Chapter 57
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57
After successfully wrapping up the variety show, the days were spent in earnest preparing for our comeback activities.
"Hyung, let's have a general knowledge quiz battle!"
"Just pack your bags."
"Yi-chae? What are you bringing?"
"My game console... actually, I should leave it behind! Yep!"
"Hey, hey! We have to get moving! The manager is waiting."
...It had been pure chaos since morning.
Ding!
[It’s the same as usual!]
That’s true.
Having finished all my preparations alone, I sprawled out on the sofa and checked the Nutube reactions, letting out a yawn. It was just as I expected.
[Sudden Quest Complete!
Appear on a variety show alone and garner a positive response.
Success: You have earned 3,000 points.]
"Seo Ho-yun, let's go!"
"Ah, you guys finally done?"
Kim Seong-hyeon nudged me. I grabbed the suitcase I’d packed in advance and headed out.
The spring breeze was beginning to carry a faint scent of early summer. After leaving the dorm and loading my suitcase into the van, I sat down and finally caught my breath.
"Alright guys, ready? Got your passports?"
"Huh?! I don't have a passport!"
"Gasp, I forgot!"
Kang Yi-chae looked back and forth between the fussing members and the manager.
"Why do you need a passport to go to Jeju Island?"
"Oh."
"Uh..."
Sigh...
Amidst the commotion, even Kim Seong-hyeon was staring out the window with an excited, flushed face.
Well, I suppose they’d be thrilled. It was their first location shoot, after all.
We were heading out to film the music video for our new song.
"It's my first time going to Jeju Island!"
"Is that so?"
"What about you, Ho-yun hyung? Have you been there?"
"Well..."
I think I went a few times back in the day to help with filming. When I answered nonchalantly, Seong Ji-won, perhaps misinterpreting my tone, spoke up excitedly.
"Don't worry, Ho-yun!!"
Suddenly, Seong Ji-won thrust his face through the gap between the seats with a look of grim determination. He pulled out a Jeju Island guidebook that was already tattered.
"They say black pork is famous in Jeju. Oh! And we definitely have to try the Bomal Kalguksu. I want to see Hallasan too, but I don't know how the schedule will work out with the MV filming..."
"Black pork... I wonder if it's good."
...They're having the time of their lives.
Kang Yi-chae, seemingly wanting to tease Seong Ji-won, acted the complete opposite, pestering him with contrarian remarks. I’ll leave that to him. Meanwhile, Jeong Da-jun struck up a conversation with the manager.
"Manager, is Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim also filming in Jeju?!"
"Oh, how did you know? Our schedules happened to overlap."
"I overheard it at the company. Ah~, I really want to meet him! I haven't seen him lately because he's been filming overseas."
"Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim? Why?"
Everyone’s attention shifted to Jeong Da-jun. When Kim Seong-hyeon asked, Jeong Da-jun excitedly slapped his knees.
"They said he's filming Please Give Me Cider in Jeju! Ah, I've been a fan since the beginning~. I watched it recently and it was so, so good."
"Ah, the one that airs on weekends? He really is a great actor."
"Yeah. I heard it's really popular in Asia lately. It seems they're filming there to promote Jeju Island."
I’ve been hearing Min Ji-heon’s name a lot lately.
And that meant the CEO was only pushing Min Ji-heon. You’re supposed to strike while the iron is hot, but that guy was a total lost cause.
I’ll have to... "persuade" him soon.
"Alright! Guys, we're here."
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the airport entrance. As the manager parked the car, he couldn't stop worrying about us.
"Whatever you do, do not panic! Smile nicely, but don't get too swept up in the fans' pace! Follow the bodyguards!"
"Aw, Manager. We're not even that popular."
Jeong Da-jun replied brightly. It was the moment the manager looked at each member through the rearview mirror with concern and opened the door.
"Oh, there they are!"
A reporter holding a camera at the entrance pointed a finger toward the van. While Jeong Da-jun was still dazed, a swarm of reporters rushed over.
"Jeong Da-jun-ssi! Look over here just once!"
"Give us a smile!"
As Jeong Da-jun stood there stammering, I quickly snatched him and pulled him closer to the other members.
"I-I'm touched...! I thought this was a drama...! But hyung, you're not supposed to just grab people like this. Even in dramas these days, grabbing someone's wrist is a bit..."
"Shut up and smile."
I had expected it to some extent, but I didn't think this many people would show up. The rest of the members were equally stunned, waving their hands and bowing their heads, but every single one of them had an awkward expression.
