Chapter 288
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 288
The Dawn’s OUR TIME began with a shot of WH Entertainment’s flashy new headquarters.
【When our eyes meet,
Anxiety melts away,
And all we have left are wings and faith….】
Then, a short, edited clip of their Connected (Icarus ver.) stage played.
[IRIX, Jeong Da-jun’s visuals and performance in this song are actually insane]
[He was so, so cool. You can even see a sense of determination in his expression... ㅠㅠㅠ The best]
[FR;; I thought he was an actual angel.....
But with a side of 'Bangbang-i' energy
└ LOL exactlyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Accompanied by the words ‘The Dawn’ and a cute BGM, the member introductions followed, and then a caption appeared.
【Today, we have invited the essence of K-Pop, Professor Jeong Da-jun.】
“Alright, everyone, eyes on me!”
Jeong Da-jun burst through the classroom’s front door and body-rolled his way toward the podium.
[Da-jun, why are you like this]
[Da-jun, please don't do this]
[I really can't keep up with Jeong Da-jun’s thought process. Our baby handsome guy never backs down when an opportunity arises. So cute.]
He slammed a stack of papers onto the desk with a loud thud, propped one foot up on an empty chair, and swept his hair back.
“Professor Jeong Da-jun will now take attendance!”
The camera then panned to the classroom.
The members of The Dawn, huddled together in front of the podium, were chatting away, completely ignoring Jeong Da-jun.
“Ho-yun hyung, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
“The apple curry from the cafeteria.”
“Oh, that’s really good!!”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They aren't even looking at him ㅋㅋㅋㅋ f*ck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Jeong Da-jun is being completely ignored but he’s still so confident... I guess you need that level of shamelessness to be an idol...]
They debated as if their dinner menu was a far more serious topic than the appearance of the group’s youngest member.
“Excuse me! Focus! Focus!”
Seeing the members still making a racket, Kim Seong-hyeon sighed softly and, taking his responsibility as leader, raised his hand to ask a question.
“Professor Elephant, what’s on the syllabus for today?”
“Good question. Today, we shall study the history of K-Pop. Er… so…….”
This was a field Jeong Da-jun was extremely confident in, boasting 22 years as a K-Drama fan (including his time in the womb) and 10 years as a K-Pop fan.
“But hey, about the Professor. How is this any different from when he played that star tutor last time?”
“He learned about college through dramas, what would he know?”
“True…….”
Ignoring the members’ whispering, Jeong Da-jun passionately continued his lecture, playing a series of K-Pop songs that had dominated his teenage years.
“This part!! The most important thing is to spit out the rap like you’re chewing it! Student Kang Yi-chae!! Please show us an example!!”
“I miss the me who didn't know you. I wanna go back!!”
“Exactly! That’s it!!”
[Yi-chae....
Stop playing with Da-jun now
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Fans had always thought Jeong Da-jun was being influenced by Kang Yi-chae, but now it looked like the exact opposite.
While only a bored Kang Yi-chae actively responded to Jeong Da-jun’s intense lesson, the older members were still talking about other things.
“By the way, whose turn is it to clean when we get back?”
“Didn't Seong-hyeon do it last time? It should be me this time.”
“Ah, really?”
[Listen to the lecture, guys]
[Is this a kindergarten? They lose focus in one second]
Jeong Da-jun’s eyebrows narrowed into triangles when he saw Seo Ho-yun nibbling on the snacks placed in front of Kang Yi-chae as part of the set decor.
“Student Seo Ho-yun! Are you not focusing?! Do you… do you not want to go to grad school?!”
“Grad school?”
“Oops, is grad school a bit much?!”
For a moment, Jeong Da-jun had confused himself with his previous 'star tutor' role and shook his head vigorously. He then slammed the podium with the stack of papers he hadn't looked at once, trying to grab the members' attention.
“Student Seo Ho-yun, since you aren't listening to me, I assume you already know everything. Then, try to guess the title after hearing the intro of this song. We’ll start with a difficult one from fifteen years ago.”
