The relentless summer heat finally receded, and with the chill wind came October. Even amid the hectic schedule of year-end stages, overseas promotions, and comeback planning, The Dawn’s practice continued without pause. The plagiarism incident had been resolved, but a cautious atmosphere still lingered. While limiting his public appearances, Kang Ichae posted a message on the official fan cafe so Noeul wouldn’t worry too much. The post, which began with Ichae saying he missed Noeul, included this line: [This is a very precious fan song to me, and I hope it remains a good memory for Noeul as well.] He made no direct mention of the plagiarism controversy. [How do you not fall in love with these Dawnies......] [Kang Ichae is seriously too good,,,,] Watching the fans’ reactions, Seo Hoyun fell into thought. ‘I really put Noeul through a lot.’ Even if he didn’t care about how people saw him, his job was an idol. He couldn’t ignore how things looked from the fans’ perspective. Especially since every single incident had happened in just the two years since he joined The Dawn. His habit of drawing attention through controversy—a tactic he’d used since his PD days—had clearly intensified things. Seo Hoyun reflected a little. ‘I should lay low for a while.’ Come to think of it, the system window hadn’t been popping up much lately. It still answered when called, but it no longer randomly interrupted with sarcastic commentary or threw bizarre dialogue choices at him. Taking advantage of the peace, Hoyun tried to stay as quiet and cautious as possible. But as always, life had other plans. “Huh? A variety show with Min Jiheon?” A few days later, he was summoned to the company only to be told to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» appear on a variety show with Min Jiheon. “Just the two of us?” Even if The Dawn was now the company’s second biggest moneymaker after Jiheon—hell, practically their golden goose—Seo Hoyun’s absence would’ve made that conversation a whole lot more relaxed. But Hoyun was slipperier than any industry veteran. The kind of snake you couldn’t get a read on, no matter how long you stared. The CEO clicked his tongue in irritation. “Min Jiheon’s new to variety. If we send him alone, he’ll get edited out entirely. Management asked for someone to support him.” “And that’s supposed to be me?” “You’ve shot a drama together. Done a variety show together.” There was definitely more to it than that. Hoyun just said he’d think about it and left the office. Then immediately texted. [Me: What’s this about?] But Min Jiheon didn’t reply. ‘The hell is with this guy?’ It was a network variety show, and not a bad opportunity for The Dawn either. But Hoyun hesitated. Lately, something had been wrong with his body. Compared to their active periods, his schedule was lighter, and he was getting enough rest. And yet, he kept getting nosebleeds and feeling faint. Worried fans might notice, he avoided live appearances and only showed up in pre-recorded, edited clips. 【Dajun’s Wacky Vlog Editing Corner】 The most recent appearance he’d made was in a self-shot vlog by Jung Dajun. [You didn’t even have to put Dajun’s name in the title. Just the word ‘wacky’ would’ve been enough to know it was him.] [lolololololololol Jung Dajun vibes = wacky, confusing, teehee—it fits too well] “—Europe was so pretty!! I mean, maybe it was just ‘cause it was my first time going, but the sunset skies over there were seriously, seriously gorgeous! Like, I just really wanted to show Noeul, so I worked hard filming! I think I’ve got a talent for this stuff, so I wanna start a local series someday! And then......” Dajun’s mouth never stopped moving. Eventually, when the footage was sped up to 3x speed, a black screen appeared with an apologetic message: 【We wanted to include all of Jung Dajun’s beautiful words, but the result would’ve been a 10-hour art film. We hope for your understanding.】 [lolololololololololololololol] [Dajun, the subtitles can’t keep up with your mouth] [He’s like that five-year-old cousin who won’t shut up at family gatherings] [New king of K-hiphop emerges,,, And yet Kang Ichae, who’s a total hardass, still isn’t even phased └ Kang Ichae: ㅇㅅㅇ rubs eyes lol] [He’s adorable though Dajun is literally his name Like, he gives all his “jeong” away You soft little sunshine ㅜ] Dajun winked at the camera again. “Please look forward to it a ton!” Then the screen cut to black once more, and a subtitle appeared. 【And what was the result of Dajun’s efforts?】 Random animation effects popping out of nowhere. Over-the-top background music. 【He tried, we’ll give him that......】 