“Ah, hello, Hoyun-ssi! Congratulations on ranking No. 1 on the chart!”
“Haha, has the news already spread?”
“Of course~. The better the news, the faster it travels.”
With every step I took inside WH Entertainment, two or three compliments came flying at me. I nodded politely to each one and hurried my pace.
It was Monday — the only day without a music-show schedule.
I’d barely managed to wrap up the film shoot and get a sliver of rest, but the Song Camp schedule had overlapped with our new-album comeback, leaving me severely sleep-deprived. Still, just thinking about the person I’d meet today brought an involuntary smile to my face.
After grabbing a coffee from the company café, I swung open the door to the exclusive practice room reserved for WH Entertainment’s greatest top star.
Bang!
“Gooood morning~.”
The man who was so famous that not knowing him would make you a spy in Korea — my first ever pushover — jerked upright in surprise. He must have been resting mid-practice; sweat still dotted his skin and his breathing was uneven.
His eyes, which had gone round, narrowed slowly.
“...It’s three in the afternoon.”
A voice soaked with suspicion slipped out.
“Then should I say good afternoon?”
Leaning against the doorframe instead of stepping in, I teased lightly. Joo Woosung, who had been brushing his bangs back, gave me a sidelong glare.
“Morning or afternoon, doesn’t matter — what the hell brings a bastard who never contacts me suddenly dropping by?”
“Maybe today I just really, really wanted to see you?”
“Ha ......”
“Really, really?”
Joo Woosung already looked sick of me.
“...No sane human would say that, but you’re insane, so I’ll ask — you’re not here to brag about overturning the daily chart, are you?”
“Aww, that’s a hurtful assumption. Remember last time you told me not to give up and to see it through? I just came to thank you in person.”
“...Ah... Ahem, is that so?”
Seeing his expression soften slightly, I pulled out my phone and opened a music-streaming app.
【Between disaster and miracle,
we stand hand in hand —】
Then I smacked my forehead loudly on purpose.
“Oh no! I accidentally hit the Mango Weekly Chart All-Play button!”
“.......”
“Not the daily chart — the weekly one!!”
Watching Joo Woosung sigh and look away, I tilted my head and asked a question whose answer was obvious.
“Huh... but it’s not Black Call’s song playing first, it’s The Dawn’s. Anyone want to guess why??”
“Ah, fuck!”
Unable to hold it in, Joo Woosung threw a towel at me and exploded.
“You ungrateful little shit! I was literally ready to congratulate you for hitting daily No. 1, and you came all the way here just to mock me?!”
He went off, yelling about how lunatics shouldn’t be raised and how people needed to know my true nature — blah blah blah.
To my ears, it sounded only like a cute little bird chirping in a bright afternoon.
Ah, what joy. Truly.
Maybe that emotion showed, because Joo Woosung clenched his jaw so hard the tendon stood out.
“Yeah, sure, fine. Rank No. 1 on the weekly chart, too. Sweep all the monthly charts and trophies while you’re at it.”
“Thank you for your kind words, sunbaenim.”
“And I’m expecting you to break our Billboard record as well, absolutely.”
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Considering Black Call’s highest achievements to date, just imagining surpassing them was practically sacrilege — a mountain too high to see the peak.
Apparently still not satisfied after that childish retort, he kept grumbling.
“Wow, this suddenly pisses me off. When I was trying to reach you, I couldn’t find a single hair on your head, but now you show up whenever you damn please.”
Sulking?
We’d known each other long enough that this level of teasing shouldn’t bother him, but since I was in a good mood — and I did owe him some thanks — I crouched down in front of him with a gentle smile.
“Do you really think I came just to tease you?”
He said nothing. I patted his shoulder.
“I’m almost as busy as you are. I barely get time to sleep — why would I waste it just to make fun of you?”
“.......”
“I really just wanted to thank you for looking out for me before you leave for your world tour.”
Before getting to the point, I sprinkled some harmless flattery. He looked a bit wary but met my eyes.
