Not long after spending some cozy family time with Katy, the day came to move into the dorms. Sharing a place with seven other guys felt like some weird Boy Scout camp. The K-pop dorm system was honestly pretty bizarre. Still, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It was definitely a lifestyle he had never experienced before, which made it feel pretty fresh. Hajun tossed some clothes aside as he packed, suddenly remembering something. He unlocked his phone.
[Thia. Change the shipping address of the laptop I ordered to the dorm.]
[Understood.]
Thia was an AI assistant and conversational partner Hajun was building. It was just a prototype with too many hurdles for a commercial release, so he only used it for himself, but she was actually pretty smart. For example, even if he just said “the dorm,” she would dig through his messages to find the address his agency had sent. Hajun double-checked his stuff. Two laptops, a tablet, three smartphones, some clothes Katy sent him, and basic toiletries. That should do it. He could just buy whatever else he needed later. Packing was such a pain.
He shoved everything into his suitcase and flopped onto the bed. Right then, Thia brought up a notification she had muted overnight.
[Damon, you have an unread message from Mr. Eugene at 2:07 AM. Want to check it?]
[What is it?]
[‘LOL, I saw people online debating if you’re warm or cold!’ Along with a link to an idol fan community. No viruses or issues found. Open the link?]
[Sure, why not.]
Neither Cha Eugene, who fired off texts at dawn without caring about other people’s sleep, nor Hajun, who only checked his messages when he felt like it, cared about pleasantries or texting back fast. Leaving the message on read without any intention of replying, Hajun read the post on his screen.
[Won H.J. Cold Handsome VS Warm Handsome]
- Cold
- Warm
The author votes for 2.
A lot of you probably think he’s cold, but hear me out!!! Just once.
Is No-Filter really just a chilly, cold-looking guy?
If so, LeTi would’ve snatched him up during the casting call.
This kid isn’t just cold. He’s basically dry ice.
He’s so freezing that he gives you frostbite.
That’s why I say 2.
————————-
[That… actually makes sense?]
[But honestly, Won is definitely not a warm guy. By your logic, shouldn’t he be a “feverish guy”?]
[Chilly (X) So cold you get burned (O) Warm (X) So hot you burn to death (O)]
[Ah, I get it. Either way, he stimulates pain receptors, so he’s a “Pain Handsome Guy”!]
[Pain Handsome Guy, WTF, this is hilarious lmao]
Hajun scrolled through with a bored face before turning off his phone. He didn’t care at all about people debating whether he looked hot or cold. Instead, he told Thia to keep muting Cha Eugene’s messages from midnight to 7:00 AM. Figuring it was time to leave, he got out of bed and walked out of his room.
Since they were told reality show filming would start the moment they entered the dorm, Hajun waited around for the latecomers because they all had to walk in together. They should’ve hurried up. Knowing it was useless to complain, he killed time by getting rid of the dark energies floating nearby. This place was going to be his workplace, so he couldn’t let those bad vibes gather and turn into curses or attract ghosts. Soon, familiar faces showed up, and Hajun got a cheerful greeting from the guy who had texted him at dawn.
[Hajun! Long time no see! How have you been?]
[Yeah.]
Doesn’t care by Hajun’s blunt, cool attitude, which was pretty rare for someone from California, Cha Eugene kept chattering happily. He really liked this cool older brother. Hajun’s blunt tone and sharp features often gave people the wrong impression, but Eugene was used to that. After all, Kim Raebin looked pretty fierce too. Plus, Hajun was very talented!
Beside them, the Confucian Kim Raebin fidgeted, not sure how to deal with these Americans who casually called each other by name without caring about seniority.
Ignoring Kim Raebin’s inner crisis, Hajun looked up and spotted a walking curse vessel. Park Moondae was walking over covered in a black curse, with Seon Ahyun trailing closely behind him like a shadow. Even though they were the two he had interacted with the least, Hajun had already given them nicknames in his head: Sun and Moon, Sunny and Moony. He liked how short they were. As he praised himself for coming up with such perfect names, Park Moondae offered a greeting that didn’t even have 0.1 grams of soul in it.
Finding it hilarious how Moondae’s polite bow contrasted with his glazed, dead-fish eyes, Hajun gave a quick nod and yelled at the two same-aged guys and the tall guy walking over from the other side.
“Are you guys crawling here? You’re late!”
“Haha, sorry. Did you wait long?”
Ryu Cheongwoo, always the good-natured leader, laughed off the temper he had grown used to during their team battles. Keun Sejin smoothly offered an insincere apology, while Lee Sejin, who still felt a little awkward around Hajun, silently avoided eye contact. Lee Sejin simply couldn’t figure him out. One moment, Hajun looked completely lifeless. The next, he was losing his temper. Then he would stare blankly into space, only to help out with a grumble anyway.
Of course, Hajun had no interest in noticing, much less caring, whether anyone felt awkward around him. He had about as much tact as Kim Raebin, which was none at all. He just wanted to get into the dorm and rest.
Park Moondae was just glad this reality show was pre-recorded. As they walked in, the other guys gave awkward greetings to the camera. Behind them, Won Hajun scanned the place with blank, unfocused eyes, which made Moondae shiver, wondering if the dorm was haunted. If Hajun had known, he would’ve cracked up at the irony of the guy carrying the most monstrous entity being scared of ghosts.
Since it’s a brand-new apartment, it’s pretty clean. We could call it “ghost-free.” Then again, since one of my future roommates is possessed, maybe it’s “ghost-friendly.” Checking out their new place with a quick glance, Hajun walked over, folded up Cha Eugene’s legs—who had immediately thrown himself onto the sofa—and claimed the newly empty spot, leaning back.
