“Oh, Seo Hoyun, you’re here?”
The overseas location for the film Midnight Protocol was a set designed to look like a New York subway station.
The actual filming would begin tomorrow, but since they said to come take a look at the set first, I followed along—and the scale was impressive.
“How is it, awesome set, right?”
The scene was one where the NIS agent ‘Baek Sunwoo’ chases a woman carrying classified documents through a subway station, but then ends up being pursued himself by agents from another organization.
In danger of being killed, he answers a call from an unknown number—
a call from ‘Han’, the character I play.
“—Yes, it’s impressive.”
They had recreated an entire subway station inside the studio.
The scene involved Baek Sunwoo, following Han’s directions, weaving through a dense crowd in a state of tension. The realism of the set would definitely help the immersion.
As I looked around at the latest cameras and film equipment, I couldn’t help but think how different they were from the ones used in variety shows.
The director, absorbed in the viewfinder, finally looked up, startled, and shouted.
“Whoa!! As expected of Seo Hoyun. You came in stealth mode because you’re playing a spy who shouldn’t be detected, right?!!”
“......”
This was just my normal outfit, though.
I had airport clothes for traveling, but I changed right after boarding the plane.
Still, they completely misunderstood—both the director and the art director got excited, shouting, “It’s so black! Like a black hole!”
“Ah~ appreciate the effort, but this won’t do, Mr. Seo.”
“Sorry? Why not?”
“Your face stands out too much.”
I was going to be covered in ashes and wearing a mask by tomorrow anyway, so how noticeable could I be?
But the director clicked his tongue, looking me up and down as if seriously concerned.
“At this rate, you’ll stand out even among the extras. But strangely, I kind of like it. You’ve got that mysterious killer vibe right now.”
“Really?”
I watched the directors discuss with serious faces, then took off my cap and smiled faintly.
“You like it?”
“......”
“......”
A brief silence followed before one of them muttered quietly, taking a step back.
“...Now I get why other directors told us to be careful around you. You take off your hat and smile once, and even I get a little flustered.”
“This is serious. Director, should we do some special effects makeup to make him look like a normal guy? You know, disguise him as a CIA agent or something—American tech’s amazing, right?”
“Sorry, we don’t have the budget for that.”
“...We spent it all building the subway set...,” the director mumbled gloomily.
Leaving him to wallow, I fiddled with the phone in my pocket.
Since they told me to rest for now that I’d arrived in the States, I just nodded and left the set.
The California sunlight made me squint as I walked out, and not really in the mood to sightsee, I decided to grab lunch at the nearest restaurant inside a mall.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the messages—but still, nothing from Kang Ichae.
“......Phew.”
Honestly, I hadn’t thought much of it when Kang Ichae threw a fit.
For months, he’d been the kind to grin mischievously, or pop into the studio strumming a guitar while singing, “Wow, ho-ho-ho~.”
So I figured this little misunderstanding would blow over soon. I even texted him, but the “1” beside the message never disappeared.
‘Yeah, he could’ve blocked me, sure.’
I figured if I left him alone for a few days, he’d cool off and come back. But—
It happened right after I returned from a local shoot.
When I tried to open the door to Kang Ichae’s studio—
“...What the?”
The password had been changed.
At first, I thought I entered it wrong and was about to try a mix of members’ birthdays when, at the end of the hallway, the elevator opened and out came Kang Ichae with Kim Sunghyun.
Without even a “Hohoho, you’re back,” he just glanced my way, headphones on, and walked toward me.
Still, as the older one, I figured I should be the first to speak.
“Hey, Kang Ichae—”
But he ignored me completely, brushed past, and went straight into the studio.
“......”
...This felt weirdly familiar.
I was reminded of the time right after I’d woken up in the hospital—when he treated me like a ghost, avoiding me like I was contagious.
Kim Sunghyun, who came out of the elevator a bit later, tilted his head.
“What, did you two fight again?”
“Ha.......”
“...Huh? Seriously?”
Amused, Sunghyun chuckled. “Been a while since your last fight, huh?”
He tried to enter the studio too, but froze mid-motion after punching in the password.
“...Huh, I—I don’t know it either??”
“......”
And just like that, without exchanging a single word with Kang Ichae, the day came for me to leave for America.
Whenever I tried to talk to him, he’d plug in his earphones, stare straight ahead, and then, the moment he stepped out of the van, he’d smile brightly at fans as if nothing was wrong.
