Here’s a question:
Who is Kim Seonghyeon?
First batter: Seong Jiwon.
“Huh? Seonghyeon? He’s a good guy. Always considerate and caring. He might look scary, but if you think about it, Hoyun isn’t exactly a pushover either… Ah, I get it. It’s a joke.”
“It’s not a joke!”
“Come on, Hoyun, you know I’m not serious, right?”
Second batter: Kang Ichae, Jeong Dajun.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden? Well… Sometimes he’s more of a parent than our actual parents. I heard he has a lot of younger siblings, so maybe that’s why he’s responsible.”
“He remembers even the smallest details! He remembers me stubbing my toe two years ago and always tells me to be careful.”
“I didn’t ask.”“Yes…”
Third batter: the manager.
“When I think of our Seonghyeon, I can’t help but tear up…
He really started crying.
“He’s been silently supporting us since he was our company’s very first trainee, even though we haven’t done much for him. He always listens to me and respects us. He’s truly amazing.”
“…”
“If I had a son, you know, I’d want him to grow up like him. How about you, Hoyun? If… my son were Seo Hoyun, that might be a bit scary. Yeah. Sorry, Hoyun.”
“Phew…”
“Don’t sigh! It’s scary!”
Ignoring the manager, I turned away.
Why was someone as highly praised as Kim Seonghyeon have school bullying rumors?
After finishing practice, I glared at Kim Seonghyeon. He misunderstood something and threw me a new bottle of water.
“Why? Not this? Do you want something else?”
“No, this is fine.”
But what should I say here?
What happened to you? Are the bullying rumors true?
You can’t just ask that out of the blue.
“What’s wrong? You’re being weird.”
“Never mind…”
“If something hurts, tell me. We’ll go to the hospital right away.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You’re more irritable than usual today.”
Kim Seonghyeon clicked his tongue and walked away.
When I thought about it, Kim Seonghyeon rarely got angry. I tried to recall the moments when Kim Seonghyeon lost his temper:
- When I was new and the team was on the verge of breaking apart.
- When I got hit with an egg.
- When I picked Today and took responsibility for it alone.
… Am I the trash?
No matter how I thought about it, Kim Seonghyeon hadn’t done anything wrong.
His anger was always for the good of the team or for others. Until now, it was hard to imagine the Kim Seonghyeon I knew was hurting others.
No, I didn’t know. You can know about a road ten miles long, but you can’t know a person one mile deep. And in the entertainment industry, that was especially true. It was a world where people could smile one moment and stab you in the back the next.
I should only believe in what was certain.
The important thing was that Kim Seonghyeon withdrew from school, and there were rumors of bullying. Even if Kim Seonghyeon claimed innocence, people would believe only the rumors and a stigma would be attached to him. Then that was the end for The Dawn.
What should I do?
[Quest Arrival!
Learn about Kim Seonghyeon’s past.
Kim Seonghyeon is very reluctant to talk about the incident. Ask him about the whole story.
Success: Kim Seonghyeon’s trust increases, main scenario progresses,
Failure: Popularity drastically decreases, impossibility to release an album within a year.
Note: Three days until the bullying rumors break out]
“Crazy.”
The system window that appeared after a long time was very excited. As I stared at the quest window, my head became a mess. But it was helpful.
Three days until the bullying rumors break out.
It meant someone was already harboring ill will towards Kim Seonghyeon.
I calculated the date. If it was three days, then two days after that was the start of the second round of the competition. If I can’t resolve the bullying rumors by then, I’ll obviously fail.
“Let’s practice again.”
At Seong Jiwon’s words, I jumped up. Right now, it wasn’t the right time to ask.
After practicing for a while, it was already dawn.
Jeong Dajun mumbled.
“Do you think it’ll really work out this time?”
“We got lucky.”
“Honestly, I think our version of Today is better than the original.”
“Right?”
“Ichae is really good at composing.”
“You just realized my greatness?”
“What about composer Lim Hyeonsu?”
“Compared to her, my skills are garbage…….”
