translation by mourningmoor
“Do you have any coins?”
Every time we come to the M&E Center for the M-Start stage, Hanjoon starts begging for coins.
Today was no different. Hanjoon was going around asking for coins as usual.
“Want to drink cocoa?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go. Together.”
I rummaged through my pockets, grabbed some coins, and took the lead.
It was before rehearsal, and there was still plenty of time before the pre-recording.
There was something I needed to check before that.
I stood in front of the vending machine at the end of the hallway and got two cups of cocoa. Then I sat at the table next to the vending machine with Hanjoon.
“You should have some too.”
When I took out the brownies Siu had given me earlier, Hanjoon frowned.
“Me too?”
For someone who loves food, his reaction was a bit rough. He must’ve heard about it from the kids beforehand.
“Why?”
“Do I have to eat it? I feel like I already know what it’s going to taste like.”
“You have to eat it to judge. Siu’s planning to give these to the Filaments as a reverse fan service.”
“What?”
Hanjoon jumped up in shock at my words.
Come to think of it, Hanjoon and Roa had gone in earlier, so they didn’t know about the situation.
“Yeah, that’s how it is, so let’s eat and judge.”
I took out a brownie the size of two fingers, cut it in half, and handed one piece to Hanjoon.
“All of this?”
“Well, who else is going to eat it if not us, his fellow members?”
Hanjoon frowned and stared at the brownie with a sour expression.
That’s when Kim Jeongsoo came out from the far end of the hallway.
“Hey, hey. Call Jeongsoo-hyung too.”
“Should we?”
He had been blowing up my phone earlier, saying we’d see each other at rehearsal in the morning, so it was good timing.
“Jeongsoo-hyung.”
When I raised my hand, Jeongsoo, in his big dog mode, happily ran over. If it felt like a big tail was wagging, it must’ve been my imagination.
“Ichan-ssi.”
I silently handed him a piece of the brownie as he approached with a big smile.
Jeongsoo blinked his big eyes, looking back and forth between the brownie and my face.
“What’s this?”
“What do you mean? It’s food.”
Then I looked at the two of them with a serious expression.
“We’ll eat it on the count of three.”
Hanjoon swallowed hard and nodded.
“One, two, three.”
Hanjoon, making a face like he was about to take bitter medicine, put the brownie in his mouth. Jeongsoo, still confused, also frowned and took a bite.
I reluctantly swallowed the brownie too.
And then the three of us started coughing simultaneously.
Cough, cough. Hanjoon gulped down his cocoa.
And then the coughing got even worse.
“It’s sweet.”
Jeongsoo, his face red, fanned himself with his hand.
“Too sweet.”
Yeah, it’s sweet. Extremely sweet.
The delicious cocoa from the M&E Center lost its flavor because of how sweet it was.
I swallowed the overly sweet brownie, which was so sweet it even tasted bitter, and took out my phone.
Looking at Hanjoon and Jeongsoo, who were in agony, I called Gyuhyung.
“Hyung. Did you hand out Siu’s reverse fan service cake yet?”
—No, not yet. I was planning to hand it out when they enter for the pre-recording.
He added that there were about 500 people for the pre-recording, but only 100 pieces, so he was waiting to see when would be the best time to hand them out.
“Hmm, then let’s do the reverse fan service properly. It’s our comeback today, after all.”
* * *
The number of people scheduled to attend today’s pre-recording was 512, based on yesterday’s forum comments.
Inyoung, who took pictures of L.I.T arriving at 5:30 AM, met with Kang Ichan’s fan club members around 7 AM to chat.
Then, at 7:30, she received her waiting number and wristband, and around 9, she went inside.
The chatter continued inside.
Mostly about the fancam videos of Kang Ichan’s Hong Kong K-KON performance posted by American fans.
There was a lot of discussion about the outfits, the choreography, but in the end, the conclusion always came back to Kang Ichan’s greatness.
That’s when it happened.
A notification sound went off, indicating a new post on Universe.
“Huh? Did the kids post something?”
Inyoung immediately opened the Universe app.
When she clicked on the Artist tab, there was a new post.
“Oh, it’s Ichan and Hanjoon.”
The Filament who had been chatting with Inyoung earlier let out a gasp.
“How is Ichan so handsome even without makeup?”
It was true.
Still without stage makeup, Chan, wearing comfortable clothes, had posted a photo with Hanjoon and Jeongsoo.
Chan√
Good morning, Filaments.
I heard a lot of you came to see our comeback stage today.
And even in the midst of that, you’re waiting so orderly. I’m touched. (Emoji)
The pre-recording will be split into Part 1 and Part 2, so I hope it doesn’t get too hot. See you on stage soon.
