‘Wh... what is this?’
Startled that someone might see him like this, Jung Dajun hurriedly pushed Seo Hoyun inside. Cold air slipped through the gap in the veranda window, but the house was faintly filled with the smell of cigarettes.
‘Is this really Hoyun-hyung?’
By all accounts, idols—
Do not smoke.
Do not date.
And maintain absolute self-control.
Those were the very standards Seo Hoyun himself had once set, claiming they were essential to becoming a successful celebrity.
“......Hyung.”
But Seo Hoyun looked like a wreck.
Jung Dajun had planned to scold him the moment they met, yet seeing him there in the narrow entryway, face weary and lifeless, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Mud and rainwater dripped from Dajun’s shoes onto the floor as he asked in a small, trembling voice,
“Hyung... you’re not quitting being an idol, right?”
At that, Seo Hoyun’s eyes finally lifted.
“...It’s just, people are saying weird things. I don’t believe them, of course, but... I overheard you on the phone with Ichae-hyung. I know you wouldn’t really do that, but—anyway, could you look at this first?”
Faced with that emotionless expression, Dajun blurted out his words in a jumble, his voice desperate and uneven.
“Hyung, do you remember when we filmed that rural content years ago and wrote letters to open five years later?”
“Jung Dajun.”
“I know this is sudden for you, and honestly, I don’t even know why I brought it, but—how about we read them together? Everyone’s letters are inside—”
“Dajun.”
Calling his name a second time, Seo Hoyun rubbed his chin with one hand, then reached out and stretched Dajun’s cheek.
“How do you manage to look like this just from walking around?”
The sarcastic tone—asking if he even knew umbrellas had been invented—was exactly the same as always.
Dajun’s lips quivered.
He’d gone through a lot to dig it up. He had planned to mention it lightly, but couldn’t get the words out. While he hesitated, Seo Hoyun took the box, disappeared briefly, then came back with a towel, tossing it at him before dropping onto the sofa.
“Thanks. I’ll take a look. But what was that nonsense you just said?”
“W-what?”
“Quitting. I only said I was taking a break.”
Seo Hoyun added that he’d already informed the company. His face looked faintly exhausted. Dajun peeled off his raincoat, wiped himself with the towel, and edged closer.
“Taking a break? Where are you going?”
“Well... somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can heal.”
“...Can I come with you?”
Seo Hoyun didn’t answer—just gave a faint, crooked smile.
Dajun knew what that meant. A clear refusal.
“I’m going to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“Seo Hojin.”
“...Seo Hojin......?”
Dajun reflexively echoed the name before snapping to attention.
“Ah, r-right... your younger brother. Yeah.”
“.......”
Now that he thought about it, Kang Ichae had mentioned his younger brother during that phone call too.
Why hadn’t he realized sooner?
As Dajun closed his mouth, watching nervously, Seo Hoyun only stared quietly back at him.
“Sigh......”
Fiddling with his cigarette pack, Seo Hoyun exhaled softly, then waved his hand dismissively toward the door. As Dajun hesitated, Seo Hoyun followed him to the entrance and handed him an umbrella.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Got it?
That unusually gentle tone made Dajun hesitate, then nod.
He had practically been chased out, but Seo Hoyun had never lied before. Dajun believed that promise completely.
And the next day, wanting to check whether he had read the time-capsule letters, he went to Seo Hoyun’s house again—but the door was firmly shut.
He crouched by the doorstep, waiting, when his phone rang.
“Oh, Ichae-hyung...”
[Where are you.]
“I’m at Hoyun-hyung’s place.”
[At his place?]
The voice on the other end sounded unusually heavy.
“Yeah, but he’s not home. Yesterday he said he was going to meet Hojin-hyung...”
[...He said he was going to meet Hojin-hyung?]
Kang Ichae repeated it blankly, and Dajun suddenly realized—
[...He really said that?]
—that something had happened to Seo Hoyun.
***
Bzzz—.
Bzzz—.
WH Entertainment underground parking lot.
Sitting in a sleek sports car, a man flicked his nails against the wheel, glancing at the phone that wouldn’t stop buzzing.
‘...Damn, what’s going on now.’
The callers were Min Jiheon and The Dawn members.
They said they couldn’t reach Seo Hoyun, and if he contacted or appeared, to stop him no matter what.
‘......What the hell is this about.’
Baffled, he had come to the company and tried calling Seo Hoyun himself, but no answer. At first he’d thought it was nothing serious, maybe even a prank, but a creeping unease began to grow.
Just then, he spotted someone walking quickly across the parking area—a staff member from the planning team who had worked with The Dawn since before they joined WH.
He hurried to catch her and asked if she’d seen Seo Hoyun.
“Mr. Seo? I just saw him ten minutes ago.”
“What?”
“He came to pick up The Dawn’s old activity files. Said he wanted to look back on their memories after winning the Grand Prize.”
What was he planning to do with those?
Knowing Seo Hoyun’s personality, Joo Woosung couldn’t believe he’d really want them for some sentimental nostalgia trip.
“Mr. Jung Dajun was asking for similar things earlier... Anyway, don’t worry too much, Mr. Joo. Mr. Seo’s complexion actually looked better these past few days.”
Still uneasy, Joo Woosung decided to wait quietly in the basement lot so they wouldn’t miss each other.
‘Maybe everyone’s overreacting.’
After all, he’d come to the company.