“...Really?”
“Ah~~ of course. Who knows when I’ll see you next? By the way, I heard this world tour’s your biggest yet — completely sold out, right? Black Call keeps breaking its own records! How do you even handle that pressure?!”
“Ah, fuck off.”
Not long ago, Black Call had wrapped up their Blackout promotions and announced a world tour. Once they left the country, I probably wouldn’t see him for months.
Clapping my hands, I added some exaggerated gestures for effect. Even though he still kept up his guard, his lips twitched upward as if he didn’t entirely hate the praise.
“Ahem. It’s nothing special. Just trying to milk it before the renewal season comes.”
My brows furrowed slightly at that negative reply.
There was no way Black Call would fail to renew.
He’d had a brief rebellious phase, sure, but lately the members had been getting along fine. Their group synergy was strong, and above all, WH Entertainment would never let Black Call go.
“Well... that’ll be over soon anyway.”
For some reason, the image of the deflated Joo Woosung I’d seen during Unknown Actor Tycoon overlapped with the man in front of me.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I asked carefully,
“...Are you retiring?”
“Huh? Why the hell would I retire?”
Then what?
He’d just said things were fine with the members—was something else going on?
When I looked at him with open suspicion, he gave a disbelieving laugh.
“Wait a sec, I can literally see what you’re thinking. There’s no internal feud, okay? I’m close with the members. We even make time to eat together!”
“Wow... congratulations on finding lunch buddies.”
“Listen to this bastard’s tone...”
I watched him grumble for a moment before asking,
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Hmm... it actually kinda relates to you, so I was wondering when to bring it up, but ... ah, forget it. It’s not urgent. Let’s talk when we both have time.”
He scratched the back of his head and sighed.
“...Is it the army?”
“Stop pissing me off!!”
Well, fair — idols at twenty-eight are touchy about that subject.
Tilting my head to avoid his yell, I grew even more curious about what could make Joo Woosung hesitate like this, but seeing him turn defensive and avert his gaze, it was clear I wouldn’t get it out of him now.
After fuming alone for a while, he waved his hand.
“Forget it. Just get the hell out of my sight.”
“Wait a second.”
Ignoring his dismissal, I shoved my phone toward him.
“Shoot a challenge with me.”
“...A challenge?”
That was my main reason for coming to the company today—to film a short Tick-Tock video. If I posted it with Joo Woosung, the buzz would be much higher.
I expected him to get annoyed once he realized there was an ulterior motive, but surprisingly, he just flicked his fingers.
“Give it here.”
He checked the choreography and, in under five minutes, had the highlight moves down perfectly.
Damn, that speed’s for real...
Infuriatingly enough, he looked incredible.
Without a drop of sweat, he nailed it in one take, then crossed his arms and checked the result with a blank face.
“Oh, you practiced quite a bit, huh? You’ve got some moves, rookie.”
“I am a weekly-chart-No. 1 idol.”
Still, I’d achieved my goal—make Joo Woosung lose his cool—so I bowed politely and moved to open the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
—Until his hand clamped onto the back of my neck.
When I looked up, those gently curved eyes were gleaming with predatory light.
“You’re not leaving until we shoot the Blackout challenge, too.”
“.......”
“If you’re really a weekly-chart-No. 1 idol, you can handle that, right? Woosung’s just so very curious.”
...Fuck me ...
***
【When you step on my heart,
our lips overlap.】
“Is Joo Woosung sunbaenim ... a rookie or something?”
Kim Sunghyun, eyes glued to his phone, murmured in admiration while the TV droned in the background.
Lying sprawled on the dorm sofa, I grabbed a cushion to block my ears, but he shoved the phone right in front of my face.
“Seo Hoyun, look. The comments are full of praise for Joo Woosung sunbaenim.”
“Are you sure you’re The Dawn’s leader?”
“He’s human like us, yet how can he dance so perfectly?”
“Are you doing this just to provoke me?”
