Chapter 325 : Stay Strong, Do Seohan (3)
Chapter 325: Stay Strong, Do Seohan (3)
They say fans never get lucky.
College student Lee Juyoung spent a long time wondering whether that saying applied to her as well.
She had been a Stardust fan for two years, and Do Seohan was her ultimate bias.
She wasn't passionate enough to attend Music Broadcast pre-recordings or Fan Signing Events, but every recommendation in her YouTube algorithm was filled with Seohan's fancams.
She was serious in her own way.
But!
She had failed to recognize Do Seohan even when he was standing right in front of her.
For some reason, Lee Juyoung felt her face growing hot.
She should've recognized him the moment that ghost let out that adorable little scream, “Wah!”
But because the inside had been so dark and the eerie background music had clouded her judgment...
She'd failed to recognize her bias.
The moment her JjaekJjaek mutuals told her the truth, she'd immediately gotten back in line to enter the Haunted House again.
But...
The rumor had already spread, and a crowd gathered in no time.
In the end, she'd spent all her time waiting in line before going home.
She never properly got to greet Seohan.
Eventually, Lee Juyoung even asked her question on a Q&A site.
Q. I met my ultimate bias, but I didn't recognize him. Does this count as "fans never get lucky"?
Offering 100 points as the bounty, replies quickly poured in beneath her question.
kiwi**'s Answer:** Your devotion as a fan just wasn't strong enough.
vnjw**'s Answer:** How do you meet your ultimate bias and not recognize him...? Is that even a valid question??
└ He was dressed as the Grim Reaper ㅠㅠ
She thought it was a reasonable explanation.
Instead, she only got criticized even more.
I would've recognized my bias even if he were wrapped up like a mummy.
Obviously LOL. I'd recognize him just from his silhouette.
Grim Reaper?? Our Mam-Seohan?? How could you look at that soft, squishy hamster and not recognize him...? Hand over your Dusty membership card. From now on you're just Dust.
└ What's that supposed to mean? ㅠㅠ
└ Dust.
“Haa....”
Trying to ease her bitter feelings, Lee Juyoung turned on the TV.
Even if she hadn't recognized her bias...
She still had to watch the episode Seohan appeared in.
Today was the first broadcast of Challenge Tour.
There was no way her nonstop swearing throughout the filming would make it into the broadcast.
Even so...
She couldn't stop feeling excited.
“Ah, this is going to be fun.”
Muttering quietly, Lee Juyoung fixed her eyes on the screen.
[What do you think about today's guest?]
A black sofa with a modern design.
Sitting there with a smile in what appeared to be SBC's lounge was the main PD of Challenge Tour, Do Seojun.
After hearing the assistant director's question, he chuckled.
A shameless reply escaped his lips.
“Ah, today's guest, Mr. Seohan~.”
Do Seohan of Stardust was scheduled to appear as the official first guest of the pilot program Challenge Tour.
Although everyone already knew that by now...
He still felt it was worth mentioning.
“He's my younger brother.”
“Wow! Really?”
The assistant director reacted enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.
[We're curious about Do Seohan's childhood...!]
Although her voice had been edited down, the subtitle appeared across the screen.
Main PD Do Seojun clasped his hands together and thought for a moment.
Seohan's childhood had already been revealed to the public to some extent through YouTube programs and radio livestreams.
However...
Do Seojun was convinced the public didn't know even half of it.
There were far too many facts that Seohan himself had distorted and romanticized.
As the one who vividly remembered every bit of that history...
There was a lot Do Seojun wanted to correct.
For starters, if he listed every accident Seohan had caused....
[Jumped down staircases ten steps at a time and fell face-first.]
[Fell off the jungle gym.]
[When his older brother enlisted, he brought paper-folding scissors and cut his bangs.]
-There were plenty more, but today he decided to hold back.
Modern medicine had fixed everything anyway.
Besides, children healed surprisingly quickly.
“Mmm... Seohan.”
PD Do Seojun smiled gently.
“Since there's a pretty big age gap between us, he was really cute when he was little.”
Seohan would deny it, but it was an undeniable fact.
Back then, Do Seojun had adored his only younger brother.
Recalling those days, he smiled faintly.
“I used to tell him all the time, 'Hyung will buy you anything. I'll even buy you the universe.'”
“And now?”
“Now I'm thinking about sending him to the universe instead....”
[Due to budget limitations, sending him to the universe wasn't possible....]
Since that wasn't an option...
They sent him to a Haunted House instead.
A large caption appeared on the screen.
[One-day Haunted House Part-time Worker, Do Seohan!]
The amusement park's makeup room.
“Whoa, that scared me.”
The moment Seohan saw his reflection in the mirror, he practically jumped to his feet.