"Ah, hello."
"Hello!"
"Seong-hyeon-ahhh! Yi-chae-ahhh!"
As we made our way into the airport, I heard thunderous voices. I saw people who had squeezed through the reporters, busily taking photos with their "cannon" cameras.
They were clearly our fans.
"Ji-won-ah! Have a safe trip!"
"Ho-yun-ah—be careful on the plane!"
Not just the reporters, but the bodyguards and the swarming fans—the fansite masters who skillfully positioned themselves in the chaotic gaps to snap photos were truly artists in their own right.
I felt genuinely grateful, and a bit sorry. After showing only mechanical smiles to the reporters, seeing the fans made me genuinely grin.
"Ho-yun-ahhh! You have to have a safe trip!"
They must have worked hard to come all this way; I should make sure they get good photos. I strode toward them to ensure the shots came out well and waved my hand in front of the cameras.
"I'll be back."
The fansite master screamed while never missing a beat, clicking the shutter repeatedly.
Leaving the strange sensation behind, I bowed and barely managed to enter the gate. Everyone clutched their tickets and didn't say a word until we were inside. Only when the fans were out of sight did they start talking in low voices.
"Wow, that really surprised me."
"I know... I thought things like this only happened to other people."
Seong Ji-won scratched his cheek bashfully. Walking beside him, Kang Yi-chae chuckled and whispered.
"Do you guys know?"
"Know what?"
"They say when Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim comes to the airport, the whole place gets paralyzed. It's packed with people from one end to the other."
"Whoa. Well, that's Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim, after all..."
He was one of the representative idols leading the Hallyu wave, not just domestically but overseas as well.
That made the fans I just saw feel even more surreal.
With guys like that out there...
Why did they bother coming to take pictures of me?
"Ho-yun, what are you thinking about?"
"...You'll be fine."
"Huh?"
Seong Ji-won tilted his head and smiled. For someone like Seong Ji-won, whose abilities were practically a cheat code from the start...
We headed straight into the gate.
It was only about an hour-long flight, but I immediately crossed my arms and prepared to sleep. I left the members alone, as they were still buzzing with excitement over the fans.
* * *
"Wow! Black pork! Black pork~!"
After barely getting an hour of sleep, we arrived to find it was already evening. We were told we could rest at the lodging and that filming would start tomorrow morning, so today was free time. They talked about playing at the beach later; I felt like I was on a school field trip.
'I'm not going.'
'Gasp!'
'Whoa, hyung.'
'R-really?'
'...Fine, I'll go.'
I only said one sentence, but I felt like I’d become a criminal... I had no choice but to go.
I was planning on sleeping more.
Sighing deeply, I stuffed a piece of perfectly grilled black pork belly into my mouth.
"Was I perhaps born just to eat this?"
"Yeah..."
Since I was eating anyway, maybe I should have a glass of soju...
Ding!
[Characteristic of a food-obsessed person: Doesn't actually eat well themselves.]
"Why are you nagging me?"
"Huh??"
"Nothing."
I was about to ask the manager if I could have a drink, but the system window vanished even more urgently, as if fearing the consequences. Then, the restaurant door swung open.
"Huh?"
A group of people wearing black padded coats swarmed in through the open door.
No matter how you looked at them, they were people bundled up in padding in preparation for a shoot. When our manager suddenly stood up as if he’d spotted something, one of the people in padding looked visibly surprised.
"Eh? What's Manager Kim doing here?"
"We're here to film The Dawn's music video."
"Ah! Oh, where are my manners. Hello."
The other man smiled brightly and bowed.
We also stood up and bowed deeply in greeting, while Jeong Da-jun’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
...Who is it?
"I'm Kim Seong-cheol, Min Ji-heon's road manager."
"Ah, hello."
Kim Seong-cheol, a manager from the same agency, had a friendly impression and was the first to warmly reach out. After shaking hands with each member of The Dawn, he turned back to our manager.
"Wow! It's not like this is the only black pork restaurant in Jeju, but to meet in a place like this."
"I know, right? What brings you here?"
"We just finished filming and came for a quick wrap party."
The managers seemed to know each other and were chatting away. Just then, a man who had "I am an Actor" written all over his face walked in, letting out a huge yawn.
Min Ji-heon.
The guy the CEO supposedly dotes on had appeared.
"Hyung... where's our table..."
"Waaaaah!"
