Chapter 396
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 396
Fortunately, the WH Entertainment concert filming was completed within a single day without any delays.
After repeating the special collaboration performance seven times, the staff finally offered praise that sounded more like a plea for them to stop. Only then did Ju Woo-seong let out a smirk and call an end to the re-recording.
Seo Ho-yun stood there with a haggard face, grinding his teeth in frustration, while Ju Woo-seong’s face remained perfectly radiant.
However, despite all that hard work, the highlight of the day belonged neither to The Dawn nor to High Five, who were currently on a roll.
“Alright, we’ll begin the pre-recording for Black Call’s ‘Kings’ now.”
The ones who took the throne as if it were only natural were Black Call.
The moment the intro began, every single person—from the WH artists to the staff—rushed out to watch.
【Ooh— Ooh— Ooh—】
The stage Black Call had prepared was "Kings."
【No matter how much you say you’re different
In the end, you can’t take your eyes off me
Ah, what can I say?】
Lee Beom-hyun opened the first verse. There was no trace of the man who had blushed earlier when a junior said they respected him.
Next, the backup dancers, who were standing in a line and saluting, parted like a wave to reveal Chae Jeong-woo.
【I linger within the twisted afterimage
The small doubt hidden inside your heart】
His precise sense of rhythm, a rich vocal volume that filled the set, and emotions that were both delicate and deep.
【You can’t deny】
It was a level of skill that made it impossible to believe he had been suffering from vocal cord nodules until recently.
【A crack forms in the small gap
I change everything about you】
Everyone watching was forced to gape in awe.
Seo Ho-yun was no exception.
They had been incredible even before their hiatus, but now, there was no word to describe them other than "possessed."
【Don’t run away, I’m by your side
If you reel, you know why…】
And especially, Ju Woo-seong.
【It’s Black Call】
He had clearly been going easy on them during the special collaboration because they were his juniors. On Black Call’s own stage, he ran wild like a monster unleashed from its chains.
In the end, Black Call’s pre-recording was finished in just two takes.
After delivering a performance that gave everyone goosebumps, the members themselves left the stage chatting casually as if it were nothing.
“That’s insane, absolutely insane…”
“Are they even human?”
To pour out such explosive energy right after dancing like that.
Perhaps it served as a new stimulus for Kim Seong-hyeon, because from that moment on, he locked himself in the practice room again.
Ho-yun found it absurd that Seong-hyeon had actually realized something from Ju Woo-seong’s ridiculous advice, no matter how much he thought about it.
* * *
[Guys... are there no ninjas who infiltrated WH..]
Meanwhile, the fans, blocked by ironclad security, were stomping their feet in frustration, hoping for even a single drop of information.
[The security this time is legendary. I’ve searched everywhere and nothing’s coming out.]
[Aaaaaah, what did they do at the WH Con? I’m so curious. I’m just a WH otaku, so I’ll love whatever they throw at me.]
[I want New Thrill for our Yeon-hu... What is our Chae-jun doing...]
[What did the Deonging-is do? Was the collab at the WH Con? Did they do it with High Five... No, they wouldn't, right? Surely WH has a brain lol... h...]
[Hwaaa, Noeul has become so weak... I’m crying because there’s not a single crumb of content...]
[Doesn't Ju Woo-seong seem in a really good mood on Starstagram Live lately? He’s been looking great since around the time of the WH Con recording... Gasp... No way, a Black Call comeback...! F*ck, yeah, it’s just my delusion..
└ No, it’s possible lol. The Black Call members have been going to the company really often lately.]
Just as the thirst for news about the WH Entertainment concert was reaching its peak, Lee Ji-hyeon decided to throw out a small bait.
【THE DAWN — ‘Skate Kiss’, ‘Good Driver’ SPECIAL STAGE Behind-the-Scenes】
She uploaded the story behind the unit performances at the Mango Music Awards.
[Holy sh*t]
[Thank you, Daepasung-nim bows bows bows]
It was a video about fifteen minutes long, and from the very first scene, a raw Kang Yi-chae appeared wearing a hoodie.
【Ta-da!】
Waving his hand lightly, Kang Yi-chae gave a brief explanation of the situation.
【…Today is the day we’re doing a simple recording for the Mango Music Awards special performance. Since we don’t have much time, we’re going to proceed speedily~.】
【Hahaha, Yi-chae is so well-prepared that I don’t think there will be any problems. The remix is really good, too.】
At that moment, the voice of an assistant engineer chimed in.
[Whoa, did Kang Yi-chae do the remix and the recording himself?]
