Chapter 190: Chapter 190

“Let’s do well today!!”

“Yep!!”

It had been quite some time since he joined the sound team as the maknae.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

By now, he had gotten used to idols with radiant, glowing faces passing by as if it was nothing.

Is the next act, The Dawn?

As the pre-recording progressed and he checked the broadcast cue sheet, it was already The Dawn’s turn.

He had seen them during the dry rehearsal earlier, but maybe because they were a top contender for first place, they had been allocated a generous amount of time for both the title track and the B-side.

“The Dawn” he knew was a group that paired intense songs with precise choreography.

However, the songs he heard during yesterday’s pre-mixing practice felt somewhat different.

There were no mistakes ‘till the end!

The song being recorded now has already received overwhelming reviews from experts.

Some said that after listening to this song, Kang Ichae’s characteristic boldness had disappeared, making it easy listening, while others commented that it marked a new beginning for The Dawn by including mainstream appeal.

Given that Kang Ichae, who was already receiving numerous love calls for his songwriting and composing, had released the album, it seemed to be garnering more attention from the industry than expected.

“Hello!”

Kang Ichae, who seemed completely unaffected by such reviews, greeted the fans with a smile and sat in the chair prepared for him on stage.

The outfit for the B-side song was casual, consisting of a light ivory knit and jeans.

The sound team’s maknae once again checked the sound by reviewing the precautions for this stage written in the cue sheet.

“Waking up at dawn and sitting next to you,

If I want to whisper and kiss you to sleep more,

Is that love?”

It was Kang Ichae who started first.

And it wasn’t rap but singing.

Moreover, it was at a high level.

“My heart, becoming clearer in the light,

I hide and smile, fearing it might be too big for you.”

Under the bright lights, Kang Ichae’s jet-black hair swayed.

As Kang Ichae opened the song with a calm voice, the maknae, Jeong Dajun, followed him.

“Don’t smile at me, it’s hard,

Don’t be kind to me, it’s difficult.”

A soft and clear voice resonated.

“Waking up at dawn and looking at your face,

If I rest my chin and never get tired of looking,

Is that weird?”

Then Seo Hoyun’s voice reverberated.

The tone and atmosphere suited the song well, enhancing the stage.

The sound team’s maknae, in front of the mixing equipment, was tense, fearing he might make a mistake while watching Seo Hoyun fill the screen.

“The words floating in the darkness,

I hide and slowly, fearing they might be too burdensome for you.”

The harmonies of The Dawn were layered neatly.

“Slowly, one step, two steps

Once more, slowly, one step.”

Seong Jiwon, tapping the microphone with his fingers and keeping the beat slowly, began to sing.

“When you come closer, I get dizzy and run away.”

“…!”

Goosebumps ran up the sound team’s maknae’s arms instantly.

It was the same no matter how many times he heard it.

Not just the rhythm or pitch, but above all, the emotions conveyed through the microphone felt so genuine.

As if he truly seemed uneasy and insecure.

“Please, slowly, one step, two steps,

Once more, slowly, two steps.”

Kim Seonghyeon exchanged a faint smile with Seong Jiwon beside him.

“My heart, becoming clearer in the light,

I hide and smile, fearing it might be too big for you.”

After the first pre-recorded stage ended, the sound team’s maknae was bewildered, wondering if it was really live, even though he had set it up himself.

After one or two more recordings, The Dawn told the fans they’d see them again soon and left the stage.

In the meantime, they didn’t forget to greet the staff.

“Wow, how can they have such emotions at that age…?”

“The Dawn’s vocals have improved, haven’t they??”

After safely finishing the pre-recording of other artists, the live broadcast began.

The performances continued smoothly, and with the MC’s introduction, The Dawn returned to the stage.

Their outfits, slightly altered from those they wore in the MV, were designed to subtly highlight a bit of exposure.

It was the result of Lee Jihyeon advocating for a pure and sexy summer look and the stylist insisting on a powerful punch.

