Today was a schedule-free day. Hajun was indulging in his rare hobby—sleeping—when his vibrating smartphone ruined his peace. Keeping his eyes closed, he pressed the phone to his ear without checking the caller ID.
“Who is this…” he muttered in a raspy, sleep-heavy voice.
— …Were you sleeping?
The hesitant voice on the line belonged to Ju Dan. Why was this guy calling?
Hajun rubbed his eyes. “What do you want?”
— I’ll call back later.
“Say it now. It’s annoying to wait… yo.”
Remembering a second late that Ju Dan was older and a senior idol, Hajun tacked on a half-hearted polite ending. Ju Dan paid little mind to it. His exorcist junior was an informal talker at heart anyway.
— Well… Happy New Year.
“Isn’t it still December?”
— I wanted to reach out ahead of time and wish you.
“…Is that all?”
— Also, I wanted to ask when you got so close with our leader.
There sat the real reason. Ju Dan recalled a scene from a few days ago.
‘Hyung, this photo…?’
‘Ah.’
How on earth had Cheongryeo gotten his hands on Won Hajun’s childhood photo? It wasn’t the elementary school graduation picture floating around online either. The face of a five or six-year-old boy looked identical to Hajun’s current face, though the overall vibe differed. His sharp eyes remained distinct, but chubby cheeks softened his fierce aura. The sullen expression stayed the same.
Finding such a rare photo sitting right beside Cheongryeo’s wallet on the nightstand had shaken Ju Dan to his core.
Cheongryeo had explained with his usual calm smile: ‘I visited a shaman’s shrine, and Won Hajun’s mother… his biological mother turns out to be a mudang.’
‘A shaman’s shrine…? No wonder, that bloodline…’
‘Bloodline?’
‘Ah, nothing. So why the photo…?’
‘She gave it to me while showing off her son.’
Cheongryeo smiled, mentioning he couldn’t refuse when she handed it over with such enthusiasm.
Ju Dan had swallowed hard and made a pitch: ‘Name your price.’
‘…’
‘Hand it over to me.’
Cheongryeo rejected him on the spot, stating he had to respect the giver’s intent and that Hajun wouldn’t want his photo traded around.
Ju Dan realized his approach had failed. He should have moved faster. While he hesitated, someone else snatched the prize!
That was why Ju Dan used a New Year greeting in mid-December as an excuse to call his exorcist junior out of nowhere.
Hajun scoffed. “Close? Who’s close?”
— Then could I get a photo too…
“Steal it or take it from your leader for all I care. If you have nothing else to say, I’m hanging up.”
It seemed he would need to visit his mother at the start of the New Year to confiscate his childhood photo albums.
Ending the call, Hajun stretched and noticed one bed stood empty. Park Moondae was gone. Where did he go at this hour?
Leaving behind Bae Sejin, who was in deep sleep, Hajun stepped out into the hallway and picked up noise coming from the kitchen. His feet carried him there naturally.
“What are you guys doing?”
Cha Eugene and Seon Ahyun stood in the kitchen, attempting something that could not even be called cooking. The sink looked like a bomb site.
“Ah, good morning…!”
“Hajun! You’re awake?”
Seon Ahyun, standing guard over a pot, and Cha Eugene, hacking at a chicken on the cutting board, greeted him with bright faces. Seeing Eugene about to bring down a knife without looking at the board, Hajun strode over and grabbed the handle.
“Trying to chop your hand off? Move.”
“Whoa.”
Cha Eugene watched in awe as Hajun prepped the chicken with swift skill.
Dismantling the chicken in seconds, Hajun swapped boards to slice vegetables, figuring out the menu from the ingredients laid out.
“Why are you making chicken soup at this hour? Where’s Park Moondae?”
“Today is Moondae-hyung’s birthday! He went to the company to pick up gifts. We’re throwing a surprise party!”
Right. Hajun remembered the gift that had arrived on time yesterday.
A wrist watch crafted with top-tier turquoise on the dial, styled with gold and platinum featuring sun and moon motifs that moved with the passage of time. It was no ordinary watch. He had added a few functional touches to it. Extra features never hurt.
Hajun nodded, turning to Eugene. “So you two decided to cook on your own?”
“We can do it! My mom’s recipe is solid!”
“Do you even know how to follow it? You move too.”
“Uh…”
Chasing away Seon Ahyun, who was already pouring oil and preparing to start a kitchen fire, Hajun watched Ahyun retreat to the dining table with a slumped back.
Ticking his tongue at the deflated guy, Hajun said, “What’s with that face? Go handle plating. If you dislike that, I’ll hand over the whole pot.”
