High Five.
This year marked their third year since debuting as the six-member junior group under the same agency as Black Call.
They were touted as the next leading figures of K-Pop, following in Black Call’s footsteps.
Well, by this point, most would know.
That these guys had no reason to be here.
Those with heavy consciences…[1]
Making my way to the waiting room, diligently greeting other groups and staff along the way, Seong Jiwon nudged me.
“Hoyun.”
“Yeah?”
I turned my head, following Seong Jiwon’s gaze, and saw High Five.
“Hello.”
As soon as our eyes met, the leader of High Five approached us as if he had been waiting.
“Wow, that was really amazing just now. Congratulations on first place.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I’m Kang Yeonhu.”
“Yes. I’m Seo Hoyun.”
Kang Yeonhu, High Five’s leader, smiled affably.
While exchanging greetings with their leader and main vocal, I could feel the glances of members from other groups.
But Kang Yeonhu seemed completely unaware, focusing solely on us.
This guy….
I had a feeling about this.
I changed my expression and smiled brightly.
“I enjoyed High Five’s performance.”
“Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed with the ranking, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Seong Jiwon, you were really amazing.”
“Ahaha, thank you.”
“But we won’t lose next time, right?”
Kang Yeonhu, with a playful twinkle in his eye, didn’t add any unnecessary words and walked away with his fellow member.
Watching their retreating figures, Seong Jiwon slowly opened his mouth.
“He’s quite sociable.”
“Tell me about it.”
I brushed my hair, which was poking my eyes under my cap.
Woosung.
The right amount of friendliness, the appropriate comment, and even a polite smile.
So—
Your hoobae is kind of creepy.
It was clear he knew how to behave and present himself to others, the mark of a long-term trainee.
At least he wasn’t as careless or stupid as Today, who spilled their weaknesses everywhere.
Should we rethink our strategy?
I walked slowly, organizing my thoughts.
Working in a broadcasting station meant inevitably mixing with people.
Especially in variety shows, it was crucial not only to come up with good programs but also to shape and refine the characters of the cast.
As a result, having rolled around in this field, I prided myself on having a pretty accurate eye for people.
So, I could say this about someone at that level: finding even a speck of dust on him would be hard.
Not because he was flawless, but because his self-management was thorough.
“Hoyun.”
At that moment, another individual with the keen sense of a long-term trainee called me.
“Yeah?”
“Let’s not have weird thoughts.”
“…When have I ever?”
After a brief pause, I shamelessly retorted to Seong Jiwon.
“Really?”
“I swear on my conscience.”
Since I had no conscience, it was easy to swear on it.
Seong Jiwon chuckled in disbelief, and then his phone rang.
When he answered it, Jeong Dajun’s excited voice came through.
“—We got second place in the dance unit.”
“Really?”
S-, second place in stats.
Kim Seonghyeon’s dancing skills were objectively superior.
In fact, it was judged that he would shine more the more he shed the idol label or when his face was hidden.
So, I naturally thought Kim Seonghyeon would win….
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it… Ah.”
Puzzled by the unexpected result, I thought I’d have to ask more details when we met.
Then a brief message from Kang Ichae arrived in our group chat.
– Kang Ichae: 1st place in rap
– Kang Ichae: ^^V
“Wow.”
As expected of Kang Ichae.
First in the rap unit, first in the vocal unit, second in the dance unit.
“A good start.”
Seong Jiwon smiled brightly and started walking.
I followed him, tapping Seong Jiwon’s back as he bowed politely to every staff member we passed.
“Seong Jiwon, I’m kind of proud of you.”
“…Eh?”
Considering the kind of creepy guys around, you’ve grown up quite well.
***
The face-off had ended, but not a single piece of news about Shining Star Season 2 leaked out anywhere.
So, the Noeuls were in a state of unparalleled peace.
[Title: Guys, have you seen the text posted on The Dawn’s official? It’s hilarious.
Kang Ichae put up a photo with a caption “Hyung, you’re really too much”
Ichae: Eek! Praise me quickly, please! ><
Hoyun: ㅊㅊ[2]
Dajun: Wow!! Hoyun-hyung is quite sincere for once.
Seonghyeon: He replied. Must be a compliment.
Look at them marveling over those two letters. Seo Hoyun, how the hell have you lived your life?
Kang Ichae called him insincere and then Seo Hoyun sends an annoyed text, so he posts a few more.
