Chapter 192: Chapter 192

“Haah…”

After I exaggerated and fumbled a few attempts, Joo Woosung sighed deeply, anxiously tapping his foot before finally stepping forward.

“Seo Hoyun, are you messing up on purpose right now?”

“I’m telling you, talk to HouHou.”

Joo Woosung glared at me as I smirked, then flew into a rage.

As if seeking salvation, he clung to Kim Seonghyeon, who was always on his side no matter what.

“Seonghyeon, please show that klutz how it’s done.”

“Show him what a human can do.”

Even as Joo Woosung fumed over my clumsy attempts, he broke the routine into sections and demonstrated everything in detail.

Each time Kim Seonghyeon absorbed it, his skills improved significantly.

[Kim Seonghyeon’s dance stats are increasing!

That’s what a top student looks like, huh?]

[Kim Seonghyeon understands Joo Woosung’s instructions (unlike someone else). +2]

[Joo Woosung is annoyed but executes it perfectly. +3]

[Joo Woosung is jealous. +2]

Clearly, I was the player, and we both had the same 5% proficiency applied, but the speed of improvement was noticeably different.

It seemed like Kim Seonghyeon was scooping it up with a ladle while I was sipping with a teaspoon.

Anyway, after dancing fifteen times in a row, I was exhausted.

“Wow.”

By then, Joo Woosung, as if he’d never been upset, looked at Kim Seonghyeon with satisfaction and stroked his chin.

What a simple-minded guy…

“I think I have a talent for teaching.”

“Woosung, please. Where did your conscience run off to?”

Chae Jeongwoo, who had been idly watching after seemingly getting bored of helping Seong Jiwon with his vocals, turned his head sharply at the outrageous claim.

“No, I’m serious! Look at Kim Seonghyeon.”

“Hey, look at me. You taught me too, and look at the state I’m in.”

Even when he taught me, I didn’t improve as much as the other members.

Then, Joo Woosung looked at me intently and said,

“No, Hoyun. You’ve improved a lot.”

“…??”

Was he crazy?

Hearing such words from Joo Woosung gave me chills.

He rested his chin on Jeong Dajun’s messy hair, which was sticking out all over.

“Compared to the beginning, I mean. You were so hopeless that I couldn’t even evaluate you.”

Thinking back, it was indeed a significant improvement.

Now, no matter what I did, there was less of that clumsy sound.

I used to think I was good at everything, except for being a bit lacking in character.

But when I started as an idol, I realized I lacked not only character but also talent in dancing.

“But it’s more frustrating because you’ve improved just enough to be mediocre. Do you know what that feels like?”

“…”

“Oh, you wouldn’t know, huh…”

Annoyed by Joo Woosung’s pitying tone, I quickly grabbed Jeong Dajun and pulled him over.

Next to us, Chae Jeongwoo kicked Joo Woosung’s shin, telling him to stop bothering the hoobae.

“Anyway, except for Seo Hoyun, everyone is fine.”

“Have you ever taught your hoobae… I mean, Yeonhu, even once?”

“…Oh, him.”

With a nonchalant expression, he brushed off his shin where he was kicked.

“Why would I? He’s actually my senior.”

“Huh? Yeonhu-sunbae is your senior?”

Jeong Dajun asked with wide eyes, and Chae Jeongwoo added an explanation.

“Hmm, that’s half right and half wrong. If you count from the trainee days, Yeonhu is the senior among anyone in Black Call, but in this industry, it’s all about debut order.”

The hierarchy is really messed up.

“Wow, really? What’s the order?”

“Let’s see. Yeonhu, then me, and Woosung came in last.”

“Right. I was a trainee for about two months.”

Could someone really train for just two months at a major company?

Noticing my incredulous expression, Joo Woosung added awkwardly.

“I didn’t really think about becoming a celebrity.”

“That’s ridiculous!!”

Kim Seonghyeon exclaimed, jumping up in disbelief.

Chae Jeongwoo nodded in agreement, supporting the sentiment.

“Right? People who have it all usually lack motivation.”

“That so-called motivation…”

Ignoring Joo Woosung’s grumbling, Chae Jeongwoo continued to explain.

“The casting director practically begged him, so he thought he’d just show up once to get it over with. But then he thought, ‘Huh? I can do this too,’ and he ended up joining Black Call.”

“That’s really, really cool!!”

“Of course, I’m Joo Woosung.”

“Ugh.”

Was that supposed to be cool?

I felt like I was going to explode with frustration.

Some people had to meticulously calculate every move just to avoid being called clumsy, and here he was, saying, “Huh? I can do this too,” after just two months as a trainee.

While I was grinding my teeth internally, Chae Jeongwoo, who had been laughing heartily, changed the subject.

“How was The Dawn during your trainee days?”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard much about that either.

“I joined first, then Seong Jiwon. We practiced together for a while before Kang Ichae joined, and then Jeong Dajun.”

