Chapter 279: Chapter 279

When there’s a fire, what’s needed is not panic but a controlled process to put it out.

Right in the middle of merger and acquisition rumors, The Dawn was thrown into the center of controversy.

Instead of recklessly extinguishing the sparks, Seo Hoyun decided to make good use of this opportunity.

[Holy crap!!! A surprise live hahahaha‘The Dawn High School Talent Show’]

Noeul had thought that once the acquisition was complete, the group would eventually have to move their lives to WH Entertainment’s in-house streaming platform instead of their usual PopPop. But no one had expected the boys to pop up live without any notice.

Fans who had been comfortably lounging around suddenly scrambled to open the app and sign ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) up.

[This is killing me hahahaha people are rushing like crazy to sign up]

[Guys, it’s synced, takes 3 seconds to join. Hurry up and get in here]

In fact, this live was partly a show of strength to WH Entertainment. A demonstration of how The Dawn had managed themselves until now.

When the camera came on and showed a dazzling practice room, most fans recognized the place immediately.

[Holy—this is the new building]

It wasn’t the shabby practice room they knew, the one that still looked dim even with all the lights turned on.

[Damn fast. Did they already move in after signing the contract?]

[Even a sloppy job would take longer. Is WH in a rush, or is Daepaseong desperate? Haha]

Even though it was good news that The Dawn would now practice and work in a place , the mention of the merger still left Noeul uneasy. No one knew yet what WH Entertainment’s next move would be.

Just as fans were hesitating how to react, Seo Hoyun suddenly popped into the frame.

Thankfully, his cast was gone; both his feet were neatly in sneakers.

[Huh! TLQKF!!!!!!!!!]

[Lololol so cute, our bunny]

[Black-haired Seo Hoyun is back, I love you T_T Everyone was begging for bleaching and dyeing, but I was faithful to black hair T_T]

And then, one by one—

Kim Sunghyun in a plain white tee with his school uniform shirt left unbuttoned on top, Sung Jiwon in a perfectly buttoned-up uniform jacket, Kang Ichae in a green jersey with three sharp white stripes all the way to his neck, and Jung Dajun in a baggy hoodie over his shirt.

Each member popped their face into view.

[Wait this is literally Woosanbird outfits!!!

Oh my god they’re too cute. Way too cute.]

[The Dawn pulling off even a high school concept faithfully... they’re gods. The freshness is killing me, I can see The Dawn High School in my mind right now]

[They’re gonna dance girl group songs with this hahaha insane hahaha]

Seo Hoyun stepped back with the others so the whole group fit into the shot, rotating his ankle lightly.

“Hold on. We need to warm up, so we’ll start with ‘Our Shining Dawn’ as a test.”

As fans exploded with anticipation, the members quickly formed formation and hit each beat perfectly. The sound of sneakers dragging against the floor created a strange thrill for Noeul.

As soon as “Our Shining Dawn” ended, random iconic girl group hits, already queued up from YouTube, began to play.

White Cherry, Ria Purple, and even legendary national songs anyone in Korea would recognize from the first note.

[This is paradise.....]

[This is literally heaven.......]

[Oh my god thank you so much.....]

With a bright smile as if this was nothing, Sung Jiwon asked:

“Noeul, is there anything you want to see?”

Just as the title “Talent Show” suggested, this surprise live was meant for The Dawn to dance nearly any request from Noeul.

[Are you really gonna show?? White Cherry, please I’m begging]

[Please Joo Woosung’s solo song MYTH]

[Juseongjuseongjuseongjuseongjuseongjuseongjuseongjuseong Woosung Woosung Woosung Woosung Woosung Woosung Black Call Black Call Black Call Black Call]

“Joo Woosung sunbaenim’s song? Today’s supposed to be girl group relay dances, but... does anyone know it?”

Sung Jiwon’s gaze landed on their so-called Woosung superfan, but Kim Sunghyun shook his head.

“I still can’t dance sunbaenim’s choreography perfectly yet. I’d just ruin it...”

From the back, where he had been fooling around with Kang Ichae, Jung Dajun suddenly shot both hands up and dashed forward.

“Phew~, at last it’s time to show my skills.”

He blew his bangs upward dramatically, grinning mischievously, and stood dead center, waiting for the track.

【The space between you and me is just a breath away

Can I stare your eyes】

He might fall short compared to Joo Woosung, but he didn’t miss a beat, hitting every highlight perfectly.

