Chapter 407
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 407
[Hey guys, January 1st is almost here]
December 31st.
It was a day when everyone’s hearts fluttered in anticipation of the approaching new year.
[I’m not going to live like trash next year!
But on the topic of how comfortable this trash can is...]
[Besties, they say the first song you hear on January 1st determines how your year will go.
So I’m going to listen to ‘Parachute,’ the one Kang Yi-chae composed on their self-produced content.
└Parachute..? What were the lyrics again?
└└Your slave~~ No~~ Yes~~ No~~ Yes~~
└└........Why on earth?
└└Because I want to land a job and become a corporate slave...
└└Good luck with that....]
[Hurry up and release the setlist for tomorrow’s WH Concert.]
[Everyone is really just saying whatever they want.
Spoken like my true friends!]
The day—joyful for some, grueling for others—came to an end, and people gathered in front of their televisions with delicious food.
In the final ending shot of the QBS Music Festival, which was held this year without fail, The Dawn and High Five stood side by side in the very center, a testament to their recent surge in popularity.
【3, 2, 1…! Happy New Year!】
As the camera, which had been capturing the entire cast, slowly pulled away from the side, a small shot caught Seo Ho-yun picking a piece of silver confetti that had landed on Jeong Da-jun’s nose.
[The eldest brother’s parenting is making my life hard (I’m dying of joy)]
[Plz stop this sweetness (Do it more)]
And the moment the date flipped to January 1st, the attention of those supporting WH Entertainment artists began to shift toward the WH New Year Concert, scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.
[The setlist.. why isn't the setlist up? Someone bring me the setlist. If you post it now, you’ll be a hero for the new year...
└They’ve started making passive demands...]
[Do I really have to wait for hours to see when my babies come out.. lol. The staff might not know, but fangirls have lives too~]
Even as the clock ticked toward the scheduled time, the schedule remained unreleased. This only made fans more desperate for their idols to drop some top-secret info.
[Kim Seong-hyeon. Since you did a spoiler before. Can’t you just tell us the concert order?]
[Since we’ve shouted this much, quick-witted Ho-yun will probably let it slip, right?
└I’m scared because he’s the type who actually would.
└└For real.
“Cough! Two o’clock, thirty-seven! Wheeze, minutes!”
└└Ho-yun, I believe in you.
Let’s go for it, just like when he did a live right after the agency was acquired.]
[Our Yeon-hu.. my filial son.. it’s Grandma,, Pop-Pop me when you’re appearing.]
[As if Yeon-hu would do that.. He’s the type who’d be horrified and stop Se-hyeon if he made a slip of the tongue.
└This is so true ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└└It’s cute how the usually calm guy gets all flustered ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Meanwhile, Bloy was the only fandom free from this cycle of anxiety.
As long as Black Call’s name was on the lineup, it was obvious they would take the finale anyway.
[I can just tune in leisurely around four o’clock. ㅎ]
[Black Call is the best~~ ^^]
It was at that moment, while the Bloys were lounging on social media, thinking they could just have another bowl of rice cake soup.
[Colla-bo]
[Bro, why are you coming out from there?]
Just thirty minutes into the WH Entertainment concert, Ju Woo-seong appeared.
It was a special collaboration stage, with Ju Woo-seong, Kim Seong-hyeon, and Seo Ho-yun appearing in a single line.
【I don’t know the meaning of ‘moderation’
Flash of Wit, a sense you’ll find hard to grasp
I feel a thrill when I crush others down】
The Bloys, who hadn't expected any performance other than Black Call's, dropped their jaws and pressed their faces close to their screens.
【Even so, if you can keep up
Play with me until the very end】
[A storm on stage]
[What is with Ju Woo-seong... his expressiveness has gotten even crazier... I’m losing my mind, I love this so much ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Ju Woo-seong flew across the stage as if it were his own personal playground. With a flashy grin, Ju Woo-seong stepped aside, and Kim Seong-hyeon took the center.
[Gasp....]
【I don’t know complicated words
Flash of Wit, an action only I can take】
Everyone who witnessed this was startled.
In a situation where it was difficult not to be swallowed by Ju Woo-seong’s presence, Kim Seong-hyeon swung his arms with all his might, veins popping. It was rough and raw, but just as instinctive and natural.
[Why is KSH so good????????]
