Chapter 59

59

"Originally, you were just a nobody. But a lot has happened this year."

"Shining Star got it because Today's drug scandal blew up, and they got it by default."

This is quite exciting.

It had been a long time since I heard gossip about Today, after the incident. Let's exclude internet trolls. Even top stars like Joo Sung and Yoo Ji-a get those.

I was about to eavesdrop on what they were saying behind the building when I suddenly turned around, just in case.

"Ah, Kang I-cha."

I wondered if he would be hurt.

"Why?"

But this guy was still nonchalantly brushing off the sand from his hands.

Ding!

[As expected, the Kims...]

"......?"

[These days, they call you and Seo Ho-yun like that.]

Anyway, although Kang I-cha didn't seem to care much, there was nothing as unproductive and entertaining as staff gossip for me, so I listened intently.

"He does have some talent, I admit."

"Come on, Seo Ho-yun is just not it."

"Why?"

"He's a complete hack. It's really frustrating to see him rely only on his face and act like an idol."

"Seriously, anyone can be an idol these days."

'Is this... a compliment or an insult?'

Suddenly, I became a 'guy who relies on his face and pretends to be capable' and gave the gossip skill a higher score. Of course, it wasn't credible, so I gave it a 5 out of 10.

Ding!

[It doesn't hurt, right?]

'Hmm...'

If you go to Nertube, there are tons of clickbait titles like [Ho-yun, do you want to be an idol?] with videos of him being a hack. But hearing such things in person wouldn't really affect me.

Kang I-cha, who seemed to know this, made a silly joke.

"Bro, you just rely on your face?"

"I'm tired of this misunderstanding."

While filming a skit with Kang I-cha, the conversation suddenly veered off.

"But seeing how well he's doing lately, does he have some backing?"

"If that were true, it would be really frustrating..."

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

I wish I had some backing and was getting such misunderstandings. We're still doing our choreography by hand, like a cottage industry.

I quickly covered my mouth with both hands and checked the staff's mood before whispering to Kang I-cha.

"Hey, do you know who my backer is?"

"King God Emperor General Chungmugong Majesty, me?"

While Kang I-cha was making silly jokes about me, the conversation took another turn.

"Maybe you and the Shining Star PD are... you know, close?"

That was true.

In the past tense, though.

"......"

When I glanced at Kang I-cha, his expression was as stiff as mine. It seemed that even a rumor he could usually dismiss as a joke couldn't be laughed off this time.

"Stop making nonsense..."

I muttered, trying to block Kang I-cha, who was staring at me intently. I felt like he might burst out at any moment.

"Wait a minute."

Kang I-cha raised an eyebrow but stopped walking. He's a good judge of situations, even if he doesn't listen to advice.

I didn't want the situation to affect Kim Hee-young, so I was thinking of a natural way to stop the nonsense when Seung Ji-won suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Hello."

"......!"

The staff, who were gossiping, were startled and bowed their heads. Kang I-cha and I exchanged glances.

'Let's see.'

'Yeah.'

Because we wanted to see how Seung Ji-won would react.

"Ah, hello... hello."

The staff rolled their eyes, looking nervous, wondering if Seung Ji-won had heard them. Seung Ji-won just smiled gently.

"Y-yes..."

"......"

Then he looked at the staff very slowly. Although his mouth was smiling, his eyes seemed to sink, clearly indicating that he had heard the previous conversation.

The staff were visibly uncomfortable, their eyes darting around.

"Is there something you want to say...?"

"Y-yes?"

"...No, I just thought you were staring."

"Hmm..."

Seung Ji-won's smile deepened.

"I thought you had something to say to me..."

"......"

"I didn't hear clearly just now. If it's okay, could you repeat it?"

Seung Ji-won is really intense...

I, the staff, and Kang I-cha all froze. Seung Ji-won was still smiling, but his face clearly said, 'Say it to my face.'

In the end, the staff bowed and apologized to Seung Ji-won.

"I'm sorry..."

"Haha... If you can't say it to my face, don't say it behind my back, okay?"

"I'm sorry! Since the time is up, I'll go first..."

"Okay, good job."

Seung Ji-won politely greeted them, and the staff fled. Watching their backs, I sighed in surprise and ran my hand through my hair, only to realize it was set and just bowed my head. Then I turned my head and met their gazes.

"Huh."

Seung Ji-won's eyes gradually widened, and he quickly returned to the familiar look.

"Bro... what's up?"

"W-well, it's just that..."

Seung Ji-won, clearly flustered, stammered.

I had a reasonable suspicion.

Maybe this group is more... mentally fragile than I thought?

"Hey, when did you start listening?"

"From the beginning."

"Oh, man... I got caught."

Seung Ji-won scratched his neck, embarrassed.

"Was I too hasty... I'm sorry. I didn't know how much you guys have been through. It really hurts when people spread strange rumors behind your back."

"That's true. Seung Ji-won usually just bows his head and passes by."

"But you know it's a shameful thing to do, right?"

Seung Ji-won sighed deeply again and looked at me with determination.

"Ho-yun."

"......Yeah."

'I'm doomed.'

I instinctively felt that the fire was about to spread to me.