His gestures, filling the gaps, had grown smoother and more stylish than before.

[Wow, Jung Dajun is pulling this off like a badass]

[As expected... after hanging around Kang Ichae, the coolness rubbed off a lot]

[Did Dajun get taller???? Did Dajun get taller???? Did Dajun get taller????

└└LOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL No seriously, he grew!! Hahahahaha]

【In front of you I want to be simple

Can I hold you tight】

Just as the chorus passed, Kim Sunghyun exchanged glances with the others and suddenly shouted:

“Dajun, changing the song!”

A bubbly, cute track burst from the speakers.

【I want to play a lot with you

I want to love this feeling】

It was “Skate,” the debut song of rookie girl group A:Summer.

“Ugh!” Dajun yelped, then immediately switched into a sweet expression and adorable dance moves.

The 200% synchro had chat exploding.

[LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Our puppy]

[Yeah, cuteness is his real stable zone LOOOLLLLLLLLL]

[This is a brand-new song and he already knows the choreo, hilarious LOOOOLLLLLLLLL]

“Hoyun-hyung!! Come here!”

Seo Hoyun, who had been watching with his usual uninterested expression—though that was just his everyday look—walked over and joined the choreography.

[Wait he knows it too]

[Seo Hoyun’s face doesn’t change, but look, he nails every detail LMAOOOOO]

【I want to play a lot with you

I want to love this feeling】

As he closed in and performed the famous pair move from “Skate” with Dajun, the nonstop stream of chat suddenly halted.

Fans had forgotten to type, too absorbed in watching.

[When Seo Hoyun dances, the lyrics suddenly look different—am I the only one?]

[Seriously, his physicals are on another level. For Hoyun, you have to blast him with mental force before “fresh and cute” even registers, and then it hits perfectly]

“Woo~, dance it cuter~.”

“Don’t break the concept~.”

The other members jeered at Seo Hoyun, who had been dancing with the same poker face. He glanced at them, then, mischievous, pressed even closer to Jung Dajun.

[LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO unshakable]

[Jung Dajun ffs what a disaster LOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL]

Just as Hoyun twisted his right ankle to launch into a dynamic move—

Kang Ichae shoved Seo Hoyun aside, grabbed Jung Dajun, and stole the pair spot.

Hoyun, suddenly pushed, crashed into Kim Sunghyun and the two rolled on the practice room floor.

[LMAOOOOO Kang Ichae what the hell HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[I thought Kang Ichae was nice, but he pushed his hyung

└ LOOOOOOL Did you really think he was nice..]

[Look at Kim Sunghyun and Seo Hoyun’s faces LOLLLLLL yeah, I’d be dumbfounded too hahaha]

[Look at Jung Dajun pouting like some prom queen—yeah, you’re super popular, we get it]

“Kang Ichae, what the hell?!”

Even with his hyungs barking in outrage, Kang Ichae kept dancing slyly like nothing happened.

Sung Jiwon, watching all this unfold, only smiled gently.

“What should we dance next?”

[Wait, what’s with Sung Jiwon looking at them so warmly like he’s watching his grandkids?

He doesn’t even think about helping Seo Hoyun and Kim Sunghyun up]

[He passed over it so naturally it just looks like everyday life, I’m dying]

[The Dawn aren’t too late! Debut as comedians!!]

After a few more songs, Noeul came to a realization: The Dawn weren’t rejecting a single fan request. They were taking them all, one after another.

[Bro they’re really dancing everything they can]

[Guys, The Dawn concert is happening right now]

[This is why you gotta sign up, it’s literally a free concert]

[And they’re kings of interaction, too. Anything you ask, they’ll dance it]

This was a golden opportunity—one not to be missed.

Fans threw away all restraint and revealed their desires. Even though it was introduced as a girl group dance relay, they started demanding every famous choreography regardless of gender.

By the time the two-hour-long dance parade came to an end, The Dawn collapsed on the practice room floor, panting.

Noeul, overjoyed, dabbed at nonexistent tears for effect.

[I’m crying from emotion... this is what it looks like when idols from a tiny agency fight their way up to stand right below first-tier]

[These guys... really... the model of this generation’s idols.

When the company pisses you off?

Your idols cheer you up with silly antics]

The songs had each lasted only three or four minutes.

Even accounting for pauses to read chat, they’d moved like crazy.

