Chapter 197: Hashtag Talk Show
"Today’s special guests! The members of Stardust have entered the Hashtag World. Welcome!"
<Hashtag Talk Show> was a trending YouTube content series these days.
Today, Stardust appeared as the guest.
I hadn’t looked it up before the schedule was confirmed, but I knew it was a channel gaining decent popularity lately.
The program had a concept where guests were interrogated by Earthlings in a set decorated like a spaceship.
Coincidentally, the MC was Min from The Way.
Kang Siwoo looked into the camera and spoke.
"Yes, let us introduce ourselves properly."
“Shine bright! Hello, we’re Stardust!”
That senior seemed to be getting some serious variety show backing from the company lately.
Of all people, why The Way… Well, I suppose it’s better than clashing with Kim Woochan directly.
MC Min glanced around at the members as he opened the show.
"Actually, we’ve met before, haven’t we?"
"Yes. We overlapped during music broadcast promotions…."
“Oh, it’s great to see you again today.”
Min surprisingly led the show quite smoothly in front of the camera.
I could see now why he was considered a variety show member—his ease was impressive.
Cha Seongbin, Jin Sehyun, Kang Siwoo, and Do Seohan.
Today’s lineup was these four instead of the full group.
MC Min’s eyes sparkled as he kicked off the intro.
"I heard a rumor, you see. That Stardust is a super fun group."
“Us?”
“Yes, your self-content is really popular.”
“Gasp, you watched it?”
“I did. Recently, there was that… moment where you all betrayed each other….”
"Ah. Our image…."
Our most recently uploaded self-content.
Part 2 of Dusty’s Treasure Hunt had received great responses from the fans.
On top of that, our Dusty series had all been successful, so even viewers outside of our fanbase seemed to be watching.
Maybe it was for research purposes, but I didn’t expect even a senior from The Way to have watched our self-content.
“Today as well, feel free to unleash all of Universe Dust’s fun energy here on Hashtag Talk Show!”
“We can do that~.”
“Seongbin-hyung is seriously hilarious.”
“He bought Sehyun ice cream this morning. That’s why he’s being so nice~.”
“Ahahaha!”
Min from The Way laughed heartily and smacked his own thigh.
“Well then, let’s dive into the Hashtag Talk Show! Let’s move on to the member-specific hashtag segment. First up….”
Smiling warmly, Min continued the show.
"Stardust’s leader, Kang Siwoo. These hashtags were submitted directly by the fans. I’ll read them out one by one."
“Wow, the fans submitted them themselves?”
"Yep!"
Min nodded and pulled out the script card.
Kang Siwoo’s hashtags submitted by the Dusts.
#UniverseDustLeader #Healthsky #GaveBirthToDoSeohan
Min’s eyes widened as he read the hashtags on the card.
“I get the first one, but… the second and third are rather… suspicious.”
“What’s Healthsky?”
I hadn’t heard that one either, so I turned my head.
Kang Siwoo, the person in question, seemed to understand and gave an awkward smile.
"I get told often that I resemble a husky…."
“Ah. I can see that. Total big dog vibe.”
“Yeah. So it’s a combination of ‘health’ and ‘husky’….”
So that’s how it became Healthsky.
Health-genius Kang Siwoo.
As soon as he finished, Jin Sehyun exposed him.
“Honestly, this hyung is too passionate about fitness.”
“He’s amazing~.”
“He was already in good shape. But now that he’s gotten compliments, I think he feels pressured, so he’s working out until dawn every day.”
“Must be getting ready for the concert~.”
Better than being overly into caffeine like someone I know, but yeah, he’s really fixated lately.
That hyung was already the finished product….
I nodded and added a comment.
“It gives me a sense of inferiority.”
“The ones who already have it always push harder~.”
When Cha Seongbin chimed in slyly, MC Min burst into laughter.
“Wahahaha! Right, it’s always the ones who already have it!”
I was just quietly agreeing beside them, but the spotlight suddenly turned on me.
