“Next up… ah, famous group! National stock option, TeSTAR Hwarangs!”
The members gathered taking photos and chatting while waiting stood up as TeSTAR’s turn arrived. Ryu Cheongwoo, who sat out due to fairness concerns as a former national archer, waved them off with a smile. Bae Sejin, who volunteered to sit out, gave a small wave too.
“Good luck out there. Be careful.”
“…Good luck.”
“Of course. I will bring back victory.”
Cheongwoo wondered if Hajun even registered the warning to be careful. Before he could dwell on it, Hajun thrust out a fist, and Cheongwoo bumped fists without hesitation.
After exchanging a quick fist bump with Cheongwoo, Hajun let out a confident smirk. Bae Sejin stood nearby, watching the exchange. Sensing his gaze, Hajun thrust a fist toward him too.
Startled, Bae Sejin asked, “…What?”
“Fist bump. You stared because you wanted one, right?”
“No, I didn’t!”
Bae Sejin snapped back, but Hajun grabbed his hand anyway, bumped his fist against it, and let go. He then strode toward the carousel with long strides, calling out:
“Watch as I snatch first place in a flash!”
“Oho~ Won Hajun Hwarang shows a confidence!” The MC chimed in with a wide grin upon hearing his declaration.
Park Moondae felt a pang of embarrassment being on the same team as this guy. If Hajun failed to win first place after boasting like that, it would be hilarious in its own right, but…
“Kyahaha!”
…The idea of Won Hajun, a guy with monster physical stats, missing out on first place made even less sense.
The moment Park Moondae answered the quiz question right, Hajun shot four out of five target dolls with dead accuracy while riding the wild, spinning carousel. Cha Eugene knocked down the final one.
It took a single rotation of the carousel—ten seconds flat. A mind-blowing new record. The stunned production crew buzzed in confusion.
“Wait…?”
“…Did Won Hajun do archery before too?”
“Nothing like that came up in our research… According to our pre-interview…”
Hand signals flew across the set as the crew whispered among themselves, shaking their heads. Cha Eugene cheered with a bright face:
“Wow! We’re finished!”
Moondae stared in disbelief. No matter how good someone was, for a non-pro… was this even possible?
A brief silence fell before the MC snapped back to reality and declared TeSTAR’s victory.
“…Uh-oh, and just like that, TeSTAR Hwarangs take first place!”
“We won!”
“Woah~”
The other members expressed shock alongside joy over the win. Wondering if he was overreacting, Moondae checked Ryu Cheongwoo’s expression in the waiting area and felt reassured. Cheongwoo looked floored. Moondae had never seen Cheongwoo make a face like that before.
Cheongwoo sprinted toward the returning members, seeking out Hajun. Excited, he called out:
“Hajun, did you practice archery before? Did you ever take lessons?”
“Never. Shot guns before, though.”
“Guns…” Bae Sejin muttered, his voice drowned out at once by Cheongwoo.
“For real? You’re incredible! If this is your first time, imagine if you trained as a pro… You could set a world record. Want to learn? I can teach you the basics—”
Cheongwoo looked like a college professor who just discovered the ultimate grad student, unable to contain his excitement. Just as Moondae wondered if Cheongwoo always possessed this side, Hajun calmed Cheongwoo down.
“Hey, calm down. Why would I take up archery out of nowhere? I’m an idol.”
“…Ah.”
Snapping back to his senses, Cheongwoo cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. Embarrassment washed over him as he realized he had lost his cool and blurted out all those words.
“Right. Haha… I said something foolish.”
“…Do you love archery that much?”
Hajun asked, staring at Cheongwoo’s shoulder. Cheongwoo retired due to a lingering injury from a traffic accident. What if his shoulder healed? Hajun swallowed the question rising in his throat. Not knowing what answer Cheongwoo would give, he shrank from asking. He didn’t want to hear it.
Not noticing the shadow falling across Hajun’s eyes, Cheongwoo smiled and spoke.
“Since I did it from a young age, it means a lot to me.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. But seeing your talent for archery surprised me. I mean it.”
Cheongwoo gave a warm laugh, adding that it felt like a waste of talent. Hajun fiddled with the toy bow in silence. Watching him, Cheongwoo brought up a thought with a bright grin.
“If you had done archery, we might have met at the Olympics.”
“That sounds fun.”
“Right?”
“Though I prefer right now. Meeting at the Olympics means we wouldn’t be on the same team. I’m American.”
Cheongwoo’s eyes widened a bit. Spotting Hajun sitting there with a pouting expression, realization dawned on his face, replaced by a gentle smile.
