NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 56: Chapter 214
"Ugh, I'm so tired."
Because she'd messed up her course registration, she had to take night classes just to meet credit requirements. So for days now, she'd been getting home late at night.
After washing up, the college student flopped down on her bed, seriously contemplating whether to skip her morning class tomorrow.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a string of messages.
[TraitorButStillFriend]: Hey hey hey hey
[TraitorButStillFriend]: They went to Europe together, and ughhh why is my baby performing so well
[TraitorButStillFriend]: Ha… I think I'm in love with this guy
[TraitorButStillFriend]: Yeonhu is kinda cute lol
"Oh, seriously."
It was from a friend who had originally been a Hi5 fan but had jumped ship to The Dawn after being charmed by their youngest member. They had even gotten lucky and won tickets together to the second round of Shining Star Season 2 and watched it side by side.
The college student glanced through the messages and sent back a half-hearted reply before exiting the chat.
'So this is what living your best life looks like, huh.'
It still left a bitter taste that The Dawn had snatched the top spot from Hi5, who had all but secured first place on Shining Star Season 2, all thanks to a scandal and the so-called Seo Hoyun syndrome
'Well, at least High5 ranked higher than The Dawn in the recent Berlin concert, so I'm satisfied.'
Kang Yeonhoo was an idol who knew how to manage his image without showing a single crack.
Even his stint on the variety show Wanna Sing With Me? went off without a hitch, and there didn't seem to be any more intersections between him and Seo Hoyoon.
Knowing the relationship between the two was just business—purely to dodge the whims of the production team—gave her a sense of relief. Still, as a fan of Hi5, she didn't want to hear another word about The Dawn.
'Ugh, Yeonhu will figure it out.'
Unable to sleep, she thought about watching Min Jiheon's new drama on an OTT platform and picked up her phone.
But almost like it mirrored her unsettled mind, she found herself opening a fan community app instead of Netflix.
She switched back and forth between that and social media, chuckling at funny memes and cute puppy videos—until a post title caught her eye.
[Title: An idol doing live busking in Italy to "earn his keep," streaming it on PopPop Live]
"What kind of insane clickbait is that?"
She thought it was a shameless stunt to farm views.
Still, she clicked on it anyway.
And then realized: The Dawn was actually doing a real-time live busking stream.
'What the…?'
Busking itself wasn't exactly a new concept—it was one of the industry clichés.
When a new album dropped, idols might hold a surprise performance in a crowded plaza or do a street dance routine overseas. It was often used to create buzz.
She figured The Dawn might be hopping on that trend while abroad, filming content on the side. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the screen zoomed in on The Dawn's main vocalist, Sung Jiwon, loosening his fingers on an electric piano.
Her eyes narrowed.
[Well… I guess there are angels in Europe too]
[Yeah… must be used to it
This is the true Korean-Angel™]
[These insane bastards showing us busking??
They feel like indie musicians, my heart's pounding]
She always told herself to keep a healthy distance from K-pop—but her instincts kicked in, and she began analyzing out of habit.
Is this something only a mid-tier agency could pull off? It's way too experimental. If it were High5, they'd go the safer route—test the waters through a cable variety show first. Maybe it's because they have DaPasung as a shield? That agency is infamous for neglecting its idols. A little extra criticism won't even faze them.
She could never really separate herself from K-pop.
[TraitorButStillFriend: AAAAAAH you're watching the live stream too, right??]
[Me: yeah]
That's when Seo Hoyun picked up a bass guitar.
The live comments exploded, as expected.
[Wait, Seo Hoyun knows how to play bass????]
[Wait, and he's GOOD at it???]
[Oppa… you're being too much (giggles)]
While The Dawn's fans were getting hyped, the High5 fan remained unimpressed.
One misstep and this could wreck his whole image.
She had thought it was a risky move because idol busking overseas—especially relying solely on singing—was still rare.
The Dawn members exchanged glances, as if confirming they were ready to perform.
Seo Hoyun leaned into the standing mic.
[Chill out, Do not go too far]
She expected a "Hello, we're a boy band from Korea!" But instead, lyrics poured straight out.
"…!"
To the tune of Kang Ichae's guitar accompaniment, a wave of vintage Britpop swept over the streets. Soon after, Sung Jiwon's piano joined in.
[You and I are waiting fear hid underneath the bed]
The college student immediately recognized the song.
It was released by a globally famous rock band in the 1990s. One of the members, who was reportedly high when he wrote it, had caused a stir. The song wasn't flashy or high-pitched, but its deceptive difficulty made it a classic.
'…They're good?'
But Seo Hoyun's rich baritone matched the vibe well.
Actually, it sounded more than decent.
[As we cannot leave all the things behind]
Pedestrians began stopping in their tracks.
The breeze tousled Seo Hoyun's hair as he plucked the bass strings and kept singing.
[What is this? A movie??]
[Why does this feel like an arthouse film…?]
That's when the college student suddenly realized:
The beautiful scenery, the twilight hour, the warm tone of the vocals, the fitting choice of song—
All of it was coming together like a scene straight out of an indie music film.
The Dawn wasn't trying to prove their talent.
They were building a story.
[Lay down, do not go too far]
[You and I are waiting, hope over the sunlight]
Just then, as if on cue, Seong Jiwon joined in.
His clear tone and explosive vocal power filled the space.
People started opening their wallets.
[LOL there's now an account tracking how much money The Dawn is making from this busking session LOL]
The college student let out a stunned laugh after reading that post.
"Are they out of their minds?"
Is this some kind of business tycoon game? Damn it!
But even if it might draw some criticism, it was undeniably a concept that worked well with the public.
That much was obvious, just from watching the number of live viewers and followers shoot up in real time.
