Chapter Text
On a street transitioning into the biting cold of winter, just as the first light of dawn began to break, the tall figure of a young man was sprinting forward.
'Damn it!'
Ichae cursed inwardly. He never imagined a day would come when he’d have to rush to the company like this.
Just twenty minutes earlier...
Kang Ichae was a member of a four-man boy group—one that had missed its initial debut window and was now preparing to launch the following year. He had planned to skip practice today—just for today.
Lately, he had actually been attending practice more consistently; even though he was often late and sometimes showed up just to tease Dajun, it was still commendable progress. So, he figured he could get away with skipping one session by claiming he wasn't feeling well.
That was the plan.
At least, until he was jolted awake from his sleep by a splitting headache that made him feel like he was going to throw up. He shot up so abruptly he nearly tumbled out of bed.
Panting heavily, Kang Ichae stared in a daze around the dark, cluttered room. With his hair a wild mess, his clothes disheveled, and his body drenched in sweat—accompanied by a rising wave of nausea—he looked as though he had just sprinted two laps around a soccer field.
"Seo Hoyoon... hyung?.."
Ichae muttered, his eyes wide with bewilderment.
Seo Hoyoon—he knew him; of course, he knew him. He had made the long journey back to Korea solely to see him again, to show the man just how much the lonely little boy from the playground—the one who used to linger there all by himself—had grown.
He wanted to see him again; becoming an idol was partly driven by the desire to make that reunion easier, even going so far as to secretly contact Seo Hojin behind his back. He didn't care how the man had changed or how notorious his public reputation had become.
'I think I’m going crazy wanting to see him.'
And then, he dreamt of him. It was a Seo Hoyoon completely different from the person he used to steal glances at in the smoking area. This version was much younger—only two years his senior—and was a fellow member of his idol group. There was no "devilish PD" here; there was only Seo Hoyoon, an idol beloved by everyone.
Blindingly bright stages.
Trophies passed from hand to hand.
Seo Hoyoon grumbling because Dajun had fallen asleep in the waiting room.
Kim Seunghyun laughing so hard he couldn't stand up after the final concert of the tour.
A lopsided cake on the day they renewed their contract for the seventh year. So many things happened—moments ranging from the astonishing to the surreal. Yet, Seo Hoyoon remained sharp, beautiful, stubborn, and warm.
Ichae sat on his bed, groaning as he cradled his face in his hands. His mind kept drifting back to the most haunting image from that dream.
'It was so peaceful...'
He looked truly, genuinely happy...
*Crash!*
Ichae practically leapt out of bed. He didn't care about the loud noise he made by violently kicking the furniture around him.
His long limbs moved clumsily as he hurriedly threw on some clothes—without even bothering to tidy his appearance—and bolted outside. He ran straight toward his destination; his mind was in such a whirl that catching a ride didn't even cross his thoughts. He just kept running, his long legs carrying him full tilt toward the company building.
Inside the dilapidated high-rise...
"Oh, Ichae, you're early today—"
*Whoosh!*
"Huh?"
Ichae breezed past the greetings and the astonished gazes of the staff. He ducked into the elevator and pressed the button for the floor housing the shabby, cobweb-filled practice room the company had assigned to the group.
*Slide!*
"! Ichae!"
The first person to catch his eye was Seong Jiwon. He glanced around, searching for the other two members. Just as expected, they were staring at him in surprise. He was certain they were wondering what on earth he’d eaten to make him show up at the practice room this early.
However, the one thing he hadn't anticipated was the leader's reaction.
"Ichae..."
" ! "
Startled, Ichae looked over at Kim Seunghyun. Aside from his gaze and tone of voice, he looked exactly like the Seunghyun of yesterday.
It felt as though the team leader from his dream had stepped out and inhabited the team leader standing before him now.
"Hoyoon-hyung..."
"Why are you looking at me while saying his name?..."
Oh, so it was real—it couldn't have been a dream, then...
Kim Seunghyun tapped his forehead and clicked his tongue softly.
"Well, anyway... you had that dream too, didn't you?..."
Ichae glanced at Jung Dajun; the group's youngest member was also unusually calm. Seong Jiwon stepped forward with a smile.
"We’ve all confirmed that we had the same dream... so we figured you probably did too."
"Seeing you come running over here in such a panic, it seems that was the case."
Seunghyun added, sighing softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Ichae finally snapped out of his daze. He spoke, his throat feeling parched.
"Hoyoon-hyung..."
Kim Seunghyun looked up.
"We realized it, too."
