Electronic signboard?
“Wow, you really don’t know. Look it up on the internet as you go.”
“Alright…”
“I’m off!”
Kim Heeyeon sashayed out of the room, waving her hand. I was left dumbfounded, and then I caught Seong Jiwon staring blankly at a distance.
“Seong Jiwon.”
“Huh?”
“Did we, like, get an electronic signboard or something?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Seong Jiwon, as if hearing the story for the first time, tilted his head. I immediately pulled out my phone and searched. The moment I entered the SNS, the information came up. While searching, a good idea came to mind.I grinned and turned to the members.
“Hey, guys.”
“Yes?”
“Who wants to do something fun?”
Everyone frowned, not understanding.
I shook my phone and hummed a tune. Everyone’s eyes widened at my unfamiliar behavior.
***
“You guys, don’t be alone for the time being.”
The noisy car instantly quieted down at the manager’s words.
“Absolutely! Stick together, and always stay with me. Got it? Huh? Understand?”
I secretly grimaced at the manager, who was checking the members’ nods through the rearview mirror.
“Manager.”
“Huh?”
“You know, the Express Bus Terminal Station.”
“Whoa!”
As soon as I said that, the manager was startled and twitched. Then he cleared his throat.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Guys, aren’t you hungry?”
The manager knows.
He and the company were deliberately keeping it hush-hush.
The Kim Seonghyeon controversy had blown up quite a bit, and the gaze on The Dawn was not very pleasant, so they seemed to want to let it pass quietly.
It seemed like they were planning to gather the signboard news and show it all at once later.
Certainly not a bad decision, but…
I started the engine slowly.
“I’m hungry, manager.”
“Ah, right? Should I buy some kimbap or something?”
“Can I ask you to?”
I deliberately smiled softer than usual. I could feel the other guys stiffen around me.
Our manager, who was a good person but a bit slow, didn’t seem to notice as he laughed heartily and parked the car.
“Alright, guys! Wait here for a moment!”
“Okay.”
We quietly nodded.
As soon as the manager left the car and entered the kimbap store, I got out of the passenger seat and immediately got into the driver’s seat.
Escape.
It was a massive escape.
Holding the steering wheel, I hummed a tune.
“Are we really going?”
“Of course.”
“With the van?”
“There’s a perfectly functioning car here, so why bother catching a taxi.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock. I discreetly signaled Seong Jiwon.
“Jiwon, send the manager a gift card or something. An expensive one. And call him, telling him to take a break at a café for an hour or so.”
“Okay! We just have to pick him up later, right?”
Was Seong Jiwon unexpectedly excited?
I thought he would stop me, but he was the most excited and called the manager. The manager’s bewildered voice echoed from the other side of the phone.
“Manager, take a break! We’ll be back in an hour!”
Jiwon looked thrilled as if he were a child doing something naughty. Jeong Dajun glanced at me.
“Hoyun-hyung, your driver’s license…”
“Class 1, perfect score on the written test, perfect score on the practical test.”
“Good.”
“Let’s go.”
And so, we escaped.
The great escape of rookie idols.
Even with the van in tow.
When the manager hurriedly bought the kimbap and left the store, the van was already nowhere to be found.
Is this for real…?
***
I led the members to the express bus terminal. At first, some of the anxious members suddenly charged ahead as if their reins had been loosened.
Seong Jiwon constantly checked his phone for directions.
“Is it this way? Ah, no, not here?”
“Uh, I think it’s over there.”
Everyone had their hoods and hats pulled down, but they still gave off an “I’m a celebrity” vibe.
It wasn’t long ago that they had only appeared briefly on television, but they were already attracting attention like this…
I watched them fondly for a moment before turning back to Seong Jiwon, who was about to enter the wrong place.
“It’s this way!”
“Uh, isn’t it over there?”
“Right, it’s that way.”
Everyone seemed excited, either chatting away or whistling. I slowly followed them, observing the chaotic subway station.
I used to commute like this every day.
Now, I can hardly even ride the subway. The company was so cautious about it.
After always riding in a van, being in the subway felt like returning to my everyday life after so long. I paused to take in the familiar scenery before turning my head toward the members.
“…”
“Hyung! Hyung!”
Jeong Dajun excitedly pulled me. And then, I saw the advertisements on the subway station wall.
A large group photo of the members and a smaller individual photo of each member were displayed.
[We support your shining days]
“Wow…”
I thought I’d be thinking, “Wow, they must have spent a lot of money on this” when I saw it.
“Here too!”
Apparently not.
[The Dawn, please cast your precious vote.]
It just… felt overwhelming.
Seong Jiwon playfully hit my flushed face. The members were smiling brightly, waving at something.
I stared at the photo in a daze before moving forward.
“Guys, there are post-its attached here too?”
“Where?”
“Personal billboards.”
“Ah, really.”
“Did the fans put them up?”
The members were still buzzing, unable to believe that fans put up ads and left messages for them.
Kim Seonghyeon stared at his billboard with a choked-up expression.
His was filled with some post-its that were…
[Seonghyeon, we’re supporting you]
[We’ve fallen for the kind-heartedness you’ve shown and always trust you]
[Seonghyeon-oppa ㅠㅠ You’re my source of energy. Fighting today as well!]
“…”
The messages were considerate of recent controversies.
Kim Seonghyeon hung his head and stood still for a long time. His hands were trembling.