Joo Woosung was aware of the gossip—that Seo Hoyun had acted strangely at the Korean Music Awards.
‘People just need to clear their heads sometimes.’
He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he remembered how, the night before the ceremony, Seo Hoyun had said he’d always wanted to be an idol. Joo Woosung had believed those words completely.
Tapping his arm with his fingers, he thought he’d take him out for a meal when they met.
Just then, the elevator doors opened—and Seo Hoyun stepped out, a large backpack slung over his shoulder.
Woosung’s eyebrows rose. He jumped out of the car and followed, watching him climb into the driver’s seat of a white SUV. Without hesitation, Woosung opened the passenger door and got in.
“Hey, Seo Hoyun, why the hell aren’t you answering—”
But he never finished. A fit of coughing overtook him.
A sharp, smoky scent hit his nose. He turned his head and saw a cigarette between Seo Hoyun’s lips.
“What the—!!”
He snatched it away in shock.
Seo Hoyun blinked at him, unfazed, and calmly lit another one.
“So it’s you this time?”
He took a drag, exhaled a soft plume of smoke like a sigh, and started the engine.
“Our dear Woosung. What brings you to the company?”
Nothing about this was fine.
“...What’s wrong with you?”
“I asked what business you have here.”
“What’s wrong, I said.”
“...Would you look at that.”
Seems everyone these days just ignores my questions...
Muttering with a crooked grin, Seo Hoyun looked eerily detached. Woosung’s gut clenched—he’d seen people like this before.
“...I get that you want to rebel a little, but not here in the company parking lot. Someone could take a picture.”
“I’ll move the car soon, don’t worry.”
“Where are you going? The dorm?”
“No.”
Seo Hoyun stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and answered plainly.
“Travel.”
Woosung was speechless.
He studied him carefully—the hollow cheeks, the dark circles, the red-rimmed eyes—and realized he’d made a terrible mistake.
“...Seo Hoyun, wait... I actually have a favor to ask.”
“...What.”
He had to get him out of the driver’s seat somehow.
“I, uh... haven’t eaten yet. Let’s grab a meal, yeah?”
Seo Hoyun tapped the steering wheel and beckoned lazily with his fingers.
“Shall we?”
Woosung had expected him to refuse such a flimsy excuse—but to his shock, Seo Hoyun agreed without hesitation.
As Woosung exhaled a shaky breath of relief, Seo Hoyun suddenly bowed his head. That’s when Woosung noticed his hands trembling slightly on the wheel.
“Are... are you okay?”
“Ah, it’s just... suddenly, I feel a bit...”
Seeing his ragged breathing, Woosung panicked. He knew all too well the trauma Seo Hoyun carried.
“Want me to drive?”
He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.
Click.
“......!”
As he circled around to the driver’s side, the door locks clicked shut.
And then it hit him—Seo Hoyun wasn’t just any idol. He was an actor ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) too, one with real skill, even award-winning experience.
“...Hey, the door’s—locked......”
Whirr—.
The window lowered a crack. Behind the glass, Seo Hoyun smiled faintly, eyes serene, as if nothing had happened.
“Woosung, that ‘favor’ you mentioned—was it really just about grabbing food?”
“...Open the door.”
“Will you make me?”
You son of a—
Woosung slammed a fist against the window, yanked the handle.
“Open this damn door right now!”
“You’re great at everything, Woosung... except timing.”
“You crazy bastard!!”
Even as he cursed, Seo Hoyun only lifted the corners of his mouth and lazily waved a hand.
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Open it, you psycho!”
“Congratulations again, labelmate. You’ll do well.”
“Hey, fuck! Seo Hoyun!!”
“At first I thought you were hopeless... but you really are the most celebrity-like idol I’ve met.”
Open this damn door, you insane son of a bitch!
“Stay healthy—”
Just as Woosung raised his foot to kick the door—
“See you later.”
The engine roared, and the car shot past him.
“Hey!! Seo Hoyun, you fucking bastard!”
Leaping aside, Woosung ran a trembling hand over his face, then grabbed his phone, snapping a photo of the license plate and jotting down the address he’d glimpsed on the GPS screen.
“That son of a bitch... I actually believed him... damn it, damn it!”
Cursing the bastard who’d been an unchanging pain in the ass since the day they met.
.
.
.
The day was bright and clear.
An old track, “Dive,” played on the radio. An unexpected choice, but considering The Dawn’s current popularity, not surprising. Humming quietly, Seo Hoyun glanced at the blue sky outside the window.
【The words I spoke without thinking cling like summer heat,
like a lotus whose breath has died.】
Ah, I should’ve stopped by the company a little earlier.
【Let us dive till the end,
till we rise to breathe on the ocean’s surface,
we can’t stay trapped forever.】
He hadn’t planned to show Woosung that pathetic sight.
【Let us dive till the end,
till we rise to breathe on the ocean’s surface.】
But how could he have known he’d run into him there?
As that uneasy feeling crept in, the navigation voice chimed—he had arrived at his destination.
“Phew...”
He stepped out of the SUV and looked ahead. A two-story house, weathered by time. After confirming no one had followed him, he grabbed the backpack from the back seat.
Entering the passcode at the front door, he stepped into a still, quiet space.
With the curtains tightly drawn to block the sunlight, he unpacked his laptop and hard drive, placing them on the coffee table before the sofa.
He brushed the hair from his eyes, pulled out a cigarette, and took a deep breath.
“Alright.”
Let’s begin.
