Chapter 183: Exposure Battle

Left alone in the room.

Cha Seongbin was watching a healing animal channel on his phone but soon turned it off.

He didn’t do something foolish like checking the comment reactions.

No matter what kind of post it was, if there were a hundred good comments and one bad one, that single bad one would always be the one to stick in his head.

He just wanted some time alone, a brief moment to clear his thoughts.

The other members were probably worried about him, though.

He wondered if he should go out and explain that he was fine.

Screeeak—

The door opened, and Ha Junseo carefully stepped inside.

Just by looking into his eyes, it was clear his face was full of worry.

Cha Seongbin gave a faint smile and leaned back against the wall.

“I’m saying this in advance, but my mentality’s fine.”

“…Really?”

Ha Junseo tilted his head slightly, gauging Seongbin’s expression.

Cha Seongbin looked out the window, his face stiffening slightly.

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Why I’m always at the center of controversy. Stuff like that.”

Compared to the other members, Cha Seongbin drew a lot more unwanted attention.

Even minor personality disputes popped up often, and as those repeated, some fans began to fix a negative image of him in their minds.

Whenever something happened, he was one of the first members dragged out and criticized.

Since he had debuted among the higher ranks in Stardust Project, he naturally had both many fans and many haters.

And Cha Seongbin knew that fact well.

He was simply curious—what about him provoked people so much?

“Do I cross the line on broadcasts? If that’s the case, what should I fix? I don’t want the whole team getting hated because of me. I was thinking about things like that.”

“Hmm….”

Ha Junseo shook his head.

“I don’t think you cross the line. If anything, you bring the energy up.”

A member like Cha Seongbin was necessary to keep the mood alive in their self-content.

In that sense, he was a central figure in the team’s variety moments.

“You might think you’re just good at composing, but without you, our content would feel flat. And…”

Ha Junseo trailed off, then smiled faintly.

“Fans like you just the way you are. You’re fine.”

He meant it.

A Cha Seongbin who acted timid in front of fans because of public opinion—he couldn’t even picture that.

And no teammate would want that either.

If he hadn’t done anything wrong, maybe it was okay to hold his head up high.

“Forcing yourself to act different wouldn’t be you.”

No matter what, the people who wanted to hate would always find a reason.

Letting himself rot inside because of them wouldn’t do him any good.

“That’s just how I see it, though. It’s up to you. And this whole conflict rumor? It’s just bad editing. You guys didn’t do anything weird.”

Ha Junseo patted Seongbin’s shoulder as he spoke.

“I’m saying—don’t overthink it.”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

Cha Seongbin nodded, a faint smile curling on his lips.

“Don’t overthink it, huh….”

Only then did he realize how nervous he’d been about the live broadcast scheduled for that evening.

He’d been tense, thinking about how not to give anyone something to nitpick.

But maybe… that wasn’t necessary after all.

Cha Seongbin smiled and opened his mouth.

“Yeah, thanks—”

At that moment—

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Hm?”

Peek—

Maknae Do Seohan poked his head through the doorway.

“Your iced Americano is here.”

“What? Who ordered that?”

“Junseo-hyung sent out an SOS. But huh, you look fine.”

A backup summoned just in case Cha Seongbin’s mentality had completely collapsed.

Cha Seongbin burst into laughter and patted the bed beside him.

“Forget the Americano. Sit down.”

“Junseo-hyung never says no to coffee.”

“Yeah, give it here.”

Seohan handed the tumbler filled with a six-shot Americano to Ha Junseo and plopped down onto the bed.

“You didn’t check the comments, right?”

“Of course not.”

Cha Seongbin replied immediately.

He acted calm to ease the worry he could sense from everyone outside.

Though he suspected that their sharp maknae saw right through it anyway.

Seohan shrugged and added,

“Someone commented under the video that I’m like a guy living his second life—too clever. Honestly, they’re right.”

“What’s right?”

“The second life thing. That person’s insight was amazing.”

Even the way he joked showed he was trying to lift the mood.

“You little brat, what are you saying~.”

Cha Seongbin couldn’t help but laugh, watching the youngest’s antics.

Just then—

Screeeak—

The door opened again, and more members peeked in.

“Huh…?”

It was Jin Sehyun and Seo Haim.

Further back, Seo Ian was peeking through the door crack.

Jin Sehyun scratched his head and said,

“Your hot iced Americano is here?”

“Guys, seriously. Is this the living room or something?”

If everyone was going to gather like this, they might as well have done it in the living room.

Cha Seongbin chuckled.

“You coming in?”

“Yes!”

“Can we? Are you done talking?”

He thought he was fine— but maybe he wasn’t, after all.

Watching the room buzz like a living room made warmth rise deep within my chest.

It felt so much better being together than crouching alone in worry.

“……”

Even if they didn’t say it out loud, I knew how they felt.