Ichae: You seem like a really fun(trash) and kind-hearted person. Occasionally, I am (beautiful) astounded by you, Mr. Seo Hoyun (no-ssagaji)[3]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Kang Ichae, why are you like this? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Even Seo Hoyun’s reply…
– Hoyun: gamsa[4]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ But Jiwon caught it too
– Jiwon: ching-chan!![5]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋIs this a “praise”?
Jiwon, please don’t do this
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋLMAO it’s too funny that the craziness spreadㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└└Seriously, why are you like this lately, Seong Jiwon
└Dajun said on V-Live that Jiwon suggested getting a The Dawn tattoo…
└└That’s real madness..
└└And even Kang Ichae would be startled
└I’m really worried about Seonghyeon these days…
The rest are usual themselves, but Seonghyeon… laughter
└└How does one survive in that Dawn+Jungle…]
That’s how the Nouels were, casually chatting away about the memes officially provided as usual.
Until one post came up.
[Title: But isn’t that text asking for praise related to Shining Star? Heard there’s a unit competition or something
Did Kang Ichae do well in the rap unit?]
A very accurate prediction post made even the doubtful Noeuls start to catch fire.
[Fuck… Is this real?]
[Ah shit, here comes the PTSD from another survival show…]
It was because they had been burnt too much before.
[Having to deal with all this hair-pulling, do we really have to… I’m already disillusioned]
[It’s a bit annoying but I don’t think it’s bad to participate. Thanks to the last Shining Star, our first-week sales skyrocketed… It might even go higher this time]
[Seriously, do we have to do this? Can’t the guys just be happy doing their activities? Fuck that, let’s give it our all!!!
Let’s stan like it’s the last time!!!]
Opinions were divided.
But, having won Shining Star Season 1, it was pretty much a given they’d participate in Season 2, thus greatly drawing the Noeuls’ attention.
So, the day the news broke.
[Shining Star Season 2 is coming back!]
The broadcast network’s server crashed.
[Yo, is it true the server crashed
└Seriously, glass serverㅋㅋㅋ These guys still haven’t thought of fixing it]
It was natural since not just The Dawn’s fans but fans of all the groups listed in the lineup rushed in.
With the tremendous success of Shining Star Season 1 and considerable anticipation for the announced Season 2 lineup, interest was bound to be high.
[Shining Star Season 2 Star Will Shine Again!
High Five, Bercy, TEW, Try, The Dawn]
Most fans of the idol groups mentioned in the lineup felt their heads spinning.
[High Five???????????]
[Damn, the tyranny of big companies is insane… They don’t need to be here with their current first-week sales]
[Their capital size is differentㅋㅋㅋ (Obviously, they’re kids raised with Black Call’s money;;)
Do they really have to join this shit fuckㅋㅋㅋ]
Naturally, criticism toward High Five grew.
[We’re pissed too ㅋㅋ]
High Five’s side was not taking it lightly, their irritation mounting.
This only heightened the fandom wars.
[It hurts our pride so much to compete with these mismatched guys ㅠㅠ Our kids ㅠㅠ What do we do
└Yeah, your idol sucks
└ㅋㅋAre you dumb?]
As the official site went live and some promotional videos started circulating on YouTube, the atmosphere, becoming increasingly hostile, had the Noeuls trembling with anxiety.
– “Say you love me—!”
Of course, that was only until the highlight edit video of the first episode was released before its airing.
The moment Seong Jiwon sang the first verse, the audience’s stir could be felt even through the screen.
The Noeuls felt a rush of exhilaration.
[Ah!!! Jiwon!!! Hoyun!!!!!!!]
[It doesn’t make sense if this doesn’t win first place]
Because it felt like they had been outclassed by skill.
[Seong Jiwon is really on a roll these days, following in Black Call’s Jeongwoo’s footsteps as the next K-pop god, it seems…]
[He is Korean….]
While they were busy praising endlessly over a single video, the next one for the rap unit was uploaded.
A black mask, cap, and hoodie couldn’t hide the unmistakable faded grapefruit hair of Kang Ichae.
– “It’s chasing!”
And he truly was a madman.
[Wow…]
Even in the short video, a series of techniques and performances seamlessly followed one after another, dominating the stage with absolute freedom.
[Kang Ichae really seems like a genius, sometimes I get sick of it…. Not just composing and producing but damn;; his rap is killer]
[The vibe is crazy…
He must’ve been smirking leisurely, oh it drives me crazy]
However, for the dance unit’s Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun, despite attracting attention with their flashy breakdancing, the reason for their failure was too obvious.
