["Please Take Care of Me" Premieres!]
"Please Take Care of Me" began with a beautiful view of the Han River.
> [Wow, Seo Hoyun is insane ㄷㄷ Seriously so good, does everything neatly and with sense… Is this real?]
In the beginning, Seo Hoyun diligently carried out his manager duties. The small, amusing back-and-forth between him and Min Jiheon stood out.
However, since it wasn't much different from existing variety show formats, it felt a little underwhelming.
> [Hmm, this doesn't feel like PD Choi Jiseong.]
> [ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I thought he'd show us something more chaotic... Maybe he toned it down 'cause Jiheon's on ㅋㅋ]
About 30 minutes in, the mood of the show suddenly flipped with the appearance of a caption.
[What is the most important thing in the relationship between a manager and a celebrity?]
[It's knowing each other well!]
> [Ooh, is it a quiz?]
> [Didn't Seo Hoyun do well on that quiz with Joo Wooseong?? ㅋㅋㅋ Bet he'll ace this too.
└ㅋㅋㅋ I mean, he didn't prove they were besties, but he did know Wooseong's personal info really wellㅋㅋ]
But the variety show took an entirely different turn from what people expected.
[A secret mission has been given to the cast.]
> [????]
> [Wait what? Right now??]
Despite his gentle face, PD Choi was notorious for crafting thrilling, twisted formats.
Even if it was reality TV, he wasn't the type to just show natural everyday moments and call it done.
[※Actually, we just wanted to surprise them.]
> [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ bruh these producers]
> [Just say that from the start ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
> [Hey now, I believed in you, PD Choi~~~ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
PD Choi Jiseong was known for his specialty: B-grade, absurdist humor-packed variety shows.
From the start, his plan was to film the chaos that would ensue during the mission.
"Ooh… heart rate, huh."
Min Jiheon, freshly given a mission, reacted with total disinterest.
But seasoned producers like them weren't the type to come in unprepared.
They had long since gathered that Jiheon would sell his soul for food, and now, they played their trump card.
"Min Jiheon-ssi."
"Yes~?"
"If you succeed in surprising Seo Hoyun… we'll give you ten sets of S++ grade Korean beef."
"...!!"
The limp slug-like Jiheon instantly sat up straight.
> [Where did droopy Jiheon go just now lol]
> [Bro ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why are you so simple-minded ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
With laser-sharp eyes, Jiheon scrutinized the terms.
"How much heart rate difference?"
"If Seo Hoyun's heart rate goes 40 bpm higher than yours. You also have to keep the mission a secret the entire time. Think you can do it?"
At those words, Jiheon imagined Seo Hoyun as he appeared during "Overcommitment Captain."
[This one... he's strong...!]
Even when Joo Wooseong did a kabedon (wall slam) on an older man while playing a character from a webnovel, Hoyun hadn't flinched.
[Will it even work…?]
The captions flashed dramatically as Jiheon's determined face filled the screen.
"Oh boy."
He pushed back his soft bangs and curled one corner of his lips into a smirk.
A charming yet scheming smile.
"I am an actor, after all."
Next to him sparkled the golden image of premium Hanwoo beef.
[We complimented him anyway ♡]
> [That's not cool at all, Min Jiheon.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
> [Why is Min Jiheon such a silly fool lol]
Although he had little interest in anything besides acting, Jiheon couldn't afford to slack off with food on the line.
He began carefully studying Hoyun, calculating the right moment to act.
Attempt 1: Annoyance.
"Jiheonie is singakhae, singakhae~" (Note: "singakhae" = petty/lame)
"…Where'd you even dig that up?"
"..."
Didn't land at all.
The attempt lasted less than 10 seconds.
He started thinking a bit harder.
Attempt 2: Jump scare.
"There's probably a spray bottle in the bathroom?"
"Really?"
[But what awaits Seo Hoyun in the bathroom... is a ghost doll prepared by the producers!]
"KyAAAH!"
"…Oh~."
[Producers: ?
Min Jiheon: ?
Seo Hoyun: ?]
"..."
"..."
[Oooooh...?]
"…So scary."
