“...Phew.”
Night had deepened, the time when everyone wrapped up their day and promised themselves a tomorrow.
A working woman—Noeul, who had been stanning The Dawn with Kang Ichae as her ultimate bias for several years—sat with her arms crossed, glaring at her laptop.
The reason for her frown was simple: real life was already shitty enough. She didn’t want to get stressed out by the idols she watched to be happy—even if falling for them had been as sudden and unavoidable as an accident.
‘...I guess I have cooled off a bit lately.’
She gripped her mouse, hesitating.
On the screen before her was an open YouTube page.
【NerdyFreak – Garage ft. Ichae Kang】
The new track by the world-famous rock band NerdyFreak.
A song that had become a national topic after Kang Ichae participated in writing, composing, and even featuring.
‘Does this even make sense?’
Normally, she would’ve already clicked play without a second thought, but at this point—burdened by stress and uncertainty—she hesitated, afraid the song might drag her down even further.
What if the song was bad?
What if WH Entertainment had overreached and forced this collab?
What if the public tore them apart for it—?
Even before facing any backlash that might not exist, she already felt dread creeping in.
‘...Ah, screw it.’
She shut her eyes tightly, then clicked.
The music video, which she’d expected to be flashy and polished, instead opened with a surprisingly low-quality, home-video style.
From an angle that looked as if the camera had been dropped on the floor, a dark, cluttered garage came into view—filled with guitars, bottles, albums, and scuffed LPs under a flickering, cheap light.
The vocalist of NerdyFreak appeared, staggering toward an electric piano as though drunk, and reached out slowly.
【《One day, Tisiphone came to me and said,
You shall face judgment for killing your true self.
It was when I crawled across the floor, drunk on alcohol.》】
A rough, thunderous voice echoed over a dreamy melody.
‘The tempo... it’s slow.’
It carried the kind of BPM often used in orchestral pieces—dark, weighty, almost solemn.
【《Surrounded by people who only saw what they wanted to see,
I babbled like a god claiming to know all,
A snake slithered up my ankle stuffed into ill-fitting shoes.》】
Then, behind the vocalist, the guitarist stepped forward with calm composure, slinging his instrument over his shoulder and joining in.
【《Fear, hesitation—saying they don’t exist would be a lie,
But I reconnect the cable and turn the amp back on.》】
The rhythm quickened; now came an intense, surging violin line.
Even amid the unfamiliar harmonies, the listener could sense that familiar touch she’d loved for so long—that distinctive presence unique to Kang Ichae.
【《I just keep pressing the keys in this garage,
Until that flickering light finally dies,
Pressing the pedal to the rhythm of my heartbeat,
To the tempo I know best.》】
Yes—this was a Kang Ichae song.
The unpredictably stormy beats, refined yet vivid, and the strange, melancholy depth that pulled the listener down to the ocean floor—all of it screamed his style.
【《I just keep singing in this garage,
Until the neighbors come knocking, saying it’s too loud.》】
The once-discordant melodies slowly converged into a holy harmony, building into a majestic chorus.
【《Though the storm rages, I tap my feet to the radio beat,
I know how to dance even in thunder.》】
“Ah, damn...”
So much for cooling off.
She could recognize Kang Ichae’s essence even within a brand-new sound.
Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she pressed her palm against her eyes, then quickly looked back at the laptop. She hadn’t expected Kang Ichae to appear in the music video, but it was her first viewing—she wanted to absorb every frame.
Just as she debated whether to rewind, the scene shifted—
and someone appeared.
In that instant, her world went silent.
Inside that dim, hazy space, Kang Ichae stood—the only thing with color, brushing back his messy hair with a hand.
As dawn’s red light broke across the horizon beyond the frame,
【—...】
He tilted his head slightly, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
And sound rushed back into her again.
【Right, maybe I’ll make the same mistakes again】
At that same moment, his rap began—clearly, unmistakably in Korean.
【But when that distant dawn finally breaks,
We’ll talk until the sun comes up,
We can slow down the time, aren’t we?】
He lifted one hand toward the sky, then pulled it down in rhythm, the corners of his eyes curling mischievously.
【But if you’re scared, just hold my hand,
In the place we know best,
I’ll shout for you until you laugh out of boredom.】
Her nose tingled as she focused on the lyrics.
【Because dawn belongs to us alone.】
Though the video had already shifted back to NerdyFreak, her mind was filled only with Kang Ichae.
【《—Just keep singing in this garage,
Until that flickering light finally dies,
Until that god finally applauds for me.》】
Lost in the music, she noticed the soft sound of wind mixing with faint static.
【《Though the storm rages, I tap my feet to the radio beat.》】
Then the scene returned once more—to Kang Ichae, bending forward with that same teasing grin.
The violin soared, passionate and wild—
【《I know how to dance even in thunder.》】
—and then, suddenly, silence. Only the pure piano notes and that familiar voice remained as the video faded to black.
The woman stared at the now-dark laptop screen, rubbed the tip of her nose with her finger, and opened a search tab.
As if bewitched, she spent a long while searching everything she could about Kang Ichae and Garage, until she stumbled across a written summary of a U.S. radio interview with NerdyFreak.
〈(Excerpt) ...We shot it in a rush, so it’s easily the worst-quality video we’ve ever put out. Some members were still hungover from the night before. But honestly, that fits us best. NerdyFreak started in a garage with college friends, just humming songs. We never wanted to prove anything—just to have fun. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» If, by chance, it moves someone’s heart, that’s all we could ever want.〉
Below that, the radio host asked a loaded question, implying that WH Entertainment must have paid them a huge sum for the collaboration.
