“Today’s first-place candidates are... oh, this can’t be real!!”
Lee Jihyun tapped her phone absentmindedly, then looked up toward the MC booth where loud music erupted.
It was the music broadcast that came right after The Dawn’s Billboard entry had been announced.
“The Dawn is going up against The Dawn—!”
Behind the MC, The Dawn stood split into two groups on either side of the stage. The MC’s voice was filled with both excitement and disbelief.
The title track ‘Framed Eternity’ and the sidetrack ‘eveRdAWn’ were both nominated for first place—something that only happened a few times a year.
“Now then, for today’s Framed Eternity team... we have Sung Jiwon and Seo Hoyun! What will you do if you win~?”
All the staff members in the back clapped with expressions that said, “Of course...”
In truth, the atmosphere had already been tilted from the moment they entered the broadcast building.
Both seniors and juniors sneaked glances at The Dawn in admiration as they passed, and even the MCs openly joked about how they’d manage to hand over the trophy to The Dawn without trembling.
It was just like it had been with Black Call.
‘No matter who shows up, they’ll easily sweep a dozen trophies this season.’
That also meant Daepaseong’s planning team had a massive year-end bonus coming.
After a brief first-place candidate interview, the bright R&B track eveRdAWn was performed before the title song.
【Hmm Hmm Hmm】
The song began soft and groovy. A slightly rough lo-fi drum loop rolled beneath the melody.
The stage, built with overwhelming production budget, was set on a seaside backdrop.
Sunset light slowly spread across the stage, tinting the beach gold, and on the floor screen below, blue grass and sand dunes were displayed.
The members came out barefoot in light clothes and jeans, sitting casually on a model cliff resembling a beach edge as they sang.
【After the fireworks of our love have gone off
It can’t possibly end so pitifully】
Sung Jiwon’s voice came first—delicate, flowing, laced with a breathy tone.
【Oh Everdawn everdawn
My heart is racing
Ah Everdawn everdawn
You’re standing on that shore】
When Seo Hoyun playfully pointed his finger upward, an aurora spread across the screen for a moment.
【In a desert where heat blazes endlessly
I’ll still see the blooming aurora
Together with my endless affection
So that we can be the exception】
The aurora scattered little by little, and the scene returned to a beach bathed in the light of dusk.
【Oh Everdawn everdawn
I’m praying desperately
Ah everdawn everdawn
That you’ll be standing on that shore....】
Lee Jihyun, watching quietly, stepped back and pulled up online reviews from previous broadcasts.
[King-God-General Everdawn
King... God... General... TT_TT]
[I’m losing it, what are we supposed to do with this masterpiece]
The response was enormous, of course.
[Title: What’s with Seo Hoyun in fancams lately
He used to stare straight at Kim Sunghyun and look like he was enjoying making him uncomfortable, with Kang Ichae always cackling next to them
But guess what, today’s target was Kang Ichae
└Kang Ichae went ‘huh?’ and almost missed his part, so Seo Hoyun just smiled brightly, nailed his own line, and sang like nothing happened lolol
└└Conflict rumor resolved in 3 seconds flat.]
The so-called “conflict rumors” no one cared about anymore were finally dead for good.
Still, something felt off. She tapped her phone again, uneasy.
Time passed quickly, and it was time for the first-place announcement.
“——Congratulations! First place goes to The Dawn, Framed Eternity!!”
Bang!—fireworks burst.
When the MCs handed over the bouquet to The Dawn, Daepaseong staff cheered, “We did it, we did it, good work—!” and began packing up their equipment and belongings, preparing to leave.
But when the microphone passed to Seo Hoyun for the acceptance speech, everyone—staff who had started to leave, people chatting at the back—lifted their heads toward the stage.
“...Huh?”
Because that Seo Hoyun was clutching the trophy tightly, wearing an odd, unfamiliar expression, as if this were his first-ever win.
When Sung Jiwon lightly patted him, he blinked once and then smiled faintly toward the camera, his eyes curving gently.
“Thank you for giving us another chance and for always supporting us. We’ve been The Dawn.”
His speech flowed out so naturally, as though rehearsed, that the cheers exploded across the hall.
When the encore for Framed Eternity began, the stage screen turned into the gallery from the music video. Seo Hoyun sat on the railing near the fans, held the mic close, and began to sing.
【The moments that endlessly stir my heart
Make us stand out even clearer
Like a story worth reading over and over again】
Lee Jihyun quietly watched, then turned to head back to the waiting room. Inside, the management team leader was peeking into a box with curiosity.
“What’s this?”
