Chapter 419
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 419
With less than thirty minutes left before the broadcast, the makeup and wardrobe staff moved in a frantic blur.
Ju Woo-seong, however, sat in a daze, still reeling from what had happened in the emergency stairwell.
"A... what?"
He hadn't even properly processed the fact that his junior had just started calling him by his first name without honorifics, so shocked was he by the boy’s confession that he intended to become an arsonist.
When Woo-seong had been struck dumb with bewilderment, Seo Ho-yun had simply burst into a hearty, amused laugh before swinging the fire door open. Snapping back to his senses, Woo-seong had grabbed the younger man's arm.
"Wait! I’m not done talking yet!"
"What now?"
Faced with Seo Ho-yun’s blatant display of annoyance, Woo-seong let out a rapid-fire barrage of questions.
"I heard you’ve been wandering around outside to go 'fishing.' What exactly are you up to? Is the comeback definitely happening?"
"From now on, I’m charging a hundred million won per question. If you want to ask something, pay up first."
"……."
If you don't want to answer, just say so.
"Mr. Ju Woo-seong, please stay still!"
Woo-seong, who was pouting in a fresh surge of irritation, was promptly scolded by the makeup artist. She used a cotton swab to fix a smudge and gave his hair one last inspection.
"The point of today's look is natural curls, so I didn't use much hairspray. Be careful not to mess it up."
"Yeah, yeah."
Giving a half-hearted response, Woo-seong left the waiting room and headed straight to the 'Woo-seong Broadcast' studio. In the center of the set, which featured ivory brick walls adorned with various posters, a fully prepared Seo Ho-yun had already arrived. He was currently chatting with the assistant director while putting on his microphone.
That unpredictable bastard.
Woo-seong cursed inwardly as he slowly made his way over.
The AD, spotting Woo-seong, waved him over and had him sit next to Seo Ho-yun.
"Alright, I’ll brief you on the sequence for 'Woo-seong Broadcast.' First, we’ll start with self-introductions, then move into the Q&A corner. After the live performance, we’ll wrap up with the movie promotion."
"Promotion?"
"The movie Seo Ho-yun filmed, Despicable Trial. The premiere is still a ways off, but the management team requested we spread the word far and wide."
They hadn't mentioned a single word about this during the pre-meeting.
"Also, during filming, we’d appreciate it if you could avoid mentioning anything related to The Dawn as much as possible."
"Excuse me?"
When Woo-seong asked back in a startled tone, the AD gave an awkward smile.
"Well, uh, word came down from 'on high' to refrain from mentioning group activities. They felt it wasn't quite appropriate for a show hosted by Ju Woo-seong, and..."
Avoid mentioning The Dawn?
In this industry, Seo Ho-yun’s very essence was that of an idol. To conduct an interview while avoiding that foundation—was that even feasible?
Seeing Woo-seong’s deep frown, the AD let out an embarrassed cough.
"Ahem, anyway! Please keep those points in mind. And don't forget to talk about the movie at the end!"
Woo-seong thought the whole thing was utterly pointless, but surprisingly, Seo Ho-yun was just nodding calmly.
"Yes, I understand."
What is with this guy?
The AD looked visibly relieved and walked off to make the final preparations.
Watching the AD's retreating back for a moment, Woo-seong leaned in and whispered to Ho-yun.
"Hey, are you going to be okay with that?"
Ho-yun glanced at him and replied indifferently.
"I also accept bank transfers."
As Woo-seong’s face twisted in annoyance, Ho-yun nonchalantly brushed past his shoulder and took his seat.
"Alright, we’re going into filming~!"
At the staff's signal, Woo-seong rubbed the back of his neck and sat on the single-seater sofa next to Ho-yun. The moment he saw the red light on the camera, he instantly smoothed his expression and waved.
"Hello, everyone! I’m Ju Woo-seong from 'Woo-seong Broadcast'!"
After finishing the opening remarks, Woo-seong turned to Ho-yun with a bright, radiant smile.
"Let me introduce today's guest. He’s quite famous for being a close friend of mine, right? It’s none other than Seo Ho-yun!"
"Hello."
The moment the corners of Ho-yun’s slightly upturned eyes crinkled into a soft smile, a small collective gasp escaped from the staff.
