To Sunghyun, Joo Woosung was—if one added just a pinch of exaggeration—nothing less than the sun itself.
Sharing the same roof for years meant you inevitably learned useless things you never asked for, and Sunghyun’s devout admiration for Joo Woosung was one of them.
After dropping out of school and splitting his time between part-time jobs and dance practice, Sunghyun once happened across a video of a man dancing—and instantly fell headfirst.
That man was Joo Woosung.
From then on, whenever he had a spare moment, he would look up Joo Woosung’s choreographies to study them.
He was terrible at hiding things, his feelings always written on his face, so fans had long been aware of Sunghyun’s earnest devotion.
[Sunghyun says Joo Woosung is the one he respects most♡
Every time Woosung’s name comes up he gets all flushed and babbles away... seriously so cute]
There were sneers too—mocking how he’d clawed his way into WH Entertainment by piggybacking on Min Jiheon, and how he must be thrilled now to “share a rice pot” with Black Call. But Sunghyun was such a fool for Joo Woosung that even those jabs only made him giggle at the phrase “share a rice pot” instead of getting angry.
‘Well, in a way, Sunghyun might be the one living the most successful life....’
I thought that, glancing at him crouched under the sofa. After hearing yesterday’s collab news, he must’ve stayed up all night; the dark circles under his eyes were heavy.
We had flown to Jeju for the season’s greetings shoot, unpacked at the pension, and, as usual, all gathered in the living room.
As always, they sprawled on the sofa, basking in leisure.
Then the phone on the table buzzed.
Before I could check the caller ID, Sunghyun had already glanced at it and jolted his shoulders. No need to guess who it was.
Fine—let him take the call, maybe it would knock some sense into him. I switched it to speaker.
[Ah, the collab at the WH concert? Yeah, I heard. Happens all the time—stick a junior in with a senior, standard packaging deal....]
What a smug way of talking.
My brow furrowed, but Sunghyun nodded so furiously at Woosung’s samba of arrogance you’d think he was possessed.
[Well, now that it’s set, let’s work hard and do well~.]
“Yes, senior! I’ll work myself to death for this!”
[Haha, don’t die. Just give it your all within reason, without messing up your schedule.]
“I’ll manage my condition perfectly and make absolutely sure I never cause any trouble!”
‘...God, this is so fucking annoying.’
Sunghyun’s crush on Woosung was nothing new. I usually let it slide, but the more I heard, the more my temper boiled.
[By the way, what’s Seo Hoyun doing?]
“He’s right next to me, listening closely to everything you say!”
[What’s the bet he’s sitting there with that damn sullen face of his.]
“Uh... well....”
Wow, nailed it.
[Hear that, Hoyun? Sunghyun’s this dedicated—what about you?]
If Woosung found even a sliver of an opening to jab, he’d never pass it up.
I picked my ear with a finger and ignored him, but Sunghyun, more nervous than me, jabbed my elbow for an answer.
[Weird, why don’t I hear anything? Shouldn’t you be thrilled to be performing with your sky-high senior?]
“Working hard, working hard.”
Click. I hung up.
Beside me, Sunghyun flailed. I had given him the courtesy of a single word before ending it, and he still made a fuss.
I covered my ears and jerked my chin. As if on cue, the system window with its ghostly sense of timing popped up, displaying Sunghyun’s stats.
[Kim Sunghyun]
[Even I’d respect Joo Woosung over Seo Hoyun!]
[Vocal: B+
Dance: S0
Variety: B+
Acting: D0
Charm: A+
???: ???]
I skimmed, ignoring the useless commentary.
Thanks to my constant teasing, his variety score had shot up. Compared to a year ago, vocals and charm had inched higher too, but otherwise... nothing much.
Especially dance. Unchanged.
‘Why?’
The Dawn weren’t slackers. Even while whining about how scary Sung Jiwon was, they still hauled themselves into the studio. Sunghyun too. So his score should’ve risen.
‘Maybe he needs something special.’
Like how Joo Woosung skyrocketed to EX after his time in LA—maybe Sunghyun needed a spark of inspiration.
Relaxing the frown I hadn’t noticed forming, I slung an arm around his shoulder.
“Use this chance to squeeze every last drop from Joo Woosung.”
“‘Squeeze every last drop’?! Of course it’d be an honor to learn from him, but... I mean, I’m excited, it’s thrilling....”
“Sunghyun, I’m seriously starting to worry about you.”
He slapped my arm away and, with an incredulous look, turned it back on me.
“Hey, you should be worrying about yourself. You’re the one stuck between me and Joo Woosung.”
“.......”
He had a point. Between an EX and an S stat, I was at a huge disadvantage.
On paper it looked like only a rank apart, but the higher you go, the wider the gulf. If EX to S was sky to ground, then S to A- was maybe ground to the earth’s core.
I’d never thought much of it before, but becoming an idol hammered it home.
True talent exists.
Sure, I could use the item shop to close the gap a little. But it wouldn’t make a big difference, and with Daesang season looming I didn’t want to waste points.
‘Better to cut down sleep and practice more.’
“Hoyun-hyung, give up—it’s easier that way~.”
Right on cue, Kang Ichae walked in carrying the sashimi order, shaking his head.
“Remember when Jiwon-hyung went all out trying to make you a dancing machine and still failed? What’s gonna change now~.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad, okay?”
Effort and talent depth might differ, but compared to most idols, I wasn’t bad.
I puffed my chest proudly, and Sung Jiwon smiled gently in support.
“Mm, Hoyun’s dancing has its own charm.”
“Yeah—its own clumsy charm....”
I smacked Ichae’s back. He groaned dramatically, rubbing where he couldn’t reach.