[Don’t big agencies usually handle this for them? Does the composing member have to do it?]
[It’s a habit lol. Daepasung doesn’t have a dedicated recording director, so for events like special stages, Kang Yi-chae has always worked on them with Cheong-beom hyung...
└ The more we talk about it, the more solemn the atmosphere gets...
└└ Lmao f*ck ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Guys, but WH is still good, right? Right?..]
Soon, the faces of Jeong Da-jun and Seong Ji-won appeared.
After playing the track he worked on, Kang Yi-chae talked about which parts he focused on and what he wanted them to emphasize.
And the first person to open the door to the recording booth was Seong Ji-won.
【With my heart that loves you
I want to fill this sky】
Even though it was only a few seconds ago that Kang Yi-chae had verified the time, saying it was a "fine morning," Seong Ji-won belted out the high notes refreshingly without even warming up his throat.
However, Kang Yi-chae didn't seem entirely satisfied. He tilted his head and pressed the button connected to the booth.
【It’s okay, but shall we try raising the pitch just a bit more? I want the song to feel more dramatic~.】
【Okay.】
Just like his easy reply, Seong Ji-won easily achieved Kang Yi-chae’s request.
But,
【Fall, in the, place, you want, broke up, with, lover!
Still, don’t, be, depressed!】
The rap that followed was so awkward it was hard to tell if it was even rap or just aggressive staccato.
Kang Yi-chae could be seen biting his lower lip, desperately trying to hold back his laughter.
【Yi-chae, how was that just now?!】
【Pffft... Puhuhu... It was killer...】
[Yi-chae is dying over here]
[LOL, Yi-chae is so nice though... He’s trying so hard not to laugh..]
When Seong Ji-won asked for feedback with a face full of anticipation, Kang Yi-chae finally collapsed, his shoulders shaking so hard he seemed to be having trouble breathing.
[Hey, Seong Ji-won, don’t take off your headphones with such a proud face ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[I really wanted to see Kang Yi-chae’s reaction to Seong Ji-won’s rapping, and I can’t believe it’s finally happening ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kang Yi-chae is working so hard to teach him to rap, but Seong Ji-won isn't absorbing any of it.
└ Seong Ji-won’s shocking statement: “Wasn’t that okay just now?”
└ Ah, Ji-won’s aura is legendary. If it were me, I’d be so discouraged.]
After scribbling diligently with a pen and repeating the same part a couple more times, Seong Ji-won left the booth with a very satisfied expression.
Next, Jeong Da-jun’s recording began.
【Ay, Ay, Ay…… Mmm.】
With a vocalization typical of Jeong Da-jun—using his fresh and popping charm as his main weapon—it seemed like the work would be finished in one go.
【Director, can I try it again?!】
【Huh? Sure~.】
But then, Jeong Da-jun, who had been pacing around as if something was bothering him, suddenly raised his hand.
[Where did our maknae go, the one who used to whine about not wanting to practice anymore...?]
[Ah, I choked up when I heard Da-jun cried after failing in Shas 2 ㅠㅠ Seeing him improved like this makes me so proud....]
【Just once…. I want to try it just one more time…!】
【Elephant, get out.】
He repeated it until his pure and clear voice turned husky, but still not satisfied, he kept shouting for another take. It was only after he was kicked out by Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun, who had come to record "Good Driver," that he walked out with a dejected face.
【Alright, let’s start ‘Good Driver’~.】
The screen caught Kang Yi-chae, who had quickly finished his own part and wiped the smile off his face, looking at the other two members.
[Kang Yi-chae’s directing is really intense.]
[Tell me about it, damn.]
Instructions followed for Kim Seong-hyeon to deepen his low tones, or for Seo Ho-yun to roll the ends of his syllables to ramp up the sexiness.
[Look at Seo Ho-yun joking that if he gets any sexier, he’ll be banned from broadcasting.. He’s so sly ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kang Yi-chae has a great understanding of the members. He knows exactly which parts of Kim Seong-hyeon’s voice people find charming and brings them out well.]
[Right, looking at Seong-hyeon’s face and voice, you’d never imagine he’s a Water Dumpling Leader...]
The fans felt a bit sorry seeing how he felt he had to have his hands on everything from start to finish, as if they were still at Daepasung Entertainment. On the other hand, The Dawn’s dedication to leaving a strong impression even at an awards ceremony was etched into their minds as a vivid point of attraction.
.
.
.
“Ho-yun hyung~, eat breakfast!!”
