What kind of person is Seo Hoyun?
〈Seo Hoyun’s relative’s shocking revelation: “After how he treated me, can you even call him human...?”〉
Reports claimed he’d sat there blank-faced before someone crying in front of him—while other rumors described him as a celebrity too kind to ignore struggling staff, staying up all night to help them.
There were even murmurs that a certain group’s leader, Mr. Kang, had testified that he “wasn’t actually a bad guy.” But those who wished for Seo Hoyun’s downfall weren’t so quick to believe such words.
〈Seo Hoyun dismisses relative’s nonsense: “Who even is that?”〉
But who was Seo Hoyun?
He was not the kind of man to be pushed around easily.
〈Min Jiheon, Seo Hoyun, Yoo Jia confirmed for drama Bring Me the Camera 2!〉
〈Can Bring Me the Camera 2 afford both K-pop and Hallyu stars’ appearance fees?〉
By now, he was far too much of a top-tier star to be shaken by a few malicious rumors.
〈Jung Dajun obtains “Korean Cuisine License” ahead of his glamorous solo debut!〉
〈The hidden “donation angel” of the children’s hospital, The Dawn’s Sunghyun, donates full earnings from street dance variety show〉
〈Chart domination confirmed! OST King Sung Jiwon shocks with ambition: “Next time, I want to try rapping...”〉
〈Another collaboration between Kang Ichae and NerdyFreak! “Guess I’ll be tormented by a perfectionist again!” grumbles guitarist〉
Not only Seo Hoyun—every member of The Dawn continued their busy schedules.
〈The Dawn’s Daepaseong label merges with Black Call’s label—they’re under one roof now〉
〈PD Kim Heeyoung teams up with Lim Hyunsu for Song Camp sequel variety—will it live up to past glory?〉
〈Interview with Hi-Five leader Kang Yeonhoo of WH Entertainment: “I still just want to do well,” he says with a bright smile〉
〈The idols most respected by active idols: unquestionably Joo Woosung and Kang Ichae〉
Of course, things didn’t always go smoothly.
Maybe they’d repeat foolish mistakes again.
〈Black Call surpasses The Dawn to reach #1 on Billboard—raising K-POP’s global status〉
〈Chae Jungwoo: “Honestly, I’d like to expand the label?”〉
〈Joo Woosung’s solo “mega hit”—rumors of sightings with Seo Hoyun amid label’s sky-high streak〉
〈“We’ll be back soon!”—Stars entering the military〉
But as Kang Ichae once wrote in his own lyrics—when the faint light of dawn finally breaks, they will talk together until sunrise.
〈Industry insider says, “Composer Kang Ichae has no more hit songs left.”〉
〈Seo Hoyun’s statement, “I want to work like an ox for the rest of my life.” One day later, Kang Ichae posts, “I found a song.” Rumors of Seo Hoyun unit appearance?〉
〈The Dawn’s full-group concert—sold out in one second〉
In those moments, time itself would seem to move slowly.
And if fear still lingered—just ask them to hold your hand.
〈The Dawn and labelmates Black Call to clash head-on—March of Storms as other idols tremble and avoid〉
〈The Dawn breaks Black Call’s Billboard record with consecutive #1s—aiming for Grammy recognition〉
Then, at the place we know best, they’ll shout until we get sick of hearing it.
〈Curtain rises again—The Dawn’s dazzling comeback〉
They’ll say: Dawn will continue.
***
A basement parking lot in a studio near Seoul, often used by WH Entertainment artists.
At the door leading inside, a man was arguing with the guard.
It was Jung Dajun.
He’d heard a member had a shoot here today, so he’d rushed over with flowers—but strict security meant no entry without a visitor’s pass.
“I—it’s me! Me! You don’t know who I am?!”
“Unless you’re a spy, I’m sure I do.”
“Then guess! Which idol group am I from?!”
“You’re Jung Dajun of The Dawn.”
“Cor-rect! And my hyung inside is in the same group! Come on, please let me in!!”
“Sorry, can’t do that.”
Why not!
He just said he knew! Was he suspecting him? Fine then, he’d prove it—he’d open Billboard right now, his face was right there on the #1 spot!
