Seo Hojin grumbled with a sullen expression.
But it was obvious—he was tightly cornered by something. As if there was something he absolutely couldn’t let me find out.
“So at least tell me why you’re acting like this....”
I let his muttering slide past one ear and slowly scanned every corner of the room again. And when my gaze returned to Seo Hojin, one thought struck me like lightning.
‘Ah.’
It suddenly came to mind that even though December was almost over, he hadn’t mentioned anything about law school.
‘So he must have failed the exam.’
And he was hiding that from me?
Clicking my tongue lightly, I stared at him. Seo Hojin flinched, inching his butt backward with a frown.
“...W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“......”
“This feels really unpleasant, you know?!”
So what if he failed? He could just take it again, or quit if he wanted to.
As if his brother wouldn’t still feed him anyway.
But I didn’t say that out loud. He must have worked hard in his own way, and I couldn’t treat that effort lightly.
‘Right. If he doesn’t want to say anything, then pretending not to notice is also a brother’s kind of consideration.’
As always, coming to such an affectionate conclusion like a proper hyung, I grabbed Seo Hojin’s shoulders with both hands. He flinched in surprise, but I just gave him a bright, harmless smile.
“Seo Hojin, a year goes by fast.”
“...What?”
If that’s the case, then take the exam again next year.
While he was still blinking in confusion, I pulled out my wallet from my back pocket and held out a card.
“Here. Go get yourself something nice to eat today.”
His face turned even blanker. When he pulled his hand back ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) instead of taking it, I tossed the card onto the coffee table and stood up.
“Wah! W-wait, hyung! What’s with those eyes?! Why are you standing up?! Hold on, let’s just talk for—!”
“Hey now, hyung’s busy.”
“What the—?!”
I shook off Seo Hojin clinging to my pants, begging to talk, and headed out, immediately calling a Kakao taxi. There must have been one nearby, because I got in quickly. After giving the driver the dorm address, I leaned back in the seat. The driver kept sneaking looks at me in the rearview mirror, but I ignored it and turned my head toward the window.
‘...What should I do.’
Maybe Seo Hojin hadn’t crossed paths with that bastard yet. Or maybe the guy was already lurking around.
Tapping the armrest near the door with my index finger, I was lost in thought when suddenly a name I’d seen in Hojin’s chat list came back to me.
‘Woo Gyeongun... right.’
The one who had bawled his eyes out when Hojin was taken to the ER.
Even though I’d paid close attention to Hojin, I hadn’t seen anyone particularly close to him. It didn’t seem like he was completely alone, though.
I wasn’t expecting much from Woo Gyeongun either, but since Hojin kept in touch with him even after collapsing, and since the guy seemed pretty thick-skinned, maybe I could get a little information.
I remembered that my manager had once given Woo Gyeongun a business card as thanks. When I texted the manager, I quickly got Woo Gyeongun’s number. Muttering the 11 digits a few times, I sent him a short message introducing myself and asking if he could talk. The reply came almost immediately.
[Woo Gyeongun: Hul! Hulhulhul! Of course I remember!!! Long time no see!! How have you been?!]
[Woo Gyeongun: My phone’s always open, so call me anytime!!!]
With that reaction speed, is he a chatbot?
His way of texting reminded me of Jung Dajun. As the taxi pulled up in front of the dorm, I got out and dialed his number.
[H-hello?!]
“Ah, Gyeongun.”
I deliberately laced my voice with a smile.
“Sorry, this is so sudden, isn’t it?”
[Hyungnim, what are you talking about, don’t say that~! I’ve got nothing but free time, it’s fine!]
“...Haha. The thing is, I just wanted to thank you again. Honestly, I only recently found out that you never got any thanks for helping Hojin that time.”
Before getting to the point, I gave him the gratitude I’d truly wanted to express.
‘What do kids his age usually like?’
If I gave him the gift I hadn’t before, maybe he’d loosen up and talk more easily—that calculation was in the back of my mind.
But Woo Gyeongun blocked it outright, as if he already knew where I was going.
[Hoyun hyungnim, if I accept anything from you, Hojin will kill me!]
“...What?”
[Well, okay, honestly, I do kinda want Kang Ichae’s autograph from that IRIX collab, but... not enough to risk my life over it!]
What the hell, his life?
He muttered something about not wanting to die young. I decided to just erase all the nonsense from my brain and only register “Kang Ichae autograph.” Then I spoke again.
