On the day of the WH Entertainment in-house workshop.
“Ah, mic test—. Hello everyone. I’m Kim Myeonghyeok, CEO of WH Entertainment. Introducing myself again here feels a bit awkward, haha! This year marks WH’s 25th anniversary. To celebrate, we’ve planned this workshop on a grand scale. As always, thank you all for your hard work—...”
Chae Jungwoo half-tuned out the boring speech but didn’t let it show. Years of experience in the industry had taught him how to manage his expression. With a gentle smile fixed on his lips, he clapped along politely.
Beside him, the youngest, Lee Hanju, was nodding off after pulling an all-night shoot, but Jungwoo didn’t wake him. Instead, he shielded him with his body.
Then suddenly, the camera filming for internal promotion drew closer.
Jungwoo stretched out his leg under the table and tapped Hanju’s calf to wake him.
“...And we give thanks to Black Call, our pillar who has been active overseas since last year.”
“Boss! I love you too, Hanju loves you!”
As if he hadn’t just been asleep, Hanju’s eyes sparkled wide, and he raised his arms to make a heart over his head.
The hall erupted into warm laughter.
“...Phew, hyung, thanks for waking me. I didn’t say anything weird, did I?”
“Not at all.”
“Ah, why’d he have to mention me out of nowhere...”
Even heavy makeup couldn’t completely hide the dark circles under Hanju’s eyes.
That once °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° naïve and clumsy kid had gained sharp instincts and lightning reactions after a few years as an idol.
Even if Hanju had stayed asleep, Kim Myeonghyeok would probably have praised how hard he must’ve been working.
Truth was, until Black Call debuted, WH Entertainment had been on a steady decline. They had been a prestigious house for idols, but that was a distant memory.
They were dismissed with an “Oh, WH?” in the broadcast world until Black Call swept 1st places shortly after debut and turned the company’s fate around.
Of course, to the youngest, Kim Myeonghyeok was just the guy forcing them into a workshop when they were already busy and exhausted.
“Jungwoo-hyung, Hanju, hi hi~.”
Just then, a lively young man with shoulder-length hair tied back strode up with long steps.
“Oh, Saeyoung, you’re here.”
It was Black Call’s lead dancer, Jeon Saeyoung.
Today, the attendees were Jungwoo himself, rapper Lee Hanju, and lead dancer Jeon Saeyoung. The lead vocal was in Japan for a fan meeting, and Joo Woosung was absent — though surely still in Korea.
Arriving last, Saeyoung shamelessly pulled a sandwich from the next table and took a bite.
“...Recently, we achieved a harmonious merger with Daepaseong. Thanks to this, our actor division has become more solid. As an independent sub-label, Daepaseong will...”
Independent sub-label, sure.
No one saw The Dawn as Daepaseong’s anymore. To everyone, they were WH’s.
“...And to The Dawn as well, thank you. Congratulations on wrapping up your activities.”
Applause broke out right on cue.
All eyes turned to one place. Following the stares, there were The Dawn members.
With the rest in coordinated outfits differing only in color and detail, Seo Hoyun stood out in full black from head to toe.
Come to think of it, his aura had felt subtly different lately. Now it hit strongest — calmer, but with a fire blazing inside.
“Jungwoo-hyung, Saeyoung-hyung, did you see The Dawn’s comeback? Amazing, right?”
“Yeah, they did well.”
“Their practice room lights never go off. They train like rookies fighting for debut.”
“Ugh, if I had to go through that again, I’d quit being an idol.”
Saeyoung, who had crossed paths with Kim Sunghyun and Jung Dajun on a dance program, added,
“But Sunghyun really dances well. Dajun too, he’s decent.”
“Really?”
The tables were spaced far enough apart that the Black Call members could chat freely.
“WH is enjoying unprecedented prosperity.”
As actors, Min Jiheon. As idols, Black Call, Hi-Five, and The Dawn.
Kim Myeonghyeok wasn’t wrong.
Especially for male K-POP idols, this level of dominance was rare.
Black Call set records with every album, and even while on break, they were still raking in cash.
“Hey.”
Late last year, on a rare day when all the members had gathered for practice, Woosung had glared at Jungwoo with a deep frown, then followed him out to say,
“You need to go to the hospital.”
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere. But strangely enough, when he did go, they found something wrong — vocal cord nodules.
After that, the decision for Black Call’s hiatus had been led by Woosung.
WH Entertainment had also been very accommodating.
“But I still don’t get how Seo Hoyun managed to knock some sense into Woosung-hyung.”
“He really did change a lot, didn’t he?”
As Saeyoung fixed his gaze on The Dawn, Hanju nodded so hard his head might fall off.
“The other day he tried to talk to me all shyly, and I dropped my ice cream. He thought he was hiding it, but it was obvious. He even cut off everyone he used to hang with all the time. Now he’s holed up in the practice room every day... It feels like he’s gone back to trainee days. Honestly, he doesn’t even seem human again.”
“That’s exactly it.”
