Chapter 133: Gift-Giving Ceremony
The utterly useless gift-giving ceremony began in earnest.
The first turn went to Cha Seongbin.
Cha Seongbin fetched the gift he had tossed into the corner of the practice room.
It was a moderately sized rectangular box.
"The gift I prepared is… for our Haim!"
"Wooow!"
Seo Haim hugged the box happily. Judging from his expression, it didn’t seem like an empty box.
After checking the weight, Seo Haim’s face lit up.
"It’s heavier than I thought?"
"Please read the letter aloud."
For this ceremony, all the members had prepared letters along with their gifts.
Cha Seongbin cleared his throat and looked toward the camera.
As if aware of it, a sly grin curled up at the corners of his mouth.
[This is for our sweet Choco Haim, who always works hard for world peace.]
"Ooh. But how does world peace come into play here?"
Well…
[It’s the magical heart wand of love that protects the world.]
Why is a magic wand showing up here?
"Pfft."
Seo Ian lowered his head, unable to hold back his laughter.
Cha Seongbin, wearing a satisfied smile, gestured toward the box with his eyes.
"Haim, you really have to use it in a good place."
It was even a toy wand that lit up with red light while playing a cheerful melody when pressed.
It was a completely useless gift that Cha Seongbin had carefully picked out.
Jin Sehyun frowned and muttered under his breath.
"This is seriously useless…"
But the recipient seemed to like it very much.
As soon as Seo Haim opened the box, he raised the wand with a delighted face.
"Wow! I wanted this!"
"You… wanted it?"
"Yes! Look, it even lights up."
Bbyorong– Bbyororong–
"It’s like that kind of thing, right? You want it so badly, but it feels like a waste to buy it with your own money! This was exactly that for me."
"Usually those are things you wouldn’t even want with someone else’s money, no?"
"I like it!"
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That gift found its rightful owner too perfectly.
-Seo Haim’s happiness index just shot up.
-Not a useless gift at all, he looks a hundred percent satisfiedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-"Usually you wouldn’t even want it with someone else’s money"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Cha Seongbin is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
After swinging the wand around a few times, Seo Haim suddenly covered his mouth in surprise.
"Gasp, even the grip feels nice."
Anyway, as long as he liked it, that was what mattered.
Kang Siwoo forcibly sat Seo Haim down, who was waving the wand around noisily, and continued the event.
"Then, the next person?"
"Me."
The second person who had prepared a gift was me.
I dragged in a box that was clearly heavy and angular.
Compared to the one Cha Seongbin had brought, the size was much smaller.
The moment Jin Sehyun saw the silhouette, he let out a groan.
"Ah, I hate this already."
"Why, it’s for you, hyung?"
"From a distance, the silhouette already screams ‘book’…"
So he figured it out.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is this a ramen coaster gift?
-That silhouette looks way too much like a bookㅠㅠ
-What kind of book is that thickㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is it an encyclopedia?
Before I even opened the box, it had already been exposed.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat and looked away. Even so, I had to finish reading the letter I prepared.
[Watching you always approach academics with such seriousness has left a deep impression on me. I dedicate this to future scientist Jin Sehyun.]
A gift prepared for the born science type, Jin Sehyun.
"Organic chemistry…?"
After tearing the wrapping, Jin Sehyun muttered with a reluctant expression.
Sorry, but it’s an original English textbook.
It was just one of the books I had studied with back in school.
"What is this?"
Fortunately, some of the Dusty members recognized it.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Organic chemistryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That’s so cruel.
-Who gives someone a textbook as a gift?
-Do Seohan must’ve just gone to a bookstore and picked the first science-looking book he sawㅠㅠ Ah, that’s actually a textbookㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Seohan, you don’t even know what that is eitherㅠㅠ
Was I too harsh on a senior in high school?
I hurriedly explained to him how to use the book.
"Hyung, your monitor height is too low."
"Yeah, that’s true."
"Use it as a stand."
"Gasp."
Jin Sehyun’s eyes went wide.
"…This can be so useful!"
