TeSTAR’s journey toward the Rookie Award hit a bump right from the start. It began with a controversy surrounding Ryu Cheongwoo’s distant connection to writer Ryu Seorin.
[The Awkward Truth of Audition Shows: Does TeSTAR Depend on Family Ties?]
As soon as the report broke, the agency moved fast to extinguish the flames, clarifying that the two were 15th-degree relatives—a distance so far removed it carried almost zero practical meaning. On the surface, the issue settled, yet online chatter continued to churn beneath the water.
– Still, his edit screen time was way too good haha. Knowing they’re related explains a few things.
â”” Is a 15th-degree relative even family?
â”” He got good screen time because his character deserved it… Standing next to Won Hajun made the contrast dramatic enough on its own.
â”” ? Why hit Hajun out of nowhere?
â”” Is this guy a friend or a hater?
– In truth, Cheongwoo wasn’t the one and only haha. The whole debut team got sweet edits.
â”” Sweet edits……? Someone went from rank 3 to rank 30 right after the first evaluation.
â”” He fixed his mess later and made the group anyway haha.
â”” For real, that was absurd.
â”” Don’t be so harsh, the guy has a warm heart~
– Let’s review Won Hajun’s Idol Co-op controversies again:
- Speaking without honorifics to older contestants
- Swearing at team members
- Doing improvised performance moves
- US nationality issue
- Calling out Bae Sejin in public for poor skill
- Bringing alcohol into the practice room and drinking
â”” And he debuted after all that? Truly amazing.
â”” Why was US nationality a controversy?
â”” He joined acting like a Korean national.
â”” The production crew failed to check right;;
â”” He cleared that up already, why keep bringing it up?
â”” Did he clear up the alcohol thing too?
â”” It wasn’t practice time, and Idol Co-op had no rule against drinking.
â”” Is that an excuse? Does drinking alcohol there make sense? Minor contestants were there too!
â”” Do you know the pain of zero alcohol for over two months? Keep quiet;;;;;;;
The PR team felt stumped on how to handle the shift from Cheongwoo’s distant relative link to Hajun’s past behavior. Yet their worry proved pointless. Park Moondae had already scanned the monitoring reports and shared the situation with the group.
“What now? Throwing shade at me again?”
The guy at the center of the storm stayed calm. He even threw a comment at Ryu Cheongwoo.
“Glad your family thing got covered up. First time in my life seeing people throw a fit over a 15th-degree relative.”
“…”
Cheongwoo said nothing, yet his face made his thoughts clear. His expression read, ‘Is that the real issue here?’ Moondae felt the exact same way. Looking back, Hajun had indeed caused a storm during Idol Co-op.
Bae Sejin muttered under his breath, “…You should have behaved yourself back then…”
“Why stop mid-sentence?”
“…Nothing. Forget it.”
“What. Speak up.”
Hajun fixed a stubborn stare on Bae Sejin, but Bae Sejin slipped behind Cheongwoo’s broad back. Cha Eugene pulled Hajun’s arm, asking with wide eyes.
“You drank alcohol back then? When?”
“Hmm, after the second team match?”
“…Ah! That time.”
Recalling the endless list of incidents from Idol Co-op, Eugene let out a small gasp. Then he asked another question.
“Why’d you drink it?”
“Because I wanted a drink. Why else?”
“Whoa…”
Eugene’s face read, ‘This guy lives however he wants!’ Had his Korean been sharper, he might have used far direct words.
Hajun shrugged with zero shame. “Did I evade taxes, take illegal drugs, or commit assault? I broke zero laws, so why are they making a fuss over nothing?”
“Truth be told, you look like someone who would!”
“You little—”
Thwack.
A forehead flick landed square on Eugene’s bright face. Leaving Eugene sprawled on the floor holding his forehead, Keun Sejin stepped in to shift the topic.
“Alright, alright! Most of the stuff about Hajun-hyung got cleared up or sits as baseless rumors anyway. Let’s just practice~”
“If they told me not to drink, I wouldn’t have.”
“Got it, so stop grumbling and get over here.”
Since no new dirt had dropped, bringing up old Idol Co-op drama failed to gain traction and soon died down. Yet fresh voices questioning TeSTAR’s right to win the Rookie Award began gathering support. This time, the noise grew too loud to ignore.
ToneA opened the year-end awards season. Hosted by T1, the parent company, TeSTAR claimed the Rookie Award with zero surprises. On top of that, they snagged the Excellence Award, Popularity Award, and Music Video Award, taking four trophies in total.
Hajun stared at the trophy with dull eyes. He knew well enough that an in-house award ceremony held little real value. Seeing Moondae’s tight expression, Hajun could tell the curse hanging over Moondae remained active.