“How about you, Seohan?”
Me?
“Seohan is amazing.”
“Huh?”
Before I could even react, Kang Siwoo beat me to it. Jin Sehyun grinned and added on.
“Seohan’s a Healthster too. Healthster.”
“He’s a Healthster. Wahahah!”
…Healthster?
What even is that?
Kang Siwoo held back his laughter and shamelessly added more.
“He’s impressive, but still young, so we have to protect him.”
“You heard that, Seohan? You’ve got one year.”
“Huh?”
Jin Sehyun gave a thumbs up with a delighted face.
“If you pull it off in a year, no one will ever know.”
“That’s basically creating something out of nothing….”
Hold on a sec.
What Cha Seongbin said really rubbed me the wrong way.
I frowned and spoke up.
“It’s not nothing.”
“Okay, okay. Healthster~.”
Irritating.
I’m just being cautious because I’m still growing….
Hey! In six years, I’ll—!
No, never mind….
As I got hit with a wave of reality while imagining a future that might never come, I bumped the back of my head against the set wall.
“Seohan!”
“The youngest is hurt.”
“Ah. Seongbin, don’t tease the youngest.”
At Kang Siwoo’s perfectly timed interjection, Min nodded like he understood.
“Ah, that’s why the third hashtag is ‘GaveBirthToDoSeohan.’”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A kind hyung who always trusted me too much and fell for my tricks during self-content.
Then came a subtly interrogative question directed at me.
“Seohan, is your leader good to you?”
I could answer that without a moment’s hesitation.
“He’s better than my real brother.”
Oh, come on.
Do Seojun won’t see this… right?
＊＊＊
Tap tap.
MC Min straightened the script cards in his hand and opened his mouth.
“Last hashtag profile… let’s move on to Do Seohan.”
“Woooo!”
“Finally, the youngest!”
After finishing Cha Seongbin and Jin Sehyun’s hashtag profiles, it was finally my turn.
Jin Sehyun’s hashtags had been #FactBomber #Brain #UncleSeochi,
And Cha Seongbin’s were #GeniusComposer #FoxSeongbin #EldestOfUniverseDust, all of which were fairly accurate.
These were hashtags handpicked by the fans.
I was curious to see what kind of hashtags had been attached.
“I’m curious.”
“Yes! I’ll reveal them right now.”
Tada.
Along with Min’s awkward BGM voice, the hashtags revealed were...
“Cicada!”
“Oh….”
“Hamster!”
Wait a second.
“Even Bunting?”
#Cicada #Hamster #Bunting…
Min let out a bewildered laugh and added,
“What is this, Animal Farm?”
“Ahahahaha!”
Hold on.
I was just as flustered.
“Why are all three like this?”
Couldn’t they have given me just one cool one like #StageGenius or something?
“That’s what I want to ask. Seo Han, are you a Ditto or something?”
“Puhaha!”
Cha Seongbin was nearly choking with laughter beside me.
Jin Sehyun was the only one who managed to keep a straight face and wrap it up.
“Seo Han’s really good at impressions.”
“So you did all of these yourself?”
“Yes. He probably even did the Junk Truck before, though that one’s missing.”
No, my image...
Is this really okay?
I’m practically a public KBC comedian at this point.
“Out of the three, he does the cicada the best.”
“If you hear it in summer, it’ll really startle you.”
“We even shot a commercial with it.”
Kang Siwoo chuckled with a shrug, then quickly composed himself and added,
“Our solo concert is coming up. Seo Han said he’s preparing a new impression for the occasion….”
I never said that!
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it at all, but with everything going on with Kim Woochan, I hadn’t had the time to prepare something like an impression.
When I frantically waved my hands, the mic ended up in front of me.
“Seo Han says that’s not true, can you explain?”
“I don’t have anything yet…”
“Then you can make one now~.”
“Seo Han’s taking suggestions!”
A small ball launched by a hashtag.
In the end, four grown men found themselves caught in a pointless debate.
