Chapter 194

The moment the "hidden-camera prank" topic came up, every Desti had the same doubt.

- but will the guys actually fall for it???? especially siwoo and the strongest line, they seem crazy quick to catch on - you think kang hajin's SBS meme (Suspiciously Broadcast-Savvy — like, weirdly well-informed on how broadcast folks operate) came out of nowhere ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ he'll clock it the second he sees the cameras - anyway it's all scripts and staged setups fr fr...quit over-immersing

Would the members really get fooled by this hidden-camera prank?

Hajin — who'd already shown his broadcast-savvy chops many times over Miro Maze — along with broadcast-seasoned Taehyun and naturally sharp-eyed Siwoo were flagged as the three to watch.

The production crew, well aware of those traits, were shown taking extra precautions in advance.

We'll talk to the Bureau Chief and ask him to lay some groundwork ahead of time.... From what I saw during Miro Maze, if you feed the guys good food, they don't pay much attention to anything else. What if we set up the lunch menu and snack catering with something decent? Let's have our staff follow the schedule for a few days pretending to be a making-of team.

But even with all those precautions, the conclusion remained: fooling the members wasn't going to be easy. So the production team went for drastic measures.

Not gonna work. Let's recruit one of the members!

They'd decided to plant a spy from within...!

After a very long discussion, a scene played of the member picked for the weighty spy mission carefully stepping into the meeting room.

> The door opens... and in walks our light, our hope☆ Hello! Long time no see.

It was Kairos's maknae, Dan Haru.

- haru? - haru???????? - ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ wait not hajin or taehyun???? - why haru???

The Destis, learning of the spy's identity, went into disarray.

And so did the Kairos members, gathered together in the practice room watching the video on a tablet.

"...Dan Haru?"

"H-, Haru, why…."

"Haru, you were the spy!?"

Voices near shock rang out across the practice room. Dan Haru, now the target of every hyung's stare, nodded with an amused grin.

"Yep."

"……!?"

At the shameless answer, Taehyun clapped a hand over his mouth, unable to take the shock.

Soon, the footage cut to Dan Haru — called in by the production — getting a rundown of the plan.

Um, but…. this kind of thing, the hyungs would be way better at than me….

When Dan Haru, hearing them out, wondered why he'd been picked, the production crew answered brightly and clearly:

Because it's funnier when hyungs like that get fooled!

People obsessed with getting a variety angle out of anything….

Hajin clicked his tongue, thoroughly ignoring the past where he himself had once worked with people like that.

Meanwhile, on screen, spy Dan Haru's exploits unfolded.

The mission we're giving Haru is just one. Just keep the hyungs distracted! > Special Order: Scatter the hyungs' focus!

Given his mission, Dan Haru committed to his role faithfully.

Hello? Why the sudden call…. S-, Siwoo-hyung! I-, I went to the bathroom and I think I got lost! …what do you see in front of you right now? A wall! Just stay put. I'll go tell Gwonuk-hyung. > Haru's Feats 1. Getting lost in the studio, calling a hyung Whoa. Snacks. Dan Haru, peel that before you eat…. Huh? …just come sit over here. I'll bring it to you. Yep. > Haru's Feats 2. Getting busted by Hajin-hyung mid-snack Hyung, but why're you putting this pin in? Hm? Ah. This is to give the front hair some volume…. Ohh. Whoa. What's this? That's what you put on your face when you're changing outfits so the makeup doesn't smudge…. Ah! Hyung! It won't come off! I think it's tangled! Come on, hold…. > Haru's Feats 3. Completely derailing Taehyun-hyung during makeup

Beyond that, watching Dan Haru run a word-chain duel with Ju Eunchan, take a jokgu masterclass from Lee Doha, and sit through a lecture on recycling tips from Lee Yugeon, the members all had the same reaction.

"That just seems normal?"

"That's just how he is."

"That's not acting."

"I was doing crosswords with Haru earlier too…."

"Yeah, exactly the same."

The only one with a different answer was Lee Doha.

"Ah, now that you mention it…."

"……?"

"When he suddenly asked to be spun around piggyback-style — that was a bit weird. He'd never done that before."

At that, Dan Haru shrugged and answered:

"Ah! That was because I actually got hyped up while playing…! But it really was fun!"

Right. Sure.

Realizing that their precious maknae was, in fact, a real handful, Kang Hajin turned his gaze back to the monitor with a flat expression.

He was too much like his usual self, I didn't even register it.

Hajin had been shocked once at getting fooled by the production, twice at Dan Haru being the spy, and thrice at not having noticed himself.

On the screen, the members were now getting worn down by Dan Haru's DoT damage and the photographer's burst damage, no longer holding it together.

Hajin picked up his phone and checked the live comments.

- lmao look at the guys short-circuiting ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ - the kids are the ones getting praise-bombed but why am *I* the one suffering, i feel like i'm getting mirror-therapy'd by that photographer rn, is this what i look like when i'm losing it and praise-spamming? - been thinking this since last time but the fact that the production crew doesn't even mic the guys up just to keep the ruse going is straight-up unhinged - but the photos are just coming out too good ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ if I were them i'd just think that's how it goes ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Right. Everyone's having a good time. That's enough.

