Chapter 324
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 324
“I’m actually going to a comeback show!”
A small business owner who ran a cafe in Hongdae and a former die-hard fan of the second generation of K-pop—now a fan who had become a ‘Noeul’—stepped into the venue where The Dawn’s comeback show was to be held, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
Ever since she had joined the fandom after seeing The Dawn’s year-end stage last year, this was her first time seeing them perform in person.
[I’m here. Which antis are we destroying today, Noeuls?]
[Ready to fight like a dog.]
As she scrolled through posts from others on social media, she realized that everyone’s eyes in the venue were burning with the same intensity as those messages.
It seemed to be the result of the heated criticism directed at The Dawn after they were recently compared to trainees. Although she had no intention of getting involved, she found herself possessed by the spirit of a keyboard warrior before she knew it.
‘I’m having a bit of a reality check, but still…’
While her fingers were busy flying across the screen, the lights in the venue suddenly cut out.
“Kyaaaaaaaak!!”
Screams erupted in surround sound from all directions, and a VCR began to play on the digital billboards.
【—To be honest, I was scared at first.
Could I really pull this off?
Could I become someone I wouldn’t be ashamed of in front of the fans?】
‘Oh? It’s starting off more sentimental than I expected.’
【But I think I understand now.
That every path I’ve walked has meaning.】
A lotus flower in full bloom reversed through time, shrinking back into a bud and then returning to a seed. The warm light of midday poured out, only to be replaced by the pale blue sky of dawn.
“Waaaaaaa~!!”
At that moment, the lift rose, and five silhouettes appeared.
Along with a roar of cheers that grew even louder, Seo Ho-yun’s voice pierced through the air.
【That it was all to meet you.】
She had assumed they were opening the comeback show with the title track, Yeondeunghoe, but the beat that followed was completely unexpected.
【Give me, Give me, Give me Second Chance】
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!”
It was none other than Second Chance.
And it had been rearranged into a grand, orchestral version.
‘What? Was this intentional?’
WH Entertainment was a company where the agency’s opinion carried immense weight in everything from the album to the concert and stage production. Noeul figured that choosing Second Chance as the opening act among many songs must have been WH Entertainment’s deliberate choice.
They couldn’t possibly be unaware of the things being said about The Dawn lately.
It was a move that could only be made by someone confident enough to handle whatever controversy might follow.
“Let’s goooo!!! Let’s go!!”
The moment the fans’ excited shouts pierced through the intro, a spotlight slammed onto Seong Ji-won.
【Give me, Give me, Give me Second Chance.
This sensation ringing in my head—in other words, I’m back.】
The choreography, perfectly synchronized without a single hair out of place, looked significantly more relaxed and mature.
【I will come back every time.
This strange déjà vu, you’re afraid of it.】
From their expressions and gaze to the minor details at their fingertips.
Even at a glance, it was clear that The Dawn’s practice hours had been beyond ordinary.
“Seo Ho-yuuuuuun!!!”
After the stage for Second Chance, which had enchanted the audience like a devil, the members gave their greetings.
Perhaps because it was their first comeback since Daepasung was acquired by WH Entertainment, the venue—much like the album and music video—practically reeked of wealth.
And in the center of it all, The Dawn shone incessantly.
‘My babies, born from my heart…’
Next was the B-side track, Dive.
The members, dressed in white silk shirts, walked forward holding pale pink hand-mics.
【In this cracked time,
Without weighing or measuring,
I just want you to tell me honestly.】
White smoke rose from the floor like mist over water, and balloons shaped like lotus flowers floated up into the air.
【Can you be together? Or not?
The words I spat out without knowing anything are sticky like the heat.
Like a lotus flower that has lost its breath,
Let us dive till the end.
Until we rise to the surface of the sea to breathe.
Because we can’t stay trapped in loneliness forever.】
Noeul’s heart swelled with emotion.
【Let us dive till the end.
Until we rise to the surface of the sea to breathe.】
She suddenly realized that the beings she had only watched through a screen were vividly alive.
She realized that the love she sent was being returned in full through song, dance, and affection.
She felt a sense of pride so immense it offset all those occasional reality checks.
‘This is so good…’
The more she realized how proud she was of The Dawn, the more violently Noeul shook her lightstick.
‘Even if the world ends tomorrow, I’ll have no regrets…’
As the song ended and she was drowning in the lingering emotions of the darkness,
【Perhaps looking up at the same moon.】
The stage for the title track, Yeondeunghoe, began.
“Uwaaaaah!!!”