“Of course I love right now too. Archery is fun, but I always loved dancing and singing… And being on the same team with you and everyone brings me joy.”
“For real?”
“Of course.”
The leader’s touching words warmed the atmosphere in an instant. Riding the mood, Keun Sejin gathered everyone into a circle to throw their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“Our team vibe is so good~! Come on, gather round!”
“I am glad to be on the same team with everyone as well.”
“M-Me too…!”
“Hug~”
The members huddled into a tight cluster like penguins. Crushed between Cha Eugene and Keun Sejin, Park Moondae felt awkward. He felt the gazes of other idol groups staring at them as if observing exotic creatures.
“Those guys are close.”
“Fascinating.”
“Should we do that too?”
“Ah, pass.”
Hearing giggles nearby, Moondae wanted to escape this silly penguin cluster, yet pulling away alone looked odd. Even Bae Sejin, whom he trusted for common sense, stood trapped between Cheongwoo and Raebin with a moved face, making escape impossible. Giving up, Moondae rested his hands on the backs of the two hugging him. A good team vibe brought no harm anyway.
However, a top-performing group sweeping every event and dominating screen time painted a poor picture.
“Why are you good at shearing sheep of all things?”
“Can’t help being talented.”
“Never seen someone with luck like yours in Yutnori…”
“I said, I can’t help being talented.”
Hajun spoke with a shameless face. Moondae rubbed his face. Even if they lost the final event… TeSTAR held overall first place already. Besides, losing seemed far off.
“Next up~ Paintball battle!”
Hearing the word ‘battle,’ Hajun’s eyes flared. Cha Eugene and even Cheongwoo, whom Moondae trusted, showed an instant shift in their gazes. Moondae sought out Keun Sejin in quiet dismay.
“Keun Sejin, should we…”
“Win? Of course! Let’s get a cheer going before heading in!”
Ruined. This guy lost his mind too. Competitive drive consumed the members. Even Seon Ahyun and Kim Raebin got swept up in the mood, shouting cheers while cameras captured their energy.
“Let’s win!”
“Let’s go!”
Moondae gave up. Flashing a broadcast-ready smile, he raised his fist and joined the team shout, stepping into the paintball survival field. He stopped caring. Whatever happens, happens.
Yet the situation turned against TeSTAR in a surprise direction. Half the team faced elimination in a flash. Focus on tagging opponents left defense neglected. Even for Hajun, shielding four or five people while running wild proved tough. One or two people was manageable.
Hajun knocked away an arrow flying toward Bae Sejin, shouting:
“Cake!”
“Eek…!”
“I got you!”
Participants stared at Hajun using a wooden plank from the field cover as a shield, wondering if that broke rules. Since referees raised no objection, it seemed fine… though who expected anyone to lift a heavy wooden plank as a personal shield? Tucking Bae Sejin at his side, Hajun met up with Cheongwoo and asked:
“Status?”
“As you see. Four teams left.”
“Then green and blue are mine.”
“Got it. Orange and yellow are mine.”
Rolling alongside Cheongwoo according to his orders to survive, Moondae felt a headache from this wild over-immersion. Two guys with monster abilities taking a casual game this hard… Hajun was one thing, but Moondae had trusted Cheongwoo. A former national athlete showing zero mercy to civilians.
“! Duck.”
“?!”
Eyes flashing, Hajun ducked and shoved Bae Sejin and Moondae down. Cheongwoo’s sharp reflexes kicked in at the same moment. An arrow sailed past their heads, striking a wooden barrier. Blue paint exploded, staining the wood.
“Wait…!”
“Argh!”
Aiming his bow toward the shot’s origin, Cheongwoo eliminated two opponents in an instant. Players in orange headbands groaned, stepping out from behind cover toward the bench. Hajun stood up, pulling Bae Sejin along.
“Let’s split into pairs. I’m taking the right side.”
“Got it.”
“Uh, wait a second.”
Moondae cut in. Receiving sharp stares from Cheongwoo and Hajun at the same time, Moondae winced. Drenched in adrenaline, their eyes held wild competitive intensity.
“What?”
“…How about waiting for the numbers to drop first?”
Snap out of it, former national archer. Moondae’s plea worked. Cheongwoo realized his excessive drive and showed embarrassment.
“Ah. …Right. Let’s move over there and hold position.”
Cheongwoo pointed toward the largest barrier. Moondae nodded. Relief came too soon, though.
“Pass. Why should I?”
