Chapter 42
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
At Hajun’s gesture for him to follow him out, Jungwoo briefly looked toward the room. However, at Hajun’s urging, Jungwoo turned around and followed him.
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, Hajun handed Jungwoo a drink. Jungwoo just stared at the drink for a moment, then accepted it and sat down next to him. It seemed like Hajun wanted to have a conversation. When Jungwoo opened the drink and took a sip, Hajun smiled warmly.
No matter what, he was a younger brother who followed along with everything he suggested.
“Being like this reminds me of when we were trainees.”
“We’re still trainees now.”
“I mean when we practiced in the JT practice room until our sneakers wore out. Back then, I used to give you drinks like this too.”
“You only gave them when you had something to say.”
“Of course. Where would I get the money to treat you?”
Though his allowance from his parents was quite high for a trainee, Hajun always treated himself like a poor trainee. He lived frugally, saying several people had to live off the allowance he received.
Jaekyung, who couldn’t not know this, used to buy and give back to Hajun ten times more than what he received whenever he drank the beverages. Even knowing that Hajun would only drink one no matter how much he bought for him.
“It feels like yesterday when you fell for me and said you’d become a trainee.”
“…Don’t say things like that.”
Jungwoo looked genuinely displeased. Although Jungwoo had entered a month after Hajun became a trainee, it was entirely because of his parents, not because of Hajun. But Hajun often teased Jungwoo, saying he became a trainee because he liked him.
However, since Hajun had helped him adapt after entering as a trainee, Jungwoo often just let it slide when he teased him.
Jungwoo drank his beverage while waiting for Hajun’s playfulness to subside. He was thinking of getting up once he finished the drink. And Hajun, who could see right through Jungwoo’s thoughts, smiled slyly and brought up the main point.
“Do you know why Jaekyung acts like that?”
Jungwoo also recalled Jaekyung’s behavior. From the moment he first entered, he had gone to sit in blind spots along with the camera positions, avoiding standing out. Since he was staying by his side, he felt like he could tell by intuition, so he went along with it, but he couldn’t understand why.
“No.”
“You met with Jaekyung alone, didn’t you ask?”
Knowing this was why he had called him aside separately, but Jungwoo didn’t have anything particular he could answer.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
He held back his words in case asking might make him feel bad and try to distance himself again like before.
“Aren’t you even curious?”
“…I’m curious.”
Jungwoo answered honestly. If possible, he wanted to become personally close with Jaekyung beyond this audition. However, for some reason, Jaekyung had been avoiding him and didn’t like Jungwoo since they met at the audition.
Even so, Jungwoo stuck to Jaekyung without showing any sign of being hurt. To the point where the exhausted Jaekyung eventually gave up and accepted him.
Hajun, who had watched everything from the side, asked with a look as if finding it strange.
“But you thought he might dislike it if you asked.”
“Even so, not asking… You stick to him well without even showing you’re curious. Do you like him that much? There are plenty of other kids too.”
Hajun called out the names of several remaining trainees. They were all trainees who had gained attention. But Jungwoo fiddled with his empty drink can while letting the mentioned names go in one ear and out the other. Then he brought up something completely different.
“Father often leans against the practice room door to observe the trainees.”
“That’s right. He personally selects the kids who’ll be in the debut group.”
Though bewildered, Hajun went along with Jungwoo’s words for now.
JT Entertainment was one of the three major agencies commonly called large-scale. It was a solid company with many affiliated celebrities and several idol teams that had spent huge amounts of money, stable enough not to budge even if they failed.
However, most idols from JT succeeded because they could only enter the debut group after passing both systematic classes and the CEO’s strict standards.
Jungwoo mentioned that the CEO of JT, who was also his father, often dropped by the practice room.
“I watched from the side then too. At first, I thought he was observing people who were good, but he said he was looking for kids who stand out.”
“Really? I worked really hard though.”
Hajun spoke lightly and playfully.
“I didn’t know what that meant, but seeing Jaekyung, I understand. Ah, this kid really stands out.”
And his skills were a bonus.
He had an obviously annoyed face and clearly showed he didn’t want to do it, but when he actually did it, he was better than anyone. That also drew Jungwoo’s curiosity.
“So that’s why you liked him?”
“Yeah. To the point where I’d want to debut together.”
“You really got hooked properly. Really hooked.”
Hajun shook his head as if fed up.
“Do well.”
He added those words hoping that Jungwoo would really meet a friend he could trust and rely on.
* * *
Jaekyung, who returned to the room, immediately took clothes to change into and went to the bathroom. After washing up and changing into training clothes, Jaekyung roughly shook out his wet hair a couple times and went straight to bed. Though he hadn’t done intense choreography because of the mission, perhaps because he had been keeping his nerves on edge, his whole body melted drowsily. With his face half-buried in the soft bed, Jaekyung yawned.
