Chapter 348
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 348
Kim Seong-hyeon had been spending many sleepless nights lately.
Was it because he was the eldest of many siblings, or was it a hunch born from his three years of experience as a leader living and breathing with his members?
‘Seo Ho-yun has been strange lately.’
He understood why Ho-yun was staying at his own place instead of the dorm for a while to look after his younger brother’s health. If Seong-hyeon were in that position, he would have prioritized family too.
Furthermore, Ho-yun participated in practice whenever he could and never missed a music video shoot or a scheduled activity. He worked as hard as he always did.
Despite that, the reason Seong-hyeon was so worried about him was simple.
‘Why does the kid look more haggard by the day?’
Judging by his appearance alone, it looked like Ho-yun was the patient, not Seo Ho-jin.
Just what exactly was going on?
As the dawn moon ripened and he tossed and turned in anxiety, a cautious knock sounded, and the door opened. Seong Ji-won peeked his head inside.
“Seong-hyeon, are you awake?”
Kim Seong-hyeon sat up, his hair a mess, and ran a hand through it.
“Yeah. Come in.”
Seong Ji-won sat on the floor near the bed and spoke hesitantly.
“You know, when we did the underwater filming… I think Ho-yun fainted back then….”
“You think so too?!”
Kim Seong-hyeon bolted upright, his voice rising instinctively.
“The members might play rough jokes on each other, but we’ve never messed around when it comes to safety. Especially Ho-yun—he’s sensitive about things like that. At the time, I was so shocked I just asked if he was okay, but thinking back on it later, it felt a bit suspicious.”
Kim Seong-hyeon let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face tiredly.
“…Does a person usually faint just from a bad cold?”
“I don’t know…. I’ve never gone into the water when I was that sick.”
“Usually, people don’t….”
He knew Seo Ho-yun was an adult capable of taking care of himself, and that at times, he was far more mature than Seong-hyeon himself.
Even knowing exactly what kind of person he was, Seong-hyeon couldn’t stop worrying. He knew he was being a bit overprotective.
‘Well, who told him to get that sick?’
During a group schedule, they had gone to watch Kang Yi-chae’s mentor performance on Rising Rookies. Ho-yun had told the manager he’d be right back and disappeared, only to turn up in a hospital emergency room.
At that time, Ho-yun had already been in cardiac arrest.
‘How could I not worry?’
Scratching his right eyebrow with his thumb, Kim Seong-hyeon spoke up.
“Should we just ask the company for help? WH Entertainment seems to take decent care of their artists.”
“No. It might interfere with the schedule.”
Kim Seong-hyeon frowned at the unexpected point. Seong Ji-won raised a hand as if asking him to wait a moment and slowly added his reasoning.
“This might be overthinking it, but they could use this as an excuse to push back the comeback again. Ho-yun barely managed to block the pressure from the company to postpone our activities as it is—”
“What?! Seo Ho-yun blocked that?!”
“—Ho-yun wouldn’t want… Oh, you didn’t know?”
Seong Ji-won’s eyes went wide as he looked at Kim Seong-hyeon, then he awkwardly averted his gaze.
“Why haven’t you mentioned a word of this to me until now?”
“Ah, no, Seong-hyeon, I mean, that’s……”
“I heard a rumor that someone high up is backing him. Is that true? Is that related to this too?”
“Wait, wait! I don’t know that much either!”
Kim Seong-hyeon watched Seong Ji-won wave his hands in protest, then scratched the back of his head instead of sighing.
“…Fine. Let’s put all the secondary issues aside for now. Let’s just keep an eye on Seo Ho-yun.”
Kim Seong-hyeon didn’t think Ho-yun was the type of guy who could be persuaded or stopped with words anyway.
It was wiser to support him from the side while drawing a line so he wouldn’t overdo it. Seong Ji-won nodded, seemingly in agreement.
Their eyes met, and they both let out a simultaneous groan.
Though they had reached a conclusion, Kim Seong-hyeon still felt uneasy.
“I just wish he wouldn’t push himself so hard….”
*
The observation of Seo Ho-yun began the next day.
“Ho-yun, are you here?”
“Seo Ho-yun! Can you come over here for a second?”
“Ho-yun-ssi~.”
He hadn’t noticed it before, but people were looking for Seo Ho-yun everywhere.
While Seong-hyeon was filled with anxiety that Ho-yun might collapse at any moment, the man in question moved diligently with a calm face.
And despite being told multiple times that he was fine and should rest, he stubbornly showed up at the practice room.
“One, two….”
Kim Seong-hyeon led the members from the front while constantly tracking Ho-yun with his eyes.
Today, they decided to break down the choreography they had practiced countless times into even finer details to emphasize the nuances.
After installing a camera for monitoring and dancing through the routine about five times, the music finally stopped.
“Ughhh!”
Jeong Da-jun, who had the most monstrous stamina of them all, was the first to collapse on the floor, panting heavily and whining.
“I feel like the choreography gets harder and harder as time goes on…….”
“The point choreography is on the simpler side, though.”
Kang Yi-chae, who was gulping down water next to him, poked Da-jun as he retorted.
“That’s so it’s easy for people to follow alonggg….”
Kim Seong-hyeon looked away from the younger ones, wiped his sweat with his T-shirt, and turned toward Seo Ho-yun. Perhaps because the album release was just around the corner, the choreographer’s feedback had become more detailed and meticulous.