“Anyway. Sounds like you’re still getting along with my brother these days?”
[Oh, yes! Who else but someone as affectionate as me could handle Seo Hojin?! He ignores 9 out of 10 of my messages, but I’m used to it now.]
“Ah... my brother’s a bit shy.”
Instead of going inside the dorm, I leaned against the wall next to the elevator and continued.
“He’s timid and careless, so someone always has to look after him. But it’s not like he means anything bad by it, so I hope you see it kindly.”
[...Uh, excuse me?]
“It’d be even better if you keep getting along in the future.”
For the first time, Woo Gyeongun, who had been chirping like a noisy chick, fell silent.
[Shy...? Careless...?]
“He’s the type that needs a lot of looking after, isn’t he?”
Silence stretched out of the speaker. After a while, Woo Gyeongun asked hesitantly:
[...Hyungnim, we’re talking about the same Seo Hojin, right? S University, Political Science and International Relations?]
“Yes.”
He hesitated a moment more, then abruptly changed the subject.
[W-well, anyway, Hojin’s doing fine. More than fine, actually. He passed law school, so he’s not even that busy, except it’s hard to see him these days—.]
But one phrase in particular jumped out at me.
“Passed law school?”
[Yes! He doesn’t waste time on stupid stuff, maybe he picked up an extracurricular or something, but...]
“Wait, wait.”
A storm of realization crashed through me. Pressing my palm hard against my chest, I asked:
“Hojin didn’t fail the law school exam?”
[Huh? He passed!]
“What?!!”
My voice rang like an echo up the stairwell connected to the hallway.
On the other end, Woo Gyeongun sounded bewildered.
[Whaaat?! You didn’t know, hyungnim?! He’s our department’s legend of legends right now!!]
“Ha....”
[He’s the class rep, got every scholarship, practically guaranteed to graduate at the top, and passed law school on top of that! People say Hojin’s so shameless they hate him for it. If you’re surprised, I guess he really didn’t tell you....]
Then, like a man on a mission, Woo Gyeongun started listing every detail of Seo Hojin’s university life. Thankfully, none of it involved relatives.
After halfheartedly agreeing and finally ending the call, I pressed the elevator button.
And as soon as I stepped into the elevator and saw the mirror inside, I slammed my forehead against it.
“Fuck.”
God... I was so fucking proud of my brother.
‘Damn, I really raised him well.’
Honestly, I wanted to shout it to the world. Hang banners across the country. Back in school, I thought people praising their kids like that were over the top, but now I finally understood.
I didn’t even have to look up to feel the smile spreading across my lips.
When the elevator reached the dorm floor, I swiped the key card and swung open the door.
“Guys, I’m home!”
“......!!”
Hmm, smoky smell.
I kicked off my shoes, breathing in the acrid scent, when Jung Dajun rushed out of the kitchen holding a spatula.
“H-H-H-Hoyun hyung! You’re early! I can explain! I’ll clean it up right away!! The smell will be gone soon....”
“Ah, it’s fine. Smells nice.”
“...S-smells... nice?”
I hummed a tune as I stepped inside. Dajun froze mid-motion, his eyes rolling frantically.
Past him, at the table, the others were poking at the black lumps on their plates with chopsticks.
Kang Ichae was the first to speak, mock-scolding.
“Hey~ eldest son, why are you so late coming home?”
“You guys still haven’t eaten?”
“Nope. We couldn’t bring ourselves to. Today was really bad....”
Apparently, they’d been holding a serious debate over whether the dish was basalt rock or kimchi stew.
I sat down next to Kim Sunghyun, who was guzzling water, and picked up a spoon.
“Looks delicious to me.”
They all gawked at me in shock as I scooped up a mouthful and ate it.
“Hoyun hyung, are you sick or something—holy crap, he actually ate it.”
“...Is your head okay?”
I was the one chewing and swallowing, yet they were the ones looking like they were suffering. In the midst of that, Sung Jiwon cautiously asked,
“...Hoyun, are you maybe in shock because The Dawn didn’t win David and Goliath today?”
“Wow, that sounds plausible....”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“But even if you’re shocked, eating this is a bit much....”
Ha. Just like with Seo Hojin, they were misunderstanding me.
Right now, I felt like I could drink lye with a smile—what was Jung Dajun’s cooking in comparison?
“David and Goliath was fun.”