“Seo Hoyun said he’s giving out flower bookmarks. You know, from that live broadcast where he suddenly showed his bouquet.”
“Oh...!”
It was the same bouquet Seo Hoyun had shown on live stream months ago—he had turned those flowers into pressed bookmarks to give out now.
‘What is this feeling....’
She’d felt this before.
‘...Ah, was it then?’
Right after the comeback, there had been a department store popup event tied to their CF.
Seo Hoyun had only stopped by as a promotional model for about fifteen minutes, but that short visit had practically paralyzed the entire area.
What must it feel like—to have so many people looking at only one person?
‘Wow, the pressure....’
If it were me, I’d want to run away.
For every bit of that overwhelming popularity, there must be a matching shadow behind it.
Everyone except Seo Hoyun looked stiff, nervously focusing only on their assigned roles in the crowd.
Lee Jihyun, tense herself, had glanced around when she suddenly felt a sharp gaze. Looking up, she saw Seo Hoyun looking down at her.
“Uh, they said we should go right when the door opens... yes.”
“I already heard that from someone else.”
“...I’m just nervous. Aren’t you nervous, Seo Hoyun?”
She regretted asking the moment it left her mouth.
As always, she expected him to answer with that confident, unbothered expression—‘What, me?’
But his reply was different.
“I’m nervous.”
...Huh?
As she stared in confusion, he squinted slightly, then gave a small laugh.
“Wondering how long they’ll love me.”
She froze like a statue, and right then, the doors opened—camera flashes bursting in every direction.
Seo Hoyun smiled radiantly, stepped forward, and greeted the fans with a wave as he walked out, effortlessly charming every camera.
“...He really has a knack for getting under people’s skin.”
And now, in the present—
Lee Jihyun still didn’t know why Seo Hoyun had said that that day.
After briefly checking the monitoring footage, she left the waiting room to return to the company first.
Just outside, a crowd had gathered—the members were holding an impromptu fan meeting after the broadcast, handing out small gifts they had personally prepared.
Not far away, Seo Hoyun was crouching, listening as a middle school–aged girl chatted animatedly with him.
Whatever she said must have amused him, because he burst into laughter and handed her a petal from the bouquet.
‘Ah.’
At that moment, Lee Jihyun finally realized what that uneasy feeling had been.
‘I know why I felt off.’
Seo Hoyun always told his fans:
Thank you, I’m sorry, I’ll do better, and so on.
But there was one thing he still hadn’t said.
‘Are you happy?’
Receiving petals preserved like eternity was lovely, yes—
But if I were a fan, I think I’d want to know that first.
***
[Title: Billboard Star The Dawn Still Going Strong]
I clicked in because they said they styled it like an “overseas award ceremony” to celebrate going global.
Dajun: Who will the award for Most Handsome Man go to,,,!
Ichae: (prepares to get up)
Dajun: Oh my gosh~~~! It goes to Jung Dajun!
Ichae: (stumbles)
LMAOOOOOOOO
No, Dajun, don’t suddenly dash from the MC booth into the audience acting all shocked.
And Jiwon, don’t grab his hand and pull him into a hug like you’re deeply moved.
└Next to them, you can literally hear Kim Sunghyun mutter, “Is this the Poison Award or what?”
└Turns out Dajun’s been binge-watching foreign dramas lately and now says he wants to see Seo Hoyun’s acting in the upcoming release.
└└Unbelievable..]
[Title: But Kang Ichae Is Hilarious Too]
Kang Ichae received the “Best Friend Award” from Jung Dajun and went up on stage.
He begged Dajun to speak in English, then ended up translating himself in Korean right next to him.
Kang Ichae: Our Dajun the elephant has failed the test eight times....
Jung Dajun: What a beautiful night, look— the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) most handsome man is clapping for me!!!
They’re talking about completely different things.
└The ending part was moving though. Dajun said, “Ah, I’m always grateful to Jung Dajun. If not for him, The Dawn wouldn’t exist....”
Kang Ichae stopped mid-speech, smiled faintly, said, “that’s right,” and stepped down...
└└F***k—
└└But Dajun didn’t even hear the touching line because he was too busy listening to his own “translator.”]
[Title: Why Did Kim Sunghyun and Sung Jiwon Go on Animal Love?]
Answer: Because they wanted to.
└LOLOLOL That’s the truth.
└They do whatever they want. Also, Jiwon went on a show as a judge for unknown singers, and a contestant posted saying he was “scary.”
└└Wait what??
└└They said he was kind but still scary... scarier than anyone else.]
The song charts were soaring.
Everyone thought their climb would stop at #28 on the Hot 100, but the following week it shot up to #19.