Woo-seong, knowing full well that this guy always had an ulterior motive when he acted like that, stared intently at him.
"I am Seo Ho-yun of The Dawn."
Of course.
Seeing Ho-yun beaming after causing trouble the second they started, Woo-seong had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
The atmosphere in the studio stiffened instantly at the clearly intentional introduction. Then, Ho-yun, wearing a feigned look of embarrassment as if he were acting, waved his hands dismissively and asked sheepishly.
"Ah, I’m sorry. Can I do that one more time?"
The main PD, standing behind the main camera, gave a stiff nod. At that, Ho-yun maintained his consistently refreshing smile and said nonchalantly:
"Hello, I am Seo Ho-yun, the lead vocal of the five-member boy group, The Dawn."
That look of grim determination—he clearly had no intention of changing the greeting.
It was a firm declaration of his will to present himself not as the actor Seo Ho-yun, but as the idol Seo Ho-yun.
The staff seemed to sense that things had gone horribly wrong from the very first button. On the other hand, Woo-seong suppressed the snickers that kept threatening to leak out and flipped his cue card.
"...It’s been a while since we’ve seen Seo Ho-yun of The Dawn. You must be very busy lately?"
"Could I possibly be as busy as you, Woo-seong sunbae, who just made a comeback?"
Ho-yun responded smoothly, acting as if he didn't care one bit about the heavy atmosphere.
"Come to think of it, did you know many people are curious if we’re actually close?"
"Oh, really?"
"So, we’ve prepared this. It’s Q&A time with Seo Ho-yun!"
As soon as the first segment was announced, a writer crouching in front held up a sketchbook.
[Please naturally show off your usual friendship with Mr. Seo Ho-yun.]
After checking the instruction, Woo-seong smoothly shifted his gaze and began reading the lines on the cue card.
"Hmm, are Seo Ho-yun and Ju Woo-seong on intimate terms...?"
He trailed off slowly, then lifted his head and gave a casual nod.
"Well, I suppose so."
He had things he actually wanted to dig into, rather than this fluff.
As Woo-seong played both sides of the conversation and knocked out the answers himself, Ho-yun’s bewildered gaze pricked at his cheek.
"—Thoughts upon our first meeting? I felt right then that we’d be tied together in a damn messy way."
"Ahaha."
"A moment I felt hurt by him? Every day, every minute, every second."
Beyond that, Woo-seong rattled off self-answered questions like, "The good thing about being friends with Seo Ho-yun? There isn't one," and "Would I be friends with him if I were born again? No, why should I waste my imagination on such a thing?" quickly bringing the segment to a close.
Then, just as Ho-yun, who had been merely laughing, stood up to perform a cover of Black Call’s new song as rehearsed...
"PD-nim, wouldn't the cover song look better as the ending?"
The PD, who had been breaking into a cold sweat over Woo-seong’s rampage, discussed it briefly with the AD and allowed the change in order in exchange for lengthening the talk segment.
Woo-seong smiled brightly, having secured a great opportunity to ask questions without being told to pay up.
"Then, shall we dig a little deeper? Seo Ho-yun, you can just answer comfortably like you’ve been doing."
"Ah, yes."
Ignoring all the unnecessary fluff like hobbies or recent interests, Woo-seong flipped through the cue cards rapidly before flipping the stack over onto his lap and throwing out the question he truly wanted to press.
"Seo Ho-yun, what have you been up to lately?"
"Ah, lately I’ve been working hard on filming Despicable Trial."
Woo-seong caught a glimpse of the staff, whose complexions brightened slightly now that the desired topic had finally surfaced. He paused for a moment. It wasn't quite the answer he was looking for.
"Hmm, well... is acting fun?"
"Every time I take on a role, it feels new and difficult, and it's exhausting, but many seniors have been looking after me, so I’m enjoying the process."
The answer flowed out smoothly, as if he had memorized a script. At that moment, Woo-seong, who had been looking at Ho-yun with a benevolent facade, brought up something unexpected.
"Ah... is that so? It’s surprising to hear you say it’s hard. Usually, even when things are grueling, you never show it to others."
"Ah... I’m only human, of course I have struggles."
Ho-yun wore a small, somewhat bashful smile.
"Actually, looking back on the past days, there were times that were as painful as they were joyful."
