“Live on air—YuYu Bank!”
Jung Dajun, now quite used to hosting YuYu Bank, squinted brightly toward the red recording light on the camera.
“The votes for the second week of May are closing soon, so everyone watching the show right now, hurry up and vote~!”
Reciting his prewritten line, Dajun turned his head. Beside him, the newly appointed “bank manager,” rookie idol Lyle, looked more nervous than he had in any previous filming, lips trembling uncontrollably.
“Uh, now there’s only one final stage left... th-that is, um...”
“...—The K-pop legend you’ve all been waiting and waiting for! As the YuYu Bank manager, I’m truly honored to witness this moment!”
Even as Lyle fumbled his lines, stiff and shaky, Dajun quickly stepped in, smiling wide to smooth things over.
“Then shall we all call out their name together?”
Relieved, Lyle hurriedly nodded as if saved.
“Black Call!!”
Before the live performance, the pre-recorded stage of their B-side track began to air.
As the members of Black Call stepped onto the dimly lit set, the audience’s cheers echoed thunderously.
Lee Hanju waved toward the fans, “Bloy,” as he found his spot, then placed a hand on Joo Woosung’s shoulder and whispered something. Joo Woosung let out a small, amused laugh.
With shrieks rising from the crowd, a staff member signaled. Blue light spread across the fog-filled stage.
【na na na na na na—】
A chilling tone filled the air, followed by pounding drumbeats that grew heavier like a march.
【It’s getting on my nerves
You keep haunting my eyes】
Black Call’s new title track, Blackout.
It had shot up not only the Korean charts but even America’s Hot 100 upon release, holding ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) strong in the top ranks ever since.
【I wanna corner you without mercy
Grab your anxious hands and ask, Are you mine?】
Even as the legendary seniors performed right beside him, Jung Dajun couldn’t look. He had to focus on the AD’s instructions for the upcoming first-place announcement.
After checking the final cue sheet, Dajun cautiously moved across the set. On stage, the performance neared its climax.
Since the second verse was scheduled as a pre-recording, the camera crew filmed as if this were Black Call’s own concert, pouring everything into each shot.
【When you step on my heart
Our lips overlap】
At center stage, Joo Woosung lifted his shoulders with ease, gazing directly into the camera. Then he smirked, tilting his chin upward.
【Then it’s blackout】
For a split second, Dajun’s eyes were caught.
He forgot to breathe, completely entranced by Joo Woosung’s presence.
As the brass swelled and the drums pounded like a heartbeat—
“...—Jun-ssi!”
Someone called him urgently through the music.
“—Dajun-ssi, we’re going up!”
“Ah, yes, yes!”
Snapping out of it, Dajun hurried up to the stage. Lyle and the other guests were already in position around Black Call.
Taking a quiet breath, Dajun looked straight ahead.
This was the place he loved most.
Under the lights, dancing and singing, locking eyes with the fans—those were the moments he truly felt like an idol, like a member of The Dawn.
...Even if he was just an MC right now.
Watching the colorful fan lightsticks sway, he lifted his head right before the main camera switched on, flashing his usual bright smile.
“The live votes for the second week of May are now closed! Which group will take first place this week? Let’s check the scores!”
On the monitor below, the candidate groups’ digital and physical scores appeared. Even the rival idols seemed certain of who the winner would be.
Pop—fireworks burst as the obvious result was announced.
“Black Call!!”
“Congratulations to Black Call!”
Without a hint of surprise, Dajun bowed politely and handed over the trophy.
“Thank you!”
Accepting it, Chae Jungwoo lifted his arm high into the air. The Bloy fandom screamed even louder.
He thought he’d gotten past feeling jealous, but a sharp pang still jabbed at his chest.
“And that’s all for today’s broadcast, everyone!”
Maintaining his smile until the end, Dajun finally wrapped up the show and headed backstage, leaving Black Call’s encore behind.
‘How does their live sound more perfect than the studio track.’
Even their raw vocals had no trace of strain—only power. The song faded behind him, humiliatingly flawless.
“...—nim! Jung Dajun-sunbaenim!”
As he quickened his pace to escape the scene, an unfamiliar honorific stopped him. Turning around, he saw Lyle, breathless and waving.
“Haah... Jung Dajun-sunbaenim! Thank you so much! Seriously, if it weren’t for you, I’d have been doomed out there!”
“Huh...?”
Sunbaenim?
