Chapter 8: The Ambush of Golden Furballs

Hari quickly composed his expression as the older members in front of him moved, then followed them out. As the group entered the camera’s frame, the main MC, Yoo Janghoon, welcomed them, guiding them to the very center of the set.

“One, two, hello, we are Daon!”

Hari bowed with his fellow members. Rising, he scanned the filming location, his eyes darting around. Even at a glance, there was more than just one or two cameras.

Moreover, with dozens of staff members surrounding them, Hari’s hands grew damp with nervous sweat.

‘Hari, if you get too nervous, just imagine everyone is a potato! Talking potatoes!’

Se-an’s encouraging words came to mind.

‘Potato… potato.’

Hari mouthed the words silently. Coming from Se-an, who was known for his variety show prowess even among Daon’s members, the advice felt trustworthy.

Indeed, he felt a surge of confidence, however slight, compared to before. Of course, that didn’t mean the multitude of staff and cast members around him actually looked like potatoes. That was a separate issue from appreciating Se-an’s advice.

“Oh, Daon. You’re incredibly popular these days, aren’t you?”

The MCs, with Yoo Janghoon at the center, began discussing Daon. Se-an and Sanghyeok answered questions about their comeback after a year and their various minor appearances on other shows.

Hari listened intently to the continuous updates. When Yoo Janghoon’s gaze finally landed on him, Hari met his eyes with a look that suggested he knew this moment was coming, fixing his stare just above the MC’s upper lip.

It was no use. The mind control that hadn’t worked earlier had no chance of succeeding now. That wasn’t a potato standing there; it was Yoo Janghoon.

“Since Daon is here, we can’t possibly not ask about our ‘Yeon’!”

“Ah, yes.”

Hari replied, striving for a calm expression. He could feel all eyes on him, a sensation far more uncomfortable and unsettling than he had anticipated.

“This time, you sang the drama OST, and it became a huge hit! Wow… the song was truly excellent.”

“…Thank you.”

Despite Yoo Janghoon’s lengthy compliment, Hari was completely frozen, offering only a perfunctory response. Yoo Janghoon and the other cast members then added their own praises for Hari’s song.

Some mentioned how the live performance at the awards ceremony surpassed the studio version, while others confessed they had looked up ‘Yeon’ out of curiosity. Hari tried his best to react naturally, but praise, no matter how often he heard it, never felt familiar.

“Speaking of the OST, we can’t leave out this topic, can we? Ihyeon here is a big fan of Hari. Did you know that?”

“…Yes, I did. I didn’t at first, but people around me told me.”

“How about it, Hari? Seeing Ihyeon in person?”

“…G-good.”

A brief silence followed Hari’s answer before everyone burst into laughter, turning to look at Ihyeon. He had made a mistake. His face burning, Hari belatedly added in a small voice,

“Ah… that’s not what I meant.”

“*Tsk*, your expression looks a bit reluctant though~ ‘G-good.’ Okay, I understand.”

Even as a nervous Hari stuck to stiff, brief answers, Yoo Janghoon skillfully kept the conversation flowing. Hari’s expression grew even more flustered.

Just then, a voice laced with discomfort cut through the air. Thanks to it, the attention previously focused on Hari swiftly shifted to Ihyeon.

“Why are you asking him such things, Hyung?”

However, Yoo Janghoon merely shrugged, gazing at Ihyeon with a teasing look.

“If not now, then when?”

Yoo Janghoon truly was a master of smoothly leading the situation. Hari realized that being a ‘National MC’ wasn’t something just anyone could achieve, and he watched Yoo Janghoon with admiration as the conversation flowed effortlessly.

Then, his eyes met Ihyeon’s, who had been watching him intently. As their gazes intertwined, Ihyeon offered a reassuring smile and a slight nod.

Seeing Ihyeon’s smile, Hari knew he must have realized Hari had babbled out of nervousness. Faced with such an understanding expression, Hari returned an awkward smile, meeting his gaze. Ihyeon, in turn, smiled back warmly, his eyes crinkling, despite Hari’s strained grin. Just as Hari was about to marvel at his face, he had to shift his attention to Kwak Dusik.

“Ah, speaking of which, I’m curious, why do you use a stage name? Is there any special meaning to the name ‘Yeon’…”

Kwak Dusik had directed a question at Hari. Unfortunately, his words were cut short.

“…Huh?”