As Jeong Da-jun let out a scream, Min Ji-heon’s gaze shifted toward us. Our maknae, despite being a celebrity himself, approached Min Ji-heon with an out-of-this-world level of fuss. My eyebrows shot up involuntarily.
"Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim!"
How annoying.
"Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim! I'm a really, really, really big fan!!!"
"Um...... Ah."
Min Ji-heon gave a slight bow.
He was an actor famous for his "mysterious" image, so encountering him like this in daily life was rare... but since he was the guy the CEO coddled so much, I was already displeased. Min Ji-heon looked at Jeong Da-jun thoughtfully, then clapped his hands.
"Jeong Da-jun-ssi, hello."
"Gasp, you even know my name...!!"
"......Haha."
But Min Ji-heon didn't have the sharp, intelligent image I’d seen on TV. He seemed a bit spacey and was half a beat slow.
Jeong Da-jun covered his mouth with both hands as if moved, then, with a flushed face, began to stammer in his excitement.
"I-I've been enjoying Please Give Me Cider so much! I-I want to get an autograph, but I don't have any paper... would it be possible to do it on the back of my T-shirt?"
"Um. That's fine, right?"
"Then, would it be possible to do it on my forehead too?"
"Should I...?"
"Hey, what do you mean 'should I'!"
As Min Ji-heon nodded compliantly, his manager, Kim Seong-cheol, put him in a headlock and ruffled his hair. He pinched his cheeks while saying, "This guy, this guy," making it clear the manager quite adored him.
In contrast, Min Ji-heon’s face slowly crumpled into a pout.
"...It hurts."
"Geez. Give Jeong Da-jun-ssi an autograph on a clean piece of paper later."
Is this guy a bit slow?
Hey, when are we sitting down?
Let's just wait a bit.
While Jeong Da-jun was running wild, the rest of the members sat there awkwardly, unable to sit or join the conversation, just watching the situation unfold.
Of course, I was busy calculating.
Whether there would be anything to gain by getting close to him or not.
......None.
I might have received a trait, but it’s not like I’ll ever have to act.
Having finished my calculations, I lost interest and was about to turn my attention back to the freshly cooking pork belly when my gaze locked with Min Ji-heon’s.
"......?"
The spacey Min Ji-heon suddenly frowned deeply and scanned me from head to toe.
"......I've never seen something like this before."
"......Excuse me?"
Is he picking a fight right now? I was revving up my "thug" persona, ready to fire back if he said one more word, when Min Ji-heon’s manager pulled his arm.
"Hey, hey, Ji-heon. Let's not disturb them while they're eating."
"Okay.... Seong-cheol hyung, I'm hungry."
"Yeah, you brat. I know very well that you're a big eater, so let's get you fed."
"Can I eat about ten servings?"
"Sigh, do whatever you want."
"Sweet."
Min Ji-heon grinned and bid us farewell without a single lingering regret.
"Well then, I'll be going now..."
"Sunbae-nim! Next time! For sure! An autograph!"
"Of course..."
He mingled effortlessly with the staff, and soon, the sound of boisterous laughter could be heard from the room over there.
"Ho-yun, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
As I ate after that, I couldn't tell if it was self-consciousness or my "big data of bad vibes" accumulated over thirty years. My neck felt strangely tense.
As I shoved pork belly into my mouth, a dejected Jeong Da-jun returned to his seat and chewed on some lettuce.
"I wanted an autograph on my forehead..."
"Da-jun-ah... please, get a grip."
"If even Seong Ji-won is saying that, you really need to reflect. This is serious."
Following Seong Ji-won, Kim Seong-hyeon also tried to calm Jeong Da-jun down (though it felt more like he was condemning him).
Kang Yi-chae, seemingly enjoying his role as a PD, thrust a camera forward and conducted a "heartfelt interview" with the autograph-less Jeong Da-jun.
"Please Give Me Cider is the drama of my life, and Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim is simply a light..."
"And who is Da-jun-ssi's bias??"
"That's obviously our Noeul!"
"Eyyyyy~!!"
I don't think anyone noticed.
Excluding Jeong Da-jun, the members of The Dawn were quite perceptive. They were the type to immediately sense someone "off," including Today, just by looking at their faces and exchanging glances.
But seeing as no one, not even Kang Yi-chae, said anything...
Was I just imagining it?
That assumption was shattered exactly one hour later, the moment we stepped out of the restaurant.
"Oh."
Min Ji-heon was standing there.