[Guys, January 1st is coming]
December 31st.
The day when everyone’s hearts beat fast, waiting for the new year to arrive.
[Next year, I’m not going to live like trash!
...but about how comfortable the trash bin is]
[Familyyy, they say the first song you listen to on January 1st decides how you’ll live the rest of the year.
So I’m gonna listen to Parachute, the track Kang Ichae made on his self-cam.
└Parachute..? What were the lyrics again?
└└You’re slave~~ no~~ yes~~ no~~ yes~~
└└......Why on earth?
└└So I can get a job and become a slave to the company...
└└Fighting....]
[Hurry up and drop the WH concert cue sheet tomorrow]
[Everyone only says what they want, huh.
As expected of my friends!]
The day ended—joyful for some, difficult for others. People gathered around delicious food and TV sets.
In the final ending shot of the QBS Song Festival, The Dawn and Hi-Five stood side by side in the very center, proof of their rising recognition.
【3, 2, 1...! Happy New Year!】
As the camera zoomed out slowly, panning across the cast, glittering silver confetti landed on Jung Dajun’s nose. Seo Hoyun leaned in to brush it off, caught on screen for a fleeting moment.
[The eldest makes parenting look hard (love it though)]
[This kind of sweetness, plz stop (do it more)]
And the moment the date rolled {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} into January 1st, attention turned to WH Entertainment’s New Year Concert, scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
[Where’s the cue sheet...? Why isn’t the cue sheet out? Whoever uploads it now will become a hero on New Year’s day...
└They’re starting to beg passively now...]
[Do I really have to spend hours waiting for our boys to come out..? LOOL For your info, dear staff, fangirls have lives too~]
But even as the scheduled time approached, the setlist still wasn’t revealed. Fans grew more desperate for spoilers from their idols.
[Kim Sunghyun. Since you spoiled before, how about telling us the concert order too.]
[If we shout this much, quick-witted Hoyun will slyly let something slip, right?
└That’s what’s scary about him—he probably would.
└└fr]
“Cough! Two o’clock, thirty-seven! Coough, minutes!”
└└Hoyun, we believe in you.
Just like when the company got acquired and he dropped a live, let’s gooo.]
[My Yeonhoo... my dutiful son... it’s your grandma here... please PopPop when you’re performing]
[As if Yeonhoo would ever... more like he’d panic and try to shut Sehyeon up if he made a slip.
└Exactly LOOOOLLLL
└└Watching the calm one squirm is cute LOOOL]
Meanwhile, Bloys (Black Call fans) were the only ones unconcerned.
Since the lineup included Black Call, it was obvious they’d close the show.
[So we can stroll in around 4 o’clock he]
[Black Call da best~~ ^^]
They were lounging on social media, joking about eating an extra bowl of rice cake soup, when—
[Collaboration]
[Why the hell are you here]
Thirty minutes into the WH concert, Joo Woosung appeared.
It was a special collaboration stage—Joo Woosung, Kim Sunghyun, and Seo Hoyun lined up together.
【I don’t know what “moderate” means.
Flash of Wit, this feeling you can’t understand.
I feel joy when I press down on you.】
Bloys, who hadn’t imagined any stage outside of Black Call, gaped and leaned in so close they might as well have climbed into the screen.
【But if you follow anyway,
Play with me to the very end.】
[Stage storm]
[Joo Woosung, what the hell... his expression work leveled up... I’m going crazy TT_TT]
He soared across the stage like it belonged only to him. Grinning brilliantly, he stepped aside, and Kim Sunghyun took center.
[Gasp...]
【I don’t know complicated words.
Flash of Wit, this move only I can do.】
And everyone watching froze in shock.
Not getting swept up in “Joo Woosung” was nearly impossible, but Kim Sunghyun swung his arm with veins bulging, raw and instinctive. Rough, but powerful.
[Why is KSH this good???????]
【Get up this way,
It’s my flash of wit.】
[So much power. His dance style is totally different today.]
[Mouth hanging open... Kim Sunghyun’s lines were clean but sometimes felt like ill-fitting clothes, but this new style—holy shit...]
[The wolf inside me is awakening.
└Kim Sunghyun?? T_T He does look wolf-like and cool thoughㅜ
└└No... me.]
While Noeul fans swelled with pride, Bloys started feeling alarm bells. The “junior 1” they’d brushed off as just following Woosung suddenly emerged as a main dancer worth noticing.
Joo Woosung only looked more thrilled, baring his canines in a wide grin.
【I told you, in front of you I want to be simple.
If I’m drawn, I’ll just say I like it.
Stop sneering.】
Seo Hoyun drew praise just for not looking out of place sandwiched between Woosung and Sunghyun.
Though The Dawn’s fans were brutally honest.
[Hoyun-ah...
...your dancing...
............No.
└LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO look at us holding back.
└Ffs too harsh LOOOOOLLLLL our Hoyun works hard, okay!!
└I love you, Hoyu-hou LOLLLLLLLL]
Compared to the start, his progress was massive.
But next to K-pop’s top dancers, even minor differences in detail stood out painfully.
Either way, the special collab “Wit” wrapped successfully, leaving both Noeul and Bloys smiling like satisfied cats. Meanwhile, HiRis felt bitter.
[ㅜㅜ I’m kinda upset... feels like Hi-Five’s getting sidelined...]
[Our Yeonhoo could hold his own dancing with Joo Woosung too...]