*Tilt*. Hari uttered a bewildered “Huh?”, as if disbelieving his own sudden lean. His anxious eyes flew to his bandmates. A flurry of wild thoughts and uneasy glances passed between them.

Uh-oh?

*Thump*. Hari vanished from the camera’s angle, which had been set for his close-up.

Even Yoo Janghoon, known as the National MC, was too stunned by the sudden turn of events to regain control, simply staring blankly at the scene.

“Woof!”

The silence left by the stunned crowd was abruptly filled by the sound of an intruder. It was vigorous and booming.

The cameraman, who had been neglecting his duty by filming empty space after Hari’s sudden collapse, was startled by the bark. He finally snapped back to reality and adjusted his camera. It was professional instinct. ‘I have to film this!’

He hastily captured Hari, who lay sprawled on the floor, but the screen shook, mirroring his own panic. The camera zoomed in on Hari.

It was an unexpected ambush. A large, golden-furred dog had appeared from nowhere and was now perched on Hari’s back. Hari stared at the golden furball that had pounced on him, his face a mask of bewilderment.

The golden troublemaker, seemingly delighted by Hari’s attention, panted as it licked his cheek. The rough panting so close to him left Hari at a loss, and he gazed around, his eyes pleading for help.

That’s when it happened.

“Woof!”

“Woof!”

“Woof!”

More intruders joined the scene around the fallen Hari. Three small, yellowish, plump puppies, utterly like *injeolmi* rice cakes, appeared from somewhere and frantically jumped all over Hari’s body. Hari was relentlessly trampled by the *injeolmi* pups.

“Pant, pant, pant, pant.”

“Ugh!”

Hari, flustered, accepted the golden furballs with his entire body. It wasn’t by choice, of course. Soon, his vision was entirely filled with golden fur.

Hari, sprawled on the ground, overwhelmed by the dogs, thought he should get up. However, that thought remained just a thought. This was because another sound reached him from behind as he tried to rise.

“You rascals! You can’t come in here!”

*Whoosh!*

A cold winter wind blew in cue. The filming set was once again enveloped in silence.

Hari stared at the four pairs of black eyes fixed on him before finally collecting himself. He then looked around with trembling eyes. Countless eyes on the set were watching him.

‘Is this a broadcast accident? Did I cause another incident after the stage?’ Hari’s vision blurred, and cold sweat trickled down his back, yet instinctively, he stroked the furballs.

As Hari remained helpless, an arm suddenly emerged from among the furballs. Hari, dumbfounded, stared at the hand extended towards him and the person who offered it. It was Ihyeon.

But Hari didn’t grasp the hand. His own hands were covered in dirt from bracing his fall. He couldn’t possibly take Ihyeon’s hand with such dirty hands. Hari believed he was being considerate, but the person who had offered the hand frowned, seemingly displeased.

“…I-it’s fine. I can get up by myself.”

A flustered Hari offered his refusal. However, the other person moved without a word. The man’s subtle perfume scent wafted over him.

Hari didn’t know the scent, but he thought it suited the man. Without any mental preparation, Hari was pulled to his feet, swaying slightly as he stood. Ihyeon released his hand once Hari was steadily upright.

As he moved away, the perfume scent Hari had perceived vanished as if it had been an illusion.

“Hari, are you okay?”

“Hari!”

Hari weakly nodded to his members. Se-an and Sanghyeok, who had approached from behind Ihyeon, brushed the dirt from Hari’s clothes. He felt an abrupt wave of exhaustion. His eyes were heavy, and his mouth felt parched.

Ihyeon took a step back and watched them as the members gathered around Hari to tend to him. While Hari stood blankly, receiving the members’ care, Yoo Janghoon began to take control of the situation. He dramatically spread his arms wide, then clasped his hands together, moving busily.

“Hari seems very popular with animals!”

Yoo Janghoon’s skill in managing the situation was truly befitting a National MC. Hari’s scattered thoughts, which had fled, slowly returned at the sound of Yoo Janghoon’s voice humorously diffusing the tension.

“Right? What in the world happened?”

“I’ve never seen them act like this before.”

“They usually just get angry…”

“Isn’t that just because they dislike you, Dusik?”

The cast members chimed in, echoing Yoo Janghoon’s words. It was probably a broadcast accident. Despite the tension that had just eased, his heart began to pound again. Hari quietly looked around, as if he could hear his eyeballs rolling. His eyes darted busily beneath his downturned brows.

The presence of the retrievers still lingering around Hari’s feet was impossible to ignore.