When Idol Hwarang Showdown hit the screens, fans lost their minds over the endless stream of content. The show’s outdated, documentary-style editing took a backseat to pure, wild chaos, making even the awkward cuts look like a deliberate comedy choice.

– Their visuals are out of this world. This is peak public service!

└ The Hwarang concept suited them so well! Absolute perfection!

└ National Athlete and Assi both pulled it off with zero effort.

– If this were the Silla era, they’d belong to two rival factions… but in reality, they’re best friends… – Which documentary team handled the editing? I gasped when I saw the font choices.

└ Same here. Other groups almost put me to sleep, so boring. └ A fan on Wetube uploaded an edit with only TeSTAR’s parts (link).

└ Wow, thanks!

– TeSTAR’s raw chaos is killing me! Hahaha!

└ Moondae-pup shaking between the older guys is so cute!

└ Our Moondae… used to be the quirky one… Now he shakes without defense in front of real madness.

– Ryu Cheongwoo looks like he’s having the time of his life! How did our leader hold back all this time? – Am I watching an idol show, a documentary, Master of Living, or World Mysteries?

└ All of the above.

– Won Hajun is insane! I was laughing, then stopped dead… What is that physical build?

└ I was enjoying it, then got shocked. How is this real? └ People should pay to watch this! └ We paid our broadcast fees!

– What did I just watch? What is Won Hajun’s true identity? Special forces? Hitting four dolls in ten seconds looked staged, but he parried arrows with an arrow and caught one with his bare hands… I feel dizzy.

└ +) How did he dodge that rain of arrows? That only happens in movies!

└ Right on point!

└ Why is no one talking about him swinging a wooden shield the size of his torso like a flyswatter?

└ Poor other teams fleeing while screaming! Another peaceful day monitoring!

Park Moondae paused mid-sip of his coffee while checking the comments. Special forces… Hajun had claimed archery was new to him, but he admitted to firing guns before. Given his resets, going through military service at least once wouldn’t surprise anyone. Should he ask?

Moondae realized how little he knew about Won Hajun. Hajun most days acted sullen and did whatever he pleased, looking so childish that Moondae kept forgetting a regressor with an immense lifespan lived inside that body.

Moondae kept scrolling down as text flowed across his screen.

– Taereung Training Center lost a gem.

└ He’s American.

– America lost a gem.

└ Lucky for us!

– Is Moondae holding TeSTAR’s reins…? I doubted it before, but seeing Leader Ryu lose his mind convinced me.

– Attention everyone. Did you catch what this crazy guy Won Hajun called our Hamster? He straight up said >>>Cake<<<. I fainted.

└ I heard right! This is official!

└ Grown men have no right to be this cute! Isn’t this illegal?

└ I’m filing a lawsuit! └ Ahh, so cute!

– Dragon Boy is flying! Is he a real dragon? Is he an idol while shapeshifted? Otherwise that magic show makes zero sense!

– My Assi is in truth Silla’s top warrior-noble and ultimate wild Hwarang?!

└ Get a grip…!

└ Hahaha!

└ You’re writing fanfic based on this? Thank you!

– Anyone else feel iffy about this episode? The top group trying so hard to win and taking all the screentime feels selfish. Other desperate groups got buried… In truth, Hajun went too far.

└ ? If you feel wronged, tell your flopped idol to pull off circus tricks too!

└ Which flop idol do you stan? ^^

└ What is this now? Success attracts all kinds of weird takes…

– Seeing them wash off paint after getting eliminated while Hajun turned into an angry raccoon was hilarious!

└ It started with a penguin hug, but ended like that!

└ ??: “You promised not a single drop of paint would touch me!”

└ I heard that line somewhere before!

└ Those two kids are the oldest members… Feels like watching my nephews fight!

└ For a second, Cha Cat looked mature.

– I thought Won Hajun had a bad attitude… But yelling “Why is it my fault you’re short!” right after is top-tier personal attack. Love the consistency, our Assi!

– Hearing him say Cake so gave me a clear hunch. The other members for sure have nicknames like that too. Hajun needs to turn on W-Live and reveal all of them right now. Loviewers deserve to know!

└ Agreed!

└ Discrimination against Loviewers! Reveal them now!

“Moo—ny. Monitoring again?”

A voice spoke from right above his head. Park Moondae turned around. That cursed nickname…

“Put the phone away. Stop staring at it.”

“I get it, so… please… stop hitting… my shoulder.”

Hajun leaned down, bumping his head against Moondae’s shoulder. With Hajun’s tall frame and raw strength, Moondae swayed back and forth like a leaf in the wind, his voice breaking with every hit.

Once Moondae slid his phone into his pocket, Hajun stopped head-butting him. Moondae let out a quiet sigh.

“What do you want?”

“What do I want? Nothing special. Just telling you to stop looking at your phone.”

“…”

Interrupting his pastime for no reason… Moondae glared back. He wanted to land a solid punch right on Hajun’s carefree, yawning face.

Meeting his eyes, Hajun curled his lips into a smirk. That look claimed he saw through everything, making Moondae glance away.

Hajun stared at Moondae’s sour face before speaking. “Don’t search for reactions too much. Excess is as bad as deficit. Staring at your smartphone every chance you get!”

“…”

Few people ever offered Moondae this kind of nagging. He stood speechless as Hajun kept going.

“Whether reactions are good or bad, look in moderation. Bad for your mental health.”

“…Is that from experience?”

“Not my experience—anyway. Take it to heart.”

It took little effort to guess whose story it was. His younger sister, a model. Debuting at sixteen and getting exposed to mass media at a young age brought plenty of harm. An idol saying this sounded funny, though.

Taking advantage of Moondae’s pause, Hajun snatched the phone from his pocket, unlocked it without hesitation, and launched W-Live.

“Shall we fire up the live stream then?”

“What?”

“Our Loviewers want to know the members’ nicknames, so I should tell them.”

You saw that already? Didn’t you just tell me to ignore reactions? More above all, why use my phone?

Moondae lost his words before reaching out to grab his phone back. Dammit, Hajun held it too high to reach. In the end, all Moondae could do was shout toward the hallway before Hajun started an surprise live stream.

“Hajun-hyung is starting a live stream!”

“What?!”

“Right now!”

“Eek! Wait a second! I have a face mask on!”

Clatter! Bang!

Stopping Won Hajun was no longer an option. Screams echoed from all directions about bare faces and changing clothes, but Hajun showed zero restraint. Holding the phone, he dashed through the dorm, causing the screen to shake, leaving Loviewers who tapped the alert in utter confusion.

– ?? What is this?

– I’m getting motion sickness!

– It’s Hajun! The one holding the phone!

The members scrambled to clean up raw traces of domestic life. Kim Raebin, who had his bangs pinned back in a bunny style, pulled the pin out and fixed his hair. Ryu Cheongwoo shoved a pile of discarded clothes—likely belonging to Cha Eugene or Won Hajun—under the sofa. From the bathroom came the sound of rushing water as Keun Sejin washed off his face mask.

Loviewers cheered as they caught glimpses of TeSTAR’s raw reality behind the chaotic screen.

– Baby bunny wearing an apple hairpin at home…? So cute!

– Anyone see Cheongwoo hiding clothes on the floor? That’s me when surprise guests arrive!

– I hear Keun Sejin screaming from the bathroom!

– This feels so real! All at once feel close to them!

One thing was clear: the group’s wild card launched an surprise dorm tour without anyone’s consent!

Hajun’s handsome face filled the screen without a flaw. Greeting the camera, Hajun spoke.

“Ta-da. Let me introduce them. These are my men.”

“…”

“Hi~”

Hajun gestured toward the battered members, with an easy smile starting the stream. Glares landed on him from every side. Only Cha Eugene waved with a bright grin while clutching a bag of chips.

– Cheongwoo’s face! He surrendered!

– Out of nowhere? Is this allowed?

– Moondae’s soul left his body!

“Here, this hot guy is Hotshot. Means an important, capable guy. Since he’s the leader, he’s important. Plus, nicknames need a cool ring to them.”

“Haha…”

Talk to me later. Cheongwoo whispered low, but Hajun moved on, pointing at Keun Sejin, who stood nearby with glowing skin and wet bangs.

“Teddy bear, gummy bear, big guy.”

“Hello Loviewers~ Yes, I’m Bear Sejin!”

“Next, our honey bunny.”

“Huh? Am I done already?”

“A-Ah, hello, I’m Kim Raebin. I apologize for showing an raw appearance on this sudden stream. This must carry Hajun-hyung’s grand vision… I will do my best to present myself prepared at all times!”