After the WH Entertainment concert ended successfully, The Dawn was given half a day off. It wasn't that they couldn't have gone somewhere if they made plans, but everyone decided to just rest at the dorm and recharge.
The members, who were used to waking up early to practice, were all awake by around 6:00 AM. One by one, they gathered in the living room with food, and soon a table was set with a feast. Since eating in silence was boring, they had turned on the Mango Music Awards special stage behind-the-scenes video that had recently been uploaded to The Dawn’s official Nutube channel.
Kang Yi-chae was still trembling and wiping tears from his eyes at the scene of Seong Ji-won’s recording.
“Ha, I’m taking this video to my grave….”
“Yi-chae, haven’t I improved a bit?”
“Yeah, totally!!”
“Don’t lie, Kang Yi-chae. Seong Ji-won actually believes you.”
When I coldly cut off Kang Yi-chae’s mischievous agreement, Seong Ji-won looked at me with a slightly shocked face.
But no matter how much I cherished Seong Ji-won, I couldn't bring myself to say his rapping had improved. His skills were just at that level.
“Hyungs! I’m on cooking duty today, so everyone’s having dinner, right?!”
“Ahaha, sorry, Da-jun. I have a class, so I’ll have to pass!”
“Eh? Ji-won hyung, you can’t?!”
“Yeah, me too. I have a schedule.”
Jeong Da-jun, who had only been wide-eyed when Seong Ji-won backed out, whipped his head around at my words so fast it looked like his neck might snap.
“Why?! Does Ho-yun hyung have something too?! Our perfume ad shoot is in a few days, and we still have time before the year-end stages!!!”
“Hmm, didn’t Ho-yun say he had a solo schedule today?”
“Yeah.”
My appetite was already plummeting at the thought of the meal the maknae would cook, so I answered while just sipping water.
“David and Goliath.”
“Isn’t that a culture program?”
David and Goliath.
It was a quiz show program conducted in a one-versus-many format.
While checking this month’s schedule in advance, I noticed an awkward gap of free time, so I had asked the manager if there were any short schedules I could fill it with. It was an action driven by the judgment that moving around was better than idling, and I had just thrown the idea out there, hoping a related quest might pop up.
One of the programs the manager had selected and passed on to me was David and Goliath.
“But you have to be careful with quiz programs like that because they can ruin your image if you’re not careful….”
“It’s fine. I’ll do it.”
Even after that, I had to forcefully pester the system window until it finally coughed up a quest with a message saying, ‘You’re even shaking me down now ㅠ.’
[Sudden Quest!
Appear on ‘David and Goliath’ and achieve 10,000 retweets for an SNS clip or 500,000 views on Nutube within three days.
Success Reward: 4,000 Points
Failure Penalty: Lifetime ban from appearing on culture programs]
The points were stingier than seawater, but I wasn't in a position to be picky these days.
Kang Yi-chae, who was stealing Kim Seong-hyeon’s fishcake soup next to me, suddenly asked.
“…So, you’re going to go and conquer a quiz program, hyung?”
“Heol, wait! Isn’t that going to be hard? Ah! Then, then, Ho-yun hyung, use your phone-a-friend chance on me. I’ll help you!!”
Jeong Da-jun chattered excitedly, stuffing his cheeks with food like a squirrel storing nuts, unaware that crumbs were flying everywhere.
I took another sip of water and gave a smirk.
“Da-jun.”
“Yes!”
“The probability of me using a phone-a-friend chance on you is extremely low, but if I win the prize money, I’ll buy you a delicious meal.”
“Cough, cough… hack….”
Jeong Da-jun, who had choked, coughed violently before finally calming down and turning his gaze toward the leader.
“Why, why is he being like that again?”
“As if I’d kno—”
“Uh-huh, watch your tone.”
I pinched the maknae’s muzzle with my thumb and index finger to keep him in check.
Lately, I had been trying to cut down on swearing and act kinder than usual. It was because I felt the end of all this wasn't far off, and I wanted to be good to the members as well as the fans.
“I’m not eating anymore. I feel sick….”
“You still have to eat, kid.”
I picked up a spoon and forced it into Jeong Da-jun’s mouth.
“But Ho-yun, don’t you need to study a bit if you’re going on a quiz show?”
Seong Ji-won asked, tilting his head. I shrugged and gave a concise answer.
“Why bother?”
“…….”
“Booo…….”
The younger ones jeered, calling me obnoxious, but I just picked my ear with my pinky and pretended not to hear.
I had a reason for being this confident.
I had been on this program before.