Work Text:
The heavy velvet curtain of the studio set swallowed every drop of ambient noise.
T1 Agency had signed off on the schedule without a second thought. The inquiry had come from Journalist Jung, a respected senior writer conducting a high-profile, live-streamed charity interview for child welfare foundations. The pitch was simple: an inspiring, motivational dialogue with TeSTAR's breakout main vocal, Park Moondae, fresh off their monumental Rookie of the Year sweep. The donation link was pinned at the top of the stream, and the budget offered was substantial.
Moondae sat under the harsh studio lights in a sharp, dark suit, settling into the armchair. He genuinely believed his groupmates were off doing individual radio appearances. He had no idea that back at the dorm, six members were gathered around a single tablet screen, their eyes glued to the live broadcast alongside three million concurrent viewers.
Journalist Jung adjusted her lapel microphone, holding a neat stack of cue cards. "Before we begin the broadcast, Moondae-ssi, I want to confirm that this is a live interview and a fundraiser for orphanages. I have a list of open questions regarding your personal history. Are you comfortable answering them honestly?"
Moondae tilted his head, his expression as unreadable as ever. "Yes. That's fine."
The producer gave a silent countdown, and the red light on the main camera flickered to life.
"Hello, viewers. I am Journalist Jung," she began, offering a warm smile to the lens. "Today, we are joined by a very special guest—TeSTAR's main vocalist, Park Moondae."
"Hello. I am TeSTAR's Park Moondae," he said, bowing politely toward the camera.
Journalist Jung leaned forward, starting with what she assumed was a gentle, philosophical icebreaker to set a reflective tone. "Moondae-ssi, to start us off... what is your opinion on parents?"
Moondae didn't hesitate. He didn't pause to craft a polished idol answer. He simply stated his truth with absolute, matter-of-fact clarity.
"Well... I don't really have an opinion," Moondae said smoothly. "Like, you can only have an opinion on something when you have it, I guess. I never had parents, and I don't know what it's like to have them, so it's a really foreign experience to me. But... if I had to guess, I think having parents is like having a safety net. You know, having a place you can always go back to. Like you're certain that there's always a person who will love and support you. That's really it, I think."
Journalist Jung’s hand froze over her notepad. The total absence of bitterness—replaced instead by a cold, analytical description of parental love as a structural "safety net"—left her momentarily speechbound.
In the TeSTAR dorm, Sun Ahyeon pulled his knees to his chest, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his knees.
Journalist Jung cleared her throat softly, recovering her composure. "Do you... wish to have parents? If yes, why?"
"Of course I wish," Moondae replied rationally. "Literally, who doesn't want that? I also want someone who I can call family... someone who is ready to support me and love me no matter what."
It was a standard human desire, yet hearing it spoken so plainly by a top idol sent a quiet shudder through the comment section.
Journalist Jung looked down at her cards, selecting her next question carefully. "Have you ever lied about having parents?"
"Yes, actually," Moondae said, resting his hands casually in his lap. "When Ahyeon and his parents dropped me home back during our trainee days... he was the first one to find out I was an orphan. I lied to him and said that my parents died a few years back. But that wasn't actually true. I just lied for no reason."
Back at the dorm, Sun Ahyeon’s breath hitched violently. Tears welled up in his eyes instantly as he remembered that drop-off night—how Moondae had lied not out of malice, but because explaining the absolute void of never having parents at all was too heavy a burden to drop on a friend.
Journalist Jung blinked, catching her breath. Usually, interviewees cited fear of judgment or bullying. Moondae spoke of it like an unnecessary administrative detail he had concocted on the fly.
"I see..." she murmured. "How were your days at the orphanage?"
"Well, average," Moondae said with a slight shrug. "I was happy since I had so many friends, but I was also confused. Like... where are my parents? After seeing other kids with parents, or when my friends who got adopted would say, 'I have parents now,' I would go ask the director. I'd ask, *'Director, when are my parents going to come pick me up?'* The director was very kind. She would always say that they were just busy right now, working hard to buy toys and candies for me, and that they would come back very soon. So I would get very happy. Over time, I realized that I was an orphan... and so I just got used to it."
Journalist Jung swallowed hard. The silence in the studio was absolute. Even the camera crew had stopped moving.
"Did you... ever get bullied because of it?" she asked softly.
"No, almost never," Moondae answered immediately. "A little here and there, it happens, but never the severe kind. I would always tattle on them anyway. But I was a very quiet kid. I didn't talk to people much—I preferred to either play or just read in the library."
He paused, leaning forward slightly as if sharing an interesting piece of trivia.
"Oh, let me tell you," Moondae added casually. "It's like a niche knowledge, but there are different kinds of orphans. Like me, for example—I'm a 'born orphan,' which is for kids who were abandoned at birth. And then there are 'lucky orphans,' who had parents till a certain age. And then there are 'unlucky orphans'—those are the ones who had really bad parents, were abused, and were sent to an orphanage after being rescued. And then there are 'abandoned orphans,' who were abandoned by their families directly at the orphanage. That's how it's written in our files, and how we introduce ourselves to each other so we know which is which."
Journalist Jung’s breath hitched. She stared at him, her lips slightly parted, entirely unable to process the brutal, clinical taxonomy of abandoned children delivered with such effortless indifference.
"O-oh... thank you, Moondae-ssi, for sharing that," she stuttered, her professional composure cracking. Desperate to shift the heavy atmosphere, she tried to offer a lighter prompt. "Would you... maybe like to tell us a fun fact about the orphanage?"
