#93. Red Flag in a Relationship (8)
I don’t know how the day passed.
It became dawn in an instant as we frantically tackled the schedule that had rushed right up to us. Since it was our first time doing both fan signings and fan meetings, it felt like we had pushed our energy beyond its limits.
‘My ears still feel stuffy.’
I’m still a bit dazed and bewildered, and my whole body feels limp. If I’m like this even though I couldn’t do choreography because of my hurt leg, how must the members feel after showing three or four songs on stage with modified formations?
When I glanced around, I could see Joo Lee Seon sleeping soundly. It seemed like he fell asleep within a second of getting in the van and resting his head. He’s a quiet and mature guy, but at times like this he looked a bit innocent, which made me smile.
Ahn Haesol, who got in after him, was struggling to fight off the drowsiness that was washing over him. But it didn’t seem easy as he yawned while covering his mouth with his palm every five seconds.
Na Jihan looked relatively fine, but if you looked closely, his eyes were a bit bloodshot and his blinking was slower than usual.
Na Hyeonjun sitting in the driver’s seat was quiet, perhaps hoping we could rest since the long day had ended safely. He didn’t speak to us first or turn on the radio.
So it seemed like the van would be quiet until we arrived at the dorm, but…
“Amazing.”
I burst into a small laugh at the quietly muttered voice.
“Wow. It was really so good.”
“Everyone’s tired but only you look fresh-faced, Hapil.”
“…Aren’t you tired?”
“Not at all? Not one bit? I’m completely energetic right now. I think I could even run to the dorm.”
“Did this guy drain all the energy from the fans who came to the fan meeting?”
“That could be…”
Hapil Jae said in an excited tone while clenching his fists tightly.
“I want to do fan meetings every day.”
Na Jihan, who had been quiet, couldn’t let this comment slide.
“…You’re crossing the line. Are you planning to kill someone?”
“Ah, why? If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Since we’re doing it anyway, let’s have fun!”
“Who said it wasn’t fun? Being good and being difficult are separate things.”
I glanced around at the members who had been chatting and then became quiet again from exhaustion, and started tapping on my phone.
Maybe it was because we were on our way back after the event ended. Posts and photos filled with overwhelming emotions were being uploaded at incredible speed.
[2N1205 Arcus Fan Meeting Seowoo prev.
AnemoiaÂ
(photo) (photo)
#ARCUSÂ #SEOWOO]
[ARCUS Start Button Hapjeong Fan Sign Jihan-Seowoo Preview
0-year-old friends’ friendship(?) front line, nothing unusual today♥
(photo) (photo) (photo) (photo)]
[(video) Seowoo aegyo 4-piece set / Hapil aegyo 4-piece set comparison]
[Look at Na Jihan deliberately losing at arm wrestling before you go, guys (photo)]
[Flower crown Seowoo → bunny ears Seowoo → horn-rimmed glasses Seowoo → face chain Seowoo, enjoy the 4-stage viewing]
â””Wow he looks frighteningly good in everything ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ I can totally imagine what it was like preparing this after winning the fan sign lottery, really amazing (+)
[Story of being blessed by born-to-be guilty man Ahn Haesol and going home happy]
[The kids’ relationship is really good, so~~~~~ good that all my worries about the shortened promotion period recently completely went awayã…Žã…Ž It was so fun watching the Seowoo fans getting hit one after another next to meã… ã… ã…‹ã…‹]
[(photo) JihanSeowoo said it’s real, said they won’t accept arguments]
[There are so many hints I don’t know where to start eating them]
[What’s with casually bending down and picking him up????? Why is the one being carried also so nonchalant??? What’s with naturally putting an arm around shoulders and pressing bodies together?????????]
[Meanwhile, the members’ reactions like it’s a usual occurrence make it even more “real”……]
[Wow look at these guys, they said roleplay moments are breathtaking but it’s not business, you can tell it’s not performance? So what’s left…ã…Ž What’s the answer?]
â””Yes yes this month’s JihanSeowoo popularity ranking 1st >peaceful line< please show lots of interest, please do JihanSeowoo with me, project 0-year-old friends (link)
Our close relationship shown without pretense heated up social media once again. Especially the sight of Na Jihan picking me up at the end became the talk of many people.
[1 vote for Yoon Seowoo confessing to Na Jihan when the cameras were off]
‘They got that right.’
I secretly smiled while browsing through people’s reactions and blinked.
I should stop looking soon. If I kept looking and happened to encounter bad public opinion, it would be my loss. Sitting quietly in the slowly rolling van, my tired body seemed to be clamoring to sleep just a little.
It was a strange feeling. This contradictory mood of wanting to close my eyes and rest freely, but also wanting to stay awake to enjoy today’s afterglow a little longer.