The outcome was... catastrophic. [Was this filmed from a retriever’s POV? └ lolololololololololol] [So you’re telling me the fan song video was THAT well edited after all lmao] [Please come back and re-edit the Europe vlog, Dajun... Cute, but maybe just stick to dancing Right after practice, Kim Sunghyun and Seo Hoyun stopped by the planning team’s office and spotted Dajun hunched over the computer editing. The three of them huddled together in front of the monitor. [These guys seriously loooool. They’re so natural together it’s too cuteㅜㅜㅜㅜ] [Just register as a family already, guys Also, add me as Kim Sunghyun’s wife] Hoyun absentmindedly munched on some candy as he watched, then— “...What the hell are you doing?” His face visibly stiffened at the sight of Dajun’s editing skills. “Trying something new is always beautiful.” Unable to bear the pain any longer, Hoyun chose to just shut his eyes. “...Beautiful indeed.” [Look at this bastard Hoyun pretending not to see lmao] [That’s totally his “Results matter, you idiot” face But he keeps his mouth shut for Noeul’s sake. Classic fake smile.] If the cameras hadn’t been rolling, he would've chewed out the maknae on the spot. Too annoyed to keep watching, Hoyun tapped Sunghyun’s shoulder and was about to leave— “Seo Hoyun-ssi, want to try it?” Lee Jihyun challenged him. “I gotta eat and then practice again with Sunghyun.” “Come on, 30 minutes won’t kill you!” “Hyung hyung, can’t you please? There’s this YouTuber I watch all the time now!” Just from the emotion-filled, pastel-colored, Star-gram-style vlog Dajun showed him, Hoyun immediately grasped what he was aiming for. Still, he just frowned and scratched his nose. Then Dajun started grinning and poking. “Hyung, you scared you’ll do worse than me in front of Noeul?!” “Is this... fear I sense?!” Damn Kang Ichae, teaching the kid bad habits. Sighing deeply and mentally scheduling a flick to the forehead for later, Hoyun nudged Dajun and motioned with his chin. “...Fine. Ten minutes.” He saved Dajun’s original vlog, reloaded it, skimmed through, and tapped out a few shortcuts. From beside him, Sunghyun and Dajun whispered things like “It’s probably gonna be about the same,” and “What can he possibly do?” Hoyun ignored them entirely. As a staff member, Lee Jihyun could tell just from his keystrokes that something was off. ‘Wait... what is this?’ Hoyun did the bare minimum—only a few clicks and lines of typing—then hit Export and stood up. “Let’s go, Sunghyun.” Left behind, Dajun and Jihyun hesitantly clicked the ten-minute render. And once again, the screen faded to black. 【This is the opening vlog Seo Hoyun edited in 10 minutes.】 A morning glow washed over rippling water, sunlight dancing in reddish streaks. Bacon sizzled in a pan, and a soft-boiled egg sat atop a golden slice of toast, filling the screen. Then, a cut to Sung Jiwon browsing through English books in a quiet German bookstore. Noeul was completely, utterly stunned. [Wait, what the hell?] [It was retriever POV just a second ago, why’d it suddenly become Notting Hill¹?] [Was I at the bookstore with Jiwon that day or something?] Even after the video ended, Noeul kept murmuring among themselves. [Seo Hoyun’s got the soft girl aesthetic down...] [What is this idol... he’s giving “27k-subscriber secret healing YouTuber who suddenly blew up” vibes... I wanted to gatekeep this kind of content...] [Yeah he’s the guy who looked for soondae-gukbap in Europe... └Wasn’t it soft tofu stew? └└Cited: Kang Ichae testimony └└This level of coy is fucking unreal...] [If Hoyun made a soondae-gukbap mukbang vlog I’d lose my mind lol] Though the video was officially Dajun’s Wacky Vlog Editing Corner, the best YouTube comment under the post was: “Even if Seo Hoyun films a mukbang for soondae-gukbap, he’ll still manage to turn it into a European aesthetic vlog.” Upon seeing this, Lee Jihyun’s eyes lit up and she immediately summoned Seo Hoyun again. Hoyun, who looked paler than usual for some reason, squinted languidly at her words. “Yes. A soondae-gukbap vlog.” “You’re saying Noeul really want that?” They wanted to see their beloved idol, filmed with dreamy aesthetics, calmly eating blood sausage soup? If it was a request from Noeul, his philosophy was to do it—whatever it was. 【And so, Seo Hoyun really did film it that night and edited it himself.】 This time, the video was slightly longer than the previous opening he’d edited. To a calm BGM, the menu appeared on screen with steady camera work: ‘Soondae-guk’, ‘Soondae Jeongol’, ‘Extra Veggies’, ‘Noodles’. Neatly arranged side dishes, straightened utensils, and Kim Sunghyun, wearing a red apron, seated solemnly as he waited for the soondae-gukbap. 