The faint moon on the back screen faded away, and blue lights illuminated the pitch-black venue.
Rippling water patterns shimmered on the stage floor, and the lotus lanterns placed around the stage flickered to life.
【Tracing back the dawn we spent together.】
Sitting right in the center, Kim Seong-hyeon stared straight ahead with an expressionless face. He was wearing a tight sleeveless shirt that revealed the contours of his muscles beneath a flowing blue dorumagi (overcoat) adorned with intricate embroidery, paired with distressed jeans and bold sneakers.
While the fans’ screams reached a fever pitch at the costume that harmoniously blended the modern and the traditional, Jeong Da-jun appeared, snapping a fan open to start the intro.
【Perhaps looking up at the same moon,
Tracing back the dawn we spent together.】
‘Wow, Jeong Da-jun is insane.’
Jeong Da-jun’s voice, which had completely transformed from a boy’s to a young man’s, instantly captivated the fans.
‘Did they all go off to a mountain to meditate or something?’
Furthermore, his dance lines had changed drastically.
The Jeong Da-jun she knew, who was just a young boy, was nowhere to be found on that stage.
Noeul was so choked up with emotion that she couldn’t even scream properly.
‘When did our baby elephant grow up so much…?’
She covered her mouth with both hands and stared blankly ahead as Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun swapped positions with a spin.
The moment Seo Ho-yun smirked and snapped his fan open—!
【Even if it’s just a small dot to you,
I’ll gladly send as many as it takes.】
Rrrrrip… thud.
One side of the fan, which should have spread wide, tore and fell away. The fan chants continued, but murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.
However, the person in question, Seo Ho-yun, and the other members didn’t waver in the slightest.
【Even if it doesn’t reach the coastline,
Even if it looks like a dying star.】
Seo Ho-yun dropped the fan he was holding and kicked it to the side. Then, Kim Seong-hyeon, who was half-hidden by Seong Ji-won due to the choreography formation, pushed it into the corner with his hand while dancing.
It was a very natural transition.
‘But the problem starts now.’
In the music video, the group choreography centered around the Kim Seong-hyeon and Kang Yi-chae pair was supposed to end with Seo Ho-yun bursting out between them and snapping his fan open.
Her heart pounded with lingering anxiety, but The Dawn appeared perfectly composed.
【I send my heart upon a flower.】
The moment Seong Ji-won’s clear high note soared, a dance break followed, led by Kim Seong-hyeon and Kang Yi-chae at the front.
At the peak of the climax, Jeong Da-jun’s fan suddenly soared into the air, gliding through the sky.
Snap!
And Seo Ho-yun, catching it with incredible precision, leaped to the front and snapped the fan open.
【Like a rainbow floating up.】
As if on cue, the fans of the members and the backup dancers also snapped open in a rippling motion.
The cheers from the surroundings were loud enough to deafen her.
【In the wishes spreading like ripples,
In the emotions surging like waves,
May my lantern drift far away upon my regrets.】
“Wow, damn…”
Noeul rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, unable to take her eyes off the stage.
【Even in the faded morning,
Even in the procession of flickering lights,
Our days will be dazzling.】
The fans gathered and scattered, formed a line, and then spread out in all directions, sparkling under the lights like the glow of lotus lanterns.
【Because in the not-so-distant future,
We will meet again.】
As they slowly gathered in the center for the ending pose, The Dawn looked like a single lotus flower.
【Because in the not-so-distant future,
We will meet again.】
While everyone was still caught in the aftershocks of the final verse, Noeul saw it.
Seo Ho-yun playfully poked Jeong Da-jun’s cheek with his finger, as if to say, “Good job.”
*
[Still binge-watching comeback show fancams]
[The reactions of people watching the live are hilarious.
The fan literally fell apart—is he Power Ho-yun?
I’m officially withdrawing the Seo Ho-yun health rumor.
Ho-yun is so damn steady, he didn’t even flinch…
They were laughing and then suddenly stopped.]
[I know, right? I was dying laughing at how much of a gag group The Dawn is, then I saw him snatch that fan out of the air and just started screaming.]
[Watching from all angles, I finally figured out how Seo Ho-yun and the members did it.
If I’d only watched the online live, I would’ve thought it was edited;;]
[LOL, how did he catch that? If he’d dropped it when the fan was thrown, it would’ve been such a disaster.]
[But more than anything, the fact that Jeong Da-jun threw his fan for Seo Ho-yun makes me want to cry… ㅠ]
[Title: Anyone see the Jeong Da-jun Growth.zip?
