Chapter 52
At the master’s question, Jaekyung mentioned americano to hide his honest feelings. He didn’t usually drink it well and it wasn’t something to drink when things were tough, but he just answered that way. Otherwise he thought he would have answered that it was fun.
Having finished his second stage before he knew it, Jaekyung found himself clenching his fists tightly without realizing it. His nails dug into his flesh, hoping it would prevent other thoughts from entering.
But this was already the second time.
Jaekyung had been enjoying himself while dancing on stage. It was different from when he debuted as an idol and kept making mistakes due to trauma. However, since he couldn’t purely enjoy it, Jaekyung clenched his fists even tighter to turn away from it.
Then one hand wrapped around Jaekyung’s fist. It stopped the trembling of his fist and soon pulled away the nails that had dug into his flesh.
When Jaekyung looked at his hand, Jungwoo, who had been holding his hand, placed a drink he’d bought from the cafe on top of it.
“You said you were thirsty.”
It was americano. Though Jaekyung reflexively grabbed it, he just stared at it with wide eyes.
“Won’t you drink it?”
“Uh…”
So that’s why he disappeared as soon as the stage ended – he had gone to buy this.
Grateful for the thoughtfulness of buying it after thinking about it, Jaekyung awkwardly bit the straw. Looking up at Jungwoo in that position, he didn’t budge as if he planned to watch until he drank it.
Jaekyung had no choice but to suck in the drink inside like taking a breath. It wasn’t that he didn’t drink coffee because he was a minor, but rather that he had completely excluded it due to lack of money. That said, americano wasn’t delicious either, so he hadn’t acquired a taste for it, but now he was drinking it like this.
But the moment the drink entered, Jaekyung frowned. It wasn’t the taste he had expected.
As the sweet drink went down his throat, Jaekyung put down the straw and asked Jungwoo.
“This is iced tea.”
“Drink americano when you turn 20. Coffee and alcohol are all things you drink when you’re of age.”
Though Jaekyung didn’t particularly like coffee either, Jungwoo’s nagging sounded absurd to him.
“What are you, a teacher or something?”
As he muttered this, Jungwoo found it funny even to himself and laughed softly while drinking his own drink. Like Jaekyung, it seemed to be iced tea, but the color was subtly different.
“What are you drinking?”
“Americano.”
Not satisfied with his shameless answer, Jungwoo tapped the drink Jaekyung was just holding, telling him to drink it.
“Let’s go.”
They had to go to the dormitory at the hotel, get their luggage, and come out for all activities to be finished.
* * *
“Thank you for your hard work this time as well.”
At PD Choi’s greeting, the trainees showed reactions as if relieved.
“Congratulations to the PR Team who placed first. I hope each of you will have good results with your 30,000 votes.”
Jaekyung seemed more troubled now than when he placed first in the earlier ranking announcement. Though he wanted to give his 30,000 votes to someone else, he didn’t voice this. He only hoped that everyone who went on stage this time would receive more than 30,000 votes.
“This time the break period is a bit short. You’ll come back in 3 days to practice, then we’ll watch the announcement ceremony and broadcast together, but please know that from now on it’s especially a race against time and rest well.”
PD Choi also handed out the same paper bags to everyone, saying they had successfully completed the second training camp. Jaekyung received his and immediately turned around.
Coming outside, Yang Chaejun spotted Jaekyung and approached. Jaekyung had no desire to have more conversation with Yang Chaejun, so he changed direction. However, at Yang Chaejun’s call of “Jaekyung hyung,” Jaekyung sighed and looked at him.
“Why didn’t you do it with me?”
At Yang Chaejun’s resentful tone, Jaekyung turned his half-turned body completely toward him. He was talking about when Yang Chaejun suggested they pair together and Jaekyung indirectly refused by suggesting they draw lots.
Not satisfied with that, Yang Chaejun looked at Jaekyung with an openly disappointed face.
“I was happy to be on the same team this time, but hyung wasn’t?”
“Chaejun.”
“Yes?”
Since he met Yang Chaejun, Jaekyung asked the question he had been keeping in mind.
“Did you push Taeyeon away to learn from me?”
“What do you mean by that…”
Yang Chaejun rolled his eyes as if flustered.
“Taeyeon changed the choreography this time. So he knew it best, but why did you do that?”
“I don’t know what hyung is talking about.”
“I don’t have that high of a buzz factor. So why did you do that?”
At Jaekyung’s words, Yang Chaejun looked around. And when Yang Chaejun looked back at Jaekyung, he had erased the expression he had been putting on falsely.
“Min Taeyeon really has a loose mouth. Well, he must have been scared since he knew I was trying to take his spot.”
After confirming there were no cameras, Yang Chaejun glared at Jaekyung with a sneering expression. So this is why he called me after filming ended. Even at Yang Chaejun’s changed expression, Jaekyung looked at him calmly. So Yang Chaejun seemed disappointed he couldn’t see Jaekyung’s surprised look, and spoke as if to thoroughly scratch at him.
“Hyung acts like you’ll accept everything, then stabs people in the back at the end?”
