He had a really good feeling about this. “Dajun, you can do it! Let's go, fighting!” Jung Dajun threw open the window of their dorm’s balcony and shouted “fighting” into the dry, dusty Seoul air. “...What’s wrong with him?” “Must’ve gotten obsessed with something again...” Even under the persecution of his older members, he stood undaunted. Though he grew up as an only child showered with love, his parents were both working, so the house was always empty when he came back from school. That’s why he loved playing outside with his friends, and it became routine for him to stay out late until the night turned pitch black. As he got older and his friends began going to cram schools and casually talking about college, he quickly realized that academics were not his path. Instead, watching movies, dramas, and variety shows and keeping up with the latest trends—things he’d been trained to enjoy ever since his mother’s prenatal care routines—felt as natural and joyful to him as breathing. That’s how he ended up as a trainee at Daepaseong and became a member of The Dawn. Dance, singing, and fans. Jung Dajun’s interests constantly shifted based on those three pillars. Last time, it was cooking. These days, it was dogs. At one point, even in the middle of a busy schedule where he barely had time to sleep, he managed to carve out time to volunteer at a dog shelter. Dajun had an extremely short attention span when it came to new interests. But his love for dogs only deepened with time. ‘Dogs... really are angels!’ After a few more volunteer sessions, he even uploaded photos he’d taken with the dogs on SNS. [Jung Dajun,, you are a big dog, so what do you mean you're volunteering at a dog shelter] [Guys who like dogs are the worst and I love them so much (What are you even saying while crying??)] Strangely though, despite all his efforts to win the dogs over, it was Seo Hoyun—who’d only come along to humor the youngest—that they all preferred. Even when he just stood still. But Dajun’s spirit never broke. If anything, he became even more determined. Though he usually claimed that just looking at written words made him sleepy, he went out of his way to buy books on the topic and watched every relevant TV show and YouTube video he could find. One day, as he was watching a dog video on YouTube as usual, he suddenly thought of Kang Ichae, the so-called “mad dog” on stage. Along with the way he’d snapped back earlier. He already looked scary enough, but when he clamped his mouth shut and glared at you, it was honestly terrifying. Of course, afterwards, he’d always apologize, buy you tasty snacks, or even give you presents. ‘Ichae-hyung again...’ When Seo Hoyun collapsed and Sung Jiwon clashed with Kang Ichae again, Dajun started to get worried. He figured Kang Ichae was probably doing his best to keep it in, but still, he feared resentment might start to pile up among the members. But in reality, Seo Hoyun ended up resting peacefully in the hospital for a few days, and Kang Ichae’s anger gradually subsided—so it was an unnecessary worry. ‘I need to be helpful somehow.’ Either way, Jung Dajun was serious. So he gathered Sung Jiwon and Kang Ichae at the dining table and gave them ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a heartfelt plea. If you feel like fighting, speak formally to create psychological distance. No matter what happens, don’t show any signs in front of Seo Hoyun. God knows where he got all this from. He recited them like binding rules that had to be upheld. Even if they’d fought, The Dawn members still got along. Kang Ichae and Sung Jiwon were no exception. Neither intended to back down on their own point of view, but they still understood why the other insisted. So they were already fine. Yet instead of saying so, they just obediently followed the maknae’s suggestion. “Mr. Sung Jiwon, would you care to dine with a pretty rapper?” “Aha, yes, Mr. Pretty Rapper. Shall we?” Kang Ichae grinned slyly as he asked, and Sung Jiwon calmly played along. “Mr. Seo Hoyun~ Where are you gooing~?” After that, Kang Ichae apparently got hooked on speaking formally, and even started using honorifics with Seo Hoyun. “Ichae-ssi, stop clinging to me.” They both acted the same as usual, but Dajun alone believed there was some subtle tension among the members. ‘Hoyun-hyung might get stressed out!’ Hoyun had already collapsed once. What he needed now was absolute peace of mind. Now more than ever, Dajun felt it was his time to step up. ‘There should be no bad Kang Ichae in this world!’ And so, on the morning of his own birthday, Dajun went out onto the balcony, yelled encouragements at himself, and launched his “No Bad Kang Ichae” operation. “Hyung, where are you going?” “Why? Aren’t we taking a break today~?” “I’ve had plenty of rest already. Why take more?” Just as they were about to go out to buy a cake and have some fun, Seo Hoyun appeared in his black training clothes, slipping on his shoes. Seeing Kang Ichae inch closer to Hoyun, Dajun quickly grabbed his notepad and scribbled something down. ‘This is a huge problem. A guardian who doesn’t understand the seriousness of the issue might make things worse.’ Maybe the issue wasn’t fixing the mad dog Kang Ichae... but rather fixing his handler, Seo Hoyun. “Alright then. You two go together. I’m going to practice with Joo Woosung. Maknae, call me when it’s time for the birthday party.” “Eh~, what practice! Just take a rest at home, come on~.” Seo Hoyun had been holding back his temper for quite a while. Watching him scowl with visible disgust, Dajun quickly scribbled some more. “‘I’m fine.’ ‘Don’t worry.’ ‘Go away.’” Dajun jotted down all the usual lines that Seo Hoyun constantly repeated and began organizing his thoughts. ‘Reinforced and repeated phrases can trigger anxiety in Kang Ichae...!’ So what should he do? As he bit down on the clicker of his pen, Dajun decided that the two needed to be physically separated. He shot to his feet and wedged himself between them, body-blocking with all his might. Seo Hoyun and Kang Ichae paused. “I’ll go get the most delicious cake ever, so Hoyun-hyung has to come back to the dorm in exactly two hours!!” He’d just told Hoyun to call him when the party was starting, but now he was giving detailed time requirements. Hoyun narrowed his eyes. Noticing that look, Dajun felt a small pang of panic. Seo Hoyun could be just as crazy—maybe even crazier—than Kang Ichae. If you rubbed him the wrong way, you had no idea what would happen. “...Sure, whatever.” Find the newest release on novel✶fire.net As Dajun clicked his pen nervously between his teeth, Hoyun simply nodded and walked off. Feeling like the crisis was averted, Kang Ichae looked at Dajun and said with a sparkle in his eye, “Maknae, then shall we go get a reeaally~ super~ duper delicious cake?” “Cake sounds soooo good, right?” ‘Really really super duper? Isn’t that repetition?’ Repetitive phrases made Dajun anxious... He almost asked Kang Ichae how he was feeling, but stopped himself. ‘Maybe I should just keep my distance until he calms down...’ He recalled a tip from one of the YouTube videos he watched: ‘Too much attention can lead to fights!’ Once Seo Hoyun left, Dajun and Kang Ichae also headed out to pick up the cake. The whole way there, Dajun was tense and preoccupied, his little brain overheating as he tried to carry out his “No Bad Kang Ichae” mission with extreme precision, while Kang Ichae leaned comfortably against his shoulder and whined. “Maknae~, Ichae’s life has been so hard lately~.” “Hyung does this every time, and it makes it hard for me, too...” As soon as he said it, Dajun regretted it. Countering someone else’s complaint with your own was just projecting your own negativity—completely unhealthy behavior! Recalling something from the Silver Side Counseling Center, Dajun took a deep breath and gently asked, “Ichae-hyung, what exactly is it that’s been hard?” He heard the sound of air deflating. When he turned his head sharply, Kang Ichae’s lips were twitching. He tapped at the corners of his eyes with his knuckles. “Sniff... The truth is...” Even while picking up his honey macaron birthday cake, Dajun kept his ears wide open, listening attentively to Ichae’s words. But what came out was: “...My imaginary hamster left me. I think it’s time to let go.” “Dajun, if I eat honey cake now, I think I’ll feel bad for the me from five minutes ago who wanted melon cake.” “Oh!! Hey! Look! A claw machine! I’ll get you a plushie, maknae!” None of it made any sense. His attention had already drifted elsewhere, and now he was dragging Dajun with him. Even so, Dajun responded with all sincerity. “That’s really sad, but your imaginary hamster will live forever in your heart.” “Don’t think about your five-minutes-ago self. Focus on the present—wait! Where are you going?!” “Hyung, I don’t need that plushie! Hold on! You’re stretching my shirt!!” Trying to run away but getting dragged back, Dajun ended up stuck playing claw machines with Ichae for over 30 minutes. At first, he just stood there watching with a bored expression, but after a game or two, the fire in him was lit. “Whoa!! I actually got it! I really got it!” “Told you I’d win one for you~!” “You’re the best!! Hyung, you’re a freaking genius!!” By the time they managed to win a bunny plushie with their very last 1,000 won, Dajun was so high on excitement and joy that he completely forgot what he was doing in the first place. The No Bad Kang Ichae operation and the Kang-Ichae Counseling Plan had long since flown out the window. Kang Ichae carried the cake, and Jung Dajun returned to the dorm with a puppy plush in one arm and the bunny plush in the other. When they arrived, Seo Hoyun—who had finished practice earlier and come back ahead of them—was there waiting. “Have fun out there?” “Hyooong~! Hehe, this is your present!” “Wow... feels like it’s my birthday instead.” Looking a little disheveled, probably from sweat, Dajun and Ichae handed over the bunny plush, and Hoyun let out a soft chuckle. Even though it was actually his own birthday, just seeing that smile made Dajun’s chest swell with pride. Returning to his room, he happily placed the puppy plush on his bed... only to suddenly freeze in place. ‘Wait... wasn’t I just messing around without thinking at all?’ Looking back at everything that had happened, he realized he had utterly failed to comfort Ichae like a reliable maknae should. Instead, he’d been toyed with—completely—in Kang Ichae’s hands. That realization sent a cold shiver down his spine. He had executed his plan perfectly, with detail and care, and yet... had Kang Ichae seen through it? Feeling a bad hunch creep in, Dajun suddenly bolted to the door and flung it open. “—Why are you always ?” In the living room, he spotted Seo Hoyun and Kang Ichae, their voices steadily rising. “If you’re gonna be , why don’t you just quit everything.” Kang Ichae ran a hand through his hair, irritation bubbling over. The atmosphere was clearly turning dangerous. “Why do you never—forget it. Screw the formal talk. Why do you never think about how I feel?” “I’ve listened to you more than enough.” Hoyun turned his head slightly, raising one corner of his mouth. “What more do you want?” It was the expression Seo Hoyun always made when he was truly pissed. Seeing it, Kang Ichae’s brows began to twitch—but before they could shoot up, Jung Dajun launched himself between them like a human shield. He threw his arms up and flailed dramatically. “Stop, just stop right there!! This is not a healthy dynamic! Unconditional love is the baseline for idol group relationships!” “Saying things like, ‘I did all this for you and you only give me this much in return,’ that’s the fastest road to ruining a bond! It’s okay to want affection, but you can’t demand too much from someone else!” Dajun, red-faced and breathless, began listing off everything he’d learned from years of video content consumption. “S-So, what I’m saying is—!” ‘Now what was the next step again?’ “...This is entertaining.” Despite all his efforts, Hoyun’s response was ice-cold. He scoffed, then looked over at Kang Ichae, who stood with arms crossed, matching Hoyun’s icy stare. “Then let’s hear it from our genius maknae.” As Dajun flailed helplessly and tugged at his own hair, the direction of fire suddenly shifted. Now both of the members—easily the two scariest when expressionless—were staring at him at once. He wanted to yell “I’m sorry!!” at least twenty times in a row. Barely holding himself back, he swallowed hard. Then Seo Hoyun grabbed his shoulders and pushed him firmly down onto the couch. Meeting his eyes, Hoyun asked softly, “—do you like the black rabbit or the blue rabbit?” ...Black rabbit? Blue? “Hurry up and decide. I’m not patient.” This situation was very familiar. Dajun quickly dug through his memories. During a surprise prank camera event for Hoyun’s birthday back when they were promoting in Japan—yes! The scene where they hunted down a whipped cream cake with Kim Sunghyun! As he recalled it, Kang Ichae suddenly plopped down on his left side and wrapped an arm around his neck. “This blue bunny—your bunny, yeah~?” “No, sir, mine is a regular, standard bunny.” “Then how about this West Bunny, is that your bunny~?” “Yes, that’s... probably correct-ish~.” While Dajun stammered, the two older members synced up perfectly and burst into laughter. On Dajun’s right, Seo Hoyun picked up the remote and turned on the TV. A slideshow appeared on the screen, with a birthday song playing and an over-the-top animated presentation that clearly screamed “made by Dajun.” The tension snapped, and so did his tear ducts. Even as their youngest bawled like a baby, his awful hyungs just laughed even harder. “You guys are so mean and annoying!” “Didn’t you know? That’s our group’s whole identity.” “I hate you! I really really reaaally hate you!!” It was obvious now. They had planned all of this from the start just to mess with him. As Dajun sniffled, face puffed up like a dumpling, Kim Sunghyun finally emerged with a sigh and scolded the awful hyungs. “Hey, knock it off. You’re making the kid cry.” “We just did it ‘cause he’s cute~.” How could they say that so shamelessly without even licking their lips once?! Still sniffling, Dajun glared daggers at Kang Ichae and Seo Hoyun, but then Sung Jiwon walked in holding the honey macaron cake with the candles lit. The members began to sing the birthday song. After blowing out the candles and taking a bite of the slice Jiwon cut for him, Dajun thought: Maybe because of all this... he was never going to forget his 20th birthday. “Dajun, drink some water.” “Hey hey, you gotta eat the macaron on top too.” “I will eat it, so don’t touch it.” Watching Dajun still grumpily sulking, Kang Ichae snickered quietly. “Alright, alright. I won’t touch.” In truth, Kang Ichae—who hadn’t fully gotten over his anger earlier—was finally able to let it all go thanks to Dajun today. So in the end, Dajun’s No Bad Kang Ichae operation hadn’t been a failure at all... “Happy birthday, our crybaby maknae~.” ...But Dajun would never know that.