Kang Ichae conceded quickly for some reason. It seemed he genuinely respected Lim Hyeonsu.
I crawled onto the practice room floor, exhausted.
“Let’s go back to the dorm and get some sleep.”
“What’s gotten into you, the practice maniac?”
“Of course, we’ll return for more practice after sleeping for a few hours.”
“Where did my human rights go?”
Kang Ichae grumbled but followed Seong Jiwon to his feet. However, Kim Seonghyeon suddenly started pacing on his own.
“What’s going on, Kim Seonghyeon? Aren’t you leaving?”
“I want to practice more before going. If I don’t do it now, I feel like I’ll forget.”
“Wow, you’re really crazy too.”
“Okay, but make sure to get some sleep.”
“I will.”
“Hoyun, let’s go.”
I hesitated. As much as I wanted to go back to the dorm and sleep, I could not miss the chance to talk to Kim Seonghyeon alone.
“I’ll practice a bit more before I leave.”
“Ugh, why are you both like this?”
“Jiwon’s practice spirit must be contagious.”
Kang Ichae clicked his tongue. Everyone was too tired to protest, so they just got up and left the practice room.
Kim Seonghyeon glanced at them.
“What part do you want to practice from?”
“I want to start from the part where I make up my mind.”
“Alright.”
As soon as I said that, the rearranged song by Kang Ichae flowed out. The sound of a flute came through the majestic intro of string instruments.
As I tried to match my harmony with Kim Seonghyeon, he suddenly stopped and hesitated.
“There’s an expression called ‘walking on clouds.’ Instead of a solo dance here, let’s change it to a group military dance expressing the trembling of the wind.”
“How?”
“If I stand in front here….”
Kim Seonghyeon continued his explanation in a gentle tone. I didn’t really listen to half of it. Even if I had seriously listened, I wouldn’t have understood. I just could feel that Kim Seonghyeon was genuinely passionate about this stage.
“Hey, are you listening?”
“I wasn’t listening.”
“Seo Hoyun, you….”
“Let’s talk about it when everyone’s here. I can understand it better if we look at it as a whole.”
I said that as I lay down exhausted.
While fuming, Kim Seonghyeon continued to ponder and scribble on paper.
“Kim Seonghyeon.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you become an idol?”
“… Huh?”
I asked indirectly, but it seemed like an unexpected question for Kim Seonghyeon. He stopped writing and looked at me.
“Why did you do it?”
“I had no choice.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘no choice.'”
“Well, sometimes there is when you live in this world….”
Living in this world, sometimes a system window suddenly appeared and made me become an idol… Threatening perfectly normal people….
At that, Kim Seonghyeon let out a hollow laugh as if he was speechless.
“Answer me.”
“You’re really strange today.”
Kim Seonghyeon glanced at me, threw his pen down, and lay down with a flop.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? I used to be a B-boy and got cast on the street, and it seemed interesting… and I liked the other guys too.”
“Were you with Daepaseong Entertainment from the beginning?”
“Yep. Unlike Seong Jiwon, I’ve been with Daepaseong from the start. I’m the first idol trainee here, aren’t I?”
“Yes, Kim Seonghyeon-sunbae. Please teach me well.”
“First, make sure you take vitamins and get enough sleep…”
As I joked, Kim Seonghyeon began to nag half-seriously, half-jokingly. I blocked my ears to shut out his nagging and threw a bait.
“Since high school?”
“Huh?”
“Have you been a trainee since high school?”
Kim Seonghyeon’s face went oddly stiff at the mention of high school. His answer came much later.
“Not at that time.”
“….”
“Back then, I was just… I just liked dancing, like a fool.”
Like a fool.
As I stared at Kim Seonghyeon’s face, he suddenly got up.
“We’ve practiced enough for today. Let’s go back, have some supplements, and sleep. We have to get going soon if we want to meet up with the guys.”
“…Alright.”
I tried to carefully dig and uncover his past, but I failed. I couldn’t ask any more questions when Kim Seonghyeon had that expression. I shrugged my shoulders and left.