The word still felt foreign, and Dajun laughed awkwardly.
“...Ah, what do you mean~! You did great today, Lyle-ssi.”
At his response, Lyle’s eyes shimmered with gratitude, bowing repeatedly. A few idols passing by giggled at the sight, but Dajun forced a calm smile and exchanged a few light words.
“You worked hard. See you next week!”
“Yes!!”
As he continued walking, staff and other juniors greeted him along the way.
But once they turned away, their whispers were so blatant that even someone as dense as him could tell.
Right before reaching the dressing room, Dajun turned off to the side and slipped into the emergency stairwell.
“Ugh...”
In the dim, silent space, he finally felt a bit of calm, letting out a quiet sigh.
He’d tried to stay cheerful as usual, but the strange atmosphere had grown so obvious it was impossible to ignore anymore. He was at his limit.
Sitting halfway down the stairs, Dajun took out his phone, hesitated, then opened the community site and searched Seo Hoyun.
[Title: Seo Hoyun spotted
cafe_front_SeoHoyun_suit_photo.jpg
Whoa
The casting news for Vicious Trial dropped just yesterday, and he’s already filming.
└That face still shines through low-res photos...
└Whoa, he’s ridiculously handsome.
└Did he lose weight? He’s insanely beautiful;;
└So did Seo Hoyun completely switch to acting?? All the recent articles are acting-related. Is WH officially pushing his solo work now?
└└Lol what are you talking about
└└Stop pretending to be a casual fan
└└What, I’m just asking;; You’re so touchy. Maybe they don’t know the current situation.. T_T
└└Lmao anyone hanging around this board knows what’s up
└└Seriously.. it’s always that group whenever there’s drama lol
└└At this point it’s science]
[Title: I don’t want to see any more talk about SHY acting
Just give us The Dawn’s comeback date
└f***... WH keeps testing the waters with acting, right?
└Yeah...;
└How can they use a successful idol like that?? Either they’ve lost their touch or lost their minds
└└They’ve always been clueless, but I’ll vote for “lost their minds.”]
“...Shouldn’t have looked.”
Dajun gripped his phone tightly with both hands and sighed deeply. He’d only wanted to check in, to see how Seo Hoyun was doing—but all he found were words that gnawed at his nerves.
‘Still... it seems Hoyun-hyung’s doing well....’
He didn’t reply to texts, didn’t answer calls.
He hadn’t come back to the dorm in ages.
He practically lived on film sets these days, and the only way to get any news about him was through scraps the manager passed along—or by digging through the internet like some kind of fan.
Still, the fact that Seo Hoyun appeared in public every once in a while made things a little better. Kang Ichae, on the other hand, was a complete mystery.
‘I can’t even find him online.’
After the domestic concert tour in February, Kang Ichae had gone off to the U.S., supposedly for personal schedules, and completely cut off contact. At least he seemed to be sending the fans a message now and then.
Time passed, and before they knew it, it was May.
The Dawn had failed to win the Grand Prize and were now quietly focused on individual schedules.
In this industry, disappearing for a few months to prepare for a new album wasn’t anything unusual, so Jung Dajun figured it was just their pre-comeback preparation period—but people saw this silence as a sign of The Dawn’s downfall.
Then one day, an anonymous post on an online community board read, “One of The Dawn members went abroad, and I heard they’re blacklisted inside the company, so they won’t be getting any more push.”
The so-called “insider from WH Entertainment” behind the rumor only fueled the public’s negative reactions.
Because of that, a few industry people Dajun bumped into at broadcasting stations had even joked around saying, “Even if you join a major agency, you’re still just The Dawn,” only to realize too late that Dajun had overheard them.
‘...Awkward as hell....’
Muttering to himself that if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, you shouldn’t say it behind their back either, Jung Dajun stepped out to the emergency stairwell, then headed toward his assigned waiting room.
He pulled down his beret and pushed the door open—
“Hey.”
“Gah!!”
A calm voice came out of nowhere, and Dajun flinched hard.
Someone was already sitting on the couch right in front of him.
“What are you so startled for?”
“J-Ju, Ju, Joo Woosung hyung... I mean, sir.”
Joo Woosung waved his hand lazily, as if to say drop the formality, and lounged back like he owned the place.
“Been a while, huh?”
When they had run into each other back at Daepaseong’s small, dingy practice room—or later at WH Entertainment’s dazzling training center—Woosung had just seemed like a handsome neighborhood hyung.
