“Anyway, good work, Seo Hoyun-ssi. Take a short break and come back! The next shoot starts in an hour and a half!”
“Yeah...”
The director patted my shoulder twice and sent me out of the camera’s view.
I took the towel with shaky hands and wiped my wet hair. The shoot had ended faster than expected, and the staff, smiling brightly as they cleaned up the set, let out a few sighs of relief.
“Huh?”
The staff members who were seriously reviewing the footage suddenly let out disappointed groans.
“Ugh, here—there’s a mistake near the bus stop.”
“Was that yesterday’s shot? We’ll have to fix it with CG.”
Well, it’s just a passing background anyway—
As I muttered that to myself and started walking closer to see what they were talking about, my head suddenly spun.
I leaned against a pillar, dizzy, and noticed that the staff were staring at me with wide eyes.
‘Tch.’
Worried rumors about my health were the last thing I needed, so I tilted my head casually and forced a faint smile. The staff quickly looked away, whispering to each other.
“He’s really handsome...”
“Wow, scared me for a second...”
Guess that worked.
I pulled down my cap and slipped away. Weaving past the messy equipment scattered everywhere, I kept walking—until a system window floated up before me.
Ding!
[You act soooo well, don’t you?]
I ignored it and kept walking, but another pop-up appeared.
[I really can’t tell how you’re still moving, Seo Hoyun-ssi. Are you a zombie or what?]
“......”
[I warned you, didn’t I? I told you it’d be brutally hard if you came back. That it wouldn’t make sense. Didn’t I try to stop you?]
I kept walking until there were no staff members around and finally muttered back.
“Then I’ll just die, huh?”
[...That’s not what I meant!!]
What a temper.
To be fair, the system wasn’t entirely wrong.
Since starting this new “game,” the penalties felt... very different.
When I came to my senses, I’d suddenly be standing in a new place, or hours would have passed without me realizing.
It was like living in a half-dream, never getting proper rest. Min Jiheon called it “soul-drifting.”
“You’re forcing your soul to stick to an empty body. Of course you’ll stagger without stable energy.”
“You’re a maniac.”
“When wasn’t I?”
As usual, Min Jiheon was right.
Even now—
“Stop nagging already...”
Even when I was speaking normally, if I blinked—
“...Enough.”
—suddenly a new place appeared.
The wind carried a faint salty scent.
I was sprawled out in a field of reeds beside the coastal road.
“Fuck...”
I almost met the grim reaper there.
“Goddamn it...”
Barely lifting my arm, I checked my watch.
About fifteen minutes.
I looked up at the bright sky, clouds floating lazily by.
“Did I do anything weird?”
[Always.]
“Guess not, then.”
I spat out the reed that had gotten into my mouth and closed my eyes. Swaaa, splaaash. The sound of waves filled my ears as I reconsidered my life, until my phone buzzed.
[Kang Ichae: Fufufufufu]
[Kang Ichae: Upload ready ><]
A flood of messages full of emoticons followed.
[Sung Jiwon: Nice job, hahaha]
[Kim Sunghyun: Good work.]
[Jung Dajun: Here comes Kang Ichae-nim~~~~]
Finally.
I sighed at the flood of messages and was about to put my phone down when it buzzed again.
[Jung Dajun: But, Hyung, weren’t you shooting today?]
[Jung Dajun: And your condition’s not great...]
[Jung Dajun: It’s lonely going alone...]
My eyebrow twitched.
[Jung Dajun: So~~~~ I made you the King of Coffee Trucks again!!!! Hahahahahaha]
[Kang Ichae: Wahahahahaha!!!]
[Sung Jiwon: Hahahahahaha]
[Kim Sunghyun: Couldn’t stop them... sorry.]
[Sung Jiwon: Sunghyun actually donated the most, haha.]
‘Oh, great.’
They even sent proof shots already.
The directors and staff were posing with finger-hearts in front of a banner reading, “Hoo-hoo—Here Comes the Coffee Truck King—Seo. Ho. Yun.”
Just when I was thinking they were being kind of cute—
“...Wait, how many trucks are those?”
[At least three, from what I see.]
I sobered up instantly, zooming in on the photo—when another message arrived from Dajun.
[Dajun: So keep fighting, Hyung!!!]
I was speechless.
I gave up trying to stop them and collapsed back into the reeds. Watching the clouds drift by overhead, I pressed the screen and made a call.
Brrr— It barely rang twice before the person picked up.
[Hello?]
My headache.
[...Huh? Hello?]
“...Seo Hojin, did you eat?”
Still lying down, I turned my head toward the swaying reeds.
[There were some side dishes left from when you stayed home.]
“That’s frozen stuff. You have to thaw it first. Open the lid and microwave it.”
[...You think I don’t know that?]
The annoyance in his tone made me chuckle. I finally stood up and began walking down the quiet road.
The salty sea breeze drifted by. As I brushed my messy hair back, I wondered how to start this talk.
[...Hmm.]
Hojin let out a low sigh.
[...When someone who never calls suddenly does, it’s usually because he wants to say something.]
Well, look at that.
I stopped, hands in pockets, as Hojin asked carefully,
[Did your mind slip again?]
“......”
