An extra fan signing event got added to their schedule. Hajun was actually happy about it. Well, except for the part where his idea of giving out self-defense stun guns as gifts to fans got rejected.

First, he tried giving out lollipops. Then bubbles. When he suggested stun guns next, Ryu Cheongwoo had a massive headache trying to stop him. After some gentle coaxing and a bit of bargaining with a grumpy Hajun, they finally compromised on whistles.

Looking at the big box of whistles that arrived at their dorm, Hajun muttered, “A stun gun is way more useful than these squeaky things.”

“Haha, still no,” Cheongwoo replied.

“Tch.”

Seon Ahyun gave a shy smile while getting the stag pens ready and listening to the others chat. At the same time, Cha Eugene snatched a whistle and ran through the dorm blowing it.

Lee Sejin covered his ears and fled to his room. Park Moondae plugged in his earphones and quickly followed him out of the living room.

“Cha Eugene, be quiet! You’re bothering the hyungs!” Kim Raebin scolded.

Squeak! Squeak!

Eugene blew the whistle right at Raebin in response. Watching the two younger members bicker and run around the dorm, Hajun turned to Cheongwoo. “See? We should’ve bought stun guns. The dorm would be dead quiet by now.”

“…”

Squeak…

“I’m joking,” Hajun added.

Everyone froze. Eugene let the whistle drop from his mouth and stared at Hajun with wide eyes.

[Hajun, you know it sounds real when you say stuff like that, right?]

“I said it was a joke.”

“Hajun-ah…”

“Seriously, it’s a joke. Do I look like the type to just go around shocking people?”

“Yes,” they all answered in unison.

“Unbelievable.”

Hajun felt genuinely wronged. Where else would they find a law-abiding citizen like him? He didn’t evade taxes, and he had never committed a crime in his life. (Technically true, since supernatural matters were outside the jurisdiction of human law, leaving his record squeaky clean.) But despite his protests, nobody was buying it.

“I won’t forget this betrayal,” Hajun grumbled.

“Have you been watching dramas lately? Ah, never mind, you wouldn’t have time for that,” Keun Sejin chimed in.

“Dramas! I love The Running Dead!” Eugene yelled.

“Is that so?”

“Oh, that one’s good. Eugene, do you watch Korean dramas too?”

Ryu Cheongwoo looked a bit overwhelmed by how fast the topic of conversation was bouncing around. Since the other sensible members had already retreated to their rooms (Ahyun had quietly slipped away when they started talking about dramas), Cheongwoo had to handle this chaotic energy all by himself.

“What do you watch, Cheongwoo-hyung?”

“Me? Hmm, I don’t really watch TV. Back when I was an athlete, I was always too busy training…”

“Then we’ll recommend some! You should watch them on your day off. Keeping up with trends is super important for idols!” Keun Sejin said.

“Sure, I will. What about you, Hajun? Do you watch dramas?”

Hajun, who was casually spinning one of Ahyun’s stag pens in his hand, gave a half-hearted shrug. “Yeah. Katy likes them. Crash Landing on Love, or something like that. We watch together.”

“You watch with your sister? You’re a really good older brother.”

“I guess.”

Now that both of them were busy, it was hard to find the time. They only put on a drama and messed around when they both happened to be back home at the same time. They had more free time when they were younger.

As Hajun mentally calculated whether his next break would align with Katy’s, Keun Sejin leaned in. “You watch dramas with your sister? Hyung, are you… what do they call it… a siscon?”

“Why does having a good relationship with my sister make me obsessed with her? You guys just seem really distant from your siblings.”

“No, I mean, being that close is just… ugh.”

Keun Sejin, who had never experienced that kind of sibling closeness, shuddered at the mere thought. Cheongwoo also laughed, admitting he never really got close to his sister either.

Eugene quickly jumped in. “I have a younger sister too! And an older sister, and an older brother. We all get along great!”

“That’s a big family.”

“Hehe.”

After a bit more idle chatter, they checked the clock and stood up. It was time for practice. And tomorrow at dawn, TeSTAR was scheduled to film their very first variety show.

---

“Ugh…”

Cha Eugene, who had spent all his resting time chatting and playing, was now fast asleep in the moving van. Honestly, almost everyone was knocked out—except for two people.