Still, Hajun felt zero concern. TeSTAR was going to sweep every Rookie Award anyway. Had Moondae known his thoughts, he would have called it insane confidence.
Heading back to the dressing room with his team, Hajun scowled the moment he spotted a familiar face waiting by the door.
“Hello.”
“Gasp! Sunbaenim!”
Cheongryeo.
What on earth was that guy doing here? Six months had passed since their terrible last encounter. Cheongryeo had kept in contact with Moondae during that time, yet he treated Won Hajun like a ghost, acting as if Hajun didn’t exist.
Knowing Hajun disliked Cheongryeo, the members stepped back without a word, placing Hajun behind them as if shielding him from a clear threat.
Hajun pouted and draped his arm over Bae Sejin’s shoulder.
“Don’t. You’re heavy.”
“This is comfortable.”
“This bothers me…”
Mindful of an outsider watching, Bae Sejin couldn’t push him off like usual, groaning in silence under the weight.
Cheongryeo glanced past the members at Hajun glaring at him and let out a faint smile. Hajun’s scowl deepened.
“Congratulations on the Rookie Award. Though it means little to you, I assume.”
“…Pardon?”
“Taking four awards means you’re already too successful to be called rookies.”
Pure nonsense. Glaring at Cheongryeo’s retreating back after he threw subtle shade at Moondae, Hajun stepped forward to follow him.
Ryu Cheongwoo caught Hajun’s arm. “Where are you going?”
“Restroom.”
“…You aren’t chasing Cheongryeo-sunbaenim, right?”
“Why would I?”
Why indeed. Cheongwoo searched for the reason behind his tense feeling, yet came up empty. Letting go of Hajun’s arm, he managed a quiet warning. “…Come back fast.”
“Roger.”
Walking down the deserted corridor, Hajun closed his eyes once the surroundings grew quiet, spreading his spiritual energy thin across the area.
Finding an ancient, long-aged soul was simple. The location happened to be the restroom—the exact spot where he had first run into Ju Dan.
Stepping inside, Hajun checked the tile corner, confirming the talisman script remained intact, though faded around the edges.
Cheongryeo stood waiting with a calm expression, as if expecting Hajun to follow. Pointing at the characters on the tile, he asked without preamble.
“Did you write this, junior?”
“What’s it to you? Just state your business.”
“Business? You followed me here.”
“Right, not business—a scheme. Standing here waiting on purpose, aren’t you?” Hajun asked, shoving his hands into his pockets with a sharp angle.
Cheongryeo let out a low chuckle. “I felt curious about your abilities. Seems you can handle location tracking too. What’s your range? A single building seems easy… Can you stretch from Seoul to Busan?”
“Stop talking trash. Why should I tell you?” Hajun growled at the smiling face. “Your game is obvious. You want to sabotage our awards. Touch Park Moondae, and you die.”
“Touch him? I’m trying to help him. As a fellow regressor.”
“You didn’t help me.”
Cheongryeo raised his head, failing to grasp what the tall man before him meant.
“…What?”
“You didn’t help me.”
Reckless words, devoid of logic—like a child throwing a tantrum.
Frowning, Hajun kept speaking. “I hate you. I hate that you only showed up now. I hate the way you talk to get under my skin. I hate your trashy apology.”
“So what do you want me to—”
“I,” Hajun cut him off, fixing his gaze on Cheongryeo while choosing his words with care. His eyes shimmered with a strange light under the dim lamps. “I feel so sorry for you… I don’t even know what to do.”
“…”
“How pitiful.”
Hajun reached out and brushed a hand over Cheongryeo’s cheek. Cheongryeo stayed still, his body frozen solid. He doubted his own ears, words failing him. He couldn’t tell if what he felt was anger, absurdity, resentment, sadness, or something beyond them all.
Won Hajun’s eyes burned with a golden glow, beyond human. Cheongryeo felt almost crushed under the raw aura pouring off him. His breath caught in his throat.
Noticing Cheongryeo’s frozen face, Hajun realized his own state and raised a hand to cover his golden eyes.
“Though everything comes too late now anyway.”
Lowering his hand, his eyes returned to their normal dark shade. The heavy atmosphere dissolved. Cheongryeo realized he had been holding his breath the whole time.
“…Haah!”
Hajun waited for him to catch his breath before speaking in a quiet voice. “I won’t repeat myself. Don’t mess with Park Moondae. Leave him alone.”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
For what? Cheongryeo wanted to ask, yet he didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer.
Hajun turned and walked out, heading back to the dressing room where his team waited.
Left alone, Cheongryeo stared toward the empty doorway for a long moment before walking to the sink. The water ran freezing cold, yet he paid no mind. Careful makeup might wash away, yet that mattered little. He washed the spot where Hajun’s hand had touched his skin, over and over, as if trying to erase something that never happened.