【Soondae-Gukbap VLOG】 Even the English title matched the mood perfectly. [lololololololololololololololololololol] [These fucking lunatics lolololol] Our Seo Ttokkaeng had done it again, and fans burst into laughter. 【Added ‘Yachae-sari’】 【One more order of ‘Soondae’】 Then came Hoyun’s painstakingly added subtitles. 【Today, I came to eat with Sunghyun.】 【He was amazed at how cool I looked dancing.】 [Why the hell does he refuse to explain anything out loud and only uses captions Why is he so good at vlogging] At the bottom edge of the screen, Hoyun’s hand appeared briefly as he scooped rice into the soup and sprinkled pepper with military precision. “I can see improvement... but why is it so slow? What am I supposed to do to help you?” 【The leader is praising his student’s progress.】 [Uhh, the audio and captions are totally out of sync btw] [lolololololololololololololol] “Sunghyun, thanks, but you don’t have to do anything else.” “You’re lovable just by breathing.” “CAN I JUST EAT IN PEACE?!” Kim Sunghyun slammed his spoon down. 【Sunghyun gets shy easily.】 Even though the comment was clearly not a compliment, the captions overlaid things like “Beautiful progress” and “I’ll work even harder, from Hoyun.” [Seo Hoyun is addicted to teasing Kim Sunghyun... And honestly? I love it too [It’s already hard enough just seeing his face—now he’s funny too? This is too much] About a minute before the video ended, Hoyun turned the camera around for a self-cam. Barefaced, his pale skin looked clean and slightly bluish under the light, amplifying the sentimental, innocent vibe. 【Thanks for watching, Noeul.】 【You worked hard today too. I hope every day ahead is full of laughter and happiness.】 He crinkled his eyes into a wide smile and awkwardly waved, as if he wasn’t used to holding a self-cam. And then the video ended with a simple phrase: “The End.” [How about Seo Hoyun, who understands supply and demand? The idol who jokes the entire video and then crushes you by showing his face at the end. └ Truly behavior befitting a top star Sure, his final lines sound like a Lunar New Year sticker my aunt would send... └ lolololol I’m dying ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [He’s seriously the ultimate fanservice machine ㅜ I’m always cheering for you! < Seo Hoyun’s triple-ending phrase he uses every time is too cute I’m gonna die... └ Seo Hoyun: GUILTYㅠㅠ!!!] Noeul was always confused. Was Seo Hoyun a good person or not? Anyone who had ever stanned someone—or fallen in love—knew that when your attention is fully locked onto a person, you inevitably come to know them well. You learn what kind of person they are. So Noeul had settled on this thought: “We love Seo Hoyun, but damn, he must be a handful.” His personality was notorious enough to be known even overseas. [Is he the K-Style Bad Boy™? Super sweet to Noeul though! (smiley emoji)] [Not sure how the other members feel about him though lolololol] [They say he’s called an angel in Japan... are we sure they don’t mean Lucifer? HAHA] Korean fans were stunned. [Foreign Noeul are even more moe-blind than we are They’re calling him Seo HoGyung Lucifer └ I mean, bunny or Lucifer—either way, he’s still cursed └└ lololol THAT HIT TOO HARD] While fans chattered about how as long as there were no scandals and he treated them well, it was fine, news began spreading that Seo Hoyun and Min Jiheon would appear on a variety show together. [Seo Hoyun and Min Jiheon doing variety together??] It was still just a rumor, but it stirred up a storm. [Wait what?? Just Hoyun?] [Why...? Does Min Jiheon not have any friends either, like Joo Woosung? Though I thought he had some connections at least] [Are we talking Bring Me the Camera? Then shouldn’t Yoo Jia be on too?] In particular, a small but intense fandom of Bring Me the Camera stans—who hadn’t moved on even a year later—lit up like a fire. [How about a drama that still feeds us crumbs a whole year later] [Please, Hoyun, just appear and act like PD Lee Junghoon one more time ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ] [Real talk, I think Seo Hoyun actually likes that character lolol] The idea that a top actor was close with their favorite idol? No Noeul would complain about that. [OMG The Dawn confirmed for Jelly Revolution appearance!!] News broke on a YouTube channel run by an interviewer known for idol and actor content. [Apparently the original guest canceled last minute, so The Dawn’s filling in last minute lolol. Say less, I’m watching. So glad to see Hoyun again ㅜㅜ] But Noeul had no idea... Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI[F]ire.net 【EP.184 Is This Madness? Even The Dawn? (Preview)】 ...that the short preview clip on YouTube would turn out to be an absolute chaotic mess.