Hajun reached out to his adoptive mother first to craft Ryu Cheongwoo’s birthday gift.
[Elena, it’s me.]
By law she was his mother, yet Hajun never called her by that title. Elena never asked him to address her as mother either. The two referred to each other by name. Neither had another choice.
–[Calling out of nowhere, is something wrong?]
[I want to commission a piece. Introduce a jewelry designer to me, ASAP.]
–[Jewelry?]
Her curious voice drifted through the phone, calm and elegant as always.
[Cost is no issue. Budget… well, around one hundred thousand dollars for now?]
Had the members overheard that figure, they would have fainted on the spot. Since they didn’t hear it, it posed no problem. They knew little about gems and couldn’t guess the price upon seeing it anyway. Picking an appropriate size would suffice. A piece too large would scream expensive. Hajun showed mercy by capping the budget there. The group members seemed far more faint-hearted than expected. A heart attack upon learning the real cost would create real trouble.
[Is anyone available within two weeks? Ah, and the main stone must be an opal.]
–[What makes you so rushed?]
[I want to match his birthday. Using a design you already prepared is fine, as long as it hasn’t been showcased before.]
Short on time, he felt no need to be picky. Buying the design itself and preventing additional production made it a one-of-a-kind gift in the world.
A playful tone asked over the line.
–[Did you get a girlfriend?]
[No way.]
–[A boyfriend then?]
[Not that either. It’s for a friend. A first gift, so I want to offer something nice and meaningful.]
–[My goodness, then can I handle the design? I’ll give you a discount.]
[You?] Hajun asked back.
Elena specialized in fashion design. Though she studied jewelry design as a minor, Hajun assumed she had put that craft aside.
–[Don’t you trust me?]
[If you take it, that’s great. Your skill remains solid. But weren’t you busy these days?]
Fashion week showcasing next year’s S/S collection was reaching its final stretch. Katy hadn’t called, no doubt exhausted.
–[I’m always busy. Still, a gift for your precious friend… I want to make time to thank you for thinking of me.]
[Don’t overdo it.]
–[Of course.]
[That doesn’t mean you can half-ass it. No need for a friend discount either. Just do a top-tier job.]
–[Oh my, you know I would never half-ass it. So mischievous.]
Soft laughter echoed over the line. Elena was that kind of person—someone bringing to mind fine wallpaper, thick curtains beside it, and warm orange light by the bedside. Someone feeling like an illustration in a fairytale rather than reality, a bit too ideal to live in that space—giving the impression that the place wasn’t meant for oneself. Even so, it mattered little. Conversations with Elena felt light, and hearing her voice brought a sense of calm.
–[A tie pin. I have a few sketches from my youth. A quick tweak will update them to a modern feel.]
[Classic suits him better.]
–[Alright then. I’ll ask Joseph if he has good opals in stock.]
Joseph was her cousin and the chief executive officer of the British jewelry firm Cameron. A perfect place to handle production. A maternal cousin once removed on paper, but to Hajun, he sat closer to a client owing a debt for purifying a cursed diamond in the past.
[Elena, just narrow down the designs and send them over. I’ll pick one and contact Joseph myself.]
Time to collect on that debt. With some interest added.
A story where the chairman of a jewelry company with a rogue exorcist for a nephew shed tears on the other side of the globe, and time moved forward to Ryu Cheongwoo’s birthday.
As midnight struck on the 28th, Hajun pulled out the masterpiece packed with the blood, sweat, and tears of craftsmen from his coat and held it out.
Ryu Cheongwoo, just stepping out of the shower, stood taken aback by the gift thrust at him as if Hajun had waited right by the bathroom door.
“Happy birthday.”
“Huh? Oh, thanks.”
“Happy birthday, hyung-nim!”
“Raebin, isn’t that phrasing too formal for his age? Happy birthday, hyung-nim~”
“What is that word? Cheongwoo-hyung, Happy Birthday~!”
Members still awake shouted happy birthday greetings from all around. Most felt it best to hand over gifts after waking up, considering the late hour. Hajun alone acted headstrong.
Cheongwoo wanted to head back to his room to put on a t-shirt first, but ignoring Hajun standing before him with expectant eyes proved difficult.
