[SorrySorrySorry]
[Seo Hoyun-nim is God]
[I miss you so much, that view too]
“Yeah, too late. I’m already sulking~.”
After that icy dismissal, Seo Hoyun took a sip of the cocoa in his hand, passed the self-cam to Jung Dajun, and disappeared off-screen together with Sung Jiwon.
[Whoa... so touching]
[Why is he like this suddenly, even using informal speech to us Noeul]
[He’s showing us his temper directly... We are unworthy of such grace..]
“...Is that really something to be grateful for...?”
Tilting his head at the bizarre situation, Jung Dajun quickly switched topics.
“Well, anywayy! I’ll specially tell Noeul about today’s plan! First we’re gonna unpack all our stuff! Then rent skis and snowboards! Conquer every course!! Then come back to the inn for some piping hot hotpot!! After that, we’ll go sledding, then return for the onsen—!”
Completely oblivious to the fans desperately waiting for Seo Hoyun’s reappearance, Dajun kept enthusiastically listing every detail of their itinerary—until the live suddenly cut off. When it came back, Kim Sunghyun was on screen, ripping off his gloves and throwing them to the ground.
“—Hey, Kang Ichae!! The place you took me to wasn’t a beginner slope, it was advanced!!”
“I didn’t know either!! But you did great! Congratulations on being born strong!!!”
“You. Come. Here. Right now.”
[Ahahahahaha looks like he actually finished the advanced course somehow LOOOOOOLLLL]
[Congratulations to Kim Sunghyun for being born a strong man
└If he wasn’t, he’d have died of exhaustion in The Dawn already
└└Honestly he already looks half-dead
└└Sunghyun’s basically a cactus at this point
└└Cactus LMAOOOOOOOO]
While Kim Sunghyun and Kang Ichae argued loudly, completely ignoring their surroundings, the live cut again—only to return to show Sung Jiwon, his cheeks slightly flushed red.
“Sorry, it got too cold and my phone shut off.”
“—You guys probably don’t get it... Curry udon... Right? Who even thought of putting curry in udon? Or cream? Watermelon with soda? People must’ve been horrified at first—!”
“It’s okay, we’re indoors now.”
“—But they all became steady sellers! Thanks to people like me, new cuisines were born!!”
“Seo Hoyun, what do you want to eat?”
“Just udon.”
[The Dawn really only say what they want to say]
[They never listen to each other]
[The Dawn: collective monologue group]
“So! I promise you here today! I’ll create a new Korean version of ramen! Tomato ramen—!!”
“Ah, Dajun, that already exists in Japan.”
“Whhaaat~?!!”
Dajun puffed his cheeks, genuinely offended, but kept eating his curry udon enthusiastically.
[They really want to share every bit of their daily life LOLOLOLOL]
[It feels like I came on the trip with them LOOOOOLLLL]
[God this is hilarious]
After finishing their meal, the members went back out to ski and snowboard again. Seo Hoyun, staying behind, picked up the self-cam and headed for a nearby café.
[Huff huff Hoyun please just once speak informally again]
[Please scold us a little]
[It’s thrilling]
Hoyun saw the comments and merely chuckled, saying nothing. He yawned lightly and walked slowly to a window seat overlooking the snow-covered slopes, resting his chin on his hand.
“Let’s just chat here for a bit.”
[Looks like he’s planning to just enjoy the onsen later]
[He absolutely refuses to do extreme sports]
“Right, I’m not really into extreme sports. When I was a kid, sometimes I’d go skiing but...”
It sounded like he was about to share a childhood story, but then—
“...Yeah, well. That’s it.”
Letting his words trail off, Hoyun smiled faintly, but there was something off—his mood looked heavier than usual. Some fans quickly changed the subject.
[Hoyun, you got nominated for Vile Trial!]
[That’s amazing!! Congratulations!!
Please mention us in your acceptance speech!]
“...Ah, the speech...”
But instead of lighting up, Hoyun’s expression dimmed.
“...Speech...”
He repeated the word quietly, folding his arms and sinking deeper into the chair.
“...Sorry, just thinking. Ah, how about I tell you a funny story instead?”