“Because I remembered who you were.”
“You know me?”
“I didn’t before.”
Yang Chaejun pointed at himself, but since nothing came out satisfyingly from Jaekyung’s words, he immediately went on talking about himself.
“I attached myself to you because you were fairly well-known, so you should have been nice to the end. Well, at least I got 30,000 votes.”
Yang Chaejun didn’t hide his true feelings from Jaekyung at all. He acted as if he had figured out Jaekyung’s personality during the few days they hung around together. Ah, this hyung is really easy to handle.
They had already attached as much as they could, and continuing to stick together might make people tired of seeing the same scenes, so Jaekyung’s usefulness was over. Unless he placed first or something, there was no immediate need to associate with Jaekyung again.
Now that he was no longer needed, Yang Chaejun cheerfully waved his hand.
“Thanks for being a sucker all this time, and let’s greet each other warmly if we meet again.”
Even at Yang Chaejun’s annoying tone, Jaekyung remained still without retorting. And left alone, Jaekyung turned back toward his home. Though Yang Chaejun kept shaking Jaekyung as if demanding he get angry knowing he had been used, far from anger, he wasn’t even a little upset.
Using all kinds of methods to climb up wasn’t limited to auditions. The moment you entered the entertainment industry, you had to run with the resolve to be torn apart. Having been thoroughly torn apart in that process, this moment itself was just another such incident for Jaekyung.
Well, it was a bit bitter though.
* * *
Fortunately, his part-time job wasn’t lost. The boss, who had been uncomfortable when he said he couldn’t come for 2 weeks, welcomed Jaekyung warmly. And likewise, the part-time workers who he thought would say something since someone had to fill Jaekyung’s absent spot said nothing.
He didn’t know why, but he found out the reason faster than expected.
Jaekyung, who had to organize the warehouse and work in the kitchen, came out to the dining area. While serving customers by chance, several customers recognized Jaekyung. Each time that happened, the eyes of other part-timers and the boss changed – they seemed to have belatedly learned that he had gone on an audition.
Eventually, Jaekyung, who worked while receiving unwanted attention in the dining area, returned home exhausted. Now whether it was school or the restaurant where he worked part-time, everyone recognized Jaekyung and showed interest.
Rubbing his heavy shoulders as he entered the house, Jaekyung wondered if he had left without turning off the lights, then discovered shoes placed in front of the entrance and suddenly lifted his head.
“You’re just getting home?”
His mother, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, was watching TV while peeling and eating an apple.
“Yeah, when did you come?”
“A while ago. When I came, there was nothing in the house. Don’t you eat meals at home?”
“No. And it hasn’t been long since I came back from the training camp.”
Jaekyung responded awkwardly and somewhat sullenly. She was the only person within his life’s fence. Rather than resenting meeting after such a long time, his joy was greater, so Jaekyung hurriedly came inside.
“You’ve become more well-known than I thought?”
At his mother’s casual remark, Jaekyung, who had been taking out clothes to change, turned his head. But his mother looked back at Jaekyung while crunching on her apple.
“I thought it was nothing special, but you’re quite popular.”
With each broadcast episode, he was becoming more and more popular.
“What was it called, voluntary withdrawal. Yeah, can you voluntarily withdraw?”
“Voluntary… withdrawal?”
“Yeah. That’s what they said.”
“…Who?”
“The manager.”
Jaekyung was so shocked he almost dropped his clothes.
“Manager? Which manager? How many managers do you know, mom?”
“Who else, the person who’ll release your album. Actually, he said it got even better because you became fairly famous.”
“Isn’t your contract with that person over?”
“Oh my, this kid. I actually begged him not to cancel the contract.”
Though her pronunciation was muffled from continuously chewing the apple, there was no problem understanding. However, hearing this, Jaekyung had to bite his lips and suppress the urge to scream.
“…Voluntary withdrawal isn’t allowed. I signed a contract and I don’t want to quit either.”
Jaekyung spoke while suppressing his voice.
“Really? Can’t you say you’re sick?”
“No… you can’t. And how hard am I working?”
Though he originally planned to endure just one month, Jaekyung began adding lies to lies.
“I have to make it to the end. I’m working even harder for that, so why would I withdraw?”
“Well, whether you’ll debut or not remains to be seen. Whether you become an idol through that or contract with the manager, both are good.”
At the nonchalant voice, Jaekyung only gripped his clothes tightly without showing any other reaction.
Would it have been better if he had just cut ties and lived? At least he wouldn’t experience this kind of unhappiness.
But Jaekyung still didn’t have the confidence to cut anyone off. It was a world where even people who didn’t share a drop of blood with him all turned away and hated him. Among people who gave him side-eyes for squeezing in, at least his mother praised him just for becoming a singer.
Perhaps due to shock, Jaekyung, who couldn’t think that he had returned to the past, stood there in despair, then discovered his own face reflected on the TV.
The scene of him being cornered against the wall by Jungwoo was showing on screen. Seeing this, Jaekyung smiled with a completely relaxed expression.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
