novelraw Chapter 278: Santa Boy Knows (1)
Chapter 278: Santa Boy Knows (1)
Pyeong Daeyeon saw for the first time how busy idols got at the end of the year. Starting with the Music Festival, year-end stages and variety show schedules poured in.
Thanks to that, Spark had to go back and forth between practice and schedules without a break. In between, there were many additional tasks, such as checking the activity plans for the next year.
For safe driving, Pyeong Daeyeon often ended up driving instead of Im Chanyoung, who was getting less than three hours of sleep a day.
Even though Spark was just as sleep-deprived as Im Chanyoung, they showed no signs of fatigue.
They were also incredibly sociable—despite their hectic schedule, the members began calling Pyeong Daeyeon ‘manager hyung’ and encouraged him to call them casually in return.
‘Amazing.’
Some might disparage it, saying it was only possible because they were still young.
However, considering that most people started their social life in their mid-20s, one couldn’t deny the fact that idols, including Spark, were working hard from a young age.
That was why Pyeong Daeyeon wanted Spark to rest as much as possible when they could. No matter how much there was an active period and an off-season, the year-end schedule was truly murderous.
But Spark was truly passionate.Just how passionate were they?
“You want to borrow a cam?”
“Yes.”
“Because you want to do a surprise event for the members?”
…To the point where the two maknaes came to borrow a cam, saying they wanted to do a Christmas surprise event for their hyungs and release it as self-produced content.
He had wondered why they were following him so secretly. Pyeong Daeyeon inwardly calmed his surprised heart.
“We usually tell the planning team about things like this, but we figured they’d catch on if we both left the office. Can you pass on the message for us, hyung?”
Lee Cheonghyeon said with a resolute expression. His flashy yet still fresh face was filled with a sense of gravity.
“Okay. They probably won’t say no. How should I deliver the cam?”
“Please put it inside our dorm’s shoe rack. We’ve emptied this spot.”
Kang Kiyeon even showed him a photo he had taken of the shoe rack to confirm the exact location.
Pyeong Daeyeon headed straight to the dedicated team. Since Im Chanyeong was the main manager, Pyeong Daeyeon still had a bit of freedom to move. This was also precisely why Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon had asked Pyeong Daeyeon for the favor.
The planning team staff and Min Jukyung, who heard the message from Pyeong Daeyeon, looked surprised.
“Why won’t our kids rest even when we tell them to? They’re going to do a live on Christmas evening, and they’re going to film another video that morning too?”
“They want to do a surprise event, and they figured if they filmed it well, it could become self-produced content.”
“We can certainly lend them the equipment. But I’m worried the kids will get burn out at this rate.”
A planning team staff member clutched their head.
Min Jukyung, who was also smiling awkwardly, suddenly looked at Pyeong Daeyeon and asked.
“By the way, Mr. Daeyeon, did they tell you exactly what kind of event it is?”
“I didn’t hear the details. Just that it’s a surprise event.”
“It can’t be an event that startles people. Because Iwol has a heart condition.”
This was the first time Pyeong Daeyeon had heard this. Noticing this, Min Jukyung awkwardly scratched her head.
“I guess Mr. Chanyeong didn’t tell you since you’re still in your probation period, but Iwol has a bit of a heart issue. It’s not that he’s sick, but it’s something to be careful about. That’s also why he can’t have caffeine.”
If it was a health issue, especially one that could affect their activities, it was understandable not to tell just anyone.
“I doubt the kids forgot about that when planning, but just in case, could you please check one more time, Mr. Daeyeon?”
So Pyeong Daeyeon had to go back down to the basement and pretend to be handing out drinks to hear about the surprise event.
The event was smaller and more modest than Pyeong Daeyeon had thought. Above all, it was a cute event that wouldn’t startle anyone.
Pyeong Daeyeon relayed the contents of the surprise event to the dedicated team as they were. Then, he safely received the cam, checked the batteries, and after placing it in the promised corner of the shoe rack, he carefully covered the cam with a long umbrella and a short umbrella.
Me
[Cheonghyeon, I put six cams and a stand behind the umbrellas.]
[Let me know if you need anything else.]
Spark Cheonghyeon
[I love you, hyung!]
[♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡]
This kid was really sociable.
Carefully locking the dorm door, Pyeong Daeyeon wished for the success of the cute maknaes’ event.
* * *
“Kang Kiyeon, how is it? Do you think it turned out well?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked, holding up a large sock made of red felt.
“Try to decorate the sock a bit. It looks too plain right now.”
“Even though the sock isn’t the main part?”
“But you can’t just give the gift covered in plain felt, can you?”
Lee Cheonghyeon was quickly convinced by Kang Kiyeon’s words. Then, he squeezed a generous amount of wood glue onto the sock.
The mischiveous idea of becoming Santa and giving gifts to their hyungs came from Lee Cheonghyeon. Kang Kiyeon willingly decided to play along.
So, the two secretly bought presents for their roommates. Since they used Pyeong Daeyeon’s house as the delivery address—after much debate about whether this could be considered as an idol’s abuse power, only to get caught by Pyeong Daeyeon and end up receiving help—it made preparing the gifts much easier.
