-47-
“How dare you touch me, you filthy thing.”
Only Kim Bunhong, who was left alone with him, witnessed Jeong Ido’s unmasked appearance.
Kim Bunhong, who was now sick of Jeong Ido’s hypocrisy of calmly spouting lies, looked at that and quietly parted his lips.
“You’re still the same.”
“……”
“Even though we’ve met again like this, hyung doesn’t seem to have changed much.”
Is that so, Jeong Ido listened to Bunhong’s sarcastic words and lightly retorted.
“Just because you came from the future to the past doesn’t mean the person themselves changes, right?”
While saying that, he chuckled and gestured with his head toward the sofa across from them. It was the seat of honor where Jeong Ido had been sitting just moments before.
“Sit.”
Kim Bunhong, who didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble, obediently went and sat there. Even though the seat was soft and physically comfortable, one corner of his heart was uncomfortable, so before he knew it, only the thought of quickly escaping from this place strongly dominated his mind. Though he tried not to show it outwardly, trauma was gradually rising because he felt like he was caught in a spider’s web, and Bunhong’s breathing was slowly beginning to feel constricted.
If he stayed here, it seemed like only things he really didn’t want to remember would come flooding back, so Kim Bunhong decided to quickly finish the conversation and escape from this place.
“Please just briefly state your business.”
While saying to keep it brief, Bunhong began unconsciously biting his nails as an inexplicable anxiety crept up on him. Though he wondered if it was such an important matter that they had to meet secretly like this, avoiding others’ gazes like having a private conversation, in fact, this was how it had been ever since they reunited after the regression, so it wasn’t particularly strange. Jeong Ido himself was naturally a meticulous person by nature.
‘But why am I so… nervous.’
The quiet atmosphere was filled with the noise of the air purifier running. Unlike Kim Bunhong who was completely hunched up, Jeong Ido, who was comfortably enjoying the silence, threw the pile of sheet music he was holding onto the table.
Following the dull thud as it fell, the sheet music scattered across the table, and among them, Bunhong hesitated before picking up the most conspicuous piece of sheet music.
“This is…”
As if pleased that he recognized it, Jeong Ido clapped his hands loudly with a “Clap!”
“That’s right. It’s the debut song we’ll be doing together this time.”
Though Ido called it a debut song, at a glance, there was a discrepancy in his words. What Kim Bunhong was holding was none other than the title track from the idol group BLACK’s second album that had been released before the regression, so tens of thousands of thoughts began to surface in a disorganized manner in Bunhong’s mind, who hadn’t yet grasped the hidden intention behind Ido’s words.
On the sheet music, the title scrawled in cursive was <Neverland>, a song that Jeong Ido had made while holed up in his studio for a while when breaking up with his ex-girlfriend.
At the same time, it was also the song that had the most explosive response among all the songs released as BLACK, and it was also the song that received decisive praise from the public by prominently featuring Lee Hanbit’s high-potential vocals. From this point on, the idol group BLACK’s recognition increased and they began to truly ride an upward trend.
To Kim Bunhong, who still seemed unable to grasp the situation, Ido began to kindly provide additional explanations.
“Next week, Lucy will come here from America.”
“…?”
“It means we need to divide the vocal parts.”
At the incomprehensible words, Kim Bunhong raised his voice and asked.
“What are you talking about? How can we debut with this song?”
“……”
In his opinion, there was one fatal flaw in Ido’s words, so he couldn’t help but react that way.
“Lee Hanbit hasn’t even joined yet…”
That was because when BLACK sang <Neverland>, they were a 6-member idol group, but the current BLACK, where Hanbit’s joining wasn’t confirmed, still only had 5 members.
Instead of answering, Kim Bunhong’s trembling gaze fell along where Jeong Ido’s hand was pointing at the sheet music.
.
.
[Vocal 2: I should have held onto you then]
[Vocal 3: If I had known it would be like this]
[Rap 1: If missing you madly is my sin
The rough destiny that digs in following my breath
How can it be so cruel?]
[Vocal 1: Ah, please love me
Please cherish me
So I can escape from this hell]
[Vocal 3: Lost my way and wake up from nightmares again]
[Vocal 2: Unbelievably
You whisper love to me]
[Rap 2: Then I think
Ah, more beautiful than truth is unchanging lies!]
