Chapter 47
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47
Digital billboards?
“Wow, you really didn’t know. Look it up on the internet while you’re on your way.”
“……Alright.”
“I’m off!”
With that, Kim Hee-yeong gave a light wave and sauntered out the door. I stood there dazed for a moment before catching Seong Ji-won, who was staring blankly from a short distance away.
“Seong Ji-won.”
“Yeah?”
“Did they say we have digital billboards up?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Seong Ji-won looked just as puzzled, tilting his head as if hearing it for the first time. I immediately pulled out my phone and searched. Information popped up the moment I logged onto social media. As I scrolled through the results, a good idea struck me.
A smile spread across my face as I turned toward the members.
“Guys.”
“Yes?”
“Want to go do something fun?”
Everyone frowned, looking confused.
I hummed a tune while waving my phone. Their eyes widened at my uncharacteristic behavior.
* * *
“Listen up, don’t go wandering around alone for the time being.”
The noisy interior of the van fell silent instantly at the manager’s words.
“Stay in pairs at the very least, and make sure you stick close to me. Got it? Hey? Do you understand?”
As the manager checked the members’ nodding heads through the rearview mirror, I leaned my face forward slightly.
“Manager.”
“Yeah?”
“You know Express Bus Terminal Station, right?”
“Gah!”
The manager jumped in surprise the moment I mentioned it. He let out a forced cough.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Hey guys, aren’t you hungry?”
‘So the manager knows.’
The company was intentionally keeping us in the dark.
The controversy surrounding Kim Seong-hyeon had grown too large, and since the public’s perception of The Dawn wasn’t exactly favorable, they seemed to want to let things pass quietly.
It looked like they planned to gather news of the billboards and show us all at once later.
It wasn’t a bad judgment call, but…
I started setting my plan in motion.
“I am hungry, Manager.”
“Oh, right? Should I go grab some kimbap or something?”
“Could I ask you to do that?”
I gave a smile that was intentionally softer than usual. I felt the guys around me stiffen.
Our manager, a good but blunt man, didn’t seem to notice as he laughed heartily and pulled the car over.
“Alright, guys! Just wait a second!”
“Yes, sir.”
I nodded quietly.
As soon as the manager stepped out of the van and entered the kimbap shop, I hopped out of the passenger seat and climbed straight into the driver’s seat.
An escape.
A literal great escape.
I hummed to myself as I gripped the steering wheel.
“Are we really doing this?”
“Of course.”
“In the van, even?”
“We have a perfectly functional car right here, why bother catching a taxi?”
Everyone’s pupils were shaking. I shot a quick glance at Seong Ji-won.
“Ji-won, send the manager a gift icon or something. Something expensive. Give him a call and tell him to take a nice, long rest at a cafe for an hour.”
“Okay! We can just pick him up later, right?”
Is Seong Ji-won actually enjoying this?
I thought he’d try to stop me, but he seemed the most excited as he called the manager. The manager’s panicked voice echoed through the phone.
“Manager, please get some rest! We’ll be back in an hour!”
He looked as thrilled as a child committing a prank. Jeong Da-jun peeked at me.
“Ho-yun hyung, your driver’s license…”
“Type 1. Perfect score on the written, perfect score on the driving test.”
“Nice.”
“Let’s go.”
And so, we made our escape.
A great escape by rookie idols.
And in their own van, no less.
By the time the manager rushed out of the shop with the kimbap after receiving the call, the van was already nowhere to be seen.
‘Is this for real…?’
* * *
I led the members to the Express Bus Terminal. Even the few who had been anxious at first began to charge forward as if their leashes had been cut.
Seong Ji-won checked his phone constantly to find the way.
“This way? Oh, wait, is it that way?”
“Yeah, I think that’s it.”
They all had their hoodies and hats pulled down low, but they were practically radiating ‘I’m a celebrity.’
It hadn’t been that long, but I guess getting even a little taste of the broadcast life makes it show…
I watched them with a hint of pride before pulling Seong Ji-won back as he tried to head in the wrong direction.
