Chapter 60
Returning to his room, Jaekyung leaned weakly against the door. He hung his head low and looked down at his shabby feet. They were the sneakers he’d received when the group living first started. The pure white sneakers had lost their original appearance through practice after practice.
It was a measure showing how much Jaekyung had practiced every round. Saying he wouldn’t stand out, yet working so hard like that.
That wasn’t all. He sighed at the complicated situation where he couldn’t be completely hopeless because he’d received good evaluations commensurate with his efforts. This was why he hated watching broadcasts.
“You’re back?”
When Jaekyung raised his head, Geonhu, who had come out of the bathroom, was halfheartedly waving his hand. He was wandering around the room with a toothbrush in his mouth, seeming to have come out looking for something.
Seeing Geonhu hovering in front of him, the immediate thought that came to mind was ‘Ah, this guy was here.’ Since he went out early every morning and came back late at night, he’d forgotten who his roommate was.
Moreover, every time he came in, the room was dim so he hadn’t noticed, but the room he saw now under bright lights was disastrous.
Only Jaekyung’s bed and bag area were organized, while the entire room was a mess with Geonhu’s belongings. Looking around the room, he miraculously forgot his complicated circumstances.
“Ah… I was going to clean up after washing.”
As Jaekyung remained still leaning against the door, Geonhu slyly pushed the clumps he was stepping on toward his own bed. It wouldn’t make things clean, but it was obvious he thought this showed some consideration for his roommate.
“You need to take out the sweat-soaked stuff or it’ll smell.”
Jaekyung looked at the wet clump Geonhu was about to push away and spoke in an indifferent tone. Every time he slept, he’d covered his bed up to his face because of a strange smell, and now he knew the cause.
Noticing what Jaekyung was looking at, Geonhu looked down at his feet, then slyly picked it up and threw it into a corner. Then, roughly wiping his thumb and index finger that had touched it on his clothes, Geonhu muttered an excuse.
“I have this principle…”
“If it’s that principle about there being order within messiness, you don’t need to say more.”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“You think you’re the only one with that principle?”
“There are others besides me?”
“Yeah.”
The future Park Geonhu, that is.
Jaekyung roughly avoided Geonhu’s belongings on the floor and went to his bed. Planning to rest briefly until Geonhu finished washing, Jaekyung stretched his upper body on the bed and let his legs dangle below. Jaekyung, who had divided and subdivided his time to practice until watching the broadcast, yawned quietly. In case he might fall asleep, he picked up his phone to set an alarm while the guy with the toothbrush in his mouth hovered in front of him.
“What.”
“Am I annoying you?”
“If you’re asking whether you’re annoying, I’d like you to move aside now.”
“The messy room. Am I annoying you with it?”
“Just don’t invade my space. Oh, and the smell too.”
“Oh okay. If it bothers you, just tell me. I’ll clean it up right away.”
It was a careful remark that showed Geonhu’s cautiousness, as if reading Jaekyung’s mood. Instead of spending time saying that, go finish brushing your teeth.
Jaekyung stretched his arm to pull over a blanket within reach, covered himself, and closed his eyes. Reading the signal not to talk to him anymore, Geonhu hesitated a bit more before leaving.
At the sound of the door opening and closing, Jaekyung opened his eyes that he had closed. In the meantime, it seemed he’d cleaned up quite a bit before leaving, as it looked more organized than before. Instead, all of it was now piled up like a mountain on Geonhu’s suitcase.
‘What’s this.’
Geonhu had regarded Jaekyung as a sensitive kid. No matter what he said to the manager, he’d look at him with uncomfortable eyes and then snap back.
“Is the manager hyung your shuttle? You act fucking prickly.”
That’s what Park Geonhu had shouted when Jaekyung, having just ruined his performance and not wanting to force himself to drink an Americano he couldn’t stomach, put it down. He had openly shown his dislike for Jaekyung from start to finish.
But now he was reading Jaekyung’s mood and being considerate of him. Like with Jungwoo, Jaekyung felt awkward and uncomfortable with Geonhu’s different side. This was probably because they’d come back to the past and met as trainees.
When Jaekyung tossed and turned in bed a few times, Geonhu came out. Since he hadn’t fallen asleep, it was when Jaekyung was about to get up to wash.
“But you…”
Jaekyung, holding clothes to change into, turned to look at Geonhu who had called him.
“Do you have some worry?”
Geonhu repeatedly gripped and released his towel tightly, adding words like an excuse.
“You looked really serious earlier.”
He was asking about Jaekyung leaning against the door.
“If you don’t want to talk about it and I’m asking anyway, just ignore me. I’m not that smart, but I thought if you talked it out, you might feel a bit better. Ah, no, ugh! I don’t know.”
Geonhu ruffled his hair in frustration.
“I originally never give this kind of worry counseling, you know? This is a special service to commemorate becoming roommates.”
