Late October, last year. ‘What should I do about this?’ At the time, his expression looked no different than usual, but Kang Ichae was in the worst mood imaginable. It was right after I had collapsed. The usual mischievous glint in his eyes had ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) completely disappeared. “Hyung, sometimes... Ichae-hyung scares me.” “He scares me sometimes too.” Even though he was usually fairly generous with the maknae, Jung Dajun had said this to me in all seriousness. While sipping the last of a chocolate frappuccino through a straw, I was racking my brain for a way to resolve the situation, when beside me, Lee Jihyun—listlessly tapping on her keyboard—asked slowly, “Um... do you think we’ll be able to go home today?” “I’ll buy you a meal.” “Ha ha... ha—haaaaack.” She slammed her forehead on the desk, then soon got back to work as if nothing had happened. Watching her, my thoughts wandered back to Kang Ichae. Lately, he had even stopped playing the games he loved and shut himself up in the studio. Wondering if there was something I could use to win him over, I started searching the names of the games he used to enjoy on my laptop. That’s when a certain article caught my eye. It was about IRIX, the hottest FPS game in the world right now, and already famous in Korea. The developer, Caris Games, was preparing to launch an expanded Korean server. There was also a short line about plans to release a track in collaboration with a K-POP idol. ‘...This could work.’ As I scrolled down to read more, Lee Jihyun’s voice cut into my thoughts. “Ah, this might end up falling through.” “Caris Games apparently wanted to work with Black Call, but got rejected, so now they’re negotiating with A:STAR. But the game company’s executive producer is really picky. There’s a rumor going around that the project is shaky and could get scrapped altogether.” They weren’t on Black Call’s level, but they were still a solid first-tier idol group. And yet, the game company was being difficult. “What kind of impact would a collab have on popularity?” “Well, people would be talking about it in Korea, but more than that, the overseas influx would be huge. It’s not as famous as Caris Games, but remember that idol who featured on the OST of a foreign-made animation? Their YouTube subscribers quintupled practically overnight.” I replenished my sugar-starved brain with another sip of frappuccino, thinking hard, when Jihyun fidgeted and dragged out her words. “—Actually, two months ago, I heard about this by chance, so I emailed IRIX’s customer center, and then managed to get the game director’s direct email address and contacted him too!” She works hard, I’ll give her that. “But I don’t think they check it much. I looked this morning and it still hasn’t been read!” So they’re the ones not working. Reel in Kang Ichae, and reel in overseas exposure. Two birds, one stone. Perfect. Only... it looked like the plan might die before it even started. While I was calculating other possibilities, Jihyun kept talking. “Anyway, it’s a shame we didn’t even get the chance... Seo Hoyun-ssi! I worked really hard on this! Should I prove it by showing you the email?” “No matter how much you appeal, you’re not going home yet.” The bit of life that had returned to Jihyun’s eyes drained out again. Then, as she habitually refreshed the company email tab, she froze. I was about to pop the lid off my frappuccino to drain the last drop when I glanced at her. She was hammering the Enter key in disbelief, then practically glued her face to the laptop screen. “Holy—! Caris Games just emailed asking if we’re free tomorrow for a meeting!!” I took the laptop she shoved at me and read the email carefully. At that time, the only ones in The Dawn without a schedule were Kim Sunghyun, Kang Ichae, and me. “Lee Jihyun-ssi, do you have any prep materials?” “If you mean a presentation file, of course not.” “Confident, aren’t you. Then... do you speak English?” Tapping my pen on the table, I finished organizing my thoughts and grinned at her. “Forget the presentation for now. Just scrape together every bit of relevant information you can. In two hours. Got it?” Ignoring her long, drawn-out scream, I left the meeting room and barged into Kang Ichae’s studio. He was lying on the sofa with his cap pulled low over his eyes. Pretending to be asleep, as expected. Not even looking at me, huh, you brat. Turning my head, I saw the composing program still open on his laptop—it looked like he’d been working until just now. In the bottom right corner, a Windows Update notification was sitting there. “Kang Ichae, are you sulking?” In that state, he’d be fine. From tone and voice to his eyes and the vibe he gave off, I knew exactly what Kang Ichae was like when he was really upset. This wasn’t bad. I decided to get straight to the point. “You play that game—IRIX or whatever—right?” He lifted his cap slightly to eye me, trying to gauge what I was plotting this time. “They put out news about a K-POP collab.” “Well, rumor has it A:STAR sunbaenims are doing it.” Time to dangle the juiciest bait: a game he wanted. “If you want it, I’ll get it for