Sunghyun, clearing his throat as he unwrapped the sashimi, picked up a fatty slice, dunked it in sauce, and offered it to the maknae.
“...Sorry, maknae... You must’ve wanted to collab with Joo Woosung too....”
“Whaf??”
Mouth full, Dajun chewed and then answered with a bright grin.
“Nuh-uh, I’m fine!! Sure, it’d be awesome, but this won’t be the only chance... Plus our styles are so different, I might get swept away if I tried to match him. I’d rather avoid it unless I really have to.”
“Oooh~, listen to the depth on our maknae.”
“Heh, of course.”
“Wow, Dajun, so cool!”
Ichae and Jiwon clapped enthusiastically while Sunghyun just nodded.
That was all.
The members turned back to eating, chatting happily.
I glanced sidelong at Sunghyun.
‘He really has been shaped a lot by Woosung.’
His lines, his beat splits, even his vibe.
He had his own style, sure, but the resemblance was strong.
And if he’d trained so diligently yet his stat stayed still—
‘It’s time for change.’
Still mulling, I suddenly had Ichae shove a piece of sashimi wrapped in seaweed into my mouth.
“Here, hyung~. Eat up~.”
As I chewed, he smirked.
“So, hyung—didn’t Woosung-hyung say your clumsiness was incurable? Terminal?”
“Look at the workshops. We practiced together and you didn’t improve one bit.”
“Yeah, Sunghyun-hyung’s right.”
“Fuck, I’m actually pretty good at dancing!”
I snapped back, but nobody listened.
.
.
.
[Long time since the airport♡
#ICHAE]
By the time airport sightings trickled in, Ichae had already uploaded photos to Stargram, confirming The Dawn’s trip to Jeju. The reason, though, was unknown—fueling endless speculation.
Soon after, a live notification popped up: “Come join our Jeju MT.”
[Hi ♡♡♡♡]
[You guys contact us more often than our parents these days]
“Haha, that’s our goal—to show up more than ads.”
“No schedules today, so let’s just hang out!!”
The backdrop of Jeju’s night view spread behind them through the pension’s wide windows.
They started with reactions to the sashimi feast, the crisp salty air, the tangerines gifted by locals, even a quick badminton match they played on arrival—sharing small stories.
[When they went to Hawaii MT I almost died of secondhand awkwardness, but Jeju’s way better]
[Why does Sunghyun look like a PE major today]
“Do I really look like a PE major?”
Sunghyun’s eyes went round, and the chat exploded.
Fans spun up their own AU: ‘Kim Sunghyun, PE major elective buddy,’ ‘Sung Jiwon, the senior crush,’ ‘Seo Hoyun, the honor-roll class president,’ ‘Kang Ichae, the prankster friend,’ ‘Jung Dajun, the freshman you want to buy lunch for.’
The Dawn played along, acting out a short skit.
About an hour in, Dajun found a board game tucked in a corner.
“Whoa, Hoyun-hyung, you’re about to risk it all and go bankrupt....”
“Hyung, your luck is the worst....”
“.......”
The game of life—roulette deciding a person’s whole journey from childhood to old age. Pure luck, and Hoyun was stuck dead last.
“Wait, hold up. Jiwon-hyung, what’s your property right now?!”
“Haha... hey, Hoyun, want me to give you my house?”
[LOOOOOOOL omg they’re so funny and cute...]
[I need subs T.T]
[People digging through the rulebook trying to find out how to gift property LOOOL There’s no such mechanic.. T_T]
The live ran until fans’ phones overheated like hand warmers.
At first it was all member questions, but gradually, the mood calmed, and fans responded as if they were truly there at MT together.
As usual, Dajun couldn’t keep his mouth empty, stuffing in snacks—when suddenly he read out a message.
“I’m in middle school. I like someone, and they asked if I’m free on Christmas. How should I reply... oh my gosh!!”
“Noeul’s love counseling....”
Dajun squealed, while Ichae flicked on his phone flashlight to set the mood.
All but Hoyun dove into debate, though most said, ‘What do we know about dating to give advice?’
But Dajun insisted on trying.
“Alright, leave it to Jung Dajun, master of romance dramas! First, say, ‘Let’s meet under the streetlight!’”
“Which streetlight?”
“And since it’s Christmas, make the streetlight our mistletoe and confess there!”
“That’s not really in line with Korean sensibilities.”
Propping his chin, Hoyun shot back dryly. Dajun puffed his cheeks, grumbling for him to suggest something better.
At times like these, Hoyun and Ichae synced perfectly. Both smirked and tossed in one-liners.
[Ichae’s suggestion: “Bump into each other while running to school with bread in your mouth”.......]
[Hoyun’s suggestion: “Or wake up to find you’ve swapped bodies, forced to collide”]
[Sunghyun: ‘Stop it, Dajun’s gonna cry’]
Flustered, Dajun ducked behind Sunghyun as the two hyungs kept poking his cheeks—when another message popped up.
[Then Dajun, what would you do if they said they’re going on a blind date?]
Eyes sparkling, Dajun shot up.
“Simulation!! Let’s run a simulation for Noeul!”
He pulled Sunghyun into frame.
“Miss Kim Heroine, please introduce yourself. Seo Hoyun, you sit here.”
Used to sudden chaos, Ichae and Jiwon calmly packed up the board game.
Standing between Hoyun and Sunghyun, Dajun clenched his fists and shouted:
“Alright, blind date—start!!”
[Come on, Hoyun would never play along]
Sunghyun raised a brow in disbelief. But Hoyun, after a glance at flushed Dajun, crossed his arms and tilted his chin.
“Oi, commoner.”
[He’s playing along holy shit]
