Chapter 357
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 357
By the time Seo Ho-yun appeared at the paintball survival arena clad in camouflage, Kang Yi-chae—the very man who had vowed to sabotage him—was busy sweeping through mini-games elsewhere.
【 Test Your Musical Ear – Room of Absolute Pitch 】
※ Single Player Only
The mission took place in a vocal training room within the new WH Entertainment headquarters.
As the production crew pressed piano keys from behind a screen, Kang Yi-chae stroked his chin, his brows furrowing slightly.
"F#, F, G, B, C."
[Wait, what?]
[No way... seriously?]
As Kang Yi-chae waited leisurely for the verdict, the flustered murmurs of the staff played in the background like ambient noise.
"C-Correct."
The rules clearly stated that identifying one or two notes would grant bonus points. However, because Yi-chae answered so effortlessly, the difficulty began to skyrocket. Eventually, the staff resorted to pressing multiple keys simultaneously.
[This is insane lol]
[If that were me, I would’ve flipped the table. Seriously, wtf]
[How do you even get that right?;;]
"…And this one?"
The staff member asked cautiously, as if testing the waters after playing a blatantly difficult chord. A sly smirk played on Yi-chae’s lips.
"Yi-chae, Yi-chae. B, E♭, F#, A, B♭."
He rattled them off fluently, then drawled out the end of his sentence as if intentionally building suspense before finishing the answer.
"Hmm, F#, A♭, E♭, A… and D?"
He was spot on.
At that moment, the screen showed an insert of the youngest member struggling in the same room. Jeong Da-jun could handle a single note without issue, but the moment it jumped to two or three, he was left wandering in a daze with literal question marks over his head.
[Ah, Jeong Da-jun is so cute I’m gonna die]
[But seriously, how did Kang Yi-chae get that? ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Daaaamn, my pride in our composing member just shot through the roof...]
【 Kang Yi-chae: 1 point for participation + 1 bonus point from the crew. Total: 2 points. 】
"Thanks~!"
With a refreshing smile and a polite greeting, Kang Yi-chae tucked the mission slip he received between his index and middle fingers. He gave it a little wave before heading straight to the room next door.
【 Just Enjoy Yourself – Room of Macau 】
There were three tables, each manned by a person in a formal suit. As he sat down at the nearest table, the dealer in charge of Blackjack smiled.
"Check."
Dazzling skill.
"Raise."
A perfectly unshakeable poker face.
"All-in."
And bold, hesitation-free betting.
【 Not an Idol, but a Returning Gambler? 】
Having swept through two locations in the blink of an eye, Kang Yi-chae flashed a cheeky grin at the shell-shocked production crew.
"Ehey, we’re not done yet. Don’t back out now. I’ll bet all the points I’ve earned so far to raise the bonus to 2 points. Deal?"
"……Deal."
And naturally, it ended in a total, perfect victory.
【 Kang Yi-chae: 1 point for participation + 2 bonus points. Total: 3 points. 】
【 Kang Yi-chae’s Current Points: 7. 】
[Kang Yi-chae is a god....]
[Why is he even an idol? He should’ve gone to Macau.]
[Is this room literally made for him?]
After easily dominating the dealer 1-on-1 in Blackjack, followed by Poker against the staff, and finally Hula, Kang Yi-chae flipped a chip into the air, caught it, and curled one side of his mouth upward.
"Thank youuu~"
[Why has Thug-chae been playing so hard since earlier? Isn't he practically in 1st place now?]
[Is he really going to give Seong-hyeon 1st place? Really? For real? Can we trust him this time?]
└ [Are you the Water Dumpling Leader himself? How can you believe that, human...]
Unaware of the conversation the Noeuls were having, Kang Yi-chae whistled as he headed toward the next mission location.
After walking down the hallway and turning several corners, he arrived at what was originally the WH Entertainment monitoring room. Upon entering, he saw two large armchairs, with a projector screen lowered on the far wall.
He expected the game to start immediately, but instead, he just leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone.
"…Mr. Kang Yi-chae, aren't you going to start?"
"Mmm, let's wait just a bit."
Despite the staff's question, Yi-chae simply tapped away at a text message, his eyebrow twitching slightly.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon."
Tick-tock. The sound of a clock's second hand pierced the silence for a long while until, finally, the door opened again.
The camera panned up slowly from the floor to reveal the newcomer. Wearing chunky sneakers, black jogger pants with numerous pockets, and a black turtleneck, the man’s cheeks and jawline were slick with sweat.