“...Oh, really?”
“I even saw someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.”
Thinking of that shitty leech, I finished off the burnt-black kimchi stew until not a single drop of soup was left. The members’ faces scrunched up even more.
There was no need to fuss over telling Seo Hojin not to meet that bastard.
‘I’ll handle it on my end.’
I’d meet him, listen to whatever bullshit he spouted, confirm what kind of ‘Seo Hoyun’ he remembered. Then I’d find a weakness or leave a scratch, toss it to the company, and they’d tear him apart themselves.
‘Two weeks will be enough.’
The year-end stages and events were still packed. I had plenty of worries, but for now, my mood was excellent.
I slung an arm around Kang Ichae’s shoulders, who was starting to look genuinely worried for my sanity, and grinned.
“Kang Ichae, give me an autograph.”
“...What?”
.
.
.
The day after filming David and Goliath, around lunchtime, Seo Hoyun turned on a live stream alone in Kang Ichae’s studio. He titled it, oddly unlike him, “I want to see you, can you come?”
“Hi.”
The moment fans connected and saw him on-screen, they flooded the chat with question marks in shock.
[????]
[???]
[?????]
No wonder—they were used to him only appearing on official schedules. Yet here he was, in a plain white sweatshirt. Even his jeans were light blue.
Most shocking of all was his expression. His eyes sparkled like stars, and a bright, natural smile curved his lips.
“Why are you all spamming question marks?”
He even tilted his head slightly to the right with a curious tone, looking as if he was radiating a halo.
[Hey..... Seo Hoyun... what happened to your face??]
[He looks exactly the same as yesterday... right? ...Right??]
[What the hell, he’s glowing so much I can’t even look straight at him]
The Noeul couldn’t figure out why Seo Hoyun’s aura had changed, but they all knew one thing—it was absolutely a moment to smash that screenshot button.
“There’s no official schedule today. Ah, is it because I’m wearing bright clothes?”
As he slowly read the comments, his brows drooped slightly.
“You don’t like it?”
[Of course not wtf]
[Are you kidding? Black-hair cool beauty’s visuals shine brightest in white]
Compliments poured in like a flood. Seo Hoyun’s eyes curved happily, and for an instant, the dim studio seemed to brighten.
“Good. I wore it hoping you’d like it.”
[?????????????]
Now SNS was exploding with question marks.
[What’s wrong with him???]
[Seriously, what’s wrong with him???]
[No really, what’s wrong with him???]
[We’re literally all saying the exact same thing LMAOOOO]
Seo Hoyun’s coyness wasn’t new to the fandom. He looked sharp, cold, even irritable at times, yet to them he always spoke politely, always used pretty words. Of course they loved it. Fans were used to it.
But today, it was on another level. In the best way.
“What should we do together?”
The moment he seemed especially cheerful, the starving hyenas pounced.
[Hoyun, Hoyun, can you tell us the members’ sleeping habits??]
“Of course, of course?”
With a chuckle, Seo Hoyun sipped from the frappuccino on the desk, then began.
[Emergency!! Seo Hoyun’s spilling The Dawn TMI!!]
[Holy shit]
[Writing this down rn
— Kang Ichae hugs something when he sleeps
— Jung Dajun kicks off the blanket and sprawls out
— Sung Jiwon sleeps so deeply they call him Snow White Jiwon
— Kim Sunghyun... never roomed with him, but says sometimes he closes the maknae’s open mouth when he sees it
└LOOOOOOL Sunghyun’s basically raising Dajun
└└No, seriously, that’s dad behavior]
[OMG he just laughed when fans asked about the members’ moles. Said “Why do you even want to know that?”
└This is when he feels like Oppa... even though he’s actually nephew..
└And then he actually told them anyway
└LOLOL he tapped Jiwon’s nose bridge saying “You know Jiwon’s, right here.” I’m dead]
They kept asking questions, and Seo Hoyun kept smiling and answering. Sometimes he just stared at the scrolling words, his gaze soft.
[The way Seo Hoyun looks at the chat like he thinks it’s cute, I can’t take it, I’m furious]
[If anyone else acted like this I’d gag, but somehow when Seo Hoyun does it I love it...
└It’s because he never does this, that’s why
└└He looks genuinely happy... ;; it’s messing with my mood too ;;]
He was already handsome, but with warmth dripping from his expression, his whole impression changed.
[Yo he’s humming the bunny song]