you.” No matter how sharp he was, he was still in his early twenties. For a sulking kid, giving them what they want works every time. “Sometimes I wonder—where does your confidence even come from?” “From our genius producer, of course. How long does it take you to compose a new track?” Feigning innocence, I asked while he looked at me like he’d had enough. He scratched his head under his cap, then abruptly sat up. “If I’m not sulking, quickly.” Latest content publıshed on 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 “If it’s just a sample.” I deliberately hit “Postpone” on the Windows Update, then looked at him again. “I’ll send you all the materials we’ve gathered in two hours. Make a track from that. I’m off.” “Where do you think?” I nudged his long legs out of my way and headed for the door. “Oh, if you snag that contract—” Hand on the doorknob, I turned to look at him. The promotional video team director in the IRIX division, she was currently on a business trip to Korea. It was for the launch of the new Korean server and the K-POP collaboration project. She had been devoted to gaming since she was a child, building a successful career from it, but knew almost nothing about Korea or K-POP. “Black Call? What about Black Call?” “How many times do I have to say it? They already rejected us ages ago.” Even Rachel knew Black Call. Not because she’d wanted to, but because it had been forced into her brain. One of her coworkers was a Joo Woosung fan. Constantly shouting “Joo—!” and bingeing videos during breaks, she had made it impossible for Rachel not to know. At first, Rachel had thought “Zoo” sounded like some kind of animal park. ‘But... seeing the stage videos, I have to admit, he was impressive.’ Beyond his good looks and dance skills, he had the rare charisma to reach through the screen and pull you in. Even so, Rachel’s interest in K-POP hadn’t grown. But Luca, the IRIX division’s famously eccentric executive producer, was obsessed with Asian culture—especially K-dramas. “He’d go perfectly with a cyberpunk theme.” It was Luca who came up with the idea for the Korean server expansion. One day, after watching a K-drama scene set on a neon-lit street at night, he’d fallen in love with the aesthetic. The strange characters, the kaleidoscope of colors—it all came together in a uniquely atmospheric way. She understood instantly what he wanted, but the execution had been nothing but trouble. ‘God, this crazy bastard.’ He was undeniably a genius. But he was also meticulous, demanding, and rigidly fixed on the vision in his head. The server testing had gone smoothly, but the K-POP collaboration stalled again and again at the idol recruitment stage. Even the meeting with A:STAR hadn’t been bad, but he’d pouted as soon as they left, saying it didn’t hit him in the heart. Still grumbling that it had to be Black Call, Luca slouched in his chair. “I’m hungry. All the meetings are done, so why don’t we go try that budae-jjigae the Michelin place1) recommended?” “What do you mean, done? There’s still one more.” “Damn it! You told me yesterday to book one more meeting! Don’t you remember the email?” And who was it that went snooping through other people’s emails? Recognition finally dawned on his face. He smiled innocently. “Oh! Right. Can we just skip it? I’m tired.” The HR department’s email address flashed through her mind. She wanted badly to file a workplace harassment complaint, but swallowed it down. For now, she still had more to learn from Luca. ‘Not quitting yet. Not yet... not yet...’ While she was calming herself, two people entered the room, guided by a hotel staffer. The man with neatly slicked-back hair and a deep charcoal suit with a blue undertone radiated presence. “I’m Seo Hoyun from Daepaseong Entertainment.” His English wasn’t native, but it was clean and fluent. By contrast, hers was a bit clumsy. Striding forward, the man extended a large, pale hand for a handshake. “Thank you for coming to Korea. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel.” “Ah, about that email...” Recalling Luca’s earlier “let’s just skip it,” Rachel’s expression grew awkward. “I’m sorry, but we’re likely to proceed with another group, so I think we should cancel today’s meeting. My apologies for bringing you here.” “What do you mean, why?” The protest didn’t come from her—it came from Luca. Rachel felt a headache bloom at her temples. Again, the HR email address drifted through her mind. Now his eyes were sparkling as he studied the two people in front of them. “My stage name is Hoyuhou.” Suddenly, the woman next to him coughed. A tense silence spread through the hotel conference room. “It was a joke,” he muttered awkwardly when it didn’t land. Luca, sounding intrigued, leaned forward. “Then, Hoyuhou—can we see what you’ve prepared?” “Excuse me, did you hear what I said?” Just as Rachel’s brow creased, his eyes changed in an instant. “Of course. I heard you loud and clear.” She had just told him the contract would be going to someone else, yet he showed no hesitation. On the contrary—his smile slowly curved, brimming with confidence. “Better get that contract ready to have my name on it.”