Beep—
After parking the SUV in the dome stadium lot where the Korean Music Awards were being held, I slipped the car key into my pocket and stepped outside. The staff who recognized my face let me through without a trace of suspicion.
“Mr. Seo Hoyun, good luck tomorrow!”
“Ahaha, thank you.”
They cheered for me, not knowing I’d be gone the moment the ceremony ended.
The ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) plan was simple: the instant I received the grand prize tomorrow, I’d get in this pre-prepared SUV and drive straight home.
Wearing a mask, I took a taxi back to the company and ordered a coffee from the café in the building, sending a text to Seo Hojin.
[Don’t forget to get ready for tomorrow.]
As if waiting on standby, the reply came in an instant.
[Younger brother: ㅇㅋ]
After that, I headed to the practice studio to feed the members, but the company atmosphere felt strangely off.
‘...Ah, restructuring....’
Starting with Jung Seonui, several people connected to a certain faction had quit or transferred. WH Entertainment filled the vacancies almost immediately by hiring external staff.
‘That was fast.’
People were whispering behind closed doors about the drastic shake-up.
‘It smells like something tied to the Black Call label.’
A brief article had recently come out saying Black Call was planning a new label.
I hadn’t checked the forums, but it was obvious that wild speculations were spreading everywhere.
‘Good for Joo Woosung.’
Lost in thought, I found myself standing in front of Kang Ichae’s studio. Just as I reached for the doorknob after entering the password, the door swung open from inside.
I stumbled slightly from surprise.
“What the—”
An arm grabbed me and yanked me forward. A teasing voice followed immediately.
“Hey, lunatic. Long time no see.”
When I looked up, there was Joo Woosung, wearing his cap low over his face.
“...Why are you here? Planning to join The Dawn or something?”
“What kind of horrifying nonsense is that?”
Don’t be sarcastic, asshole.
Woosung took off his cap, glanced around the hallway, closed the door, and snatched the mocha latte I was holding to take a sip.
“Ugh, why’s this so sweet? What are you gonna do when you’re old if you drink this crap? Take care of your health.”
What a colorful kind of bullshit...
Knowing I’d still be happily drinking this even ten years from now, I tilted my head.
“How did you even get in here? No, actually—what’s all this about?”
“What’s what?”
“Do you have business with me?”
“Hmm~, business with the clumsy one?”
He was always like this, but today he was especially obnoxious. Any will to talk disappeared instantly. When I shut my mouth, Woosung frowned and slammed his cap down on the sofa table.
“See that? The moment I act nice, you start thinking I’m being pretentious.”
“Wow, Mr. Joo Woosung, you should spread a mat here.”
When I said exactly what I thought, Woosung shot me a glare, then plopped onto the sofa and took another sip of my latte.
“I just came looking for you, but ran into Kim Sunghyun. He said you’d be here and told me to wait comfortably.”
Kim Sunghyun would probably die if Woosung told him to.
“Huhu...”
“......”
“Haha...”
I raked a hand through my hair, muttering curses about Woosung’s rabid fans in my head, but the guy kept glancing at me and chuckling.
I started to think he’d actually lost it, though his weird behavior clearly had some purpose. With a long sigh, I reluctantly asked,
“So what’s the reason for all this preening?”
“Watch your tone. Anyway, you saw the article about our label, right?”
He grinned while speaking.
I had seen it. The new sub-label’s representative was apparently someone who’d managed WH Entertainment’s U.S. distribution branch.
“I can’t tell you everything... but let’s just say Chae Jungwoo made quite a move. The one everyone used to treat like a brainless pretty boy bit them hard.”
...Wait, Chae Jungwoo was behind the reshuffling?
What the hell had he pulled?
Still, this wasn’t the time to dig into company affairs with the grand prize right around the corner. I sat down beside Woosung and asked calmly,
“You must have been pretty frustrated, huh.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
He had a point. The Dawn had been under WH for less than two years but was already heavily restricted.
“But it’s fine now. Everything pent-up’s been cleared out. From now on, I can do whatever I want—solo, unit, whatever.”
Watching the childlike excitement on his face, I grabbed a candy from the pile next to his cap and replied lazily,
“Wow, truly, congratulations. But didn’t we already talk about this? Why bring it up again now?”
“This cold bastard. Of course I’m bringing it up—it’s the award ceremony tomorrow.”
What did that have to do with anything?
I gave him a sleepy stare. Woosung cleared his throat.
“...You know, I’ve dealt with you so much that now I can tell just from your eyes.”
“What?”
“You’re thinking about something else right now, aren’t you?”
Woosung leaned sideways, resting an arm over the sofa back.
“I don’t know what you’ve got going on, and I’m not planning to ask. But get your head straight.”
“......”
Only two ceremonies remained: the Korean Music Awards tomorrow and the Seoul Popular Music Awards in February.
So far, only Black Call had ever taken the grand prize at the Seoul Popular Music Awards, meaning The Dawn’s only shot was the Korean Music Awards.
“...Yeah, yeah, you mean I have to win the grand prize. Even if you didn’t say it, I was already planning to.”
“What the hell are you saying.”
Woosung let out an exasperated sigh.
“Right now, you think the grand prize is everything, right? It’s not. What comes after matters more. This is your chance to prove your worth before re-contracting. If you expand from that win, you’ll be in a stronger position for the future.”
He drained the lukewarm latte and tossed the empty cup into the trash.
“So...”
He blinked a few times, then locked eyes with me.
“Don’t even think about running away after stepping into this world.”