【Get up this way
It’s my flash of wit】
[The power is great. His dance style is so different from usual.]
[Watching with my mouth wide open..... I used to feel like Kim Seong-hyeon was wearing the wrong clothes sometimes even though his lines were clean, but this style change is insane...]
[The wolf inside me is waking up.
└Kim Seong-hyeon?? ㅠㅠ He does look cool like a wolf ㅠ
└└No.. me.]
While the Noeuls were bursting with pride, a yellow warning light went off for the Bloys. The opponent they had dismissed as just ‘Junior 1’ following Ju Woo-seong around had suddenly emerged as a main dancer worth watching out for.
Whether he knew about their anxious hearts or not, Ju Woo-seong looked purely joyful, his eyes curving into crescents as he bared his canines.
【I told you, I want to act simple in front of you
If you’re attracted, just say you like it
Stop being sarcastic】
Praise poured in for Seo Ho-yun, saying it was impressive enough that he didn't create a sense of disharmony while sandwiched between Ju Woo-seong and Kim Seong-hyeon.
However, The Dawn’s own fans were more objective in their assessment.
[Ho-yun-ah.....
....Your dancing......
................Never mind.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Look at them holding their tongues.
└F*ck, that’s so mean ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Our Ho-yun works hard!!
└Ah, I love you, Ho-u Ho-u ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
It was certainly a massive improvement compared to his early days.
However, when placed among the top dancers of K-POP, the gap in subtle details became glaringly obvious.
Anyway, as the special collaboration stage ‘Wit’ came to a successful close and Noeul and Bloy smiled like satisfied cats, the Hairis were feeling gloomy.
[ㅠㅠ I’m a bit... disappointed... It feels like High Five is being sidelined...]
[Our Yeon-hu can dance amazingly with Ju Woo-seong too...]
But the dissatisfaction was short-lived.
Immediately after, Chae Jeong-woo and Kang Yeon-hu appeared as a pair to perform a rock ballad arrangement of ‘Scorching Heat’ by Kim Seong-yeol, a legendary senior singer under WH Entertainment.
Kang Yeon-hu was the only person Chae Jeong-woo—who was known to subtly avoid socializing—had mentioned multiple times on the radio and broadcasts. Thus, this unit felt special to both Black Call and High Five fans.
Especially for Hairi, to the point where the disappointment they felt moments ago completely melted away.
[Rock ballad! Rock ballad! Rock ballad!]
[The best taste in the country]
[WH is truly a prestigious house.]
And then,
【I linger within the twisted afterimage
The tiny doubt hidden inside your heart】
The pride of WH Entertainment, built over decades, reached its peak during Black Call’s stage.
Not only the fans, but even those who had bashed Black Call for being past their prime or those skeptical of the cookie-cutter entertainment system, had no choice but to watch the stage with bated breath.
【A crack forms in the small crevice
I change everything about you】
Black Call skillfully wielded the experience they had built, breaking out of inertia and exerting overwhelming skill.
【It’s Black Call】
Everyone was stunned by the unbelievable sight.
[Wow......]
The 4 minutes and 42 seconds of ‘King’ were more than enough to replace the fans’ resentment from a year-and-a-half-long hiatus with fiery euphoria.
After two more songs, the concert concluded with all artists participating in the WH Entertainment saga, ‘Our.’
[...Is it really okay to watch this for free?]
[Insane... truly insane....]
[Title: After Black Call’s stage ended
I was going to write a bunch of fangirl posts, but now my mind is blank.....
Black Call is writing the history of K-pop.
└For real.. It felt like witnessing a shocking work of art in person.]
[Title: Even if haters bash WH for scandals
They can never bash them for skill.
└The artists who are rumored to be 'lacking' are actually top-tier. If they went to another agency, they’d dominate.
└└Agreed.
└Look at the real-time trends, they’re all dominated by concert talk ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Posts about the concert flooded social media and communities. Most reactions were wondering if it was okay to watch such a high-budget and precious video for free.
But there was no need to worry.
[There’s a reason WH released the video for free.
Look at their closing stock price right now.]
Because WH Entertainment’s stock price had risen so crazily that it would more than make up for the money spent on sets and effects.
[This is insane.]
Recently, the favorability of WH Entertainment artists had skyrocketed among middle-aged stock investors.
