Click. A slow, heavy sound of a gun’s safety being released.
Though blinded in one eye, Police Chief Jang Seongsik forced strength into his trembling legs and staggered upright—only to flinch when he saw the figure ahead. Fumbling over the floor to find the source of the noise, he turned his head.
From behind the screen, Jung Dajun drew in a sharp breath.
【Kang Giyeong... Giyeong, is that you?】
Through the open door slit, the sea shimmered in the distance. Covered in blood, Seo Hoyun stood there beneath a dark shadow, staring silently at Jang Seongsik.
It was undoubtedly the same face Dajun knew—Seo Hoyun’s—but the man holding the gun in one hand, standing so still and heavy, was Kang Giyeong himself. Dajun’s spine prickled with goosebumps.
【Yes, sir.】
The low voice sent a shudder through Jang Seongsik, and he stumbled backward.
Feeling something soft and wet underfoot, he looked down and went pale—it was a corpse.
He understood instantly: the Kang Giyeong he had known since boyhood had been blinded by vengeance and had crossed the line of no return.
To avenge the enemy who had driven his family to death.
【...Since when?】
【For a while now.】
The trembling sound of Jang Seongsik’s breath echoed across the theater.
【...Killing someone won’t make justice, Giyeong.】
【Justice, my ass.】
Hoyun—no, Kang Giyeong—snorted, pressing the muzzle against the back of Jang Seongsik’s head and herding him forward like a shepherd driving a sheep.
Police sirens wailed from afar, perhaps summoned by Jang, but Seo Hoyun’s face remained composed. Jang Seongsik pleaded with him to stop, but Hoyun merely lowered his gaze and replied quietly,
【I knew it the moment I received the file. That no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t win this case.】
【Hey...】
【I waited so damn long. Realizing that made me feel... empty.】
【Giyeong, please....】
Jang bit his lip hard, trying to steady his breath. He opened his mouth several times as if to say something, but tears fell and sealed it shut.
【Turn yourself in. Confess, beg for forgiveness, swear you’ll never do this again. What are you going to do with the rest of your life?!】
【......】
The screen flickered hazily, showing Hoyun’s pale, blood-soaked face.
He looked at Jang with quiet, almost playful calm.
【Sir, can I give you some advice? From now on—don’t say a word. Close your eyes, cover your ears, and tell them you remember nothing from the shock.】
【What...?】
Jang’s eyebrows twisted. He couldn’t grasp what he was hearing.
【...Just live dirty, sir.】
Leaving the warehouse, Seo Hoyun walked toward the empty dock. Then he turned, glancing back at Jang.
Their eyes met.
Still aiming the gun at Jang’s head, Hoyun’s lips curled faintly.
【Close your eyes, sir.】
Jang squeezed his eyes shut—
Bang——!
A single gunshot tore through the air.
Blood splattered across Jang’s face. His shaking hand rose slowly to wipe his cheek.
Moments later, the sirens grew louder, and the sound of people shouting his name swelled before the screen faded to black.
Dajun, frozen in place, dropped his popcorn. Sitting beside him, Kim Sunghyun caught it midair with a sigh.
***
[“Vile Trial Seo Hoyun has lost his mind,,,,,”]
Late September. A week after its premiere, Vile Trial, directed by Kim Jehyeok, had become a phenomenon, topping Korea’s all-time box office records for first-day attendance.
[Title: Vile Trial — heavy spoilers beware
I thought it was just another decent movie, but when Seo Hoyun’s character killed himself at the end, everyone in the theater gasped out loud.
└Right?! It’s supposed to be a commercial film, but that ending elevated it.
So when Officer Jang closed his eyes at the end—it means the police knowingly stayed silent about the case.
The whole country buzzed for a second, then just... went quiet again.]
[Vile Trial stayed afloat thanks to Jang Seongsik’s phenomenal performance, but in the final act, Seo Hoyun completely devoured the spotlight. The “corrupt prosecutor” everyone hated all runtime ended up taking the fall and dying—what the hell.
