Chapter 63
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63
[Title: Today’s Failed Surprise
It’s about The Dawn right after their fan signing.
They started a surprise B-Live today….
(Kang Yi-chae: Today’s surprise target is~ none other than Ho-yun Hyung!
Seong Ji-won: Haha, he’s the calmest one, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him get startled.)
They had no idea what was coming..
They even set up a separate camera in the living room just to catch Seo Ho-yun’s reaction.
(Seo Ho-yun: A sinner like you sure is demanding..
Kang Yi-chae: This humble servant deserves death, milord~!)
LOL, do they always play like this? Seriously, they’re so freaking cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It’s obvious Seo Ho-yun still holds a grudge against Kang Yi-chae for the aegyo exposure incident.
But then, Seo Ho-yun starts to change his clothes.
Holy crap, this guy… he only lifted his shirt halfway, but I saw… abs… lines… He’s out here trying to kill us all, istg.
(I’ll behave now.)
(Kim Seong-hyeon: Aaaaaaaah! (Proceeds to roll him up like a kimbap))
The ultimate excuse!
The True Leader is giving it his all!
(Seo Ho-yun: You did something wrong, didn’t you?
Kim Seong-hyeon: (Totally wronged) ㅠㅠ No, it’s not that.. ㅠㅠ
Seo Ho-yun: I can tell. Just spill it. ㅋㅋ)
I almost screamed during this part.
This guy’s intuition is insane.
But then, he suddenly spots the camera!
(Seo Ho-yun: …??)
And that’s when the other members come in all bright and cheery!
(Jeong Da-jun: Did you two… fight over the kimbap?!)
The misunderstanding reaches its peak!
(Seo Ho-yun: Is this a recording?
Members: (Shake their heads)
Seo Ho-yun: …A live stream?
Members: (Nod, nod….))
Seo Ho-yun’s face at that moment ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The final highlight:
(Manager: Sur~~prise~~!!!)
Endless cheerfulness meets a deathly silence….
Seo Ho-yun sighs, turns off the B-Live, and then comes back.
The title of the B-Live after that:
>>> Apologies to Noeul. <<<
I never thought I’d see a title like that on B-Live ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What is he, some controversial Nutuber? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
(Seo Ho-yun: Now, apologize to the fans.)
All the members bow their heads deeply.
(Seo Ho-yun: Apologize to me, too.
Members: We’re sorry!)
~Surprise: Epic Failure~
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why are they always filming a sitcom? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└└ Their playing is so wholesome ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ You can see Seo Ho-yun’s real-life way of speaking here ㅋㅋㅋ They must be really close.
└ I’m dying because the manager shouted "Sur~~prise~~" without reading the room.
└ But it’s obvious none of them are actually reflecting, especially Jeong Da-jun.
Jeong Da-jun tried to sneak some cake onto Seo Ho-yun’s nose ㅋㅋㅋㅋ but he shriveled up the moment Ho-yun glared at him.
└└ How can our Golden Puppy be this cute?]
‘That was a close one.’
A cold sweat broke out on my back. If I had blurted out what I was thinking, I would have been publicly crucified.
If I had called Kim Seong-hyeon "you bastard," I would’ve been bashed, and if I’d said something like "Why do the fans even like me?", people would’ve definitely claimed I was fishing for sympathy and dragged me for it….
After barely managing to wrap up the B-Live, I gave each of the members a flick on the forehead.
"Ow!"
"That hurts!"
"Sorry…."
"……?"
I spared Kim Seong-hyeon. Feeling the injustice, Kang Yi-chae jumped up and pointed a finger.
"What! Why did you let Seong-hyeon Hyung off the hook?"
"At least he showed some basic human decency."
"Yeah, I did my best."
Because he covered me with the blanket. Looking back, Kim Seong-hyeon looked just as terrified as I was.
‘He definitely got dragged into this by the younger ones.’
"Whew. I’m going to the office for a bit."
"Gasp! You’re… you’re not going to kick us out of the group, are you?"
"Keep quiet before I change my mind."
Leaving the pale-faced Jeong Da-jun behind, I headed down to the dorm parking lot, thinking of the manager who had slipped away earlier to avoid the heat.
I wondered if I’d have to take a taxi if he’d already left, but luckily, the manager was still by the van, having just finished a phone call. He flinched when he saw me.
"Manager, you’re going to the office, right?"
"Ye-yeah…."