[You’re wondering if your condition affects me too, right? That’s why you called.]
...Even if he had recovered all his memories, could he really have gotten this sharp?
I kicked at the gravel and stayed silent.
“...Hojin.”
[What.]
“Did you eat, you brat?”
[...]
He seemed too dumbfounded to speak.
[...Yeah, I ate. Opened the lid, microwaved it. Satisfied? Can we hang up now? I don’t even want to talk to you.]
“Really?”
[...No, I do want to talk!!!]
Then Hojin started ranting for real—“You’ve always been awful, picky, impossible”—his complaints escalating until I started feeling a little provoked myself.
After firing off like a machine gun, his voice cracked with a mix of frustration and resentment.
[I know why you called. I’m not sick. Why would I be, just because of whatever you did that day? I’m not connected to you anymore. You took all of it on yourself.]
“......”
[You did whatever you wanted.]
I stayed quiet, watching the waves. After a moment, Hojin hesitated.
[...Still, it’s not like I resent you or anything.]
Hearing his subdued voice, I lowered my gaze and smiled faintly.
Right—time to play the good older brother and let this tiny rebellion slide.
“Yeah, idiot.”
A gentle breeze passed by.
Far in the distance, the sea was turning crimson with the setting sun. I thought I’d take a photo and send it to him, so I walked around looking for a better view.
“When I’m back in Seoul, let’s eat real food, not frozen side dishes.”
[...Something delicious.]
“Yeah. Expensive, too.”
As I walked, the street we’d filmed on yesterday came into sight. Between the worn-down buildings stood an old, rusted bus stop.
‘Is that the one?’
The one they said they’d fix with CG?
I was about to walk past, uninterested, when something caught my eye and made me stop.
“......”
[Hyung? What is it?]
I rubbed my brow and chuckled.
“...Hey, I gotta go beg forgiveness.”
[Huh?]
I didn’t answer his question and hung up, then sat down heavily at the bus stop.
It wasn’t an electronic display—just an old poster someone had pasted there. I’d seen this kind of thing plenty in the past, but finding one even in a countryside town felt strange.
The edges of the poster were torn, but Post-its still clung to it. They all said things like “Miss you, man,” and “When are you coming back?”
I crouched down and read through them one by one, then carefully peeled one off.
[Love you]
I smiled faintly at the yellow Post-it.
Lifting my head, I saw the sun sinking into the surface of the sea. The sky glowed red. I pressed my cap down over my eyes.
“Me too.”
The waves crashed in the distance.
.
.
.
And two days later.
Without any notice, a new video appeared on Kang Ichae’s personal YouTube channel.
No The Dawn logo, no group name—just a single song upload.
When you clicked it, a flickering black screen appeared like old film, with the orange word “Define” burned into it.
【Nights, dreams, dawns are coming
This is the night when we are defined】
The pounding drums and repeating synth pads were unmistakably Kang Ichae’s composition—wildly unpredictable, yet oddly calm and heavy.
【I will give you everything, my soul, my love, my oh my my my】
Then a clear voice flowed in, shifting the atmosphere as if a cold breeze had swept through.
【When the stars fall and the morning comes,
A new dawn begins on the other side】
Anyone could tell whose voice it was.
And so, debates erupted over this four-minute video.
【Nights, dreams, dawns ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) are coming
This is the night I dreamed of
Songs only tell the truth
You just have to believe in me】
Why upload it on a personal channel? Even if it were a solo piece, why not post it officially? Was there discord with the agency? Or was it a desperate cry for attention?
Why?
The word “why” filled the comments like a waterfall—but the video kept playing.
【The lights sink beneath the water and flicker,
Snow piles up on the railing of the oldest bridge.
With reddened hands, you held your heart,
Crimson light pouring over the lake—
Everything that defines us.】
As the song built toward its climax, the music suddenly stopped.
【Ah— Ah— Ah】
A rough humming voice filled the silence, accompanied by the image of an old turntable.
【Ah— Ah— Ah】
The camera slowly panned away from the spinning vinyl.
【—I want to hold your hand and tell you,
Let’s share every moment,
Slowly, so slowly.】
The camera drifted across a table with five mugs neatly placed, sheet music marked with notes, and old sneakers by the door.
【Hold my hand, pull me close,
Match your steps with mine, smile,
Move to the rhythm of our faded memories.】
Among the clothes scattered from an all-nighter, a foot poked out.
【Even if we regret it deeply,
Even if we’re not perfect,
I’ll show you everything in front of you.
You might forget someday,
But I feel this is eternal—
If only I could preserve it as it is.】
White sunlight streamed through the curtains.
【Very slowly,
Hold my hand, pull me close,
Match our steps, draw me near.】
Beneath the swaying curtain, a bluish shadow stretched across the floor like a dancing silhouette.
【Let’s dance as if it’s forever,
To the song still playing
On the old, slowing radio.】
The shimmering curtain faded into red-lit waves—
【...I can see myself in your eyes.】
Click.
The vinyl stopped spinning, ending the four-minute video.
When viewers clicked “show more,” only one sentence appeared.
He couldn’t put it in the title, but in the end, the song born of dawn was a tribute.
[It’s a dedication.]
For those who had kept waiting all along.