Hajun glanced at Park Moondae, who was silently staring at his phone, and asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“…Just uploading this.”

Moondae felt his sleepiness fade under Hajun’s steady, intense stare. He rushed to post a group photo on the TeSTAR account, locked his phone, and put it away.

Is there something on my face? Stop staring.

“You were just cursing at me in your head, weren’t you?” Hajun asked.

“…No,” Moondae lied.

Dammit.

“Your face is so easy to read. It’s fun.”

“…Is that so?” Moondae mumbled, clearly not amused.

Moondae was proud of how well he controlled his facial expressions, so he was sure the problem was Hajun, not him. Just then, Seon Ahyun woke up feeling groggy.

“…Ah! Did we, did we arrive…?”

“No. Go back to sleep,” Moondae said.

“You should sleep too,” Ahyun mumbled.

“…What about you, hyung?”

“I’m fine.”

Ahyun tried hard to stay awake, looking worried. Hajun clicked his tongue and reached out his hand. Ahyun flinched, and Moondae quickly moved to block him, but Hajun easily pushed Moondae aside with his other hand.

“I said, both of you, just sleep.”

“…”

A strange ringing echoed in their ears. Before Moondae could process what just happened, a very heavy wave of sleepiness crashed over him. Unable to fight it, he fell fast asleep.

Once Hajun confirmed that every single member was knocked out, he turned around toward the back window.

“Seriously.”

Hehehehe!

An uninvited guest had been clinging to the back of their van for the past ten minutes. It looked like a female ghost. The spirit floated up to the back window and locked eyes with Hajun. (Well, its eye sockets were completely empty, but the feeling was there.) It grinned widely and tapped on the glass.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

“…Uh, Hajun? Was that you making that noise?” the manager asked from the driver’s seat, his voice trembling slightly.

“Yeah. Just keep driving.”

Hajun replied with a shrug as he started gathering energy at his fingertips. He called it spiritual energy, but it looked more like a blue flame. Honestly, it was pretty cool to watch. The way the blue fire flickered was beautiful, and it was a shame only ghosts could see it.

As the ghost hesitated upon seeing the flame, Hajun threw the blue fireball right at it.

Screeeeech!

“Ah, shit…” Hajun muttered, rubbing his temples.

The high-pitched, screeching wail of the ghost felt like a needle scraping against his eardrums. The manager, who definitely heard the creepy sound in the quiet car, chose to stay completely silent and focused on the road.

---

By the time they arrived, Hajun was unusually tired after sending a few more roadside ghosts to the afterlife.

Ahyun woke up looking a bit confused about how quickly he had fallen asleep. Moondae looked even more suspicious, casting wary glances at Hajun, though he didn’t say anything.

As soon as they got out of the car, the staff asked them to put on blindfolds. It was pointless for Hajun since his spiritual senses only became sharper when his eyes were covered. He could feel all the life forces nearby.

“Ugh… Ah!”

“Darling dreamer.”

Keun Sejin nudged a dozing Cha Eugene in the ribs to wake him up. Hearing the timing of Eugene’s yawn, Hajun casually muttered a comment.

“…Hajun! You just poked me!” Eugene accused.

“Wasn’t me. It was Keun Sejin.”

“Wait, you’re wearing a blindfold, right?”

The staff was baffled by how confident Hajun walked among the stumbling members without any hesitation. A producer stepped up to check if his blindfold was actually blocking his vision.

“That’s weird. You shouldn’t be able to see anything…”

“I just have really good instincts.”

“Hyung, you shouldn’t be an idol. You need to be on some supernatural talent show,” Keun Sejin joked.

“No thanks.”

After some stumbling, TeSTAR finally reached their destination and pulled off their blindfolds. While the other members looked around blankly, Hajun stared flatly at a giant banner hanging in front of them.

[Congrats! National Shareholder Choice ★TeSTAR★ is here!]

[The Korean Bird Association Welcomes You!]

[At Junam Reservoir]

“Tacky,” Hajun said.

“Hajun-ah.”

“If it’s tacky, I’m going to call it tacky. What else should I say?” Hajun argued, pointing at the colorful, cheap-looking banner.

