users and fans from all over the world flocked to Kang Yi-chae’s account, including some famous celebrities.
[The song I’ve been listening to every day lately. My roommate is going crazy for it.]
A famous American band guitarist, who had publicly declared IRIX as his hobby, even posted the BGM on his Starstagram and tagged IRIX and Kang Yi-chae.
[I knew Yi-chae was a genius, but suddenly my old ult is praising him.]
[Wow, The Dawn’s life is truly spectacular.]
With this as a catalyst, The Dawn’s name became even more widely known internationally.
Furthermore, The Dawn’s "Connected" was receiving rave reviews from IRIX enthusiasts.
[I thought they were so cool on stage, but there’s quite a gap in their daily lives :) ]
[IRIX, please give it to me. I’m dying of thirst right now.
The title is "Connected," but I feel "Disconnected" right now.
└ I can’t believe such a lame pun actually works.]
[I wanted an IRIX girl group to do it, but this was still okay.]
[What are you talking about? It was cool as hell, lol. Sh*t, The Dawn’s English is amazing, too.]
[F*ck, every time the sound effects come in with the beat, the IRIX pride hits hard.]
[Honestly, the fact that Kang Yi-chae is at that rank makes the meaning hit home more...
Kang Yi-chae... he is a god.]
The song gained a massive response from users because it perfectly captured the atmosphere of the newly opened Korean server and skillfully integrated IRIX sound effects into the beat.
IRIX game YouTubers with large subscriber counts scrambled to post reaction videos to "Connected." As the view counts soared, channels beyond the gaming sphere began creating similar content.
[The Dawn is filling up my nationalistic pride here.]
[Exactly. I love that they didn't act all high and mighty about a 'US debut' and just gained popularity naturally before going. It feels comfortable.]
[And the timing is great. They’re popular in the US now, so they can just soak up all the overseas fans. Yup.]
Naturally, interest in Kang Yi-chae, who composed "Connected" and worked on most of The Dawn’s songs, skyrocketed.
[Kang Yi-chae is definitely ignoring my emails, but I love him (smiling crying emoji).]
[I want to play IRIX with Yi-chae just once!]
Love calls for him increased dozens of times over compared to before, but Kang Yi-chae rejected them all, saying he didn't even have enough time to spend on the things he loved and cherished.
While The Dawn’s awareness was steadily building, the employees at WH Entertainment were in a state of emergency.
[Hello. We would like to request a casting for The Dawn.]
[Can we have a meeting regarding a CF for The Dawn?]
It wasn't because of the various CFs, program appearances, and collaboration proposals pouring in like a monsoon. Handling this level of work was routine for WH Entertainment.
“What should we do about this?”
“They’re doing well.”
“Let’s ask the artists for their opinion before making a decision.”
After checking the materials handed over by the management team, Jeong Seon-ui contacted Lee Ji-hyeon via WH Entertainment’s internal messenger. A reply arrived in less than a few minutes. Looking at the content, she thought it was a relief that Daepasung had at least one competent employee.
“Once Ms. Lee Ji-hyeon filters them and sends them over, we’ll review...”
‘Because The Dawn is a bit reckless...’
Just as she swallowed the truth, she heard a groan mixed with a sigh from the employee sitting opposite her.
“...Team Leader Jeong, you need to see this.”
“What is it?”
A foreboding feeling crept in.
She stood up and walked over to the employee’s desk, where a post on a community site was displayed.
[Title: Do you know what those Psycho Dawns who went to LA are doing?
A few days ago, everyone was making a fuss about them going to LA again after booking their tickets.
Saying they’re performing with IRIX, going for training, and whatever.
Since High Five went before, I just thought, ‘Oh, okay,’ but LOL.
Psycho_Dawn_Parade.avi
The Psycho Dawns... our cute little piglets... (not pig bastards).
No, LOL, is this Dis*ey or something?
I don’t know where they got it, but they’re dragging a cart around and scattering flowers...
Did the company make them do this?
I’d say that, but there’s no way the prideful WH would ever order something like this.]
The attached video showed Kang Yi-chae sitting in a brightly decorated cart, wearing a flower crown like a prince from a fairy tale, passing by quickly while scattering petals in all directions.
Behind him, WH Entertainment staff members, who were filming self-produced content, rushed past carrying various equipment.
Even Jeong Da-jun was jumping around with a large flower bouquet, pulling out single stems and handing them to people.
“...Excuse me?”
For the record, the one pulling the cart was Kim Seong-hyeon, and Seong Ji-won was standing a bit further away, filming the whole thing with his phone while grinning widely.
“...?”
[No, f*ck, what are the kids doing in the US?]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL, they seriously look like they’re having a blast. These guys are truly something else.]
[This is 100% the redhead’s doing.]
[This group is legendary in so many ways.]
[It’s so funny how they just can’t be controlled once they go overseas, lol. In Korea, they hold back because too many people swarm them, but abroad, they just lose all restraint.]
“Sigh...”
It was precisely because of things like this that the WH Entertainment staff were in a state of emergency.
Endless lives and impulsive behavior.
Jeong Seon-ui suppressed a sigh as she popped a headache pill into her mouth.
[No, but seriously, why did they do that?? LOL. Why are there so many cameras?]
[The people following behind look like WH staff?
I think I saw someone from the Black Call self-produced content behind-the-scenes. Are they making something with WH’s support???
