Chapter 331
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 331
Ju Woo-seong had been the center of the universe since the day he was born.
Born beautiful and raised on a steady diet of nothing but love, he had achieved everything with ease thanks to his innate talent. He had nothing to fear in this world.
That hadn't changed even after his debut in Black Call.
Except for that one time.
At a workshop he’d been forced to attend as a rookie, Ju Woo-seong had been dragged out for a talent show. Wearing a long blonde wig that got caught in his sticky eyelashes, he realized for the first time in his life that some things simply do not go your way.
The only saving grace was that no video of it had leaked.
"Eyyy, if you don't go out with me, who will?"
Since then, Ju Woo-seong would jump in horror at the mere mention of the word 'workshop.' Yet here was this pale-faced, slick-looking bastard, yapping away with a sly grin, clearly up to something again.
"Yeah, piss off."
Woo-seong flipped him the bird, but Seo Ho-yun didn't even blink. He just started playing a song on his phone.
【Holy Shit, your body
I can't take my eyes off you】
It was a hip-hop track from about a year ago, with lyrics that spent the entire three minutes and forty-three seconds describing someone's physique. Woo-seong recalled it being popular at festivals because of the suggestive choreographic chemistry with the backup dancers, but it wasn't his style.
"Let's go with this—"
"Are you insane? Are you kidding me right now?"
"I'll handle the backup dancer's part."
"So what?"
"Drop your prejudices about the song and the workshop and think about it carefully. I'm telling you, if you do this song, Ju Woo-seong, it’ll be legendary."
Im Hyeon-su, who had lost interest in the WH Entertainment workshop because she couldn't find a way to get the CD of that band, Meche-whatever, was busy whispering with Kim Hee-yeong, who was now lounging back after finishing her sashimi.
"Look, look at this. This is the original artist's video. I mean, sure, it's good, it's fine, but if you do it, it'll be five times cooler."
"...Five times? There's no comparison."
"Aha, look at this guy... Fine, I'll be generous. Ten times cooler, then."
Woo-seong knew perfectly well Ho-yun was just trying to coax him, but he felt a strange, conflicting sense of excitement despite his annoyance.
This bastard really wants to do this...
"...I'm busy."
"Come on, even if you're busy, this is nothing for the genius Ju Woo-seong. You just have to glance at it and you'll have it down."
Since Seo Ho-yun rarely showed any positive signals toward him, it didn't feel too bad. It didn't seem like he was lying, either.
"You only have to do one thing. Just stand next to me that day and enjoy the stage. That's it."
With a smirk, Seo Ho-yun told him to think about it, then stood up and walked away.
Back at home, while playing with his cat Nyang-nyang-i using a teaser wand, Woo-seong quietly replayed Ho-yun's words in his head.
No matter how much he racked his brain, there was nothing in it for him.
At that moment, a thought struck him: perhaps this was a golden opportunity to give Seo Ho-yun, who had blackmailed him before, a massive taste of his own medicine.
[Crazy Bastard: I'll do all the hard work]
[Crazy Bastard: Don't you trust me?]
Seeing the texts that arrived from Seo Ho-yun with uncanny timing made his irritation flare up.
[Crazy Bastard: If you really can't do it, I'll just do it with our leader or something]
Kim Seong-hyeon, whose dancing skills were improving by leaps and bounds lately, was the junior Woo-seong was keeping the closest eye on. This bastard was definitely doing this on purpose.
"That son of a..."
After accidentally swinging the teaser wand wrong and getting hit by a familiar 'Nyang-nyang punch,' Woo-seong fell over and clenched his fist, making a firm decision.
I'm not going down alone.
He would etch a humiliating 'dark history' into Seo Ho-yun's life while simultaneously snatching first place to get those overseas travel vouchers.
He had already confirmed through Chae Jeong-woo, a fellow Black Call member and the MC for this workshop's talent show, that the first-place prize could not be exchanged for any other rank's prize.
A smirk played on Ju Woo-seong's lips.
The workshop will be your funeral day!
Once his mind was made up, he moved fast.
He contacted Seo Ho-yun immediately to set a time to meet. Ju Woo-seong didn't need practice, even if Seo Ho-yun did. He just needed to sync the choreography once or twice.
To reiterate, Ju Woo-seong didn't need it, but Seo Ho-yun certainly did. On the rare occasions their schedules aligned, Woo-seong didn't miss the chance to berate the 'Ttukttak-i.'
And so, the day of the workshop arrived.
Arriving at the venue at the scheduled time, Ju Woo-seong casually changed his top into a white shirt that was slightly sheer against his skin to match the song and approached the stage in high spirits.