Ichae furrowed his brows.
"Realized what?"
"Yeah... it sounds strange, but all three of us have met PD Seo Hoyoon and received help from him—er, from *hyung*—in the past..."
Seunghyun awkwardly tried to figure out how to address the two versions of the same person—versions separated by a full ten-year age gap.
*Sniffle*
A soft, stifled sob broke the silence of the room. It immediately drew the attention of the three older members. They turned in unison, looking toward the person who was clearly sniffling.
"Hic... Hyung..."
Dajun was sobbing openly; Jiwon quickly stepped forward and pulled the boy into a tight embrace. Burying his face in Jiwon’s chest, the boy sobbed:
"I miss..."
"I miss Hyung... I want to see Hoyoon-hyung..."
"Dajun-ah..."
They could only watch in silence as the child wept; Jung Dajun had always been a deeply affectionate boy. Between the pressure following their failed debut, the negligence and incompetence of their agency, and the sudden influx of strange, new memories, it was entirely understandable that he was crying like this after everything Seo Hoyoon had done for them.
Ichae took a deep breath and stepped closer.
"Jung Dajun."
"...Hic... Yes?.."
The boy replied tearfully, looking up at Ichae. Ichae’s gaze was steady; the playful smile was gone.
"I miss Hyung a lot, too..."
"!"
"So, we have to go find him!"
This time, he smiled—a warm smile. Jung Dajun stood dazed for a few seconds before pulling away from Seong Jiwon’s embrace; he pressed his lips together and wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"Okay!"
Seunghyun and Jiwon nodded as well.
"Alright! First things first, we need to get out of this shabby place..."
"No, Ichae... I think the first thing we need to do is tidy up your appearance..."
"Huh?"
Seunghyun looked at him with a weary expression, then took hold of his head and turned him toward the mirror.
"Oh."
Ichae marveled at his reflection in the practice mirror. His gray sweatpants were sagging slightly, and one shoelace was untied. His oversized hoodie was disheveled, and his fiery red hair was a chaotic mess, with a few strands sticking straight up.
"How did you end up looking like this?"
Seunghyun stood with his hands on his hips, watching as Ichae stepped closer to the mirror to tidy himself up. Jung Dajun and Seong Jiwon looked on with curiosity from behind; Ichae smoothed back his hair and replied softly.
"I was startled awake and ran straight here, so I didn't have time to check how I looked."
"Huh... what—you ran here? You jogged all the way from home to the company??"
Ichae ignored the other members' bewilderment and lightly smoothed back her hair.
"Let's get going."
...
*Ding!*
As soon as the group stepped out of the elevator, Ichae and Dajun darted off.
"Hey!! Slow down!"
Seunghyun hurriedly followed, calling out a warning. They breezed past a few staff members in the hallway.
"Did The Dawn finish practice early today?"
"Yes, thanks for asking."
Seung Jiwon flashed an affectionate smile and gave a quick reply before rushing to catch up with the other three.
The two staff members paused for a moment; looking after Jiwon in bewilderment, they immediately turned to their colleague as if to confirm what they had just seen.
"You saw it too, right?"
"Uh... yeah..."
They exchanged glances.
"What's up with him?... He doesn't look like a rookie at all..."
"Ah... it gives me the creeps..."
Stepping out of the company building, the group stood there blankly. Dajun looked around, then turned to the others.
"...So, where should we go now?..."
They turned to one another; some rested their chins in thought, while others scrolled through their phones looking for a spot. In the end, it was Ichae who made the call. He turned back, his gaze resolute.
"We're going for breakfast!"
...
They gathered at a luxurious restaurant. While three of the members stood awkwardly, overwhelmed by the sheer opulence of the place, Ichae walked straight up to the cashier.
He pulled out his card and boldly booked a VIP room—leaving the others flustered—before quickly ushering them inside.
Seunghyun was the most flustered; he followed cautiously, stammering as he asked:
"I... Ichae, where did you get that kind of money?... We haven't even debuted yet, have we??"
Ichae spun around abruptly, a look of genuine surprise on his face.
"Did I not mention anything to you guys while we were in the dream?"
The three of them exchanged glances, then looked back at the redhead and shook their heads in unison.
"Ah... Let's just go inside first, and I'll explain..."
They entered the room, where a large dining table was already set with dishes and utensils. After a quick order, the staff left, and the door closed, ensuring complete privacy.
Ichae sat down and watched as each member awkwardly took their seats. He chuckled.
"What is this? It's not like it's our first time eating at a place like this!"