〈...NerdyFreak is defined by individuality. Do you think some outsider could just throw something together and still represent us? He’s a pro. I respect him.〉
She swallowed hard.
That “outsider” was clearly referring to Kang Ichae.
〈...When he said he wanted to feature in Korean, we were all worried, honestly. But no one could stop him.〉
Each word hit her square in the chest.
〈He wanted to include the word ‘dawn’ for the people he loves—how could anyone stop a romantic like that?〉
With trembling hands, she opened the Hot 100 chart.
Scrolling slowly past countless album covers by foreign artists, one name suddenly caught her eye.
【Garage – NerdyFreak & Ichae Kang】
—No. 19.
Seeing the upward green arrow beside it, she collapsed onto her desk and burst into tears.
.
.
.
[............?]
[What the...? What’s happening right now?]
The news that NerdyFreak and Kang Ichae’s “Garage” had entered the Billboard chart first spread not through WH Entertainment or The Dawn—but through YouTube channels that specialized in translating foreign pop songs.
<The Dawn’s Ichae climbs to Billboard No.19 with his self-written song>
<Yeah~ that Billboard hit you’re listening to? Made by a Korean idol – NerdyFreak Garage>
<K-idol who a Billboard artist begged to write a song>
Noeul fans—and the general public alike—erupted.
[Clicked out of curiosity and got chills. Absolutely stunning.]
[The lines ‘When the distant dawn breaks’ and ‘The dawn belongs to us’—they really sound exactly like that in the music.]
[It’s wild—like the song itself glows with light.]
[Kang Ichae??? As in The Dawn’s Ichae???
└ Yeah lmao
└ Wait, for real???]
[Black Call’s on Billboard too—K-pop’s killing it on both fronts lol]
[I was jogging to the Hot 100 playlist and suddenly heard Korean lyrics in a NerdyFreak song. Freaked out and had to look it up lol]
Some even started digging through old content to figure out how this collab had happened.
<Was the Kang Ichae x NerdyFreak collaboration predicted long ago?>
<NerdyFreak’s favorite The Dawn song: “Connected”>
Soon, attention shifted to that earlier project between IRIX and The Dawn, Connected.
Then another wave hit—when a screenshot spread of a post briefly uploaded by NerdyFreak’s guitarist.
[Title: Did anyone just see the guitarist’s Instagram story?
Someone asked why they released the collab, and he replied,
“Because that bastard beat me at IRIX.” LMAOOOOO
└ omg I’m crying 😂😂😂
└ hahahaha he really is obsessed with IRIX huh
└ calling him “that bastard” like they’re best friends, I’m dead 😂😂😂]
But the hype didn’t stop there—it soon turned into fierce debates and criticism.
[WH definitely paid for this lol obviously fake, can’t you tell this is PR?]
[NerdyFreak’s suffering... my favorite rock band got K-pop all over it, ugh.]
[You can tell the company did everything.
└ Go listen to The Dawn’s discography. I recognized Kang Ichae’s beat instantly.
└ Yeah right, the company did it, he just slapped his name on it lol]
[Feels really different from old NerdyFreak stuff, disappointed—it ruined their vibe.
└ NerdyFreak literally said this track represents them the best though.]
At that time, while negativity flooded every corner, Noeul fans were simply dumbfounded.
[Wait... so you’re saying Ichae actually went to the U.S. and lived with NerdyFreak??]
[I heard the news, thought it was a dream, went back to sleep... turns out it’s real??? lol]
[Sorry but is this... a movie synopsis? Some hidden-camera prank??]
Even after reading news articles and watching videos, fans couldn’t believe it until they opened the Hot 100 themselves—and there, beside NerdyFreak’s name, saw their idol’s in bold English letters.
[My husband did it again.]
[Ah, I love Kang Ichae so much, this is insane.]
[Title: People whining that WH abandoned The Dawn, huh...
Now look at the big company pushing them with Billboard stars lol
Say what you want but this fandom’s resilience is no joke~
└ LOL caught in 4K ^^
└ Noeul’s been through hell but look at us now T_T
└ I don’t know much about Billboard, but Ichae’s the first K-pop idol to chart this high as a composer.
└ I don’t really understand foreign charts but T_T he might get invited to major shows soon~ I just want Ichae to stay healthy hehe~
└ lmao that tone is so annoying 😂
└ This fandom’s truly unhinged 😂😂😂]
Noeul fans were in full celebration mode; no amount of malicious comments could pierce them.
[Please, just one live performance.]
[WH bastards, row that boat already.]
Everyone shared one wish—to see The Dawn again soon.
And then—
【THE DAWN√ has started a LIVE: Hello】
A daytime notification, right in the middle of work hours.
But there was no way anyone would miss it.
As fans rushed in, Kang Ichae’s face appeared—way too close to the camera.
After adjusting the angle with a blank expression, he leaned back until his whole upper body fit in the frame, lips twitching faintly.
[Ichae-ya!!!!!!!!!!!]
Behind him, the rest of the members could be seen, each holding a mic or instrument.
Kang Ichae pulled the sunglasses hanging from his collar and slid them on.
“I’ve got a lot I wanna say, but...”
He slung the guitar strap over his shoulder, mischief glittering in his eyes.
“For now—how about a love serenade?”