"Hey."
【 The Hot Guy in the Ghillie Suit Appears! 】
[WTF, if he had just dressed like this earlier, it would’ve been so good]
[MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!!!!!!!! RAGE!!!!!!!!!!]
Seo Ho-yun, unaware of the fans' fury over being unintentionally blocked from 'creating legendary shots of my bias,' blew his bangs out of his face and plopped down into the empty chair next to Kang Yi-chae.
Yi-chae wrinkled his nose and covered the area under it with his index finger.
"You smell like dead leaves."
[Kang Yi-chae has the instincts of an animal. How did he know? ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[He can tell the smell of dead leaves, but he didn't know what the guy was wearing...]
└ [Of course he wouldn't know.]
"Why didn't you come to the survival game?"
"I was busy racking up points."
"Pity."
【 The non-enlisted member luckily escaped the sniper fire of the one who served. 】
Fake smiles were plastered on both members' faces as they sized each other up. Then, Kang Yi-chae threw the first provocation at Seo Ho-yun.
"Ho-yun hyung, are you ready to be a slave for two weeks?"
"Then are you prepared to be kissed by Kim Seong-hyeon?"
"Hahaha! Me? Not you, hyung?"
Their words were polite, but sparks practically flew from their clashing gazes.
The production crew, sensing the volatile atmosphere, spoke up tentatively.
"…Then, we shall begin."
【 Keep a Straight Face No Matter What – Room of Suppressing Laughter 】
※ For Single or Multiple Players
【 You must not laugh or show embarrassment while watching clips of The Dawn provided by the staff. Maintain a poker face no matter what you see! 】
【 For single players, surviving until the end of the video earns 1 participation point. For multiple players, bonus points are awarded only if your opponent breaks first. However, in this game, the person who fails to get the bonus points will not receive participation points either. 】
[Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋ what is this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Lmao ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I haven't even seen it yet and I'm already laughing. I give up on the challenge right now.]
[I don't think Kang Yi-chae can hold it. He's the guy who fails the challenge just looking at Jeong Da-jun.]
└ [True, our Yi-chae lives a joyful life ㅋㅋㅋ]
Seo Ho-yun brushed at his hair as if he could still feel debris in it, while Kang Yi-chae simply stared at the screen. The first video began.
It was a variety talk show set in a school, with the concept of deciding who the "Top Dog" was while wearing school uniforms.
—This is a shocking true story I experienced. The protagonist isn't me, but Ho-u Ho-u hyung.
It was the very program where Kang Yi-chae had exposed Seo Ho-yun’s ultimate "dark past" moment.
—Ho-yun hyung was practicing his aegyo.
—You're so lovely, it's serious (sim-ga-kae)...
On the screen, Seo Ho-yun was shown burying his face in a desk, playing dead with only his bright red ears visible.
[Ah~~~ I miss those days~~~]
[The fact that Seo Ho-yun had a phase like that feels like an urban legend.]
[Kyyaa, Ho-yun was so cute back then ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He wasn't used to aegyo, so his 'soul-leaving-body' expression was so precious.]
At that moment, the screen switched to a close-up of Seo Ho-yun and Kang Yi-chae watching the broadcast.
"……."
"……."
Their faces were incredibly cold.
Kang Yi-chae rested his chin on his right hand, staring straight ahead with a frigid expression. Seo Ho-yun sat with his arms crossed, watching with a chillingly indifferent face.
[I'm sorry....]
[I'm sorry for laughing.....]
Sensing something was wrong, the production crew decided to go for a heavy hitter immediately.
—Ho-yun, am I a fool? Just how long are you going to make me wait?!
It was the FNL episode filmed back when "Seo Ho-yun Syndrome" and "Kang Yi-chae Syndrome" were all the rage.
The footage showed Seo Ho-yun sitting on a bed, gently brushing aside the black bangs of Seong Ji-won, who was "afflicted" with Seo Ho-yun Syndrome.
—How long am I going to wait?
—Until the traffic light changes 200 times….
[Ah, Seo Ho-yun Syndrome, that was hilarious too ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kang Yi-chae is 100% going to laugh at this. He enjoyed 'Kang Yi-chae Syndrome' so much back then.]
However, even in the next shot,
"……."
"……."
Neither of them moved a single millimeter of their lips.
[I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry]
[This isn't even a laughter challenge anymore.]
[I feel like a kid walking on eggshells between my mom and dad.]
[Please just let me out of this room.]
[No, but their straight faces are even scarier.]