"Let’s go together."
"What are you planning to do?"
I buckled my seatbelt and stared ahead, but the manager kept glancing at me anxiously. What? What is it?
"Ho-yun, I get scared to death every time you say you’re going to the office…."
"Have I ever caused any trouble or accidents?"
"……."
After answering like that, I paused to think.
"…Have I?"
"Ho-yun! This time, please! Let’s just get through this quiet-ly!"
The manager’s nagging continued, but since the office was close to the dorm, we arrived in no time. Just as I was about to head straight for the CEO’s office "quietly" as the manager requested, I ran right into someone coming out.
"Oh…."
It was Min Ji-heon.
"Hello."
"……."
Min Ji-heon remained silent for a long time before rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wow, I got confused for a second…."
About what?
I failed to control my expression and stared at him. Min Ji-heon asked with a faint smile.
"I guess you’re back in Seoul."
"Yes, well."
Even seeing him again, he felt like an ill omen. However, this was the company, and there was no point in making it obvious, so I gave him a neutral answer. Seeing his disinterested face, it seemed he didn’t have any business with me either.
But contrary to my expectations, Min Ji-heon muttered.
"I asked you to contact me when you got to Seoul…."
"……."
"But I don’t even have your number…."
"…I’m sorry. If it’s urgent, you can contact me through the company."
"Ah, that’s a bit of a hassle…."
What is with this guy, seriously?
After scanning me from head to toe, Min Ji-heon obediently stepped aside.
"…Eh, never mind. Looking at you now, it doesn’t seem that urgent anyway… Go on in. Hello to you too, Manager."
"Min Ji-heon-ssi! Hello!"
"Yeah."
Min Ji-heon, still looking vacant, replied in a lethargic voice and walked away.
No matter how I look at it, he leaves a bad taste in my mouth….
Anyway, I tried to move on, but the manager started making a fuss.
"Are you close with Min Ji-heon?"
"Not at all."
"But Ji-heon-ssi spoke to you so familiarly?"
I shrugged as if I didn’t know anything, and the manager tilted his head in confusion. Since he was the agency’s top actor, the manager had seen him around, but witnessing such an unfamiliar side of him seemed to have left him bewildered.
Well, I had something more important to deal with. I had to resolve the settlement issue before the members grew resentful and our teamwork was torn to shreds.
‘Now, how should I play this?’
I gave the door to the CEO’s office two light knocks and opened it. It had been a while since I’d seen the CEO, and his face was practically glowing—likely from living the good life on the money we’d brought in.
"Oh, if it isn’t our Ho-yun!"
"Hahaha. Hello, CEO."
‘Since when was I "your" Ho-yun?’
I approached him with my business smile firmly in place.
"First Ji-heon, and now Ho-yun. Today must be a special day."
"I saw Min Ji-heon-ssi on his way out."
"Right, I called him in to talk. That boy is always so vacant; I never know what he’s thinking."
The manager grunted as he placed the trophy we’d won on the table.
"Things like this, well, we’ll be bringing in plenty more in the future."
"Still, I had to see it in person. We’ll keep one here in the CEO’s office. To think our The Dawn has grown this much… you’re doing so well."
‘Did you raise us yourself or something?’
I mentally flipped him off while outwardly smiling and playing along.
"Our results were pretty good this time, right? Both the digital charts and variety shows. As far as I know, there are still discussions ongoing for CFs as well."
"Of course. You guys really hit the jackpot this time."
"So, about that."
As I leaned forward to get to the point, the manager became visibly tense. However, the CEO raised his hand before I could speak.
"Ho-yun, I know what’s on your mind."
"Pardon?"
"There’s only one reason you’d come to see me like this. You want to change the contract, right? But I’ve already revised yours…."
"Ah."
I smiled thinly.
"You’re half right and half wrong."
"Hmm?"
"It’s not my contract. It’s the members’."
This was something I’d had in mind for a long time.
A contract isn’t something you can change just by whining. My case was special. Back then, I had brought in a song from Blue Tiger and temporarily boosted my own recognition through media play, which made it possible. But the members hadn’t shown much yet.
However, now that they’d won Shining Star and even took first place on a music show—even if it wasn’t one of the big three networks—it was a conversation worth having.
Since it wouldn’t benefit the CEO to have the team’s chemistry fall apart just as they were starting to take off, it wasn’t a bad time to throw the idea out there.