└He held that hostage scene just to make it look like Jang was an innocent victim all along?? I’m crying, holy shit,,,,]
[This is going to break ten million, easy. Look at that opening score.]
[Title: Why is Seo Hoyun so good at acting??
Wasn’t Bring Me the Camera his only work before this? This is his first big-screen debut, right?
└I used to hate him for being “just an idol,” but I take it back. He’s insane.
└He’s definitely getting Best New Actor.
└Sorry, Shin Heechan, but Hoyun ate this alive.]
[Title: Seo Hoyun’s line, “Close your eyes, sir”—is it true that it wasn’t in the script???
└Yep, confirmed by the director.
└Originally, the ending was Jang finding Hoyun already dead and breaking down crying. The director added the new line on the day of filming after seeing Seo Hoyun’s performance.
└└Found the article:
“I asked Seo what Kang Giyeong’s last words would be. He said, ‘He wouldn’t want to be seen like that. He’d tell him to turn away.’ I’ll never forget that.”
└└Holy shit, that’s badass.]
[Title: Guys I discovered something insane—
Remember during Song Camp when things exploded in Round 1?
<Seo Hoyun fancam – Song Camp 1st Round>
https://www.neotube.com/watch?v=SaNdeUl_BaRAm
That breezy riverside performance everyone said “felt like youth”?
That was during the Vile Trial wrap-up shoot.
└Wait WHAT??? He filmed all night and went straight there???
└So he sang that bright song right after doing the bloody ‘Close your eyes, sir’ scene???
└└This man is unhinged.]
[Title: A grandma’s plea...
Now that Seo Hoyun’s film debut is out—please, Bring Me the Camera 2 with Min Jiheon and Yoo Jia again... please...
└Grandma, when will you let this go~!
└Wait people still love that show???
└LOOOL Don’t be embarrassed, KaBu fans! Our day will come!
└└God, I can’t stop laughing LMAOOOOOOO]
After Song Camp ended, The Dawn’s schedules exploded—but they still made time to attend the VIP premiere.
〈“The Dawn” attends VIP screening to support a member〉
〈“The Dawn” Dajun moved to tears by Vile Trial: “Cried buckets”〉
[“Cried buckets” LMAO who writes these headlines LMAOOOOOOOOOO]
The youngest, Jung Dajun, loved the movie so much that he started visiting the theater like it was his second home—watching morning, night, dawn, didn’t matter.
[Title: I saw Dajun at an early screening
He slipped in quietly. Looked cold and serious—didn’t recognize him at first.
But during Seo Hoyun’s final scene, I swear he was holding back sobs.
└Our Billboard artist getting emotional LOOOOOLLLLLLL
└Does he still go alone? I saw him with Jiwon last time.
└└I saw him with Sunghyun.
└└Okay how many times has he seen it??
Way more than me LOOOOOLLLLL
└└At this point just release the damn Blu-ray for him LOLOLOLOLOL
└Dajun’s picky with movies unless it’s a rom-com—guess he’s obsessed.]
***
“Hoyun-hyung! After my eighth viewing I realized something!!”
Returning to the company’s studio after the premiere circuit, arms full of bouquets, Seo Hoyun was instantly ambushed by Dajun.
“When you smile, you usually lift your left corner, right? But in the movie, when you’re aiming the gun, you smile on the right! I thought that was strange, and then—wait! Is that a secret signal? Like you’re telling the police it’s safe?!”
“You really think so?”
“Gasp! So the director secretly hid a clue that even the actor didn’t know about?!”
He really did love that movie.
When Dajun inevitably ended up clutching his pants, begging him to “bring Kang Giyeong back to life,” Seo Hoyun just shoved him away with his foot.
“Move.”
“Kang Giyeong said it best—‘Live dirty, sir...’ sniff sniff...”
You’re looking right at someone living dirty, kid.
Their overly emotional maknae tilted his head back toward the ceiling, pinching at the corners of his eyes like he was holding back tears.