So Na Jihan must be staying awake despite being tired too, I was thinking while glancing at him.
“Get some sleep, Seowoo hyung.”
Maybe noticing me, Hapil Jae whispered softly.
“Jihan hyung will carry you when we arrive.”
“You can just wake me up…”
When I grumbled that it would spoil me, he smiled mischievously like a little devil.
“The problem is it’s hard to do that when you see someone sleeping peacefully. Anyway, rest comfortably. You’ve been through a lot in many ways.”
He hugged me with the cat-shaped cushion he had been holding all day, saying he received it as a gift today. The soft cushion faintly smelled of the perfume he often wears.
“Maybe it’s because of that bastard, you’ve been suffering for a long time with the injury too.”
Thinking about it again, that bastard Bae Jonghwi is really unlucky, he clicked his tongue.
“It’s almost the end of the year. Only good things will happen.”
At his comforting words, I just smiled slightly by lifting the corners of my mouth.
There are bad people in the world, but there are just as many good people. So just as bad things happen, good things happen too. My opinion was that no life is only happy or endlessly unhappy.
But the end of year was different. These days, it wasn’t a very welcome season for me. This early winter when the whole world was bustling and sparkling easily brought out the bad memories sleeping inside me.
Especially as Christmas approached, when the trees outside were decorated with colorful lights…
“Yoon Seowoo.”
A hand shot out and crossed right in front of my nose. A pitch-black curtain fell over the colorfully decorated scenery.
When I turned my head, Na Jihan’s face was right up close.
“There’s still time before we arrive, so sleep.”
“……”
“Don’t look at anything.”
The hand that had separated me from the world’s indifferent lights now brushed over my eyes. As warm body temperature seeped through my heavy eyelids, my tired mind began to slowly sink down below.
That’s how winter came.
* * *
“Alright, 10-minute break is over. Let’s get up!”
There was no response to the sound of clapping hands. That was because everyone listening was either sitting slumped on the floor or lying down.
Of course, the trainer wasn’t the type to go easy on us for that.
“It’s year-end stages. Year-end. We can’t be embarrassed in front of all the industry seniors gathered together. Everyone up before I count to ten. Begin!”
Year-end. That meant award ceremony schedules were right around the corner. And that also meant we had to prepare year-end special stages.
We had become as limp as badly blanched vegetables from the brutal practice that had been going on for hours. But since time wouldn’t wait for us, we had no choice but to get up shakily.
Still, there was hope. The company had boldly promised that if we worked hard this month, they’d let us rest next month. Plus, since it was our first five-person choreography in a while, we couldn’t help but feel greedy to do our absolute best.
Let’s just hang in there a little more. As I was getting up with that resolution, the trainer who saw me said.
“Seowoo-ssi can rest a bit more. You just got your cast off not long ago.”
I smiled slightly and went to stand at the spot marked on the floor.
“Still, I have to perform on stage. I want to do well.”
I added after closing my eyes tight and opening them.
“Don’t go easy on me.”
“Alright.”
It was difficult. I had only rested for a few weeks, but I didn’t know why my body wouldn’t follow along.
Still, it was good that when I pushed my body hard, there was no time to fall into idle thoughts. I just had to focus on the mirror in front of me and the music pounding through my whole body.
Only after a full two hours did the repeated small mistakes get corrected. While I was immersed in the satisfaction of having completed it cleanly, Ahn Haesol, who had caught his breath, stepped forward.
“Can we stop here, teacher? The kids seem really tired.”
The trainer nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Clean. Let’s do exactly this much on stage too. Good work.”
“Thank you.”
“Good work.”
As we were getting water and towels for each other, the trainer asked us.
“But Arcus is quite manageable, isn’t it?”
Hapil Jae tilted his head and asked back.
“Even though the choreography isn’t as intense as our last promotion, isn’t it still a bit difficult to call performing these moves while doing live vocals ‘manageable’?”
“Ah, ah. I didn’t mean it that way. Still, since it’s a year-end special, quite a few people plan something a bit unique. Like Christmas commemorative stages.”
Na Jihan’s hands, which had been twisting open a water bottle for me, stopped.
“Days is doing a Christmas carol special stage this time. If you want, Arcus could also…”
“No.”
Na Jihan’s characteristically cold and firm voice cut off the trainer’s words.
“We’re not interested.”
Whether it was a comment made without much thought, the trainer brushed it off casually. Only Ahn Haesol’s gaze, which seemed to be pondering something, briefly swept over Na Jihan and me.
“Shall we head back and rest? Good work.”
As soon as those words were heard, Na Jihan turned his back to me and bent down.
“Come on.”
“……”
“Get on my back. I’ll take you.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