Quickly picking up his phone and tapping away, Jeong Da-jun played only the first five seconds of a melody before cutting it off.
A look of absolute certainty that Seo Ho-yun wouldn't know it was plastered across Da-jun’s confident face.
[Ho-yun probably won't know...]
[Yeah, he has that image of someone who wasn't really interested in K-Pop as a student... ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[No, how would Seo Ho-yun know this? Look at his age ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
However,
“‘Candy Like Me’ by LEL sunbae-nim.”
“……Eh? You know it?”
“Yes.”
Seo Ho-yun answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“No, no… how….”
Flustered by the unexpected result, Jeong Da-jun faltered for a moment but quickly regained his composure and played another song.
“Then this… this one! This song was used a lot as BGM twenty years ago….”
“Ah…… it’s been a while since I heard this one.”
Seo Ho-yun let out a smirk and leaned back in his chair with a relaxed posture.
“This was used a lot in old variety shows. ‘Longing’ by Dali sunbae-nim.”
“……!!”
Now, not only the members but even the filming staff were buzzing.
“This is really old, though?”
“What? How does he know?”
Even with a selection of songs that could be called 'niche'—starting with an old track that had never even been remade—Seo Ho-yun answered them all with ease.
“Wait, Seo Ho-yun, were you even born back then?”
“…….”
A shocked Kim Seong-hyeon asked in a quiet voice, but for the first time, Seo Ho-yun kept his mouth shut tight.
In the end, the song-guessing battle ended in Jeong Da-jun’s defeat.
He had tried to use a good opportunity to surprise Seo Ho-yun, but it was impossible for someone with the maknae’s level of experience.
Pouting with his cheeks puffed out, Jeong Da-jun raised his hand and shouted.
“Th-then let’s try with choreography this time!!”
Of course, this didn't work on Seo Ho-yun either.
[Look at him pretending not to hear after answering everything else. He doesn't know this one]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s hilarious that he knows the songs but not the dances ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[But he dances when recent songs come on ㅠㅠ
He even knows all of Black Call Ju Woo-seong’s choreography ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Jeong Da-jun found himself getting swept up by Seo Ho-yun, who shamelessly moved past whether he knew the dance or not.
“But Professor Jeong Da-jun.”
“Yes, Student Ho-yun.”
Seo Ho-yun’s eyebrow twitched for a moment, but he quickly returned to his usual expression and continued.
“I understand that you have deep knowledge of K-Pop. However, it seems you have too many improvised lyrics created on the spot during performances to be considered a professional professor.”
“…Wh-what?”
“They are quite creative, though.”
While Jeong Da-jun was stammering, not knowing how the situation was turning, Seo Ho-yun snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, Kang Yi-chae jumped up, connected a tablet to a laptop, and projected a video onto the classroom’s beam projector.
“First, a stage for Our Brilliant Dawn. Music Center, second week of March.”
【You promised on the day the Milky Way poured down….】
“Do you remember mispronouncing it as 'sewer'?”
“N-no! That was just a slight slip of the tongue!!”
Despite seeing the horrified maknae, Seo Ho-yun gestured for Kang Yi-chae to play the next video.
【Maybe I can tell you next year, Merry Merry Christmas….】
“U-U Bank, December 4th. You said 'Merry Mari Christmas'…. What does that mean?”
“Is-isn't that the name of a flower, like Rosemary?”
“That is also not 'Rosemary.' It is Rose! Mary!”
[Rosemary Rosemary ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ F*CK ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Seo Ho-yun remembering all of Jeong Da-jun’s lyric mistakes is f*cking chilling ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Hey, he’s going back almost two years ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“You got the lyrics to ‘Mang-Mang-Mang’ wrong.”
“Don't just make up lyrics for ‘Falling’ here.”
“I’d like to give you a perfect score for maintaining a soulful expression even after singing ‘At Dawn’ incorrectly.”