In fact, as recently as early last year, many investors had pulled out when rumors of Black Call’s long-term hiatus spread unofficially. Consequently, the stock price had naturally dropped.
Of course, there were a few who didn't sell, believing the value would eventually rise after the acquisition of Daepasung, which housed national actor Min Ji-heon and the rising star The Dawn. But no one actually had high expectations.
Then, with the successive hits of the junior groups, the stock had soared tremendously in anticipation of the fourth-quarter earnings report.
[It’s hilarious how the middle-aged people in the stock discussion rooms are calling Black Call, The Dawn, and High Five ‘Our beloved sons♡’ because WH’s stock price went up so much..
The heart at the end is mandatory.]
[The fandom power struggle between Noeul and Hairi is irrelevant, they’re just cheering for each other to succeed < Is this true pure fandom?]
[I just went to the board out of curiosity, and they aren't even 'sons' anymore.
They call them 'Gods.'
└I should have bought a few shares too.
I spent all my money on albums.
└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ F*ck... ㅋㅋㅋㅋ My house alone has five boxes of albums.
Sorry, Earth..]
WH Entertainment’s stock price, merchandise sales, and performance.
Everything was showing a steep upward curve in red.
【THE DAWN has started a LIVE: It’s been a year….】
While stock-related info was excitedly circulating among fans, a notification for The Dawn’s live stream popped up.
[Damn it~~~~!! I was going to make a joke about how it’s been too long since last year, but the Deongings used it first.]
[The filial sons who come to visit as soon as the concert is over.]
“Sorry for visiting after a year….”
As soon as they connected, the members, who were shoving blue rice cake soup made by Jeong Da-jun toward the camera, checked the chat window. They looked puzzled after seeing a certain phrase being repeated.
“Beloved sons…?”
“…Gods……??”
Belatedly realizing it was about the stock market, they all nodded in unison.
[Has Ho-yun tried investing too??]
“Well…. Hahaha.”
“What’s with that laugh?”
Seo Ho-yun, who was feigning ignorance, saw serious posts about ‘leverage failing’ or ‘having to sell the house’ and quietly added that he recommended diversified investment.
[I can read his situation from Seo Ho-yun’s expression....]
[Your stock window is blue right now too, isn't it... Idols are just like us, man..]
The Noeuls moved past that topic and asked about New Year’s wishes.
Seeing that, Jeong Da-jun asked Seo Ho-yun what he was going to do for his upcoming birthday. Seo Ho-yun, looking like he wasn't particularly interested in his own birthday, poked Jeong Da-jun’s cheek with his index finger.
“You, don’t make a cake.”
“You have to eat it and enjoy it!!!”
Actually, the fans’ hearts fluttered at this scene.
They also wanted to celebrate Seo Ho-yun’s birthday to the fullest and express their feelings with gifts, but birthday tributes had been completely banned since their first year of debut.
In fact, after the agency was acquired by WH Entertainment, providing material gifts had been blocked entirely.
[Does Seo Ho-yun have no material greed? I was surprised by the amount he donated last time too. Of course, it’s much better than someone who constantly hints at wanting this or that ㅋㅋㅋ]
[He’s interested in stocks but has no greed for money..? That’s also strange.]
Comments that would have made those who truly knew Seo Ho-yun gasp in disbelief circulated before dying down.
This was because discussions about a celebrity’s assets often took a negative turn.
[Anyway, Seo Ho-yun is re~~~~ally sweet lately.]
[Kind Mr. Ho-yun.
Though he never promises to eat Jeong Da-jun’s cake.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[I used to think new Noeuls were wearing legendary rose-tinted glasses when they said Seo Ho-yun was sweet... but lately, I also think Seo Ho-yun is just like a cute cat...
└You, subtly pushing the cat agenda..]
Even though the camera had been rolling for well over three hours, the members didn't stop chatting and giggling.
Fans certainly loved the idols’ sincerity.
However, companies didn't control live streams for no reason. Since idols were also human, they would gradually let their guard down as they became accustomed to live broadcasting. At the same time, parts of them would leak through that carelessness.
[Is it just my imagination?]
Minor actions, values, habits, speech patterns, and so on.
[Ho-yun is being a bit strange toward Yi-chae today.]
And these traces would sometimes inadvertently reveal a person’s defense mechanisms.