Damn system. It’s not like I’m trying to screw anyone over, but what are they thinking, throwing a quest at me at the last minute, just an hour and a half before the birthday ends?
Is this some sort of penalty for the crime of forgetting a member’s birthday?
The problem was that today was the only day of the week I wasn’t doing a search quest.
If I had just done one search, I would’ve known today was Seo Ye-hyun’s birthday.
HyeoniHyeoni @Yeah1217
It’s Ye-hyun’s birthday, but only the youngest and Ha-jun posted birthday messages? For real?
What are Kim Do-bin and Yoon Eden doing? LOL
Shared 36 Quoted 7 Liked 55
Reim @reveim
I can understand if Do-bin is having a hard time because of the age difference since he’s the oldest, but I can’t understand why Yoon Eden hasn’t shown up; I thought they were close?
│
Tae @Jlk001
When people said they weren’t that close, Eden’s fans were out here defending them, saying they were super close. Now that those fans are suddenly quiet, it seems like the truth is out. LOL
After urgently searching, it turns out it really is Seo Ye-hyun’s birthday.
I opened my phone gallery and started flipping through selfies to find a photo of us together. Of course, there wasn’t one.
I considered cropping a group photo so it was just the two of us, but since there wasn’t one with us standing close together, that wasn’t an option either.
I even thought about outsourcing the job to a friend who knows a bit of Photoshop to naturally place us together—but then I thought:
‘Why don’t we just take a picture together right now?’
It’s not like one of us is off in some faraway place; we’re literally just a pillow apart. There’s no reason we can’t do it, right?
“Hey, hyung, let’s take a selfie together.”
“No.”
Well, there was a reason. He didn’t want to because he wasn’t wearing any makeup. What a commitment to professionalism.
But I’ve got my pride. I may be the one who wants this, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to beg for it.
“If you don’t take a picture with me right now, there’ll probably be rumors about a rift between us starting tomorrow.”
“…Are you blackmailing me?”
“Blackmail? No, it’s just public opinion.”
Sighing deeply, Seo Ye-hyun told me to wait a bit and came back after 30 minutes, all set up. For just 30 seconds of taking a selfie.
Every time I see him, I’m reminded that his determination is legendary.
When I shook my head with a weary expression, Seo Ye-hyun kicked me off the mattress, telling me to at least wash my face.
Even though one of us was fully done up and the other had just quickly washed his face, the photo was still decent.
After all, the birthday person should stand out more than the one giving the congratulations, right?
“This is the one I’ll post.”
“Let me see.”
No complaints, so it must be okay.
I didn’t post it immediately; I waited and uploaded it on the official account precisely at 11:59.
REVE_official @LnL_reve
[Eden Dream]
Happy birthday to our REVE oldest
I got the last birthday shoutout ✌
#happybirthday
(Yoon Eden_Seo Ye-hyun_together.jpg)
Shared 5124 Quoted 472 Liked 9712
Watching the shares and likes quickly rise shortly after posting, I felt relieved.
It’s better to go all out at the end of the birthday rather than panicking and posting something late.
[▷Let’s celebrate the members’ birthdays! ✓
▶You have completed ‘Seo Ye-hyun’s Birthday Celebration’ for this year (20xx).
▶As a reward, you receive 5 initial intention points and a Random Ticket.]
Getting a gift for someone else’s birthday—this is a total win, right?
I smiled with satisfaction at the increased points and random ticket.
Insho @SLFl25f4
Eden just wanted to celebrate in a special way, but now people are speculating all sorts of nonsense.
Shared 102 Quoted 9 Liked 378
Rave @luvvv
If you want to start drama over something like this, at least wait a day or so before you do it ^^
Shared 23 Quoted 4 Liked 84
As midnight passed, I naturally completed today’s search quest.
It wasn’t perfect—I’d gone from being a careless leader who doesn’t celebrate members’ birthdays to an attention-seeking one—but that’s still better, so I accepted it.
“Oh, by the way, happy birthday.”
When I calmly offered my birthday wishes, Seo Ye-hyun checked his phone screen, then mumbled into his pillow.
“Who gives birthday wishes after the day’s already over?”
“I don’t know, some people do.”
I laughed, thinking about the past celebrations with a cream cake that are now lost in time.
Seo Ye-hyun clicked his tongue.
“A weirdo like you existing in the world, it’s the end times, really…”
I wonder if he realizes he’s dissing himself right now.
***
The Wnet ASIAN MUSIC AWARD, commonly known as WAMA, hosted by the parent company of Wnet.
The awards ceremony, held at the Hong Kong Expo, was on a scale incomparable to the music shows we had been on before, with a massive stage and an even larger audience.
“Wow, it’s huge.”
Ryu Jae-hee exclaimed in awe as he stood on the stage for rehearsal.
I was used to stages like this, having performed on them multiple times, but the other members, experiencing it for the first time, were visibly awkward.
“We could probably widen our formation a bit,” suggested Kim Do-bin, and I nodded in agreement.
I tapped Seo Ye-hyun, who was staring blankly at the empty audience seats from the stage.
Seo Ye-hyun, blinking a couple of times like he had just woken up from a dream, quickly got into formation.