(Photo)
(Photo)
This is the brownie Siu made. Brownies are best enjoyed with iced Americano.
Let’s make good memories, Filaments.
“Siu made brownies? I heard he’s been into baking lately.”
The Filaments focused on the second photo.
It was a dark chocolate brownie with an iced Americano, ice cubes floating in it.
Come to think of it, in the first photo, the three guys were holding a piece of dark brownie in their mouths.
Then another post went up. This time from Hanjoon.
Hanjoon√
Siu’s been really into baking lately, you know?
He kept failing, but last night he finally succeeded without burning it.
Everyone, Siu’s brownies are delicious.
Okay, they’re a little sweet, but I’m sure the Americano will balance it out.
In some cases, you might need an espresso. (Emoji)(Emoji)
Yoon Siu, it’s sweet, but it’s tasty. b
(Photo)
“Are they giving them to us too?”
“Looks like it.”
The photo Hanjoon posted showed Siu hard at work making the brownies.
His back, wearing a pink T-shirt and white shorts, looked incredibly passionate.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“But it seems really sweet, right?”
“That’s the vibe, right? They’re emphasizing having it with Americano.”
“So what if it’s a little sweet? Siu made it. If they give it to us, I’ll eat it all.”
Inyoung and the other Filaments smiled happily just imagining it.
* * *
Part 1 of the pre-recording was for the sub-title track, a Latin-inspired song with EDM elements, perfectly fitting the summer vibe.
We rehearsed with our name tags on and went straight into the pre-recording.
From the standing area to the seats, the Filaments enthusiastically waved their light sticks and sang along. When the stage ended, the M&E Center erupted with cheers that felt like they could lift the roof.
We decided to do another performance to get a full cut, which gave us some preparation time.
The prompt instructed us to buy five more minutes.
“Filaments, weren’t you hot while waiting?”
“We were!”
It was the first week of July, and the heat was starting to hit hard.
Part 1 was in the morning, so it was manageable, but Part 2 in the afternoon was going to be a problem.
That’s why we prepared fans with concept photos as a pre-recording gift.
“Did everyone get their fans?”
“Yes, and we got iced water too.”
From early morning until late afternoon, you could say they were being held hostage for the broadcast, but the Filaments’ expressions were nothing but bright.
That made me feel even more sorry and grateful.
“Part 1 is almost over, right? Then let’s go out and have some coffee. We’re treating you to a coffee truck.”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Hanjoon added, looking at the Filaments:
“Make sure to get iced Americano.”
“Latte’s fine too. Just no syrup.”
Roa also chimed in.
Earlier, we had a quick meeting among ourselves.
We couldn’t just let it slide without saying anything to Siu because the Filaments were involved.
[The Filaments will definitely enjoy it because you made it. So you need to explain more. It’s too sweet.]
At my words, Siu’s face immediately fell.
[Did I think wrong?]
[What’s wrong about it? You did great. Who else here thinks about the Filaments like you do?]
[That’s right, Siu-hyung. It’s much better than last time. I believe you’ll do even better next time.]
[Yeah. And this is also part of the memories, right? When else would we get to eat such sweet brownies?]
We all laughed at Jaewon’s joke. And Siu seemed to accept the reality with resignation.
“I’ve… been into baking lately. So last night, I baked brownies to give to the Filaments.”
Siu scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
“The members said it’s really sweet. So make sure to have it with Americano.”
Then one Filament shouted loudly.
“It’s okay. Your face is sweeter.”
Jaewon laughed loudly and added:
“No way. The brownie will win.”
The pre-recording venue was filled with laughter.
Siu’s face turned red, but he didn’t look too upset.
He had decided not to regret his actions anymore, whether the brownies turned out good or bad.
“Let us know who wins in Part 2.”
Siu, smiling, got a promise from the Filaments and finished the remaining stages with a lighter heart.
* * *
When Part 1 of the pre-recording ended and we went outside, the coffee truck was there as Ichan had said.
In front of the coffee truck was L.I.T’s general manager.
The manager, who had originally planned to give brownies to only 100 people, ended up splitting them into 500 pieces and handed them out to the Filaments as they got their coffee.
“The color looks decent?”
It looked much more appetizing than in the photo.
“It looks more like a gateau au chocolat than a brownie.”
Inyoung and the other members of Kang Ichan’s fan club team, who had their regular meeting today, took the brownies and examined them closely.
At least visually, it’s fine. It probably won’t kill us.
“Should we eat it on the count of three?”
At Inyoung’s words, the other fan club members nodded.
“One, two, three!”
The Filaments around them simultaneously put the brownies in their mouths.
And then, without hesitation, they all immediately drank their Americanos.