Despite knowing it was likely an act, Woo-seong was curious about what would follow.
"It’s a bit embarrassing to confess this in front of the fans, but I wondered if what I was doing was right, if I was doing well... the future seemed opaque, and I couldn't find my way. To be honest, I’m still wandering even now. But thanks to the many people I’m grateful for, including the company staff who willingly reach out first in those moments, I’m trying to keep my head straight and do my best."
The stiff expressions of the staff softened, and their eyes widened. Everyone seemed moved.
"And of course, I can't leave out the person I’m most grateful for, Woo-seong hyung, who is sitting right here next to me."
Ju Woo-seong was the only person in the room who was repulsed. Goosebumps erupted down his spine.
"Thanks, hyung."
That was 100% calculated flattery for the cameras.
While Woo-seong fought back a surge of nausea, Ho-yun continued.
"I can't announce everything on this broadcast, but I’m working very hard and preparing various contents. Please continue to show us a lot of interest and anticipation."
"Contents?"
"Haha, yes. They’re the results of me literally running around on my own two feet."
'Various contents.'
Woo-seong arched an eyebrow, then let out a smirk as if he’d realized something and couldn't help it, before moving to wrap up the filming.
"Then, Seo Ho-yun. Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to the viewers watching 'Woo-seong Broadcast'?"
Please, please talk about the movie.
Woo-seong felt like the staff’s piercing glares were hitting him as well.
"Well... it feels a bit embarrassing because it’s so cliché, but since I came here to promote this, I should be bold about it, right?"
Ho-yun scratched his cheek as if shy, a small curve forming on his lips.
"Dear viewers of Woo-seong Broadcast—."
He reached out and drew a heart in the air.
"—Please look forward to The Dawn’s upcoming comeback!"
*
Around the time Seo Ho-yun was acting like a clueless fool on Ju Woo-seong’s Nutube channel while flashing shy smiles, Lee Ji-hyeon of the planning team was trudging into work with sluggish movements.
Damn company.
Lately, Lee Ji-hyeon had been feeling a sense of helplessness similar to when she was part of the planning team at Daepasung Entertainment. It was because all the plans she’d recently made had been strangely cancelled, and The Dawn’s activities had been put on indefinite hiatus.
Consequently, unlike last year when she was busy enough to lose her mind, this year was incredibly idle even as they entered the second quarter.
She had considered taking a vacation and going abroad while she had the chance, but a lingering sense of unease had brought her back to the office earlier than planned.
The dog-eat-dog entertainment world. Shitty bosses. Fucking office politics.
Still, Ji-hyeon judged that things weren't as bad as they were at Daepasung. Thinking she should do something rather than waste time like this, she steeled herself and swung the planning team door open.
"—Yes, yes!! I’m listening. A casting call?"
"Ah, but right now The Dawn’s schedule is getting packed, so..."
"You heard from Seo Ho-yun? Of course we have to coordinate that!"
Ji-hyeon blinked, then stepped back out, thinking she’d come to the wrong office. Realizing she was in the right place, she grabbed the doorknob again.
"As I said, the schedule hasn't been finalized yet... I’ll check and call you back."
"What?! A solo appearance?"
From her superiors to her colleagues and juniors.
Everyone was clutching their phones, running around as if their feet were on fire.
"...W-what’s going on?"
Was this a Wall Street office from a movie, or the office of WH Entertainment?
Weren't we on the verge of ruin because we couldn't get any bookings?
Standing there with her jaw dropped, Ji-hyeon didn't even dare to ask her busy colleagues. She hurried to her desk and scrambled to turn on her computer.
After typing in her password, which was a frustrated keyboard smash, she opened her inbox to find dozens of unread emails. Most of them had the word 'Casting' in the subject line.
[This is PD Kang Il-tae from TBS. Thank you for the other day...]
[Hello, this is KTN. We would like to request a pre-meeting regarding a solo variety show casting for The Dawn, including Seo Ho-yun...]
The three syllables that appeared in every single document: Seo Ho-yun.
Ji-hyeon stared at his name for a long time before quietly closing the browser.
"……."
Ignoring her ringing phone, she sank deep into her chair and leaned her head back, staring up at the office ceiling.
"That Seo-psycho……."
What on earth had he done?