“...Good at... what?”
Did I mishear that?
I frowned sharply, wondering if he was mocking me, but to my surprise, Joo Woosung looked completely calm.
He rubbed his lips, set his phone down, and nodded.
“Yeah. Definitely. You dance better than the others.”
“......”
“I think so.”
A chill ran straight up my spine.
Instinctively, I dropped to one knee, grabbed Joo Woosung by the shoulders, and examined him from every angle. He squinted, jerked his chin back, and hit his head against the wall with a loud thud.
“Does it hurt?”
“Of course it hurts, you bastard!!”
“No, seriously, Joo Woosung. Did you go through something rough in LA??”
I stared intently into his face—wondering if he was suffering from indigestion or if his mind had finally snapped—but he sprang up like a cat and smacked my hand away.
“Hey, can’t you just accept a compliment without freaking out?”
“......”
...A compliment?
Did he really just compliment me?
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but Joo Woosung muttered, “Just take it at face value, please,” before standing up and casually opening the practice room door.
“Oh! Joo Woosung sunbaenim, hello!”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Ah~ you came all the way from LA just to check on Hoyun-hyung’s dancing!!”
“No, I didn’t?!”
“—Sunbaeeniiim!!!”
At Joo Woosung’s sudden appearance, Kim Sunghyun practically leapt two meters in the air and ran up, cheeks flushed, showering him with embarrassing praise about his solo track.
But Woosung’s indifferent attitude didn’t change at all.
‘...Yeah, that’s the Joo Woosung I know.’
After briefly scanning the room with a flick of his eyes, he sat down in the back and jerked his chin toward me.
“Hey. No time. Get to it.”
...Was this a setup?
A clever build-up just to screw with me when I let my guard down?
That was a perfectly reasonable suspicion.
A faint sense of dread began creeping in, but Sung Jiwon smiled brightly and pressed play.
The instrumental of Framed Eternity filled the room.
‘...Fine.’
The music broadcast was coming soon.
Even if I had to endure his crap again, it was better to suffer now and perform flawlessly later.
‘I’ll do it.’
And then, after starting the song—
Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds later, I was panting and full of regret.
“...Ahem.”
I really shouldn’t have stood next to Kim Sunghyun.
My scalp didn’t just tingle—it felt like it was about to be drilled through.
When I glanced toward the mirror, I saw him watching me without blinking once.
He stopped the music with a flick of the switch and walked toward me.
Standing right in front of me, he lowered his lashes and moved his lips.
“Seo Hoyun...”
“...Yeah.”
Here it comes—the storm of scolding.
He’d probably explode about how if I wasn’t born talented, I’d better make up for it by bleeding through practice; or mock me with something like, You’re still hammering away like a carpenter, huh.
“Not bad.”
“...Sorry?”
I looked up sharply at the quiet tone.
“You did well. You just need to fix this part a little. The rest... yeah, not bad.”
“......?”
“Huh??”
The traitorous idiots who had started inching away froze mid-step and gawked at us. Then they began whispering among themselves.
“Did sunbaenim commit a crime against Hoyun-hyung or something??”
“No way. Maybe hyung did something wrong?”
I blinked, still too stunned to care about local gossip.
Joo Woosung just smiled faintly and stood beside me.
“Want me to show you directly?”
And then—
Joo Woosung actually taught me.
For a full hour.
Without raising his voice, without losing his temper, not even once.
I just stood there, half-bewildered, following along as he explained things step by step in that calm tone... until before I knew it, practice was over.
“Alright, I’m heading out.”
He grabbed his messenger bag and left just like that. No yelling, no complaints.
It was so strange it almost felt unnatural.
“...Did he eat something weird?” I muttered.
“Eat something weird?! How can you talk like that to sunbaenim—”
Kim Sunghyun barked beside me, but for once, I couldn’t even respond properly.
I just scratched my head, completely lost.
‘Whatever...’
Probably just a passing phase.
***
But it wasn’t.
That was only the beginning of Joo Woosung’s bizarre behavior.
“What the hell is this now?”
Two days later, Joo Woosung sent me a YouTube link titled [Evolution of Clunky Dancing.mp3].
The video showed a chronological montage of my dance skill—from debut era, to mid-career, to recent stages.
[Me: So what?]