"This time! Let's show them clearly."

'What does he mean by that?'

'Umm.'

I quickly sent an S.O.S. signal to Kang I-cha, who, after a moment, took my side.

"Don't push Ho-yun too hard, bro. He's been busy with his schedule and hasn't had much time to practice."

"No! It's fine!"

"Ouch."

Seung Ji-won roared. His eyes, sparkling with madness, made it clear that the time for persuasion was over.

Kang I-cha, who quickly realized this, smiled and took a step back. He didn't want to be involved, I guess. I glared at him.

'Hey, you were on my side, weren't you?'

'Come on, we don't have to die together, do we?'

Kang I-cha just kept smiling and kept his mouth shut. The outcome was already decided, and Seung Ji-won was burning with enthusiasm.

"I've made up my mind!"

It was the return of Mr. Tiger.

"I'm going to turn Ho-yun into a dancing machine!"

"......"

This moment has finally come.

I sighed, watching Seung Ji-won, who was now on fire.

"...Sure, whatever."

I was going to ask him anyway.

I'll lose my freedom from tomorrow, but it's okay. I was going to ask Seung Ji-won or Kim Sung-hyun anyway.

This time, I was actually confident. And for good reason—

[Seo Ho-yun can't be a dance king, but he can move from terrible to average!]

'Annoying...'

[Song: A, Dance: C+, Variety: B+, Acting: B- ???: ???

???: ???

Charisma: B+ ※[Dance Focus Tweezers Set] equipped.]

I had already bought the [Dance Focus Tweezers Set] with the points I earned from variety shows.

Dance experience value tripled! It was worth the 3,000 points. I expected hell with Seung Ji-won and choreography training, but I was already prepared.

"Seung Ji-won, Kang I-cha, let's go."

"......I don't like it when he smiles like that."

No one will call me a hack anymore.

***

"Coming soon!! Let's wait!!"

Today, Lee Ji-hyun, the youngest member of the Coffee Shuttle planning team, finished preparing the drinks for all team members and the response strategy meeting for The Dawn's music video, and was browsing through fan reactions on SNS.

The response to the already released teaser photos and videos was hot.

[Refreshing, refreshing, refreshing. Ah, so good. Ah!]

[Amazing, the world is crazy.]

Especially the visuals were so hot that they sometimes spilled over into other timelines and attracted attention.

[Since I'm not a K-pop expert... Who is the member who looks like I could only get one 5-star card with a million won? (Photo)

└Ah, Seo Ho-yun └Absolutely]

[Seung Ji-won's nose point is really love └Seung Ji-won thought about removing it └????????????? I vomited in front of the Big Bang └Ah, when he was in D.go, they said to remove it └I just set it on fire]

...It was a bit intense, but it was okay. Lee Ji-hyun frowned and looked for other reactions.

About the newly released logo and light sticks.

[Damn, I said I'm The Dawn]

[No matter how I think about it, Big Bang was too much. Suddenly, in one day, light sticks, official logo, and teaser (I'm grateful, but with a suspicious look)]

[Big Bang worked so fast, it's really annoying.]

Indeed, when you mention Big Bang, all you get is hate. I understand the feeling, but it's a bit disheartening.

'Still, it's understandable... I'd be mad too.'

[The official logo is not bad, though.]

The triangular shape with a horizontal line across it evoked the image of the sun rising at dawn. Below it, it read "THE DAWN."

[But the light stick is...]

[Sigh]

The light stick was a risky move.

The design itself wasn't bad, and it had the recognition function and LED mood that modern light sticks should have. But...

When the light stick was rendered, it had a reverse pyramid shape, which was a bit off.

[Is this to stab people to death?]

Unlike other idols' light sticks, which are mostly round, The Dawn's light stick was too sharp.

[It might be considered a weapon at the airport.]

[If other fans get out of hand, this is Big Bang's grand plan...]

'...That, that.'

Moreover, it was heavy. Thinking about the hastily prepared light stick project made my head throb.

'Next time, we can renew it.'

The cost would be no joke. As Lee Ji-hyun quickly scanned the fan reactions and closed the SNS window, the clock pointed to noon.

"Here it is!!"

Transitioning from the winter version of Apocalypse to a summer version with a refreshing concept wasn't easy... But the results were worth the effort.

"Let's watch it again."

"I've seen it dozens of times."

"Just checking to make sure there are no mistakes!"

Composed by Blue Tiger, lyrics by Blue Tiger, Kang I-cha, arranged by Blue Tiger, Kang I-cha.

In other words, Im Hyun-soo and Kang I-cha did everything.

"Wow, I'm nervous!"

It was a trendy and refreshing song. In other words, it was a song that clearly showed the determination to be number one this summer.

After refreshing and checking the rapidly rising view count, Lee Ji-hyun clicked on the music video again.

In the middle of the video, the sound of waves was muffled, and Kim Sung-hyun stood there.

[Whoosh-.]

"Wow, it looks great."

"He looks so handsome and refreshing."

Thanks to Director Jung's passionate editing, the video itself looked beautiful.

Kim Sung-hyun, who had been standing still, looking at the sea, got up and brushed the sand off