“Is this what becoming an adult is all about?”
“What are you talking about?”
No way, are they really close…?
Though they appeared together on variety shows and rumors of their friendship were widespread, most industry insiders thought their relationship was purely business.
And why wouldn’t they, especially since this was Joo Woosung they were talking about.
Look at the atmosphere, he truly is the celebrity of celebrities…
Rumors abound that, except for Black Call’s lead vocal Chae Jeongwoo, Joo Woosung was distant with everyone else, so what about his relationship with other industry contacts?
Seo Hoyun would have snorted had he known.
After all, except for work, Joo Woosung hardly ever left his home and was known as a cat-loving homebody.
“Ah! Woosung-sunbae, hello.”
“Uh-huh~, Jiwon, hi.”
However, the AD saw a completely different side than what had been rumored.
He even remembered the names of other members of The Dawn.
Seong Jiwon even greeted Joo Woosung with a slight smile, without a hint of discomfort.
The staff members whispered among themselves after witnessing the whole scene.
“Mr. Joo Woosung, is it mentor filming day today?”
“No…? Why did I come here?”
“Is your agency Daepaseong Entertainment or what?”
“What kind of nonsense is that??”
Even though it wasn’t his active period and he was off-schedule, was it really okay for a renowned idol to just show up at a different agency and hang out?
Or was it a case of miscommunication?
But there was a notification about today’s practice session.
“What now…?”
Then, why had he come to The Dawn?
Shouldn’t you be visiting High Five? Aren’t you afraid of getting chewed out for visiting your hoobae on their shooting day? But wouldn’t you get flak for coming to The Dawn anyway?
Though they couldn’t voice it out, numerous questions bubbled among the staff.
The only one genuinely delighted by Joo Woosung’s arrival was the writer, who once was an enthusiastic fan of Black Call.
“It’s so dazzling, it’s like I’m getting Lasik…”
“…”
Meanwhile, Woosung sat down on the couch in Daepaseong Entertainment’s practice room as if it were his own home, cracking a gentle smile as he sipped on the ion drink Seonghyeon brought him.
“Shall we start then?”
Wow!
Being an idol might seem glamorous from the outside, but it required not just natural talent but also grueling practice and effort!
The AD was thrilled at the prospect of witnessing this firsthand.
How professional can it get?
Squeak, squeak!
Just when The Dawn started their practice, the AD gazed at them with sparkling eyes for a moment,
“Ah! Why isn’t this working, what the heck!!”
The AD gazed blankly at the practice room.
“I’m doing it.”
“Is that how you do it? Be cute and sexy but still cool, come on!!”
“I am being cute and sexy and cool.”
“Look in the mirror.”
“…”
It started off not so badly.
Even when Joo Woosung was going through The Dawn members one by one to correct their posture, it was still okay despite a bit of roughness.
But when it was Seo Hoyun’s turn, it felt like all previous criticisms were just a taste of what was to come as he was thoroughly scolded.
“Haah…”
Seo Hoyun’s jaw trembled slightly, possibly holding back because the cameras were rolling.
“Haah? Haah?? Are you sighing now? I should be the one sighing. Why can’t you do this?”
“Am I not allowed to breathe as I wish?”
“Yeah.”
Joo Woosung, seemingly having ditched any filter he might have had with PD Kim Heeyeon, smirked every time, while Seo Hoyun checked if the camera was rolling and clenched his fist in response.
“Sunbae, please give advice so even a fool could understand, yes?”
“…Just do it.”
“…”
…Is he here to help or to make things worse?
Woosung was lively as a fish in water, thoroughly going through Hoyun.
Even the youngest member, Jeong Dajun, got caught in the crossfire and was rigorously critiqued.
“Dajun, snap out of it…”
“Oh, uh… yes…”
His soul seemed to have left his body.
“Hoyun, if you’re not born with it, you need to make up for it with effort.”
As Seo Hoyun responded with only his eyebrows twitching under the barrage of undeniable truths, Joo Woosung finally stood up, ran his fingers through his hair, and assumed the position.
“Look.”
