‘It’ll be pointless anyway.’ Rachel pushed her glasses up as if to shove away the headache building behind her eyes. She was convinced this presentation would be nothing but a waste of time. No matter how famous Luca was for his eccentric personality, when it came to work, he was coldly thorough. Even now, he had probably agreed to hear them out purely out of curiosity, not with any real interest. On top of that, the tight schedule of this short business trip—packed from morning until now—had piled fatigue on top of irritation. The man across from her, who had caught her gaze, only gave her a bright, fresh smile. Just then, Luca, who had been muttering for a while that the man’s face looked oddly familiar, suddenly exclaimed as if he’d figured something out. He leaned in close to Rachel’s ear and whispered, “I’ve seen that guy in a drama! Bring Me the Camera, with Min—he played a totally rotten producer!” “I’m telling you, he was really like the devil!” Great. He’s having a blast. While Rachel was forced to listen to the overexcited K-drama geek’s rambling, the woman who had come with the man finished connecting her laptop to the projector and got ready to start. And so, the man’s presentation started. “The reason IRIX is launching a new Korean server is—...” The PPT on the screen had clean fonts, well-sized text, and images placed for easy comprehension. It was neat, and the focus points jumped right out at you. He had even pinpointed exactly why IRIX had decided to launch a new Korean server. Yes, Korea was a gaming powerhouse, but more importantly, there was a strong need for stimulating content aimed at a new generation. So the discussion had led to expanding the in-game universe through a collaboration with K-POP, which held overwhelming support among the youth. In a smooth mid-to-low tone, the man continued, outlining each key point. ‘How the hell did he research enough to get this level of detail?’ From early news articles about IRIX’s release to promotional tidbits scattered through forums and press, everything was laid out in the slides. “Luca, in your recent interview, you said, ‘Korea’s day and night are very different. Walking the streets at night feels like stepping into another world.’ Was that correct?” “That’s right. It’s beautiful. Every country has its own charm, but Korea felt very special to me.” The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I thought that interview was a kind of hint.” Instead of continuing right away, he pressed the projector’s remote. “This is Cycle of Reincarnation by The Dawn.” Right on cue, the lights in the meeting room dimmed, and the screen filled with a dark, rain-soaked street. “Based on the Buddhist concept of the six realms of reincarnation, it’s about relentlessly finding and tearing down one’s rivals, even if it means going through endless cycles.” It was Shining Star Season 2’s second-round stage, Cycle of Reincarnation. A trendy mix of Eastern elements with a hip-hop beat poured out of the speakers. A man in tight latex leather pants, a rash guard, and a flamboyantly embroidered modernized hanbok coat was perched on a matte black, menacing motorcycle. The man leading the presentation—Seo Hoyun—appeared onscreen. “PD Lee Junghoon really is a celebrity...” Rachel and Luca stared, transfixed, by the sheer intensity. 【Even if I go through the six-spoked wheel, I told you I’d find you. Do you believe me now?】 The balance among The Dawn’s five members was surprisingly good. Each stood out individually, yet their parts were well distributed. The stage’s storytelling and immersion were also outstanding. In its visual splendor, the performance felt like a short film. ‘Hah... am I really going to have to change the name on the contract?’ A glance to the side showed Luca with his hands clamped over his mouth, eyes sparkling at the screen. ‘The concept matches what we want...’ From the perspective of someone planning Cyberpunk Korea, The Dawn’s stage was definitely impressive. Still, beyond the image, they needed enough recognition to boost PR, and the skill to electrify the opening stage of the IRIX Cup finals. Since IRIX’s explosive success, Caris Games had hosted the massive tournament every January, turning it into a festival. The K-POP collaboration was slated to be this year’s IRIX theme song. The finals’ opening stage was always performed live, and always with that year’s theme song. Given the size of the venue, skill was critical. As a first-tier group, A:STAR had no weaknesses in that department, but The Dawn’s performance, while strong, still felt raw and unpolished. ‘They’re good, but...’ Just as the beat peaked, it dropped abruptly, and a delicate melody rang out before the video cut. He’d trimmed it to fit the meeting’s allotted time. “Was that stage lip-synced?” Right... she recalled hearing that Korean idols often performed live. It was hard to believe they could sing that steadily while moving with such power, but his earnest tone didn’t feel like a lie. It was hard to imagine something fitting IRIX’s vibe better. A distinctly Korean aesthetic. An exotic atmosphere. A warrior ready to rip into rivals. ‘And Luca eats this stuff up.’ Of course, Rachel trusted Luca wouldn’t choose purely based on personal taste. Even from just the PPT and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} performance video, she could tell The Dawn was a good group. But A:STAR was practically already confirmed—only the signature was missing. And A:STAR’s name value was far higher. Rachel decided to lighten the mood with a casual question. “Hoyun-ssi, are you good at games?” After a brief pause, he smiled gently. The woman at the laptop glanced at him. Luca spoke up for the first time in a while. “What kind of games—” Before Luca could finish, Hoyun switched the slide. “—someone who loves gaming even more than I do.” A very familiar screen appeared—one Rachel and Luca had seen thousands of times. It was an IRIX profile, displaying a massive, ornate rank badge ringed in shimmering aurora light. “This is the IRIX rank of our main rapper, Kang Ichae.” That alone was impressive, but Hoyun had more. With a snap of his fingers—tak!