For me, this was the finish line. For him, it was still the starting point.
“...Got it. I want to keep doing this too.”
Meeting Woosung’s sparkling gaze for a moment, I slowly lifted his cap.
“...But, you know—if Black Call wins the grand prize again this year, forget the label. You’d better prepare to disband and head to the military.”
“Haha, that’s more like the Seo Hoyun I know....”
Woosung burst into laughter—then grimaced.
“...Hold on. I was gonna laugh it off, but that felt really ominous.”
“Did it sound like a joke?”
“......Fuck...”
He swore, snatched his cap from my hand, and stood up. Grumbling under his breath, Woosung gave me a quick once-over and kicked my leg lightly.
“...Anyway, see you tomorrow.”
I waved a lazy hand instead of answering, and he left the studio. I sighed and lay back on the sofa.
“...Weird guy.”
Woosung really had good instincts in the strangest ways.
I hadn’t shown any hint, yet somehow he knew.
In truth, my mind was already elsewhere.
“When I win the grand prize, I’m driving straight home.”
That day, I had forcibly canceled our overseas trip and dragged Seo Hojin to the beach. He had stared blankly at the waves, yawning, before turning to me, brow furrowed.
“So you’ll wait at home, all right? We’ll go back together.”
The plan was simple—return to the original world right after winning.
Hojin pulled his scarf tighter and muttered,
“...You really are something else. Never thought you’d actually pull it off.”
“Of course.”
I had already made up my mind.
‘Return to the original world and confirm Seo Hojin’s safety.’
If Hojin had found a way to save me, then surely I could find a way to save him too.
‘There must’ve been a condition.’
If I could figure that out, I was certain I could break through it with all I’d learned so far.
But if it failed...
‘...I’d better be ready for that too.’
As a last resort, I could use that same method—the one that had traded life for life.
After rubbing my face, I sank deeper into the sofa. My eyes wandered over the studio, still full of The Dawn’s traces, and landed on an album that had fallen under the table.
I picked it up absent-mindedly, noticing the warning scribbled on the cover.
[The Dawn Album – Write your name when leaving comments >< ~!]
“Oh, great...”
Shaking my head, I opened it. Inside were Polaroids Kang Ichae had worked hard on.
He’d been busy last night, saying he was preparing gifts for fans—so this was what he’d been making.
The first page held a photo of me from our first year-end event as a complete five-member team.
[Looks mean – Sunghyun]
[Actually mean – Dajun/Ichae]
[Hehehe that’s his charm!! – Jiwon]
Clicking my tongue, I turned the page.
There was a photo of Jung Dajun jumping in a circle shape by the sea during Ocean Train.
[Wow, Dajun looks just like an elephant here – Ichae]
[This is for the Noeul fan album, right? – Sunghyun]
[Sorry, I’m emotionally fragile these days, that hurt me – Jung Dajun]
Next, photos from Will You Go to Prom with Me? showed Dajun holding drumsticks like chopsticks and smiling, and Jiwon with his hands on a piano.
[At the time I never imagined
I’d really play drums someday... – Dajun]
[Need to practice more haha – Jiwon]
[Kyaa – Ichae]
[Sorry I couldn’t protect you.... – Sunghyun]
Then came a photo from Life Experience Field, showing Sunghyun squatting on a boat in pink rubber gloves, expertly cleaning fish. I couldn’t help but laugh.
[Sunghyun hyung should publish Housekeeping White Paper – Dajun]
[First I’m writing a leader’s autobiography – Sunghyun]
Another page.
During Level S2 preparations, when everyone looked half-dead, Jiwon was the only one waving playfully.
[Jiwon hyung Quadra Kill certified lol – Ichae]
[^◡^!!! – Jiwon]
Was this really meant for fans to see?
‘Their language keeps getting more unhinged.’
By the end, names were dropped altogether, replaced by chaotic jokes.
‘Yeah, this probably shouldn’t go public....’
The next photo was from the Song Camp finale—members arm in arm backstage.
[T_T]
[Ichae, good job]
[Kang Ichae, you did great]
[That guy was cool]
Smiling faintly, I picked up a pen and added one line.
[Well done.]
Then came the final page.
It was my photo. Taken about a week ago, at the year-end event. My face looked softer than when I’d first joined The Dawn. Among the comments, one stood out.
[Live happily for a long, long time!]
Even the handwriting told me who wrote it.
I closed the album neatly and lay back again.
[Obscure Idol Tycoon Clear Conditions!
Between December and February, win the grand prize in one of the top three music award ceremonies. (0/1)
Complete all main scenarios. (1/1)]
A trophy floated quietly in my peripheral vision. I closed my eyes.
I could still hear the sound of waves.
“...Hey.”
Under the dark night sky, Seo Hojin had been idly kicking at the sand when he spoke hesitantly.
“I’m curious about something.”
Shaa—
The sea roared, white foam rising and crashing.
I couldn’t see his expression through the dark.
“Aren’t you scared, hyung?”
‘Scared?’
I exhaled softly, stood, and returned to the lodging. Unable to sleep, I spent the whole night awake, got my makeup done, changed into the outfit, and headed to the award venue.
Even through tinted windows, the flashing cameras were blinding.
Ignoring the journalists’ shouts, I unclenched the hand propping up my chin.
‘Hojin.’
I’m going to keep my promise to our parents.
‘When you’re cornered, you go all-in, kid.’
As the van door opened, I composed my face and took a step forward.
And so, the curtain rose on the Korean Music Awards.