As Cheongwoo touched the ribbon with care, Hajun urged. “Open it. Go ahead.”
“Alright.”
Cheongwoo loosened the navy ribbon on the box and opened the small case. Words escaped him.
Inside sat a tie pin about two finger joints long. Not too flashy, yet far from plain. The silver metal held a subtle pattern carved into its surface, anchored by a small gem near the tip, the size of a pinky fingernail.
“How is it? Like it?”
“…”
Cheongwoo never knew opals looked like this. Inside the dark blue stone, a red flame seemed to burn from within, capturing his sight. Depending on the angle of light, the fire danced inside the gem.
Watching Cheongwoo space out, Hajun asked. “Not good?”
“Huh? No, I like it. Just…”
Cheongwoo trailed off. He had assumed anything other than a diamond would be fine… and wondered if that assumption was wrong. Even knowing little about gems, he could tell this piece didn’t come cheap. Feeling a bit complicated, Cheongwoo wrestled with whether he should accept this.
Sensing his hesitation, Hajun snatched the tie pin and clipped it into Cheongwoo’s hair like a hairpin.
“Looks good on you.”
“Hajun-ah…”
“No returns. When an elder gives you something, say thank you and accept it.”
Hajun crossed his arms and issued his threat.
Cheongwoo took the pin out, placed it back in the box, and muttered in disbelief. “We’re the same age.”
“I was born half a year earlier than you.”
And lived far more years, though he couldn’t say that out loud.
Cheongwoo let out a dry laugh and shook his head in defeat. “Nonsense.”
Cheongwoo knew Hajun’s stubborn nature well. He also knew how excited Hajun had been preparing this gift. Rejecting it further would be rude. Instead, Cheongwoo decided to set a clear boundary.
“Just this once. Give me something normal next time.”
“Of course. Next time I’ll pluck a star from the sky for you.”
“…”
“Joke, joke.”
Hajun patted Cheongwoo’s shoulder with a grin, wished him good night, and returned to his room.
Feeling the cool touch lingering on his shoulder, Cheongwoo called out a reminder to dress warm because the weather was getting cold. No answer came back.
A bustling October passed, and November arrived.
Along with the successful game collaboration and strong comeback results, TeSTAR secured a high-paying commercial deal.
[TeSTAR’s magic AI assistant, Curious!]
Hajun, finishing his shoot ahead of time, watched Park Moondae tilt his head as directed by the crew and muttered. “My Thia is way cooler.”
“Sure, sure.”
Cheongwoo soothed him out of habit.
Hajun turned his gaze past Bae Sejin—who slumped in the corner of the sofa after acting cute for the camera as instructed and collapsing in defeat—and looked at Keun Sejin, who sat glued to his phone.
“Thia could tell me what Keun Sejin is looking at right now.”
“…Isn’t that hacking?”
[Thia, tell me what Keun Sejin is doing right now.]
Watching a privacy violation take place right before his eyes, Cheongwoo panicked. Before he could stop it, Thia answered.
[Mr. Sejin is communicating with an acquaintance right now.]
[Which acquaintance?]
[Multiple people. The common word in their saved names is ‘Gyrop’.]
“See? Cool, right?”
“…”
Cheongwoo had a lot to say, but didn’t know where to start. He pressed his forehead. “First… no hacking, Hajun. You must respect privacy.”
“This isn’t hacking. Thia moved on her own. I didn’t plant her.”
Hajun guessed Thia had hopped over when Keun Sejin borrowed a charger earlier. Even if Thia was half ghost, she couldn’t move about in the physical world without a medium.
Cheongwoo had no way of knowing these complicated, hard-to-explain supernatural rules.
“Hajun-ah…”
“I told you I didn’t do it.”
Facing Cheongwoo’s worried gaze, Hajun felt aggrieved and ended up promising to put things back with a huff.
Park Moondae, returning after wrapping up the commercial shoot, glanced at Hajun, who pouted and scowled.
Moondae nudged Keun Sejin with a glance. ‘Know why he’s like that?’
‘Huh? Beats me. He’s often like that. Leave him alone, he’ll cool off.’
‘…’
Not wrong. Moondae left Keun Sejin, who was absorbed in his phone, and sought out Cheongwoo. He mouthed. ‘Did something happen?’