The two kept chattering, but Jungwoo kept his eyes politely on the CEO’s speech. Subtly shifting his chair, he blocked the line of sight for them.
Maybe it was a presumptuous thought, but unless Black Call returned in the second half of the year, the grand prize would go to either The Dawn or Hi-Five. Everyone at WH Entertainment thought so.
And Jungwoo was no different.
‘Even without bias, it’ll be one of those two.’
Would it be the group that included the man who turned Woosung into a new person, or the group of the junior he’d watched fondly since their chick days?
As Jungwoo tapped his fingers on the table, he realized it didn’t matter what he chose — it wouldn’t affect the result.
“...So, Woosung-hyung isn’t coming? He’s skipping again?”
“Who knows?”
Hanju asked as he stole one of Saeyoung’s sandwiches.
During Black Call’s first year, they’d been forced to attend the workshop as rookies.
That experience had scarred Woosung. He never attended again.
“Man, Woosung-hyung really holds grudges. Was that stage that humiliating?”
“Hanju, how would you feel if it were you?”
“I would’ve just had fun with it.”
Back then, when they demanded to know which member would perform, they decided it with rock-paper-scissors. Woosung lost, his face turning pale. Saeyoung had rolled on the floor laughing.
“But he still ended up taking 1st place.”
“Exactly.”
He’d kicked and screamed about not being able to do it.
Yet when the time came, he went all out — long blonde wig, fake lashes, the works — and flawlessly covered a foreign artist’s song.
Of course, once he got off stage, he cursed nonstop about his “f*cking black history” and twitched at the mere mention of “workshop.”
‘Looking back, he was at least kind of pure then...’
Finally, the endless speech wrapped up and it was lunchtime. People bustled about, greeting and mingling.
With their business smiles on, the Black Call members bowed evenly. But when they faced The Dawn, their expressions softened.
“Oh, Kim Sunghyun, Jung Dajun~.”
“Sunbae-nim, hello.”
“Call me hyung! Hello to the rest too.”
Saeyoung slung his arm around Sunghyun’s neck warmly while Hanju chatted with the others. Meanwhile, Jungwoo’s eyes met Seo Hoyun’s.
Hoyun smiled first and approached.
“Chae Jungwoo-sunbae, hello.”
Jungwoo rather liked Seo Hoyun.
So he smiled back genuinely.
“Seo Hoyun-ssi, how are you?”
“Of course, I’m doing well.”
After a glance around, Hoyun lowered his voice and whispered.
“Sunbae, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“I heard you’re MCing tonight’s talent show.”
How did he know that?
Jungwoo kept smiling as he replied calmly.
“That’s right. How did you find out?”
“Then, do you happen to know the performer list?”
“No, they haven’t given it to me either. Probably only right before it starts.”
“Hmm...”
“Why? Are you performing, Seo Hoyun-ssi?”
Hoyun suddenly wore the face of a mischievous seven-year-old plotting something.
“Who knows?”
Just what was he planning?
The Seo Hoyun Jungwoo knew was unusual, yes, but not the type for foolish stunts.
Yet from afar, Kang Yeonhoo, seeing Hoyun’s expression, was already breaking into a cold sweat.
.
.
.
After enduring all the useless workshop formalities with a smiling face, evening finally came.
The annex auditorium of the rented building had been dressed up as the talent show stage.
‘This is my YuYu Bank tonight.’
With confidence, I slung my arm over Jung Dajun’s shoulder.
After stuffing himself with eight buffet plates, his cheeks were rounder than ever.
“Hyung, you look happy today.”
“Of course.”
Would my Ichae know how devoted I was, doing this?
But I hadn’t told the members I was going up. A surprise would double the impact.
‘But where the hell is that bastard.’
It was nearly start time, but Joo Woosung was still nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, hyung hyung! Did you see the prizes?! Travel vouchers, resort stays, department store gift cards... it’s crazy. Except that weird 2nd place CD. No idea where that came from.”
How would a normie understand a nerd’s taste?
And that “weird” 2nd place CD, that was the one I wanted.
I glanced back. There was Kang Ichae, laughing with Sung Jiwon.
“Oh oh, I heard normally it’s mostly managers or directors who enter the talent show, but this time the lineup is insane!”
“What? You heard?”
“Not in detail... just a little.”
As Dajun kept chattering, the seats filled up and the lights came on.
“Hello everyone, I’m Chae Jungwoo~.”
“Woooo! Chae Jungwoo! Chae Jungwoo!”
“World-class! World-class!”
If half of WH’s building had been raised by Joo Woosung, Jungwoo was the one who had captivated half the Korean public.
The employees, tipsy on wine and champagne, cheered wildly for him.
“Today was long, right? You all worked hard. Now it’s time for something fun~.”
I pulled out my phone and texted Woosung.
[Me: When are you coming, hyung haha]
[Me: I miss you]
Still no reply.
So he really was ignoring me.
I shut my phone and looked back up at the stage.
There, with neatly handsome looks and ears tinged red, stood a man.
“Hello, I’m Kang Yeonhoo of Hi-Five.”
A rival had appeared.
