ALL NOVEL Chapter 106
Chapter 106.Things Will Explode (6)
The last day of waiting for Yugeon had arrived.
Although there was still no word from Yugeon, Hajin was no longer afraid of regression. He now had a desire to complete the Blue Flare team’s stage with Yugeon, a desire as strong as the urge to turn back time. And it wasn’t just Hajin who felt this way; everyone on the Blue Flare team shared the same thought.
“…Chan, what are you doing?”
“Oh, hyung. You’re awake? I’m sorry. I was just practicing….”
“Practicing what? You’ve been mumbling non-stop.”
“Ah… Yugeon hyung’s rap part. Just in case.”
“It’s still early, hyung. You should get more sleep.”
Eunchan, who shared the room with Hajin, said this as he dimmed the brightness of his phone’s flashlight. Last night, Hajin had anxiously watched the time tick from 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM, and still, he couldn’t relax, so he spent a few more hours wide awake. So in total, Hajin had only gotten about one or two hours of proper sleep.
“No, it’s fine. Turn on the light. I’ll get up too.”
But Hajin got up without hesitation. Staying in bed would only invite more unnecessary thoughts.
“Are you going somewhere, hyung?”
“I’m going for a run. I need to clear my head.”
“Should I go with you?”
“No, you keep practicing.”
After changing into light workout clothes, Hajin stepped outside the dorm, letting the early morning dew touch his skin. The world was still dim, slowly waking up with a bluish hue. Hajin put on his earphones and played the recording of their song for the third round of the competition.
**Easy to play**
**You’re easy in everything**
Running along the course, Hajin quietly sang along to Siwoo’s breathy voice as the song began.
“Haa, hoo, hu… Wow, this is tough.”
After running two laps without a break, Hajin finally exhaled a rough breath. He realized he might not even have the energy to walk back to the company, so he sat on a nearby bench to catch his breath.
Suddenly, Hajin felt the urge to take out his phone and check the internet. He had fallen asleep last night while reading the reactions of those defending Yugeon, and he was curious to see how things had settled now.
“…Nothing much.”
People had lost interest in Yugeon now that there was nothing left to criticize. Some mentally unstable individuals were still using the revelation of Yugeon’s family history to make personal attacks.
But these were the kind of people who would leave malicious comments even if Yugeon were revealed to be royalty from a far-off land, so Hajin trusted that Suho would see to it that they faced legal repercussions.
While the general public had chewed up and spit out Yugeon like a piece of tasteless gum, the mentions of him hadn’t completely disappeared. Now that everyone had poked around and moved on, those who had been there from the beginning, comforting the scars left behind, began to emerge.
They were the Desties who had stayed and believed in Yugeon through every controversy.
**MiroMaze Hashtag Task Force @MM_hashitag**
**#Yugeon’s Stage Protection Hashtag Announcement**
**※ Hashtag Task Time**
**Today (22nd) 20:00 (KST) ~**
**※ Hashtag**
**#Yugeonah_We’llProtectYou**
**#Yugeon’sStage_IsAlwaysFun**
**X Do not use hashtags before the task begins X**
**For announcements regarding stage protection, see thread**
**ReasonGun @2uuu_gunn2**
**(Screenshot of a PC screen filled with images and PDFs neatly arranged)**
**Miro’s announcement is finally out!**
**I’ve already sent the materials I’ve gathered for the first round.**
**If anyone has more materials to send, please submit them through my bio form, and I’ll collect them for the second round of submissions.**
‖
**ReasonGun @2uuu_gunn2**
**(Screenshot of Miro’s legal notice)**
**For those who want to send it directly, you can refer to the content in the image.**
**KangHadi @kang_HD**
**May the world be kinder to Yugeon.**
**I love Yugeon.**
**Yugeon is handsome.**
**Yugeon is fun.**
**Yugeon is the main dancer.**
**Yugeon dances.**
**Yugeon sings.**
…
The seals of those participating in this wave were sometimes Yugeon, and sometimes not. Their favorite might be close to Yugeon or have no connection at all.
But they all joined in this wave with one heart.
Because they knew that a similar thing could happen to their favorite at any time.
As Hajin walked back to the dorm, he read and reread the messages of support and prayers that the fans had posted. Even though those words weren’t directed at him, he felt oddly comforted. He wondered why these people, who had never even met them, were doing so much for them when they hadn’t even shown anything yet.
But Hajin already knew.
Sometimes, when a person loves and supports someone, there doesn’t need to be a reason.
“…Is everyone in the practice room?”
After returning to the dorm, showering, and changing clothes, Hajin felt something strange about how quiet the dorm was. His steps naturally led him toward the Blue Flare team’s practice room.
“……?”
Even from a distance down the hallway, Hajin could see the lights on in the Blue Flare team’s practice room. Thinking everyone might be gathered there, Hajin headed toward it, but he soon noticed that the sound coming from inside was louder than usual.
Through the slightly open door, a lively buzz of voices spilled out. Judging by the number of voices alone, there seemed to be more than ten people inside.
Hajin’s pace quickened. Even after running two laps and walking back to the dorm, he didn’t feel tired and started running again.
With a sudden burst, he opened the door without bothering to knock.
“…Hajin hyung!”
Eunchan’s bright voice called out to Hajin. The group of trainees that had been gathered around someone naturally parted, creating a path.
As the crowd dispersed, Yugeon, with his smooth blue-black hair falling gently over his face, emerged, brushing it aside with a light touch.
