Chapter 287
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 287
“A university festival?”
Kang Yeon-hu’s eyes widened at the news his manager delivered the moment he returned to the company after finishing a radio schedule.
High Five had been busy every single day lately, ever since their new song, Reels, became a massive hit.
“Yes. It’s almost university festival season, after all.”
“Ah… right.”
Hearing that they’d even been scouted for a university festival—a rare occurrence for boy idols—really drove home the fact that this album had performed exceptionally well.
“Oh, it looks like almost all the WH Entertainment idols got offers this time.”
“……Then The Dawn must have, too….”
“Ah, yes. They’re likely going. From what I know, I think it was S University.”
Kang Yeon-hu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Recently, a tectonic shift had been occurring among certain idols, excluding Black Call. Between several scandals breaking and a massive influx of fans toward The Dawn and High Five, the landscape was changing rapidly.
I heard they just got back from the States yesterday.
After the manager left to stop by the management team, Kang Yeon-hu leaned against the hallway wall and pulled out his phone.
Searching ‘The Dawn’ on a portal site brought up a flood of articles.
《The Dawn Returns Home in Matching T-shirts… “We’re on Great Terms.”》
“……Wow.”
He knew Seo Ho-yun and Ju Woo-seong had been caught in paparazzi photos at a souvenir shop together, but he hadn't expected them to actually wear the clothes through customs.
A hollow laugh escaped him as he looked at the photos of all The Dawn members wearing shirts that were identical except for the colors, featuring a large palm tree pattern and the words ‘Los Angeles’ printed boldly on the side.
《Kang Yi-chae’s WH Live… When asked “What do you plan to do after returning to Korea?” he answered “IRIX”》
《The Dawn Spotted at a California Theme Park! ‘Sensational Popularity’》
“They’re doing well. Really well.”
They got along, their individual skills were top-notch, and their balance complemented each other perfectly.
To top it off, the Connected stage that The Dawn had rearranged and performed at the IRIX new season launch ceremony had become a hit all over again, further boosting their global recognition.
They don’t stumble, not even once.
Kang Yeon-hu leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes briefly.
It was truly a case of a tiger growing wings.
Domestically, people were praising The Dawn for raising the nation's prestige, and on the short-form video platform Tick-Tock, videos of people following the Connected point choreography were being uploaded daily.
Comments saying they didn't understand why The Dawn wasn't considered first-tier yet, or that they were the most eye-catching idols these days, were everywhere.
Seeing those posts made him feel like a blade was held right to his throat. That feeling didn't change even when High Five’s own results were excellent.
Inside WH Entertainment, everyone was busy raising a toast, claiming the merger with Daepasung had been the right choice.
It’s still okay.
Rumors were rife within the company that The Dawn was openly aiming for a Grand Prize this year.
It was currently mid-April; there was plenty of time to turn the tide.
“Hyung, but listen~.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Speak of the devil. Seo Ho-yun and Jeong Da-jun were walking toward him from a distance.
Both had shopping bags dangling from their arms. It looked like they were planning to hand out gifts they’d bought in America to the company staff.
Perhaps they hadn't noticed him yet, as their conversation continued casually. Jeong Da-jun, who seemed to have grown significantly taller since the last time Yeon-hu saw him, was chattering incessantly at Seo Ho-yun.
“Remember how Ji-won hyung said he saw a ghost while practicing in the Daepasung practice room?! So I was thinking… don’t you think there might be a ghost in the practice rooms here, too?!”
What is he even talking about…
Yeon-hu expected Seo Ho-yun to ignore him or cut him off sharply, considering how useless and trivial the topic was.
“Hmm.”
Surprisingly, Ho-yun nodded and played along with Jeong Da-jun.
“There is one in the 8th-floor practice room. The one you go to often.”
“Really?!”
“There’s a story that a trainee fainted after seeing a ghost there four years ago.”
“……!!”
No, there isn't.
Yeon-hu had been here for over ten years, including his trainee days, and he had never heard such a thing in his life. He watched, dumbfounded, as Seo Ho-yun lied through his teeth with a perfectly straight face.
But Jeong Da-jun, who had no way of knowing the truth, looked utterly shocked.
“You’re lying, right?! You’re just teasing me, hyung?!!”