“You’re lucky, Kim Seonghyeon.”
I patted his shoulder and moved away, thinking he might want to be alone.
Not far from him, there was a billboard with my face on it.
There were many post-its attached to it as well. As if in a trance, I approached the billboard.
“…”
A calm smile on my face. It seemed to be a photo from the time of our guerrilla performance. Judging by my neat hair, it must have been before I got eggs thrown at me.
Did I smile like this?
I raised my hand and touched the photo gently. There was a message written below my face.
[Hoyun, you are my light]
“Really…”
I was never that kind of person.
Sorry.
My heart felt heavy. I read the post-its next to it.
[Hoyun, I tried to stop being a K-pop fan but couldn’t. I fell for you at first sight. Take responsibility!]
[Let’s get married]
I couldn’t help but laugh.
I read the message below that. It was a bit more serious.
[Always calm Hoyun, I like that side of you too, but I hope you won’t carry everything on your own]
[I hope you have only happy and joyful moments!!]
[Oppa, if you ever have a hard time, just tell us ㅜㅜ]
It seemed like this time had been full of ups and downs. Seeing the fans worrying like this…
As I read the messages, I felt a strange sensation.
It was odd to have countless people saying kind words to me rather than criticism.
Always getting scolded for sticking to the main job, taking on responsibility… It was amazing to receive unconditional love here, the more effort you put in.
I stared at the Post-its with fascination. The content, the writers, the handwriting were all different, but they all shared the same feeling.
They wanted me to be happy.
Ah, this…
It felt… suffocating.
I took my time to read the last Post-it.
[Hoyun, I love you a lot.]
“…”
I repeated the words to myself, then slowly peeled off the Post-it. From top to bottom, I removed them all, one by one, without missing a single one.
It was the first time I had done something without any plan.
***
[Guys??? Why are there no Post-its?]
[Oh, they’re really gone]
[Ugh, did the admins take them off? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ We were going to clean up later ㅠㅠㅠ Was the announcement not made properly?]
[Ah, that’s a shame… It was fun to see those post-its]
Fans reacted in real time.
The fansite master, who had hung Seo Hoyun’s photo as the representative, couldn’t hide her disappointment. Still, she couldn’t openly talk about the post-its on the official account.
The kids are already involved in controversies…
It’s better not to get into trouble for nothing. But it was still a pity.
I’ll have to ask the supporters later.
While refreshing the timeline, suddenly, everyone was flooded with tears.
“Huh?”
What’s going on? Why is this happening?
For a moment, her heart sank.
Damn it, she was afraid that a controversy might have erupted because of some sudden reaction.
The fansite master calmed her heart and slowly understood the context. And then she saw a video that popped up.
[A video appeared on the community forum ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Hoyun is taking the post-its ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
“Heol…”
It was unbelievable. The fansite master watched Seo Hoyun, who was wearing a cap, slowly and carefully peeling off the post-its.
Why is he wearing jeans?
No, what’s with taking the Post-its?
Hoyun…!
The fansite master covered her mouth. She couldn’t see Seo Hoyun’s face, but seeing him previously taking one post-it at a time, a tear welled up.
My poor baby…
There wasn’t much content in the post-its, right?
From what she saw in passing, they were all messages of support, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Everyone just wrote a lot of cheesy expressions of love and support.
It made her heart feel warm.
“Why did he take them? There’s nothing special… He should just keep letters later.”
[The other kids took them too ㅠㅠ They must have come to see them together]
[Is Kim Seonghyeon crying right now?]
[Heol, really?]
[It seems like he’s trying to hold back his tears ㅠㅠ]
[There’s nothing bad written on the post-its, right?]
[Not that I know of… Maybe he’s just overwhelmed…]
[Wow ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Seonghyeon ㅠㅠㅠㅠ We’re sorry ㅠㅠㅠ]
“Wow, it’s a mess on Kim Seonghyeon’s side too.”
People say you can’t sell someone’s personality, but… Kim Seonghyeon was famous for being kind even among core fans. He had always taken care of the fans one by one.
And finally, chaos erupted.
The fans who had been holding back for Kim Seonghyeon saw him cry and burst into tears.
[You, who sees a Post-it and cries, what’s with the bullying, you fucking bastard!!!!! Stop grabbing people by the hair!!!]
[I’m really sorry, Seonghyeon. From the very beginning, it was suspicious… ㅡㅡ They reacted well to Nightmare and Refined (even though it was edited), but if it were me, I would have been upset with Today
└Why?? Is there something with Today??
└It’s nothing]
Although they tried to be quiet from their private accounts, the reaction was too big, and it eventually flowed to the community.
[Title: Is there a reason for Kim Seonghyeon’s reaction?
Kim Seonghyeon is famous for taking good care of Nightmare kids too… So the Nightmare fandom also likes Kim Seonghyeon. I think there’s something between Kim Seonghyeon and Today]
[Title: Is it because of Seong Jiwon?
Seong Jiwon was originally in Today’s debut team, and after he was eliminated, their relationship must have soured.
└Ah ㅡㅡ Don’t randomly drag Jiwon into this
└└ㅋㅋㅋ ㅋSorry, sorry]
[Title: But really, why??
Kim Seonghyeon’s expression is really not good
└Don’t give attention to the bully ㅋㅋ]
And those posts piled up and eventually gave birth to one popular post.
[Popular post: I’ll summarize exactly why Kim Seonghyeon hates Today]
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