Counting the beats out loud, one, two, three, he smoothly transitioned from a wave to a hip thrust to a wink, ending with a blown kiss with ease.
“Got it?”
“I got it!! Sunbae!!”
“I don’t… I don’t get it…”
The intended recipient was utterly unmoved, but Kim Seonghyeon’s eyes moistened at the sight.
Joo Woosung flopped back onto the sofa, crossing his legs and lifting the corners of his mouth as he looked at Seo Hoyun.
“What are you doing? Get moving.”
“…”
Without a word, Seo Hoyun heaved a deep sigh and sluggishly got up.
And against the backdrop of Joo Woosung’s nagging, he practiced in 0.1-second increments.
“Wait, let me change the tape before we do individual interviews!”
“Ah, yes!”
After about three repetitions of Joo Woosung’s criticisms and Seo Hoyun’s sighs, they moved on to prepare for the interviews.
PD Kim Heeyeon judged that they had captured enough practice footage for the show.
Even in exhaustion, they bowed politely to the staff members on occasion and continued practicing relentlessly.
“Amazing, really.”
Only those who went this far could be idols.
It wasn’t until the announcement that individual interview filming was about to begin that they finally stopped moving.
“Let’s start with Jeong Dajun! We have plenty of time, so please prepare at your leisure!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone quickly tidied up their clothing, faces, and hairstyles.
Except for Jeong Dajun, who stepped in front of the camera first, the rest of the members sought refuge out of the camera’s view, with Seo Hoyun and Seong Jiwon checking something on their phones.
“It makes you lose your appetite and vomit but it’s okay, I can handle it!”
“…Ah, ahaha?”
Bubbly and nice.
Perhaps because he was the maknae, Jeong Dajun’s interview was lively from start to finish.
“Next up, Seong Jiwon!”
At the staff’s call, Seong Jiwon, who had been chatting with Seo Hoyun, got up and switched places with Jeong Dajun.
Shortly after, Seo Hoyun, who had been playfully squeezing or poking Jeong Dajun’s cheeks outside the camera’s view, quietly slipped out of the practice room.
“Jiwon, you’re known as a practice bug, aren’t you?”
“Ahaha, I still need more practice. I’ll probably have to do more even after the shooting.”
While Seong Jiwon’s interview was in full swing, a delicious smell filled the practice room.
Noticing that it wasn’t just him, other staff members also sniffed the air.
They had been on a tight schedule since morning and hadn’t had a chance to eat.
The AD, looking for the source of the smell, spotted Seo Hoyun near the door, hands full of plastic bags.
“Huh?”
As the staff noticed, Seo Hoyun carefully started to speak, trying not to interrupt.
“Sorry for interrupting the shooting. Um, I heard some of you haven’t had a meal yet.”
“…?”
“If you don’t mind, please have some.”
“What? No, how could you…”
Between the staff’s cheers, Seo Hoyun’s laughter could be heard.
What the?? Why is he so thoughtful?
Receiving the plastic bags from Seo Hoyun, The Dawn members each handed out premium lunch boxes and drinks with deep bows.
“Wow~, thank you!!”
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Wow, awesome. The lunch box looks super fancy.”
“Okay, those who have individual interviews scheduled next should eat later, and the rest can eat now. Okay?”
PD Kim Heeyeon quickly managed the unexpected situation, and everyone nodded while still unable to take their eyes off the lunch boxes.
Kim Seonghyeon’s interview followed.
After some light conversation, he was asked the question that had been posed to all members.
“How do you feel about the upcoming first competition?”
“Ah, yes.”
Kim Seonghyeon pondered briefly.
“Our debut title song didn’t receive much love. So, we had a long hiatus, and there was a lot of anxiety about the future.”
Kim Seonghyeon’s eyes, as he stared into the camera, were as sincere as his character.
Wow, truly a beneficiary of Shining Star Season 1.
“Even though we are receiving more love than we deserve now, in the process, I had to reflect on myself countless times and mull over various things.”
His speech and appearance looked good on camera.
This scene might turn out pretty well, thought the AD, when suddenly the mood was shattered.
“But, of course, we aim to work even harder—”
“Hey!! That’s not how you do it!!”