They had all rushed over together, worried that I might be digging myself into a hole.

And that made me really thankful.

Cha Seongbin burst into a bright laugh and gestured with his hand.

“You guys are so damn sweet, come sit down already.”

[Small Talk with Stardust!]

A live broadcast that started unexpectedly, a little later in the night.

The members, mostly dressed in comfortable training clothes, waved with smiles on their faces.

It was a Yui App live that started right after concert practice ended.

Fans flooded in at incredible speed.

-Gasp You guys at this hour ㅠㅠㅠ thank you so much

-I’m supposed to go to cram school, oh no

-Your faces are heaven again today

-Did you practice, guys??? Are you still at the practice room?

Jin Sehyun answered first.

“We turned it on right after practice.”

“That’s right.”

“We just came from an intense concert practice. The setlist is pretty much finalized, and I think we’ll be able to show you a really great stage.”

Kang Siwoo added proudly with a satisfied smile.

-Spoil the setlist a little

-Is there a spoiler today? Spoiler????

-You don’t need permission from Doubles, I already got it for you

The moment they mentioned the setlist, the comments section exploded.

Though there was still some time left before the concert tour began, fans wanted to learn even a few songs ahead of time.

Scanning the comments quickly, Seo Haim clapped her hands.

“A spoiler? We’re doing Take me!”

“……”

The atmosphere around them froze instantly at her cheerful remark.

So did the comment section.

-Is that what you call a spoiler?

-Haim, we agreed not to call that a spoiler anymore

-You’ve performed Take me like hundreds of times already, guys ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Come on, you’re from Stardust, of course you’ll do your signal song….

‘Take me’ was Stardust Project’s signal song, practically the team’s identity.

Maybe in later years it’d be different, but for their first concert, there was no way that song wouldn’t make the setlist.

Jin Sehyun patted Seo Haim on the back.

“Apologize.”

“I’m sorry, everyone….”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋQuick apology

-Ah, Haim melting down is so cute

-Crushed Haimㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ this is why I stan them

Thankfully, their generous fans understood.

Kang Siwoo, who had been watching, smiled and wrapped up the situation.

“It’s a bit too early for setlist spoilers…. But we did prepare something else.”

“What is it?”

“You know… that thing.”

“Oh.”

Jin Sehyun clapped and turned to the camera.

“We’ve had so many funny episodes during concert practice this time, so we decided to do an exposure battle!”

-Exposure battle??

-Oh my god, Jin Sehyun’s face already looks like he’s about to cause chaos

-Stories from their practice time… this is rare….

“Do we even have anything to expose?”

“Of course. It’s about you, hyung.”

“Me?”

Seo Ian, eyes wide open, suddenly became the target.

Jin Sehyun nodded and threw it out casually.

“When Ian-hyung snuck out for a midnight snack during practice and got caught by the manager.”

“……”

“Ahahaha!”

Seo Haim already couldn’t stop laughing, slapping her thigh.

-What happened? I’m curious, tell us

-You guys sneak snacks? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ What even is there to lose, please eat, my babies….

“I mean, it’s not that we can’t eat late-night snacks—we’re not trainees anymore. But the problem was….”

As Jin Sehyun smoothly continued, even the other members began to listen intently.

“The manager-hyung asked if we wanted anything to eat since we were finishing practice late.”

“Right.”

“And these hyungs swore they wouldn’t eat anything.”

The problem began with the oldest-line.

Jin Sehyun pointed to three people and began his revelation.

“Kang Siwoo, Seo Ian, and Cha Seongbin. These three said that since we were preparing for a concert, we couldn’t give in to the absurd temptation of late-night snacks. It was 10 p.m. at the time.”

-Absurd temptation ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Sorry guys I’m literally eating snacks right now….

-I flinched mid-bite just now, are they talking about me

Among the three, only Kang Siwoo kept his word.

“Siwoo-hyung actually went to the gym afterward. He’s amazing.”

-A true gym bro

-Kang Siwoo, yeah… certified legend….

“But the other two!”

Jin Sehyun pointed dramatically at Cha Seongbin and Seo Ian.

“They gave in to that so-called absurd temptation.”

“I mean, I did feel a bit guilty~.”

“And what did you do because of that guilt?”

At Jin Sehyun’s question, Cha Seongbin scratched his head and looked away.

“I lured him….”

“Yes, he lured our maknae, Seohan.”

“Pffft!”

The unexpected victim, Do Seohan, raised his hand timidly, and the comments section exploded in laughter.

His face looked so unfairly wronged that it made everyone laugh even harder.

“The hyungs said eating after midnight helps you grow taller….”

Ah, Seohan ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ that’s just your excuse.

But honestly, anyone would be hungry at midnight.

Maybe Seohan will grow taller, our giant hamster… love you ㅠㅠ

While we grow sideways, Do Seohan grows upward.