So right before boarding the plane, I cornered him in a private airport lounge.
“Hey, Kang Ichae. Are you really gonna ignore me like this?”
“......”
“Talk to me.”
Kang Ichae stared at me quietly for a moment, then lifted his phone and tapped the screen.
A mechanical voice played out.
【—I’m sorry. I didn’t understand that.】
“......”
【Do you have something to say?】
...This bastard...
He was seriously using full-on MZ-level insanity, and for a while, I could only stare at him in disbelief before barely reining in my temper.
‘Fine.’
At least he’s talking to me, technically.
“I know you’re mad at me, but can we just sit down and talk this out—”
But before I could finish, his phone spoke again, in the same bright, synthetic female voice.
【You’re not mature enough to understand that yet.】
“......”
And then he slipped away.
When I came to my senses, I was standing there alone, wondering whether or not to strangle the brat then and there.
Even after we arrived in LA, nothing changed.
I thought he was listening when he nodded under his hood, but the moment he took it off, he put in his earbuds again and bounced his head to the beat, walking ahead on his own.
That was how the past week had been.
I scratched my head in the hallway.
“Damn it, I’m pissed too, you know.”
I knew perfectly well he was sulking, but hell, I was pretty upset myself.
I considered sending a long text, but he’d blocked me anyway—no way he’d read it.
‘If this keeps up, there’ll be another fight rumor.’
It had happened before.
Worried that Noeul would start feeling uneasy again, I opened the internet for the first time in a while.
[Title: Are those two fighting again?
Anyway, recommend me something for lunch.
└ Hmm... pasta.
└ Should I get gukbap?
└└ Hoyun’s here, huh.]
“......”
I stared at the screen for a moment, then closed the tab.
‘Why aren’t the Noeuls worried?’
Normally, this would’ve been the perfect time for breakup rumors.
Weren’t our fans the type to jump into battle the moment someone threw shade?
But there wasn’t a hint of concern—and that actually threw me off more.
I found out why soon enough.
When I opened the app to post on PopPop, a flood of notifications hit. Turns out, five minutes ago, Kang Ichae had uploaded a video.
[Old video
#ICHAE]
It was behind-the-scenes footage from years ago—
the busking session at the Berlin K-pop concert.
【Alright, everyone~ look over here~.】
The screen showed a slightly younger version of him. The members were tuning their instruments and joking with Kang Ichae.
He walked toward me—
I was crouched down with a bass slung over my shoulder, frowning.
Back then, I was still clumsy with the instrument.
【Hey, Kang Ichae. Are my hands in the right position?】
【Yeah.】
【Then why does it sound so off?】
【Eh, the first time’s always rough.】
When I scowled in frustration, Kang Ichae chuckled softly.
【Don’t worry, you’re doing great.】
“......”
Ding!
[So.. so touching..]
...Strangely enough, even though I hadn’t done any idol activities, the flickering symptoms didn’t appear this time.
“Ah—, damn.”
But right at that moment, my head throbbed painfully.
Annoyance surged up, and as I leaned against the wall, I caught voices coming from behind the bathroom door.
“—I’m telling you, there’s nothing on Seo Hoyun.”
It was unmistakably Korean.
And I was the topic of their call.
“Yeah, I couldn’t get anything.”
I pulled my cap low and slowly walked toward the source. Inside the bathroom, a man was washing his hands at the sink, his phone wedged between his shoulder and ear.
“No matter how much I follow him, I’m getting nothing. Ugh. You said last winter he faked that hospital admission for attention, right? You said Seo Hoyun’s a hundred percent mentally unstable. So why the hell is there nothing to work with?”
A paparazzo.
“—Yeah, no woman either. Smoking? Not a chance. The guy’s squeaky clean except for acting all prim and proper. I thought he’d at least go to some fancy restaurant, but nope... I’ve been stuck eating tacos nearby.”
So that’s why I’d been feeling someone’s gaze lately.
He’d followed me overseas, only to come up empty-handed.
‘Didn’t you tail Joo Woosung the same way before?’
—Wait.
Actually, wasn’t this a good sign?
If a paparazzo went so far as to fly abroad just to snap photos of me—didn’t that mean I’d really made it to Joo Woosung-tier superstardom?