There, Chae Jeong-woo was staring at him with an expression that said, Has this guy finally lost his mind? Ju Woo-seong just raised an eyebrow and looked away.
"Senior, you're glowing from head to toe today."
Woo-seong snorted at Seo Ho-yun's pathetic attempt at flattery.
"...Haha, next up is a truly fascinating combination! The pride of WH! A duo that every WH Entertainment employee has seen bickering at least once, yet strangely, they're always together! It's Ju Woo-seong of Black Call and Seo Ho-yun of The Dawn!"
Cheers erupted.
Whistling, Woo-seong walked slowly to the center of the stage. Seo Ho-yun, standing opposite him, had applied his lip tint a bit darker than usual and had half of his bangs pinned back. Like Ju Woo-seong, he wasn't wearing a wig or fake eyelashes.
It felt a bit suspicious, but Woo-seong decided to let it slide with a senior's generous magnanimity.
Because everything was about to go to hell anyway.
Ju Woo-seong was about to grin in anticipation of Seo Ho-yun being sucked into a vortex of legendary embarrassment, when Ho-yun suddenly looked him in the eye and leaned in slightly.
"Ju Woo-seong. You know what?"
"Huh?"
Then, a low, mid-range voice brushed against his ear like a tickle.
"I actually only practiced your part."
Of course you only practiced my— wait, what?
The corners of Seo Ho-yun's red lips curled up sharply.
"You can do both, right?"
Before he could even react, Seo Ho-yun grabbed his arm. In an instant, their positions were swapped, and Seo Ho-yun stepped forward, singing.
【Everywhere you go, people only look at your body, Hoo
Sorry, but I don't even remember the color of your eyes】
Even though it was a rap, he delivered it rhythmically, making the song his own.
Suddenly saddled with an unwanted position, Ju Woo-seong squeezed his eyes shut.
However, the option of doing nothing and walking off the stage was an answer he could never choose in his entire life.
...Opening his eyes again, he bit the inside of his cheek and began the choreography.
.
.
.
"Fuck... Fuck... Fuck..."
I sent a round of applause toward Ju Woo-seong, who was muttering curses like a Buddhist chant.
The audience was in a frenzy. The hall was filled with shouts of Ju Woo-seong's name, making it feel like his solo concert.
"Wow! That was truly the best performance!!"
"Woo-seong hyung! You're the best!!"
"I... seeing our Woo-seong, pfft, regain the passion of his rookie year... it brings tears to my, pffft... eyes... Ah, look, Sae-young is also wiping away tears while cheering... kgh..."
Chae Jeong-woo tried his best to read Ju Woo-seong's mood and hold back his laughter, but it kept leaking out through the gaps in his words.
"You have the pride of Black Call to maintain, so you'd better take first place."
"Shut up..."
I followed Ju Woo-seong, who was practically running down the stairs with his head in his hands, back to the table. I handed him the hat I always kept as a backup and let him wallow in his embarrassment.
Since we were the last act, the rankings were announced shortly after.
"Third place is—! Kang Yeon-hu!"
Ju Woo-seong's eyes flashed at Chae Jeong-woo's voice.
"Second place is—! Seo Ho-yun and Ju Woo-seong!"
Second place. Easy, right?
I hid my joy and pretended to be disappointed.
"They say we're second."
"......"
"Aha, first place goes to Department Head Jang. His body rolls were indeed extraordinary. What a shame."
"......"
But Ju Woo-seong just stared blankly from under the brim of his hat, offering no reaction. Given his pride, I expected him to throw a fit about not getting first.
"...Ju Woo-seong?"
Feeling suspicious, I lowered my body to check his face. He rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, gulped down some water, and let out a long sigh.
"Seo Ho-yun, you stupid, idiotic, son-of-a-bitch sea anemone."
"......Huh?"
"I guess you haven't finished digging up all the WH info yet?"
About what?
"Department Head Jang is our CEO's younger cousin. He's a 'silver spoon.' Well, it's something only the higher-ups know."
I blinked at the news.
I hadn't investigated WH Entertainment as thoroughly as I had Daepasung. I hadn't felt the need. It wasn't like the Daepasung days where the company only moved if I did, and The Dawn only got benefits if I intervened. Most things were handled by Lee Ji-hyeon or Jeong Seon-ui.
"Besides, he's a great guy. He believes in giving back as much as he receives. He even took third place back when I participated in the workshop."
"So what?"
"So."
The fact that he was explaining all this in such detail felt ominous.
Ju Woo-seong gestured with his chin toward the stage.
"What?!"
The room began to buzz.
Department Head Jang had declined the first-place prize.
