Chapter 338
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 338
[I’m seriously losing it, for real]
[I was watching this outside and almost turned it off because I was so embarrassed]
Seo Ho-yun, who clearly hadn't let a single drop of water touch even the tip of his big toe, was clad in a black rash guard that accentuated his physique. With a deep blue surfboard tucked under his arm, he swept back his bangs with a flourish.
“Are you… Prince Seo?!”
“Yeah.”
As the foreigner recoiled in shock, a string of subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
【Ranked 1st in the Business World – Seo Ho-yun, Eldest Son of the Management Inheritance Group.
Department of Media and Information.
Became curious about Kim Seong-hyeon after a chance encounter during Orientation and is trying to recruit him into the ‘Deonging Club.’ Has a painful past.】
[Was that subtitle really necessary...]
[The information value and production cost are converging to zero]
“Sorry! I’m sorry!”
The foreigner, whose acting rivaled that of a reenactment actor, stumbled backward and scurried away. Seo Ho-yun slowly swept his hair back once more and fixed a lingering gaze on Kim Seong-hyeon.
“Can’t you just leave your hair alone…”
“Commoner.”
Finally unable to take it anymore, Kim Seong-hyeon let out a word with a slight furrow in his brow. Even then, one could catch a glimpse of him taking a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm.
With a relaxed demeanor, Seo Ho-yun raised an eyebrow and wrapped an arm around Kim Seong-hyeon’s shoulders.
“What are you doing in a place like this again?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Don’t wander around. Stay where I can see you. Don’t make me worry.”
At that moment, a ringtone went off. It was Seo Ho-yun’s phone.
“Tsk, tsk. People just won’t leave me alone.”
“Just go, Seo Ho-yun.”
Seo Ho-yun, who had been shaking his head as if he couldn't catch a break while looking at his phone, suddenly froze. His eyes shifted toward Kim Seong-hyeon. After staring intently for a moment, his lips curled into a wide smirk.
[Why did Seo Ho-yun pause just because he called his name?]
[He’s acting like only Kim Seong-hyeon is allowed to call him that]
[And why is he grinning like that?
└ Ah, there’s probably some backstory to the name, but I don’t want to know at all...]
Then, he tossed the surfboard aside and nonchalantly answered the phone.
“Yes, this is Prince Seo.”
[Seo Ho-yun is seriously so consistent, damn]
“No, I won’t do a bungee jump without a rope….”
After spouting whatever nonsense came to mind, Seo Ho-yun glanced at Kim Seong-hyeon, patted his shoulder, leaned in, and whispered.
“See you at the after-party tonight.”
It hadn't even been five minutes since the video started, but the light in Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyes had already died.
As Seo Ho-yun walked away, it was Jeong Da-jun’s turn.
“Oh, Seong-hyeon~! What were you just doing with the guy ranked 1st in the business world?!”
【Ranked 4th in the Business World – Jeong Da-jun.
Department of Dance.
Strives desperately to never fall behind the latest trends.】
[LOLOLOLOLOLOL, these guys are seriously insane. This is a paradise of nonsense.]
[The Dawn’s maknae, Jeong Da-jun, taking the opportunity to drop honorifics with the leader.]
“Seong-hyeon-ie?”
“—Hyung! Hyung, hyung! I meant Hyung!”
As Kim Seong-hyeon grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed, Jeong Da-jun immediately corrected his speech and cried out in surrender. Barely released from that grip, the maknae rubbed his neck with both hands and grumbled.
“But seriously, what were you two talking about, Seong-hyeon-hyung? There’s one thing you have to be careful of if you want to join our group…!”
“Is it a club or a group? Pick one.”
“A club!”
[Does Jeong Da-jun even know how to spell club...
└ He’d probably spell it CLUP
└└ No, he knows how. Seo Ho-yun was actually surprised when he saw him write it correctly last time.
└└ LOL, Seo Ho-yun, seriously ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Squatting on the sand, Jeong Da-jun used his finger to draw the structure of Deonging University’s Deonging Club.
