Chapter 359
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 359
[Title: Seo Ho-yun’s two-week reign is actually insane]
Who gave this madman a sword to swing...?
I thought Seo Ho-yun would just laugh it off and act like his usual self...
But no.
Absolutely not.
Has this guy been suppressed lately or something?
He’s roasting the kids like he’s settling a lifelong grudge.
Ho-yun: Lemonade.
Da-jun: Yes, sir!
Ho-yun: Strawberry cake.
Da-jun: Yes, sir!
Ho-yun: Rap machine.
Ji-won: (Starts grooving)
LMAO, seriously, what is going on?
└ I thought I was going to die just watching Seong Ji-won rap on Unlock My Code... Honestly, if I were a judge on Show Me the Swag and Seong Ji-won was a contestant, I would’ve eliminated him in three seconds.
└ The fact that Seong Ji-won just starts rapping immediately is the real kicker...
└└ Looks like he’s recently lost his mind to the greed for gags...
[Title: But they’re actually being really consistent with the penalties feat. Today’s Live]
Our Deonging-i-deul, who turn on a live stream whenever they’re bored...
And Seo Ho-yun, who was performing a madman’s sword dance of tyranny in today’s live as well.
Unable to watch Seo Ho-yun’s power trip any longer, the leader stepped up to take the bullet...
Seong-hyeon: Hey, Seo Ho-yun. Seriously, stop it.
Ho-yun: Oh? By the way, did you do your penalty today?
Seong-hyeon: (F*ck, I picked the wrong fight.)
The chat room went wild.
Ho-yun: Haha, the Noeuls are asking you to do it quickly.
Da-jun/Ji-won: (Avoiding eye contact)
In the end, the Deonging-i-deul performed the penalty on a live broadcast...
Seong-hyeon: (Fck, fck)
Yi-chae: (Fck, fck)
Seong-hyeon: ...I’m doing it.
Yi-chae: ...Yeah.
(....Kiss on the crown of the head♡)
Seong-hyeon: Gleeergh-huff-aaargh!
Yi-chae: Uwaaaagh-hurgh-aaargh!
Seo Ho-yun: Lol (Peaceful)
LMAO.
└ Look at Kim Seong-hyeon kissing the top of his head for exactly 0.00000001 seconds, then immediately bolting to the bathroom.
└ Pretty sure he went to throw up, f*ck lmao.
└└ Hahaha, we’re the only ones enjoying this.
└└ Seong Ji-won staying in his "thug" persona is so damn funny. I’m crying watching him get a "goodnight kiss" from Kim Seong-hyeon and shouting, "Huh?! Thanks, man!!"
*
While the mid-term report for The Dawn’s current album promotions was in full swing, Seo Ho-yun was checking the online communities on a tablet PC next to Lee Ji-hyeon.
"—The reaction to Level S2 is exceptionally positive. In particular, the album sales trends and digital chart performance, unlike last year—..."
Despite having pulled an all-night shift just a few days ago, the Daepasung planning team was grinning from ear to ear. This was because those in charge of The Dawn were practically guaranteed a year-end bonus.
Though they had acquired Daepasung under the pretext of building a solid actor lineup, a joke was now circulating that they had only ended up strengthening WH Entertainment’s boy group roster. From Ju Woo-seong’s solo to High Five and now The Dawn, they had completely dominated the music industry this year.
‘Yeah, well, it’s good. It’s good, but...’
My gaze, which had been scanning the meeting room, stopped on Jeong Seon-ui, who was sitting quietly at the very end.
‘What’s up with her?’
She was still as professional and efficient as ever, but her attitude lately had been suspicious.
She tried her best to avoid eye contact, took a seat as far away as possible whenever we were in the same place, and it was glaringly obvious that she was trying to avoid being alone with me at all costs. It was almost pitiful to watch me pretend not to notice.
‘Should I test the waters?’
The meeting, which had been a tedious repetition of things already discussed regarding The Dawn’s direction, finally came to an end, and people began to stand up one by one.
My eyes remained fixed on Jeong Seon-ui. Beside me, Jeong Da-jun, who had been fanning me the whole time, grumbled.
"Hyung, can’t I use a portable fan instead of this hand fan?"
"Are you going to make your hyung endure artificial wind?"
"This is also artificial wind, hyung."
I ignored the youngest, who had somehow become quite sharp-witted, and turned my head toward Kim Seong-hyeon.
"Hey, I want some coffee."
"Should I get some from the convenience store?"
"No."
"...Then from the cafe inside the building?"
"There’s a small cafe with a red sign in the alley across from our company. I like that place."
"......"
"You know what I usually drink, right?"
Over the past few days, I had taught them through experience that if I didn't give specific instructions, they would intentionally buy the wrong thing for the whole group just to spite me. Consequently, Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun’s expressions soured. To make matters worse, the traffic light in front of WH Entertainment was famous for its long wait times.
"Why don't you just ask us to brew it ourselves?"
"The whipped cream there is delicious."
I ruffled the hair of Jeong Da-jun, who was muttering "it’s all the same" now that he’d grown a bit, and pushed Kim Seong-hyeon’s back, telling them I’d see them in the practice room later. Watching the members leave while chatting noisily, I leaned against the wall by the door and crossed my arms. I nodded to the employees quickly exiting the room, including Lee Ji-hyeon, while tapping my fingers against my arm.
"Team Leader."
"......!"
Jeong Seon-ui, who had been trying to slip away among the crowd, jumped as if she had seen a ghost. I caught the documents that were about to spill from her hands and handed them back.
"Be careful."
She was reacting too openly; it wasn't even fun.
"......Thank you."
"Good job with the meeting. You must have worked hard coordinating between Daepasung and WH this time."