[Ah]
High Five’s main dancer flashed his abs.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Ah damn fuck I have to admit it]
Since voting was conducted on-site, overcoming a performance that left a strong impression was difficult unless there was a huge disparity in dancing skills.
In the end, High Five indeed secured 1st place by a significant margin.
[This is 1st place???
└Yep, heard so
└└ㅋㅋㅋDarnㅠㅠ It’s regrettable but have to admit]
[Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun really danced like crazy, but couldn’t beat the abs guy]
[Seonghyeon ㅠ Should’ve flashed yours too
└Sneakily wishing…]
Then, a post predicting the rankings of the face-off competition appeared in a community.
It was the result of combining reviews posted by general voters and scrutinizing the edits and comments.
[Title: Prediction
Dance unit 1st place: High Five
Vocal unit 1st place: The Dawn
Rap unit 1st place: The Dawn
└Guys, don’t give it any attention
└——-DoNotFeedDoNotFeedDoNotFeed——]
Despite the comments, the atmosphere among the already sensitive fandoms was buzzing.
[Seems right?]
[Hmm, I’ve been rewatching it constantly, seems correct. The Dawn’s dance unit is 2nd place]
Hearing this news, Noeul tried to act indifferent, but they couldn’t hide their amusement even in the posts they uploaded on SNS.
After all, it was said they won purely on skill through blind voting.
[Well, we won’t know till just before the broadcast]
[This time the song was great ㅠㅠ Genius Idol]
But as the atmosphere was already tense, there was no need to stir up controversy further, so everyone tried to quietly move on.
However, that was only temporary.
Someone leaked the face-off planning of Shining Star, completely turning things around.
[Guys, if you get 1st place, it’s 1,500 points per unit]
Yes.
The 1st place of the respective unit face-off was awarded 1,500 points each, and 2nd place got 1,000 points.
Fans other than Noeul’s poured out their anger on various sites.
[The Dawn 3,000 points, High Five 1,000 points???]
[Ah, fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋIdols are also judged by their popularity, right?! So pissed, either be popular or not!! Has the production team not come to their senses yet?!!!!!]
[If you wanna be Mask King, go there, fuck~~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are you kidding me? You bitches???]
Only the Noeuls were at peace.
[Oh my??]
Having already faced many challenges, they were able to package their calmness well, sneaking into private accounts without causing unnecessary disputes.
[Guys, we voted based on talentㅠㅠ Don’t be too mad~ㅠㅠ]
[Ah… let’s not be too harsh… If I were a fan from another group, I would feel bad too, honestly, it’s a ridiculous methodㅋㅋ but hey, Noeul, our babies got 1st place
└Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[If an idol has no talent, what are they supposed to do…? CuriousCuriousㅎㅎ
└If not talented, at least be handsome… But our kids… their faces are celestial too… what to do;;ㅠㅠ It’s really tough.. ㅠㅠ]
[Ah~ If Seonghyeon had just revealed his abs, it would have been 4500 points, what a pityㅋㅋ Ah, Seonghyeon, let’s show them at our solo concert later!]
They were masters at throwing shade, just like someone they knew.
[Ha… Every time I get disillusioned, I wanna quit K-pop
└Those who say they’ll quit are the ones who stay the longest
└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ ㅋㅋReal ones just leave without saying such stuff
└└This~~~!!!
This is just a temporary love…
I’m only staying to see the Dawnies win 1st…]
Yet, regardless of the Noeul’s strong mentality, the tension among the fandoms continued to build.
Thus came the day of the Shining Star shooting.
Seo Hoyun felt a subtly cold atmosphere the moment he entered the shooting location.
“Hello! We’re The Dawn.”
“…Ah, yes. Hello.”
No matter whom he greeted, the response was like seeing a stranger, thoroughly putting up a wall.
“Hello~.”
“Oh! It’s been a while.”
Here, the gathered idols, each with years of experience, were acquainted with one another and greeted each other warmly.
Of course, there were checks and balances exchanged in the process.
But to The Dawn?
“Ah, The Dawn? I know, I know~.”
What checks?
It wasn’t like he was a ghost, but it was the first time in a while he was treated like a nobody.
Was it because of their 1st-place finish at the face-off, or simply because they didn’t want to include him in their league?
Seo Hoyun slightly twitched his eyebrows at him but didn’t say much.