“It’s this way!”
“Oh, isn’t it over there?”
“Right, that’s the one.”
Everyone seemed high-spirited, chatting with flushed faces or whistling. I followed slowly behind them, scanning the hectic subway station.
‘I used to commute like this every day.’
Now, I could hardly ride the subway. The company was so cautious they kept us under wraps.
After only traveling in the van, it felt like returning to daily life for the first time in a while. I paused for a moment to take in the familiar scenery, then turned back toward the members.
“…….”
“Hyung! Hyung!”
Jeong Da-jun excitedly pulled at me. I found myself standing before an advertisement hanging on the subway wall.
There was a large ad featuring a photo of the entire group, and in front of it were several smaller photos of each individual member’s face.
[Supporting your shining days]
“Wow……”
I thought my first reaction would be something like, ‘Wow, this must have cost a lot of money.’
“There’s another one here!”
But it wasn’t.
[The Dawn, please make sure to give them your precious vote.]
It was just… a bit overwhelming.
Seong Ji-won tapped me with a flushed face. There were photos of us smiling brightly, and others of the members waving toward someone.
I stared blankly at the photos before moving my feet.
“Guys, there are post-its stuck on this one.”
“Where?”
“The individual billboards.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
“Did the fans put these up?”
The members buzzed with excitement, still unable to believe that fans would put up ads and leave notes for them.
Kim Seong-hyeon stared at the billboard with an emotional expression.
His ad was covered in post-it notes.
[Seong-hyeon, we’re rooting for you]
[I always believe in you. I fell for the kindness you showed us]
[Seong-hyeon oppa ㅠㅠ You’re my source of energy. Stay strong today too!]
“…….”
The notes were written with the recent controversy in mind.
Kim Seong-hyeon lowered his head and stood still for a long time. His hands were trembling.
“Must be nice, Kim Seong-hyeon.”
I patted him on the shoulder and moved away, thinking he might want to be alone.
Not far from him was a billboard with my face on it.
It was also covered in post-it notes. I approached the billboard as if possessed.
“…….”
A face smiling gently. It looked like a photo from the guerrilla concert. Since the hair was neat, it must have been taken before I was hit by the eggs.
‘Did I really smile like that?’
I reached out and slowly touched the photo. There was a caption written beneath my face.
[Ho-yun,
You are my light.]
“……Really, now.”
I was never that kind of person.
‘I feel bad.’
My heart fluttered slightly. I read the post-it next to it.
[Ho-yun, Noona was really going to quit being a K-pop fan, but I can’t. I fell for you the moment I saw you. Take responsibility for me.]
[Let’s go file a marriage license.]
A laugh escaped my lips involuntarily.
I read the note below it. It was a bit more composed.
[Ho-yun, you’re always so calm. I like that side of you, but I hope you don’t carry everything on your own shoulders.]
[I hope your days are filled only with joy and happiness!!]
[Oppa, if things get hard, please tell us anytime ㅠㅠ]
Things really must have been eventful lately, seeing how much the fans were worrying.
The more I read, the stranger I felt.
It was odd to have a group of strangers saying nothing but kind words to me instead of criticism.
When I was dedicated to my actual job, I only ever got cursed at and had to take all the responsibility… but here, the harder I worked, the more I received this unconditional love. It was truly fascinating.
I touched the post-it notes as if spellbound. The contents, the authors, and the handwriting were all different, but they all shared the same heart.
They all wanted me to be happy.
‘Ah, this is…’
It… tightened my chest a little.
I took my time and read every single note until the very last one.
[Ho-yun, I love you so much.]
“…….”
I quietly reflected on those words before slowly peeling the post-it off. From top to bottom, I gathered them all, one by one, without missing a single one.
It was the first thing I had ever done without any sort of plan.
* * *
[Guys??? Why are the post-its gone?]
[Huh, they really are gone.]