Joo Woosung’s Spartan training was starting again in the background.
“…”
“…”
They seemed to be trying to keep it down, but their voices were still picked up by the audio.
As the interview proceeded, Kim Seonghyeon exchanged glances with the AD and took a slight deep breath before opening his mouth again.
“…With that kind of sentiment in mind, we chose the song—”
“If you keep on clicking away, why don’t you just grab a hammer, huh?”
“—that’s why—”
“Should I really grab a hammer then?? Click-clack, click-clack?!”
“Yeah! Just grab it and go on stage!”
“…”
“…”
In the corner of the practice room, Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun were now openly bickering.
Watching them, Kim Seonghyeon’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before his expression relaxed like someone who had achieved enlightenment.
“Sigh…”
“…Well, we’ve got enough for the interview, so it’s fine. That’ll do for now.”
The AD, who had involuntarily tasted the woes of being a leader, hastily called for the next member.
“Let’s interview Seo Hoyun!”
Finally, as the last participant, Seo Hoyun appeared on camera.
“Ha…”
A sigh laden with irritation.
As Hoyun furrowed his brows and swept back his hair, even the camera operator flinched slightly.
“Ah, sorry.”
However, upon seeing the AD, Hoyun immediately brightened with a smile.
“It got a bit noisy, didn’t it.”
“Ah, no, it’s okay.”
“Did you have some of the lunch box earlier?”
…Wow, he really has a good personality, doesn’t he?
The conversation flowed more warmly than expected.
Before long, the AD let down his guard and began to chatter away.
It was only after revealing that his cousin was a fan of High Five that he managed to regain his composure and restart the interview.
“Is there a reason you chose a song by Lea Purple?”
Seo Hoyun seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling slightly at the camera.
“Because I like the song?”
It was an undeniably beautiful shot but…
But…
Seeing Joo Woosung, standing beside him, raise one corner of his mouth at Seo Hoyun’s response, the AD felt a bit of dread.
Just stop fighting with Woosung already…
At the same time, it strongly registered in the AD’s mind that “Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun are the best of best friends.”
.
.
.
“Great work, everyone!”
Even after all the filming ended, we continued to practice.
Joo Woosung stayed until dawn, meticulously checking everything from movements to facial expressions and gestures.
Such a tough guy…
After several hours had passed with everyone sprawled on the floor, exhausted, Joo Woosung, still looking somewhat dissatisfied, grabbed his sports bag.
“Hey, I’m taking a taxi home. Make sure you can do this by tomorrow when I come.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Look at this guy, losing all manners as soon as the camera stops rolling.”
Joo Woosung clicked his tongue and stood up.
“Ah, also.”
“…”
“You guys are smart.”
I wanted to add that it was obvious, but I was too drained to even speak, so I just lifted my eyes.
“To be honest, I was wondering why you chose a Lea Purple song, but now I see. It’s going to work.”
Of course.
Instead of answering, I just weakly waved my hand, and Joo Woosung snickered and left the practice room.
“See you tomorrow, Seo Hoyun.”
After that, the other members left to shower, and I lay spread-eagled alone on the practice room floor, lights off.
Ding!
[Because you really like it?]
“What?”
[You wouldn’t have chosen the song for just that reason, right?]
Spot on.
Feeling a bit of energy return after the break, I moved my arm to grab my phone and play a video.
This stage might be a great opportunity not just for The Dawn who’s worked hard but perhaps for Lea Purple as well.
Would I really put myself at a disadvantage?
The method, though, was a bit crappy.
[Why did you choose it, then?]
“If you’re curious, just wait.”
After scolding the system window that kept pestering me, it quietened down a bit, though it still grumbled.
[But…]
That quiet was short-lived.
The system window bothered me again.
“What now?”
[Joo Woosung… I like him, but he’s not exactly a nice person, is he? He seems basically uninterested in others.]
“So?”
I half-heartedly read the message, focusing more on my phone as the system window resized itself to block my view.
[Aren’t you curious why he stayed up until dawn to help Seo Hoyun?]
“Is he my main scenario target?”
[…No?]
“Then, that’s that.”
[…]