But seeing him suddenly up close like this, Dajun was hit by how out-of-reach the man really was.
Realizing again just how exceptional the other man looked, Dajun stuck out his lower lip and said softly,
“...Hyung, congratulations...”
“For what?”
“...For getting first place?”
“Ah~, well, thanks.”
Woosung brushed it off casually, and Dajun, a little deflated, asked again,
“B-but hyung, is it okay for you to be here? Don’t you have another schedule?”
After barely two weeks of nonstop promotions, there was no way he wasn’t busy. It didn’t make sense for him to take the time to come here.
Does he have some business with me or something?
No matter how much he racked his brain, nothing came to mind. While Dajun just blinked dumbly, Woosung rubbed his chin for a moment before speaking.
“...So, what’s Seo Hoyun been up to lately?”
“Huh?”
Tilting his head slightly, Dajun replied,
“Wouldn’t it be better to ask him yourself...?”
“He’s not answering my calls.”
“Ah...”
“You’re on the same team. You must know something.”
Dajun wanted to say he didn’t know any more than Woosung did, but considering the person in front of him was not only a senior idol but also supposedly one of Hoyun’s closest friends, he bit it back.
“He started filming a movie not too long ago...”
“I know that already.”
“Uh... he’s preparing for the album.”
“I’ve been to the practice room. He’s never there. And?”
Lately, there had been several times when Dajun, finishing practice late, had run into Woosung standing alone in the dark hallway—waiting for Seo Hoyun, most likely.
Remembering how much he had jumped each time, Dajun took a breath and continued.
“...I’m not really sure either. He hasn’t been coming back to the dorm much these days...”
“Why? Is he staying somewhere else? What’s he even doing out there?”
“...Beats me?”
Woosung’s brows furrowed faintly, as if he’d just imagined something unpleasant.
“...That bastard isn’t up to something shady, is he?”
“W-Woosung hyung!!”
At Dajun’s startled shout, Woosung’s gaze snapped toward him.
“Why are you saying that! Hoyun hyung’s not that kind of person! He’s—he’s—”
Dajun faltered mid-sentence under the man’s stare, but once the words started, they wouldn’t stop.
“...He’s incredible, okay? He’s not someone you can talk about like that—”
Woosung’s eyes narrowed.
At the same time, Dajun’s voice dwindled down.
“—...Sorry... I mean, maybe you think differently, but that’s how I feel.”
“Oh really?”
Woosung let out a small laugh through his nose. Dajun bit his lower lip.
Being in the same group yet knowing as little as Woosung did about Hoyun’s whereabouts stung his pride.
“Jung Dajun.”
“...Yeah?”
“You think I don’t know how great that bastard is? That’s exactly why I’m looking for him.”
Somehow, Dajun got the sense that their definitions of “great” were very different.
Woosung brushed his bangs back in irritation, stood up, and walked toward the door—but suddenly stopped and turned.
“Oh right, you...”
“Y-yes?”
“You’ve gotten a lot better at hosting.”
He added that last comment—half a compliment, half a question, as if to ask if Dajun had been practicing—then left the waiting room. Only then did Dajun exhale the breath he’d been holding.
“......Haaah...”
As expected, Black Call was Black Call, and Joo Woosung was Joo Woosung.
Now that Seo Hoyun wasn’t around, Dajun could finally sense the sheer pressure radiating off the man. Exhausted, he flopped down onto the couch.
“...If he’s worried, he should just say he’s worried...”
His neatly styled hair was a mess now, but he didn’t care. He turned over, pulled out his phone, and opened the chat window.
[Me: Hyung]
[Me: Hyung hyung hyuung hyung]
[Me: Hooooyun hyung]
[Me: Hellooo Houhou~~~~ what are you doing]
But the tiny ‘1’ behind the messages never disappeared, no matter how long he waited.
Staring at the screen, Dajun stomped his feet in frustration.
“Ughhhh, this is driving me crazyyy!”
He felt so suffocated it was hard to breathe.
With an exasperated groan, he sat back up and let out a long sigh.
At times like this, the only thing the three remaining members could do besides scheduled appearances was practice—but his tangled thoughts kept him from finding any motivation.
“I miss you guys, hyungs...”
It was only after several more months had passed since the awards ceremony that Jung Dajun finally realized—
On the surface, The Dawn still looked bright and dazzling as ever, but in truth, they were facing the biggest crisis since their debut.