Tearing up cotton wool and sticking it on, Lee Cheonghyeon explained to the camera.
“The reason we can be so relaxed right now is because none of the hyungs are at the dorm.”
“We’re scheduled to be by ourselves until… 4 AM.”
Kang Kiyeon, after checking the clock, added.
“Iwol hyung and Jeho hyung went for a schedule, and Seongbin hyung and Joowoo hyung are… can I say it?”
“Isn’t it better not to?”
“Right? Please edit this part out.”
Lee Cheonghyeon bowed his head to the camera. Kang Kiyeon, who was cutting felt, also bowed his head. They couldn’t spoil the university entrance plans of the hyungs who hadn’t even started yet.
“When are we writing our rolling paper?”
“Can we even call it a rolling paper when only two people are writing it?”
“If it’s not a rolling paper, what is it?”
“…A rolling card?”
Even while having a silly conversation, the two of them didn’t stop their hands. Rather, their hand movements became busier as time went on.
After making a total of four red socks, the gift explanations followed.
“Jeho hyung has poor night vision, so he sometimes bumps into the corner of the bed or furniture. So I prepared a set of small decorative lights that can be attached to the bed!”
“Nice pick. Are you going to attach it to the headboard?”
“Can’t we just attach it anywhere?”
Lee Cheonghyeon put the well-packaged LED lights into the sock.
“I have to write a card too. What good deeds did Jeho hyung do this year?”
“How can you not have thought of that when you bought the gift?”
“Ah! I just remembered.”
“What?”
“He gave me an orange candy.”
“That just came out of his bag.”
Despite Kang Kiyeon’s nagging, Lee Cheonghyeon was undeterred. Kang Kiyeon picked up a camera and filmed Lee Cheonghyeon carefully writing, ‘I will give a gift to the good child Jeho who shares candy with his dongsaeng’.
“Kang Kiyeon, what did you get for Seongbin hyung’s gift?”
“A notebook.”
“Hyung has that notebook where you can avoid murder if you have three ‘patience’ characters.”
“I think he’s almost used it all up.”
“Already?”
Lee Cheonghyeon’s eyes widened.
“What on earth is happening to our hyung?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked, but Kang Kiyeon didn’t answer. He just silently wrote his card.
“Won’t the sock look too empty with just a notebook?”
“So I bought pens and stickers too.”
“Oh, show me.”
At Lee Cheonghyeon’s words, Kang Kiyeon rummaged through a plastic bag and took out the items.
Ten bright red pens and a set of stickers with phrases like ‘Not my problem’ and ‘Yeah, didn’t ask’ came out.
“…Has hyung been having a hard time lately?”
“No. I just thought it would be nice to have stickers that represent his feelings.”
A brief silence fell in the living room. It felt like a quiet moment of mourning.
To break the heavy atmosphere, Lee Cheonghyeon said in a bright voice.
“Let me show you the gift I bought for Iwol hyung.”
From a gray delivery envelope, something wrapped in bubble wrap was pulled out like it was being dragged by the hair.
“Why is it so heavily packaged?”
“Because it’s glass.”
Lee Cheonghyeon carefully took a collection of small glass pieces out of the bubble wrap. A jellyfish-shaped mobile of dazzling colors was revealed.
“Jellyfish have excellent regenerative abilities, so they recover quickly even if they get hurt. Turritopsis dohrnii is even theoretically immortal.”
As Lee Cheonghyeon gently shook the mobile, the refracted colors of the glass spread around.
“I bought it so our hyung will be healthy for a long, long time! Wouldn’t it be pretty if we hang it on the window?”
“It would.”
Lastly, Kang Kiyeon took out his gift for Park Joowoo. It was a cozy-looking white microfiber blanket.
“Hey, you picked a great gift.”
“Right?”
Kang Kiyeon didn’t hide his proud expression.
“But will this fit in the sock?”
“I’m just going to put the sock over the end of the blanket.”
“Right, what’s important is the content.”
In the end, it was decided that one sock would be slipped onto one end of the packaged blanket. The two of them pushed the packaged gifts to a corner of the living room and continued writing their cards.
An hour before the members returned, they didn’t forget to hide the gifts and clean up the living room perfectly.
* * *
Five in the morning.
Lee Cheonghyeon’s phone glowed faintly. A message from Kang Kiyeon had arrived.
MBF
[The hyungs are asleep.]
Me
[Iwol hyung is taking forever to sleep]
[Do you want to sleep first? I’ll set up the camera]
MBF
[Shouldn’t we just knock that hyung out?]
Me
[Wait a bit, I think he’s about to fall asleep]
Lee Cheonghyeon held his breath as if he were dead and waited.
Soon, the sound of even breathing came from under the bed.
If he carelessly looked down now, he might make eye contact with a wide-awake Kim Iwol. So he had to wait patiently.
And after three minutes of waiting, pretending to be asleep and making small breathing sounds.
Me
[These hyungs are asleep too]
The time had come for the cute little Santa Clauses to be dispatched.