“Seo Hoyun, are you trying to kill me!!!!!”

“Hey!! I’m full even without eating!!”

The voices of frenzied fans, more intense than usual because of their provocative outfits, reached the sound team.

“Wow.”

The sound team’s maknae couldn’t help but exclaim at the different aura compared to the stage for the B-side song or rehearsal.

Seo Hoyun, with white lace extending from his right wrist to his knees, waved slightly at the camera following him for a fan cam.

With a cute appearance befitting his second year, all the staff smiled warmly at him, while members of The Dawn stood in their starting positions, and soon the music flowed out.

“Out of curiosity, I keep messing with you.

You make me so curious.”

Seo Hoyun turned his head, stretched out the hand adorned with lace, clenched it, and pulled it to his chest.

The Jimmy Jib camera closely followed him.

“The first time always feels the most thrilling.”

And when he did a wave, the lace fluttered, clearly revealing the lines of his body.

While the sound team’s maknae purely admired his skill, the Noeuls in the audience were busy screaming at the concept that seemed to spoon-feed them.

“Grabbing your hand in a rush,

Holding nothing back, completely.

I can’t stay calm.”

The sound of white shoes scuffing echoed consistently.

At the same time, Kang Ichae, wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt with a slightly raised collar and sporting a lip ring on his lower lip, stepped into the center.

His husky voice, which had showcased his impressive singing skills in previous tracks, now delivered a powerful rap.

“I’m not ready to let you go;

I just want to keep making mistakes.

Curiosity led me here and now I’m trapped.

You can be my divine.”

Then, the camera caught Jeong Dajun pressing down the brim of his white cap, which had been disheveled by the intense choreography, with a sly grin.

Seo Hoyun joined in beside him.

“Right now, just do it,

Baby love me,

I’ll give you everything.”

At the same time, he crossed his hands around his neck, then slowly swept them down.

“The first time is always the most thrilling.

Sorry, I can be so fickle,

But that’s what you like about me, isn’t it?”

Under the blue lights, Seo Hoyun tilted his head back, slowly turned with a languid expression, and lifted the corners of his mouth, causing screams to erupt.

“Honestly, I’m a little scared,

That you might get tired of me.

But not now.

Do it, baby love me.”

The sound team’s maknae was surprised not only by Seo Hoyun’s appearance but also by the voice he heard through the headset.`

“If you don’t like it, I won’t do it.

When I try to stop, you block my way.

(Then I smile a little.)”

His low, resonant voice blended with the song, making it feel strangely seductive, even though the melody was fast-paced and light rather than sticky or heavy.

“I want to make sure this won’t be our last.”

After finishing the last line and doing the ending pose, Seo Hoyun mischievously snatched off Jeong Dajun’s cap, eliciting an “Eh!” of surprise that reached the sound team’s maknae’s ears, marking the end of The Dawn’s title track performance.

***

“I want to do it again.”

“Stop it, enough.”

Seong Jiwon, mumbling about wanting to redo the stage, was cut off as we waited for the performance of another contender for first place to finish.

After a short while, we moved to the stage following the staff’s guidance.

“The Dawn, congratulations on winning first place!!”

As expected, first place went to us.

Under the shower of confetti, we shook the trophy and performed the title track live.

This is just the first.

I was planning to gather maximum achievements with this album.

It was only natural as a new quest had appeared next to me.

[Quest Arrival!

Achieve a triple crown on music shows!

Success: 3,000 points awarded

Failure: Banned from variety shows for six months]

The penalty was still nonsensical, but given my confidence in this title track, the difficulty wasn’t too bad.

I wonder how many crowns we can achieve.

We should at least secure four or five trophies to save face for the fans who supported us during Shining Star.

The song was well-received, the tracks were solid, and the choreography was great.

As we were riding a wave of sweet popularity, every time we walked down the hallway, we could feel the stares of scrutiny, envy, jealousy, and admiration.

“Hello, sunbaenims!!”

“Huh??”