We finished the rehearsal, following the booming AR that echoed throughout the venue, and after a long and tedious wait, the awards ceremony finally began.
Seated in the artist section, we were nothing more than clapping machines.
The voting had been done before our promotions, so we didn’t even dream of winning the music video award, and other awards were far beyond our reach.
“Let’s announce the winner of this year’s Rookie Award.”
There was a sharp intake of breath from Ryu Jae-hee, who was sitting next to me.
Seo Ye-hyun was nervously tapping his foot, swallowing dryly.
I don’t understand why they’re so tense when we obviously aren’t going to win.
“The winner is… Congratulations, KICKS!”
I forced a smile as the camera panned over to us, clapping along.
If I let my true feelings show here, it’d be back to square one with another reset.
With the Silver Disc Awards and Naon Chart Music Awards still ahead, it was too early to declare defeat, though I didn’t have high hopes.
Still, it was impossible not to feel irritated looking at those KICKS guys beaming with joy.
Good for them, damn it. Watching them cry like that, I couldn’t help but think they were being ridiculous.
Before the reset, I was at least polite enough to text Choi Hyun-min a congratulatory message when he bragged about winning the Rookie Award.
But since they were the ones who first threw away that camaraderie, I felt absolutely nothing.
Before the reset, I could only attend the awards in our third year when we’d finally made it big.
Now, less than a year into our debut, I thought I should be satisfied with just being here, but seeing them so smug about winning, satisfaction was the last thing on my mind.
‘But it’s not like I can control the fan votes or the judges.’
Suppressing the urge to flip off the KICKS guys who were grinning smugly in our direction, I managed to return the smile.
Soon, our turn on stage came.
I took a quick glance at Seo Ye-hyun, whose face looked unusually pale, likely from seeing the sea of audience members filling the seats, then made a final check on my in-ear monitor backstage.
Ryu Jae-hee and Kim Do-bin, being natural-born entertainers, were brimming with excitement rather than nervousness, and Gyeon Ha-jun, as always, remained calm.
So the only concern was Seo Ye-hyun.
“It’s okay to make mistakes.”
I lightly patted his shoulder, speaking softly, and Seo Ye-hyun, exhaling slightly, turned to look at me.
“As long as it’s not a major mistake, it’s okay to slip up. After all, you’re famous as the creator of new choreography styles, so even if you mess up your footwork here, it won’t even make headlines. I mean, if you trip and crash into another member on stage, then that’ll be a different story.”
“That’s really comforting…”
Seo Ye-hyun murmured, noticing the odd look on my face, then added another comment.
“I’m not being sarcastic, I mean it. So just keep talking.”
“…Are you a masochist?”
“Not that kind of talk. Say something to help me relax.”
“What more do you want? Just don’t trip on stage or completely forget your moves and stand there frozen.”
Watching his stiff face twitch, I smiled in satisfaction. Looks like he’s loosened up a bit.
“Hey, hyungs! Let’s do this!”
Ryu Jae-hee enthusiastically waved his hand, raising it so the back of it was visible.
“What a hassle…”
Muttering under my breath, I lazily walked over and raised my hand. As our five palms met, Ryu Jae-hee shouted energetically.
“Two, three, fighting!”
Will there ever be a day when we all shout it in sync? Once again, our timing was slightly off, and I clicked my tongue as I pulled my hand away.
The youngest members were all hyped, giving each other high-fives and saying they were going to kill it on stage.
As the screen opened and the MR began to play, I stepped onto the stage without hesitation.
Gripping the mic, I savored the familiar heat of the performance hall that enveloped me.
Yeah, it’s time to crush this stage.
* * *
“His rap skills are annoyingly good.”
The precise diction and smooth flow cut through the air, landing sharply on the ears.
KICKS member Choi Hyun-min, who was sitting up straight and pretending to enjoy the performance while clapping, gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath.
Another KICKS member, who was genuinely swaying to the rhythm and enjoying the performance, sighed as he spoke.
“Honestly, the song is good too. Man, if I had known it would turn out like this, I would’ve tried to stop Eden hyung from leaving. Who knew he was such a genius at composing?”
“Ugh, then we should’ve kept Gyeon Ha-jun from leaving first. That damn prude—”
“Shh. The camera’s rolling, guys.”
At the leader’s words, the KICKS members, who had been whispering intensely, lowered their voices and resumed watching the stage in silence.
The man sitting nearby, who had overheard their conversation, chuckled at their quick change of attitude.
Listening to Ryu Jae-hee belt out the high notes, he murmured softly.
“It’s interesting.”
“What is? The high notes? You can hit those too, so what’s the big deal?”
Laughing off his group leader’s comment, he slowly ran his finger down his chin, clad in a half-glove as part of his stage outfit.
“There’s something about it.”
He stared intently at the one who was commanding the most attention on stage.
As someone lightly tapped his thigh, he turned to the camera capturing him and flashed a gentle smile. The cheers grew louder.
The song was already reaching its climax.
As he alternated his gaze between the empty seat where REVE had been and the stage, he muttered quietly.
“This version is better than I expected.”
***
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