While Hajin was busy salvaging his pride, phase 1 wrapped and phase 2 kicked off.

The infamous 'animal onesies' had entered the picture.

The moment the members appeared, faces baffled, in animal onesies, comment volume doubled in an instant.

- hey you evil fiendish production bastards (thhnksthxthanksthanks-) - please give the guys clothes that actually fit ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ the tall crew's outfits look like they're about to burst ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ > actually better > right that's why it's good~ > that shoulder angle bursting out is what completes doha's real 'feral aesthetic' - why's siwoo a puppy ㅠㅠ? isn't puppy-moe-fication hajin's thing…ㅠ? > well we can't exactly pour plaster over him and make a statue > please retract that statement. hajin is a wolf. "wolf" is "canon". - forget haru being a spy or whatever he just looks like he's having fun > the maknae line's just having fun tbh...

From there on, it played out the way they already knew.

The members ran through every pose seven guys could conceivably attempt, eventually turning into animal-warrior Kairos, and in the end, on learning the whole thing had been a hidden-camera prank, got swept up in shock and horror — a sad ending… except….

Hajin's gaze went to Haru on the monitor. On screen, Dan Haru — sitting right next to him in real life — was wearing an impressively realistic betrayed expression, for someone who'd spent all day playing spy.

"Dan Haru, why're you making that face though. You said you knew all along."

"Ah, well…."

At Hajin's question, Haru — a little sheepish this time — scratched at his cheek.

"Truth is, I was just playing with the hyungs all day and I completely forgot about the spy thing…."

"……."

"I remembered when the PD said it just then. That I was a spy."

A hollow silence settled over the practice room.

Seo Taehyun, who'd been drowning in a sense of betrayal since Haru was outed as the spy, huffed in a voice loaded with disbelief:

"So in the end there's no baiter and only baited, this filthy world stained with li—!"

"…let's just practice, shall we."

"Let's."

"Shall we?"

At INFP Seo Taehyun's meltdown, Hajin quickly clamped a hand over Taehyun's mouth and shut the situation down. Siwoo and Doha rose to their feet in response.

"Alright, alright. We've got barely a month left. Forget the dark history behind us and focus!"

"Yes!"

"Fighting!"

Practice began again with the maknae line's spirited shouts. Tonight too, the practice-room lights weren't looking like they'd be going out anytime soon.

---

While the Kairos members were absorbed in nothing but practice, the Destis were having their own kind of busy time.

handle: @kang_HD name: Kangha-D today's kairos kang hajin cut thank you, photographer sir… you did it… kang hajin's successful non-fansite shots…☆ [video] handle: @ch_blossom name: Cherry Blossom taehyun's bday k:log is up!! but he got worn out at his own bday party kept trying to sneak off to the corner from partway through haru chasing after him with the camera ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [video] title: [wait did we get another one??] - apparently it's called KiS Day, the guys just uploading short daily-life videos like a diary. haru's just went up, everyone go go

They were too busy frantically catching the waterfall of content drops pouring down on them.

Add to that the occasional photos and news the members posted to the official SNS, and there were now content drops the Destis couldn't get through in time.

And even in the middle of all that, someone was tracking down the easter eggs hidden inside the flood.

handle: @juju_kick name: JuJu Kick look at this told you miro's a certified freak okay episode 0's outro has a cipher in it too the thing passing by in the background if you look closely it's an english word Diamond Jack? maybe?? [photo] engagement: shares 999 · quotes 34 · hearts 1,100 title: [what is our debut concept REALLY] - ok let me compile the easter eggs found so far K:LOG ep 1 (bonding meetup): — solve the piano cipher in the ending, plug it into the iTube link → pendulum clock and Ace of Spades card come up Today's Kairos ep 0 (praise-prison): — the words "Diamond Jack" in the outro background Taehyun's birthday celebration: — pic of Taehyun holding a red rose + the phrase "I'll keep running full-out without rest." this feels similar to a line the Red Queen said in Alice in Wonderland or something Red Queen symbol = Queen of Hearts, red rose Haru's KiS Day: — Haru randomly bragging that he found a four-leaf clover though since it's Haru, this might just be him being genuinely excited... also, a decorative sword hanging behind the workroom wall out of nowhere? kinda makes you think of King of Clubs, no? that's about all that's been found, and the playing-card angle is 100% confirmed I think miro's a company that always locks in group color and worldview real hard, so I was a bit worried since prep was kind of short this time but seeing what's dropped so far it feels like they're doing a lot, so I'm hyped and also thinking isn't this a bit too much? — kinda torn, honestly.... what about you guys? - fun, keep going - are y'all geniuses? I was just going 'wow this is fun' and moving on - the playing card angle seems right... but I can't picture a single concept or worldview that comes to mind from that, so I just keep landing on stuff like card slushies ㅠ

The theories and speculation about Kairos's worldview and concept just kept coming.

But since nothing had officially dropped, right as everyone was reaching vague conclusions—

A teaser finally went up on Kairos's official account.