Was this asshole teasing me again?
But Joo Woosung replied almost immediately.
Ding!
[Joo Woosung: No..]
[Joo Woosung: You’ve definitely improved]
[Joo Woosung: It’s kind of amazing]
“...Has he lost his mind??”
A shiver ran through me, and I instinctively held my phone as far away as possible.
Kim Sunghyun leaned in to peek and gasped.
“J-Joo Woosung sunbaenim complimented your dancing?? Is that even possible in this world?!”
“......”
“He’s never— not even once— said that to me...”
“Get lost.”
I left the ungrateful bastard behind and went to WH’s café alone.
On one wall of the newly remodeled space, a massive screen was playing one of Joo Woosung’s videos along with music.
【—Here is the new album, ‘Starbridge!’ Give it up for Woosung!】
It was a recent outdoor performance in LA.
As the sun set and the sky darkened, the famous talk show host excitedly waved Woosung’s solo album in the air.
Then the screen switched—behind the stage, under dim lights, Woosung tapped his toe to the beat, wearing a black T-shirt and a leather jacket.
The crowd roared with cheers and whistles as the song began.
Trumpets blared crisply through the open air, and the pounding drums filled the venue—boom, boom, boom—like they could blow everything away.
Dancers flooded the stage, igniting the intro’s energy in an instant—
Tak, tak, tak.
Head lowered, lashes shadowing his eyes, Woosung counted the rhythm. Then—“Okay,”—he leapt onto the stage.
An electric guitar screamed, zziiiiing, ripping through the air.
【Hey there, I’m Woosung—.】
And he smiled.
【Let’s light this place up!】
—Are we getting serious? Did we see this coming?
Performing live, his hair shimmered red under the stage lights as he pointed a finger toward the sky.
【Beyond the stars,
call my name
Answer the calls,
you’re already in my orbit
So if you dare—】
Woosung smirked, adjusting his headset mic.
【Carve your wish.】
How the hell does his live sound even better?
During the dance break that followed, Woosung once again solidified his title as a god.
Clicking my tongue, I turned my head away—only to feel something strange.
Normally, people would be transfixed by his stage.
But this time, everyone in the café wasn’t looking at the screen.
Their eyes were fixed somewhere else.
‘What the hell?’
That thought didn’t last long.
After a few more steps, I spotted Joo Woosung standing at the company café counter, placing an order.
“One green tea latte and...”
I hesitated, wondering if I should say hello. It felt oddly awkward. Just then, as if sensing my gaze, Joo Woosung turned around and lifted one corner of his mouth.
“And one chocolate frappuccino.”
“......”
...Why do I hate this so much?
Sure, maybe going to LA helped him blow off steam, deal with the paparazzi, and all that, but—how can someone change this much?
“Here.”
“...Thanks.”
I accepted the frappuccino without much thought and turned my back. I expected him to follow behind me like always, rambling on, but instead Joo Woosung just waved lazily.
“Take care.”
“......”
“Do your best.”
That was the last straw. I spun around and walked straight up to him, blocking his path back toward the Black Call floor.
“—What’s with you lately?”
“...Huh?”
Joo Woosung choked on his latte, coughing.
“Wh-what?”
“Out of nowhere, you’re telling me my dancing’s improved. You’re teaching me moves without even scolding me. Seriously, why the hell are you acting like this? It’s creepy.”
If you want something, just say it.
His whole act of being this cool, generous senior idol was pissing me off. Joo Woosung blinked in surprise, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ah, that’s what this is about...”
“......”
“Hey, Hoyun.”
He slid one hand into his pocket and grinned at me.
“I just figured I haven’t really said it properly before.”
What?
“Objectively speaking, it’s amazing you’ve come this far. You made up for a lot through sheer effort. Honestly, when I first saw you, I thought, ‘holy shit, what a disaster—how’s someone like that even an idol?’ but...”
“......”
“...Anyway, I can tell you’ve really worked hard.”
Then, as if making a toast, Joo Woosung lightly tapped his latte against the frappuccino I was holding.
“You’re doing great, Seo Hoyun.”
But I wasn’t in the mood to drink.
I frowned, hesitated a moment, then asked,
“...Do you mean that?”
I honestly never thought I’d hear something like that from him in my life.
