“…Can this guy not take a hint?”

Browsing an Inheart post with a screenshot of Cheongryeo’s social media, Hajun muttered to himself, baffled.

[Hope our hard-working hoobaes get great results at the year-end awards too!]

Attached below the post was a picture of a male idol group—far from TeSTAR. With internet forums debating whether TeSTAR deserved the Rookie Award, posting a message like that carried calculated timing. A deliberate move. Hajun expected as much. Part of him wondered if their last meeting had shaken the guy, but Cheongryeo turned out far more stubborn, gutsy, and calculating than expected. He left himself plenty of room to wiggle out of blame. Hajun clicked his tongue.

The photo attached to the brief message showed a boy group attending the ToneA ceremony. They looked familiar. As Hajun stared at his screen, Keun Sejin peeked over his shoulder.

“Ah, that’s Onyx.”

“Onyx?”

“You know, the group from that Hwarang variety show. You shot their member dead at the end. Don’t you remember?”

“What? Who shot who dead?!”

Passing through the living room, Bae Sejin caught only the alarming part of the conversation and froze in shock.

Hajun knit his brows in protest. “I didn’t kill anyone!”

“Wait, he just said you shot someone dead…”

“We are talking about a variety show!”

“…Ah.”

Realizing his massive misunderstanding, Bae Sejin flushed with embarrassment and beat a hasty retreat.

Flabbergasted, Hajun turned to Keun Sejin. “Do I look that scary? I thought I looked handsome.”

“Well, you look scary handsome.”

Keun Sejin commented that young kids might burst into tears just looking at his face.

Hajun shook his head. “Little kids love my face. Nobody values good looks more than children.”

“Don’t kids prefer someone softer and brighter, like Ahyun?”

“Sure they do. A face as handsome as Sunny’s is rare.”

If a face is handsome, people love it regardless. Vibe doesn’t change a thing. Absolute beauty stands beyond stuff like that.

Watching Hajun brag about his own looks with a serious face, Keun Sejin shook his head in defeat. “Right, must be nice being handsome.”

“Don’t forget inner beauty matters too.”

“…You’re one to talk. But yeah, it matters.”

What. Why. What did I say?

Hajun grabbed Keun Sejin’s head as he averted his eyes, forcing him to look back. Keun Sejin squirmed, trying to break free.

“Look at me. Look me in the eye and say that again.”

“Gasp! Let go! Help me, Sejin is dying!”

Hajun possessed brute strength, yet he controlled his grip so Keun Sejin felt no pain. Failing to shake Hajun off, Keun Sejin ended up rolling across the living room floor in a hilarious struggle. The petty scuffle escalated into a wrestling match.

“Aaargh!”

“Hey, can everyone gather for a sec— What are you two doing?”

Park Moondae, who had just stepped into the living room after blocking Cheongryeo to take action, stared at Keun Sejin tapping the floor in surrender.

Released at last, Keun Sejin panted for breath. “Phew…! I survived.”

“Dramatics.”

“Not dramatics! You gorilla… Ah, scratch that! Cancel!”

Moondae cut off the second round before it erupted. Living with Won Hajun had taught him one thing: the guy was simple at heart. He reacted instantly to stimulation, making his attention easy to redirect.

“What?”

Just like now. The moment Moondae tugged his sleeve, Hajun turned around to face him.

“I have a proposal. Give me a minute of your time.”

“What proposal, Moondae?” Ryu Cheongwoo asked, stepping into the room. The other members gathered around one by one.

After holding their attention for a beat, Moondae spoke up in a calm tone.

“About our SBC performance… What if we change the arrangement?”

“What?!”

“Right now?”

“Just for our special stage.”

Bae Sejin reacted with fierce shock. Fair enough. Hajun recalled how Bae Sejin had been grinding on the treadmill of practice beneath his supervision. Even setting aside dance-weak Bae Sejin, changing an arrangement at this stage required a solid reason to be accepted.

Hajun already guessed the reason, yet he asked anyway. He wanted to hear it straight from Moondae.

“The reason?”

“…Right now on the internet,” Moondae explained.

The breakdown matched Hajun’s expectations. Moondae laid out how critics were tearing TeSTAR down, and how pushing Onyx for the Rookie Award had gained traction.

“…So I want to switch back to the original arrangement.”

“!”

“Drop the titles and fight head-to-head?”