[Vocal 1,2,3: This paradise that doesn’t exist is Neverland
Because you would never tell me you love me]
[Rap 3: ……]
.
.
Bunhong began to slowly scan through the lyrics with his head lowered.
‘There’s no difference from the original.’
It was exactly the same. Nothing had changed from before. It was precisely at that point that Bunhong felt puzzled and immediately retraced his thoughts.
‘Wait. Exactly the same?’
His pupils lost their focus. It was strange. It couldn’t be exactly the same.
‘Could it be… that kind of thing…?’
And it didn’t take very long for Kim Bunhong to realize that this was exactly the loophole that Jeong Ido had spotted.
‘Even if Lucy joins, something’s strange. Since Lee Hanbit hasn’t joined, at least for now BLACK only has two vocalists. But why are these lyrics divided for three people to sing?’
Along with his pupils, his hands began to tremble. The sheet music got a bit crumpled from his repeatedly adjusting his grip. However, Kim Bunhong’s heart was crumpled much more miserably and wretchedly than that.
When Bunhong looked up at Jeong Ido in shock, he slowly moved his head. Though he had hoped it wouldn’t be so, as if his thoughts were correct… at that unhesitating nod, Bunhong knew that his guess wasn’t wrong at all.
“…!”
Ah. You are cruel. Much more than I thought.
Kim Bunhong, who gained realization from Ido’s resolute attitude, sighed softly.
“Don’t tell me…”
Even while watching Bunhong’s body begin to tremble incessantly, Jeong Ido resolutely continued only what he wanted to say.
“Vocal 1.”
“……”
“From now on, you and Lucy will split Lee Hanbit’s part between the two of you.”
Just like that day in the past when he had mercilessly abandoned him and announced their breakup, just like that time in the past when no matter how much he clung to his pants legs, he never looked back at kneeling Bunhong and eventually left, it was a cold attitude that showed not even a hint of hesitation.
Then Bunhong asked in bewilderment.
“……What?”
His tear-moistened brown eyes and lips that couldn’t close as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard were exactly like his past appearance when he had cried out toward the back of Jeong Ido who was trying to abandon him and leave.
When Ido told Bunhong that they should stop now, Bunhong couldn’t believe how he could so nonchalantly spit out such words about breaking up.
Even though he had never once said he loved him, there were occasionally gentle gazes that fell upon him. There were caressing touches that seemed to find him lovely.
The person who had been by Ido’s side during his most miserable moments was none other than himself. Even though such good memories clearly existed between them, Bunhong couldn’t understand this situation at all – how he could so easily give up their relationship as if flipping his palm, as if he had forgotten everything completely.
If Jeong Ido’s songs were the goal itself for Kim Bunhong – a way to satisfyingly express in words the emotions he couldn’t express and fill his deficiency,
then Bunhong at that time didn’t know that for Jeong Ido, composing was merely an act as a tool to empty out his emotions. So Bunhong naively believed in the emotional exchange that had definitely occurred between them during their brief time together.
However, as if he couldn’t see the miserable teardrops falling to the floor, without listening to Bunhong’s remaining words or withdrawing his unilateral breakup announcement, Jeong Ido, who had become a stranger in an instant, left like that. It was an attitude that seemed to show not even a trace of lingering attachment.
They say love is done by two people, not one alone, but once he sorted it out by himself, was that it? Bunhong hadn’t even agreed to the end, to the breakup, but with just Ido’s declaration alone, their relationship as lovers was futilely concluded. It was neatly wrapped up as if it had never existed from the beginning. From the beginning to the end of their romance, ultimately the only thing that changed was Bunhong’s tattered heart.
Really, he was such a heartless person – Bunhong had resented him in the past.
As if telling him to calm down, Ido placed both hands on the shoulders of the stunned Bunhong, looked straight into his eyes, and said.
“Still, Duho will also sing the parts that are lacking, dividing them up bit by bit.”
Bunhong thought. Unless he was crazy, he wouldn’t make such a request, would he? Having lost his words, the familiar eyes that Bunhong looked into for the first time in a really long while belonged to someone he was seeing for the first time in his life. What he had been loving all along wasn’t this kind of gaze from his lover.
Like common song lyrics, a person in love is definitely a fool. He really didn’t know. Even having Jeong Ido so close by his side, he didn’t know what kind of person he was at all.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