【DAWN CLUP】
[Oh, dammit, he got the spelling wrong immediately]
[LOL, but he managed to write the group name correctly without a mistake ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Seo Ho-yun is going to be clutching the back of his neck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Kim Seong-hyeon, who was standing beside him, silently added a circle and corrected it to ‘CLUB.’ Unaware of the kind leader’s consideration, Jeong Da-jun continued his passionate explanation.
“Now, listen carefully! Excluding me, there are three people in our Deonging University you need to watch out for! Star this, star it! First, Kang Yi-chae of the Stock Inheritance Group. He likes to play around and has a lot of aegyo, but he’s a psycho when he loses it.”
“What kind of stocks?”
“—Next is Seong Ji-won of the Honorary Inheritance Group. He’s the club president. He’s basically kind and sweet, but he’s terrifying when he’s angry, so be careful.”
“So what kind of honor is it?”
Along with each description, scenes of Kang Yi-chae leaning against a palm tree and taking off his sunglasses were cross-edited with Seong Ji-won lying on a sunbed reading a book.
“But above all, the one to be wary of is Prince Seo of the Management Inheritance Group. He’s had his eye on you since Orientation.”
“Can’t you stop calling him Prince Seo and just call him Seo Ho-yun?”
“Shh! You mustn’t utter that name! Prince Seo gets devilishly angry.”
Jeong Da-jun made a huge fuss as if Ho-yun were ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’ from a famous British fantasy novel. Kim Seong-hyeon’s lips stretched thin in a look of pure distaste.
“Prince Seo can be gentle, but once he bites, he never lets go. Do you think he’d be called a crazy d—, ahem, for nothing? You’ve already been marked, so your school life is bound to be exhausting from now on.”
“Could it be more exhausting than it is now…?”
“Well, as long as you don’t get caught by Kang Yi-chae, it should be bearable! He’s a ‘my-pace’ type anyway, so you’ll be fine as long as you don’t approach him first~.”
“What is he doing right now?”
“Who knows? Is he being lonely by himself again? He’s the lone wolf of Deonging University.”
[‘Lone wolf,’ my ass LOL]
[Jeong Da-jun is amazing too. How can he be so...
Kim Seong-hyeon keeps saying things, but he’s so persistent.]
Over Kim Seong-hyeon’s face, which looked like he was chewing on a curse word, a shot of Kang Yi-chae skydiving was overlapped.
【When everything feels distant, I only see you
Swallow the orange light and melt even the pale blue】
At the same time, the song ‘Name This Feeling’ played as background music again, and sparkling effects filled the scenery. Then, Kang Yi-chae, who had safely landed with a guide, took off his goggles and crinkled his eyes beautifully.
“My Love, I want to see every sky with you.”
[Kang Yi-chae, hey! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[LOL, you didn’t skydive just to put in this insert cut, did you? ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
[If it’s Kang Yi-chae, he definitely enjoyed that 100%. I’d bet my entire fortune on it ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kang Yi-chae is seriously living his best life.
Ah, you only live once.
Let’s live like Kang Yi-chae.]
Back on the screen, Jeong Da-jun was wagging his right index finger back and forth.
“…No one can predict his way of thinking.”
“……Right.”
“Anyway, we have to pick the right line at the after-party today!”
“If only I could, I really wish I could….”
Kim Seong-hyeon let out a deep sigh that felt like it had been simmering for twenty-five years.
“I just want to live my life dancing.”
“Sure. Dancing hip-hop when you’re sad is one way to do it.”
To Kim Seong-hyeon’s somewhat sincere grumbling, Jeong Da-jun replied cheekily and pushed him along.
“Come on, let’s go. It’s almost dinner time!”
“Ah.”
The place they were dragged to was a door with a piece of A4 paper that said ‘Deonging Club’ taped to it. As Kim Seong-hyeon gripped the knob and opened it with a grimace, a bone-chilling noise pierced his eardrums. Covering their ears, they stepped inside to find someone playing the violin.
Screeeech—
As they took another step, brown hair fluttered, and Seong Ji-won’s face filled the screen.
Skree, skreeee—.
[Seong Ji-won.... Wow....]