“N-No…!”
“And taste this. I’m not eating.”
Creating a proper chicken soup moments after taking control, Hajun grabbed Ahyun as he searched for bowls and held out a spoon.
Taking the spoonful of soup, Ahyun’s eyes lit up. “D-Delicious…!”
“Told you. My cooking skills are solid.”
“Me too!”
Hajun let Cha Eugene take a taste as well as he opened his mouth like a baby bird. Leaving the pot to Eugene, who kept smacking his lips for more, Hajun walked out to the living room.
Behind him, Ahyun scrambled to protect the soup from Eugene’s relentless spoon.
“Yum~”
“E-Eugene… stop eating…”
A rich aroma filled the dorm. Sensing footsteps near the front door, Hajun turned around.
The door opened with a chime, and Park Moondae walked in carrying hands full of gifts.
“Why does it smell like food…”
“You back?”
“Moondae-hyung!”
“Wait, we aren’t ready…!”
Clatter! Crash!
“…”
“Gasp,”
Hajun looked toward the kitchen. Following the frozen gazes of Ahyun and Eugene, he saw the pot rolling across the floor, its contents covering the tiles.
Staring at the ruined kitchen, Moondae muttered, “What is going on here…”
“Happy birthday.”
Offering his greeting, Hajun pointed at the two guys sweating under Moondae’s gaze. Ticking his tongue, he added, “No breakfast.”
“…”
Facing starvation on his birthday morning, Moondae looked between Seon Ahyun, Cha Eugene, and Won Hajun, thinking: Someone explain this.
Hearing the chaos, the other members emerged to help clean the mess. In contrast to Cha Eugene, who apologized fast and got forgiven, Seon Ahyun kept trembling and apologizing to Hajun over and over.
“S-Sorry…”
This marked his tenth apology. Failing to take more, Hajun snapped.
“Apologize one more time, and I’ll cook a massive feast for your birthday!”
If I say it’s fine, accept it already!
At the words that sounded like a threat, Ahyun turned pale and shut his mouth.
Moondae looked like he wanted to comment, but stayed quiet. Ahyun looked as if he had just been threatened with a funeral feast rather than a birthday meal.
Satisfied with the quiet room, Hajun pulled out Moondae’s gift and thrust it forward. “Here.”
“…Thank you.”
Asking about prices was a silent agreement among members. Kim Raebin had received an ear cuff set with gems for his birthday last month, offering nothing but thanks. Moondae did the same.
Leaving behind gifts worth insane sums, the other members handed over simple presents. Hoodies and food coupons felt far more grounding.
“H-Here… Happy birthday, Moondae…”
“…Thanks.”
Even the department store gift certificate from Seon Ahyun felt easy to accept.
Moondae wrapped up the gift session without touching the watch inside the fancy box.
As Moondae turned to head to his room, Hajun added in a flat tone, “Ah, right. I built a voice recorder and a location tracker into that watch.”
He spoke in the same tone he would use to mention a schedule change.
The members caught the meaning a second late and turned to stare at Hajun.
“…!!!”
“…Pardon?”
“What??”
Moondae used every ounce of self-control to avoid throwing the box. He held the watch out to Hajun like a live grenade. “Take it back.”
“Why!”
Why do you think? To Moondae’s glare, Hajun scoffed. “Do you think I installed it to stalk you?”
“…Then why put it in?”
Bae Sejin stepped in with a sensible question.
Hajun kept a straight face. “For safety.”
“…Safety?”
“Your path attracts weird people and perverts.”
“W-What?”
“…”
It sounded like a curse. Moondae stared with blank eyes at the top-tier oddball in front of him.
Hajun continued, “It would be fine if I were around all the time, but I can’t be everywhere.”
In short, it served as a defense tool. Hajun recalled Cheongryeo’s strange interest in Moondae. Besides, strange curses clung to Moondae, and sasaengs had broken into his place during Idol Co-op.
Keun Sejin, who had received his teddy bear’s gem eyes back as cufflinks, raised a hand. “Question. Did you put something in other gifts too…?”
“No.”
“Are you sure…?”
“Would I lie? If I wanted to stalk you, I wouldn’t tell you. I’m not that shameless.”
Putting strange devices in a gift was shameless enough. Moondae rubbed his face. Why did he have to deal with this…?
“…Not just you. I’ll make one for you soon too.”
Bae Sejin gasped. “What???”
“Your path attracts odd stuff too. Just take it! It’s a defense tool!”
“How is that a defense tool?!”
“It just is!”
Hajun explained how the watch worked. Pressing the top button recorded audio, while the bottom button sent location data to Hajun’s phone. Control stayed with the owner.