"Eyyy, come on now!"
Department Head Jang laughed and waved his hand.
"I already went last week! I'm sick of it, sick of it. What would I even do there? It's better if our WH pillars go and get some rest~."
As he watched my expression sour in real-time, Ju Woo-seong twisted his lips into a smirk and whispered.
"He gave up the prize back then, too. Said he'd rather another employee have it."
"Department Head Jang! Department Head Jang! You're more handsome than Ju Woo-seong!!"
"Oh, stop it, you guys!!"
"That's why I like Department Head Jang a little bit."
Department Head Jang waved vigorously at Ju Woo-seong.
"Woo-seong, have a great trip to Hawaii~!!"
"Yes! Thank you, Department Head Jang~!!"
Thoroughly delighted by my miserable expression, Ju Woo-seong took off his hat, jammed it onto my head, and blew a finger heart to Department Head Jang.
In the end, the rankings shifted up by one. Kang Yeon-hu received the signed CD, while Kang Yi-chae and Seong Ji-won received the third-place prize: composition equipment.
"Congratulations!"
"Whoa! Yi-chae!!"
Seong Ji-won hugged Kang Yi-chae and jumped for joy.
"We got third!"
"The rap training really worked, hyung!"
"Right! All that hard work paid off!!"
That was you guys practicing?
And Kang Yi-chae, don't you already have all that gear?
Even though it was obvious neither of them cared about the prize itself, their faces were melting with grins.
Just then, Department Head Jang came over to Ju Woo-seong and me and patted our shoulders.
"I'm always rooting for The Dawn. Today's performance was truly wonderful. You two looked great together. Since you're going, it would be perfect to rest, travel together, and film a vlog for the fans~!"
The urge to ask what kind of bullshit that was rose to the back of my throat, but the planning team suddenly popped out from the side.
"That's a great idea! If we just send a few staff members along, it won't be a burden!"
"No, wait..."
"The long-standing friendship between Black Call and The Dawn! Come to think of it, Seo Ho-yun, you knew Ju Woo-seong even before you returned to The Dawn, right?! Amazing! I can see the vision already~!"
"......"
"......"
I used every bit of my Acting stat to try and maintain a smile.
A Hawaii travel vlog featuring members of The Dawn and Black Call? Who exactly is this for?
I'd be lucky if the fans didn't tear me apart.
I decided to go to Kang Yeon-hu and have a friendly negotiation to exchange prizes, but someone beat me to it.
"Yeon-hu hyung~."
It was Kang Yi-chae.
He approached Kang Yeon-hu with a beaming smile and held out the MIDI controller.
"Hyung, let's swap."
"...Huh? Really?"
"Of course! They said we can swap prizes as long as it's not the first-place one. Ji-won hyung said it's fine, too."
Kang Yeon-hu tilted his head, then carefully accepted it. He thanked him, handed over the CD, and headed toward the High Five maknae with a light step.
Witnessing all of this, Ju Woo-seong grabbed my shoulder and spoke with a voice full of emphasis.
"Wow! Good for Kang Yi-chae! Even though Seo Ho-yun did all that stupid shit and missed out on second place! He managed to get the prize all on his own!"
"Hmm?"
Don't say it.
"Do you know how much Seo Ho-yun harassed me just to give you that CD— ack!!"
"I tld y t sht p..."
I told you to shut up.
I gritted my teeth and signaled him to be quiet by hitting his leg with the prize panel, but Ju Woo-seong stubbornly kept shouting.
"He made a total fool out of his only senior just because he wanted to give you that CD, but it's such a shame he couldn't give it to you himself in the end!!"
"Pardon?"
Kang Yi-chae, who had been blinking blankly, replied in confusion.
"I don't even like this, though?"
"......"
"......"
As a startled Ju Woo-seong pointed at the CD, Kang Yi-chae nodded again.
I gathered my thoughts for a moment and asked.
"...Then why did you enter the talent show?"
"Huh? Composer Cheong-beom likes this, so I was going to give it to her as a gift."
"I heard you were scouring auctions day and night because you wanted it so bad?"
"That was also to help the composer because she wanted to buy it. This song isn't really my taste."
"......"
My jaw trembled.
In my hollow state, the travel prize panel I was holding slipped and fell to the floor.
Ju Woo-seong, whose pettiness was longer than his years in the industry, glanced at me and spat out.
"You moron... going to Hawaii for nothing..."
Shut up... You're going too...
Kang Yi-chae looked back and forth between Ju Woo-seong and me, his eyes narrowing. Then, he tapped the CD against his palm.
"Ho-yun hyung went on stage just to give this to me?"