[He’s way more shameless than I expected......]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Based on his beautiful face alone, he’s 1st place in the Sibelius Competition]
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE—.
“Oh? Seong-hyeon and Da-jun are here?”
【Ranked 2nd in the Business World – Seong Ji-won, Only Child of the Honorary Inheritance Group.
Department of Applied Music.
Always kind, but you must never make him angry.】
Seong Ji-won, who had been immersed in pulling the violin strings, softly lifted his eyelids. Only then did he seem to notice Jeong Da-jun and Kim Seong-hyeon, greeting them with a smile.
“It’s always a beautiful melody, Hyung!”
“Haha, thanks.”
[But why is Honorary Inheritance 2nd in the business world...
No...
No, what’s the point of looking for logic here...]
While Kim Seong-hyeon wore a look of despair as he watched the maknae, who had already learned how to survive, immediately throw out flattery—
“I see some familiar faces?”
To build tension, EDM that mimicked a racing heartbeat blared as the BGM, and the door burst open as a new figure appeared.
However, the person who entered was wearing a bright red windbreaker, vivid blue pants, and tackily tinted sunglasses that looked like insect eyes. He even had a green hiking handkerchief tied around his head like a bandana.
[Wait, why is there an ahjussi here?]
[Who are you?]
[I’ve seen this ahjussi in a hiking club...]
He looked exactly like a certain comedian known for his ‘Peach’ skit.
“Is this a newbie…?”
“Hey!!”
A startled Kim Seong-hyeon rushed over, blocked the view, and snatched off the sunglasses and bandana. Then, he roughly swept the person’s hair back with his hand while nagging.
“Seriously, as an idol, you should try to look pretty on camera….”
“Ugh! Seong-hyeon-hyung!”
Jeong Da-jun pulled on Kim Seong-hyeon’s arm with a look of horror. Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been pulling down the zipper of the windbreaker because he couldn't stand to look at it, stopped and looked at Jeong Da-jun in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“I told you not to approach him first...!”
“Huh…?”
“Ho-oh?”
Kim Seong-hyeon’s head turned toward the front with a mechanical, unnatural creak.
There, he saw a now slightly more idol-like Kang Yi-chae stroking his own chin. As Seong-hyeon tried to back away slowly, Yi-chae snatched his hand and curled his lips into a smirk.
“You….”
[Don’t do it]
“Are an interesting man.”
【Ranked 3rd in the Business World – Kang Yi-chae, Only Son of the Stock Inheritance Group for Three Generations.
Department of Composition.
A playful and lovely ‘my-pace’ guy.】
[Argh, he did it]
[F*ck, my hands (from cringing)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
It seemed even Seong Ji-won couldn't bear to watch that sight, as he quietly averted his gaze.
At the same time, a short scene was inserted.
“That was just…. X’s natural behavior.”
Jeong Da-jun touched his reddened eyes with a bitter smile.
“It didn't feel great.”
[Is this The Heirs or a dating show...]
[Pick one, Jeong Da-jun...]
Just then,
BANG!
Returning to the original scene, the now horrifyingly familiar ‘Name This Feeling’ was inserted once more. Through the door that swung open so violently it seemed it might break, Seo Ho-yun entered.
“Hey.”
【How do you name this feeling—!】
“Prince Seo’s appearance?!”
“Prince Seo……?!”
Seo Ho-yun, walking with bold, long strides, immediately pulled Kang Yi-chae’s wrist away from Kim Seong-hyeon.
“Who taught you to be so rude as to just grab someone’s wrist?”
[You’re grabbing it too, damn it]
【Tell me, you know what this is】
Then, he turned to Kim Seong-hyeon and grinned.
“It’s boring here, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Want to get out of here?”
“No.”
[Crazy, he’s so firm ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Look at Kim Seong-hyeon muttering ‘no, no, no’ like he’s rapping ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[His true feelings coming out because he’s so disgusted is so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
As the atmosphere gradually ripened, the self-produced content devolved into a battle of famous drama lines between Seo Ho-yun and Kang Yi-chae, with Kim Seong-hyeon caught in the middle.
[This is that... 3rd-anniversary Hawaii content, right?]
