Park Moondae remembered the first time he saw Won Hajun. The impression was so intense he could never forget it.
First of all, he was very tall, and his cold slit eyes gave him a fierce, intimidating look.
“Please introduce yourself.”
“Hello. I’m Won Hajun.”
“…That’s it?”
“Yes.”
The way he raised one eyebrow, as if asking what else they could possibly want, made him look so much like a thug that Moondae briefly wondered whether this was the guy caught up in the drug rumors. Judging by his appearance alone, he didnât look like an idol trainee. Handsome or not, there was something strange about his gaze… about his eyes.
The moment that thought crossed Moondae’s mind, his eyes locked with Hajun’s, making him flinch.
However, once Hajun began his performance, Moondae’s eyes widened for an entirely different reason.
His talent was off the charts.
The way his long limbs moved through the dance had a great power, while his vocals were crisp and strong. In that single moment, the character of a bold confident and arrogant genius came to life.
It seemed like he would cruise safely into the top rankings, but only a few episodes in, Hajun sparked a massive personality controversy, causing his popularity to plummet.
“Can’t you even do this?”
“……What?”
“I asked if you can’t even do this.”
“Why, you…! Have you lost your mind?!”
Only a lunatic like Won Hajun would say something so blunt to actor Lee Sejin on camera. Despite setting every online community on fire, Hajun didnât seem to keep up with anything being said about him. He remained completely nonchalant.
Just as everyone assumed the guy was done for, the sudden revelation of his American nationality (caught on camera chatting in English with Cha Eugene) sparked a wave of renewed interest.
“Mr. Hajun, why didn’t you mention this earlier?!”
“You didn’t ask.”
Overhearing Hajunâs blunt reply to the production staff’s interrogation, Moondae resolved to avoid him at all costs. In fact, Moondae figured the guy would ruin himself if left alone, so he stopped paying attention. But then, the producersâthose sensation-addicted vulturesâsuddenly threw a lifeline, airing a late-game redemption edit to portray him as a “misunderstood nice guy.”
“Why can’t you do this? Stand up.”
“What? Why should I…”
“Just stand up. Now, pull your arms back like this… Right, there you go. Next, bring your legs forward. Good boy.”
“……?”
When the broadcast aired him coaching the struggling Bae Sejin, raising his skills to a decent level in no time, public sentiment flipped entirely.
In truth, Hajun was merely trying to practice a bit of “consideration and kindness” by referencing a report Alex had sent from America titled, Why a Bastard Like You Cannot Become a K-pop Idol and Thus Needs to Return to the Company Immediately.
The report’s first advice was: K-pop Idol Condition No. 1: An upright, moral character. You’re hopeless, so quit playing around and get back here!
Had Hajun known the internet was flooded with comments calling him a “tsundere,” a “nice guy deep down,” or “like an internet novel protagonist,” he would have grimaced. But he had zero interest in the online worldâexcept when he was hacking.
In the end, the image boost he had received without even trying pushed him straight into the debut group.
Moondaeâs head throbbed.
Debuting with someone so hard to predict, with such a venomous tongue and such a bizarre trait, was a nightmare. Spiritual Eye? In other words, he could see ghosts?! As if surviving the âdebut or dieâ mission wasnât enough, Moondae now faced a new curse that would kill him if they failed to reach number one. With Hajun in the group, Moondae seriously doubted TeSTARâs chances of survival.
If the mission fails and I die, it’s definitely his fault, Moondae thought, holding his head in his hands.
Hajun whistled a cheerful tune. Although Alex had gone as far as sending an analysis of the K-pop market to prove his attitude would prevent him from debuting, Hajun had made it anyway. See? He always Won.
Some might point out that he barely scraped through in the final spot, but a healthy dose of shamelessness is a virtue in life. It was advice from someone who had been there, so it was worth taking to heart.
Stretching his arms, Hajun ignored a harmless stray cat’s ghost as it drifted in through the window. It had been quite some time since he had enjoyed himself this much. Dancing and singing with the kids had given him a decent boost of energy.
And talk about a small worldâhe never expected to meet someone from California here.
Cha Eugene, whose veins practically flowed with California orange juice instead of blood, possessed a constitution completely immune to spirits. His constant companion seemed to have a weaker aura, but since his friend was so strong, he’d probably benefit from the protective runoff.
Come to think of it, the other members of the debut group also had clean, decent spiritual energy overall.
Ryu Cheongwoo? The former athlete radiated an overwhelming amount of yang energy. Even if a vengeful virgin ghost or two latched onto him, he wouldn’t feel a thing.
Seon Ahyun, the pretty-faced boy with a stutter, had a somewhat wounded soul, but his spiritual energy was very clean and robust. He was another one immune to ghosts.
Keun Sejin was slick and carried a strong aura, while his frail actor namesake was a bit weak… well, if push came to shove, Hajun could always exorcise any spirits for him. Now that they were a team, he could afford to show that level of kindness.
His thoughts drifted naturally from the rest of the lineup to the final member.
Park Moondae. The guy who came in first.
He was the most bizarre of them all. Setting aside the fact that the vessel containing his soul didn’t seem to belong to him, that strange curse had somehow migrated over to him. It had even evolved, blending with a fragment of another soul…
Was that fragment the original owner of the body? What on earth was his deal?