The gloom didn’t last.
Because Chae Jungwoo and Kang Yeonhoo teamed up to perform a rock ballad version of veteran WH artist Kim Seongyeol’s “Blazing Heat.”
Chae Jungwoo, known for avoiding too much camaraderie, had named Yeonhoo as the sole exception multiple times. So both Black Call and Hi-Five fans found the unit special.
Especially HiRis—any sour feelings melted away.
[Rock ballad! Rock ballad! Rock ballad!]
[Best of the best]
[WH really is the powerhouse]
And then—
【In twisted afterimages I linger.
A hidden doubt inside your heart.】
Decades of WH Entertainment’s pride climaxed on Black Call’s stage.
Even those who’d sneered at Black Call as washed-up, or criticized the industry’s rigid system, could only hold their breath.
【Cracks spread in a tiny gap.
I’ll change everything about you.】
Black Call wielded their accumulated experience with masterful ease, breaking free of inertia with overwhelming skill.
【It’s Black Call】
Everyone reeled from the spectacle.
[Wow......]
The 4 minutes and 42 seconds of “King” replaced a year and a half of pent-up frustration with fiery exhilaration.
They followed with two more songs before closing with WH Entertainment’s anthem “We,” performed by all their artists together.
[Are we even allowed to watch this for free?]
[Insane... seriously insane...]
[Title: I was gonna write a bunch of gushing after Black Call’s stage, but now my mind’s blank...
Black Call is literally writing K-pop history.
└fr... feels like I witnessed a shocking work of art.]
[Title: Even if people nitpick WH’s scandals,
they can never knock the skills.
└Honestly, even idols criticized as weak elsewhere would be top tier in other agencies.
└└True.
└Look, the trending page is nothing but concert talk LOOOL]
SNS and forums overflowed with posts. Most wondered if it was even right to get such high-class performances free.
But there was no need to worry.
[There’s a reason WH released this free.
Check their stock closing price right now.]
Because WH Entertainment’s stock skyrocketed, easily covering the massive production costs.
[Insane]
Middle-aged investors had recently grown fond of WH artists.
At the start of last year, rumors of Black Call’s hiatus had scared many off, dragging down the stock.
Some who’d held on only did so believing the acquisition of Daepaseong—home to national actor Min Jiheon and rising star The Dawn—would someday raise value. But they hadn’t expected much.
Then came hit after hit from younger groups, blowing the stock up in anticipation of 4Q earnings.
[WH stock soared so much that middle-aged stock traders are calling Black Call, The Dawn, and Hi-Five their “beloved sons♡.”
The heart at the end is mandatory.]
[Noeul and HiRi fan wars? Don’t care. They’re cheering each other on—<true wholesome fans?>]
[I checked the stock forum just now. They’re not even “sons” anymore.
They call them “gods.”
└Should’ve bought a few shares.
I spent it on albums instead.
└└LMAOOO my house alone has five boxes of albums.
Sorry, Earth...]
WH Entertainment’s stock, merch sales, and earnings—all surged upward in bright red.
【THE DAWN has started LIVE: It’s been a year....】
Amidst the frenzy, The Dawn’s live notification popped up.
[Shit~~~~!! I was gonna joke about them only coming once a year, but Dangings beat me to it.]
[Right after the concert, these filial boys show up.]
“Sorry it’s been a year....”
As soon as they connected, the members shoved Jung Dajun’s bright blue rice cake soup at the camera. Then they glanced at the chat, confused by a certain repeated phrase.
“Beloved sons...?”
“...Gods......??”
Realizing it was stock talk, they nodded.
[Hoyun, did you invest too??]
“Well... haha.”
“What’s with that laugh?”
Feigning ignorance, Seo Hoyun casually recommended diversifying after reading comments like “I ruined my leverage” and “I’ll have to sell my house.”
[We can read his situation in his face....]
[So your stock window’s blue too, huh... idols are the same as us...]
The topic passed, and fans asked about New Year’s wishes.
Jung Dajun then asked what Hoyun would do for his birthday. Hoyun just poked his cheek with a finger, uninterested.
“Don’t bake me a cake.”
“You have to eat it!!!”
Fans’ hearts trembled.
They wanted to shower Hoyun with gifts and celebration, but ever since The Dawn’s debut, all birthday support was banned. After WH’s acquisition, even any material offering was strictly prohibited.
[Does Hoyun have no greed? Last time his donation amount shocked me. Better than idols whining for gifts, sure LOOOL]
[He’s into stocks but not money?? That’s weird too.]
Those who truly knew him would have scoffed. But the chatter died quickly—talk of idols’ personal finances always risked souring.
[Anyway, Hoyun’s been so sweet lately~~~]
[Kind Mr. Hoyun.
He refuses to promise to eat Dajun’s cake,
└LMAOOOOOOOO]
[I used to think new fans calling Hoyun sweet were blind... but lately even I think he’s like a cute little cat...
└You slipping in the cat angle yourself...]
The live stretched past three hours, the members still laughing and chattering nonstop.
Fans loved their sincerity.
But there was a reason the company usually restricted live streams. Idols were still human—get too comfortable, and they’d drop their guard. And sometimes, little things slipped through.
[Is it just me?]
Tiny actions, values, habits, turns of phrase.
[Hoyun’s kinda weird with Ichae today.]
And those hints sometimes revealed someone’s defenses without them realizing.