“Ho-yun-ssi, your expression is much better than last time, but are you lacking stamina lately? You seem to lack power overall.”
“How should I fix it?”
“Hmm, first, here at the 1-minute 21-second mark—”
As he checked the video they had just filmed and moved his feet repeatedly, Ho-yun’s face was deathly pale, without a single drop of blood in it.
The choreographer was teaching him because it had to be done, but even he seemed to be glancing at Ho-yun with pity.
“Focus more on the isolation. And in the group dance at 1 minute 58 seconds, the moment you kick to the side, it needs to have a definitely rugged feel.”
“…Could you tell me the exact position?”
“Position?”
“My right foot that’s in the air right now. Should it go about 3 centimeters further to the side?”
“…Uh…….”
The choreographer sputtered like a malfunctioning computer as he watched Ho-yun adjust his movements, asking, “3 centimeters?” “4 centimeters?” Kim Seong-hyeon, already used to this behavior, signaled the choreographer, pushed Seong Ji-won into the spot instead, and pulled Ho-yun back.
“You, come here.”
He then patted Ho-yun’s back and said, “Now, watch closely.”
Normally, Ho-yun would have worn a mischievous smile and cracked a joke, but now he was struggling just to follow the movements.
‘What should I do about this?’
The dancing was definitely improving. However, there was no sense of ease at all, making Ho-yun’s naturally smooth lines and unique aura look lackluster.
‘Will he be okay on stage?’
“Hey, Seo Ho-yun.”
If Ho-yun was in this state during the actual performances—
“Are you going to be okay for the promotions?”
—it would be better not to do them at all.
Stopping his movements and breathing harshly, Ho-yun lifted his chin and focused his hazy eyes on Kim Seong-hyeon.
“……Oh.”
And then, the corners of his lips curled up.
“Our baby actually knows how to worry about people?”
“…….”
Kim Seong-hyeon froze for a moment, then shook his head and walked away.
In the end, the lights in The Dawn’s practice room didn’t go out until late that night.
.
.
.
“Just kill me. Just kill me.”
Using the last of my strength, I punched in the passcode and collapsed as soon as I stepped into the entryway.
“Urgh….”
My torso hit the floor directly, but since the whole house was fitted with anti-slip mats for Mallang-i, it didn’t hurt that much.
“Fuck… Mallang-i, thanks….”
I tossed my hat and mask aside and rolled over.
[Status Effect Remaining Time: 5 days, 12 hours, 16 seconds]
“…This is relentless.”
I frowned at the system window occupying a corner of my vision, informing me of the penalty period, then let out a deep breath.
My body just wouldn’t follow my lead during practice. My head was throbbing and my stomach was churning even while standing still; there was no way I could dance well.
As I ran my hand through my hair, I suddenly felt a strange sense of silence in the house.
“Did he say he was going to his parents’ place?”
Min Ji-heon, who had gotten a vacation after finishing an overseas shoot, had fled with the dog, claiming there was a crisis in his relationship with Mallang-i.
I lay there silently, repeatedly telling myself I had to wash up, when the phone shoved in my pocket began to vibrate.
[Jeong Da-jun: Hyung, on our way back from practice, we bought that ice cream you like for some reason]
[Jeong Da-jun: It was on a clearance sale so the expiration date is super short. You have to come quickly, Hyung]
[Seong Ji-won: Ho-yun, here’s the video the choreographer sent. Watch it when you have time haha]
[Seo Ho-jin: Hyung, you at the dorm?]
I lifted my trembling arm to check the messages on the lock screen when—
[Min Ji-heon: Ho-yun-ssi~ lol]
Min Ji-heon’s name popped up.
[Min Ji-heon: You’re home right now, right?]
[Min Ji-heon: Um... look....]
[Min Ji-heon: I’m really sorry]
[Min Ji-heon: I’m someone who extremely dislikes conflict, so I had no choice]
[Min Ji-heon: That friend was a bit scary....]
[Min Ji-heon: Anyway, fighting]
[Min Ji-heon: (Praying hands emoji)]
What kind of bullshit was this now?
I squinted at the screen, then tossed the phone away and closed my eyes.
If it were something important, he would have called. Let’s ignore it.
‘I feel like I’m going to die if I close my eyes like this.’
Fatigue and pain took turns washing over my body.
I tried to force myself to stay conscious, but my body kept sagging.
Beep, beep-beep—beep….
Just then, the door opened and I heard someone’s footsteps.
I thought it was a bit early for him to be back, but since they knew the passcode, I naturally assumed it was the owner of the house.
“Hey, what was that text earlier, cough, about?”
“…….”
But there was no answer.
Instead, they just poked me.
“I don’t have any strength right now… so don’t touch me and just get lost.”
I shouted irritably as I felt them poking my thigh again and forced my eyelids open.
“Ah, I said get lo—”
Then, I saw a pair of familiar red shoes.
The very sneakers Jeong Da-jun had gifted to a certain member for his birthday.
“—st…….”
As I slowly lifted my head, the face of the guy I had been sweating with in practice until just a moment ago appeared.
“What should I do?”
I locked eyes with Kang Yi-chae, who was looking down at me with a pathetic expression.
“Yi-chae doesn’t want to get lost.”