Stop calling my name, Cheongwoo. It’s going to wear out.

While the members stared in despair at the empty wasteland, a middle-aged man walked over to them with a bright smile. Cheongwoo naturally stepped in front of Hajun to shield him, but Hajun kept poking Cheongwoo’s shoulder to annoy him. Cheongwoo didn’t budge.

Why does he act like my mom? Well, my real mom didn’t act like this, and the one who actually raised me was my stepmother, but still.

Hajun stopped poking when the man introduced himself as a bird expert.

“I heard you guys are going to be birdwatchers for a day!”

“Uh, what? Yes, a one-day job experience…”

“Birdwatching…?”

Hajun squinted at the man. He definitely didn’t look like a researcher. In fact, this whole thing smelled like a total scam.

While the other clueless members smiled and gave bright reactions for the camera, only Hajun and Moondae—who knew exactly how exhausting it was to shoot wild birds—remained completely silent.

“Birds are great!”

“We’ll do our best!”

And so, the march of hell began. Hajun decided to see what kind of broadcast the staff was trying to make and silently followed along.

---

After an hour, he was completely done with this.

Seriously, hadn’t he been patient enough?

Hajun quietly released his spiritual energy. To keep it in the shape of a blue fire, he had to keep it close, but if he let go of the form and strength, he could use it as a radar. His scanning range was roughly a 2-kilometer radius.

Ignoring the thousands of faint bugs and the heavy, grounded energy of the trees, Hajun searched specifically for animals. Something light, something that felt like it could fly away at any second…

Found it.

“We just need to walk for about five more minutes,” Hajun said.

“Huh?”

“The bird. See that willow tree over there? It’s sitting right on that branch.”

“Are you a Mongolian nomad or something?” Keun Sejin laughed.

“No.”

The members thought he was just joking, but as they got closer to the willow tree by the water, they spotted a tiny shape fluttering between the branches. They all whipped their heads around to look at Hajun.

“You actually saw that from all the way back there?!”

“No.”

“Wait, you can’t just say ‘no’ and not explain!”

“Y-You must have amazing eyesight!” Ahyun stammered.

“Yeah. It’s 2.0 in both eyes.”

“Oh…”

Even with perfect vision, there was no way anyone could spot a tiny bird from that far away. But since they finally found a bird, the members were just thrilled to escape the endless walking. They started rushing toward the tree.

The self-proclaimed bird expert quickly stopped them. “Whoa, don’t get too close! You’ll scare them away!”

“Ah, right…”

“Let’s squat down and move!”

“…”

Cheongwoo anxiously glanced back at Hajun, who was now doing the duck walk. All expression had vanished from Hajun’s face. It was a miracle his explosive temper had held out this long.

Hajun was seriously considering just running over, grabbing the bird, and proving it couldn’t escape anyway. Even if his spiritual thread was weak at this distance, it was enough to bind a small animal. Animals were naturally more sensitive to spiritual energy, after all.

But if he did that, Keun Sejin’s joke about him ending up on a supernatural TV show would actually come true, so he held back.

Giving up, Hajun raised his camera and focused. Zoom in, click.

“Do you know what kind of bird this is?” Hajun asked, shoving his camera toward Cheongwoo.

“Oh? You caught it?” Cheongwoo asked in surprise. He thought Moondae was the only one good at taking photos, so this was unexpected. Then again, Hajun always bragged that he was good at everything.

Moondae, who also succeeded in taking a photo, walked up to the bird expert. “I got it too. Sir, what species is this?”

“Huh?! Ah… haha, right…” the expert stuttered, looking completely lost.

Just as Moondae was about to put the pieces together, the other members crowded around, praising their photos. Wow, you’re so good at this, it’s so cute, etc.

Ignoring the chatter, Hajun looked straight at the fake expert. “We got the picture. Can we go back now?”

“Ah… well, we should probably get a few more! Come on, we don’t have much time, let’s keep moving!”

“…”

“Hajun-ah, come over here,” Cheongwoo quickly grabbed the ticking time bomb.

Hajun just smirked as he followed him. Beside them, Lee Sejin quietly took a few steps away from Hajun.