"...It wasn't much trouble, just part of the job."
Her responses were a beat slow.
"Oh, come on. I heard you were a big help to the planning team leader here and to Ji-hyeon. That alone must have taken up quite a bit of your time."
"Not at all. It wasn't particularly difficult work."
‘Hmm, doesn't seem like the problem is on the Daepasung side.’
"Oh, right. I heard from our manager that Managing Director Han looked out for us in many ways—"
"......!"
Jeong Seon-ui’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
Maintaining a bright smile, I scrutinized her minute facial expressions and continued.
"We really need to wrap up this year’s activities well..."
Not just this year, but it would be the grand finale of my idol life.
"......"
Jeong Seon-ui looked a bit tired as she rubbed her eyes with her ring finger.
"...Right. There’s next year, after all."
What next year?
I retorted dryly in my head. Jeong Seon-ui, having gathered her papers, gave a stiff bow.
"Yes, I understand. Well then, I’ll be going..."
I realized I wouldn't get anything out of her even if I held her back longer, so I simply watched her walk away.
"Hmm......"
Even though she was the planning team leader at WH Entertainment, I didn't think someone like Jeong Seon-ui could significantly impact The Dawn’s plans at this stage. However, with the big event drawing near, even the smallest things set my nerves on edge.
‘Is something going on with Managing Director Han?’
As I walked, wondering if I should dig into it, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.
"Well, look who it is."
A familiar, refreshing yet sweet citrus scent wafted over. I turned my head to see Min Ji-heon, whose dark circles reached down to his chin, likely due to his ongoing filming schedule.
"Fortunately, you seem to be in very good health."
"......"
I stared at that smooth face for a moment before grabbing his arm and dragging him into a corner of the hallway.
"Gack!"
Then, I pushed down on the nape of the guy who was staggering like a sheet of paper and hissed through my teeth.
"Do you want to die?"
"Ack! Why, why all of a sudden?!"
Why all of a sudden?
"I even lent you my house. Where did all the nice words like 'It's been a while' or 'How have you been' go? Why is your hand the first thing I see?"
I decided to kindly inform this oblivious sinner of his crimes.
"You dared to leak my location to my member?"
Kang Yi-chae had been quiet lately, perhaps having softened up, but that didn't mean Min Ji-heon’s mistake had vanished.
"Ah... Haha, well... that could happen, couldn't it...?"
"Don't tell me you did it on purpose just to screw with me..."
The guy, who finally seemed to remember, waved his hands frantically in denial.
"What?! Absolutely not! I mean, if I were going to do that, why would I go through all this trouble? Besides, you were the one who blackmailed me into giving up my house first. How was I supposed to know I’d be blackmailed again by someone from your own group...?"
"What exactly did he say to you?"
"......It was scary..."
Min Ji-heon avoided my eyes, reluctant to go into detail.
"...He felt like my natural enemy."
I looked down pityingly at the man in front of me, who was whimpering because he was intimidated by someone seven years younger. Then, as if feeling wronged, Min Ji-heon suddenly started pouring out excuses.
"You’re acting like you aren't intimidated by him... I know you walk on eggshells around him too!"
Well, yeah. There are definitely some headache-inducing moments.
"So what?"
However, I didn't have a shred of sympathy for him.
"No, I’m just saying.... Oh, by the way, your album came out recently, right? Are you still promoting? You seem... healthy enough."
Min Ji-heon quickly changed the subject, sensing my mood.
"From what I hear passing by, the momentum of your group this year is no joke. People are saying you might actually win the Grand Prize."
"We have to."
The guy, who had been rambling on, paused for a moment and rubbed his mouth with his palm.
"......But hey, is winning an award that important?"
Perhaps it was because Min Ji-heon loved the act of acting itself and viewed trophies as mere byproducts. He wore an expression that suggested he truly didn't understand why such a thing mattered so much.
"...Well, I guess being loved by many people is a good thing. Anyway, I’ll be cheering for you—"
"Hyung."
Just then, Kang Yi-chae, who I thought had gone to the cafe with the others, suddenly appeared.
In one hand, he held a coffee topped with whipped cream and a generous drizzle of caramel syrup—a drink that didn't suit him at all—and he was making no effort to hide his annoyance.
"Ah......"
Min Ji-heon let out a small groan and stepped back behind me. However, he couldn't ignore Kang Yi-chae, who bowed first. In the end, he offered a greeting with an awkward smile.
"...Mr. Kang Yi-chae, it’s been a while."
"Yes."
"Um, you must like sweet coffee. I like it too."
"It’s not mine, Sunbae-nim."
"Ah, I see..."
Even though he was using polite speech, Kang Yi-chae’s prickly aura made Min Ji-heon trail off and shut his mouth. Seeing him frozen and fidgeting, it seemed his excuse about being scared wasn't entirely a lie.
Seeing the glint in Kang Yi-chae’s eyes, I spoke to Min Ji-heon before things got more annoying.
"You should go. I’ll call you later."
"Um."
The guy glanced up at me, clenched his fist slightly, and whispered a small "Fighting."
Just get lost already.
Only after Min Ji-heon had rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and completely disappeared did I turn to Kang Yi-chae and ask.
"...Where are the others?"
"They went to the practice room first. I came to find you because you weren't coming."
"Is that so?"
"But hyung, didn't you hate that Sunbae-nim?"
Instead of answering, I took a sip of the coffee I received from Kang Yi-chae.
"He’s a slave."
I called him by another title. At that, his long, reddish eyebrows twitched.
"Are you sure this is three pumps of chocolate syrup?"
"What?"
"Feels like two and a half."
"......"
A long sigh escaped Kang Yi-chae. His face practically screamed at me to just shut up and drink what I was given.