Though Jiheon screamed dramatically, pouring his acting into it, Hoyun merely pretended to be startled a beat late, then calmly grabbed the spray bottle and closed the bathroom door.
Jiheon's interview followed.
"Still, I appreciated that he at least pretended to be surprised."
> [? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
> [Bro your gratitude bar is way too low ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
And thus, attempt two also ended flatly.
Then, Jiheon had a realization—Hoyun usually grabbed his neck in frustration just from being around him.
Attempt 3: Just acting normal.
"Where are you going? We've got an interview soon."
"There's this famous dumpling place near here! I'll grab some for you too!"
"No."
No matter what Jiheon tried, Hoyun calmly but firmly rejected everything. He even confiscated every snack Jiheon tried to sneak in, saying greasy and salty foods were a no-go before schedules.
Back when he worked with his usual manager, Jiheon could easily sneak off and enjoy his foodie lifestyle. But Hoyun's hawk-like eyes caught everything.
Jiheon was baffled. Hoyun used to get irritated just by breathing the same air as him, but now here he was, cheerfully humming while driving.
'What's going on?'
Even in his confusion, Jiheon kept trying—kimbap, bananas, instant noodles—only to have them all taken away.
Eventually, an extremely frustrated Jiheon collapsed to the ground.
"Don't starve me—just run me over instead!"
"...."
"If you don't let me eat this, I swear I'm not moving a single step! You're not going anywhere either! If you want to leave, you'll have to step over me!"
"Wow, that's an unusual hobby."
"—W-Wait, wait! Don't actually step on me!"
No method worked on Seo Hoyun.
Naturally, the third attempt was also a failure.
[No matter what Min Jiheon does, Seo Hoyun's heart rate doesn't budge…]
[An unbreakable shield vs. a constantly snapping spear]
By the time those captions appeared, everyone knew—
Min Jiheon was never going to succeed in this mission.
> [That "spear" is basically a Q-tip at this point
└ LMAO he's way too weak for this]
> [I seriously think Seo Hoyun could just step over him without blinking lololol]
Jiheon clung on persistently, but Hoyun remained unfazed.
Then—
[◁◁◁]
[Why was Seo Hoyun so calm? Let's rewind to the beginning of filming.]
Following the caption was an interview clip with Seo Hoyun.
"They want me to raise Min Jiheon's heart rate?"
[In truth, Seo Hoyun had received the exact same mission!]
The reward for him, too, was top-grade Korean beef.
"Oh, hanwoo?"
Hoyun blinked slowly a few times, thinking it over before smiling.
"Our youngest member's appetite lately is like an elephant's. Our Engel's coefficient is no joke. I'll take it."
Then followed a quick montage of Jiheon trying everything he could to raise Hoyun's heart rate.
Intercut were scenes of Hoyun's always-expressionless face—serene, as if "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic were playing in the background.
The entire time, his heart rate stayed below 80.
[Even when you're asleep, your heart rate is usually higher than this.]
> [These two… they're perfect match lol]
> [They must actually be close, I'm crying laughing at this whole thing]
Hoyun had a mission too—but he didn't just defend.
When Jiheon had set up a ghost doll in the bathroom to scare him, Hoyun retaliated.
As Jiheon screamed dramatically, pretending to be terrified, Hoyun grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him close.
He leaned in and whispered right next to his ear—
"Get behind me."
"…!"
Jiheon's heart rate instantly spiked to 110.
Cut to a short interview with Jiheon.
"Honestly… it was kind of hot."
> [LMAOOOOO JIHEON PLS 🤣🤣🤣🤣]
> [Bro, you are so easy wtf lololol]
Later, after a long day of faithfully fulfilling his schedule on an empty stomach, Jiheon returned home, totally spent.
Meanwhile, Hoyun was busy moving around the kitchen.
Once the delicious smell had filled the apartment, Hoyun brought Jiheon to the dining table.
"I'm fine, really…"
"Eat."
"…Okay."
On the table were: a steaming pot of kimchi stew, fluffy rolled omelets, crispy seaweed sheets, perfectly cut kimchi, and freshly cooked white rice with steam rising off of it.
Jiheon picked up the spoon, tasted the stew, and his eyes widened.
"…It's good?"
