Chapter 418
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 418
The second-floor railing overlooked the lobby of WH Entertainment.
A tall man with wheat-colored hair was restlessly shaking his leg, peering down at the floor below with an anxious expression.
Damn it, when is Seo Ho-yun getting here?
It was Ju Woo-seong, and he had been rooted to the same spot for over thirty minutes.
Today was the day he was scheduled to film for his personal Nutube channel. During the meeting to select a guest:
“The first candidate for this episode is an actor from a recent Letflix original series—”
He had been idly listening to the staff list celebrities who were so high-profile they made his chest feel tight just hearing their names. Then, on a sudden impulse, a single name spilled out of his mouth.
“…Um, what if we invited Seo Ho-yun?”
A brief silence had followed.
While he scrambled to come up with a plausible excuse, the staff members exchanged glances and eventually gave their approval. It was because they trusted Ju Woo-seong after working with him for so long. They assumed he had a professional reason—or even if he didn’t, they believed he would deliver a good result in the end.
This is the absolute worst.
Reading their thoughts so clearly made Ju Woo-seong feel pathetic. For the first time since entering the industry, he had failed to separate his public and private life, and the realization only made him feel more stifled.
Just as his leg was shaking so violently it felt like an earthquake and he began to nervously flick his fingernails, he heard someone downstairs call out Seo Ho-yun’s name loudly.
“Ho-yun hyung!”
Looking down, his eyes landed on Kim Seong-hyeon, Seong Ji-won, Jeong Da-jun, and one ungrateful brat.
“Hyung! Why didn’t you come to practice?!”
The others, excluding Seo Ho-yun, were dressed in light T-shirts and tracksuits, looking as if they had just stepped out for a break from practice. Ju Woo-seong craned his neck, ears perking up.
“Ah… because of the fishing.”
“Fishiiiiiing?”
Seo Ho-yun drawled his words, his eyebrows arched sharply. He ignored the youngest member of The Dawn, who was clinging to his arm, and walked toward the company cafe with a nonchalant stride.
“Did I hear that right? You skipped practice to go fishing? The Seo Ho-yun??”
“You heard right.”
“Whaaat?! And Ji-won hyung didn’t stop him?!”
As Jeong Da-jun continued to cling to Seo Ho-yun, squawking in shock, Seong Ji-won pulled him away and playfully changed the subject.
“Ho-yun’s hands have been rough lately. Maybe it’s from the fishing.”
“Did you hook every single piece of bait yourself?” Kim Seong-hyeon added, joining the trivial chatter.
Meanwhile, Seo Ho-yun yawned indifferently, leaning his upper body against the counter with his arm propped up.
“One latte and one americano—”
“I’d rather you just lounge around the dorm! At least then I’d know where you are!!” Jeong Da-jun pestered him again, thrusting his face forward and chattering away.
“—Ah, and add a chocolate mousse, please.”
“And do you have any idea how bored I’ve been lately?! Even Yi-chae hyung isn't at the dorm—mph!!”
Apparently finding him too noisy, Seo Ho-yun pinched Jeong Da-jun’s mouth shut with his thumb and forefinger. He stopped the chatter and turned to the other two members of the same age, who were watching in surprise.
“Who’s been spoiling Jeong Da-jun lately?”
“Not me.”
“Yeah, not me either.”
The two quickly answered, avoiding Seo Ho-yun’s gaze. While eyeing Kim Seong-hyeon and Seong Ji-won suspiciously, Seo Ho-yun finished ordering the drinks.
He seems… okay.
His complexion wasn't bad, and hearing him bicker with his members, he seemed perfectly fine.
…Should I just go back?
Ju Woo-seong was about to return to the studio, as he couldn't keep spying on Seo Ho-yun from the second-floor railing forever.
But then, Kim Seong-hyeon’s head tilted uneasily from side to side before snapping upward before Woo-seong could hide.
“Sunbae-nim?!!!”