Seohan listened to Jin Sehyun’s eloquent speech with a quiet smile.

‘He picked the perfect episode.’

Out of all the recent events, he chose one that naturally showed his friendship with the two of them.

If he only mentioned Cha Seongbin and Seo Ian, people might say he was being too conscious of public opinion, so he cleverly added himself in.

His skill at diverting attention was impressive.

“But Seohan’s fine! Because, earlier, he didn’t say a word.”

“Ahahaha!”

“But what did Ian-hyung say?”

“Even if the sky splits in half, I’ll never eat something like a midnight snack….”

“And then?”

“Seo Ian does not waver….”

-Ah Ian ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Just imagining that soft face saying it so seriously is killing me ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Our Sundubu that gave in so easily ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Sundubu can’t resist Sundubu.

“But in the end, the three of them went to eat a late-night meal.”

“That’s right, there’s a Sundubu-jjigae restaurant near our company.”

“Do Seohan’s idea~.”

An adventure to the Sundubu-jjigae restaurant with Stardust’s official Sundubu.

The three of them arrived happily, only to witness a shocking scene as soon as the food came out.

“At the 24-hour Sundubu-jjigae restaurant, we took our first spoonful and—right next to us….”

“Puhahahah!”

“The manager-hyung… was sitting there.”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Of all places

-It was the only 24-hour place open, I guess ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Seo Ian’s eyes wide open ㅋㅋㅋㅋ watching him reenact it with shaky hands ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ trembling

“Our eyes met, and hyung suddenly put his spoon down and said…”

‘Guys, what are you doing here?’”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Manager-nim was so confused

-“Why… are you here?”

“Seongbin-hyung politely greeted him.”

“I even went over to massage his shoulders~.”

“And what about Seo Ian?”

“He hid his face behind the menu.”

“Seo Ian… does not!! waver!!”

When Seo Haim mimicked the line with a determined face, laughter erupted from every direction.

“Now, what about Seohan?”

“I ate confidently.”

“Why? Because I didn’t say anything~.”

-That’s rightㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seohan never said he wouldn’t eat.

-The Sundubus’ Sundubu-jjigae mukbang, take me with you, guys ㅋㅋㅋ

-Even their exposure battle is adorable, seriously.

Even Seo Ian, aware of public opinion, was unusually high-spirited during the broadcast.

Thanks to that, the exposure battle heated up even more.

“But it’s not over yet.”

Seo Ian, whose own embarrassing story had just been revealed, wasn’t going to back down.

“Wait, wait! I just remembered something…!”

“Are we doing round two of the exposure battle?”

Seo Ian nodded furiously and jumped to his feet.

“It was last Friday….”

“Friday?”

“What’s this about?”

The other members looked puzzled—there was nothing particularly memorable about that date.

Seohan listened intently, brows slightly furrowed.

Then—

“So, it was snowing outside… but I heard a cicada.”

Wait a second.

-A cicada…?

-Why is a cicada crying in Januaryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Oh my god I’m dying ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seohan ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Somehow, they all had a feeling they knew who the culprit was.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward one person.

Just seeing those bright red ears gave everything away.

“Seohan said he was out of practice after a long time….”

“Ahahaha!”

“For the concert! He said he was preparing cicada sounds separately!”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋNow that’s an exposure ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Where’d our cheerful Do Hamjji go ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Our boy’s face looks like it’s about to explode ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

‘Didn’t see this one coming.’

He thought the talk would just show off Cha Seongbin and Seo Ian’s friendship, but the arrow came right back at him.

Seohan cooled his flushed cheeks with both hands and looked at the camera.

His hyungs were already egging him on from behind.

“Give us one good cry.”

“A cicada in midwinter, how unique….”

Damn it.

Seohan swallowed a curse and let out a short sigh.

-Seohan, just onceㅠㅠㅠㅠ please, I need something to laugh about.

-Mam-Seohan’s arrival, I can feel it coming….

-Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ so cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

If the fans were that eager, then a cicada sound was nothing.

In the end, Seohan opened his mouth with determination.

[Myaeaeaeaeae– aeaeaeaeae!]

[Myaeaeaeaeaeaeaeae!]

The loud cry echoed through the practice room.

-It was summer….

-Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ even after all this time, still so refreshing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It’s so realistic my dog thought a real cicada was in the house

-Si-micㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“…That was the cicada.”

But back then, they didn’t know.

The live broadcast meant to calm the rumors of discord—

Would unexpectedly bring new news with it.

.

.

.

“You guys just got a game commercial offer.”

“Huh?”

Seohan accepted the proposal in Manager Lee Jaeyoon’s hand.

It was so sudden that he couldn’t quite process what was happening.

[A New Concept! Raise a Cicada!]

Ah.

“Seohan, you can be the one crying in it.”

He felt dizzy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep