“Seo Hoyun! Seo Hoyun!”
They chanted my name from all sides, but I had no intention of lifting my ass from the chair.
Would I be crazy enough to go up there?
I had heard that they would use a portion of today’s footage for promotional purposes, but that alone wasn’t nearly enough to make me suffer beside Min Jiheon.
So I just kept a calm smile on my face, and then Chae Jungwoo slyly helped Jiheon out.
“Mr. Seo Hoyun, if you come up now and sing together with Mr. Min Jiheon, we’ll give you a full Hanwoo beef set.”
“O~! Hanwoo set~!! PD-nim, come over here quick—.”
At the mention of food, Min Jiheon’s eyes sparkled, and he turned to me expectantly. But I made my intention crystal clear.
‘You’ll die.’
Fortunately, sharp as he was, Jiheon caught my meaning and quickly turned his head back to Chae Jungwoo.
“—or maybe not, instead, I’ll just ask for your enthusiastic support from your seat, hahahaha!”
“Huh?!”
“After some thought, I think I’ll be enough on my own.”
He patched up /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the awkwardness with a dazzling smile, exchanged a few light words with Jungwoo, and then snapped his fingers playfully.
“Well then, shall we begin the song?”
As the sound of a gayageum string plucked softly filled the air, Kim Sunghyun returned to the table carrying two bottles of wine and Jung Dajun, whose cheeks were once again stuffed with food.
“Holl, Min Jiheon sunbaenim kdrama?”
“Swallow before you talk.”
“Senior Min Jiheon’s ‘When the Daffodils Bloom’?!”
As expected from the kid who kneeled with clasped hands in front of the TV every time it aired, Dajun now clasped his hands tightly again, his eyes shining as he gazed at the stage.
“Wow, Jiheon sings too? Isn’t he living too much of a perfect life?”
“Uwaa, so romantic~.”
The staff, full of anticipation, waved their phone flashlights in time with the slow beat.
I sipped my wine and simply watched them.
They were too blinded by the drama’s glow to remember. They’d better recall quickly the special stage Jiheon, Yoo Jia, and I had done together.
【The falling rain washes away the sadness....】
The moment Jiheon’s voice flowed through the mic, the swaying lights froze in place.
【...as blooming buds of flowers speak of love...】
In an instant, the atmosphere cooled down.
“Ah....”
Even Dajun, his most passionate fan, couldn’t cover this up, his eyes slipping away guiltily.
Still, Jiheon kept going, stubbornly carrying the song with a single note.
“Jiheon! Jiheon.”
Sensing danger, a staff member suddenly rushed up with a dragon robe. Startled, Jiheon took it and hurriedly put it on. His upgraded appearance was projected on the big screen, sparking exclamations.
“Your Highness!!”
“Our crown prince Junghwon! So handsome!!”
Pathetic. He had pulled out the most popular drama OST, but since his singing was trash, now he was relying on face and acting.
【...Will you be able to return to me again】
Dajun’s eyes filled with tears once more. Since this was just a bonus stage, I focused instead on the snacks before me.
But then, once again, a chilling voice called out.
“Hoyun-ah....”
“.......”
“Do you see the daffodils you loved?”
A yellow field of daffodils blooming in March.
It was the line where Junghwon holds onto his partner.
Dajun had watched that scene on repeat dozens of times at home, crying every single time, so there was no forgetting it.
“Yoon-ah, until the day you return, I will guard this place.”
“That bastard’s out of his mind.”
“Until this golden wave withers in winter and blooms again in spring.”
Ugh.
I muttered a curse so softly it wouldn’t be caught on the mic, but my disgusted expression was caught clearly on camera behind Jiheon.
Laughter exploded everywhere.
“Your Highness!!”
And then Dajun shot up, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“How dare you recite that beautiful line to some dark, gloomy man instead of to Mama!”
This little shit....
Sure, I couldn’t deny I was dressed head-to-toe in black, but the fact our maknae betrayed me still pissed me off.
“Dajun, come here.”
Before I could grab him, the slippery brat darted away and joined Jiheon on stage.
The OST of When the Daffodils Bloom began to loop endlessly.
【Will you be able to return to me again—】
“Dajun, our daffodil.”
With a gentle smile, Jiheon flicked Dajun’s chubby cheek with his finger.
“I never once ordered you to stay away.”
Overwhelmed, Dajun clasped his hands over his mouth, breathing heavily.
“Your Highness....”
What a ridiculous spectacle.
At a loss for words, I stayed silent. Kim Sunghyun, meanwhile, snickered knowingly.
“Seems like senior Jiheon’s been watching our self-content.”
“Ugh, disgusting.”
The reactions were heating up too much, so Jungwoo stepped back in with the mic, settling the situation.
“Waa~, as expected, Mr. Min Jiheon! That enchanting voice and captivating acting—thank you for the wonderful performance!”
He calmed the excited staff, soothed Dajun, and finally ushered Jiheon down from the stage.
At this point, they really ought to pay Jungwoo an MC fee.
‘Anyway, I still need to finish that earlier talk....’
Well, like Jiheon said, it could wait for later.
Right now, the immediate problem was the talent show. I was just about to step aside to call my missing partner when—
“Hey, Sunghyun. I’ll just—.”
“Now! Continuing with the next stage! Wah~, these people say they’ll show themselves through a performance right away! Their song choice is very impressive!”
I froze mid-step at the introduction.
“Sung Jiwon and Kang Ichae of The Dawn, performing ‘Chewy’—!”
What?
Ddan, daran, ddan ddan ddan.
Purple lights bathed the stage as a sticky, pulsing beat filled the air.
A roar erupted.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
Sunghyun and I exchanged looks.
“Why the hell are they up there...?”
In a tight black turtleneck under a studded red leather jacket, Jiwon took the mic, while Ichae, in an oversized white tee and ripped jeans, held an electric guitar.
“Did they ever say they’d perform?”
“No, they were just nowhere to be found earlier, now I see why....”
Jiwon swaggered to the mic, pretending to be casual, and slowly opened his mouth.
“Kids....”
Kids?
“Kids, Jiwon is hereee!!!”
Sunghyun, mid-sip of wine to steady himself, spat it right back out. A few drops splattered onto my face.
Beside Jiwon, Ichae leaned against the mic stand, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, cheeks twitching.
But Jiwon, utterly serious, carried on with the intro.
【Don’t throw me those ambiguous looks, just come to me—】
It was a duet from a small agency, infamous for its comic, provocative lyrics and performances.
Five years later, it had been re-evaluated as an artistic gem, often covered by celebrities.
【You and I, falling in love
like popping a balloon】
I shook my head, trying to ground myself.
‘Well... except for the opening, it’s not that bad. At least Jiwon sings well.’
But I had forgotten.
Behind that meek appearance, Sung Jiwon was greedy.
【I. Want. To. Swallow. You. Whole. From head. To toe.】
And he never, ever knew how to quit.
The rap part began naturally, and Jiwon picked it up.
【I! Want to swallow you!】
Delivered dead serious, each word clear as day.
【It might sting, but warning— I’ll chew you up.】
【Yum! I want to eat you!】
Pretending to shred the unplugged electric guitar, Ichae headbanged and threw in the ad-libs.
“......”
“......”
And the camera kept cutting to me and Sunghyun.
I clenched my mouth, muttering like a ventriloquist.
“......Sunghyun, you should’ve stopped them.”
“I’m sorry....”
Over the top. Painfully over the top.
Yet the WH staff were screaming in delight, the ceiling practically shaking.
Their thunderous cheers were just a mirror of our shame. Dajun had even joined in headbanging near the stage.
I wanted so badly for soju, but settled for more wine to clear my head.
‘They won’t get 1st place anyway.’
Though if it were based on lunacy, maybe. But that aside—
‘How much do I need to adjust?’
If we messed around too much, we’d end up stuck with worthless prizes like scrap machines or useless vacation coupons.
While I was busy crunching the numbers, Sunghyun’s face suddenly lit up, as if touched by the divine.
“Sunbaenim!!!”
I followed his gaze.
Joo Woosung, in a black T-shirt speckled with white cat hairs, had arrived.
His eyes were fixed on the stage.
“...Are your members drunk?”
“I’ll kick them out later.”
Sunghyun cleared some glasses and pulled out a chair. Woosung sat as if it was his seat all along, resting his chin on his hand.
“I’m not late, right?”
“Another minute and you would’ve been.”
“Bullshit.”
“You ready?”
“Of course.”
He looked unusually cheerful today.
Suspicious, I eyed him carefully, but he spoke firmly.
“You know your part. Don’t forget.”
“Oh, of course.”
“Don’t regret it. You’re the one who wanted this.”
His tone carried pity, but his twitching lips betrayed him. So he had his own embarrassing workshop memory, and now wanted to drag me down with him.
‘Why would I regret it?’
Well, let him believe what he wants.
I smiled sweetly.
“Got it. We’re probably up next. So let’s—.”
“But Hoyun.”
...Hoyun?
He called me so familiarly, eyes blazing.
“I don’t do 2nd place.”
“...What?”
“How can we not win 1st?”
Confidently, he smirked.
“There’s Black Call pride on the line.”