“Kuh...”
But Joo Woosung just laughed.
“Pff—does it make you that happy?”
He laughed with his eyes crinkled, the kind of dazzling smile that somehow just irritated the hell out of you.
“Should’ve said it sooner, huh?”
“......”
“You precious little brat.”
...Me?
Not you?
Humming to himself, Joo Woosung strolled away.
I glared at the direction he disappeared in, then finally sighed deeply and headed back toward The Dawn’s practice room.
‘What the fuck... seriously, what was that?’
Still feeling weirdly off, I trained until I was completely spent and collapsed onto the floor. Then my phone buzzed.
[KimBokbap: Hey, you’re going home now, right?]
It was Joo Woosung.
[KimBokbap: Swing by my place and check on Meowy for me.]
[KimBokbap: The feeder broke.]
I typed out “Don’t wanna...” then paused.
‘Now that {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} I think about it, it’s been a while since I saw Meowy.’
And Joo Woosung had been treating me pretty well lately, too.
Though I was short on time, I ended up heading toward his apartment. The security guard recognized me by now; I greeted him and took the elevator up, tapping in the code on the door.
As soon as I opened it, the cat came purring and brushing against my legs.
“Hey there, you doing okay?”
I chuckled and stroked its fur a few times before heading to the kitchen. I grabbed the bag of food and poured it carefully into the feeder. Then I noticed a few clothes scattered around the living room.
‘Guess he’s been busy.’
For someone usually so neat, there were traces of actual living everywhere.
He always hated anyone touching his stuff—family or not—so he’d been the one doing all the cleaning and organizing himself.
I looked around slowly. In one corner, there was a ridiculous number of trophies displayed. The gleaming plaques were a stark reminder of just how successful Joo Woosung really was.
Yeah, he’s an impressive bastard.
Takes care of his juniors, too... lately even says nice things now and then.
“...Hmph.”
I remembered his compliment and smirked.
‘He said I dance well.’
Now that I thought about it... yeah, I really had improved.
I couldn’t open my stat window anymore, but the last time I checked, my Dance stat was A–. That was the result of pure blood, sweat, and tears (well, maybe not literally). Everyone had called it “a victory of human will” and applauded.
Since then, I’d improved even more—if I could check now, maybe it’d be S by this point.
‘Ha, Seo Hoyun, you’re something else.’
To think I worked so hard I even got praise from Joo Woosung... I chuckled, humming under my breath as I petted Meowy and turned to leave.
That’s when something on the shelf caught my eye.
“...Huh. He reads books?”
Curious, I glanced at the neatly arranged row of titles—then noticed one sticking out slightly. Its title looked... suspicious.
[Golden Child Guideline]
Why the hell would he read something like that? Was he really that bored? I clicked my tongue, ready to leave—
Then I froze.
“‘Precious little brat.’”
“......”
No way.
“Wait.”
No, seriously—no way.
Compelled by a bad feeling, I reached out and pulled the book from the shelf.
Beneath the title Golden Child Guideline, the subtitle read:
‘Why Do They Act This Way? 101 Ways to Understand What Parents Can’t About Their Children’s Minds.’
I quickly flipped it open. Bright yellow highlighter lines ran through the text, with folded corners marking pages.
[Q. My child’s skills aren’t improving no matter how much they study. Am I pushing them too hard?
A. Don’t scold them harshly just because they’re not progressing. Parental pressure can make a child impatient and anxious.]
Another folded page—
[Q. My child has passion but no talent. Should I tell them to give up?
A. No. The most important thing is trust. Show your child that you believe in them.]
...And another—
[Q. My child seems hopeless at studying. What should I do?
A. Try endless praise. The key is to help them stay motivated.]
Right under that line, I saw handwriting. Joo Woosung’s handwriting.
[Use this on Seo Hoyun☆]
“......”
From the pit of my stomach, fury began to boil up. I trembled, gripping the book hard enough to crumple it. My hands shook with anger. I hurled it onto the couch, and Meowy hissed, fur puffed up in alarm.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...”
Joo Woosung... impressive.
It’s been a long time since someone’s made me this mad.
I swept my hair back, smiled brightly at the book titled Golden Child Guideline, and muttered softly—
“Alright then. Let’s see who wins, Woosung.”