“Oh, so it was you and Jiwon? Both of you have such gentle personalities, you must have gotten along well from the start.”

“…Ah. Well.”

Kim Seonghyeon just rolled his eyes without answering.

Seong Jiwon, who had been smiling softly, spoke up instead.

“We didn’t get along well from the start.”

“Huh? Really?! Why not?”

Even Jeong Dajun seemed surprised, as if he were hearing this for the first time.

“At that time, I was a bit of a mess.”

Seong Jiwon, a mess?

At the phrasing that didn’t seem to fit the subject and predicate, I suddenly lifted my head.[1]

“After I left my previous agency, things weren’t going well. I felt bad for making Seonghyeon uncomfortable.”

“No, um, it was fine…”

“Haha, sorry for being such a jerk.”

Kim Seonghyeon shivered slightly and admitted in a small voice that he was actually a bit scared.

“Thanks to Seonghyeon taking care of me, I got better.”

With an awkward smile, Seong Jiwon shifted the conversation to Kang Ichae, who had been quietly scribbling something on paper in the corner without participating in the conversation.

“By the way, I don’t think we saw much of Ichae in the beginning.”

“Kang Ichae didn’t practice much. I even wondered if he really wanted to be an idol.”

“Hey, I was serious about it!”

However, Kang Ichae, not wanting to delve into his entry story, dodged the question with a sly grin.

Listening to the aimless conversation, which felt like a game of hot potato, Jeong Dajun, who had been complaining about people messing with his hair, suddenly raised both arms.

“Then it was me!! I was introduced and joined!”

“Oh! Now that you mention it, didn’t Ichae start coming to practice every day around that time? Saying something about Jeong Dajun being funny?”

“If I didn’t see Dajun for even a day, my head would be filled with thoughts of him.”

“Ew, gross.”

Seeing Jeong Dajun recoil in horror, Kang Ichae laughed and began to recount the maknae’s exploits.

One day, not long after Jeong Dajun joined as a trainee, he witnessed a part of the CEO’s wig fall off and quickly ran to grab it, shouting, “CEO, your wig! Your wig fell off!!” loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear, and politely returned it.

Another time, in the middle of summer, he and Ichae got punished for turning the planning team leader into a drenched rat while having a water gun fight all over the company.

Joo Woosung, who had been resting his chin on his hand in silence, asked,

“So, what about Seo Hoyun?”

“Huh?”

“I heard he even recorded. Why didn’t he debut?”

“How did you know that?”

The sunbae, who pretended not to be interested in me, boasted that knowing such things was no big deal.

Naturally, I let it go in one ear and out the other.

“I did record, but… hmm, how did it go again?”

I wasn’t entirely sure how the basic settings of this game were arranged either.

Before the members, who had started whispering, could notice anything strange, I decided to quickly wrap up the situation.

“Chae Jeongwoo-sunbae, didn’t you say you had to leave soon?”

“Oh… right. The conversation was just too interesting.”

Chae Jeongwoo checked the time on his wrist and nudged Joo Woosung.

Joo Woosung grabbed his bag, said he’d be back tomorrow, and left the practice room.

Kim Seonghyeon, who had a school bullying controversy.

Seong Jiwon, who escaped from his former agency because of sponsorship issues.

Kang Ichae, who remained a mystery even now.

Jeong Dajun, who was scammed with a dual contract by a different agency.

And me, a former PD known for “devil’s editing” and currently the biggest headache for this company…

What a legendary combination.

“I’m off to the convenience store too!”

“Pick up the CEO’s wig if you see it on the way.”

“I told you that was an accident?!”

“Keep making those ‘accidents,’ Rolling Ball.”

Laughter ensued.

I had a vague idea of what it meant for the picky Kang Ichae to show up at Daepaseong every day just to see Jeong Dajun.

***

[Music Show Attendance Review:

He asked if I had eaten again today

Even my grandma doesn’t ask as much as you do, Hoyun]

A working professional Nouel who checked SNS late due to being swamped with real life, chuckled at the posts.

“Ah, this is hilarious??”

[Just reading the words “Black-haired Kang Ichae” makes me so nervous… Please keep your wild side forever…]

[Look at the difference in how Seong Jiwon and Kang Ichae wear their shoesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Seong Jiwon’s shoes: (Still perfectly new and pretty) Hehe Jiwon is the best ^0^

Kang Ichae’s shoes: (Heels all worn out) Kill… me… please…

└I still can’t believe they’re in the same group… they’re the best…

└└But these days, the two of them are getting along wellㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Due to issues with a partner company, the Nouel had been pulling all-nighters for several days, leaving no time to keep up with SNS, pop culture, or music shows.

Now, she was finally catching up on everything.

[Who hasn’t seen this /watch?v=suNGhyunBokkEun

Buying brains! Buying brains! First come, first served!!]

Hmm?

Intrigued by the comment, the Noeul tilted her head and clicked the link.

