Chapter 276: Chapter 276
“Seo Hoyun-ssi! Let’s fix your makeup.”
‘At this rate, I’ll really die, damn it.’
I glanced at my ankle, where the stabbing pain kept flaring up, then steadied my breathing as if nothing was wrong.
Because it was Sung Jiwon’s solo stage right now, I could finally take a short break backstage.
“Wow, Seo Hoyun-ssi, you were literally flying out there!”
“...Hahaha, wasn’t too bad, right?”
As I gulped down water and hurriedly changed clothes, the staff member who was reattaching my mic complimented me.
Thankfully, none of the staff seemed to notice anything. The ones fixing my clothes and makeup also had no clue.
“But your expression looks kind of stiff. Are you okay?”
“Maybe I’m just nervous.”
I was smiling, but my jaw was locked tight, desperately keeping my lips from trembling.
[Temporary: World, give me strength!
In this brutal entertainment industry where idols never know what might come crashing down, the body is their greatest asset!
Spray this item to temporarily restore any injured part of the body to its original state.
Maintain your idol activities with a strong, reliable body!
※ Effect duration: 15 minutes after spraying.
※ Can be used repeatedly.
※ Warning: As a temporary item, it only heals surface damage; pain remains.
Point cost per use: 1,500]
A small system window floated beside me, showing that the item was in use.
It was only because of this spray that I could endure at all.
Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to lie flat on the floor, not sit in a chair.
The longer I stood on stage, the more I felt like I was going to die.
‘Balance your damn quests properly, fuck...’
The permanent stamina debuff was a failure penalty—how could that just be brushed aside? And when quests were ignored, the whole system glitched anyway....
Even if I wasn’t, so what? I still had to do it.
[How about using the permanent item instead of temporary? That way, you can remove the pain.]
The system window kept ringing noisily, nagging me.
But I had already burned through too many points.
The permanent item cost three times as much as the temporary one, with the same duration.
Even with the temporary spray, every quest reward point was being dumped right back into items.
‘No, the idiot here is me, for not being careful in the first place, fuck.’
I clicked my tongue and tried carefully to stand, when suddenly a shadow fell over me.
Kang Ichae crouched down in front of me, shaking a spray can with a sharp click before blasting it all over my ankle until the smell stung my nose.
The cold sting on my skin made me flinch reflexively.
“...What, are you spraying bug repellent?”
His eyes met mine, sharp and irritable.
“I told you to keep spraying it whenever you can.”
After Sung Jiwon’s solo, Kim Sunghyun and Jung Dajun’s duet was up. Even while rehearsing their choreography, they kept sneaking glances at me.
“Your condition is soooo perfectly fine, huh? Yesterday too, you ignored everything the members said.”
“Are you a doctor? The doctor at the hospital said I was fine.”
Kang Ichae slammed the spray down on the floor with a thunk and pressed his finger hard against my ankle.
I almost screamed from the pain.
“...Do you have a death wish?”
“There’s choreography already set, so we can’t change your stage movements now. You won’t sit in a chair even when we suggest it. And when we told you to just skip the stage, you said no.”
When I first got injured, not only Kang Ichae but every member had freaked out, trying to stop me from pushing through.
They suggested posting an announcement and performing without me, or at least letting me sit in a chair and only sing.
“Ichae, hyung’s too popular. If I sit out, it’ll blow up.”
This was a concert in a gymnastics arena.
Quest aside, if I pulled out now, people wouldn’t just worry—they’d swarm like vultures.
“If he’s still this eager, how hard must it really be for him? How long are you going to hide behind ‘passion’? Isn’t it unprofessional not to manage your condition? Don’t they owe refunds for tickets?”
I didn’t care what was said about me, but if The Dawn took a hit, that was a different story.
By the time Dajun and Sunghyun’s duet ended, the VCR started playing.
Next up was my duet stage with Kang Ichae.
I had already gone to the hospital this morning, and the members had reluctantly accepted me performing.
Most importantly, I was physically capable of dancing. There was no reason to hesitate.
Ignoring the stabbing ache in my ankle, I stood tall. Kang Ichae, watching me silently, rose too.
“Hyung. Just trust me and follow my lead.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Our group’s got a good-looking, brilliant, genius rapper. That’s me. I’ll give you a signal at the right time.”
Then, with a sly grin still on his tense face:
“So once we’re up there, just look at me.”
Before I could respond, he strode confidently toward the stage. Sung Jiwon, resting nearby, gave him a thumbs-up and struck a fighting pose toward me.
“Hoyun-ah, fighting!”
I muttered a reply, though anxiety gnawed at me.
When had he ever °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° done something and let it pass quietly?
But he ignored me and ran onto stage.
I followed after, stepping carefully with my right foot, until we were standing at the top of a set designed like supermarket shelves.
Carefully, I lowered myself into position.
Then, as I waited for the music to start, the audience lit up in waves of blue light, like a galaxy shimmering across a dark sea.
Thump, thump, thump—the song began.
“Symphony.” A special duet track produced by Kang Ichae for this concert.
Colored lights burst across the stage, and cheers roared.
When the universe falls silent】
My voice alone filled the vast gymnastics arena with its gentle melody.
When your heart beats】
Supporting myself with my left arm, I rose and flashed a playful smile.
