"Yeonhoo-hyung! We’re still practicing for the collab soon, right?" "Yeah, that’s right." Kang Yeonhoo (24, leader of Hi-Five) had been feeling unsettled lately. Why did we even agree to this collab? He couldn’t figure out what on earth Seo Hoyun was thinking. Unable to focus any longer, Kang Yeonhoo trudged over to a corner, sat down, and pulled out his phone to open a portal site. It was overflowing with news about The Dawn. Every year-end award season came with all sorts of random trophies, but there were always a few that seemed fairly respectable. At the year-end ceremonies held in early to mid-December, The Dawn swept up all the “Worldwide,” “Overseas,” and “Rookie” type awards—the sort of prizes second-tier acts might get. Hi-Five had managed to snag a few trophies too, neck-and-neck with them, but Kang Yeonhoo couldn’t deny it. The awards we got this time... you really can’t say there was no push from our company at all. It wasn’t that there had been score rigging. But the capital, manpower, and accumulated experience of a major agency simply crushed smaller companies. As he scrolled through photos of The Dawn holding trophies at the ceremonies, he switched over to SNS to check the reactions. [Sunghyun... do you cry every time you get an award...?] [LOOOOOOLLLLLLL  Ah, it’s so funny yet touching how he gets emotional every single time ㅠ He must have gone through so much... ㅠㅠ But in the middle of all that, look at Seo Hoyun’s eyes all wide open~] [That guy doesn’t even blink when he yawns... I’m telling you, he’s got chronic dry eyes. └ Chronic dry eyes, lmao] And then the stomachache started creeping in. [Isn’t it weird Hi-Five didn’t get this award?? Rigged much?? └ That’s a high-level hate comment... Everyone knows Daepaseong doesn’t have that kind of money... └└MAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO └└ Yeah right, they’re always saying they have no money when their albums sold like crazy. └ Hi-Five fans don’t think , please don’t misunderstand ㅠㅠ └└ Sure you don’t. You’re all just pissed you didn’t win.] The aftermath of this year’s survival program still had the fandom atmosphere in bad shape. A collab in this situation... They’d be lucky not to get roasted for being airheads frolicking in a flower field. Rubbing his stomach as if to soothe the pain, he got up and looked at his teammates. "I’m gonna grab drinks. Anyone want something?" "Ooh~! Green tea for me!!" "I’ll have cola!" Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽 Hi-Five’s members might not have much awareness, but they were all bright and pure-hearted. Yeonhoo had worked behind the scenes since trainee days to make sure only kids like that made it into the debut lineup. He knew all too well from years as a trainee that a group without control would go completely off track. Since they’d debuted, he’d wanted to make sure his younger members only walked a flower path—yet now it felt like they were driving down an unpaved road. Especially when facing unpredictable variables like Seo Hoyun. I really am uneasy about this. They were supposed to discuss the year-end stage with The Dawn today, so he went down to the first floor alone, pretending to use the vending machine. The plan was to get a read on what Seo Hoyun was thinking ahead of time. That way, he’d feel better about letting his innocent younger members be around him. "Your album came out really well. Congrats. I saw the digital rankings were pretty high too." Someone else had gotten in The Dawn’s way first. It was the WH Entertainment marketing team leader. Kang Yeonhoo didn’t have major complaints about his own company, but he often thought some staff showed too much territorial behavior. They did it to their own trainees and artists, so there was no way they’d just let it slide with someone from another company—especially someone from Daepaseong, which looked like it could be crushed flat with one hand. "Your season song had great timing, didn’t it?" The faintly biting tone was something a sharp person like Seo Hoyun picked up on instantly. In fact, Hoyun was already smirking like he found it amusing. Just as Yeonhoo was about to step in to prevent trouble— "Gasp! That’s right! Everyone knows about that! We did have amazing timing!" Jung Dajun’s eyes went wide as he made a fuss, then suddenly lowered his voice and lifted an index finger like he was about to reveal something important. "Actually, we released it on Christmas on purpose." "Because it’s a Christmas song!!" Yeonhoo froze mid-step. The WH Entertainment marketing team leader was also caught off guard, momentarily speechless. Dajun said it as if he were revealing a grand truth, like “one lemon contains the vitamin C of exactly one lemon.” Aside from Seo Hoyun, the rest of The Dawn who were nearby all averted their eyes and clenched their teeth. Only then did Yeonhoo truly realize— The maknae of