Ignoring him, Hoyun dropped the bouquets on the sofa table and glanced around for the others.
After returning from America, Sung Jiwon was already busy mentoring on Starlight, and Kim Sunghyun had been cast in a reality lodging show. That left only Dajun, bored and clinging to him more than ever while working on the next album.
‘We’ll all see each other tomorrow anyway.’
They were scheduled to appear together on the program Sunghyun was filming. Their U.S.-shot content would be uploaded beforehand.
Deciding to buy drinks to appease the maknae who kept pestering about the Blu-ray release, Hoyun headed toward the café on the second floor. That’s when he spotted Kang Ichae crouched by the window in the open lounge, watching the river.
He was debating between that and the vending machine when Ichae noticed him.
With a sly, fox-like grin, the boy stood up and trotted over.
“Hoyun-hyung, where’re you going~?”
“...Café.”
“Aha~!”
Ever since waking from unconsciousness, Kang Ichae had been practically floating on air.
Humming, he followed behind as they walked to the counter. Hoyun flexed a finger discreetly, pulling up the system window.
[Kang Ichae — Main Rapper
Vocals: S0
Dance: A+
Variety: A0
Acting: B-
Charm: S0
Contribution: 32%]
“I’ll come too~”
Hoyun didn’t answer. The system had returned—but with it came questions.
[‘Contribution’ reflects the degree to which Player Seo Hoyun has received help or benefit. It is linked to Hoyun’s ‘???’.]
[※ Contribution can also increase when others bear physical penalties on behalf of Player Seo Hoyun.
Frequent substitution may cause fatal damage. Please be cautious.]
He’d asked what that meant, but the system brushed it off.
Checking the others’ stats showed smaller but similar contribution levels.
‘What’s more suspicious is that it doesn’t even register for Seo Hojin or Min Jiheon.’
Even stranger—the “external existence” the system had once warned him about was still untraceable. Whether it couldn’t find it or didn’t want to was unclear. But whatever it was, that thing had saved Kang Ichae.
‘Why help him?’
Whatever the reason, it couldn’t be pure.
As he mulled it over at the counter, Ichae took it upon himself to order for both of them.
“—One vanilla cream frappuccino, please. Blend half the java chips and sprinkle the rest on top, add extra chocolate drizzle. And one iced latte too.”
Hoyun remembered meeting Ichae again at the broadcasting station, learning he was the same boy from years ago... but after that, his memory blurred completely.
Ichae said the same—he remembered talking, then nothing.
‘Even Seo Hojin doesn’t remember him.’
Everything about it felt off.
“I’m thinking of adding one more track to the album~.”
Ichae beamed, clearly in a good mood.
‘Guess another problem’s coming.’
After learning Min Jiheon had saved him, Ichae had tried to thank him sincerely—but Jiheon had stayed strangely quiet, expression unreadable.
Because of that, Hoyun still hadn’t explained how he himself had entered that unconscious world.
Jiheon had driven them to the hotel and then vanished from every public event since.
‘Figured he’d at least show up at the VIP screening.’
Hoyun tapped his cup, lost in thought.
Realizing he wasn’t listening, Ichae fell silent for a second—then poked him in the shoulder with a teasing grin.
“...Hyung.”
“What.”
“There’s a bit of an age gap between us, right?”
“So?”
“Can I call you uncle?”
What kind of punk says that with a straight face?
Hoyun’s eyebrow twitched. Ichae calmly raised a hand to block his line of sight and dropped his voice an octave.
“Close your eyes, sir....”
“......”
“Cover your ears, forget everything that happened....”
...What the hell happened to this kid?
He used to be quiet, cute, a little shy. Even when they’d met again, he’d still had that softness about him.
“......Ichae.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember crying at the playground when I didn’t show up?”
He expected him to deflect with that usual smug grin—but instead, Ichae lowered his head, suddenly quiet.
Hoyun ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) took out his phone.
‘Still no reply from Min Jiheon.’
Since returning to reality, he’d called him countless times—
But Min Jiheon had never once picked up.