“…”
Hajun bared a canine tooth with a smirk. I’m no former national athlete, just a civilian. Why hold back? Moondae wanted to ask what part of Hajun qualified as a civilian, but action moved too fast. Grabbing Bae Sejin by the collar, Hajun bolted out from behind their drum shield.
“Moving out first. Let me go! Shortcake.”
“Go alone if you must…!”
“Relax, I won’t let a single drop of paint touch you!”
“Let go of me!!”
Bae Sejin’s desperate scream echoed as the two vanished to the right. Even from afar, Hajun dodged a hail of arrows with incredible reflexes and visual acuity. Moondae stood speechless. Cheongwoo chuckled:
“This brings back memories. Fun stuff.”
“…”
That line felt out of place against enemy team screams echoing from the distance. Moondae tried his best not to stare at Cheongwoo like he lost his mind.
The paintball field Hajun plunged into was pure chaos. Hiding behind cover, Moondae spotted a player in a green headband holding his breath. Instead of shooting, the poor guy exerted every effort to hide his spot from the demon roaming outside.
The green-headband player met Moondae’s eyes and drew his bow at once. (An enemy team member doing his job, though Moondae regretted feeling sympathy). The close distance meant the arrow flew fast. Moondae felt Cheongwoo shove him aside.
“Moondae, look out…!”
Then the impossible took place. An arrow flew from the right with a sharp whistle, knocking away the incoming arrow right before it hit Cheongwoo. Incredible skill.
“Nice try.”
“…”
Every eye turned to Won Hajun, who strolled forward. He exuded the calm aura of a lion finishing a hunt. Having eliminated all other opponents in seconds, Hajun brought back a pale, shaken Bae Sejin to join the team. The green-headband player trembled, near passing out upon eye contact. Scanning the trembling guy, Hajun dismissed him like a target he could handle anytime, turning to Cheongwoo instead.
“Told you not a single drop of paint would touch you.”
“…Was that line meant for me too?”
“Yep.”
Taking advantage of Hajun turning away, the green-headband player—an Onyx member—drew his bow in silence. Moondae admired the courage. Aiming at Won Hajun took real nerve. Without looking, Hajun caught the flying arrow with his bare hand. Nocking that same arrow into his bow, Hajun drew and released at the final opponent. A loud smack echoed as paint exploded, drawing a yell from the guy.
“Argh!!”
Nothing broke, right? Cheongwoo checked in haste.
“…Hajun, did you hold your power back?”
“Yeah.”
“So… did we win?” Bae Sejin asked, his color returning as his eyes brightened. The members on the bench, who had watched Hajun’s wild display in a daze, snapped back to reality and rushed over.
“We won!”
“Woahhhhh!!”
“Awesome job!”
“An intense battle!”
“Nothing to it.”
Hajun soaked up praise with a shameless grin. The celebration ended fast, though. The MC dashed out from the commentary booth, shouting with a bright face:
“Ah-ah~ TeSTAR Hwarangs are eliminated!”
“What??”
Stunned by the news, the members froze. Cheongwoo held back Hajun, who scowled and opened his mouth to object.
“Wha—mmph.”
“Why?!”
“Eliminated Hwarangs must leave the field at once, yet Bae Sejin Hwarang stayed inside despite being eliminated!”
“…Me? I never got hit by an arrow… Wait, what?”
Named by the MC, Bae Sejin turned in confusion before halting. Bright paint stained the heel of his shoe.
“W-When did this get on me?”
“You aren’t calling an elimination just because he stepped on paint on the ground, right?”
Keun Sejin protested. The MC gave a playful grin, sealing the decision:
“Nope, an arrow hit him! If you wish, I can show you the video replay~”
The replay screen showed Hajun dragging Bae Sejin through a hail of arrows. Though fast and chaotic, slowing the playback revealed a low-flying arrow striking the heel of Bae Sejin’s shoe right before hitting the ground.
“I had no idea…!”
Having no luxury to feel his shoe heel during the chaos, Bae Sejin felt wronged. Finding himself the cause of the team’s elimination, he panicked and shifted blame onto Hajun:
“You said not a single drop of paint would touch me!”
“What? That hit way closer to your eye level than mine, you should have watched and dodged!”
“How can anyone spot an arrow coming in that low?!”
“What use is short height if not for spotting low arrows?!”
“Why bring height into this?!”
“How is it my fault you got hit by a low arrow just because you’re small!”
Production crew members watched with amused faces. Secondhand embarrassment washing over him, Park Moondae raised his hand to cover his face. A camera zoomed in right beside him. Filled with absurdity and embarrassment, the shoot for Idol Hwarang Clash came to an end.