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Now it’s not even a ramen coasterㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-McMurry’s Organic Chemistry, now downgraded to a monitor standㅠㅠ
-If I were the author, I’d be crying.
-But wait, that’s actually a really expensive bookㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
If using it as a monitor stand feels too much, there was another way to use it.
I carefully placed the book under my neck and gave a thumbs-up.
"Or you can use it as a pillow when you sleep. Your neck disc will get worse."
"That’s supposed to be good?"
"Isn’t anything good if you use it in a good way?"
Jin Sehyun tilted his head, then hugged the book to his chest.
"But isn’t this expensive?"
Of course, it was expensive.
So.
"Secondhand…?"
I borrowed the power of used goods.
Still, I picked one that looked relatively clean, and the used price was only 30,000 won.
"Hey! There are even notes written inside this!"
"A monitor stand touched by someone’s hands… rare item."
"Shut up."
I got scolded by Jin Sehyun.
.
.
.
.
About thirty minutes into the gift-giving ceremony, the final turn finally came to Ha Junseo.
By then, all sorts of bizarre gifts had shown up.
"May you have a day without muscle loss!"
"Gasp, I’m honored!"
From an abs T-shirt to support Seo Ian hyung’s firm tofu abs, to a slightly special doll prepared for Ha Junseo.
Out of the wrapping paper popped a small hamster doll that could fit in one hand.
"This is a friend called Seo Jji. Since Junseo hyung likes dolls, I prepared it."
"Seo Jji?"
"Isn’t that Do Seohan’s doll?"
"That’s hard to find. Where did you even get it?"
Why on earth was my fan-made doll being gifted to Junseo hyung!
It was sold on JjaekJjaek, and it looked like he bought it from somewhere.
Of course, Ha Junseo was thrilled, saying Byeoldol had gained a new friend.
"Seo Jji, from today I’ll feed you, wash you, and put you to bed!"
"Mr. Do Seohan, how do you feel right now?"
"…I hate it."
Regardless.
Ha Junseo immediately went out to the veranda and tossed Seo Jji into the washing machine.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
The machine spun noisily.
"From now on, Seo Jji’s breakfast will always be a bagel with six shots of Americano."
"Poor Seo Jji…"
Seo Haim murmured faintly, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the washing machine.
Well, it wasn’t my life, so it was just an unfortunate event.
"Hyung, you have to take good care of Seo Jji."
"Of course!"
Anyway, now only the very last gift remained.
Kang Siwoo turned his head and asked Ha Junseo.
"That’s Seohan’s gift, right?"
"Yeah, I prepared it."
"But does it also include my idea this time?"
Jin Sehyun chimed in with a grin, and at the same time, comments came pouring in.
-Did Jin Sehyun come up with it? That’s worrying.
-The way he said it makes it way more suspiciousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Ha Junseo: prepares something beyond imagination.
-Jin Sehyun: prepares everything possible within imagination. But if those two put their heads together?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seohan, stay strongㅠㅠ
"……."
Hearing what the Dusty members said, I also began to feel uneasy.
I turned my wavering gaze toward Jin Sehyun and asked.
"It’s not something weird, right?"
"You said the size passes."
Ha Junseo sat down, hugging the largest gift wrap in his arms.
The size definitely passed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was like a noisy empty cart.
Ha Junseo handed me the gift with a warm smile.
"Seohan, today isn’t any special day, but I celebrate your handsomeness."
"Thank you, hyung."
And then.
The moment I received the wrapping paper without much thought.
"Wait a second."
I froze on the spot.
A reluctant voice escaped me before I knew it.
"It’s light?"
Unsettlingly light.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Light?
-How light must it be for him to freeze like thatㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-What the hell is insideㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Seeing my expression, Seo Haim burst into laughter and collapsed forward.
"Ahahah! Ahahah!"
"Hey, Haim. Do you know what’s inside?"
"I overheard Sehyun yesterday. Ahahah!"
These hyungs… they were all in on it!
I looked into the camera and hurriedly spoke.
"No, everyone, let me tell you how bad this is. This isn’t normally light."
