Chapter 354
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 354
“Huh? Really?”
Since we were in the middle of a promotion period, I’d been carrying out my schedule on less than two hours of sleep today alone. Jeong Da-jun tilted his head in confusion at my claim that I was in tip-top shape.
But I was in a great mood, feeling refreshed after being liberated from the constant nosebleeds, coughing up blood, and the seemingly endless headaches. Plus, it was satisfying to see the fans in person after a while. I felt a bit bad that they all looked so worried, each offering a word of concern about my health, though.
Kim Seong-hyeon, who was taking a large bite of a famous sandwich from the U-U Bank snack bar on my right, chimed in.
“Actually, he probably is in good condition. Seo Ho-yun’s been walking around with such a bright smile lately that the company staff have started avoiding him.”
“I mean, it is creepy when someone suddenly starts acting out of character… Ack!”
I gave Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun a flick on the forehead each and turned my head. Seong Ji-won, sitting in front of me, gave a pretty smile.
“It’s probably because he got to spend some time with his family after so long.”
“Oh, right! Is Ho-jin doing better now?”
“Yeah. Yi-chae, you met Ho-jin too, right? How was he?”
Despite it being a casual question, my smile cracked slightly when the members’ eyes turned toward Kang Yi-chae, who was sprawled out in the corner of the waiting room playing games.
“Oh, yeah. I saw Ho-jin—.”
Kang Yi-chae glanced at me and deliberately curled one side of his mouth upward.
“—He’s much healthier now. I had a veeeery good and comfortable time, too.”
Good? Comfortable?
I suppressed the scoff that threatened to burst out in disbelief.
That little brat, seriously…
Dragging along all his gear—his laptop, electronic piano, and everything he usually used for work—he had insisted on crawling into Min Ji-heon’s house. Using the excuse of nursing me, he had stayed with me for five days.
I tried to kick him out, but he stayed low and acted uncharacteristically quiet, promising to stay out of the way. It was more exhausting to keep caring about it, so I had no choice but to leave him be.
“Uuuugh, Yi-chae is so sad because he has no talent.”
Then, whenever I seemed okay, he would cling to me and whine. But the moment I coughed up blood, he would shut his mouth as if nothing had happened and disappear into some corner.
Then, when I’d happen to look over, a few painkillers would be sitting all alone on the table.
What a total fox.
He repeatedly pushed and pulled, never quite crossing the line of my patience.
When I saw him making a fuss in the kitchen, claiming he’d cook for me to set the mood for ‘nursing’ and shedding thick, crocodile tears while chopping onions, I was so dumbfounded that I momentarily forgot the pain.
“……Kang Yi-chae, aren’t you going back to the dorm?”
“The doooorm?”
Kang Yi-chae tilted his head as if he’d heard a strange question, then beamed.
“This is a secret… but my work goes really well here.”
“…….”
“Maybe it’s because the land is expensive, or the feng shui is just that good.”
Forget it, just get lost already.
I let out a deep sigh. Thinking I should at least feed him before sending him back, I pushed Kang Yi-chae aside and picked up the knife myself. I began fixing the ingredients he’d butchered and started boiling some porridge.
Kang Yi-chae watched me for a moment, not looking embarrassed at all, then walked over to his electronic piano. He started tinkling on the keys and spoke to me.
“Hyung, you must be bored while cooking. Want me to sing something for you, audition-program style?”
“No, I’m good.”
I refused, naturally.
But there was no way Kang Yi-chae would just shut up.
Moving his long fingers with a flourish as if he intended to press all eighty-eight keys, Kang Yi-chae opened his mouth.
“Ji-won-gun doesn’t even become a supporter, He’s no supporter.”
“…….”
“Even if I ask Ho-u Ho-u, there’s no answer, oh, man. You know who I’m talking about—.”
It was a genuine waste of talent.
“—He’s conscienceless.”
Ting, ting, ting, ting!
Plonk, plonk, plonk, plonk!
“Woah~ oo woah-oo-woah~.”
The moment his vibrato, which sounded more like sobbing, reached its peak, I got so pissed off that I threw the ladle I was holding into the sink and marched over.
I yanked the plug of the electronic piano out and warned him in a low voice.
“Kang Yi-chae, knock it off.”
“…….”
“Go back to the dorm before I really get mad.”
Kang Yi-chae was silent for a moment, then pressed down on a silent key.
“……Man, it’s a challenging life….”
The facade of him closing his eyes and singing soulfully while cleverly working his own name into the rhyme was quite something.
Twitch.
“You bastard, don’t even think about going home quietly now.”
“Gah!”
My miserable body at the time didn’t have enough patience to overlook even such a childish provocation. As I took a step forward, Kang Yi-chae let out a shrill scream and bolted.