The camera then focused on PD Do Seojun watching with a thoroughly satisfied expression.
It created a rather villainous composition.
A short interview immediately followed.
[Q. Is there a reason you chose working part-time at a Haunted House for Challenge Tour?]
Seohan stared at the camera with sorrowful eyes.
A pitiful answer came from his lips.
“Working part-time at a Haunted House? My brother dragged me here. I'm scared of ghosts.”
Anyone could tell how wronged he felt.
Carefully glancing at Do Seojun, Seohan cautiously spoke.
“Is it too late to withdraw from the program now...?”
[No.]
It was meant to make the viewers laugh.
Though there was also a hint of genuine sincerity.
Soon, the scene changed to the inside of the Haunted House.
A caption appeared at the bottom.
*[Due to confidentiality, we ask for your understanding that we cannot film the entire interior.]
With the camera fixed in one position, Seohan trembled as he followed the staff member through the darkness.
While walking through the pitch-black interior, his quiet muttering could be heard.
“It's so cold...!”
“That's because there's a ghost beside you~.”
“Huh?”
The Neverland staff member did their best to heighten the tension for the obviously frightened Do Seohan.
Thus began the difficult journey of the one-day part-time worker.
But...
The real hardship was only beginning.
From now on...
He had to survive alone.
With tears nearly welling up in his eyes, Seohan watched the staff member who had guided him leave.
“Take me with you too....”
Only his lonely plea echoed through the silent Haunted House.
His face pale, Seohan quietly said,
“It's so creepy in here. Kind of cold too.”
Then he instinctively lifted the camera slightly, attempting to communicate.
He wasn't livestreaming.
But in a place this eerie, he felt like constantly talking would make things a little easier.
“I think it'll be better once people start coming in....”
His gaze suddenly shifted to one side.
“Ah.”
His eyes widened as though he'd spotted someone.
Seohan politely bowed.
“Please take care of me.”
And yet...
There was nobody there.
The production staff added a caption.
[No matter how many times we replayed it, there was nobody in the darkness....]
[Who exactly was Mr. Seohan greeting?]
“…….”
[Even the production staff got scared.]
[Not edited....]
The screen slowly faded to black.
[Dusty Who Was Smiling While Watching Challenge Tour Passed Out at Dawn]
Who was Do Seohan greeting? ㅠㅠ
There was literally nobody there ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I was smiling, then my face froze so hard I thought it'd cramp.
Is this actually real?
I'm too scared tonight. I'm sleeping with my mom....
The one who watched this broadcast and got the most scared was probably Do Hamster himself;; He probably fainted.
└ His hands are 100% shaking.
└ You really think only his hands were shaking?
└ Ah LOLLLLLLLLL. But honestly, if I found out the person I'd greeted was actually a ghost, I'd get goosebumps from head to toe too.
The creepiest part.... Someone in the post below says they found the ghost.
└ ?????????
└ Where???
└ http://matkeker.story.com (Link)
[(Horror Warning) There's a Ghost at 3:17]
The production staff said there was nobody there, so I replayed it three times....
At 3:17, there's something that looks like... a woman?
Ah, shit.
I've got goosebumps.
No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem human;;;;
(Photo)
Holy crap, you're right. It's exactly where Do Seohan greeted.
Couldn't it just be a person??
└ Would a person really look that blurry...?
└ It could just be because it was filmed in the dark.
└ Please tell me it's a person. Please.
I used to work part-time at a Haunted House, and they never assign two people to the same spot ㅠㅠ No matter how I look at it, I don't think that's a person....
└ Neverland also said there wasn't a ghost bride stationed there.
└ AAAAAAAAH.
└ That's seriously terrifying.
└ S-Seohan... Stay strong....
.
.
.
.
At the same time, inside SBC Broadcasting Station's editing room.
Do Seojun sipped a hot cup of Prim Coffee while checking the viewers' reactions.
The response to the first episode of Challenge Tour was even better than expected.
There was just one thing bothering him....
Bzzzz.
Bzzzz.
His phone had been vibrating like crazy for quite some time now.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, Do Seojun picked it up.
As expected.
It was Do Seohan.
Even during the brief moment it took to unlock the screen, messages continued pouring in.
[What was the ghosst]
[Ah]
[Ah]
[This is too much]
[That's editing right?]
[You're just messing with me right]
[It's rearealrealreally true???]
[Please answer meee]
The messages were full of typos.
He must've been that panicked.
Letting out a sigh, Do Seojun replied honestly.
There was nothing wrong with the editing.
At least for that scene...
They had simply broadcast exactly what was there.
[It's real.]
Bzzz—.
The reply came almost instantly.
[HAAAAAAAHHHHHHH]
“My, my.”
It felt as though he could hear his younger brother screaming through the screen.