‘Haha… Nothing big.’
So something happened with Cheongwoo. Seeing Cheongwoo didn’t intend to elaborate, Moondae shrugged and leaned back against the car seat to monitor online reactions.
A post caught his eye.
– Isn’t TeSTAR a bit iffy for the Rookie Award?
No surprise in that reaction. Award season drew near, so posts like this were bound to pop up. The point was that TeSTAR came from a variety audition project, so could they count as a normal debut? But like most blatant bait, it didn’t get much traction.
– What are you on about?
– Is TeSTAR the one idol group from an audition show? Put some effort into your bait.
– Is your favorite group losing the Rookie Award to them?
“What are you looking at?” Hajun asked, turning to Moondae, who was once again glued to his phone.
Far from what the members thought, Hajun wasn’t sulking. He had long forgotten what made him feel aggrieved. He just held a strange, lingering sour feeling, which caused his scowl.
“…Just checking posts about the Rookie Award.”
“Rookie Award?”
Is that the source of this lingering itch? Hajun tilted his head. Strange as it felt, a rough road seemed to lie ahead. A feeling there would be twists and turns. Well, with me around, it’ll be fine.
Hearing about the Rookie Award, Keun Sejin smiled and chimed in. “Oho~ Moondae-Moondae, you want to win the award?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
Keun Sejin replied with a laugh that of course he did. But for Moondae, it wasn’t a matter of just wanting it. Failing to get it meant death.
Moondae glanced at Won Hajun, who had once offered to take care of his soul if he died. That guy wasn’t useless. Hate posts were still attention after all. Though gathering antis alongside fans was a flaw.
– TeSTAR winning Rookie Award is ridiculous, what kind of rookies are they haha they’re just a variety group
└ Agree, though our boys are so good it’s hard to believe they’re rookies ^^
– Something is 100% going to burst with them later hahaha above all Won Hajun, did drugs in the US for sure. Look at those eyes, creepy as hell.
└ PDF saved ^^
└ Did you see him do drugs with your own eyes?
└ Creepy-sommelier, get lost
– I hate Won Hajun so much, pretending to be fatal, pretending to be tough, gross
└ Hajun never pretended though… If you felt that way, maybe you love Hajun for real!?
└ Antis like you who hate Won Hajun are the worst
└ Yeah babe, I love you too haha
└ Don’t mess with them, those fans are real lunatics
– Won Hajun must have smoked drugs, not cigarettes
└ Bring a photo of him smoking before talking garbage
└ Our boy just drinks alcohol
– Just looking at Hajun shooting arrows during the Hwarang show, he’s way too violent… Did you know the other member got bruised at the end?
└ Initials who?
└ Irrelevant non-name
└ He’s super strong by nature… First time shooting a bow, maybe he couldn’t control his strength
└ Oh sure sure, sorry he hit so hard ㅠㅠ
└ Stanning just because of a handsome face… haha…
└ Your idols’ faces are ruined too ㅠㅠ
└ Sounds like our boy has a ruined personality instead
└ Shouldn’t we cover his personality here?
└ Hajun is a sweet kid ㅠㅠ
└ Who’s your bias?
└ Seon Ahyun haha
└ Should idols get hate for being handsome? Go stan plain idols then
Antis gathered, moving past the Rookie Award to attack personalities. The main target was Won Hajun, whose sharp temper stood out from the mild members.
Hajun poked his head over and scanned Moondae’s phone screen. Moondae snapped the screen shut, but too late.
“Is it hard to win the Rookie Award because of me?”
“No, it’s not that. …There are always people saying bad things everywhere.”
“I don’t care if they talk bad about me, but I hate it if it affects our group.”
Hajun rubbed his chin and frowned. After pondering for a moment, he let go and spoke up.
“Well, worrying won’t solve anything…. Can’t we just blow everyone away with an incredible year-end performance?”
Hajun offered a smirk and looked around at each member.
“Let’s show those haters how amazing we are.”
“!”
“Awesome!!”
“Ohhh~~ Sounds cool! Let me handle the energy!”
While everyone cheered, Bae Sejin alone turned pale, foreseeing a grueling schedule ahead. He could see his future in vivid detail—targeted by Hajun and forced to practice to death, just like during Idol Co-op.