【Because you are my everything】
Suddenly, the mood flipped.
It was R&B based on hip-hop, fast and lively with a sexy undertone.
Ichae scattered the neatly lined-up “products” with his hands as he crossed the stage, then climbed up the steel beams and blew a kiss to the fans.
【But you’ve got to be careful
I’m a little too hands-on】
As he rapped the addictive chorus, I followed the choreography down to the floor.
‘Pair dance with Ichae, then split, then regroup for the final pose.’
I pushed with my left leg and barely managed to land—only to see Ichae standing where I was supposed to be.
Shining brighter than meteors】
【I will show you how to dive】
So this was what he meant. He was adjusting his moves to cover for me.
You and I, a perfect Symphony】
I stayed in place, singing.
Ichae filled the space with extra gestures, making it look natural.
Maybe it was the pain muddling my head, but I’d never seen him look so precious.
Still, I couldn’t just stand there forever.
I moved toward the cart stuffed with fake bills, per choreography.
That’s when Ichae reached out his hand.
Originally, he was supposed to get into the cart.
But the spotlight showed his playful grin, and the cheers exploded.
And his gaze stayed fixed on the cart.
‘Me? You want me to get in?’
No words were needed—our eyes were enough.
When I hesitated, he tugged me forward.
I struggled to keep my face composed, though inside I was cursing.
【The moment a comet streaks by is always beautiful】
But once seated, the pressure on my legs eased, and movement felt much easier.
Glancing back, I saw Ichae blowing a finger heart at me.
【Even if I play a prank
Repeat after me (what?)】
Might as well own it. I stretched my legs out of the cart, rocking them while matching the upper-body choreography.
You and I, a perfect Symphony】
Ichae danced in my original spot. The synchronization looked so good the cheers swelled even louder.
‘The kid’s incredible.’
But as the hyung, I couldn’t just take his help without giving back.
I grabbed his hand, hopped out of the cart, and perched on a low set piece.
【But you’ve got to be careful】
‘A memorable concert?’
Just pull off everything as planned.
Though a bit of impact would be even better.
【I’m a little too hands-on
Shining brighter than meteors】
I smirked slightly, tugged my shirt, and rolled a body wave.
When the camera zoomed in on my torso, the gymnasium nearly shook apart from the screams.
【I will show you how to love】
For the first time tonight, I felt exhilarated. Thanks to Ichae’s support, I was finishing another song without wrecking my ankle.
When our hearts beat in sync】
Ichae leaned into me, pretending to sling his arm over my shoulder, actually letting me rest against him.
【Because you are my song】
As he sang the final line, he winked at me.
This brat—I raised him well.
“Good work, everyone!!”
We wrapped up the first day of the concert successfully.
“Thank you so much for coming today.”
【Guys, you worked sooo hard ♡♡♡】
Even the live broadcast ended without a hitch.
Cold sweat trickled down from the pain, but luckily it was indistinguishable from real sweat.
“Hoyun-ah, is your ankle okay?”
Just as I was thinking that icing it and sleeping would help, Sung Jiwon approached, checking my ankle.
Luckily, the item was still active, so outwardly it looked fine.
“Hyung!! Did it actually get better?”
“Liar. Since we don’t have more schedules tonight, let’s go back to the hospital.”
“Were you listening to me at all?”
Honestly, I wanted painkillers.
I waved one hand and wiped my sweat with the back of the other—when suddenly Kang Ichae shoved his face in front of me.
“Yeah, damn proud of you.”
“Let’s go to the hospital too~!”
His eyes glistened suspiciously.
I just turned my head away instead of answering.
The others glanced at my ankle once more before changing clothes.
I stayed seated, catching my breath, while scrolling through reactions on my phone.
[Hoyun & Ichae’s duet today was legendary.
I need to see it again AAAAAHHH]
[Why is Hoyun dancing so well these days???
└Exactly... I had a side angle view, saw him take a breather backstage, but once he stepped on stage he just flew, lol, it was insane.
└└Thank god I got tickets for both days... please let him do that performance again tomorrow...]
[Seo Hoyun is the boss... he’s the real deal...]
At least on the surface, nothing seemed suspicious. Even the adjusted choreography with Ichae wasn’t obvious.
I sighed in relief. Googlᴇ search novel※fire.net
‘Just one more day to push through.’
Strengthening my resolve, I scrolled up—only to see a message from Joo Woosung.
[Joo Woosung: You dumb bastard]
“You sentimental idiot.”
He was sharper than he looked. His words practically screamed that he’d noticed my injury.
I texted back a casual thanks and started strapping on my ankle guard when Jung Dajun suddenly burst back into the waiting room, clattering noisily after going to get more water.
All eyes turned to the maknae.
“Hy-hyung! Hyungs!!! Uwah!”
“I-I just heard from the manager! You know how there were rumors we might get acquired? Actor Min Jiheon—no, his management was expanding!”
I raised an eyebrow. Dajun glanced around nervously, then waved the members closer.
He mouthed a few times, then whispered very softly:
“...We’re being acquired by WH Entertainment!”
The company of Black Call and Hi-Five.
Immediately, Kim Heeyoung’s words came back to me.
Back then, she had said it was more likely LV Entertainment—home of Yoo Jia and White Cherry.
I pressed my hand to my forehead and sighed.