Having spotted him, Kim Seong-hyeon waved both hands enthusiastically. Ju Woo-seong, whose eyes inadvertently met Seo Ho-yun’s, let out a small sigh, scratched the back of his neck, and headed down the stairs. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he felt strangely awkward facing him.
“Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim! This comeback was truly impressive!!”
“Uh, yeah… thanks.”
“Especially during the Blackout dance break—the moment I saw you in the center, I got chills all over my body—!”
He gave a half-hearted response to Kim Seong-hyeon, who was the first to strike up a conversation as usual. Meanwhile, Seong Ji-won, who had offered a polite bow, looked after the hesitant Jeong Da-jun and spoke to Seo Ho-yun.
“Ho-yun, you said you had a Nutube broadcast schedule with Woo-seong sunbae today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then we’ll head back to practice. Sunbae-nim, please take good care of our Ho-yun!”
With that, he dragged away Kim Seong-hyeon, whose shoulders were still twitching with the desire to talk more, and headed toward the elevators.
Left alone with Seo Ho-yun, the atmosphere grew even more awkward. Ju Woo-seong rubbed his chin with his palm and stared aimlessly into the distance when a disposable cup suddenly entered his field of vision.
“Take it.”
“…For me?”
“Did you want me to drink both?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Woo-seong took the drink. Seo Ho-yun immediately turned around and began walking toward the studio where the filming was scheduled. Ju Woo-seong looked back and forth between the latte in his right hand and the receding back of Seo Ho-yun before hurrying after him.
“Hey, you—”
Just as Ju Woo-seong was about to ask how he was doing, Seo Ho-yun signaled him to be quiet with a glance and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Yes, this is Seo Ho-yun.”
“…….”
“Haha, I haven't been in touch lately, have I? Oh, I just didn't want to bother you while you were busy.”
The conversation went on for quite a while.
Seo Ho-yun continued the call smoothly, draped in that characteristic kindness he only showed when he needed something.
“Hello?”
Just when Woo-seong thought the call had finally ended and tried to speak again, Seo Ho-yun picked up another one.
Why is he getting so many calls?!
By the third consecutive call, Ju Woo-seong’s brow furrowed deeply. He felt a surging impulse to snatch the phone away, but he only repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
Noticing the tension, Seo Ho-yun glanced at him, said a few more words into the receiver, and pressed the end button after a brief farewell.
“Sorry. A lot of people are looking for me all of a sudden.”
Seo Ho-yun shrugged and finally turned his full attention to Ju Woo-seong.
“You’ve been busy lately, haven't you, Ju Woo-seong? How have you been?”
“Just so-so.”
“Why? Black Call is popular. This concept was well-executed.”
For a moment, Ju Woo-seong wondered if Seo Ho-yun was sick.
Did he eat something wrong?
Usually, Seo Ho-yun would radiate a cold aura and make all sorts of sarcastic remarks, even about Woo-seong’s solo album releases. He acted like someone whose stomach turned just seeing a cousin buy land.
But now, Seo Ho-yun was acting uncharacteristically indifferent.
…He has been suspicious for the past few months.
Ju Woo-seong narrowed his eyes slightly, checked the heavy watch on his left wrist, and jerked his chin toward the emergency exit at the end of the hallway.
“Hey, we still have some time. Let’s talk for a bit.”
As soon as they stepped inside and the door closed, Ju Woo-seong threw out a question as if interrogating him.
“Is your comeback actually happening?”
“…Ah…….”
For some reason, Seo Ho-yun’s reaction was a beat late. He wiped his mouth and asked back listlessly.
“Why do you ask? Did you hear something?”
He had heard enough rumors to be sick of them.
Nonsense like The Dawn being abandoned by the company, one member going back to the States, or Seo Ho-yun being pivoted toward acting.
However, since it wasn't something he could easily say to the person's face, Ju Woo-seong couldn't help but hesitate.