LOL, he was such a baby back when he was throwing his sneakers at the Japan showcase…
He was the baby Ho-yun had to personally put shoes on for on stage…
And now this baby knows how to throw a fan for his hyung… I’m crying, I tell you ㅠ
└ Jeong Da-jun is one thing, but Seo Ho-yun catching that fan perfectly is another. It was so cool, I keep rewatching it.
└└ Seriously, Seo Ho-yun is something else LOL]
Just as the Noeuls were endlessly dissecting and reminiscing about the comeback show, a live notification popped up.
【THE DAWN: Da-jun tells the story of throwing the fan during the live.】
[LOL, look at the title. Did you want to brag about our maknae that much?! He never misses a chance to show off.]
[LOL, this puppy, seriously ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Upon joining, they saw Jeong Da-jun wearing sunglasses, slowly running a hand through his hair as he greeted them.
“Hello, Noeul… Yes. Noeul’s Da-jun is here.”
He then proceeded to explain every little detail about the comeback show.
“…Ho-yun hyung said the fan was a bit stiff! So I told him to use more strength! But of all things!! The fan tore—!!”
[Baby… you’re really telling us everything.]
“…Ho-yun hyung pushed the fan aside and looked back, and our eyes met! I’m not lying, his eyes were saying, ‘Jeong Da-jun, you’re the only one I trust.’ So, with the heart of wanting to save a member in danger—”
[Baby… that’s enough now…]
Like a father pleasantly tipsy, Jeong Da-jun had been repeating the same fan episode for over an hour.
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been sitting quietly just showing his face, tilted his head and whispered to Seong Ji-won.
“Our maknae would have been cooler if he’d just stayed quiet…”
“Seong-hyeon, shh. Everyone’s thinking the same thing.”
Ignoring the older members’ jabs, Jeong Da-jun kept his mouth moving.
“After the comeback show, Ho-yun hyung said, ‘As expected of Jeong Da-jun, I would’ve cried on stage if it weren’t for you’—!”
“I don’t think Ho-yun would ever cry…”
“That’s a lie, a total lie.”
“A-hem! Seong-hyeon hyung! If I say he did, he did!”
[Seo Ho-yun, who isn’t there and doesn’t bother telling the story himself, is top-tier…]
[Our baby elephant is so cute I could die…]
By the time Jeong Da-jun finished his story and finally quieted down, fans began to wonder about the two members who hadn't appeared yet.
[But where did Ho-yun and Yi-chae go??]
Behind the still-chattering Jeong Da-jun, glances were exchanged between Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won.
They had known for a while that the relationship between those two was a bit strange, but they didn’t want even the Noeuls to notice.
Whenever similar questions popped up, Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won would skillfully intervene and change the subject.
[Who doesn’t know there are discord rumors between them?]
However, they couldn’t stop all the rumors floating around the internet.
[K.Y.C. says he can’t live with S.H.Y. anymore and is leaving the dorm~]
.
.
.
“Congratulations. At this rate, first place won’t be a problem. The stage accident was handled well, too.”
“It wasn’t really a big deal.”
Seo Ho-yun smiled brightly as he toyed with an orchid on Jeong Seon-ui’s desk. It was a smile that charmed everyone, even though he was known as the ‘Devil of the Broadcasting Station’ or ‘Bing-gre,’ but Team Leader Jeong Seon-ui remained stoic.
If anything, she just wore a wary expression that said, ‘I wonder how cunningly this brat is going to use his silver tongue this time.’
“You know there’s a controversy about our skills lately, right, Team Leader?”
“Well, yes. It’s still circulating a bit. But it doesn’t seem to have reached the general public yet…”
“So, get us some live slots.”
She knew it.
Here he goes again.
“……What kind of live? You’re doing them now.”
“I mean I don’t want to use AR. At the very least, I want to promote with hand-mics. Even better if we can get on a radio show that makes you sing live for an entire hour?”
“Wait… a minute. I can’t decide that on my own. I think we’ll need to discuss it.”
“Oh, come on. Everyone knows this is your area of expertise, Team Leader Jeong.”
Jeong Seon-ui let out a deep sigh and began to explain the reasons why it wasn’t possible. Seo Ho-yun, who had been listening quietly, pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile again and nodded.
“Yes, I understand perfectly.”
“I’m glad to hear that, then…”
“Haha, so please get us those slots.”
“…….”
Jeong Seon-ui felt a sharp, tightening pain in her stomach.
‘Did this brat create that controversy himself just for this?’
She would likely never know that the annoying thought she just had was, in fact, the truth.