Chapter 154

"Is this the process of becoming an adult?"

"What are you talking about?"

'Wait, are they really close...?'

Despite rumors circulating that they were friendly and even appeared on variety shows together, most broadcasting staff thought their relationship was purely business-related.

Well, it's understandable, given who Joo Woosung is.

'Look at the atmosphere, he really is an entertainer among entertainers...'

Except for Vocalist Choi Jungwoo, who was rumored to be close to Joo Woosung, the rest of the band members of The Dawn were known for being reserved. One can only wonder about his relationship with other entertainment industry insiders.

If Seo Hoyun knew, he'd probably be furious, but apart from work, Joo Woosung was known for rarely leaving his home, earning him the nickname "House Cat" due to his love for cats.

"Oh! Sunbae Woosung, hello."

"Hey, Jiwoon, hi."

But the scene unfolding before them was nothing like what the staff had seen so far.

Sung Jiwon presence was particularly unexpected. Even remembering the names of other The Dawn members. Sung Jiwon greeted Joo Woosung with a slight smile, unfazed by the unexpected encounter.

Witnessing all of this, the staff murmured among themselves.

"Sunbae, are you shooting a mentorship program today?"

"No...? Why do you ask?"

"Is your agency in a mess?"

"What nonsense are you talking about??"

Even if it wasn't during their active period, is it okay for a famous idol to come to a different agency and criticize them like this?

Or maybe their schedules weren't synced up? They did announce practice shooting for today, though.

"What's going on...?"

Then why come to The Dawn?

'Does he have to go to High Five for a high-five? Afraid of being criticized if he goes to his direct juniors' shooting day? But he'd still get criticized for coming to The Dawn's.'

They couldn't voice these questions out loud, but among the staff, there were countless doubts simmering.

The only one genuinely delighted by Joo Woosung's appearance was the writer who had once been a passionate fan of Black Call.

"He's shining so brightly I might need LASIK..."

"...."

Meanwhile, Joo Woosung casually plopped down on the sofa as if he owned the place, chuckling softly as he sipped on the ion drink Kim Seonghyun brought him.

"Shall we begin then?"

'Wow!'

While the profession of an idol may seem glamorous on the surface, it requires not only innate talent but also rigorous training and hard work!

The assistant director was excited by the fact that he could witness this firsthand.

'How professional will they be?'

Squeak, squeak!

As they all simultaneously removed their sneakers and began practicing, the assistant director, observing The Dawn with twinkling eyes, momentarily forgot about their previous thoughts.

"Ah! Why isn't this working!!"

The assistant director stared blankly at the practice room.

"-But you're already doing it."

"Is that what you're supposed to do? Be cute, sexy, and cool at the same time, just a bit!!"

"I'm being cute, sexy, and cool."

"Look in the mirror."

"...."

Certainly, it didn't start off bad.

When Joo Woosung went through each member of The Dawn one by one, correcting their posture in detail, there were a few criticisms, but overall, it was fine.

But when it was Seo Hoyun's turn, it was as if everything before was just a warm-up.

"Sigh...."

Seo Hoyun's jaw trembled ever so slightly, perhaps because he was trying to hold it in due to the camera rolling.

"Sigh? Sigh?? What's wrong, now? Sigh, sighing is my job to do. Why can't you do this?"

"Can't I just breathe however I want?"

"No."

Every time Joo Woosung made a sarcastic comment, Seo Hoyun would double-check if the camera was rolling and sometimes even clenched his fists instead of replying.

"Senior, please give some advice so that even Dukddak can understand, please?"

"...Just do it."

"...."

'...Is he not trying to help but rather trying to make things difficult?'

Joo Woosung enthusiastically scolded Seo Hoyun, involving the youngest, Jeong Dajun, in the process.

"Dajun, pull yourself together...."

"Uh, uh... yes..."

They were already drained both physically and mentally.

"Hoyun, if you weren't born with talent, you have to make up for it with effort."

As Seo Hoyun remained silent in the face of the barrage of facts, only his eyebrows twitching, Joo Woosung finally stood up, brushed his hair back, and adjusted his posture.

"Watch."

With each beat counted out loud, Joo Woosung effortlessly transitioned from the difficult wave-pelvic thrust-wink sequence that Seo Hoyun struggled with to blowing a kiss, displaying a relaxed demeanor.