“…Forget it. I can pretty much tell without you saying anything.”
Seo Ho-yun let out a sigh, lowered his head, and rubbed the back of his neck. It looked like there were dark circles under his eyes.
“Just don’t worry about it.”
In the weary figure of Seo Ho-yun, Woo-seong saw the faces of countless fellow trainees from the past—those who had lost their goals and given up on their dreams.
And over that image, he saw his own younger self, who used to run forward out of habit without knowing his purpose.
“……Are you really going to give up after coming all this way?”
Seo Ho-yun snapped his head up, a deep crease forming on the bridge of his nose as he looked at Woo-seong with an ambiguous expression.
“…Give up?”
“No, I understand how you feel.”
Ju Woo-seong had never imagined he would face a discouraged Seo Ho-yun.
He had been a little concerned, but since the guy was always so full of himself, Woo-seong thought he was the type to chew up and swallow whatever came his way, not someone who would mope around like this.
Looking at it that way, all of Seo Ho-yun’s strange behavior lately made sense. Despair often leads people to act and speak erratically.
“I know you’re exhausted, and I’m sure you’re incredibly disappointed.”
Yes, it wasn't that he couldn't empathize.
Even he, who was objectively successful, had felt himself sinking endlessly at times.
“But still, that’s exactly why you need to pull yourself together.”
But Seo Ho-yun shouldn't be like this.
Facing the haggard Seo Ho-yun, a surge of frustration rose within him along with the thought: You’re not the kind of bastard who just sits there and takes this.
“It’s not like rigged incidents in this industry are anything new, and there are kids in much worse situations than you who are still working their hearts out.”
Even though it wasn't his business, Ju Woo-seong felt a confusing mix of anger and stifled frustration, his words becoming increasingly rambling.
“If you see it through to the end, something might change.”
Perhaps he was afraid.
Afraid that he might witness the collapse of the one person he considered to have everything he ever wanted.
Afraid that the composure that never wavered in the face of hardship, and the boldness that remained unshaken by the pitch-black reality, would flicker out like a candle in the wind.
“No, you can make it different.”
Silence settled over the emergency stairwell as Ju Woo-seong’s slightly trembling voice faded. Just as the silence began to weigh heavily on him, Seo Ho-yun’s hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
“…Ju Woo-seong, tell me honestly.”
Startled, Woo-seong jerked his upper body and lifted his downward gaze. Seo Ho-yun was staring straight at him with pitch-black eyes.
“—How much garlic and mugwort did you eat?”
……Garlic?
Seo Ho-yun muttered as he looked Ju Woo-seong up and down.
“Wow, when did you become so human?”
“…Hu…man?”
“Back during Shining Star, you told me these things happen all the time and not to get disappointed by working too hard. And now… now you’re actually giving me advice to see things through to the end no matter what.”
“I—I did? When did I ever say that?!”
“I guess you don’t remember.”
Flustered, Ju Woo-seong brushed off Seo Ho-yun’s hand and looked at him suspiciously, wondering what kind of trick this was.
However, looking at Seo Ho-yun’s face, he seemed 100% sincere.
“I hate to break it to you after that grand speech, but I’m perfectly fine. And I have absolutely no intention of giving up, not in a million years.”
“…Really?”
“After everything I’ve done to get here, I can’t just throw it all away over a minor issue like this.”
Then what was with all the bizarre behavior?
As Ju Woo-seong narrowed his eyes, unable to easily believe the explanation, Seo Ho-yun’s phone vibrated again.
“Well… I appreciate the concern, though.”
Muttering that, Seo Ho-yun checked the name on the screen. As if a fun idea had just occurred to him, one corner of his mouth curled into a smirk. He leaned in close to Ju Woo-seong, who flinched and instinctively tried to back away, and whispered slowly.
“Woo-seong.”
He wore that same confident face as always, looking as if he had nothing in the world to fear.
“Want to see me set a fire?”