In an instant, his heart rate jumped to 120.
[Min Jiheon: Notable Trait – No backbone]
> [Bro…
You're just…
Way too easy.]
> [HAHAHAHA JIHEON PLEASE get a grip ]
Jiheon wasn't picky and could eat anything, but he was surprisingly discerning in taste.
Seo Hoyun's kimchi stew, with the perfect blend of sweetness and deep savory flavor, hit all his marks.
"Oh~ you can cook too? Do you make this often?"
> [Wait, Hoyun can cook??]
> [Well, he did say there's nothing he can't do
└ Except dancing…?
└ Nah, the members still tease him about dancing like a log but honestly? He's better than half the backup dancers now lol]
"I don't cook much. Too lazy."
"Huh?"
"But… you eat well."
"…!"
Jiheon's eyes shook violently.
Then Hoyun walked over to the induction stove and brought out a steamer.
Inside were the hot dumplings Jiheon had tried to buy earlier.
"W-What?! When did you—?"
"I went and got them."
"But you said dumplings are greasy and salty…"
"No schedule tomorrow. And you said you wanted them."
"…!!"
Hoyun smiled smoothly.
"You look your best when you're eating."
Jiheon clutched his mouth.
"Hoyun-ah...!!!"
[Min Jiheon thought it was just for the mission…]
[Turns out, he genuinely just wanted to feed him.]
> [I'm actually crying omg ]
> [SEO HOYUN LOL]
In the end, Min Jiheon's heart rate peaked at 140.
A solo shot of him appeared on screen, the Han River in the background.
Stroking his squishy toy, he let out a sigh and gazed calmly at the flowing river.
"He's definitely doing it on purpose."
[Looks like he knows.]
"But… why is it kinda… hot?"
[Looks like he still hasn't come to his senses.]
> [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[PD Choi seriously nailed it. The captions are killing me ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Then Seo Hoyun's interview followed in contrast.
[So were all your actions calculated for the mission?]
"Yes, of course."
He answered confidently—but his gaze wavered for a moment.
"But… I get the feeling that just offering food from the start would've been enough to raise his heart rate."
[Unlike someone else, he's got the situation under control.]
> [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Because one side was way too close to finishing the mission effortlessly, the production team called an emergency meeting.
"Min Jiheon's heart rate spiked 15 times in three days. Fifteen!"
"So basically five times a meal."
"Right? We didn't expect him to be this weak to food…"
Clips of Jiheon admiring the food Hoyun gave him, eyes sparkling with awe, flashed by.
[Min Jiheon Heart-Thump +1♡]
[Min Jiheon Heart-Thump +2♡]
[Min Jiheon Heart-Thump +3♡]
There were also flashes of his past charismatic roles: a ruthless killer, a cold and logical chaebol heir, a heart-shut-off, frosty artist…
Then the image faded into a 30% opacity shot of Jiheon sitting obediently in front of food, waiting quietly.
> [Give me back my Jiheonㅜㅜㅜㅜㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ he's too cute frㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
> [This is all on Daepaseong…
They were going for mysterious Min Jiheon…]
"There is one possible method."
The producers, hiding their identities under pulled-down caps, huddled and whispered, and the screen changed again.
[Production Team: Helper Requested!]
After repeated discussions, the team concluded: no matter what, Jiheon would never raise Seo Hoyun's heart rate. So they brought in a new guest.
> [What the ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ah ㅋㅋㅋ PDS is really squeezing the hell out of thisㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[??? Wait, is this gonna be Jeong Dajun?? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[These lunatics are begging to get cursed outㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Most viewers just thought it was a "new face."
But those watching The Dawn closely knew better.
> [Sad... unless you're a hardcore fan or otaku, you won't even notice this kind of cross-promoㅠㅠ]
[This is just going to turn into a mud fight anywayㅋㅋ]
[Jeong Dajun (20)
Lead Dancer, Youngest of The Dawn]
A nervous Dajun was adjusting his outfit when his profile popped up.
[Notable: Hardcore fan of Min Jiheon]
Apparently briefed ahead of time, he entered the house with a keycard. While hurriedly kicking off his shoes, he tripped and tumbled dramatically into the living room.