The Dawn couldn’t possibly be normal. "Well... because it’s a Christmas song..." "...Right, the song did fit the season very well." Ever since the Shining Star Season 2 performance unit, Jung Dajun had learned to just let things slide easily. Of course, there was no way Yeonhoo could know the whole backstory. The WH Entertainment marketing team leader let out an awkward cough before sneering again. "Well, I hope you can keep that momentum going?" "Ah!! Yes! Thank you so much for your warm encouragement!!" But Dajun stayed beaming. In the end, the marketing team leader walked off with a strangely unsettled look, as if he’d somehow been on the losing end of that exchange. Watching his retreating back, Dajun’s expression abruptly shifted as he muttered, "...Wait. That wasn’t encouragement just now?" Even with both hands covering his mouth, Kang Ichae couldn’t stop the laughter leaking out. Shaking with suppressed mirth, he muttered, "Encouragement, khhhk, thank you..." Sung Jiwon patted Dajun on the back. "No, you did well. You did great." "Of course! If it wasn’t a compliment, what else could it be? You just take it at face value~!" "Yeah. You did well. So what do you want for dinner?" The leader shifted the topic to dinner like he’d resigned himself to the situation, and Hoyun quickly lost interest once things smoothed over. The five of them together looked completely at ease. At that moment, Hoyun turned to look directly at Kang Yeonhoo and greeted him warmly. "Hello, Yeonhoo-sunbaenim." It was like he’d known from the start that Yeonhoo was there. Times , he almost seemed like a good guy. Hadn’t Hoyun acted friendly to Jung Wonha from TEW, too? TEW seemed to still be active, but they’d sunk even further than before they’d been on Shining Star. The other members, spotting him, hurried over and bowed politely. In that moment, Yeonhoo recalled a friendly staff member once telling him ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ The Dawn were kind, polite, and hard workers. Back then, he’d doubted whether they were even talking about the same group he knew. If they’d said they were tough and strong-willed, he’d have understood—but kind and polite? "Thanks for coming all the way to our company. This way, please." Letting out a small sigh, Yeonhoo led The Dawn to the practice room. After quick introductions with Hi-Five, they got straight into the collab discussion. From here on, Yeonhoo would have to keep his guard up. "This is the song our company wants to use." It was Heart on Fire!, a track from a famous first-generation boy group under WH Entertainment, oozing with masculine charisma. A dance routine that amplified the appeal with controlled movements, an addictive melody, and a rough, sexy atmosphere. It was one of those songs almost every boy group dreamed of performing at least once—even Joo Woosung had covered it before. Naturally, it was a song that favored WH Entertainment’s artists. "If there’s no problem, we’ve already mapped out the formation, so it’d be great if we could do it together. Of course, we’d re-arrange it a bit for the collab stage." Seo Hoyun was the first to agree to the proposal. What’s going on? Why’s this so easy? While everyone exchanged pleasant opinions, only Yeonhoo stayed on edge. Sure enough, Hoyun spoke up again. "But we also have something we planned in advance." That was his honest thought, but he couldn’t outright refuse, and in the moment of hesitation, Hoyun seized control of the conversation. At the song title, Yeonhoo’s eyes went wide. Hoyun smiled confidently. "What do you think? Sounds good, right? I think it’d be great to do both songs. The titles are even similar." It was the kind of song you could not afford to mess up on a year-end stage. He’s really ruthless. While Kang Yeonhoo kept his mouth tightly shut, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, the youngest of Hi-Five spoke up. "I really like that song! But don’t you think Heart on Fire and Love & Heart have totally different vibes? I’m worried whether we can transition the choreography naturally." "Easy. You just go—shoosh, babam, bam-bam. Then switch formations here." "Ooh! Wait, hyung, are you a genius?!" Kim Sunghyun—who hadn’t even had time to prepare beforehand—sprang to his feet and demonstrated the choreography transitions with ridiculous ease. The Hi-Five members erupted into cheers. "At the bridge, we can connect the songs, and in the latter half, we could layer in this kind of note~." With Kang Ichae joining in, all of Hi-Five except Yeonhoo were nodding along, instantly swayed by The Dawn’s energy. "Then should we go with both songs?" Even with his eyes sharp and scanning for flaws, Yeonhoo couldn’t find anything solid to object to. Seo Hoyun’s lips curved in a smooth smile. "With these kinds of songs, it’s a guaranteed win." It really didn’t sit right. Kang Yeonhoo’s unease about the year-end stage only deepened. Both Hi-Five and The Dawn were packed with schedules. Maybe it had been different before, but for this performance, the total joint practice time they’d been given was barely half a day. "So it’s actually possible..." But The Dawn mastered everything in just two hours before leaving WH Entertainment’s practice room. The remaining Hi-Five members chattered excitedly with bright, innocent faces. "Wow, those guys are amazing." "Hey, they’re about the same age—don’t call them ‘hyung.’ But seriously, Sunghyun-hyung is really cool. Of course, Joo Woosung-sunbaenim is obviously way cooler, but still... even for a guy, he’s seriously impressive." "Dajun’s really friendly, too." Yeonhoo pressed his palm firmly against his throbbing temple. It was a relief they’d finished quickly, but was that choreography speed even normal? It seemed unnatural. Yet no one else seemed to think it was strange enough to question. Trying to calm his tangled thoughts and cool his head, he headed out toward the vending machines—only to see Seo Hoyun still standing at the end of the hallway as if waiting for someone. That stance, like he was anticipating an encounter, sent a chill of foreboding through him. But it was already too late. "Yeonhoo-sunbaenim~." The bright smile on Hoyun’s face made Yeonhoo’s body stiffen. From experience, he’d learned that Hoyun was even more dangerous when he looked like that. Suppressing the twitch of irritation, Yeonhoo forced out a compliment. "I enjoyed your variety show appearance. I even watched it live." "Oh my, you watched it live?" Why did it already feel like he was getting annoyed when he hadn’t even said much yet? "...So why were you waiting here?" "Because it seemed like Yeonhoo-sunbaenim wanted to talk to me?" At this point, nothing about him was surprising anymore. Rather than beat around the bush, Yeonhoo decided to go straight in. "Why did you accept the collab? I thought you’d be the one to cut it." The truth was, WH Entertainment had only gone ahead with the year-end stage because the broadcasting station had essentially forced them. Despite complicated circumstances for their other artists, Hi-Five—respectable enough on the surface—had been chosen. If Daepaseong had refused, it would’ve been a loss for their agency, sure, but The Dawn would’ve been untouched. "To be honest, I don’t understand what you’re thinking, Seo Hoyun-ssi." In other words—there was no real need for this collab. Yeonhoo asked plainly, "This collab isn’t going to cause any trouble for Hi-Five, is it?" From what he’d seen today, nothing seemed particularly strange. Even on that variety show before, the results had been fine in the end. Hoyun didn’t answer immediately, and the silence stretched, leaving Yeonhoo’s mind spinning. As he sighed and pulled a drink from the vending machine, Hoyun’s calm voice cut in. "You’re going to give yourself a headache, sunbaenim." "You think too much." You’re the one making me overthink! The retort rose to his throat, but he swallowed it back down. Hoyun reached over, snatched Yeonhoo’s unopened drink, and twisted off the cap. "I’m curious, too—what exactly do you think of me, to talk to me ?" There was something unsettling about how perfectly he packaged his personality—and how hard it was to read his true intentions. "You seem... a bit shady." Hoyun choked on his drink, caught off guard by the bluntness. ...Yeonhoo had expected him to be at least a little offended, but instead, Hoyun burst into laughter, chuckling for a long while. "Ah, that’s hilarious." "...Glad you’re enjoying yourself. I’m starting to get pissed." Even with Yeonhoo glaring at him, arms crossed, Hoyun stayed completely composed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I like your honesty. Might’ve been nice if you’d been at Daepaseong." Despite being younger, Hoyun spoke to him like he was handling a much younger kid. When Yeonhoo’s face paled in irritation, Hoyun only seemed more satisfied, his smile gleaming. "Well then, this shady junior will take his leave." "Please get out of my company." Hoyun waved lazily, his lips still curved. "Let’s work well together, sunbaenim." It was only after he left, when Yeonhoo slumped into a chair by the vending machines and stared blankly for a while, that he realized Hoyun hadn’t actually told him a thing. "That guy, seriously..." It had been a long time since he’d been this thrown off by someone, and the unease gnawed at him again. When he strolled back into the practice room, the youngest Hi-Five member gave him a worried look. "Hyung, what’s wrong?" "...Keep your guard up." Otherwise, they’d end up getting robbed blind. Hi-Five still had a long way to go before reaching the top. They couldn’t afford to get held back here. The days passed in a blur of practice, and finally, the day of the QBS Song Festival year-end stage arrived.