Out of habit, she checked the view count and momentarily doubted her eyes.

“What the heck? The views??!”

Even though The Dawn had gained popularity, it was hard to believe that a recently released song, especially an individual fancam, had such high views.

Unable to figure out why, she quickly scrolled down to check the comments but remained clueless.

[Kim Seonghyeon Nation

That’s “South Korea” for you…

└I’ll be patriotic]

The best comments were filled with similar sentiments.

Well, let’s play it and see…

As she hit play, The Dawn’s members appeared on the screen.

A moment later, the beat started playing, and Kim Seonghyeon’s gaze changed instantly.

What the heck? Why is he so good?

It was already well-known in the idol scene that Kim Seonghyeon was an excellent dancer.

There was no one in his peer group who could match him.

Some even claimed he was in the top five idols, but even as a fan, the Noeul hadn’t fully agreed with that until recently.

Wow….

However, seeing him now, she thought it might actually be true.

His subtle control of intensity was evident, and even to her untrained eyes, it was clear he was far above average.

As the highlight approached, Kim Seonghyeon, who was doing a wave, lifted his silky shirt.

Through the gap in the clothes, his smooth skin and rippling abs appeared and disappeared.

“Waaaah!!! Uwaaah!!!”

“Honestly, I’m a little scared,

That you might get tired of me.”

“How could anyone get tired of you, you bastard!!!”

With a scream that seemed to tear through the speakers, even the office worker Noeul found herself shouting without realizing it.

“But not now.

Do it, baby love me.”

Kim Seonghyeon, who was accentuating every detail down to his fingertips while bouncing his hips, moved to the back with Seo Hoyun.

It seemed that in a live broadcast, this was a section where they wouldn’t be on screen.

Seo Hoyun glanced at Kim Seonghyeon and let out a small laugh, then quickly changed his expression as the main camera light turned on.

“When I try to stop, you block my way.

(Then I smile a little.)

The first time always feels the most thrilling.”

“Wow, that’s amazing….”

Why could you only like a video once on YouTube?

The office worker Noeul, who had watched it several times, liked and shared the video on YouTube and added it to her playlist titled “Watch When Life Is Hard.”

“Ah, this is truly healing.”

It felt like the stress from work was melting away.

Once she calmed down a bit, she skimmed through the comments again.

[02:34 The Noeuls were so transparent…]

[Seonghyeon… is really kind

At least your kind]

[Wow, but he really dances well;; It’s only been a week, but compared to the last music show, it’s so differentㅠㅠ Isn’t Seonghyeon a cheat character…?]

Even though he showed his abs, there were more compliments and opinions about his dancing, which made the Nouel feel proud for no reason.

[During this comeback, the guys are supposedly living in the practice roomㅋㅋㅋㅋ Their dorm doesn’t even see their shadows anymoreㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

└There’s a rumor they brought sleeping bags and even put in blankets…

└└Yes, that’s right, Ichae said Seong Jiwon did it

└└Scary…]

Seeing a post about how Seong Jiwon, known to fans as a practice machine, seemed very satisfied these days made her feel touched and pleased at how The Dawn genuinely gave their all in everything.

No wonder when they uploaded the dance practice video, everything seemed to fall perfectly into place.

[00:02 But I’m really curious about this part ㅠ What did Hoyun say to make him react like that??]

Then, one comment caught her eye.

Curious, she clicked on the timestamp, which led to the part of the video where the members exchanged glances and laughed before the beat started.

Hmm?

Seo Hoyun, who was staring at the camera, suddenly tapped Kim Seonghyeon on the back.

When Kim Seonghyeon turned his head, Seo Hoyun stepped closer, pulled up the corners of his mouth, and whispered softly.

Kim Seonghyeon slightly opened his mouth, looked around, and took a deep breath.

The stage was dark, so it wasn’t clear, but it seemed like the tips of his ears were slightly red.

What did he really say?!

The Noeuls would never know, but Seo Hoyun, who seemed to have devoured ninety-nine snakes, whispered to Kim Seonghyeon something like this:

“Joo Woosung is watching your fancam.”

[1] Not a required reading, but here’s a nice grammar lesson for you courtesy of Hoyun! Jiwon said, “그때 제가 좀 엉망이었어서.” The phrase 엉망이었어서 is a complete predicate in Korean. Breaking it down: 엉망 means “mess,” 이었 is the past tense of 이다 (“to be”)—the copula or linking verb—and 어서 adds the meaning “because” to connect the clause. Word by word, it translates as “mess + was + because.” A literal translation of the full sentence would be: “At that time (그때) I (제가) a bit (좀) mess was because (엉망이었어서).” In English, however, “mess” is a noun, so we use the linking verb “was” (past tense of the verb “to be”). To complicate matters further, English syntax places modifiers like “a bit” before the nouns they describe, which is why “was” appears before “a bit of a mess” rather than directly before “a mess.” This mismatch highlights how tricky it can be to translate Korean into English smoothly.