Chapter 120
Come to think of it, wasnt Jeong Dajuns birthday tomorrow?
Jeong Dajun meticulously lined up his wrapped birthday presents and took a selfie with them in the background.
Wow~, awesome!!
As he unwrapped the gifts, he tilted his head in confusion several times. From behind, I watched the pile of gifts and couldnt help but admire.
Wow, Jeong Dajun youve become quite popular.
The inclusion of letters written in English or other foreign languages suggested that some of the gifts were from international fans. I crossed my arms and looked down at an excited Dajun, his cheeks flushed red as he babbled on in delight.
Wow! These are seriously pretty!
Tell me about it.
And I havent seen any of these before!
Of course not.
All of them were from ridiculously expensive high-end brands.
Jeong Dajun, not knowing or perhaps uninterested in the B of the brand, kept busy unwrapping the gifts, making comments like This pattern is unique and Wow, sunglasses!
Kim Seonghyeon stood nearby, having finished his ice cream.
Clad in a scarf, sunglasses, and a necklace, Jeong Dajun was decked out in gear.
Similarly, Kim Seonghyeon, who might not know the B of the brand either well, he probably knew up to B.R., also enthusiastically handed over more items for him to wear, resulting in our maknae looking quite comical.
Are you a Christmas tree?
Oh! Thats a great idea, should I add some lights?
Pfft, just take the picture, will you?
Sure! Ill post it on our fancafe!
Our idol, our silly maknae.
After taking enough photos to satisfy the soon-to-be birthday boy Jeong Dajun, I left him tapping away proudly on his phone and started putting on my sneakers to head back to practice, but Kim Seonghyeon grabbed my clothes from behind.
Where are you going?
Practice.
Its a holiday, you know? Plus, you almost pulled an all-nighter yesterday. Take a break.
Well, it was a holiday, but its not like I had anything better to do.
I didnt reply, just dragged my feet, and Seonghyeon clicked his tongue, calling me a workaholic. It was a bit rich coming from someone whod just spent three hours at the gym on his so-called day off.
You should come too. If were doing a year-end stage, you need to stay sharp.
Seo Hoyun, do you even have such a thing as stage sense??
You wanna die?
Kim Seonghyeon gave a half-smile and pondered for a moment before suddenly lifting his head with an Ah!
Speaking of which, isnt it about time we heard some news about the collaboration? What did the manager say?
It should come out tomorrow or so.
I answered and glanced at the corner where a new quest popped up.
It was a quest that had been there for a few days.
[Quest Arrival! Successfully complete the collab stage with a sexy concept!
Show the public overwhelming quality.
Successful completion: 5,000 points awarded.
Failure: Dance stats will slightly decrease (B+ to C+)]
No matter how you looked at it, a slight decrease in Dance stats wasnt right, was it?
When I complained that its so hard to increase but so easy to decrease, the system window gave me a cheeky response, Think of it like stocks, then disappeared.
When you put it that way, it makes sense, I guess.
Anyway, Kim Seonghyeon wouldnt know I was sighing at the quest window, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Ah, really? Howd you know?
It seems like things are being decided, and news is going back and forth.
Plus, I had recently visited Joo Woosungs place to see his cat, Nyangnyang, and it was there I heard about Black Call and White Cherry collaborating.
The expression on Woosungs face turned sour as he received a call from the manager.
Still, I just rubbed Nyangnyangs nose with my fingertip and asked in confusion,
Whats up? You seemed okay with it.
Ugh.
Quite shameless (I mean, youd need this kind of mental fortitude to date that many girlfriends), Joo Woosung had even been a special MC on YuYuBank with Han Chaeri before.
I thought encountering an ex-girlfriend wouldnt be a big deal for a playboy like him, but Joo Woosung subtly avoided my gaze.
Hey, its one thing to run into Han Chaeri, who I seriously dislike, but those members, theyre really scary, man
?
I hadnt gotten that impression when I saw the White Cherry members before.
I didnt bother telling Woosung about the kind words Chaeri once told me about him, considering he hadnt done anything to deserve it.
I recalled the warm atmosphere that had surrounded Han Chaeri and Lizs conversation.
Everyone seemed nice. Very considerate.
What are you talking about? Are we even talking about the same White Cherry?
Joo Woosung shivered.
Sure, their teamwork is great, and they look cool, but people have mixed feelings about them. If you get on their bad side, its freaking scary there.
That must be because Joo Woosung did something to split opinions.
Ugh, Im already suffocating.
I couldnt help but feel refreshed thinking about Joo Woosung, who had been whining for a while that hed be left out in the practice room since the Black Call members already said they wouldnt cover for him.
Yeah, it was about time Joo Woosung got a taste of his own medicine.
What goes around comes around, I guess. Just look at that collab.
What are you talking about? Are you worried about the collab?
No, Im fine. Theres someone else wholl worry more than me.
Jeong Dajun seemed to have thoroughly checked the reaction to the photo he posted on the fan cafe, as he kept trying on and draping his birthday gifts while taking pictures.
Wearing a school uniform the fans should like it, right?
Wait a second.
What time was it?
Hey, Jeong Dajun. Arent you supposed to be at school now?
Startled.
Jeong Dajun hesitated slightly, then smiled brightly.
School ended early today.
He left early.
No, I didnt!
Hes short on attendance days.
Are you kidding me?
Kim Seonghyeon, like a nagging sister-in-law, quickly confessed to me.
Wow, you said you wouldnt tell!!
It was his own fault, after all.
Jeong Dajun puffed his cheeks and glared at Kim Seonghyeon, then started making excuses with a wronged expression.