Fans flooded the chat saying they didn’t need one, that just seeing his face was enough—but Hoyun continued.
“This one’s about Kim Sunghyun. He was organizing his photo drive, and I caught him. Back during trainee days, he had blond hair and used to ride a motorcycle—”
The chat froze for a moment, completely stunned.
[Wha... what the hell...]
[No way... You’re lying... right..?]
“Would I lie to Noeul? Go look it up, I bet the photo’s still around somewhere.”
[We’ve been blessed]
[Thank you Seo Hoyun, we will repay this debt with our lives]
[I’m searching right now]
Saying that Sunghyun would probably grumble at him later, Hoyun brushed back his unstyled bangs.
“As for Sung Jiwon... hmm. Most people think he’s just soft, but he’s actually really strong. He’s also pretty objective and cold, to be honest.”
[Yeah, everyone knows that]
[Everyone except you, Hoyun]
“Huh? Really?”
Hoyun blinked as if genuinely surprised, then kept going.
“...Anyway. Dajun once wrote a historical drama script when he was in elementary school. I bet he dug it out recently and cried alone in his room.”
[LOOOOL]
[Prodigy director in the making, whoa]
[He’s had talent since grade school, wow]
“He even filmed himself acting it out on a camcorder, I heard.”
[I want to see that right now]
[Please, something about Ichae next]
[We need Ichae’s dark past]
At the fans’ request, Hoyun’s eyes curved mischievously as if something came to mind.
“Ah, our Ichae.”
[Yesyesyesyesyes]
[Oh shit something big is coming]
“There’s too much to tell. He was so cute when he was little. He—”
“Waaait a second!!!!”
Suddenly a hand shot into the frame. Kang Ichae appeared at the perfect moment.
[What is it]
[Ah!!!!! What is it!!!!!]
“Huff, huff, hold on, wait a sec.”
“Ichae, your hand’s cold.”
“...You bastard...”
Still panting, Ichae’s brows were deeply furrowed, his Adam’s apple vibrating like a low growl.
[Didn’t you go up the lift earlier LOOOOOOLLLLLLL]
[LOLOLOLOLOL He must’ve been watching the live LOLOLOLOL]
Ichae shook his head hard, sending snow all over Hoyun’s face. Then he winked at the camera, pretending to joke around.
“The super sexy and adorable Ichae is here, oh no! Look at that! It’s already time to end the live~!!”
[Please no I won’t sleep until I know what it was]
[Please have mercy]
“Bye, Noeul, love you, bye-bye!”
[Hey]
[Hey please]
[Please tell us!!]
As fans howled in despair, the live ended mercilessly.
***
‘Full of energy, those brats.’
While the others stumbled in dripping wet, coughing and sneezing, I was the only one dry, since I hadn’t touched a snowboard.
After soaking himself in the hot spring, Dajun started whining about making some kind of “dark hotpot” in the dark—throwing in random ingredients and boiling them with the lights off.
Naturally, everyone ignored him completely.
We walked down the antique-style corridor of the inn and entered a Western-style room. Sung Jiwon’s eyes lit up as he pulled out a bottle from his suitcase.
“It’s our last vacation of the year. How about a drink?”
I wasn’t really in the mood, but since it was Sung Jiwon offering, I quietly sat down and pretended to sip.
He usually didn’t seem to enjoy alcohol, but tonight he kept uncapping bottle after bottle.
“Hoyun-hyung hyung hyung! Hyungs! Let’s play the truth or dare game!”
“Get lost.”
“Yes, sir, sorry!”
Kang Ichae passed out right after one glass. The maknae held on a little longer before collapsing too.
The leader tried to keep up with Jiwon but eventually dropped as well.
I nudged the bodies sprawled on the floor into one corner and rubbed my face.
“Haa...”
Even after secretly watering my own drinks down, my head felt hazy.
Jiwon was still smiling brightly, almost too cheerfully.
“You killed them all. Go sleep.”
“Hoyun, you’re seriously strong. Honestly, I thought I’d be the last one standing.”
“I know you’re not actually drunk, bastard.”
“Haha.”