“How about an ostrich?”
“Do a giant hornet, please.”
“Let’s go with an anteater.”
“Wow, that’s so creative!”
Ostrich… giant hornet… even anteater.
What a dream lineup.
“Seo Han, can you do it?”
“Yes, I’ll try my best.”
I was a rookie, so I couldn’t exactly glare at them.
Smiling brightly, I nodded at Min’s words.
But then.
That senior took it one step further.
“We’re meeting at the festival this week.”
“Yes!”
“Polish it up by then and show us a little.”
Ah, the K-Walk Music Festival.
“Seo Han, I’m looking forward to the ostrich.”
“Be my giant hornet~! Bzzz!”
“Why are you already being an anteater, hyung…”
“I don’t know. Things feel a little dizzy in here.”
Ah.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to go anymore….
The 3rd K-Walk Music Festival held in Damyang.
It wasn’t a venue typically used for concerts, so the waiting rooms were more rundown than expected.
Aside from top-tier idols like The Way, most teams had to share rooms with two or three other groups.
Amid the awkward greetings being exchanged, I was in the middle of getting my makeup done.
That’s when Jin Sehyun suddenly leaned in and asked,
“Seo Han, so what did you prepare?”
Ah. I’d forgotten.
Even without a subject, it was easy to guess what the question was about.
I frowned as I replied to Jin Sehyun’s question.
“The ostrich.”
“Pffft…”
“Don’t laugh. I’m being serious, hyung.”
“That’s exactly what’s funny.”
This time, I really hoped we wouldn’t see a hashtag like Ostrich-Seohan or something.
“Mmm… Wooooong….”
Keeping my eyes fixed on the YouTube screen, I was refreshing my memory of an ostrich’s cry.
“Woongwoong…”
“Insane. He’s dead serious.”
“Woo… Wooong…”
I let out a small cry toward the appalled Jin Sehyun, just to show off.
Since there were other groups nearby, that was as far as I dared provoke him.
Anyway, the K-Walk Music Festival.
I still hadn’t figured out the cause of the déjà vu I’d felt when we first got the schedule.
“Hyung.”
I set down the YouTube screen for now and turned to Kang Siwoo beside me.
He’d been enjoying my ostrich noises with amusement all this time and now looked up.
“Have you ever heard of the K-Walk Music Festival?”
“Hmm… No?”
If it were a famous award show, maybe.
But before debut, I hadn’t paid much attention to festivals like this. And it was only in its third year.
Kang Siwoo glanced around and lowered his voice.
“Still, judging by how many people are here, it must have serious funding…”
Or serious blackmail.
The organizer was a notorious gossip outlet that breaks major dating rumors every year.
There had to be more than one agency with dirt in their hands.
In any case…
That probably wasn’t the reason behind this sense of déjà vu.
I pressed my temples with my fingers and muttered to myself.
“What was it?”
I felt like I had to remember, no matter what.
Just as I was chewing over the cause of that subtle unease—
Bang—
The waiting room door flew open.
The rookies in the room, including Kang Siwoo, all shot to their feet.
I stood up instinctively, wondering what was going on.
“Oh, hello!”
“Senior!”
Of course, it was because the visitor was a 10-year female idol from the same company as The Way.
A senior so far ahead of us, who had just returned as a soloist—Bass’s Rina.
With her long hair swaying, she offered a light greeting to her juniors.
“Gasp, sunbaenim. I’m a fan!”
“Congratulations on your solo debut.”
“I really enjoyed your new song….”
Even during her Bass days, she’d been extremely popular. So those compliments were probably half flattery, half sincere.
The waiting room grew noisy with just one person’s entrance.
As I watched the scene quietly…
“Ah….”
I finally realized the source of that déjà vu.
And at the same time, the polite smile on my lips went cold.
“How could I have forgotten this.”
That awful piece of news that had dominated the entertainment headlines for days back then.
The incident that had irreversibly taken that senior’s life…
It was the lighting rig accident.