After those days repeated, the moment I opened my eyes to the usual, tedious morning…
I realized that everything had returned to normal.
It was exactly the fifth day since Kang Yi-chae had invaded Min Ji-heon’s house.
My arms move well, and my legs are fine.
The smell of blood that had constantly lingered in my nose and the metallic taste that wouldn’t leave the tip of my tongue had also vanished.
Thinking I should check on Seo Ho-jin, I threw on some clothes and headed out, but I suddenly stopped. I saw Kang Yi-chae curled up like a shrimp on the living room sofa, covered loosely with a coat, apparently having fallen asleep while working until dawn.
“Hey, Kang Yi-chae.”
When I gave him a light kick, he woke up groggily. Even though I didn’t say anything, he just looked at my face and started packing his bags on his own.
Then, he gave a grin and said this:
“Hyung, should we eat jajangmyeon with the members today?”
As if that would go down well in the morning.
I just let out a small sigh at his seemingly excited demeanor.
After that, I went to see Seo Ho-jin, checked him over thoroughly, and returned to the dorm. Of course, Kang Yi-chae followed me the whole time.
Anyway, looking back at the situation with a clear head, it wasn’t too bad in many ways.
The views on Ju Woo-seong’s self-produced content were solid, so I cleared that quest easily. I’d also been diligently carrying out other missions while doing the comeback show, music broadcasts, and mini fan meetings.
If things kept going like this, it didn’t seem like the plan I’d set would go awry—….
[A Quest has arrived!
Achieve 3 appearances on terrestrial variety shows by the end of the year.
Success Reward: 30,000 Points
Failure Penalty: A random Status Effect will occur and last for one month; unable to log out of Unknown Idol Tycoon.]
Why is the quest balance going crazy again?
“Tsk…….”
Along with my recovery, the penalties had also reverted from the sweet ‘Unknown Actor Tycoon’ days back to the shitty usual.
I glared displeasurably at the system window shimmering over the waiting room mirror, then snatched the mango smoothie Kim Seong-hyeon was drinking and gulped it down.
“Ah, hey! Yours is over there, over there! It’s the same thing, why are you drinking mine?”
“Is our baby shy?”
“And please, I’m begging you, just shut up.”
I ignored Kim Seong-hyeon’s whining and glanced over at Kang Yi-chae. He was laughing loudly while talking to his roommate, Seong Ji-won, whom he’d gotten even closer to recently.
“Ah~ hahahat! Ji-won hyung is seriously so funny lately.”
So you’re having fun now, are you, Kang Yi-chae?
Laugh all you want while you still can.
I decided to carry out the schedule faithfully and wait calmly. Until he completely let his guard down.
You’re dead meat.
* * *
[This is so addictive, the lyrics are repeating in my head like a round song]
[Please ban this song during exam periods
Keep it under Level S2.. Argh, stop it]
The Dawn’s songs were echoing through the streets everywhere.
The title track was popular, but the B-side, Candies, received particularly rave reviews among K-pop stans.
[Plz trust the recommendation of a 10-year K-pop veteran and listen to Candies just once...
Remembering the sweetness I had with you
I can't believe they're doing this concept in their 4th year]
[Your problem is that your smile is pretty.....
My problem is that I love you.....]
[Gosh, seriously, my tear ducts are broken....
└ Complete opposite for me, my gums are drying out from smiling so much while watching the B-side stage...]
After the ‘Last Round’ album promotions began, various videos were uploaded to The Dawn’s official Nutube channel. Among them was the cheering guide for the title track, ‘Level S2.’
[Kang Yi-chae’s diction is unnecessarily perfect]
[The maknae lololol our puppy is seriously driving me crazy lolol making us basically rap during the instrumental lolol what are you gonna do if you stumble while showing us the cheering guide lolol so cute lolol]
[While Jeong Da-jun moves dozens of times in 5 minutes, Seong Ji-won barely moves at all ffs lolololol]
It was packed with various behind-the-scenes moments, such as them practicing at the last minute before the actual shoot and a small accident where Jeong Da-jun almost poked Kim Seong-hyeon in the face while excitedly waving the inverted pyramid-shaped lightstick.
[Everyone was singing however they wanted, so Kim Seong-hyeon told them to do it properly before he hit them with the lightstick, but nobody listened
└ Lololol look at Seong Ji-won saying 'I don't wanna' in a tiny voice next to him
└└ Lolol Ji-won is so cute T_T]
In another video, they all gathered to search for each member’s name on the Mango Wiki site. First, Jeong Da-jun typed in ‘Seo Ho-yun’ and read the content.