Kim Raebin gave a low bow. Red pin marks remained on his forehead, turning his ears a bit red from embarrassment.

– So cute!

– “Grand vision”! Raebin respects his older brothers so much… Our polite rabbit!

– Love seeing them raw!

Keun Sejin protested the lightning-fast introductions, asking for longer explanations. Loviewers scrambled to process the flood of content.

– Wait… this is all just to introduce nicknames?

– Teddy bear…? Gummy bear…? Are you kidding me?

– I can die happy right now!

– My teeth are rotting from how sweet these nicknames are!

– It’s passing so fast! Am I mishearing? Hotshot?!

– Are they all bare-faced right now…? Gorgeous!

Hajun pointed at Seon Ahyun. “This is Seon Ahyun, so Sunny. Sometimes Bambi.”

“A-Ah, hello…!”

“And here is Moony. Sun and Moon, since they stuck together like a set on Idol Co-op… Ah, sometimes I call him Smarty or Apple Pie.”

“…” Moondae closed his eyes. I’m hearing this for the first time.

“Really? Must have said it in my head then.”

Loviewers celebrated the sweet nicknames.

– Baby Apple Rice Cake Moist Nose comes true!

– So cheesy!

– Cute!

– Only Eugene and Bae Se left?

– Cake is getting redder by the second!

“Cha Eugene is Champion, Champ. Fits our glowing center.”

“Yay~ I love my nickname!”

“Though sometimes he becomes Chunky Monkey.”

“What! I’m not chunky!”

“Eat fewer snacks. And—”

Hajun caught the back of Bae Sejin’s neck as he tried to sneak away, pulling him toward the camera. As Bae Sejin appeared with bright red ears, real-time comments overflowed with laughs.

“Here, our small, cute Shortcake, Cupcake, Baby cakes. Looks like he’s filled with jam today. Take a bite, and it’ll pour right out.”

“…Hello.”

“He should be used to it by now, yet he gets shy every single time. A guy who makes naming him worthwhile.”

“Please, shut… shut your mouth…”

A twenty-three-year-old adult male facing the reality of getting called Cake in public covered his face with both hands, suffering in silence. He couldn’t act rough in front of fans, wishing he could pass out to escape this nightmare.

– Sorry, but it suits him so well!

– I get why Hajun teases him!

– Why are guys giving each other nicknames like that? Must be agency-scripted!

– Our Hamster almost swore, but held back! Good job!

“If you’re curious about anything else, let me know. I’ll tell you. That’s it for today.”

Hajun turned the camera to capture all the members gathered in the living room. Comments flooded with sad faces as the short stream ended.

Ryu Cheongwoo gave an awkward smile, wrapping up the situation. “Um, we want to stay longer… but Hajun started this stream entirely not ready… We’ll be back soon.”

“See you next time! Bye!”

“Please keep supporting our comeback!”

“And check out our collaboration game, <127 Section>!”

Moondae didn’t miss the chance for a quick plug. Hajun blew a light hand kiss toward the camera and ended the live.

The moment Hajun handed the phone back to its owner, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Hajun, should we have a chat?”

“Mmm… No thanks.”

“What did I say about doing W-Live?”

“Do it with two or more members, no exposure. I followed every rule today.”

“You missed the most important one. Getting permission first.”

Ryu Cheongwoo put on a stern face. Hajun curled his eyes with a smile.

“You’d give permission anyway.”

“Only after everyone gets ready…”

Ryu Cheongwoo let out a heavy sigh, making Hajun promise to ask first next time. After forcing Hajun into a pinky promise, Cheongwoo let him go.

Moondae watched the two-meter-tall giant slumping onto the sofa beside Cha Eugene, who was turning on Netflux. Stepping closer to Cheongwoo, Moondae whispered.

“Aren’t you… spoiling him too much?”

“…Me?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm.” Cheongwoo paused before answering. “Well… he isn’t the type to listen just because I speak with sharp words. Besides, we’re the same age, so there’s no spoiling involved. Just asking in a gentle tone.”

“…”

“Though hearing ‘spoiling’ from you feels fresh.”

“…Forget I said anything.”

“Haha.”

Loud TV sounds and members laughing filled the room. Another peaceful day.

It was quite some time later when news broke that Idol Hwarang Showdown—hoping to ride TeSTAR’s success—produced a second season, only to flop in a total flop.