[Omg, did the staff take them down? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ No, we were going to collect them ourselves later ㅠㅠㅠ Was there no proper notice?]
[Ah, that’s a shame… It was fun reading them.]
Fans reacted in real-time.
The fansite master who used Seo Ho-yun’s photo as her representative couldn’t hide her disappointment either. Still, she couldn’t exactly make a public issue out of it on her official account.
‘The boys are already dealing with enough controversy as it is….’
It was better not to do anything that could be nitpicked. But it was still disappointing.
‘I should ask the supporters’ group later.’
As she refreshed her timeline while smacking her lips, it was suddenly flooded with crying emojis.
“Huh?”
What’s going on? What happened?
For a moment, her heart sank.
Dammit, whenever there’s a sudden reaction like this, she was terrified a scandal had broken out.
The fansite master calmed her heart and slowly tried to grasp the context. Then, a video popped up.
[A video just went up on the community ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Ho-yun is taking the post-its ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
“Gasp……!”
She couldn’t believe it. The fansite master watched the video of Seo Ho-yun, his hat pulled down low, as he slowly and carefully peeled off the post-its.
What was with that jeans outfit? It looked great.
No, wait, why was he taking the post-its?
‘Ho-yun…!’
The fansite master covered her mouth. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but seeing him take them one by one so preciously brought tears to her eyes.
‘Oh, my baby…….’
There wasn’t anything bad written on the post-its, right?
From what she had seen passing by, they were all supportive messages, so there shouldn’t be any big issues.
Everyone had just filled them with words of support and love.
She felt a lump in her throat for no reason.
“Why did you take those? They’re nothing special… You should have just kept the letters later.”
[The other guys took theirs too ㅠㅠ It looks like they all came to see them together.]
[Is Kim Seong-hyeon crying right now??]
[Heol, he really is.]
[It looks like he’s hanging his head and trying to hold it in ㅠㅠ]
[There wasn’t anything bad written on the post-its, right???]
[None, as far as I know… I think he’s just overwhelmed..]
[Wow, damn ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Seong-hyeon-ah ㅠㅠ Seong-hyeon-ah, we’re sorry ㅠㅠ]
“Wow, Kim Seong-hyeon’s side is blowing up too.”
They say you shouldn’t market someone’s personality… but Kim Seong-hyeon was already famous among core fans for being kind. He always stayed behind to take care of fans individually.
And then, things finally exploded.
Kim Seong-hyeon’s fans, who had been holding everything in, finally snapped after seeing him cry.
[How can a kid who cries over a single post-it note be a school bully? F*ck!!! Stop dragging him by the hair!!!]
[He’s the guy who worked silently even when they were nobodies at debut and people didn’t care. I’ve never seen him cry once. But he must be having a really hard time right now. Ha… Seong-hyeon-ah, Noona is really… Noona is sorry.]
[Seriously, the Devil’s Editing was all from when he was reacting to Today.. ㅡㅡ He reacted so well during Nightmare or Refined (though it was edited out). If I were him, I’d have a stone-cold face if Today was there too.]
└Why?? Is there something with Today??
└DM me.]
They tried to keep it quiet on private accounts, but the backlash was so great that it eventually leaked out to the public communities.
[Title: Isn’t there a reason for KSH’s reaction?
Kim Seong-hyeon is famous for taking great care of the Nightmare kids too.. That’s why the Nightmare fandom likes Kim Seong-hyeon. I think there’s something between Kim Seong-hyeon and Today.]
[Title: Is it because of Seong Ji-won?
Seong Ji-won was originally in the debut lineup for Today. After it fell through, they probably don’t get along.
└Ugh ㅡㅡ Let’s not drag Ji-won into this all of a sudden.
└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Sorry, sorry.]
[Title: But seriously, why??
Kim Seong-hyeon’s expression really is bad.
└Don’t give attention to a school bully lol]
And as those posts piled up, one popular post finally emerged.
[Hot Topic][I’ll summarize exactly why Kim Seong-hyeon absolutely hates Today]