Bullshit.
To Seo Hoyun, a former PD now 34 with life experience, it all seemed like nothing more than childish antics that were neither useful nor helpful.
“When will our Dajun grow up~?”
“He’ll be taller than you, definitely taller…”
“Is his growth plate still open~??”
“It is!!”
With a small click of his tongue, he turned his head toward Kang Ichae, who was already seated and playfully pressing down on Jeong Dajun’s head.
“Kang Ichae, stop it. What do you want to drink? Hurry up and say it.”
“…Hm?”
“?”
“???”
Suddenly, they stared at each other, not understanding, then Kang Ichae burst out laughing.
“…Ah, I guess it’s already become a habit??”
“Ah, shit….”
Having gotten used to accommodating Kang Ichae’s preferences after falling ill in Japan, Seo Hoyun cursed under his breath as he got up from his seat.
Kang Ichae, never one to miss an opportunity to tease, followed him closely.
“Ichae is happy, Seotorious~.”
“Never call me by that nickname in front of me.”
“Why are you taking hits again these days?”
Having escaped from Kang Ichae’s clutches, Jeong Dajun brightened up and tidied his hair.
“Ah… Does that guy grow thorns if he doesn’t tease someone for even 10 seconds?”
“Jeong Dajun, we’re just sacrifices… give up.”
“As long as you’re part of this group with Mr. Seo and Mr. Kang, there’s nothing you can do, right??”
Though some cast envious looks at the overly relaxed The Dawn, the involved parties weren’t affected in the least.
“Phew…, hang in there, Dajun. Let’s think about what we’re going to eat later.”
“What does Dajun want to eat?”
“I want to eat whatever Jiwon-hyung wants~.”
“Stop lying and speak honestly.”
“…Korean beef.”
“Okay.”
While Kim Seonghyeon looked around somewhat sharply, Seong Jiwon and Jeong Dajun leaned on their hands, busy chatting and choosing the meal menu on their phones.
See this?
The TEW group’s vocal next to them didn’t like the look of this.
TEW had been around for a while, so he was careful not to get caught up in needless gossip, but it was irksome to see these not-even-two-years-in guys being so noisy.
Back in my day, I couldn’t even drink water for fear of the seniors’ eyes.
“Hello?”
So, he spoke up.
“Ah, hello.”
However, the person he addressed happened to be Seong Jiwon, with a steel mentality that not even a needle could penetrate.
“Aren’t you nervous? Wow~, my hands are shaking!”
“Ahaha, of course, it’s very nerve-wracking.”
…Hmm?
Seeing Seong Jiwon respond with a laugh without a hint of nervousness, he found it boring and quickly shifted his target.
“Jeong Dajun, you’re nervous, right?”
“Huh?”
“I haven’t eaten a single meal. I feel like I’ll throw up if I do~. It’s better to approach such an important occasion with gravity, right?”
= Can you even swallow food right now?
Jeong Dajun’s eyes widened.
Exactly.
“Let’s work hard, everyone.”
= Keep an eye out, ㅋ
The innocence plainly shown on his face made him think he could easily tease Jeong Dajun.
Seeing him slightly lift the corner of his mouth, Kim Seonghyeon glared at him fiercely,
“Ho—”
An ambiguous exclamation escaped from Jeong Dajun’s mouth.
…Huh?
A year ago, Jeong Dajun might have been flustered and at a loss, or he might have taken it seriously without realizing.
What’s with him?
However, he had spent the last year by Seo Hoyun’s side.
Like rice in a hot pan, The Dawn’s maknae had been sufficiently seasoned to handle situations like this.
Even living with the ultimate provocateur had made him immune to such low-level provocations.
“Yep.”
Thanks to that, his response was very nonchalant.
“Well, that can happen… Sunbae, fighting~.”
= You might as well not eat…
“…”
“…”
“But seriously, what are we eating, hyung?”
= I’m gonna eatㅎ
This is why they said to be careful what you drink in front of kids.
Seo Hoyun had painstakingly protected the seemingly innocent maknae, but Jeong Dajun had long since mastered a new way of speaking.
***********
[1] Hoyun actually used the phrase “양심에 털난”, means something like having a fur on your conscience.
[2] It means congrats.
[3] This was written with English characters in the raw. A ssagaji is someone who is unkind.
[4] Also written with English characters , and it means thank you, like from 감사합니다.
[5] Again, originally written with English characters. It means something like compliments.
—————
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