The room spun a little. I opened the window for some air, and a gust of freezing wind rushed in. I flinched slightly, and Jiwon, brushing his cheek, tilted his head and murmured softly,
“...Hey, Hoyun.”
“What.”
“Something going on lately?”
Still looking down, he continued,
“You’ve seemed off. Like when we ran into trainee Song Jion the other day.”
So this was the real reason behind the sudden drinking.
I thought about how much to say, combing my hair back slowly before replying,
“I mistook her for someone I knew.”
“Really? Got it. Then something else—why do you keep checking Hojin’s number?”
Of all people, Jiwon never pried first. So what was I supposed to do when he actually did?
“Why, does it bother you?”
I sighed and looked him straight in the eyes.
“...He asked me for a stupid favor.”
“A favor? Would it hurt you to help him?”
“No, it’d hurt him.”
Even if I avoided the topic, Jiwon would never let it go, so I gave a half-answer instead.
He was silent for a moment, then leaned forward slightly.
“Did Hojin say that?”
“What?”
“That you’re making things hard for him.”
...No. He never said that.
But still—
“It’s obvious.”
He would suffer because of me.
Asking me to mention him in my speech?
It was absurd that I was even thinking about it seriously.
“There’s no good in being tied to me.”
“Hey, that’s a little sad to hear.”
“......”
“For me, being tied to you has only ever been good.”
In the past, and even now.
With a gentle smile and warm brown eyes that glimmered like amber, Sung Jiwon looked straight at me.
“I don’t know what was said between you brothers. So I can’t offer any clever advice. But there’s one thing I do want to say.”
“......”
“You’re only imagining the worst. Something that hasn’t happened—and maybe never will.”
Snowflakes, sharp as blades, blew in with the wind and landed on his hair.
He’d already sensed roughly what was bothering me.
“Listen, maybe instead of drowning in those fears or worrying about what people see—”
He realized the bottle was empty, shook it, then opened a new one.
“...you should think about what the person you care about truly wants from you. That’s probably the more realistic thing to do.”
After draining another glass, he smiled softly and turned toward the window.
“Wow...”
Leaning against the sill, he stared blankly outside. Only then did I notice he was a little tipsy too.
“The snow’s... falling so beautifully, right?”
The silence outside was so deep it seemed to swallow even the sound of snow landing.
“...If only it were money falling instead, that’d be luckier.”
Jiwon just smiled faintly, maybe remembering our first Christmas together.
“...I’ll go take a walk. Sober up a bit.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
After watching the quiet scene a moment longer, I sighed, stood up, and slipped into someone’s long padded coat, wrapping a scarf around my neck before leaving the inn.
There wasn’t a single person on the street.
The cold seeped through my thin slippers, but I just stood still, staring up at the sky. The scent of wet cedar filled my nose.
I thought the freezing air would clear my head, but it was still heavy.
“Hey.”
As if answering my call, a soft alert chimed.
[Yes, Seo Hoyun.]
I dropped down onto an old wooden bench draped with a cloth cover, brushed the snow off my nose, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and looked at the glowing rectangular window in front of me.
[What’s wrong?]
Sung Jiwon was right.
I was assuming the absolute worst.
If Song Jion or Jeong Cheongyeon had nothing to do with the system, then I already knew who was behind all of this. At this point, I couldn’t not know who the idiot was that had sacrificed everything for me in the original world.
“You.”
The one who sometimes showed me worry.
Snowflakes fluttered down like petals, catching on my lashes. I brushed them off with the back of my hand and whispered,
“Could it be that you’re my—...”
The words I was about to exhale in a white breath dissolved midair, and I forced down the anxiety that wouldn’t fade.
“...No.”
I was scared.
Because I still hadn’t woken up from my imagination.
“......It’s nothing.”
In the end, I hid what I felt and remembered the promise I’d made long ago to my parents—
That I’d take good care of my brother.
A flimsy, laughably fragile promise that could crumble at any moment.
I smiled faintly at the memory.
“It’s cold, huh.”
There was no reply. Only the faint blue glow of the system window flickered before me.
Quietly closing my eyes, I made up my mind—alone.