“It’s true. I bet Kang Yi-chae knows, too. Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”
Turning pale, Jeong Da-jun hurriedly pulled out his phone.
“Hello? Yi-chae hyung! Have you ever heard about a ghost in the 8th-floor practice room? Huh? Ho-yun hyung said so. ……What? Really??”
Seo Ho-yun looked quite pleased with himself as he watched Jeong Da-jun’s retreating back as the younger boy ran off while still on the phone.
“Dummy.”
Just as Yeon-hu felt a sense of unfamiliarity at the soft, warm atmosphere he had never witnessed when he himself faced Seo Ho-yun—
“Oh.”
Their eyes met.
Seo Ho-yun’s eyes crinkled into a smile. However, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy, unlike a moment ago.
Kang Yeon-hu quickly built up his mental defenses.
Ho-yun was someone with a charm that could enchant anyone in an instant, which made him all the more dangerous.
“…I see you’ve returned safely from the States.”
“Yes, thanks to you, Senior.”
Liar.
Yeon-hu curved the corners of his eyes just like Seo Ho-yun, keeping his true thoughts hidden deep inside.
“Anyway, you must be very tired since you’re busy right after landing. I heard you were scouted for a university festival.”
“A university festival?”
“Yes. I heard about it while receiving our own schedule. We’re going to K University.”
Seo Ho-yun’s reaction was lukewarm, as if he hadn't received the news yet.
“—I heard The Dawn is going to S University.”
In that instant, Seo Ho-yun’s expression shifted drastically.
And Kang Yeon-hu realized.
That the person standing before him now was the real ‘Seo Ho-yun.’
“……Is that so? A university festival?”
Seo Ho-yun pretended to stroke his chin and mouth as if covering his face, then turned his head and asked back a beat late.
The man really had a knack for making people feel tense. In many ways.
“Um…… but, Seo Ho-yun-ssi…,”
“Ha.”
When the silence stretched as Seo Ho-yun fell into thought, Kang Yeon-hu tried to speak again, but Ho-yun suddenly burst into laughter.
“To think I’d hear my own schedule from another group. I’ll have to have a word with the management team.”
“…….”
Before Kang Yeon-hu could say anything more, Seo Ho-yun abruptly thrust his hand forward.
He was holding a shopping bag.
“By the way, Yeon-hu-ssi, here’s a souvenir from the States.”
“Pardon?”
Seo Ho-yun smiled brightly, as if the expression Yeon-hu had seen just a moment ago was a mere illusion.
“I thought of you the moment I saw it.”
Kang Yeon-hu bit the inside of his cheek to ensure his reluctance didn't show, even unconsciously.
“Well then.”
As soon as Kang Yeon-hu took the bag, Seo Ho-yun patted him on the shoulder and walked away with a light step. After standing still for a moment, Kang Yeon-hu reluctantly pulled out the gift and tore off the wrapping paper.
A gift?
He knew Seo Ho-yun was a decent person (as long as you didn't provoke him)….
He knew he treated his own members well in his own way….
But they weren't on the kind of terms where they’d exchange friendly gifts.
“…What is this?”
Inside the wrapping was a badge commonly found in souvenir shops.
Kang Yeon-hu slowly read the inscription on the badge.
“Do you know….”
‘Do you know.’ That was it.
He thought of me when he saw this?
The moment he lifted the badge, unable to grasp the meaning, he saw a word written in neat handwriting underneath.
[High Five? ^^]
It was a jab at a slip of the tongue a High Five member had made during the documentary filmed at the Berlin K-POP concert, where they said they felt like they’d become the center of the world after finishing their stage.
To think he still remembered that.
“That crazy bastard…….”
Clutching the badge tightly, Kang Yeon-hu resolved never to associate with Seo Ho-yun again.
* * *
“A university festival….”
And S University, of all places.
It was the university Seo Ho-jin was currently attending, and the one I had graduated from.
Although the agency was constantly monitoring it, stories about Seo-hojin or S University still floated around the internet.
I probably… can’t turn it down.
It was rare for even moderately successful boy idols to be scouted for university festivals. I couldn't just throw away a good opportunity that had flown right into our laps.