[The Deonging-is are the same as ever]
[Right, in the past, Jeong Da-jun used to play the Geum Jan-di role, but these days it’s Kim Seong-hyeon.]
[└ If it were me, I’d tease Kim Seong-hyeon too... his reactions are so satisfying.]
[└└ Agreed, he’s fun to tease.]
Just as it seemed to be wrapping up, with about two minutes left, the screen turned black. Then, the clumsy sound of a violin was heard, and Kim Seong-hyeon, Kang Yi-chae, and Jeong Da-jun were shown collapsed like zombies one by one. The tops of alcohol bottles lined up behind the sofa briefly flickered into view.
Seong Ji-won, looking over the younger members, smiled slightly.
“I told the maknaes they shouldn't act as black knights.”
“Seong Ji-won, don’t you think it’s just that you drank too much?”
Seo Ho-yun, crunching on ice, nudged Kim Seong-hyeon with his toe.
“Hey, Commoner. Go to your room and sleep.”
“Uh-huh….”
“But Seong-hyeon, didn't you say you were going to read a letter to Noeul?”
[A letter??]
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been blinking his slowly opening eyes, stumbled to his feet as if reacting to those words.
“He said he’s been preparing this since the day before yesterday… Seong-hyeon, should I read it for you?”
“Uhhh….”
Taking a crumpled piece of paper from Kim Seong-hyeon’s front pocket, Seong Ji-won began to read in a low voice.
“After chasing dreams in a small practice room and debuting, three hot summer seasons have already passed…….”
Then, Seong Ji-won stopped speaking. He opened and closed his mouth several times as if savoring the words.
“…It would be better if Seong-hyeon read this himself. Haha.”
“I guess so.”
“Should we write a little something too?”
Seo Ho-yun, who was skimming the letter beside him, nodded.
Seong Ji-won, having received a pen from the staff, slowly began writing at the bottom of the paper. A moment later, Kang Yi-chae and Jeong Da-jun, who had barely come to their senses at their hyungs’ urging, read the lines and awkwardly straightened up to take the pen.
After sending the still-dazed maknae, the half-delirious redhead, and the still-tipsy leader to their rooms, Seo Ho-yun looked at Seong Ji-won and asked.
“Are you going to sleep?”
“If you say you want to drink more, I’ll drink with you.”
“Then let’s have one more glass.”
At that, the pale face broke into a clear smile.
Seo Ho-yun and Seong Ji-won’s glasses clinked under the light, and the video faded to black once more.
[What is it??]
[What did they write??]
Soon, Kim Seong-hyeon’s handwritten letter appeared on the screen, accompanied by his voice in narration.
【After chasing dreams in a small practice room and debuting, three hot summer seasons are already passing by.
To think it’s been three years—while it feels cruelly fast, I am infinitely happy to think that it has all piled up to become our memories.
Seong Ji-won, who has been a reliable pillar of support from the beginning.
Seo Ho-yun, who is always busy teasing me, but is someone I rely on just as much, if not more.
Kang Yi-chae, a cool younger brother who always surprises me with his outstanding talent and kindness.
Our maknae, Jeong Da-jun, who has become noticeably mature before I knew it, making me feel a bit sad but now so dependable.
Thank you so much.
It would be a lie to say there weren't painful and difficult days, but thanks to the people who believed in me without change, I was able to pass through those times and make it here.
It might sound like a cliché, but I am truly happy because of our fans.
I will continue to be here.
I’ll always be here, even when I’m not shining.
Hoping that this becomes a place where our members and Noeuls can return to at any time.
Thank you for loving me,
And I hope we are all always happy.
Sincerely, The Dawn’s Kim Seong-hyeon.】
Below that, the sentences written by the members were visible.
【I’m always grateful too, Seong-hyeon.】
【I shed a tear while reading this. Our members are the best! ㅜㅜ!!】
【I liked that you called it a home to return to, Hyung.】
Finally, as the page turned one last time, a neat handwriting was revealed.
【Our proud leader.】
It was the line Seo Ho-yun had sent to Kim Seong-hyeon.