“Yes.”

“Ha!” Hajun burst out laughing. Man, this was great. “Awesome, Moony. I love it.”

Fighting head-to-head without titles was his specialty. The thought of handing a massive middle finger to the critics filled Hajun with joy. Keun Sejin voiced his agreement right away.

Yet a few members hesitated.

“Is… isn’t that a bit too much…?”

“I am worried as well.”

Hearing the soft concerns from the two gentle souls, Hajun pressed forward with a grin. “Let’s do it. I want to do it. Count me in 100%.”

“B-But…”

“No? Come on. Sunny, look me in the eye and say that again. If you can.”

“U-Umm…”

Hajun took Seon Ahyun’s hand and rested his cheek against Ahyun’s palm, putting on a pitiful face. Mischief sparkled in his eyes. Pure drama, yet enough to rattle soft-hearted Seon Ahyun. Dragged onto the approval side, Ahyun blinked with a dazed face, looking like someone who just got scammed.

“…”

“Anyone else against it?”

After a moment of thought, Ryu Cheongwoo nodded, adding his weight to the proposal. “Alright, let’s do it. Right now, I can’t afford to care about other people’s feelings.”

Loaded words. Hajun raised an eyebrow, giving him a light jab. “What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you still think this is your fault? That the controversy started over writer Ryu Seorin being your relative?”

“It did start because of that.”

“Foolish guy, how do you live being so soft-hearted? Even for stuff that is in fact your fault, own up to just half of it. Consider that advice from a senior in life.”

“…”

Maybe you should own up a bit more…?

While Cheongwoo stared at Hajun, lost for words, Cha Eugene piped up beside them.

“He’s right! It isn’t Cheongwoo-hyung’s fault! The fault belongs to Hajun— Oof!”

Punished for speaking truth, Eugene got smacked with a cushion and collapsed onto the sofa. Grabbing another cushion in one hand, Hajun scanned the room.

“Next. Anyone against?”

“…”

“No one? All in favor then. Excellent.”

A total tyrant. Even Moondae, who raised the idea, looked at Hajun with a tired face. Bae Sejin looked like his soul had departed.

And so, the decision to change the SBC special stage arrangement was set.

---

Scrapping a stage meant extra practice. For Hajun, who possessed absurd talent, that posed zero issue. Swallowing the choreography in no time and memorizing every part, Hajun used his spare time to help Bae Sejin. Rather, he ground him down. Watching Bae Sejin scramble with all his might to keep up was quite a sight.

“One, two, three, step back.”

“Haaah, haaah…”

“Again.”

“…”

Bae Sejin looked too drained even to curse with his eyes. That signaled break time had arrived. Hajun called out ‘again’ two more times before granting Bae Sejin freedom, adding the kindness of popping open a water bottle for him.

“Reminds me of Idol Co-op days.”

Late at night, left alone in the practice room for special training, the nostalgia hit harder. Almost a full year had passed.

“Remember? Back when I adored you so much.”

“…”

Bae Sejin swallowed harsh words, thinking that any more of Hajun’s ‘adoration’ would send him straight to heaven. He chugged water to cool his burning chest.

Watching him drink water with thoughtful eyes, Hajun kept talking.

“That little shaman kid from the movie… Look at you now, singing and dancing…”

“…Hey, we’re the same age.”

“You were tiny as a bean. Time flies.”

“…”

Hopeless. Words couldn’t reach him. Bae Sejin gave up and stuck the water bottle back into his mouth, too tired to get annoyed at Hajun acting like a older relative treating a nephew.

Five quiet minutes passed. Hajun checked the time and stood up. Running through the routine once or twice more would wrap up the night.

“Time to start again— Wait.”

About to resume practice, Hajun felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and froze.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Practice ends here for tonight. Go back first.”

Welcome news, yet Bae Sejin couldn’t just walk out leaving Hajun behind. Hajun’s face looked subtle and strange.

“…Who is it?”

“My mother.”

—and Cheongryeo.

Hajun omitted the second name. Mother and Cheongryeo—what kind of nonsense was that? Yet the notification showed a self-camera of his biological mother posing alongside Cheongryeo. What was this? Hajun pondered who to contact first.

Still hanging around the practice room, Bae Sejin asked another question.

“U-Um… Do you have a bad relationship with your mother?”

“What? No, nothing like that. We just have a free-spirited relationship.”