If anything, it meant stable fame for my future retirement years. I was just starting to feel entertained when his voice rose even higher inside.
“Ugh, I don’t know, man. The shoot’s got insane security. I couldn’t get anything. They don’t even let us near the staff. How the hell am I supposed to get a scoop?”
Poor guy, working so hard abroad. Maybe I should at least say hello if we ran into each other at the entrance—
And then he said it.
“What, Kang Ichae?”
I froze.
“Don’t even get me started. That bastard’s always in the studio. Doesn’t see women, doesn’t drink. I thought I’d at least catch him smoking or something.”
Ding!
[What exactly do they want from Kang Ichae?]
Exactly.
Before you ever catch Kang Ichae drinking or smoking, you’ll see him smiling brightly while picking a four-leaf clover by the roadside.
‘Is it because of his face?’
Sure, he looks a little fierce and has that rebellious edge sometimes, but there aren’t many guys as kind and hardworking as him.
Leaning against the wall, I listened to the stranger’s worthless gossip with mild boredom—
“...Oh, don’t worry, it’ll be worth the airfare. So what if it’s clean? I can always take some ambiguous photos and make it look like something.”
He tore off a few sheets of paper towel and added casually,
“If that doesn’t work, we can just stage a big scene.”
“......”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s real or fake, right? What counts is the clicks.”
And with a shrug,
“In thirty minutes, I’ll start tailing again. Everyone slips up eventually, right? Once he steps out, I’ll be on him immediately.”
...Hmph.
Listening to that crap, I slowly glanced around.
No CCTV. No one nearby watching.
So, I kicked the door shut—hard.
“...Huh?”
Then quietly picked up the nearby mop and hooked it over the door handle to hold it in place.
“...What the hell, why won’t this open?”
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
“Hey! Nobody there?!”
RATTLE, RATTLE, RATTLE!!!
“Hey! Shit! I don’t know anyone here!”
When I turned the lights off, a shriek echoed out.
“Hey! Who’s there, you bastard!”
For the finale, I gently placed a yellow “Out of Service” sign in front of the door.
Then I sat down in front of it, thoroughly enjoying the racket from inside.
“P-please! Somebody help! Help!”
As the tone of his voice shifted from irritation to genuine fear, I chuckled softly.
“Do... mi, mi. F sharp, maybe?”
[...]
Why does Kang Ichae say he’s in a slump?
To me, that sound was practically a choir of angels.
Once the silence finally returned, I lost interest, stood up, and started walking back toward the set.
When I smiled at the staff I passed, they exclaimed, “What a beautiful smile!” “Angel!” in admiration.
Ding!
[Someone.. someone’s gonna go check, right?]
[You are going to let him out, right?]
[Y-you are going to let him out, right?!!!]
“He’s an adult with a phone, what’s there to worry about?”
Besides, according to the sign, cleaning time was in an hour.
Bought some time for Kang Ichae, got to enjoy a nice scream bonus—two birds with one stone.
I looked up at the sky.
“...You know.”
Under the dazzling California sunlight, I whispered quietly.
“...I’ve been under a lot of stress. Too many things going on.”
[Thanks to you, Seo Hoyun, I’ve been under a lot of stress too....]
“The world never goes the way I want....”
[No one’s life ever goes exactly the way they want it to....]
“But now I get why everyone raves about California.”
I remembered how a few years ago, Joo Woosung and Lim ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Hyunsu would always tease me, shouting “Cali~ Cali~” for no reason.
Now I finally understood—and smiled brightly.
“This is a gift from heaven.”
To help me relieve my stress a little.
[Seo Hoyun... how is this a gift from heaven, seriously, please....]
[You know you have to be careful...!!]
Well, the system wasn’t wrong.
As a beloved idol, deliberately screwing someone over with such care wasn’t exactly easy work.
[Besides, you don’t even have the Item Shop anymore!]
But I just tapped my forehead with a grin.
“An angel still has knowledge left, you know.”
[...]
Even back in my PD days, I never let a director get away without raising hell at least once.
Smiling faintly, I started to walk again—
when the system window popped up in front of me like a last desperate plea.
[H-Hoyun Angel... maybe you should think this over again? You’ve really become such a gentle angel lately...!]
“Oh, I’ve softened, alright.”
I narrowed my eyes and murmured sweetly,
“Only for Noeul.”
Now then.
Time to clip some wings.