"That was us in the dream! In reality, we’ve never even dared to step through the door, let alone sit at a VIP table!!"
Seunghyun retorted in frustration, though his voice remained high-pitched, as if he feared being overheard. Dajun, sitting next to him, also spoke up; the boy leaned forward, staring straight at Ichae.
"Hyung! Don't tell me you're the secret child of a millionaire?! Or are *you* the tycoon yourself!! Why did you keep this from us!?"
"Dajun, slow down a bit."
Jiwon smiled gently and pulled the boy down to sit properly in his chair. Throughout the entire time—ever since seeing him pay at the register—Jiwon had remained the calmest of them all. Ichae gave a casual, slightly sheepish smile.
"Just know that I have two houses in the States registered in my name..."
"..."
"Huh?..."
"Yeah...?"
"Oh my god..."
Following Ichae’s firm nod, Dajun was left completely dumbfounded; Jiwon maintained his calm smile, while Seunghyung buried his face in his hands. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, stopping Ichae just as he was about to pull out the actual documents to prove it.
Dajun seemed to have a lot to say, but the arrival of their food forced him to hold back.
Seunghyung and Dajun were dazzled by the sight of simple dishes plated with such elegance.
"We really did visit restaurants like this plenty of times in our dreams..."
"But I still can't quite get used to this sort of thing..."
"Haha..."
They began their meal in silence, their minds a blur of reality and dreams, while the empty seat left them feeling restless. Forty minutes later, as everyone was finishing up, Jung Dajun was the first to speak, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the breakfast.
"Hyung, how are we going to find Hoyoon-hyung?"
Ichae looked up.
"Actually, I met him not too long ago; he’s apparently a pretty well-known PD—you could probably find him online. Luckily, I managed to get Hojin-hyung's number back then."
"I have it!"
Everyone turned in unison to look at Jiwon.
"I mean... I have the number from his business card!"
Jiwon hurriedly pulled out his wallet and searched for the card he had mentioned. But after fumbling around for a moment, the healthy flush in his cheeks faded, leaving his face deathly pale.
"No way..."
Jiwon turned his wallet inside out, checking every single compartment. The room fell silent, save for the sound of rustling paper.
"Hyung... what is it?"
Dajun asked anxiously. Jiwon stopped searching and looked up, a dazed expression on his face.
"It's gone..."
"Huh?"
"It's gone... the business card is gone!"
Ichae furrowed her brows slightly.
"Did you take it out at any point? It might have dropped somewhere."
Jiwon immediately shook his head, his voice trembling.
"It’s not there; I kept it so carefully—there’s no way I could have lost it..."
As Jiwon grew increasingly panicked, Seunghyun quickly interjected; his face had gone just as pale as Jiwon’s as he stared at the phone in his hand.
"Hyung... what is it now? Don't scare me like this..."
Dajun’s voice trembled; he looked on the verge of tears.
"Ichae mentioned that PD Seo Hoyoon was quite famous, so I tried searching for his name on social media..."
Dajun forced a weak smile, trying to hide the sheer terror in his eyes.
"Maybe the algorithm just hates you, Hyung... try searching more thoroughly—in English..."
Seunghyun glanced at the younger boy as his voice cracked. He did as suggested, scrolling down the screen again.
Nothing. He switched to searching in English.
Nothing. He switched back to Korean.
Still nothing.
Seunghyun’s hand trembled slightly as he turned the phone screen toward the other members.
"There are no results—no news mentions of PD Seo Hoyoon at all..."
The screen was blank. No photos, no news.
Not a single trace.
"Shit..."
Ichae let out a scoff, his fingers tightening around his phone. But he froze after typing just the first three characters.
"Tch... forget it. I should just ask the person himself..."
He switched apps and made the call.
Call display: Seo Hojin
...
...
...
No one answered. Dajun started to get worried.
"Don't tell me... Hojin-hyung, too..."
Just then, the call connected.
*Click*
"..."
"Ichae?..."
Hojin’s voice was unusually hoarse. It would have made sense if he had just woken up, but listening closely, one could detect a distinct tremor in his tone.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Ichae frowned. But on the other end of the line, Hojin just coughed a few times to clear his throat.
"No... nothing. Say what you want, and make it quick..."
"..."
"Ichae?..."
"... never mind. Stay put; we're coming over to your place right now."
"What? How do you know where I live—"
Before Hojin could finish asking, Ichae hung up. He glanced at the other three members and jerked his chin toward the door.
"Let's go. Something's up."