He howled like a wounded beast, but passersby only glanced his way. The guard didn’t budge.
“Wow... Jung Dajun begging the guard.”
“His hair’s super short.”
“He’s enlisting soon.”
Argh!
Finally, Dajun pulled down his cap and retreated to a corner of the parking lot. Stroking his hair gloomily, he opened his phone and logged into the fan platform.
[Sunghyun: Photo from around 3 years ago in Czech Republic
It snowed a lot back then... hehe]
Kim Sunghyun, about to enlist, seemed to be on a nostalgia trip, posting an old group photo that had already drawn a flood of comments.
‘Wow, they all look so young here...’
Realizing the ages in the photo were about the same as his now, Dajun found it oddly fascinating.
Maybe it was because enlistment loomed near, or maybe because he missed those days—he stared quietly at his hyungs in the picture.
They looked happy.
Leaning back against the wall, he squatted down, hugging the bouquet close, when a shadow suddenly fell over him.
“What’s our maknae doing here?”
Looking up, he saw Sung Jiwon grinning, two visitor passes dangling in his hand. After half an hour of struggle, Dajun nearly teared up in relief.
“Hyuuuuung~!!”
Trying to hide his ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) embarrassment, he lunged for a hug—but this time, Jiwon didn’t dodge. He actually hugged him back. Startled, Dajun froze, then felt a hand ruffle his short, fuzzy hair.
“Cute haircut.”
“...You actually let me hug you for once. You haven’t shaved yet, hyung?”
“Mm, I’ll do it on the last day. But hey, Dajun, no regrets enlisting with us together, right?”
“I’m gonna regret it sooo bad... In the prime of my youth at twenty-six... career at its peak...”
Without answering, Jiwon poked his cheek repeatedly.
“—What if we take it back and do one more round of promotions? I bet we could break our record for consecutive #1s... And if we go to the American awards, we might snag triple crowns again...”
“Hm. Hard to promote with that haircut.”
“Hyung!!!”
“And if we did, Ichae would just accept the trophies for us anyway, so what’s the point.”
Recently, Kang Ichae had flown to the U.S. to work with other artists, planning a unit project with Seo Hoyun. He was supposed to be back yesterday, but still hadn’t shown.
Dajun pouted, and Jiwon chuckled.
“Just be honest, Dajun. It’s not about the awards. You just want to be together again as a full group, right?”
“......”
Dragging his true feelings into the open like that... Dajun sighed inwardly.
He’d grown into a functioning adult in society, yet the moment he was with The Dawn, he still turned into the youngest kid.
Following Jiwon into the elevator, they went up the long hallway, turned the corner right, and stopped before the last waiting room. Dajun knocked first. A familiar face greeted him at the door.
“Sunghyun-hyung!”
“The maknae’s here...”
Kim Sunghyun looked sharper than before—his jawline more defined, maybe from exhaustion. His variety show had just hit record ratings, leading to another special episode.
Grinning, Dajun stepped in, and Sunghyun smiled back, dimples deep, gesturing them inside.
“Good timing. I couldn’t handle him alone... By the way, where’d you get that haircut?”
“...Why?”
“Because you shouldn’t go there again.”
Just wait a week, hyung... Once you’re shaved, you’ll look the same anyway...
Carving his resentment deep into his heart, Dajun followed them inside.
The room overflowed with flowers and gifts from brands at home and abroad. The scent of freesia was so strong it felt like a flower shop. And then—a familiar voice.
“You’re here?”
Dajun’s face lit up.
That cool tone and commanding presence remained, yet the air around him had softened over the years.
Today, the bouquet Dajun brought was meant for him.
“Hoyun-hyung!”
Lifting his eyes from his phone, Seo Hoyun looked at Dajun proudly holding out the bouquet—and burst into bright laughter.
“Pfft—hahaha!”
“......”
“Wow... puhuh... God, you’re too handsome??”
Lately, Hoyun-hyung had been so cheerful. It was nice. Really nice.
He tried to act mature, but his grip on the bouquet tightened slightly.
“Hoyun-hyung... happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you... to my hyung I don’t love~ yeah...”