"Please change the members’ settlement ratios. Make them the same as mine."
The CEO looked slightly surprised. He took a sip of tea before speaking.
"You didn’t seem like the type, but since when did you grow so fond of your members?"
‘……Hmph.’
"Or is it not about affection, but rather a worry that they’ll use your different contract terms as an excuse to cause trouble later?"
He was spot on. He was right, but hearing it from someone else’s mouth was still annoying, so I just kept smiling.
"I don’t think you need to wonder about my intentions."
= Shut up and just change the contracts.
The CEO’s eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he understood the subtext.
"I suppose so. Well… I was planning to bring it up eventually anyway. It’s easy for talk to start if only your conditions are different."
Since when did you actually do your job?
I guess he didn’t become CEO for nothing. He at least has this much intuition.
It seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly, but I couldn’t let my guard down until the contracts were officially changed.
"I see. Thank you."
"When we revise them next time, let’s meet with all the members."
"Yes, please."
It was so easy that it actually made me feel a bit uneasy.
Usually, this is when something goes wrong.
Sure enough, the CEO asked casually.
"Ho-yun, by the way…."
"Yes."
"A person needs to grab an opportunity when it comes. From what I see, you’re getting a lot of opportunities. You have the visuals, the vocal projection, and high recognition…. We’ve received several inquiries."
It sounded like a compliment, but why did it sound so obnoxious coming from him?
When I remained silent and stared at him with a face that said "get to the point already," the CEO cleared his throat.
"Do you perhaps…."
"I don’t."
"…I haven’t finished yet."
"I have no intention of acting."
"……Fine, go ahead and open a fortune-telling shop."
The CEO looked fed up when I cut him off so bluntly.
"Anyway, why do you hate it? It’s a chance to boost your recognition significantly…."
"Right now, I need to focus on group activities."
"No, think about it again. We were originally an actor management agency. If we set our minds to it, we can push you as much as Min Ji-heon."
‘Stop lying….’
The "vacant" Min Ji-heon from earlier was already a national actor. Even Jeong Da-jun, who was incredibly cold when it came to dramas—saying things like "Ah, that person’s acting is a bit..."—praised him. He was the epitome of a "trustworthy actor."
‘Though the fact that he’s a bit creepy is a flaw.’
"I probably don’t have as much talent as Min Ji-heon Senior."
"That’s a shame……."
"I’ll pass for now."
Idol activities were finally taking off like they’d grown wings. The moment a "recycled rookie" tried to stand out through individual activities, the hate would inevitably follow.
The hate comments would probably look something like this:
[Seo Ho-yun was dying to act, but his acting is trash.txt]
[If he wanted to act this bad, he should’ve just said so from the start~ ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Yeah~ it’s so obvious he hates being an idol, look at that sour face.]
…It’s far too plausible.
Just imagining it, I could already see my pathetic acting skills being mocked on Nutube and community sites.
"Hmm… Such a shame, such a shame."
The disappointment was clear on the CEO’s face, but since I was so firmly against it, he didn’t seem to have any intention of forcing me. He roughly accepted it and moved on.
That was the only good thing about this company.
They left you alone to do your own thing.
The downside?
‘Everything else.’
At least Lee Ji-hyeon is a bit of a gem.
She’s so quick-witted and smart that I want to keep her with me….
"I’ll be going now."
I gave a polite bow and stood up.
‘But why did he suddenly tell me to act…? It’s not like he knows my hidden stats have unlocked.’
It’s strange. No matter how much I think about it.
‘Objectively speaking, wouldn’t Seong Ji-won be a better fit?’
Especially in terms of appearance, Seong Ji-won’s visuals seemed more suited for acting—handsome but gentle, with a face that could look different depending on the role. I tilted my head in thought, but I missed the timing to ask.
"Ah, I need to talk to Manager Kim for a bit."
"Yes."
‘Of course.’
I clicked my tongue and walked out. He’d act like he respected me to my face, then nag the manager behind my back to persuade me.
‘Well, the manager can handle that himself.’
I ignored the manager’s desperate S.O.S. look and left the room. As I walked down the hallway from the CEO’s office, I ran into someone unexpected again.
It was Min Ji-heon, tapping away on his phone.
"Ah…."
Noticing me, Min Ji-heon stuffed his phone into his pocket and asked.
"You came out sooner than I thought?"
As if he had been waiting for me.