***
“Wow! Isn’t this the Hageuksang Idol?”
After barely catching some sleep at the dorm, I headed to the company, only to find Joo Woosung sitting lively in the lobby. The members who didn’t know what to do anxiously sat beside him.
I made an annoyed face.
Why was Joo Woosung here? No, before that.
“What’s ‘Hageuksang Idol’?”
“You don’t know? That’s your recent nickname.”
“My nickname?”
Why was that my nickname? I was still half-asleep and drinking water when Joo Woosung chuckled.
“The second episode aired yesterday, right? Though not all of the first round was shown, people-in-the-know know you chose Today.”
“Ah, that.”
So, that’s why I was the “Hageuksang Idol.”[1] I should be more careful when going out. I don’t want to be attacked by Today’s fans.
“Wow, I knew this guy was crazy, but I never thought he would go this far.”
“Is that why you came to talk to me?”
“No, not just that. I mean, I came to see you guys too. And I have something to talk about.”
Joo Woosung licked his lips and looked at the members. Realizing what he meant, I gestured to the members.
“I’ll be back soon. Go in first.”
“Okay.”
“If you have something to say, just say it. Sunbae, I’ll go in first.”
“Yeah, fighting.”
Seong Jiwon bowed, and the rest of the members rushed into the practice room, relieved.
I looked around in the lobby. Then I brought Joo Woosung into a conference room.
“Is this something we can’t talk about in the lobby?”
“Why can’t we just go to a cafe? I don’t want to drink dust in your shabby building.”
“I’ll be killed if I go out now.”
“Right, you’re the type of person who cares about that stuff.”
Are you kidding me? As a PD, I had to dodge all kinds of anti-fans, sneak out through the back door, and hide in the parking lot to go home. Kim Heeyeon asked me if I was an idol at that time…
No, come to think of it, I am an idol now, right?
“Hey.”
“Ah, yes.”
I hurriedly returned from my trip down memory lane and looked at Joo Woosung. He was sitting in a chair, fiddling with the conference room microphone.
“It wouldn’t be, but…”
“Yes.”
“I’m just asking.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not doubting you, but….”
“Stop being annoying and just ask quickly.”
What’s with all the hesitation?
As I showed my annoyance, Joo Woosung scratched the back of his head.
“Have you met the paparazzi?”
I raised my eyebrows.
Ah, I think I knew what Joo Woosung was anxious about.
“Did you meet Kim Jaeyeon?”
“That’s not his name, but maybe his pseudonym.”
“You’re more naive than I thought….”
I muttered and pressed my temples. From the beginning, I knew Kim Jaeyeon was that kind of person, but my threats must have been weak.
It was already annoying dealing with uncontrollable people, let alone him. I buried myself deep in the chair and pondered how to deal with this as my eyes met Joo Woosung’s.
“Sigh.”
I scoffed at him.
“You came here because you were afraid that I said something, right?”
“This guy really needs to fix his attitude.”
“No, Joo Woosung, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Despite my firm words, Joo Woosung still didn’t believe me.
“Then why did you meet him?”
“I’m plotting something.”
“What?”
“To become the number one on Shining Star.”
“What? Are you still thinking about that useless dream?”
Joo Woosung scoffed.
“It’s not going to happen. Today’s agency seems to be pushing hard this time. You should be able to tell from how the production staff treats you guys.”
“I know. I get it.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“There are many ways in this world….”
Talking around the subject, Joo Woosung didn’t press the issue to the end. But my shoulders drooped.
“It’s good that you’re doing something, but take care of your teammates too.”
“…”
“When I mentioned you, they didn’t say anything, but their faces said it all. On the left, it read ‘anxiety,’ and on the right, ‘affection.’ They’re all worried about where you’ll go next, and it’s pitiful.”
“That’s…”
I closed my mouth as I tried to argue.
There was nothing to say. The question lingered.
“Have you, Joo Woosung, ever done that?”
[1] 하극상(hageuksang) can refer to a younger person being disrespectful towards their senior.
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