Seo Ho-yun rattled off Jeong Da-jun’s mistakes that weren't even in the videos. It was as if he had a script prepared.
“Th-that was because I was flustered….”
“……You heard that mistake too?”
“Oops.”
Jeong Da-jun, who had been scrambling for excuses, was now speechless, clutching the podium.
[The fact that he prepared this is even scarier, holy sh*t..
Let's never have Seo Ho-yun as a boss]
[Look at Jeong Da-jun having nothing to say ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[That smart bastard Seo Ho-yun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ using his brain for stuff like this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Now. Anything else to say?”
Seo Ho-yun, sitting arrogantly as if half-reclined, spoke to Jeong Da-jun.
Jeong Da-jun had to admit complete defeat. He closed his eyes tight, covered his face with both hands, and muttered.
“……I hate Seo Ho-yun.”
“Informal speech. Someone drag this professor out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seong Ji-won, who was sitting next to Seo Ho-yun, smiled gently and dragged Jeong Da-jun away from the podium. Jeong Da-jun shrieked and struggled, but it was no use.
“What kind of bribe did you give Student Seong Ji-won! Why is he listening to you so well, hyung!!”
“Bribe?”
Seo Ho-yun snorted as if it were ridiculous.
“This is the reward for my usual fine character.”
“…….”
“…….”
At the same time, all the members’ heads turned toward Seo Ho-yun.
[Ah]
[Ah]
[The look that says 'don't talk nonsense']
[Kang Yi-chae and Kim Seong-hyeon look so done with him sh*t ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Ahaha, that’s right.”
Except for Seong Ji-won.
“Right? Right?? Hyung, did you get hit somewhere?”
“Shall we go, Professor Jeong?”
[Look at Seong Ji-won nodding by himself. What are you even doing, Ji-won ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Scary... Honestly, Jeong Da-jun knows K-Pop well enough to be a professor...]
[Ha... As a grad student, I love this fantasy... “Drag that professor out”]
[But then is there no professor now??]
In that moment of being exiled from the podium despite his desperate resistance, a caption from the production team appeared.
【Is our…… filming over?】
Then, Seo Ho-yun stood up with a meaningful smile.
“Is it my turn now?”
Seo Ho-yun poked Jeong Da-jun’s cheek, snatched his scarf, and wrapped it loosely around himself. Standing at the podium, he smirked as he looked down at the members.
“Hello.”
The maknae, firmly held by Seong Ji-won, shouted something like a line from a morning soap opera—'That guy took everything from me!'—but Seo Ho-yun ignored him and finished his greeting.
“I am Seo Ho-yun, and I will be teaching the lecture on Understanding Korean Variety Shows.”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[So Seo Ho-yun just wanted to play the professor role ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Ooh~, the professor is handsome~.”
Kang Yi-chae, sitting in the very front, teased Seo Ho-yun with a sly grin.
“Professor, tell us about your first love~.”
[A guy who can't distinguish between a professor and a student teacher has appeared]
[Ah sh*t, so funny ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Seo Ho-yun, who had maintained a calm smile, grinned even wider and said,
“Student Kang Yi-chae. You fail.”
“What?”
“You brought up a very inappropriate topic.”
[Seo Ho-yun, perfect score as an idol]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Aaaagh ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Seeing Kang Yi-chae’s eyebrows shoot up, Seo Ho-yun leaned forward, resting his arms on the podium.
And he added in a low voice,
“The failing student is assigned to do the dorm dishes today.”
“What? Today is Jeong Da-jun’s turn!”
“Address him as Professor Jeong Da-jun. Since you lack respect for the professor, I’m adding cleaning duty as well.”
“What???”
While Kang Yi-chae was stuck with dishes and cleaning on top of it, Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won just nodded obediently beside him.
“You have to respect the professor….”
“Right….”