Even if it felt a bit uncomfortable, as long as I was reasonably careful and didn't say anything unnecessary, we should be able to finish the stage well enough.
“Sigh…….”
Scratching my head in frustration, I checked my surroundings and called Seo Ho-jin.
[Hello?]
Seo Ho-jin’s voice came through before the second ring.
“What are you doing?”
[Huh? I’m in a lecture.]
…He picked up this fast while in a lecture?
“Aren’t you going back in?”
[Oh, uh? No! I am in a lecture, but we’re gathered in groups to decide on a project topic, so it’s fine!]
“…Ah, deciding on a topic in groups?”
I smelled something fishy.
However, I decided to deliver the important news first.
“I’m going to your university to perform for the festival this time.”
[Eh? Really? When….]
Seo Ho-jin, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly shut his mouth. He must have sensed my cold aura through the phone.
“Don’t you dare come.”
[……Yes, sir! Of course. I was planning to stay cooped up in the library and study anyway.]
I could hear him grumbling in the background, but he was quick-witted enough not to ask why. Since I had him on the phone, I decided to check on the thing that worried me most.
“Are there people acting like they know you or clinging to you?”
[Nope.]
“…What about the relatives?”
[Relatives?]
When I dropped the word that was difficult to even voice, an incredulous laugh escaped Seo Ho-jin.
[Of course not. Didn’t we cut ties and stop talking to our relatives a long time ago?]
“……Well, yeah.”
It felt strange.
Back when I was becoming famous as a PD, those relatives had clung to me like leeches.
They were the kind of people who had gone mad trying to get their hands on the insurance money from our parents’ deaths, so it wasn't surprising.
…But now, they weren't.
…That’s strange.
Was there something I was missing?
As my mind grew cluttered, Seo Ho-jin spoke in a somewhat excited voice.
[But hyung, isn't this your first time coming to our school?]
“…….”
For a moment, I couldn't say anything.
[If, uh, if you come, do you want to take a quick photo together? We never even got to take a photo at my entrance ceremony.]
“……Seo Ho-jin.”
After letting out a sigh, I responded to him in my usual tone.
“What’s this about a photo from someone who said they had no intention of coming to the festival?”
I added a playful tone on purpose.
“And I’m busy, kid.”
I hung up, ignoring Seo Ho-jin as he continued to whine about how it was a shame.
Outside the window of the WH building, the Han River flowed serenely.
It was a landscape so familiar it was boring, yet it felt ridiculous how everything looked distorted just because someone’s memories had changed.
I was working hard to collect them, but I still didn't have nearly enough points to restore Seo Ho-jin’s memories.
Ding!
As I stood still, the system window alarm rang.
[Don’t worry too much. Everything will work out well.]
“…….”
[I will make sure it happens.]
I stared at the ripples reflecting the sunlight for a moment before moving my legs again.
“It’s not you….”
There was a way to return Seo Ho-jin’s lost memories,
The relatives, who used to be worse than wild beasts, had gone quiet,
And there was an existence helping me live again.
Maybe that was why. Sometimes, I had this thought.
“I’m the one who’s going to make it happen.”
Wasn't this world being a bit too kind to me?
* * *
Once the full video of the IRIX new season launch ceremony was released on Nutube, The Dawn’s popularity skyrocketed among K-POP fandoms.
While the concept of challenging human limits played a part, The Dawn’s stable live vocals, dance skills, and Jeong Da-jun’s peak visuals were the main drivers.
[Why does our baby look... so happy... ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Fuck, this is so heartwarming... I'm losing it..]
In particular, Jeong Da-jun’s expression during the final close-up became a huge topic of conversation.
Just as fans were losing their minds and drowning in the rearranged version of Connected, news broke that The Dawn’s self-produced content would be aired as a cable variety show.
[The Dawn Variety Show ‘OUR TIME’ Teaser]
Shortly after, a short 30-second teaser was aired.
[The production team does not give The Dawn missions.]
[Even if left alone, they create their own comedy skits.]
Following the subtitles written in a serious font, a study filled with books appeared.
“Hello, everyone.”
There sat Jeong Da-jun, wearing a beret and a gray scarf with a solemn expression.
“I am the Professor of K-Pop, Jeong Da-jun.”