— “He was inspired by IRIX to compose a track. It’s only the melody for now, but we’d like to share it.” The woman quietly pressed a button on the remote. A melody filled the conference room—dark, grand, and violently surging. It even wove in IRIX’s in-game sound effects. ‘This is actually good.’ If they released it right now, it would fit seamlessly into the game’s world. ‘He must have put serious effort into this.’ Unaware it had been created in half a day, Rachel focused on the music. “The Cycle of Reincarnation track I showed earlier was also his work. He’s prepared several more demo samples.” One melody after another. Consistent, logical explanations. The more they listened, the more Rachel and Luca felt themselves being drawn in. Luca rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Rachel’s eyes gleamed as she pushed her glasses up. “An understanding of IRIX, an image that fits perfectly, and above all—our solid skill.” Hoyun smiled like a victor. “Is there any reason to hesitate?” We’d finished discussions with IRIX’s executive producer and the promotional video director. The official contract would be signed in a week, after Daepaseong had time to review it. After returning to the office with Lee Jihyun, I started to head back to the dorm but decided to drop by Kang Ichae’s studio to rub it in a little. ‘Ungrateful brat, doing this for you...’ Yes, I’d caused him some stress over my health, but still—he couldn’t even reply to my text? As usual, I skipped knocking and swung the studio door open. Pop! A burst went off, followed by sudden piano notes. Ttara-ran, ttara-ran~ Red hair under a neon green hoodie. Even from the front, side, or back, Kang Ichae dripped with cocky flair as he pressed the keys and smiled at me. “The top 1% beauty of IRIX presents.” As I stared silently at this absurd scene, he sang, “Seo Hoyun is God.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 Helium balloons floated in the middle of the room, petals scattered sparsely across the floor. Behind him, a huge banner read, Congrats! Secured the IRIX Contract! “You are angel... angel~ rabbit~” He hummed his impromptu song like he was determined to show what talent waste really meant. I figured leaving was my best move, but when I turned, Kim Sunghyun was blocking the door, grinning smugly and jerking his chin. “Where are you going? You’ve gotta see the rest.” Following his gesture, I saw the beam screen we sometimes used for concept meetings. Lines of text were scrolling up—it was a letter from Kang Ichae. I’m writing you this fan letter because I’m so overwhelmed with emotion I can’t contain it. “Ah!! Fuck! My eyes!” “Oh~, even your swearing is beautiful~” If I listed everything annoying about you, it would never end, but still, your talent is so cool and admirable that I can forget it for a moment♡ “Just say it. Don’t creep me out .” “Why? Hard when it’s aimed at you?” I pressed my fingers to my furrowed brow. Kim Sunghyun, still filming with his phone, was laughing way too much. The twitch of Kang Ichae’s lips told me they were in on this together just to mess with me. “You are my~ wow wow wow~ lead vocal who causes trouble~” So this is what I get for landing a contract for him? After the song finally ended, I peeled myself away, drained. I yanked off my stiff jacket and shirt, pulled on a sweatshirt from the couch, flopped down, and flipped him the finger. He grinned without losing an ounce of cheek. This guy would survive just fine on a deserted island. “Why didn’t the maknae join? He’d love this.” “His birthday’s soon. Perfect timing for a fake ‘we’re not on good terms’ surprise.” “What’s wrong with this group?” “Hoyun, you really don’t know?” Clicking my tongue, I grabbed a candy from the table and unwrapped it. “Anyway, hyung, thanks! Tell me if you want anything—I’ll buy it!” After plinking at the piano a bit more, Kang Ichae left for the dorm to put on an angry act in front of Dajun. Kim Sunghyun, still recording, came over. “Seriously, good work. If you don’t want anything, is there at least something you wish for?” “I want a cigarette.” “...Guess I can’t use that clip.” He grumbled, turning off the camera app. I lazily pulled Kang Ichae’s unlocked laptop toward me. Sure, the studio door locked automatically when closed, but this was still careless. The update still hadn’t been installed. Naturally, I hit “postpone” again and opened the community to check reactions. I saw SHY coming out of XX Hotel’s conference room today, what’s up?? He was dressed to kill. └ Huh, maybe a self-content shoot?? └ Thought he was doing collections. └└ Collections my ass lololol] Sightings were already popping up. No one had any idea about the IRIX meeting. Snatching it away mid-negotiation with A:STAR... ‘Better keep that under wraps?’ I searched a few more keywords, but things were still quiet. “Or maybe we could give it to you as a birthday gift, so think about it.” “No need. Things are going to get busy—let’s just share the workload.” With the IRIX contract, songwriting and lyric work, concept discussions, music video filming, and live stage prep... Plus, we were working on a full album. The Dawn was about to get busy. While giving Kim Sunghyun a halfhearted reply, I saw a new post pop up on the community. [Title: Doesn’t The Dawn have no live controversy?] One of my favorite words—my lips curled up automatically. “This is gonna be fun.” A birthday present like that? I didn’t even need to arrange it. It would roll right in on its own when the time came.