“Noeul must’ve been really determined this time.”

Having stripped off the school uniform tops they’d been wearing, The Dawn now crowded in front of the fans in just t-shirts.

Kang Ichae poked at Seo Hoyun’s ankle with a grin, watching Noeul’s reactions. Meanwhile, SNS was exploding with talk of the relay dance.

[Wow how do they know all the choreos??]

[Right?? It’s like some third-year high schoolers possessed with mania, knowing every boy group dance hahahahahaha insane]

[Or maybe some don’t know. Especially Seo Hoyun]

Even though they’d literally seen Seo Hoyun dance in sync without a miss, a post suddenly popped up saying he didn’t know choreo, and fans bristled, ready for a fight.

[He danced just fine though?]

[Seo Hoyun just picks up choreo super fast. Joo Woosung once said he can memorize after watching a few times.

└Joo Woosung said that???

└└Yeah, he said it was Hoyun’s only strength.

└└LMAOOOOOOOOOOO still high standards, Woosung-chan...]

But then a new tweet went viral. Screenshots spread quickly through B-Star and community boards, and finally even landed in the live chat.

“Hoyun, do you really memorize choreo on the spot like that?”

As Sung Jiwon drank water, his eyes scanned the scrolling chat and caught that question.

[Come on, no way hehe]

He frowned slightly, bothered by their disbelief, and screwed the cap back onto his bottle. Then he turned toward Seo Hoyun, still leaning against the wall, exhausted.

At the sound of his voice, Seo Hoyun slyly shoved Jung Dajun forward in his place.

Of course, Sung Jiwon easily dodged and grabbed Hoyun’s arm.

“Hoyun, let’s show them once!”

“No, we don’t have to.”

Hoyun resisted, but in the end, Sung Jiwon won.

Hoyun had to copy the moves Jiwon showed up front, step by step. The source of this content ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⁂𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⁂𝓷𝓮𝓽

[Wow what is this, he really dances it all just by seeing it once]

[And not just the highlights—he memorizes the whole choreo??]

[I can’t believe it, our cute bunny was a genius...]

And so, round two of the relay dance began.

Excited Noeul shouted out every song they’d missed earlier, and Hoyun kept dancing in sync with Jiwon. Other members ran in whenever they knew a song, hyping things up even more.

By the time three hours had passed since the live started, Seo Hoyun’s face was red, and he marched toward the linked tablet with a deliberately sulky look.

[Say it in banmal please (informal speech)]

Seeing the chat just then, Seo Hoyun arched an eyebrow.

And the live cut off.

[Wha-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Is he insane, why is he ????]

Seo Hoyun, who usually spoke formally even to young fans.

[Ah, I’m done now. I don’t want to. Druruk... tak... Ah, I’m done now. I don’t want to. Druruk... tak....]

[I swear I just got transported back to my high school summer peak. VR is useless, Seo Hoyun gives me 5D sensory immersion]

[I get butterflies every time Hoyun talks down to us...

└God Noeul’s tastes hahahahaha]

From meme-worthy dance relay moments to Hoyun’s sudden switch to banmal—

Fans were still savoring the aftertaste, unsatisfied even after gorging themselves on the live—

“Um, your live broadcasts have to be pre-approved. You can’t just go live without permission—”

The WH planning team staffer and The Dawn’s manager were in the middle of a talk.

Of course, the topic was the unauthorized live.

The manager, eyes darting nervously, swallowed hard as he remembered Seo Hoyun’s words.

“Manager-nim. If we go live, WH staff will definitely complain. Just leave it to me. You only need to laugh heartily and say one thing.”

Closing and opening his eyes tightly, hesitating over and over, the manager finally forced himself to speak.

“...Well, they’re just at that reckless age...”

“They never listen, no matter what I say. Hahaha!”

The WH Entertainment planning team staff looked dumbfounded at the flimsy excuse—when suddenly, another live notification popped up.

Both the staffer and the manager scrambled to open it, only to find Jung Dajun alone, waving his arms dramatically side to side as he greeted.

This was why Seo Hoyun had claimed his legs hurt and refused to tour the building.

Because he’d planned to do it live.

“Today, The Dawn’s most handsome member will be with you!”

Dajun, quick to grasp the plan, winked and cheerfully played along.

Meanwhile, in the van, Seo Hoyun gazed out the window with a crooked smile.

“Our Dajun’s definitely reformed.”