【 This Room of Suppressing Laughter…… doesn't look like it will end easily. 】
Subtitles appeared beneath Seo Ho-yun and Kang Yi-chae, who remained in their unwavering poses.
—Yes, Hyung-hyung….
After several videos had cycled through without any change, Kang Yi-chae was the first to speak.
"…Hyung, honestly, you were embarrassed when I caught you practicing aegyo in the practice room, weren't you?"
Seo Ho-yun replied nonchalantly, his gaze still fixed forward.
"Puing-puing?"
"……."
[That didn't work at all.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That's so annoying ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
He then leaned back deep into his chair and added:
"Kang Yi-chae, your IRIX rank has been dropping lately."
"I'm just enjoying it casually on my alt account."
"Your main account dropped too."
"…Th-that’s also just for fun."
[Kang Yi-chae’s response was a beat late.]
Then, Seo Ho-yun’s lips curved into a delicate arc.
"That's because of me."
"……?"
"You know how your power cut out in the middle of a ranked IRIX match?"
"…Are you talking about the last game of my promotion series?"
Yi-chae’s eyes flickered toward Ho-yun before stopping. Yi-chae looked sharp and fierce, but Ho-yun remained perfectly calm.
"I pulled the plug and then plugged it back in."
"What?! …Why?"
"As your hyung, I wanted to prevent game addiction for my younger brother's sake."
[Seo Ho-yun Shutdown System]
At a statement that would make even a devil shake his head in horror, Yi-chae’s eyebrows twitched.
"…Hyung, you know your stock value plummeted, right? I saw your trading app lately, and it didn't look good."
"I know. But I like the color blue."
"Ehey, hyung, my hair color is red."
"That's exactly why."
At Ho-yun’s composed response, Yi-chae’s expression hardened even further.
"Then what if I dye my hair blue?"
"Maybe I'll start liking red then."
[What is this childish bickering...]
[It's not even a laughter challenge anymore, it's a battle of nonsense.]
As if his expression was about to crumble, Yi-chae rubbed his mouth and let out a small sigh.
"Can't you just say that anything looks good on me for once?"
On the projector, a clip from their self-produced content 'The Dawn Corp' was playing, showing Seo Ho-yun getting annoyed at Kang Yi-chae for insisting they go eat Pyongyang Naengmyeon.
"Is it really that hard to give me one compliment?"
"……."
[He's saying it like a joke, but he seems a bit hurt.]
[But if that's true, I would've cried ㅠ When Seong Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae imitated Seo Ho-yun, what they each heard was completely different.]
Yi-chae continued to speak, his eyes still fixed forward, having already lost interest in the video.
Then, Seo Ho-yun’s head, which hadn't budged until now, turned toward him quite easily.
"Hey."
"What."
"You wouldn't believe me even if I complimented you openly."
"…Me?"
With a deep furrow between his brows, Yi-chae looked at Ho-yun a beat late.
"And the reason I'm stingy with compliments is because I have high expectations for you. You know that."
"……."
"I'm meaner to the people I expect more from."
Seo Ho-yun was smiling slightly.
"Should I stop if you don't like it?"
While Yi-chae blinked in surprise, missing his timing to respond, the production crew spoke to Ho-yun first.
"Seo Ho-yun, you smiled. You're disqualified."
"Okay."
Ho-yun stood up and walked out without a hint of lingering regret. Yi-chae stared blankly at his retreating back before clicking his tongue and standing up a moment later.
【 Kang Yi-chae: 1 point for participation + 1 bonus point. Total: 2 points. 】
【 Kang Yi-chae’s Current Points: 9. 】
The results of the mini-game and Yi-chae’s total points were recorded on the screen.
"……Unbelievable."
Holding his forehead, Yi-chae grumbled, not even realizing his natural way of speaking was slipping out.
"He just leaves immediately without even making an excuse that he didn't laugh. Isn't that just posturing? It's not even cool. Right?"
After grumbling as if lamenting his fate, Yi-chae picked a mission slip from the staff to check the next location. Pouting his lips, he dialed a contact saved as 'Water Dumpling' on speakerphone.
—What. What is it?
A wary voice came through the phone almost immediately.
"Seong-hyeon hyuuuuung."
—…Wh-what? Kang Yi-chae, what's wrong with you?
"Let's do a mission together. Give me a ride on your bicycle."
At the tone full of whining, there was no response from the phone for a moment as if the person was deeply flustered. Finally, a response worthy of The Dawn’s leader came back.
—……Did something happen to you?