“Little chestnut, are you sulking?”
“Bam-Bam!! I prefer Bam-Bam!! Anyway... focus on your shoot.”
Every year on his birthday, Seo Hoyun would upload a video thanking Noeul for their wishes. At some point, it became tradition for the members to respond creatively on their own birthdays. Last year, Dajun had break-danced.
Still chuckling, Hoyun set his phone on the table. Dajun peeked—the screen showed messages from Joo Woosung and Min Jiheon. He was about to ask if they were coming when the door suddenly flew open.
“What’s the most beautiful type of money transfer in the world?!!”
Oh no, here we go again...
“It’s Ichae... Kang!”
“......”
“The baby’s here! Everyone shout ‘Kang-Kang’~!!!”
Silence.
But unbothered, Kang Ichae grabbed Jiwon’s hand, spun him in a circle, high-fived Sunghyun, slung an arm over his shoulder, and laughed hysterically.
Then he handed Hoyun a blue bouquet, lowering his dark navy sunglasses with a teasing smirk.
“Third year in a row I’m bringing you flowers, hyung.”
“Impressive, huh?”
“I’ll admit it. Next year I’ll buy something even bigger.”
Hoyun joked that at this rate, Ichae would be landscaping him a whole garden someday. Ichae just grinned, plopped onto the table’s edge, and swung his legs.
“Ahhh, being with all of you again—it’s so good. Hyungs, Dajun, listen. You don’t know how much I suffered in America! How many nights I cried into my pillow missing my family!!”
“Ichae, we video-called four days ago.”
“Right, and yesterday we had barbecue without you.”
“What?!! Why?!!!”
“Why do you think? Well, to be fair, Hojin said we should eat the most expensive stuff since you weren’t there.”
“That bastard—wait, even Sunghyun-hyung?!!”
The room erupted in laughter.
Soon, a staff member entered to say filming was about to start.
Gathering all his bouquets, Hoyun nodded that he’d head over, then turned to the members.
“Hey, you guys want to come?”
“Hoyun, you’ll finish fast anyway, right? Ichae said Hojin’s dropping by later—let’s pick him up and all eat dinner together.”
“Okay.”
As they talked, Dajun suddenly remembered something and stopped Hoyun just before he left.
“Ah! Hoyun-hyung!! My bouquet—it’s your birth flower! The yellow one in the middle—uh, marigold, I think? The meaning was happiness... something like that. I forgot. You can look it up later!”
“Yeah?”
“Yup! Isn’t it pretty?”
Hoyun’s gaze fell to the bouquet in his arms.
“It is. It’s beautiful.”
He hugged the yellow bouquet tightly. Maybe it was the pollen floating around, but his nose itched like he might sneeze. Looking straight at Dajun, Hoyun smiled with crinkled eyes.
“Does it suit me?”
He didn’t need to dig for deeper meaning.
After all, Seo Hoyun had always known the flower language of his birthday.
Hello, this is Moonjin.
How are you doing these days?
It’s been two years since serialization began in October 2021, and I can finally greet my readers directly again.
Because this was a side project, time and energy limits meant I couldn’t achieve everything I’d hoped—but I’m deeply grateful that this story received more love than I deserved, and that I was able to reach the end safely.
I’m not very good at letting things go, so it feels strange to say goodbye. But imagining these beloved friends continuing to bicker, laugh, and live happily somewhere out there... it feels enough.
Don’t you think Seo Hoyun would shamelessly thrive wherever he ends up? I hope he takes hold of his life fully in your world too.
Lastly, I want to give some personal thanks.
To my editor C, who endured all my chaos yet stayed steadfast till the end; to my family who always cheered me on; to my hilarious friends who kept me laughing; and to B, whom I love very much—thank you for your constant affection and support.
And to all my readers—there were many times when telling Seo Hoyun’s story was difficult, but your encouragement gave me courage. I wanted to show you something better, and thanks to you, I reached the finale with joy.
May everyone who read this novel walk down a path filled with green fields and yellow flowers.
May your road always be full of love.
Stay healthy and happy.
—With love,
Moonjin
P.S. There’s an epilogue.
See you again!