Im still going to take the college entrance exam! Isnt it impressive that I attend school occasionally? College is for those who want to go, right? Im totally satisfied being an idol?
So what?
You really know how to leave someone speechless.
This Confucian boy, what do I do with him, My parents are okay with it, blah blah blah When Jeong Dajun realized his grumbling wasnt getting through, he started rolling on the floor.
I caught Jeong Dajuns gaze.
Alright, lets say your attendance days are fine. What about your CSAT studies? You said youre going to take it.
!
Its not far away. Bring out your workbook. Lets see how much youve done.
Hyung, just one thing.
What is it?
I havent solved any!
I smacked him on the head, and finally, Jeong Dajun grumbled and started organizing his gifts, then brought his workbook.
Ding!
[Arent you supposed to be at practice?]
Ill just skim through it. Whatever.
I sat nonchalantly, looking at Jeong Dajuns workbook, which was so clean it looked brand new.
Why is this so pristine, you little rascal?
For collection?
Are you joking?
Who buys a workbook just to collect them?
Jeong Dajun pouted, holding a mechanical pencil, and there I was, with my experience of tutoring seven students during my university days, furiously pushing him.
He screamed in agony as he reluctantly solved the problems.
Bang!
While I was giving Jeong Dajun a hardcore, Spartan-style crash course, Seong Jiwon and Kang Ichae burst through the door.
Wahaha!!
Why is he like that?
Just the usual Kang Ichae.
Since this wasnt the first time wed seen Kang Ichae in attention-seeking mode, I acknowledged Kim Seonghyeons comment and was about to get back to Jeong Dajuns questions but Kang Ichae was acting really strange.
Wow, this is really tough, huh?
He was laughing his head off as if hed reached some sort of enlightenment.
Lifes gotta be tough to be fun, right, Hoyun-hyung??
Just get to the point.
Aww~, why so cold today~?
Typical Seo Hoyun
Kim Seonghyeon murmured quietly beside me.
Kang Ichae beelined for the sofa and flopped down. Following behind him, Seong Jiwon seemed to share the sentiment, scratching his forehead awkwardly before cautiously broaching a topic.
Guys, our collab stage has been set.
Oh~? With whom?
Lea Purple-sunbae.
Huh?
Were they talking about that idol group from The Victory is Mine who almost got injured? I didnt know much about them, but the way the members took care of each other left an impression.
But a collab with a girl idol group?
I quickly weighed the pros and cons and came to a conclusion.
Well, it should be fine.
Its true that mixed-gender collabs could attract criticism given our junior status in the industry, but we werent the only ones doing it.
Some fans might have mixed feelings, but it was a pretty steady event.
The unwavering mental fortitude I saw online earlier also played a part in my assessment; it wouldnt be easily shaken by this.
Kim Seonghyeon seemed to share my sentiment, calmly asking without much surprise,
Is the song decided too?
Of course!
Then, Kang Ichae, who had been motionless with his face buried in the sofa, suddenly shot up and giggled weakly.
Wait!
I sensed trouble brewing. Kang Ichae was about to do something crazy.
I quickly dodged to Seong Jiwons side, and sure enough, Kang Ichae, having lost his target, twisted his upper body.
Then he grabbed Jeong Dajun by the neck and pulled him close, opening his mouth wide as if to bite his cheek!!
Our maknaes cheek, waaang~.
Aaaack!
Jeong Dajun, whose only fault was sitting right in front of Kang Ichae, paled and managed to escape by rolling on the floor.
I was just as startled by the spectacle.
Was Kang Ichae out of his fucking mind, seriously?!
Are you crazy?! Aaah!!
Wahaha!
Jeong Dajun tried to stand up but couldnt see properly and banged his head on the sofa leg with a thud.
Ow, my head hurts
Ahh~! Ichae is lonely~, hug me~.
Ugh, I really, really, really hate this!!
As Jeong Dajun clutched his head in pain, Kang Ichae stretched out his hand again, but Jeong Dajun sternly slipped away like a slippery eel.
He then rubbed his nearly bitten cheek furiously, though it hadnt actually been touched.
Watching this, Kang Ichae casually propped his chin on his hand and hummed a tune I felt Id heard somewhere.
Let me bite, bite~
Uhhuhu Why is Ichae-hyung like this? He must be crazy.
I pressed down on Jeong Dajuns mouth to stop him from turning into Kang Ichae and wiped his reddened cheek with my sleeve to comfort his whimpering.
Today, even Hoyun-hyung is being unusually sweet
Hey, watch your words.
Okay
While pressing on Jeong Dajuns cheek and responding to his grumbling thoughts of #KangIchae_Explain, deep down, I felt differently.
Thanks for being the sacrifice, Jeong Dajun
After all, I had dodged the bullet.
Kang Ichaes humming continued unabated.
That melody sounds really familiar.
Seeing Kim Seonghyeon tilt his head in confusion, Seong Jiwon, with a faint look in his eyes, spoke in a soft voice.
The actual lyrics are like that.
Theres really a song with those lyrics?
Seong Jiwon let out an awkward laugh.
Lets Spend the Night.
Ah.
That song?
Yeah, that one.
No way?
Yeah.
A mixed-gender?
Yeah.
I couldnt believe it, so I asked again, but Seong Jiwon just closed his mouth and solemnly nodded.
I slightly opened my mouth in shock.
Lets Spend the Night.
It was a song by a senior from Lea Purples agency who went solo and made a huge hit, well-known to the public
For having a sticky, very suggestive sexy concept song.
Wahahahaha!
Daepaseong Entertainment
What were they thinking?
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