"A fun fact?" Moondae tilted his head, thinking for a brief second. "Oh. Well, we never really let people who volunteer or visit meet the young kids. Because even if they meet them only once, the kids keep asking when that hyung or noona is going to visit them again. So we only let volunteers meet the kids when we are certain that they will actually come back."
The studio fell dead silent. Journalist Jung took a slow, deliberate sip from her water glass just to keep her hands from shaking on live television.
"What... was your favorite day like at the orphanage?" she managed to ask.
"My favorite day was the day when CPS came around, or Adoption Day," Moondae said smoothly. "On those days, we would get better food, bigger portions, and new clothes. Those were like the best."
Journalist Jung closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking another sip of water before continuing. "What was your birthday like? Did you enjoy it?"
"Well, it might not be common knowledge," Moondae explained, "but since we don't really know when our actual birthdays are, the director would just pick one single day, and that day would be the birthday for everyone. We would all celebrate together, have a big cake, and everyone would blow out the candles at once."
"I see..." Journalist Jung leaned back, looking at her final set of questions. "We all know that survival shows like the one you were on usually have an episode where trainees talk to or call their parents. What did you do then?"
"Nothing, really," Moondae replied flatly. "I was just given a holiday that day from shooting."
"Oh... then what does Moondae-ssi do on holidays now, when all the members go home or go on vacations?"
"Well, I just stay at the dorm or visit the orphanage," Moondae said, his tone entirely pragmatic. "I stopped paying rent on the old apartment I used to rent, so now I don't really have a place to go back to. So I just stay at the dorms."
Journalist Jung sat in silence for several long seconds, looking at the young man sitting across from her—so composed, so remarkably grounded, yet completely devoid of any self-pity.
"Thank you, Moondae-ssi, for sharing your experience," she said, her voice rich with genuine respect. "I hope a lot of people will be motivated by your story today. Do you have a few words to say to our viewers before we close?"
Moondae looked directly into the camera lens, his dark eyes clear and steady.
"Well... don't give up. One day, you'll achieve it," Moondae said calmly. "And... stop trying to force someone to be your family just to fill that gap. Just wait. The people who truly wish to be your family will find you. Thank you."
---
### **[moondaeonechance] "The people who wish to be your family will find you." I am violently sobbing right now.**
**Views:** 3,100,000 | **Comments:** 42,800
> **[Post]**
> I watched the live charity interview today expecting a standard inspirational idol story. I ended up crying so hard my chest hurts.
> The way he calmly categorized orphans into "born, lucky, unlucky, and abandoned" like it was basic school curriculum... The way he asked the director as a little kid when his parents were coming back with candies...
> And his final message: *"Stop trying to force someone to be your family to fill that gap. The people who wish to be your family will find you."*
> Park Moondae didn't just survive. He kept his heart intact through pure, unyielding strength.
**Best Comments:**
* **User sejinsusedunderwear:** *"We only let them meet the kids when we know they'll come back."* THAT PARAGRAPH DESTROYED ME. Little Moondae was protecting the younger kids from getting their hearts broken by temporary visitors!
* **User rabinarmpithair:** When he said he lied to Ahyeon about his parents dying because explaining that he was a "born orphan" was too complicated... Ahyeon must have felt so many emotions watching this broadcast today.
* **User moondaelover:** "I stopped paying rent on my old apartment so I don't really have a place to go back to." MOONDAE-YA, YOU HAVE TESTAR! YOU HAVE US! YOU HAVE A HOME NOW!
* **User ahyeonisthirstyformoondae:** The live donation counter literally BROKE because millions of people were flooding the link with money during his interview. He raised over 3 billion won in one hour just by telling his truth.
* **User sejinlovemoondae:** He called losing parents at a older age "LUCKY ORPHANS" because at least they knew what it felt like to be loved by a parent for a little while... I am sick to my stomach. Give this boy the world.
---
### **[moonpup445] Hot Topic: TeSTAR's live reactions & dorm situation right now**
**[GIF 1: Moondae looking directly into the camera saying "People who wish to be your family will find you."]**
**[GIF 2: Ryu Chungwoo and Lee Sejin waiting outside the broadcast studio building in their private van.]**
* **Comment MOONDAEBOOTYCHEEKC:** Journalist Jung looked like she was about to cry through the entire second half of the interview. You could see her hands shaking while holding her water glass.
* **Comment ahyeon'susedsock:** TeSTAR didn't even go to their individual schedules. The manager confirmed all six members demanded to be driven directly to the studio to pick Moondae up the second the live stream ended!
* **Comment chaeugnemarryme** "The people who wish to be your family will find you." He wasn't just talking to the viewers. He was talking about TeSTAR. TeSTAR found him.
* **Comment moondaemoondaemoondae:** I swear to God if T1 Agency doesn't give this man a permanent luxury suite and endless holiday bonuses I am going to march to their headquarters myself.
---
### **[X / Twitter Trends]**
> **@moondae_protection_squad**
> [TRENDING #1 WORLDWIDE] **#WillFindYou**
> [TRENDING #2 WORLDWIDE] **#ParkMoondae_SafetyNet**
> [TRENDING #3 WORLDWIDE] **#TeSTAR_Is_Family**
> "Having parents is like having a safety net... a place you can always go back to."
> Lovestars and TeSTAR are your safety net now, Moondae-ya. You will never fall again.
> 💬 18.2k 🔁 112.4k ❤️ 210.5k