“…?”

What kind of relationship was that? Bae Sejin wanted to ask, but Hajun issued an immediate eviction order backed by a quiet glare.

“You don’t need to worry. Aren’t you leaving? Want to practice more?”

“I’m going! Hey, you… come back soon too.”

Surprised, Bae Sejin scrambled for the door, hesitating a second at the entrance to drop that line before rushing out. Hajun waved a hand at him. Cute guy.

Anyway, the cute guy left, and now came time to check on the creepy one. Hajun dialed his mother.

—Son~ Mom’s photo turned out great, right?

“Are you joking? Mother, when did you meet that guy?”

—Huh? Are you two on bad terms? That’s no good, you should get along! He’s a big senior!

“Why should I care?”

To be honest, Hajun viewed his biological mother more like an older sister with a huge age gap rather than a traditional ‘mother.’ Just look at her attitude. How could anyone see her otherwise?

—How about him? You’re an idol now. Aren’t idols supposed to be softer and extra polite?

“Not me. So what did you two talk about?”

—You were way cuter as a kid…

After Hajun snapped a few more times, his mother shared how the photo came to be. She thought he was a regular customer, but recognized him as a celebrity. Excited to meet a famous star, she chatted about her idol son, and took a souvenir photo before he left. Hajun stood speechbound.

—He seemed eager to get close to you! He kept asking about your childhood and stuff. So I showed him a few old photos. That’s fine, right?

“Why would you— Never mind. I’m hanging up.”

—Wait, son—

Click.

Hajun ended the call without mercy and dialed Cheongryeo’s number. After two rings, Cheongryeo picked up.

—What is it?

“Listen here. You seem mistaken about something. My mother isn’t my weak point. If you met her, you ought to know.”

His biological mother was the last person on earth he worried about. The feeling was mutual. She didn’t worry about Hajun either. If she did, she wouldn’t have sent a middle school kid to the States on his own.

Getting straight to the point, Hajun listened as Cheongryeo spoke in a calm tone.

—You are mistaken as well, junior. I didn’t visit her to find a weakness.

“Then why go? To get a fortune reading?”

—Let’s call it that.

“Be honest. You went just to get under my skin.”

—My, did I get under your skin? That wasn’t my intention.

“Like hell it wasn’t! Besides, what’s with that Inheart post? I told you not to mess with Park Moondae!”

I’ll destroy you, I swear!

As Hajun flared up, Cheongryeo pulled out a smooth excuse—that he had no such intention—lying through his teeth.

Listening to the elaborate nonsense, Hajun scowled and issued a warning.

“Try all you want. We’re taking the Rookie Award.”

—Confident, aren’t we?

“I’m letting you slide because you act like a jerk just enough to annoy Park Moondae. Got it? Touch him for real, and I’ll break your head.”

—…Haha!

“You’re laughing?”

—Ahem, no. It’s just… Do you think I’m afraid of dying? At this point?

Hajun could picture Cheongryeo smiling on the other end of the line. He knit his brows. This guy…

“Don’t act tough. The guy who passed out when I struck his head shouldn’t talk so much.”

“…”

“Weakling.”

—…Have you considered that you are the outlier here?

Hajun scoffed, switching the phone to his other hand and ignoring the question.

“I don’t care if you dig into my background. Go ahead and search. Dig up a weakness that doesn’t exist.”

—Like I said, digging for weaknesses isn’t—

“And while doing that, learn a lot about me. Who I am, what kind of childhood I had, what I like, and what I hate…”

Once all that ends, I’ll accept that lousy apology you gave last time.

Hajun whispered those words. Silence fell over the receiver.

“Got it? Do you understand?”

—…And you, junior?

“What?”

—Feels one-sided if it’s one-sided.

What nonsense. Hearing Cheongryeo’s words, Hajun tilted his head to the side.

“Shin Jaehyun. I already know everything about you.”

“…”

“So that makes us even. Call me later. Bye.”

Hajun hung up, stowed his phone, and stretched his arms.

Cheongryeo had tried to push his buttons, yet Hajun felt pretty good. Shifting useless attention away from Park Moondae onto himself worked fine, and clearing up old grudges along the way wasn’t a bad outcome either. The guy had nerve, but Hajun could view it as acceptable cheekiness.

The thought of asking for Park Moondae’s opinion never crossed his mind.