I’m serious!
The wrapping paper was this big, but my wrist didn’t feel the slightest strain holding it.
I was dumbfounded.
"Is this real? It feels like there’s nothing inside."
"Puhahah!"
Cha Seongbin came over, lifted my wrapping paper with one hand, and burst out laughing.
"Wow, it really is light."
"It’s not sunflower seeds or something, right?"
"If it were sunflower seeds, it’d be heavier than this."
I grew even more anxious.
-Mamjji’s trembling pupilsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Oh my god I think I know what it is, I can’t stop laughingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seriously
-??? What is it?
-It feels like it’s in the same family as sunflower seeds… the size is exactly that
"What is it? Tell me too."
I asked toward the comment that disappeared quickly.
Kang Siwoo tapped my shoulder and said.
"Just open it."
"It feels like holding Pandora’s box."
At least give me a hint first.
I looked at Jin Sehyun and signaled with my eyes.
Jin Sehyun smiled meaningfully and added.
"It’s really fluffy."
"That’s fluffy?"
"By your standards, Seohan."
What on earth is he talking about.
After a moment of thought, Ha Junseo stroked his chin and said.
"You can sleep on it."
"A blanket… there’s no way, right?"
I was certain these hyungs wouldn’t give me a normal blanket as a gift.
You could call it a kind of deep-rooted distrust.
"So what is it?"
What is this, a twenty-questions game?
When I looked at Jin Sehyun with a reluctant face, Ha Junseo burst out laughing.
"You can eat it too."
"Eat it… isn’t that a bit much?"
Jin Sehyun grinned and added.
"It’s something you like."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Let’s just open it.
I carefully unwrapped the gift in front of the camera.
And then.
The Dusty members who saw the gift’s identity first laughed in the chat.
The comment section scrolled up at dizzying speed.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah
-Seohan, hurry up and checkㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Seriously the most useless gift everㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Oh no what do we doㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-If I were Seohan, I’d throw it awayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Huh?
Anxiously, I slowly lowered my head.
What could it be for them to react like this…
"Hay…?"
Should I throw it?
[An idol who received hay as a gift from his hyungs]
The subject: Stardust’s Do Seohan.
(.jpg photo)
His eyes went wide after seeing what it was.
Even if it’s a useless gift-giving ceremony…
They gave the kid hay as a giftㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Do Seohan was too shocked to speak…
Seohan: They’re kind of… kind of insane…
Junseo: Seohan! That’s organic hay!
Seohan: I don’t need it!
Once again today, MamHamjji got Ham-slightedㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Fans of Universe Dust are always sincere about teasing the maknae.
-But that was so unexpected, I couldn’t have guessedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└I expected sunflower seeds at best, but hayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└No wonder it was only bulkyㅠㅠ
└Whose idea was hay?
└It was a collaboration between Sehyun and Junseo.
└If those two are teaming up… it’s dizzying.
└Ahㅠㅠ Jin Sehyun shouldn’t be using his brain for things like this.
└Just imagining him proudly picking that out makes me want to smack my headㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└And it’s even eco-friendly organic hay, unbelievable.
-I’m not even a hardcore fan, but sometimes when the algorithm pushes their self-content, I watch it. And they’re always teasing the maknaeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└No one is more sincere about teasing the maknae than this group.
└But the maknae also likes teasing his hyungs.
-Do hamsters eat grass?
└He’ll probably just roll around in it.
└Ugh so cuteㅠㅠ Just imagined Do Seohan rolling around in hay.
└Excuse me, he’s a person.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s a personㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Everyone is way too serious about Ham-slighting….
While the Dusty members were joining in teasing Do Seohan,
that same day, an article went up in the entertainment news section.
["Dance in the Night" scheduled as a Chuseok pilot, Stardust’s Do Seohan to appear]
["Sung Jihoo, Choi Hana, Do Seohan, and Jeong Woonjae to appear on ‘Dance in the Night’… a dazzling lineup"]
It was the news of Do Seohan’s appearance on "Dance in the Night.