Chapter 87
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87
Ding!
[A quest has arrived!]
When I woke up from my faint, a blue system window was floating in the air. I blinked a few times before bolting upright.
The system window was back.
“How…?”
No, how it came back wasn't the important part. What mattered was that things had returned to normal after that incident with Min Ji-heon.
“Why did you disappear?”
There was no answer. It was clear the system window was intentionally staying silent.
I glared at the screen in the air and sighed.
“Check quest.”
Ding!
[Quest Arrived:
‘Let’s make a fan song together!’
A group is all about group activities rather than individual ones!
Let’s create a surprise fan song for the Noeuls.
Success: 5,000 points
Failure: If the fan song is not produced within 2 weeks, Dance stat will drop significantly (B+ ➝ D+)]
I stared intently at the quest window.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have thought twice about this quest, but something felt strangely off.
First of all:
‘Group activities rather than individual ones.’
On the surface, it looked much more normal than the quests I usually received.
It was trying to divert my eyes from ‘individual activities’—in other words, acting. I also agreed that a group activity was more appropriate for the timing, but…
‘Why?’
If it wanted to stop me from acting in the first place, it should have blocked me the moment the offer first came in.
Specifically, this quest should have popped up when the CEO was testing the waters to see if I wanted to act. Or at the very least, it should have appeared when Seong Ji-won asked if I was going to do it and I was being stubborn about refusing.
But now?
Furthermore, if it really wanted to stop my acting career, why didn't it just give me a quest explicitly telling me not to appear in the drama?
‘Is it that it won't, or that it can't?’
I didn't know the reason, but it meant the system window had its own limitations. It seemed like it was throwing out a quest with such a tight deadline just to see if it could poke me into stopping.
In other words…
“You’re scared.”
It was telling me to avoid Min Ji-heon.
The system window continued to glow dimly. I didn't need an answer anymore, though. I had already found it in that silence.
I stood up and walked out into the living room. The members, who had been deep in conversation, jumped to their feet when they saw me.
“Oh, uh…”
It would have been nice if they’d been having a good time and forgotten all about me, but these soft-hearted members clearly couldn't do that.
Where else would you find a group where everyone loses their energy just because one member is feeling down?
“Who died?”
I clicked my tongue and plopped down into an empty spot on the sofa. Only then did the members hesitantly sit back down.
“Ho-yun…”
Seong Ji-won started to speak but trailed off. He looked a bit excited, but also like he was walking on eggshells. Kim Seong-hyeon quickly picked up the slack.
“The manager stopped by earlier. He told us to leave you alone since you were sleeping.”
“Yeah.”
“He said you passed the first round of the audition. …Now you just have to go for the second round.”
Normally, these guys would have been making a huge fuss, being even happier than me and wanting to do something to celebrate. The fact that they were choosing their words so carefully despite it being good news was likely because of what happened earlier.
I snatched the drink Jeong Da-jun was holding and took a sip. I was thirsty, so I gulped it down, making Jeong Da-jun’s eyes go wide.
“Hyung, that’s mi—”
“Jeong Da-jun.”
“Yes!”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Why are you acting so nervous?”
“…Ye-yes?”
“Didn't I tell you not to act nervous unless you did something wrong? Why can't you apply that in real life, huh?”
“……?”
It took a moment for the words to process, and Jeong Da-jun blinked blankly before his mouth fell open.
“The jerk is back…”
“No, his attitude just disappeared again.”
“Ah, right.”
The other members started whispering. After stuttering for a moment, Jeong Da-jun suddenly grabbed me and started rambling.
“Hyung, uh… please just forget what I said earlier. I didn't mean I wanted you to pass the audition just so I could see Min Ji-heon sunbae-nim. I mean, sure, there was a bit of my fanboy heart for Writer Kim Suk-hee in there… but I don't know what's going on, and if you hate it, I hate it too!”
“Really?”
This innocent kid. Seeing Jeong Da-jun, who was always fun to tease, I asked with a smirk.
“Our maknae, pick one: Min Ji-heon or me.”
“Huh?”
“Pick.”
Jeong Da-jun’s eyes darted around for about three seconds before he stammered out an answer.
“…Obviously it’s you, hyung?!”
“…….”
“What kind of bizarre nonsense is this now…?”
…I was satisfied, but even I thought I was being pathetic. I let out a sigh and patted the head of our confused maknae puppy, Jeong Da-jun. He looked somewhat wronged, but I ignored him.
“So, I just have to go to the second audition?”
“Yeah. It’s something to celebrate, but since you didn't want to do it, we’ll respect your decision no matter what it is.”
“Good, that worked out well.”
“But if you could just think about it for a… wait, what?”
Seong Ji-won stopped mid-sentence and asked back in surprise.
“It worked out well?”
“Yeah.”
I picked up my phone and sent a positive text to the manager.
“I’m going to do it.”
“……Eh?”
“The acting. I’m doing it.”
Everyone’s eyes narrowed.
Just a few hours ago, the atmosphere made it seem like there was no way I’d do it. Now that I was saying I would, everyone looked at me with ‘Why?’ written on their faces, but I had no intention of explaining. I had already made up my mind to play ‘Lee Jeong-hun.’
The system window was hiding something and was extremely wary of Min Ji-heon. Min Ji-heon knew something and could even make the system window temporarily disappear.
Then the answer was clear.
If I couldn't get answers from the writer or the system window, I would just have to get them through Min Ji-heon.
‘How should I handle this…?’
As I searched for Min Ji-heon on the internet, I suddenly looked up at the members. Kang Yi-chae shifted his gaze a bit unnaturally, but…
Let’s let it slide for now. There was something more urgent.
“Oh, and let’s make a fan song.”
“……?”
At those words, even more question marks appeared over their heads.
* * *
[The Dawn’s Seo Ho-yun Confirmed for Role of Young Genius PD in ‘Please Take Care of the Camera’]
[Seo Ho-yun Transforms from ‘Idol’ to ‘Actor’… To Work Alongside Labelmate Min Ji-heon]
Naturally, Seo Ho-yun delivered a perfect performance of a PD’s daily life in the second and subsequent third auditions, passing unanimously.
Furthermore, to somehow fit the 23-year-old Seo Ho-yun into the role, Writer Kim Suk-hee added all sorts of ‘early achievement’ titles and even lowered PD Lee Jeong-hun’s age to 29.
Information leaked somewhere, and the casting news was reported in an instant.
Lee Ji-hyeon, who had practically become a specialized consultant for The Dawn, trembled as she saw the articles. However, deciding it was better to get the inevitable blow over with quickly, she hurried to release additional press materials.
Upon seeing the news, Seo Ho-yun’s individual fans, who had no inkling of this, experienced a mental earthquake at the sudden news but quickly posted on Twitter.
[Ho-yun is confirmed to play the genius PD in Please Take Care of the Camera!! It’s such a perfect fit, I’m so excited♡ Supporting your first acting challenge! (Link to press release)]
And that post was retweeted like crazy. But… there were dozens of times more Quote Retweets than simple retweets.
While it varied depending on the situation… this time, it was in a very negative sense.
[?????????????? lol]
[I heard Lee Kang-seok was doing it, where’d he go??????]
[Wow, Daepasung is working hard lol. The piggybacking skill with Min Ji-heon is real lol]
[It’s hilarious how they’re desperately shoving Seo Ho-yun in as a supporting actor, even changing the character settings and age. You guys having fun with the forced inclusion?]
If it had just been a simple acting challenge, it wouldn't have blown up this much.
However, it was a role that had been widely rumored to go to the rising star Lee Kang-seok. There had even been several news reports saying it was practically confirmed, and the response had been positive because the image fit so well. Because an idol had suddenly swooped in, the reaction was poor.
In reality, casting changes right before production were common in this industry. However, articles came out saying the settings were adjusted after casting because the age didn't match the character, and Lee Kang-seok’s management followed up with a comment saying it was a shame he couldn't take the role, which drew even more hate.
The individual fan who had posted the original tweet looked through the Quote Retweets—where Noeuls, drama fans, and people who just wanted to watch the world burn were swarming—and then moved to a private account to post.
[Hmm]
There was only one thing she wanted to say.
[I get it, guys.
Sorry for being delusional.
└ lolololololololol ah lolololol
└└ To be honest, I know too, ffs]
Still, for now, she diligently posted things like, ‘Wait, Seo Ho-yun acting? I’m so excited,’ and ‘I can see Seo Ho-yun’s face regularly for two months, time to make new gifs.’ Of course, behind the scenes, she was crying, saying, ‘Please stop, I’m scared.’
The Noeuls couldn't even complain openly and were just weeping on their private accounts.
[Sigh… I want to curse. We know this is a stretch too…
└ I’ve been muttering curses all day at work. I’ve become a madwoman.]
[What do you mean, Seo Ho-yun acting all of a sudden? Daepasung really can't give up their acting greed, can they~~~]
[I can see it… the future where he gets hate for idol piggybacking… I can see the signs of war with all the solo stans, antis, trolls, and psychos……
But so what?
We are the no-brakes Seo Ho-yun fans.
Winter is coming. Let’s fight, you bastards.]
As if proving their words, the fire was slowly starting to spread in online communities.
[Title: Isn't Seo Ho-yun totally piggybacking on Min Ji-heon this time?
It’s so blatant this time that it’s annoying lol.
Even changing the age… it’s crazy.
└ Seo Ho-yun? Has this guy ever acted before??
└└ No, never.
└└ Wow… lol…
└ Exactly ㅠㅠ I had high expectations because it’s Writer Kim Suk-hee, but they’re throwing an idol onto a perfectly good meal.]
[He should just say he wants to be an actor lol. I always knew he didn't want to be an idol because his face is always expressionless, but I didn't know he’d show his true colors this fast? He’ll probably start hating his fans soon too. Ho-yun, don't be a nuisance to the other members and just quit.
└ You piece of shit, would a kid who hates being an idol show up for every single Pop-Pop? lol. He’s famous for communicating intensely with fans, mind your own business.]
[Honestly, he’ll probably miss a lot of schedules while acting… Does he even think about the members? If he’s going to be like this, why did he debut in a group?]
[Isn't it too transparent that he doesn't care about group activities..? ㅠㅠ Just leave the group ㅠㅠ #Saving_Noeul #Noeul_Twitter_Friends
└ Shut up.]
While the fans were feeling dizzy from the anonymous accounts appearing one by one to sniff out trouble and were engaging in a fierce dogfight… what was Seo Ho-yun doing?
“…….”
“Oh, you’re here….”
“Cough, cough!”
“…Hey, everyone out for a second.”
He was inside Im Hyeon-su’s unventilated raccoon den (studio).