[Wow, national pride intensifies]
They appeared on the news every single day, praised for “raising Korea’s global status” alongside Black Call.
After that, The Dawn was invited to prestigious international award shows.
A famous American talk show sent an invitation.
And rumors spread that they were preparing a private concert in Japan by renting out an entire amusement park.
By all appearances, it was their dazzling golden age.
Music broadcast schedules.
Music video behinds.
Self-produced content, performance videos.
Endless magazine shoots, CF filming, and recording behinds.
Everything poured out nonstop—
[Don’t go]
Meanwhile, domestic fans were just collapsing in despair.
[Don’t you dare go]
[Don’t you ever leave us]
As their overseas popularity skyrocketed, their departure flights multiplied like snowballs.
[Stop the overseas tour, protect our human rights]
[Release the fan song before you go]
[At least premiere Midnight Protocol first before leaving]
It all felt like they were tying up every loose end before leaving—like they were giving fans everything they could before saying goodbye.
No wonder everyone was uneasy, half-ready to cling to their pant legs.
[Hoyun: What are you doing?]
Even Seo Hoyun sent a PopPop message.
Seizing the moment, fans replied, “Don’t abandon us!” “You can do that world tour later!”
If it were anyone else, he’d have ignored it completely—but with Noeul, he always gave thoughtful replies, so it was worth the drama.
They ended the whining with, “I’m so worried I can’t even eat...”
[Hoyun: What?]
...That, of course, provoked him.
[Hoyun: Why aren’t you eating?]
And that single line triggered ten straight minutes of replies filled with nagging like,
“You’ll get sick if you skip meals,”
“You should study hard too,”
“Health is your greatest asset,” and so on.
At first, Noeul scrolled through the screen smiling... until, like trauma victims, they clenched their eyes shut and screamed while shoving their phones under their blankets.
[Hoyun: ‘Hoyun-ah~ is it the holidays?’]
[Hoyun: Excuse me.]
[Hoyun: Who even is this right now?]
[LOL Seo Hoyun’s been sulky lately]
[He’s been so touchy lolol]
[Ah Hoyun!! Before you leave—today’s photo! Give us a photo!!]
After that, Seo Hoyun didn’t reply for more than ten minutes.
Maybe he really was sulking? No picture today?—just as they were starting to feel disappointed, a message arrived.
[Hoyun: (photo)]
[Hoyun: One extra rice cake for my annoying Noeul]
White shirt, hair brushed lightly back.
A black pair of glasses tucked in his pocket, an employee badge around his neck.
Holding an Americano in one hand, Seo Hoyun stood there with a faintly pouty expression.
[AAAAAA what is this!!!]
[You can nag a million times, I don’t care!!!]
But after an hour of screaming over his face, someone finally noticed something odd in the photo.
[Wait, that’s an Americano??]
That was something Seo Hoyun would never be holding normally.
Fans began debating whether it was part of a self-content shoot or a coffee CF.
But besides Noeul, there were others who stirred with suspicion.
[That employee badge color... no way...!!!]
Even after years, some fans were still actively following and passionately discussing one particular drama.
[Emergency. The man himself said, “You can look forward to it.”]
[No lolol damn it I said I wouldn’t get my hopes up
oOactually I’m so f***ing excited,,]
[Guys, if we overdo it, we’ll become the Boy Who Cried Wolf again—calm down, don’t get your hopes up
oOshit I can’t sleep tonight..]
They were too thrilled to sleep at all.
That day, a sighting spread—Min Jiheon was reportedly at a restaurant when someone rushed up shoving Seo Hoyun’s picture at him, shouting, “Is this real?!”
The top actor supposedly choked on his food.
And the next day—
【‘Bring Me the Camera’ confirms casting of Min Jiheon / Yoo Jia / Seo Hoyun [Official]】
The article dropped.
[AAAAAAHHHHHH]
[AAAAAAAACKKKK]
【‘Bring Me the Camera’ secretly began filming early...】
【Seo Hoyun returns to screen as the tsundere PD Lee Junghoon】
Then one photo leaked:
The three of them, wearing suits and employee badges, chatting behind a broadcasting station.
Yoo Jia was sipping from a coffee cup labeled “Please take care of Seoddok-kkeng♡”;
Min Jiheon sat on the flowerbed, chewing a soboro bun;
And in front of him stood Seo Hoyun, arms crossed, lightly kicking Jiheon’s foot while scolding him.
[Oh my god.. he’s back.]
That—was Lee Junghoon PD himself.
【Bring Me the Camera set to air soon】
[KaBu Season 2 is real!!!]
And so, the KaBu fandom finally triumphed.