"Got it?"

"Yes, senior!!"

"I don't know... I don't understand..."

While the person being scolded showed no reaction at all, Kim Seonghyun next to him had tears welling up in his eyes.

Joo Woosung sat back on the sofa, crossing his legs, and looked at Seo Hoyun with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing? You should be moving."

"...."

Seo Hoyun got up without a word, took a deep breath, and started practicing again, with Joo Woosung's relentless nagging serving as the background music, breaking down the practice into 0.1-second intervals.

"Just a moment, I'll sharpen the tape before we start the individual interviews!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Ah, yes!"

With Joo Woosung's criticism and Seo Hoyun's sighs repeating a few more times, Kim Heeyoung PD decided they had captured enough rehearsal scenes and directed them to prepare for the interviews.

Despite their exhaustion, The Dawn members each gave a nod of respect to the staff and continued practicing.

"Amazing, really."

That's what it takes to be an idol.

Only after announcing that individual interview shooting was about to begin did The Dawn finally stop practicing.

"First, let's start with Jung Dajun! Since there's plenty of time for shooting, take your time to prepare!"

"Yep!"

Everyone quickly adjusted their appearance and clothing.

Except for Jung Dajun, who went first in front of the camera, the rest of the members found a spot out of the camera's view and waited. Among them, Seo Hoyun and Sung Jiwon were looking at something on their phones.

"He's so lively and good."

Maybe because he's the youngest, Jeong Dajun's interview proceeded energetically from start to finish.

"Next, Sung Jiwon!"

At the staff's instruction, Sung Jiwon, who had been chatting with Seo Hoyun, switched places with Jeong Dajun.

Meanwhile, as Sung Jiwon's interview was in full swing, a delicious smell wafted into the practice room.

Not sure if it was just them, but other staff members also sniffed the air. They had been shooting since the morning without a chance to eat, so the smell was enticing.

The assistant director's attention was drawn to Seo Hoyoon, who was holding several plastic bags near the practice room door.

"Huh?"

When the staff noticed, Seo Hoyun cautiously spoke up, trying not to cause any disturbance.

"I'm sorry for interrupting the shoot. Um, I heard that some of you haven't had a meal yet."

"...?"

"If it's okay with you, please have this."

"Huh? No, we can't accept all this...."

Amidst the cheers from the staff, Seo Hoyun's laughter filled the air.

'What? Why is his sense so good?'

As Seo Hoyun handed out the plastic bags one by one, The Dawn members personally handed out high-quality boxed lunches and drinks, bowing respectfully.

"Wow, thank you so much!"

"Enjoy your meal."

"Wow, amazing. These boxed lunches are really luxurious."

"Um, those who will be shooting individual interviews separately can eat later, and the rest of you, please go ahead and eat. Okay?"

As Kim Heeyoung PD quickly organized the situation in response to the unexpected turn of events, everyone nodded in agreement while still unable to take their eyes off the boxed lunches.

After that, Kim Seonghyun's interview followed.

Afterward, Kim Seonghyun's interview continued.

After exchanging some casual remarks, he posed a common question to all the members.

"How do you feel about the upcoming first round of the competition?"

"Ah, yes."

Kim Seonghyun pondered briefly before responding.

"Our debut title track didn't receive much love. So, we went through a long hiatus, and I felt a lot of anxiety about the future."

Kim Seonghyun's gaze into the camera was as sincere as his character.

'Ah, he's really like a beneficiary of Shining Star Season 1.'

"Now, we're receiving overwhelming love from many people, but in the process, I had to reflect on myself countless times and ponder over various things."

Both his words and expressions were captured beautifully by the camera.

Just as the scene was about to end smoothly, at that moment of contemplation for the assistant director, the atmosphere was abruptly disrupted.

"However, I still want to work even harder..."

"Hey!! That's not how you do it!!"

- Another round of Joo Woosung's Spartan-style coaching was underway from behind.

"..."

"..."

Although they seemed to be keeping quiet among themselves, their voices were still picked up by the audio.

As the assistant director conducted the interview and exchanged glances, Kim Seonghyun took a slight breath and continued speaking.