“Hmm…”
“It sounds useful in emergencies,” Kim Raebin agreed, nodding.
Ryu Cheongwoo looked in doubt but didn’t stop it.
Gaining support, Hajun smirked. “I care for you guys, yet you call me a pervert?”
“Aren’t you a bit of one? Back in Idol Co-op, you pulled your shirt up on stage out of nowhere,” Keun Sejin pointed out.
“The fans asked for it, so I gave them what they wanted. Problem?”
Keun Sejin shook his head in awe at his shamelessness and turned to Ryu Cheongwoo, the victim of that moment.
“Even Cheongwoo-hyung…”
“That was fan service. Ryu Cheongwoo said it was fine.”
“Wait a minute,” Cheongwoo cut in in a flash. “Don’t make me sound weird. I just said it was fine when Hajun apologized after the show.”
“Aha.”
“Cheongwoo-hyung isn’t a weird guy… Ack!”
“Are you saying I’m a weird guy?” Hajun barked.
Chaos broke out in the living room. The birthday boy slipped back into his room to avoid the mayhem.
After dealing with Keun Sejin, Hajun flopped onto the sofa. Cheongwoo stepped out to take a call from the agency.
Except for Cha Eugene hovering near the kitchen, the others retreated to their rooms.
Left on the floor, Keun Sejin whined, “You only pick on Sejin…”
“Hmph.”
Knowing Keun Sejin was faking his distress, Hajun ignored him.
Cha Eugene came back with a soda. “You two fight every day but stay close every day. So cool!”
“Eugene…? Is this staying close?”
“He likes getting hit,” Hajun informed him, turning on the TV.
Eugene and Keun Sejin gasped together.
“What?”
“Me? No I don’t!”
“Wait, the real pervert is this guy!”
“No! Why are you framing me! Eugene, it’s not true!”
Desperate yelps echoed across the room. Hajun flipped through channels up to a rerun of Idol Co-op.
[Lee Sejin(B): Isn’t Moondae hilarious? (Laughter) Making a face like a Tibetan fox…]
The members had moved past the show’s dark memories. On screen, the first team match was playing out.
Hajun turned to Keun Sejin. “You and I were never on the same team.”
“Yeah… we weren’t.”
“You always stuck with Park Moondae?”
“Pretty much. Why?”
Hajun had roomed with Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin early on, stuck near Ryu Cheongwoo during team matches, and paired with Bae Sejin twice. He had had almost no contact with Keun Sejin or Moondae back then.
“How did we get close?” Hajun wondered out loud.
“Ha… that came from my hard work and kind heart.”
“You disliked me for sure early in our debut days.”
“What? I never disliked you.”
“Is that so?”
Then Bae Sejin must not dislike me either, Hajun decided. He rested his chin on his hand and watched the screen.
Bae Sejin appeared on TV.
[Practice room light on late at night…?]
[Lee Sejin(A): I have to work hard. My rank is lower than the others…]
[The door opens]
[Won Hajun: What? Why aren’t you sleeping?]
Keun Sejin watched the screen in silence. “I’m curious about something.”
“What.”
“Why did you look out for him so much? Because you’re the same age?”
On screen, Hajun was shown pushing Bae Sejin hard under the guise of training him. Cha Eugene returned with a bag of potato chips, munching away.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“Just talking about Idol Co-op days. So what’s the reason?” Keun Sejin asked Hajun.
Hajun rubbed his chin, thinking. “Does there need to be a reason? If I had to pick, the way he struggled to do well? And his frame felt familiar.”
“What frame?”
“He’s small, about Katy’s size.”
Hajun answered Eugene, then looked back at Keun Sejin, who wore a thoughtful face.
“Why ask anyway? If you dislike him, you dislike him. Does finding a reason from someone else make a difference?”
Keun Sejin went quiet at the sharp words. The two Americans watched TV as Eugene crunched on chips.
Hajun thought back to his Idol Co-op days. In contrast to the others, he hadn’t hated the show. But one thing was clear: he hadn’t planned to go this far when he first stepped onto that stage.
“Please introduce yourself.”
“Hello. I’m Won Hajun.”
“…That’s all?”
“Yeah.”
My name is enough, what else do you want? Hajun raised an eyebrow, his face radiating pure indifference. The male judge’s eye twitched at his tone.
Youngrin grabbed her mic in a flash. “Looking at your profile, you have zero experience.”
“Surprising~ I thought you were a model.”
“Shall we hear your song first?”
“Yeah.”
With a calm face, Hajun opened his mouth as the music played. In his head, he was smacking Cheongryeo’s head in time with the beat.