【Appearance: A cold handsome man with a pure and delicate face but a chilly aura. Perhaps because of this, there is a huge difference between when he smiles and when he doesn’t. Even the members acknowledge his looks. In fact, when asked about Seo Ho-yun’s strengths during a live stream, Kang Yi-chae went as far as to say, ‘It’s hard to talk about Ho-yun hyung if you take away his face.’ Oooooh~.】
【When did you say that?】
【Sorry, but that really was the only strength of yours I could think of.】
Seo Ho-yun smirked at Kang Yi-chae, then swapped places with Jeong Da-jun to take over the laptop.
He scrolled down the mouse wheel, skimming the text.
【Seo Ho-yun… Nickname: Ttukttak-i. Who wrote this?】
【Hey, hey. There’s a dance section. Seo Ho-yun, go to the dance part.】
【Although he is in a vocal position, his dance lines are smooth and he moves very lightly. Noeul, who became a fan later, even thought he was naturally good at dancing. He fills his deficiencies with an overwhelming amount of practice, always showing improvement… What? This doesn’t seem right.】
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been scowling, looked away from the monitor and turned his head at Seo Ho-yun’s quiet reaction.
【…Seo Ho-yun, at least you still have a conscience since you’re not acknowledging it?】
Instead of answering, Seo Ho-yun opened a new notepad in the corner.
【Seo Ho-yun, who possessed extraordinary talent from birth, overturned the household by showcasing a miraculous dance performance around his 100th-day celebration.】
[Lmao look at Seo Ho-yun opening the notepad and typing away with full intent]
[Is this a myth?]
Dumbfounded and speechless, Kim Seong-hyeon stared blankly at Seo Ho-yun’s finger movements.
[Lolololololololololololol]
[Lol you’re seriously so cute and shameless lolol]
[Exactly lolololol I remember you being such a Ttukttak-i during Second Chance!! Lolol]
By the time Seo Ho-yun had written, ‘Baby Seo Ho-yun, whose mysterious powers grew as time went on…,’ with a nonchalant expression, Jeong Da-jun let out a cry of pure admiration.
【Hyung, you could be a drama writer.】
【Thanks.】
【Hmm, our Ho-yun really is multi-talented. You had a lot of talent in this area too.】
【…….】
Seo Ho-yun’s relentless fingers stopped.
Soon, as if he’d lost interest in his own narrative, he searched for Seong Ji-won’s name on Mango Wiki.
【As if heavenly singing skills weren’t enough, he constantly challenges himself with rap, but he is incredibly bad at it. If you compare the self-produced content from his first year of debut with the recently released workshop, you’ll see that his skills hardly improve at all.】
【No!! Why are you being mean to our kid!】
As he read the calmly written text that followed, Kang Yi-chae burst out in anger and covered Seong Ji-won’s ears with both hands. Seong Ji-won, who had been blinking with wide, surprised eyes, started mumbling the rap part of Candies.
【Was. It. Sour? Was it sweet.
Do. You. Un.der.stand. what. I’m. say.ing. now—.】
【We’ll stop here.】
Seo Ho-yun cut him off quickly with a serious face.
Seong Ji-won looked at Seo Ho-yun with a slightly hurt expression, but Jeong Da-jun popped up in front of him as if to intervene and wrapped up the situation.
【Then, bye! See you again!】
[Lolololololololol]
[Ah, this group is so cute I’m losing my mind]
[Lolololol look at him staring with that betrayed face lolololol But.. our Ho-yun-chan,, has an honest personality, right?]
While Noeul was busy devouring the pouring content without a break,
[The variety show masters, The Dawn, are back!]
A teaser for the self-produced content they had prepared with the most effort for this promotion was released.
[This is definitely the Daepasung influence, right? They really churn out self-produced content so fast, it’s like a factory]
[Ah, I’m so, so excited]
The first scene featured Seong Ji-won rapping in a dark location. Opposite him, Jeong Da-jun, with a hat pulled low, was nodding his head to the beat.
【First, say ah. And take. my. candy.】
As the verse ended with a grand gesture, Jeong Da-jun handed over a necklace engraved with ‘Level S2.’ Seong Ji-won took it with a bright smile.
【Thank you!】
[Wait, what....?]
Then the screen transitioned to a pile of fallen leaves. Soon, it shook violently, and something suddenly popped up. It was Seo Ho-yun, wearing a ghillie suit covered in natural objects like leaves and branches.
He grimly loaded a paintball gun.
【Do you really have to do this?】
【Yes. I really have to.】
Seo Ho-yun’s eyes flashed dangerously.
【Because I can’t live just being on the receiving end.】
[Ah, right....]
The scene changed again, showing Kim Seong-hyeon and Kang Yi-chae riding a tandem bicycle. Behind them, the sun was setting, spreading a long lingering glow across the sky.
Over their receding backs, the title was plastered in large letters.
[These guys were handsome, but they were a bit strange......]
It was the start of The Dawn’s chaotic self-produced content, ‘Unlock My Code.’