For the record, the tiny fragment of the curse that had splattered onto Hajun had already been recalled. It was seriously disturbing.
When he had first spotted that creepy curse during the Idol Co-op auditions, he had panicked and dug up the latest clips of Cheongryeo, only to find that the curse had detached from him entirely. Well, it made sense; there was no way two such curses could co-exist! Later, Hajun checked and confirmed that the soot clinging to his own neck had also vanished on its own. It was exactly what he wanted, but the lingering mystery left a bad taste in his mouth.
There were two simple ways to destroy such a powerful curse.
First, physically destroy the vessel afflicted by the curse. This was Hajunâs preferred methodâloud, simple, and clean.
Second, separate the curse from the vessel and beat it with something enveloped in spiritual energy. He didn’t particularly care for this method since the extraction process was a hassle, but there were times when it was necessary. After all, killing a living host outright might cause the curse to mutate.
At any rate, he had planned to track down Cheongryeo, the original host, to sever the time-looping curse that had nipped at him (and, of course, to smash his skull in revenge). Finding that the curse had migrated to someone else before he could act was intriguing.
Now that they had to live together in the dorms, he would have ample opportunity to observe him up close.
As he resolved to keep a close watch on both the curse and its current host, Park Moondae, his phone vibrated.
[Alex]
Alex, who had been barking at him for abandoning the company despite being co-CEO, refused to accept Hajun’s resignation. Instead, he kept him on the board of directors. He practically begged Hajun to show his face via video call during board meetings and to keep working on his software in his spare time. Thanks to that, Hajun was now forced to work two jobs.
Amused that the guy on the other side of the planet was calling at this hour, Hajun pressed the answer button. He was a persistent bastard, and ignoring him now would only make things more annoying later.
[What.]
â You’re actually debuting.
[I told you I would.]
â You… you actually made it happen.
[Of course. Who do you think I am?]
In high spirits, Hajun popped open a bottle of wine resting on the table. It was quite an expensive vintageâperks of staying in a luxury hotel. He didn’t care that it would be billed to room service later. He was filthy rich, after all.
â You bastard. If I could go back eight years, I would never become friends with you.
“You did, though.”
â What?
[No, I’m just saying that despite your words, I know you love me.]
â You motherfucker! What is wrong with youâdeep breath. Damon. Dam. Please, can you insert words like ‘responsibility’ or ‘seriousness’ into your goddamn dictionaryâ
After letting Alex vent for about three minutes, Hajun decided he had humored him enough and hung up. Despite the bickering, they were indeed best friends. He made a mental note to send Alex some stomach medicine for his health. He should probably send Angelina an expensive gift as well; even with a name like an angel, she might lose her temper if he gave her husband an ulcer.
[Kat]
The phone rang again. Thinking Alex was being persistent, Hajun was about to pull the battery out when he saw the caller ID. He happily answered.
[Hello, Kitty? Long time no see.]
â Oh my god, Damon! I heard everything from Alex! A K-pop idol? Debuting? Why didn’t you tell me?!
[Hmm. Did I not?]
â No, you didn’t!
As his half-sister shrieked through the speaker, Hajun searched his memory. Come to think of it, he really hadn’t mentioned it. Sorry, Kitty. But you know now, right?
Katy Marvel Won was absolutely appalled by her half-brother’s nonchalance. She was finally catching her breath after a hectic fashion week when she got the news of her sibling’s K-pop debut. She had almost fainted when Riley sent her a clip, asking if the guy in it was her brother.
After exchanging updates, Katy announced she would fly to Korea in two days since she was currently on break. Hajun welcomed her visit. With some time left before moving into the dorms, it was the perfect opportunity to spend time with family and contact the rest of them.
Because he had flown to Korea on a whim, none of his family membersâhis father, stepmother, biological mother, or half-brotherâknew about his debut. The three in America aside, his biological mother in Korea probably had no idea either since she had zero interest in idols. Regardless of how popular Idol Co-op was, she was likely hovering around the stock market. Hajun wished she would finally accept that she had no financial luck in her destiny.
[See you then, then.]
â Fine. You’d better be ready because I’m going to grill you!
[Yes, yes. Your wish is my command.]
Hajun hung up and turned his head.
Out of nowhere, a faceless ghost was attempting to swallow the stray cat’s spirit. Clicking his tongue, Hajun gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips and shot it.
Screeech!
Direct hit.
Through his repeated loops, Hajun had felt his spiritual energy growing progressively stronger. Now, he could easily exorcise minor entities from a distance. But that particular curse was in a league of its own.
Since it didnât pose an immediate threat, he planned to leave it alone for now. If the day came when he had to confront it, he would need to prepare carefully.
Well, I’ll win anyway
New Terms
- ěě ¤ëŚŹë – Angelina
- ě°¨ě ě§ – Cha Eugene
- ëĽě˛ě° – Ryu Cheongwoo
- ě ěí – Seon Ahyun
- í°ě¸ě§ – Keun Sejin (Tall Sejin)
- ě˛ë ¤ – Cheongryeo
- ě기 – Yang energy