“Hyungs, what are you doing??”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They’re just trying to get out of cleaning ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ These idols are so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Then, over Kang Yi-chae’s crumpled face, a shot of him doing dishes at the dorm was overlapped.
【The red-haired guy eventually grumbling while doing dishes at the dorm for real….】
The screen returned to the classroom, showing Seo Ho-yun.
“Student Seong-hyeon.”
“Yes, Professor!”
Kim Seong-hyeon knew very well the dangers of self-produced content led by Seo Ho-yun. He had been through hell after saying one wrong word during the Apocalypse self-produced content.
His disciplined answer echoed through the classroom.
“I really like Student Seong-hyeon’s proactive attitude.”
“Thank you, Professor!”
“Come to my office later.”
“Yes! …Wait, what?”
However, if being careful could prevent it, he wouldn't be Seo Ho-yun.
Seo Ho-yun didn't miss the moment Kim Seong-hyeon stammered and dug in.
“We’re going to organize today’s variety show footage, and they say they need some feedback before editing. It would be great if the perceptive Seong-hyeon could come help and pick out some funny scenes.”
“……I have to do that?”
“Of course. I think watching for… about 30 hours should be enough.”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kim Seong-hyeon, the graduate student ending sh*t ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
While Kim Seong-hyeon was in despair, realizing there was no escape after seeing the glint in Seo Ho-yun’s eyes, Kang Yi-chae suddenly jumped up.
“I’m going to go put on rubber gloves and do the dishes!!”
“…….”
“I’m a Spring Warm tone, so fluorescent coral really suits me!”
[So annoying]
[So annoying, seriously]
[You aren't a Spring Warm tone sh*t ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re the furthest thing from a Spring Warm tone ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Kang Yi-chae’s attempt to escape the classroom was cut short when Seo Ho-yun kicked the door shut.
“Our Student Kang Yi-chae seems to have a lot of talent for composition.”
“I don't!! Professor, thank you for the high praise, but I’m just at the level of a major!”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Stop lying, you brat ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[You’re a full member of the Copyright Association ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Haha, such modesty. Then, Student Yi-chae, please organize the unreleased song samples and send them to the A&R team by tomorrow. Get them checked by me first, though.”
“Professor!!”
Turning away from the members who were melting in despair, Seo Ho-yun smiled brightly at Seong Ji-won.
“Student Seong Ji-won…….”
“Yes.”
“You chose the right side. Congratulations.”
[?]
[Eh?!]
Seong Ji-won’s eyes widened for a second, then his eyes curved into a soft smile.
“It’s an honor, Professor.”
Seo Ho-yun was a very petty man.
Since Seong Ji-won was the only one who hadn't teased him when he and Jeong Da-jun were slightly at odds in the US, he was the only one excluded from all this.
“I like curry too!!”
“Hahaha, me too.”
As Seo Ho-yun and Seong Ji-won left the classroom laughing harmoniously, the members wailed behind them about how unfair it was.
And a short while later,
“Come to think of it….”
Seo Ho-yun spoke to Seong Ji-won as they enjoyed apple curry together in the WH headquarters cafeteria.
“Yes, Professor.”
“The footage might be a bit much for Student Seong-hyeon to watch alone.”
“……Pardon?”
The corners of Seo Ho-yun’s mouth curled up chillingly.
“Student Ji-won, why don't you watch for about 30 hours with him?”
Curry dripped from Seong Ji-won’s spoon.
A caption was placed over the smiling Seo Ho-yun.
【This person was once victimized by Seong Ji-won during the roommate assignments.】
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Hey, how long ago was that ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Legendary pettiness ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Leaving behind a reeling Seong Ji-won, Seo Ho-yun leisurely exited the cafeteria.
【The members of The Dawn were truly trapped in the WH building all day, working with Professor Seo Ho-yun….】
Watching the brief evidence clips being uploaded, the IRIX nodded calmly.
[Our Ho-yun is healthy today as well....]
Seo Ho-yun was being Seo Ho-yun again.