“Because of the announcement ceremony.”
“Ah… right.”
As if he’d forgotten they were in the middle of an audition, Geonhu made an understanding sound.
“Do you want to debut too? Well, who wouldn’t want to debut…”
Here’s someone who doesn’t.
As Jaekyung remained silent, it was visible that Geonhu was pondering how to console him. It didn’t even suit him, yet what was he worrying so much about? It was almost amazing. Ah, we watched the first broadcast together. But was there something else besides that?
“Once you pass tomorrow, you can figure out how to handle what comes after, right? Don’t dig yourself into a hole thinking about that stuff, just think about what’s right in front of you. That’s the best approach.”
Geonhu clenched his fist as he spoke, then immediately loosened it weakly and waved his hands dismissively.
“Thinking you’ll make it is the best approach.”
“……”
“Or try not sleeping tonight. You might be too sleepy during tomorrow’s announcement to think about other things.”
What is this guy saying?
“You’re listening to me, right?”
“You’re making me dizzy.”
Jaekyung closed his eyes again. With Park Geonhu awake, it was incredibly noisy.
* * *
“Your expression looks bad.”
“Don’t talk. Don’t talk to me. My head hurts.”
At Jungwoo’s concern, Jaekyung shook his head while pressing his eye sockets. In the end, Park Geonhu had chattered until Jaekyung fell asleep yesterday, so he came to the announcement ceremony without being able to organize his thoughts.
If he passed this time, his chances of making the debut group would increase. But if he just dropped out, his mother still hadn’t broken the contract with that director.
Even if he passed this time, there was no guarantee he’d pass next time. Before that, he didn’t know how long his mother would cling to the contract with the director.
He couldn’t organize any of the thoughts that came to mind in disorder. All because of that Park Geonhu.
As soon as Jaekyung remembered that Jungwoo and Park Geonhu were from the same agency, he grumbled.
“I didn’t know Park Geonhu talked so much. He kept talking to me so I don’t even know if I’m in my right mind right now.”
“He’s not usually talkative, but sometimes he gets like that.”
Jungwoo patted his shoulder. Even at the rough consolation that seemed to say ‘you bear with it,’ Jaekyung couldn’t let it slide.
“That guy’s really strange.”
At Jaekyung’s incomprehensible muttering, Jungwoo held back a laugh that was about to come out. Instead, he stared at Jaekyung and sent him a mysterious look.
Though he thought they’d become quite close, lately Jaekyung had been gradually telling him about things that had happened to him. It seemed like Jaekyung wasn’t aware of this himself.
“Maybe after this round ends…”
“Hey, Seo Jaekyung.”
It was when Jungwoo was carefully trying to talk to Jaekyung. Junghang, who had spotted Seo Jaekyung from afar, approached with big strides. He seemed to want to greet Jaekyung before going to his assigned seat.
“After practicing together until yesterday, seeing you like this feels strange. Anyway, let’s rest for a bit… see you in the evening.”
Junghang lightly patted Jaekyung’s shoulder. After today’s announcement ceremony, some would remain to continue practicing while those eliminated would return home. Only those who passed could participate in evening practice, so Junghang insisted they should definitely meet. As Jaekyung rubbed his shoulder where a heavy afterimage remained, Junghang smiled and returned to his seat.
It wasn’t just Junghang. All the other members who currently formed a team came to find Jaekyung and said a word each – Hajun, Geonhu, Taeyeon, Sowoon. Even roommates from when they first shared rooms came to say something before leaving.
“Seo Jaekyung, you’ve made a lot of friends here.”
Jungwoo, who had been watching, made a comment. Jaekyung, interpreting it as sarcasm, immediately shot back. Other people were just acquaintances to a reasonable degree, but not you, Lee Jungwoo.
“Still, no one sticks to me as persistently as you do.”
“That’s true.”
“You admit that?”
“It’s a fact.”
Since Jungwoo accepted it calmly, Jaekyung lost the desire to argue further and looked ahead.
* * *
The surroundings were quiet as if only PD Choi existed in the empty space. However, cameras were filming everyone without letting anyone hide, sending it all to screens. The emotions of trainees trying to calm their nerves by waving their hands or looking ahead with stiff faces were being absorbed nakedly. With no MC and PD Choi conducting, the screen continuously captured only the trainees’ faces.
“We will begin the second announcement ceremony. From the current 54 trainees, only 36 will remain and 18 will go home.”
Considering that nearly half had been cut from the initial 99, the number of eliminated contestants had decreased considerably. However, in absolute numbers, it was by no means a small number.
“From this announcement, individual trainee rankings will be revealed. Called trainees should sit in the successful candidates’ seats in front.”
Following PD Choi’s guidance, cameras simultaneously focused on the chairs, and the ceremony began to determine the fate of those who would stay and those who would leave.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