“Alright, let’s gather around! Let’s take a group photo!”
At Keun Sejin’s call, Hajun made his annoyance very obvious on his face but kept his mouth shut. Park Moondae was relieved just by that, silently praying that the editors would work some magic. In a good way, of course.
After taking the photo, the rookies gathered in a circle and started chattering like they were reading off a script. Hajun gave half-hearted replies, letting their words go in one ear and out the other. We’ll do our best, blah blah… Now we’ll play a mini-game, blah blah. He was way more interested in other things. Like, what if he took apart the robot vacuum and hooked it up to Thia? Wouldn’t it be super convenient to secretly sync all the electronic appliances in the dorm (except for everyone’s personal stuff, of course) to Thia?
Even though his mind was wandering, Hajun easily won the mini-game. He stared in confusion when Keun Sejin suddenly held out a card to him. What’s this?
Summoning all his patience and social skills, Keun Sejin explained with a grin, “Uh, Hajun-hyung? It’s your turn to draw first. We need to decide who gets which room.”
“Ah.”
Hajun casually snatched a card, completely indifferent to which room he got. Park Moondae, on the other hand, desperately wanted to avoid sharing a room with him. But the gods he didn’t even believe in turned against him. He ended up rooming with a future drug offender (suspected) and a ghost-seeing lunatic (confirmed).
For the rest of the time, Moondae focused entirely on keeping his face neutral. Even if the others went down, he had to survive. The last thing he wanted was to get dragged into someone else’s attitude controversy.
Once the rooms were settled, Hajun went inside and flopped onto the nearest bed. Only when Moondae couldn’t take it anymore and asked if he was going to unpack did Hajun get up and make a half-hearted attempt to organize.
Moondae was a bit surprised by Hajun’s expensive-looking stuff, though he kept his expression flat. He wondered if Hajun was some rich young master, but he highly doubted it was a normal wealthy family. Could it be the Yakuza or the Mafia?
No wonder he’s associated with drugs… If Hajun had known, he would’ve asked if Moondae had a delusion disorder. Meanwhile, Moondae grew more convinced of his theory while preparing Jjimdak (braised chicken) for dinner.
“Hey! Step aside!”
“S-Sorry…”
“Seon Ahyun, could you set the table?”
“Y-Yes!”
Hajun had snatched the knife from Seon Ahyun, who almost chopped off his own finger, snapping at him. Clicking his tongue at Hajun’s harsh personality, Moondae gave Ahyun another chore to get him out of the kitchen.
Hajun had been lazy during the preparations, barely lifting a finger. But once he picked up the knife, he sliced the ingredients with surprising skill. Moondae stared blankly at his flashy knife work. When Hajun asked what he was looking at, Moondae muttered, “Nothing,” and turned away. Those knife skills were a little too good. His head throbbed as he tried to figure out how to get this guy kicked out of the group.
“You’re barely eating. Don’t you like Jjimdak?”
“? Not really.”
Yet Hajun’s table manners were flawless. He ate with manner and without a sound, using his utensils with effortless elegance. Not once did they clink against his plate. (Since Moondae had actively avoided him during the survival show, he had never seen him eat before.) This only convinced Moondae even more of his hypothesis: Won Hajun – dangerous rich young master.
Watching Hajun blunt reply, “I’ll take care of it,” to Ryu Cheongwoo’s warm remark that a tall guy like him should eat more, Moondae found himself deeply worried about the group’s survival and future. As he ate in silence, Moondae plotted how to ruin Hajun’s debut. And that opportunity arrived much faster than expected.
That night, as his roommates slept, Moondae idly scrolled through his phone and spotted an article that made him doubt his own eyes.
[Won Hajun Rumored to be Dating Top Model Katy Marvel Ahead of Debut]
Is he insane?
Moondae bolted upright. It wasn’t just a rumor. The article showed Hajun’s side profile as he walked arm in arm with a tall, mixed-race model. The photo had been taken pretty recently too. The evidence was impossible to deny.
Moondae shook Hajun awake from the next bed.
[Ugh… what kind of lunatic is waking me up…]
“Is this true?”
“…What? Why are you waking me up while I’m sleeping?”
Pulled from a deep sleep, Hajun opened his eyes with a groggy look. Then he remembered everything that had happened that day, including that ridiculous Boy Scout camp of a lifestyle, and snapped. His face, which had looked almost gentle in his sleep, twisted into a fierce scowl, and his rough, sleep-heavy voice came out in a rasp. But Moondae wasn’t easily intimidated. He shoved the phone toward him, and Hajun took it and began to read.
He couldn’t understand, so he read it again (which was really rare for him). His brain still lagged under the information load. Finally, once his mind caught up, Hajun roared:
“She’s my sister, you crazy bastards!”
“……??”
“?! W-What?”
Lee Sejin woke up with a start. The other guys must have woken up too, as voices from outside the door asked what was going on. With the news shared, everyone gathered in the living room. The curtain rose on TeSTAR’s first emergency meeting.
New Terms
- 티아 – Thia (Hajun’s prototype AI assistant)
- 원ㅎㅈ – Won H.J. (Abbreviation for Won Ha-jun)
- 케이티 마벨 – Katy Marvel Won
- 아주사 – Idol Co-op (Survival audition show)
- 테스타 – TeSTAR (The debut idol group)
- 찜닭 – Jjimdak (Korean braised chicken dish)
- 써니 – Sunny (Nickname for Seon Ahyun)
- 무니 – Moony (Nickname for Park Moondae)