└ WH provides great support, lol.]
Furthermore, the live they did after returning to the hotel was a sight to behold.
Kang Yi-chae, still wearing the flower crown, shared his thoughts on the parade with Seong Ji-won.
【I guess you could say it was something I really wanted to do if I ever came abroad? How was it, Ji-won hyung?】
【When you see a parade as a kid, you kind of end up admiring it...!】
【Haha! Seriously~!】
[Ah, the God-Roommates’ chemistry is so cute.]
They talked about how they originally planned to rent a truck but unfortunately couldn't get the timing right, and how they debated between an Aladdin-on-a-carpet concept or a Western gunslinger-going-to-Valhalla concept.
[No, why would you even debate that?]
[So why did they do it??
└ I’m fainting at the fact that it wasn't a penalty for content, they just did it for fun.]
Jeong Seon-ui couldn't bear to watch until the end and turned off the live.
Even if people didn't recognize or swarm them as much as in Korea, and even if The Dawn’s popularity was growing by the day and bringing in money, it was clear that problems would arise if they were branded as uncontrollable by the company.
‘The Dawn are still just kids...’ She calmed herself by repeating that thought and asked the employee next to her.
“...Did Woo-seong come to the office today?”
She intended to set aside the matter of The Dawn for a moment and handle urgent business by discussing a CF offer for Ju Woo-seong.
“No... Ju Woo-seong is in the US right now.”
However, that also didn't go according to Jeong Seon-ui’s plan.
“Why?”
“...I’m not sure...”
In the end, a long, heavy sigh escaped her lips.
* * *
Scritch.
Kang Yi-chae unfolded a crumpled piece of paper and crossed out ‘Do a parade.’
It was a wishlist of things he wanted to do if he ever returned to LA.
He thought it would be nice to spray snow like a scene from Frzen*, but since that was difficult to realize in many ways, he had substituted it with flowers.
“Ah~, today was really fun~.”
“Seriously! It was the best!”
As Kang Yi-chae spoke while stretching, Seong Ji-won nodded in agreement. Just then, Kim Seong-hyeon, who had finished showering and was drying his hair, asked the two of them.
“What do you guys want for dinner?”
He lightly ignored Kang Yi-chae’s insistence that they had to eat LA Galbi since they were in LA. After hearing Seong Ji-won’s preferred menu, Kim Seong-hyeon walked over to ask the maknae for his opinion as well.
“Maknae~.”
Since he had been unusually quiet after going into his room to rest for a bit, Kim Seong-hyeon was a little concerned.
When he gently opened the door, he saw Jeong Da-jun sitting on the bed. He was groaning and breaking out in a cold sweat as if he were in pain.
Kim Seong-hyeon sat down beside him and peered into Jeong Da-jun’s face with worry.
“Jeong Da-jun, are you okay?”
“Ah, hyung...”
Jeong Da-jun, who was rubbing his knees with his hands, spoke with a dejected face.
“My knees hurt a bit.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing that, Kim Seong-hyeon pressed here and there on the maknae’s knees before plopping down on the floor and massaging them.
“...Do you think I’ll be able to stand on stage?”
A performance of "Connected" was scheduled soon to commemorate the launch of IRIX’s new season.
However, instead of the cyberpunk concept centered around Kim Seong-hyeon, they were planning to showcase a completely different stage with Jeong Da-jun as the lead.
“Hyung, shouldn't we change the formations now so that you guys are the center instead?”
“Da-jun, that’s a bit much.”
They had already been preparing and practicing for weeks.
Lately, he had been suffering from severe growing pains, and perhaps because his height had shot up, causing his dance lines to go awry, his confidence seemed to have plummeted.
When Kim Seong-hyeon firmly rejected his suggestion, Jeong Da-jun buried his face deep in his hands and let out a series of heavy sighs before slowly standing up.
“Ugh, I’m going to go practice one more time. I feel uneasy for some reason.”
“Then let’s go together. Seo Ho-yun should be there too.”
“Eh? You mean with Woo-seong hyung?”
“Yeah. He said they were going early to sync up.”
Following Kim Seong-hyeon, who dusted off his pants and opened the door first, Jeong Da-jun grimaced slightly.
“Ugh, they must be fighting like crazy...”
“Probably...”
.
.
.
As darkness began to creep through the palm leaves, Ju Woo-seong and Seo Ho-yun were immersed in practice.
The practice room they were currently using was located a bit away from downtown LA, a place Ju Woo-seong visited whenever he hit a slump.
Ju Woo-seong realized that this was the perfect space to work Seo Ho-yun to the bone.
“Hey, Ttukttak-i.”
Since no one around them understood Korean, he could freely voice the thoughts he usually had to keep buried.
“I didn't exactly think you’d have an awakening just by drinking California water, but...”
The words ‘The person teaching me is Korean, so what does California water have to do with it?’ were written in large letters across Seo Ho-yun’s face, but Ju Woo-seong ignored it and continued.
“Yeah, I’ll give up on trying to understand. I guess it happens.”
“Wait a minute. I’m not that bad now.”
Ju Woo-seong stared intently at Seo Ho-yun and shook his head. Then, he spoke as if talking to a pitiful student.
“Ho-yun.”
“......”
“Have you no shame?”
A peaceful day in LA, not much different from usual, was passing by.