"A-a new assistant manager, Jeong Dajun, reporting in!!"
[Notable 2: Extremely cheerful]
Looking a bit flustered at first, Dajun raised both hands and shouted brightly.
Seo Hoyun, who'd been slouched on the couch, eyes half-lidded, shot up wide-eyed.
"Hey!!"
Seo Hoyun's heart rate, which hadn't budged no matter what Jiheon did, suddenly spiked to 120.
"Hey, Dajun, are you okay?"
"Yes, sir!!"
"That was a heck of an entrance, Assistant Manager."
A caption popped up under the still-spiking number over 120:
[Successful Infiltration!]
> [Heart rates don't lie... ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
"I'm Jdong Dajun! I'll be supporting Jiheon sunbae for the day while Hoyun-hyung edits his vlog!!"
"Wow, I've never seen someone introduce themselves like that…"
"Please relax and leave everything to me!!"
Each time the bright-eyed Dajun eagerly offered his help, Seo Hoyun's complexion paled further, or his heart rate spiked again.
"I'll cook!"
"Oh~, really? Are you better than Hoyun?"
"Hoyun-hyung cries in the kitchen when he sees me!!"
"Hey."
Roughly ten minutes into his cooking attempt, the microwave erupted with a BANG! and sparks flew everywhere.
"I-it's okay, sunbae! I can handle thi—"
"No, no, no! You'll get hurt—Dajun, please just stay still!!"
Panicked, Jiheon rushed in with rubber gloves and yanked the plug out.
[Min Jiheon & Seo Hoyun Heart Rate: 150☆]
"Sunbae! I'll drive instead of Hoyun-hyung today!"
"Oh~, are you a good driver?"
"Yes! Perfect score!! Hoyun-hyung can just rest and edit comfortably!!"
[Jung Dajun, allegedly a perfect driver☆]
"Well… he did say he got full marks."
Still clearly uneasy, Hoyun nodded, telling him "Drive safe" like five or six times before reluctantly stepping away.
Dajun buckled up, checked the rearview mirror to make sure Jiheon was in, and started driving slowly.
"How'd you get a perfect score on your road test, Dajun? I heard it's tough."
"Yes!!"
Dajun grinned.
"I took it like seven times!"
"…Excuse me?"
"At first, I couldn't even tell the brake and accelerator apart~, heheh!"
With wild cornering, dramatic lane changes, and even a parking job spiced with a drift—
Jiheon clutched the car handle with both hands, holding back a scream.
When they arrived at the filming location, Dajun unbuckled and gave a thumbs-up.
"Not bad, right?!"
"...."
[Min Jiheon Heart Rate: 160☆]
Thus, Seo Hoyun and Min Jiheon continued to be "accidentally ambushed" by the innocent Jung Dajun, racking up new heart rate records each time.
[Now then… what about Jung Dajun's heart rate?]
The graph showed his heart rate surging the moment he made eye contact with Jiheon as he rolled dramatically into the living room.
[He's been at 150 ever since he laid eyes on Min Jiheon^^]
> [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Aww, he's adorable ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[He's seriously a hardcore Jiheon fanㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[You three can just go buy the Korean beef yourselves☆]
"I-I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit…"
Min Jiheon, half-dead and slumped over, returned with Jeong Dajun, whose face was glowing with excitement and flushed bright red.
Watching them, Seo Hoyun thought to himself,
> 'Jeong Dajun actually ended up being helpful.'
He hadn't expected much, but thanks to Dajun, the variety shoot went well, and they'd managed to avoid unnecessary drama.
That day's filming somehow felt a little easier than usual. With a satisfied smile, Seo Hoyun gently ruffled the youngest's hair.
> "Hyung, do you think Min Jiheon sunbae sees me as someone he's comfortable with now?"
> "I think he sees you as a really good junior."
> "Really?!"
Seeing the youngest light up with such pure, transparent excitement, Seo Hoyun replied casually.
Of course, Min Jiheon would continue to suffer and never find peace thanks to Jeong Dajun's chaotic energy…
But—
> "Bangbang-ah. Just keep doing exactly what you're doing."
> "Ack!! Okay!!"
As if Seo Hoyun actually cared.