Even my sarcasm didn’t dampen his grin; I kicked him away. Just then Sung Jiwon came out of the kitchen with a glass of water and smiled.
“Any comments about Hoyun? I thought he looked amazing!”
“Oh, yeah, they said he worked hard.”
Ha....
Even though I’d copied the Flight challenge choreography in record time, Joo Woosung had chewed it up and spat it out. He’d spent two hours torturing me, calling it a Blackout highlight lesson—babbling about how each move was “healing” and how we should tour together. If I hadn’t had ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a radio schedule afterward, I’d still be stuck there.
This damn industry where natural talent reigns supreme ...
Just recalling it tired me out. To calm myself, I squeezed Jung Dajun’s cheeks between my palms. Right then, a grand BGM swelled from the TV after a commercial break.
“Ah, Song Camp’s starting!”
To gauge reactions, I opened the live chat on QBS Network’s broadcast app.
[Whoa it’s starting]
[dkdkdkdkdk]
[Been fucking waiting forever for Song Camp]
[Junhwan PD’s lost his mind turning this into a survival show lol]
Even though only the opening was playing, the comment speed was insane.
Looks promising.
I couldn’t monitor real-time ratings like I used to as a PD, but judging by the atmosphere, things looked good.
[Holy shit, the comment flow’s crazy]
[Everyone’s watching this lmaooo]
[Half came to bash Kang Ichae, half to hate on the rest lol]
[Petty as hell but looks fun so I’m here]
Though a variety program, it played like a music film—soft background music and cinematic cuts showing each participant.
[If this were another show, these celebs would be mentors; here they’re contestants]
[Line-up is insane]
[Yup Baek Jijun for #1]
[Kang Woorin! Kang Woorin! Kang Woorin! Kang Woorin! Kang Woorin!]
[LUMA noona I’m losing my mind]
[Jo Youngbi should’ve skipped this ㅠㅠ she’s not made for survival shows ㅠㅠ]
Finally, we appeared—performing our most recent single, Flight.
【Now, it’s flight time.
Cross the tides of the planets—!
I’ll take you to where you long to be.】
“Whoa oh oh!”
The members cheered, but the scene shifted to an interview with NerdyFreak’s guitarist.
【It’s not like I worked with Ichae just because he beat me in IRIX. If that were it, I’d work with every higher-ranked player. You can tell from his music—he’s a genius.】
Smiling faintly, the guitarist looked straight into the camera.
【There are only a handful of composers in the world who could beat him.】
Then the stage for our new title track Flight overlapped with headlines flashing across the screen.
【〈Aeronautics Album Sweeps Domestic Music Charts〉】
【〈NerdyFreak Reaches Billboard Hot 100 No. 9〉】
【〈First Korean Composer to Chart — Genius Artist Kang Ichae〉】
“Wow, Ichae’s so cool~!”
“Oh, he really looks different like that.”
“Damn, our hyung looks sick~~!!”
The members playfully piled on the praise, but Kang Ichae stayed silent, expression wiped clean, eyes fixed on the screen.
All of us knew from experience — too many survival shows taught us this.
That kind of overly flattering edit never ended well.
“...Uh, eh?”
Sure enough.
Right after Ichae’s smiling face filled the screen, hateful captions appeared over it: “Company backing,” “Genius concept is embarrassing,” and other venomous texts—some curse words barely blurred out. Our maknae’s jaw dropped.
From there, Song Camp blatantly framed a rivalry—splitting The Dawn and the other contestants.
【ARE YOU REAL?】
【Those who dare challenge a Billboard composer—show your skill.】
The opening song replayed as the screen darkened.
【WHO WILL BE THE WINNER?
SONG CAMP SEASON 3
OUR SURVIVAL】
As the captions flared up, Kang Ichae let out a quiet whistle and pulled one corner of his mouth.
“Kyah ...”
That trademark grin fans loved carried a glint of absolute confidence.
As if to say — what’s there to worry about? Everything will go perfectly.
“I look pretty damn cool, don’t I.”
As though to reassure us.