"...with such sentiments, we chose the songs to perform..."

"If you keep making noise like that, should I bring a hammer over, huh?"

"- Therefore."

"Should I really try bringing a hammer over?? Tap, tap?"

"Fine! Just grab it and go on stage if you keep tapping like that!"

"..."

"..."

In the corner of the practice room, Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun, who were practicing dance moves, were now openly engaged in a fierce argument.

Kim Seonghyun's eyelashes trembled slightly at the sight, but soon his expression relaxed as if he had resigned himself.

"Phew..."

"...I, uh, I'm done with the interview now. I'll stop here."

Having experienced the leader's struggles abruptly, the assistant director hurriedly called out the next member.

"I'll interview Seo Hoyun next!"

Finally, as the last participant, Seo Hoyun appeared in front of the camera.

"Ha..."

A sigh tinged with irritation escaped him. As Seo Hoyun furrowed his brow and brushed his hair, even the camera director filming him flinched slightly.

"Oh, sorry."

However, upon seeing the assistant director, Seo Hoyun immediately smiled.

"It was a bit noisy."

"Oh, no, it's fine."

"Sorry if it was a bit noisy."

"Oh, no worries."

"Did you get a chance to eat the lunch box earlier?"

'...Wow, he's really easygoing, isn't he?'

The conversation flowed more smoothly than expected. The assistant director, who had lowered his guard without realizing it, chatted away cheerfully.

Finally, after revealing even the fact that his cousin's younger sibling was a Hi-Five fan, they were able to regain their focus and resume the interview.

"Why did you choose a song by LiaPurple?"

Seo Hoyun, who seemed to be pondering for a moment, smiled softly towards the camera.

"Because the song is good?"

It was a perfectly lovely picture.

'But...'

As the assistant director heard Seo Hoyun's answer beside him and saw Joo Woosung raise one corner of his mouth sarcastically, he felt a bit annoyed.

'Just stop fighting with Joo Woosung for now...'

At the same time, the thought that 'Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun are best buddies' was firmly etched into the assistant director's mind.

"Great job, everyone!"

Even after all the broadcast shooting was done, we continued with our practice.

Joo Woosung stayed until dawn, meticulously observing everything from the choreography to facial expressions and gestures.

'He's a tough one...'

After a few hours had passed and everyone collapsed on the floor, Joo Woosung, still wearing a somewhat displeased expression, grabbed his sports bag.

"Hey, I'm taking a taxi too. Make sure you're ready for this when you come back tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"That guy becomes so impudent as soon as the camera stops rolling."

Joo Woosung clicked his tongue as he stood up.

"Oh, and..."

"..."

"You guys are smart."

I wanted to add a word of praise for stating the obvious, but I couldn't even muster the strength to do that, so I just raised my eyes.

"Honestly, I was wondering why you chose a lia Purple song, but now that I've seen it, I understand. This could work."

Of course.

Instead of replying, I just waved my hand lightly, and Joo Woosung chuckled as he left the practice room.

"See you tomorrow, Seo Hoyun."

After that, the members left to wash up one by one, and I lay alone on the darkened floor of the practice room.

Ding!

[Because you like obsidian so much?]

"What's that supposed to mean?"

[Is it really just because Seo Hoyun chose the song for that reason?]

That's accurate.

After resting for a bit and feeling a bit of energy returning, I moved my arm to take out my phone and played a video.

This upcoming stage might be a good opportunity for The Dawn, who has worked hard, and perhaps even for Lia  Purple.

"Why would I be at a disadvantage?"

But the method was a bit trashy.

[Why did you choose it in the first place?]

"If you're curious, wait and see."

As I gave a retort to the system notification ringing loudly and interrupting, it seemed to quiet down a bit.

[But...]

However, that was short-lived.

Once again, the system popped up annoyingly.

"Why again?"

[Joo Woosung... I like him, but he's not really that nice, is he? He seems to have a basic lack of interest in others.]

"So?"

Furrowing my brows as I looked at the text and then back at my phone, the system window shrunk to a smaller size and floated in front of me, blocking my view.

[Aren't you curious? Why is he staying up until dawn to help Seo Hoyun?]

"Is he the main character in my scenario?"

[No?]

"Then that settles it."

[....]

---