Yugeon turned to face Hajin. His unusually red, sharply contoured lips curved into a refreshing smile, just like before.
“I just couldn’t let it go, no matter how much I thought about it.”
With a look that said, “You understand, right, hyung?” Yugeon shrugged his shoulders as if that explained everything.
But that was enough.
Really, it was enough.
And so, the day of the third competition recording arrived.
Yugeon had returned,
And Hajin still hadn’t regressed.
It was the “tomorrow” they had longed for.
* * *
‘Wow, this is really nauseating.’
This was the first thought of a girl who found herself staring at a familiar scene she never thought she’d see again.
“I can’t believe I’m here again at this hour… I guess quitting K-pop just isn’t in the cards for me this lifetime.”
When the announcement for the third competition’s audience recruitment was posted, the girl had no plans to apply. Really.
She had even created a main account (Harang) to talk about Doha, and her private account (Soda) had been filled with nothing but MiroMaze talk lately. She had been posting so many clips of Wolpyeongz that she was seriously considering splitting off a separate gif account, but still—she hadn’t planned to apply!
But somehow, she found herself answering a call saying she’d been selected for the audience. She was sure that the K-pop spirit had possessed her while she was asleep and made her apply without her knowing.
“Well, since I’m here, I might as well have a great time.”
In fact, the events of the past few days had left her feeling a bit uneasy. Like others, she had held preconceived notions about Yugeon based solely on his appearance and the shows, and now that she knew the full story, she felt a bit ashamed of herself.
Even though she hadn’t left any malicious comments or directly criticized him, it was true that when she saw the controversial posts, she thought, ‘Maybe he really could be like that.’
‘I’ve been into K-pop for so long… What good has aging done for me, Yoon Seeun?’
Since Yugeon would surely be performing today, she resolved to cheer him on with all her might, filling her cheers with this regret and a sense of apology.
With that thought, the girl hurried to the studio. Since it was still early in the morning, the line wasn’t as long as she had expected.
As she approached, she saw some of her fandom friends who had lined up ahead of her.
“Unnie! Over here!”
“Hi, hi~.”
Luckily, there was no one behind them, so she could join the line without feeling awkward. Even though they were at the back, the line had less than twenty people, so it seemed they had arrived early.
They would stand in line like this, and then at 10 AM, they would receive their entry numbers. After that, they would kill some time nearby, then return just before the recording started and enter in the order of their assigned numbers.
Although today’s recording didn’t start until 4 PM, and they only needed
to arrive by 2 PM for the final check-in… Coming late meant barely recognizing their idols’ figures from the very back of the line.
‘It takes up a whole day, and it’s usually so boring and tedious… But having fandom friends to hang out with makes all the difference.’
The girl looked at her friends, who she hadn’t seen in person for a while.
The tall one wearing a deep baseball cap and a black rider jacket was Gwajam, while the petite one in a frilly blouse-style dress, organizing the non-official goods she was going to distribute, was MalangGgom. The girl’s friends called her Soda.
“But there aren’t as many people as I thought, huh?”
“No, people will start lining up soon. We just came really early.”
“When did you guys get here?”
“Just now. Gwajam unnie stayed over here last night. She booked a place nearby.”
“Really? Ah, I should’ve done that too.”
“Are you heading straight home after this? I booked my room until tomorrow morning, so you can stay over. MalangGgom is staying too. Tomorrow’s the weekend, after all.”
“Yeah, unnie, stay with us. Today is the fourth episode, so we can watch it together!”
“Wow. I’d love to. But can we fit three people?”
When Soda asked with a surprised expression, Gwajam responded with a cool smile.
“I booked a big room because I don’t like cramped spaces. We just need to pay the extra person fee, so let’s have some fun tonight after the recording. It’s been a while since we hung out.”
“Gwajama, I love you. Then I’ll buy lunch later today.”
“I’ll buy coffee then! I just got my allowance.”
At MalangGgom’s words, the only high school student among them, Soda and Gwajam shook their heads with exaggerated seriousness.
“Ah, no way. You’re a student, you shouldn’t be spending money. Keep it.”
“Ggomie, you can’t. You said you spent a lot on the goods for the giveaway. No way.”
“I always just receive stuff from you guys! At least let me treat you to drinks. I made back almost everything from selling Siwoo’s grip tok.”
At MalangGgom’s earnest plea, Gwajam and Soda couldn’t help but smile. Although still in high school, the smart and capable MalangGgom’s favorite was Jung Siwoo, and she sometimes made and sold goods related to him. While her business was still small, it brought in a decent amount of money for a student. The problem was that she spent all of her earnings on giveaways.
“Even so, when you think about designing, ordering from a company, checking proofs… It’s hard to say you really made it back when you account for the labor. You probably didn’t even earn minimum wage.”
“Well, it’s still amazing if she just made back the production costs, considering she’s just starting. Plus, the ones who do well really do well.”
“K-pop really is a creative economy.”
After chatting noisily for a while, it was suddenly 10 AM. The once sparse line had now filled up so much that there were now two or three lines stacked up beside them.
“Wow, the line’s really long.”
“Yeah. It was good that we came early.”
“Where should we go now? It’s still a bit early for lunch, so how about a café?”
When they had first lined up early in the morning, she had felt a bit of regret, but now that they had received entry numbers in the 20s and were getting envious looks from others still in line, it felt like the effort had been worth it.
‘Next time, I should book a room too.’
Already making plans for the next audience experience, Soda hummed a tune, clearly in a good mood.