He still had to rest briefly and go out for evening practice, but once he lay down, he didn’t want to get up.
“Nice.”
When he used to go in and out of hotels frequently as an idol, he lived without knowing the softness of this bed. Though he hadn’t slept for just a few hours, he had been too busy to notice even such small changes.
“Hotel beds are this nice.”
Jaekyung muttered while stroking the bed with his hand. Jaekyung yawned again and rubbed his drowsy eyes. As he was thinking about sleeping briefly and getting up, Jaekyung brought his phone. Thanks to them freely allowing family contact despite even getting contracts due to spoiler risks, he had his phone.
As Jaekyung turned on his phone screen to set an alarm, he suddenly looked at the call button. Until now, his mother had never contacted him even once. The thought of contacting her first crossed his mind, but he hesitated, worried about unnecessarily stirring up trouble.
“It’s better to just leave it alone.”
Since she might ask all sorts of questions about the audition if he called, Jaekyung just set the alarm and turned off the screen.
“The contract with that manager is also broken, so it’s obvious what she’ll say if I even drop out of the audition.”
She’d be disappointed and blame everything on Jaekyung, then go looking for another agency. As Jaekyung was wondering how to endure the remaining time, the door suddenly opened.
When Jaekyung was startled and reflexively got up supporting himself on the bed, Jungwoo, who was entering, paused. After confirming each other, Jaekyung lay back down on the bed, and Jungwoo entered and said:
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Because you suddenly came in.”
Saying that, Jaekyung pretended nothing was wrong and put down his phone. He didn’t want to reveal to Jungwoo what he had been worrying about just now.
“Did you at least check the reactions?”
“Reactions?”
Jaekyung repeated one word from Jungwoo’s statement, then shook his head. It seemed like he was talking about internet reactions, but Jaekyung didn’t look up things about himself even when he wasn’t in the camp.
Of course, it would be good to search on the internet beforehand, but Jaekyung didn’t have the courage to check that. Because of being tormented by malicious comments, Jaekyung didn’t search his name on the internet, and that remained intact.
Finding such Jaekyung curious, Jungwoo asked again:
“You said you didn’t even watch the live broadcast, so you don’t look up things like that?”
Jungwoo sat right on Jaekyung’s bed. At that naturalness, Jaekyung was about to push him away but just turned his head instead.
“…I’m not particularly famous, so what is there to see?”
“If you search your name, some videos would come up too.”
“Direct cams and such can be watched later.”
It was something he said thinking to just brush it off casually, but for some reason, Jungwoo stared intently at Jaekyung.
“What?”
“Did you happen to see the text messages that came?”
“Text messages?”
Only then did Jaekyung go into his text message window. While looking through the accumulated messages, he found a familiar number and entered it, finding messages sent before.
Jaekyung forcibly suppressed the anxiety that had quietly crept up and looked at the message.
[CHOOSE NINE Special – Special programming for those thirsting for their one-pick. Individual and practice processes will be revealed. ‘Channel CHOOSE NINE BEHIND’]
Jaekyung bolted upright while holding his phone. Recognizing from that intense reaction that he had just seen the message this time, Jungwoo quietly moved over to his own bed.
Jaekyung looked at the message once more and let out an exasperated sigh. Then he read the message again and sighed toward the air. So this was what PD Choi had mentioned.
‘If they were going to upload behind-the-scenes content like this, there was no reason for me to struggle so hard not to appear on the broadcast.’
Jaekyung bit his lips repeatedly, then ruffled his hair in frustration and looked at his phone again. As Jaekyung continued to act distracted, Jungwoo propped his chin and muttered:
“If you’re curious, you can just watch it.”
“That’s…”
Jaekyung was about to say something excitedly but closed his mouth. Doesn’t he know that going to watch it himself would be the most certain way? But even knowing that, there were things he couldn’t do. For Jaekyung, the internet was like putting his neck to an invisible knife. Even if it wasn’t the case now, checking his reactions on the internet still made his heart race and his hands and feet tremble. Instead of looking at his phone, Jaekyung let out a heavy sigh and went under the covers.
Jungwoo’s gaze, who had unintentionally watched the process of Jaekyung’s mood sinking, looked at the bulging blanket. The atmosphere that had been relatively soft just moments ago seemed to have become like this because of him. Jungwoo hesitated for a moment, then approached Jaekyung. He should have noticed when he said he didn’t watch the live broadcast. Jungwoo looked distressed as he carefully reached his hand toward the bulging blanket. He had to somehow comfort Jaekyung…
Jungwoo’s hand stopped midway. Would Jaekyung understand if he comforted him now?
Jungwoo’s expression gradually turned cold. And he ruthlessly pulled away the blanket that Jaekyung had covered over his head.
“What?”
“We have to go practice.”
“…What?”
“My team doesn’t tolerate laziness.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