Jeong Dajun, bouncing at the front with excitement while holding the trophy and heading to the waiting room, froze at the greeting from the hoobae idol group, Rikun.

“Hello.”

“Su-Su-Sunbaenim, congratulations!”

“Yes, thank you.”

As Jeong Dajn stammered awkwardly, I grabbed the back of his neck and responded on his behalf.

After the members of Rikun glanced at us with bright eyes and disappeared, Jeong Dajun scratched his arm and spoke up.

“Hyung, did you hear that?! They called me a ‘sunbae’?!”

“Do you like it?”

“No?! I was so shocked I got goosebumps!!”

A group that hasn’t even been around for two full years yet.

Of course, countless idols appear and disappear every day in this industry, where recognition equals status.

It wasn’t often that someone else would greet us so respectfully as sunbaes.

How was it for me?

Thinking back, I probably ignored or confronted the sunbaes who used to act all high and mighty when I was a PD.

Otherwise, I managed to survive by playing the social game to some extent.

I thought Jeong Dajun would be happy about becoming a “sunbae,” but he shook his head vigorously.

“I want to stay the maknae!!”

“…What?”

Surprised by his words, I looked at him, and our team’s maknae, who wanted to remain the “maknae,” showed a rather serious expression.

“I think if I grow any more…”

“Yeah.”

“When I mess up, Hoyun-hyung won’t look after me as much anymore…”

Kang Ichae, who was standing a step behind, clapped his hands.

“Good thinking, maknae. Did you see how this hyung treats me??”

“Even a dog at a school for three years can recite poetry!”

Seriously, was that even a saying?

“But accepting Hoyun-hyung’s scolding is part of becoming an adult, right…?”

“Your process of becoming an adult is a bit strange?”

Anyway, just as Seo Hojin would always be my dongsaeng, our team’s maknae would always be the maknae no matter how much he grew, but I didn’t bother to correct Jeong Dajun’s thought.

“…!!”

He was like a nephew.

No, thinking like this makes me feel really shameless.

Being in the same group as someone like a nephew—wasn’t that crazy?

Though it couldn’t be helped, the absurdity of the situation left me breathless.

At that moment, Jeong Dajun clung to my arm.

“Wait, let go for a bit. I need to find my conscience.”

“What?! Since when did you have a conscience, hyung?!”

As I shook off Jeong Dajun and reflected on my life, someone blocked my path.

“Hello?”

It was Yoon Heeun.

Kim Seonghyeon looked puzzled, and Jeong Dajun tilted his head.

Why is he popping up here?

He was the one who used to talk nonsense about pretending to be clean in front of Seong Jiwon.

I had long forgotten about him, but it seemed our activity periods overlapped.

Seeing his annoying face again was very unpleasant.

In this industry, there was no one as upright, practice-focused, and clean as Seong Jiwon, who was like the purest spring water from the Alps.

At least, it wasn’t something I should hear from a guy like him.

“Haha, are you that happy about winning a trophy once?”

I was tempted to indulge in some mischief and end the day happily, but considering the kids were around, I hesitated about what to do.

Anyway, I needed to restrain myself more and more.

Come to think of it, was Yoon Heeun a member of Prove?[1]

I heard their recent performance wasn’t great, so he seemed on edge.

He deliberately looked Seong Jiwon up and down.

“Congratulations on getting first place this time. But if this is the peak of your popularity in your second year—”

“Gotta go display the trophy~.”

But before Yoon Heeun could finish his sentence, Jeong Dajun casually walked past him.

“Selfie time before that~.”

Then Kang Ichae, with a playful face, mimicked Jeong Dajun’s tone and followed him.

At that moment…

“Ahaha, I’m off to practice~.”

= Go practice.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Unexpectedly, Seong Jiwon mimicked the members who had gone ahead and brushed past Yoon Heeun.

And I realized once again.

Our Alpine spring water was the most cunning in the group.

[1] Yoon Heeun first appeared in Episode 128. He was the one that Hoyun gifted the Anti-Love Doll to.