[LOL who comes up with this kind of concept, seriously]
[As a human being, I think they should at least be fed before being worked like this… but damn, this is hilarious]
[They're actually collecting a decent amount of cash LOL]
They even had a notice pinned to the top of their profile to preempt controversy about the busking.
> "It's a secret to The Dawn, but 100% of the tips will be donated. Dinner's on the company card!"
[I wanted to curse out their company for being small-time but… damn it, this is actually adorable]
The donation destination was clearly detailed, and during the live stream, fans even started donating in The Dawn's name and posting proof on social media.
[I'm popping open soju again because of this guy. I can't even leave the fandom.]
└The way he talks switches so freely between "this guy" and "oppa" is a skill of its own…]
After a few more songs, riding the momentum, The Dawn even performed a previously unreleased track by Kang Ichae that was originally meant for their album.
[Do they have to do this overseas…? They don't even give us this kind of content in Korea]
[Probably a craving for international recognition. Or maybe their company really is broke LOL]
Critical comments began surfacing—why do this kind of content when they've already earned enough, why release unreleased songs abroad, why on PopPop Live?
But the backlash against those criticisms was even stronger.
[Uhh~ it's all going to charity anyway]
[While you sad keyboard warriors are clicking away in your dark rooms, these kids are out here using their talent to entertain and donate, yeah? LOL]
[Thanks for arguing back, you're helping boost engagement LOL]
[Wow... they've grown up.
If they were a flop group, people wouldn't even be criticizing—they'd just pity them.
└If they were lucky enough to get pity, that is…]
"But they really are good," the college student muttered.
She had seen The Dawn perform several times—albeit reluctantly—while watching Shining Star Season 2 and Wanna Sing With Me? for Hi5. Those programs hadn't aired that long ago, yet The Dawn—especially Seo Hoyun—had clearly leveled up in a very short time.
What did he even do to improve like that?
In the end, the college student couldn't bring herself to turn off the live stream, staying tuned in all the way through to the encore, where The Dawn closed out the session with a heartfelt fan song as the streets of Italy dimmed into twilight.
People whistled and erupted into cheers and applause.
The Dawn members gave light waves to the crowd and ran toward the camera.
"Looks like we've collected quite a bit! We're off to eat dinner!"
"See you again!"
Just like that, the two-hour busking session came to an end.
Even though it was already past 2 a.m. in Korea, fan communities and social media were still buzzing with excitement.
[Eat well, boys… ㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
[Ahh the sound quality was a bit rough though, what a shame ㅠㅠ sob sob]
That morning, The Dawn's official YouTube account uploaded a new post:
> [#TheDawn's live stream has ended. We also filmed separately from the livestream.
Catch the full HD version of the busking performance, premiering soon on YouTube!]
[Oho~ Daepaseong, I knew I could count on you~~~!!]
[groveling noises]
The college student, having skipped her morning class, got up late and saw the update much later.
She later found out that even after the busking ended, The Dawn's youngest member, Jeong Dajun, kept updating fans through PopPop while they ate dinner at a restaurant.
Seo Hoyun, unusually smiley and laughing more easily than usual.
Jeong Dajun, bubbling with energy as he chattered away.
Kim Seonghyeon, nodding and listening attentively.
Seong Jiwon, taking care of everyone in the group.
And finally, Kang Ichae, sitting in a corner of the restaurant playing classical piano on a grand piano they found there.
They've lost their minds… seriously.
[Kang Ichae played the piano after two glasses of wine omg ㅠㅠ it was Liszt's "Mazeppa," holy sh*t ㅠ you're my Cheon Seojin1)]
[How do you feel about an idol who plays classical piano at a conservatory level… drunk, without sheet music…
└Attractiveness: a man who gets drunk after two glasses of wine
└└LOL that wine comment is killing me LOL]**
Meanwhile, there were still no updates from Hi5's Instagram, Twitter, PopPop, or YouTube.
I never thought I'd be jealous of The Dawn…
Letting out a deep sigh, the college student vowed to cast away her pointless envy and not check up on The Dawn anymore.
But just a few hours later—
[TraitorButStillFriend: Did you see The Dawn's SNS update?? They're so cute I can't take it ㅠㅠ what do I do?? ㅜㅜㅜ]
[TraitorButStillFriend: They're dressing Ichae in streetwear from fashion week now ㅠ]
[TraitorButStillFriend: Literally nothing looks bad on Kang Ichae, the fanbase is losing it. What do we do LOL ㅠㅠ our babies are just too pure and lovable ㅜㅜ]
While sipping her afternoon coffee after a late class, the texts from her friend kept pouring in.
Whatever it is, it's the result of someone grinding their brain to dust, my dear friend.
And with that, the college student felt yet another bitter layer of resentment settle quietly in her chest.
Because today, she couldn't deny that High5 had lost a round.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Seo Hoyun of had no idea what was going on.
"Hi, have we met?"
He had just been going "Uh, uh, what?" and by the time he came to his senses, he was already inside a private party hosted by a famous fashion brand.
'What the hell is this…'
He'd clearly been caught up in Kang Ichae's scheme.
As people kept approaching him in English and Italian with nonstop chatter, Seo Hoyun only responded with a faint, polite smile and swiftly walked past them.
'This is so f*ing annoying.'
He decided he needed to get out of here first and picked up his pace—only to feel someone grab his arm hard from behind.
"Hey, hey!"
"…?"
Hearing Korean—especially in a foreign place like this—was surprising enough.
"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day I'd be this fing happy to see Seo Hoyun."
But the voice, was unmistakably familiar.
Hoyun quickly turned his head.
"Please, help me."
There stood Joo Wooseong, looking absolutely pale and drained.
---
> 1) Cheon Seojin is a character from the SBS drama "Penthouse" (aired 2020.10.26 – 2021.09.10 through Season 3).