Chapter 12
When Taeri met Lee Juha again at the audition venue, he did his best not to show it. In the meantime, Choi Taeri had become a hot trainee called the blue chip of the entertainment industry, while Lee Juha had become just another common failed trainee in this business.
Even if he had fallen in love at first sight and secretly harbored feelings for a year, he couldn’t just cling to Lee Juha recklessly. It wasn’t a matter of pride, but because he could be labeled as a strange person.
While trying to figure out how to approach him, Lee Juha acted like a real fox spirit.
He would noticeably like Taeri and be busy hiding his expressions, then suddenly spit out cold harsh words.
“Mmph…”
Behind Taeri who was lost in thought, Juha who had been sleeping peacefully on the sofa started tossing in his sleep. Feeling suffocated by the oppressive feeling, he squirmed and soon kicked off his blanket. He kicked it off so forcefully that Juha’s t-shirt that Taeri had pulled down rolled back up over his stomach.
“Aigoo… this kid is troubling me again.”
Watching the scene before his eyes, Taeri sighed deeply again.
Through the gap of the rolled-up t-shirt, Juha’s exposed stomach created eleven-line abs in rhythm with his breathing sounds. The underwear band visible above his bottoms tightly hugged his slim waist. Moreover, the hipbones that protruded clearly across it.
Strength returned to Taeri’s lower body that had finally calmed down. Taeri watched Juha while swallowing dry saliva. His eyes froze and wouldn’t move.
The question ‘Why?’ rose countless times from within.
We could just remain good colleagues.
It would have been nice if we were just friends.
Why do I suffer from strange desires when I look at Lee Juha?
Taeri got angry at himself for having such impulses, and he got heated up just looking at Lee Juha.
From the first night until now, it had been like this the entire time.
“What should I do with you…”
Taeri gently stroked him while brushing away the hair covering Juha’s forehead. The texture of the hair touching his fingertips was as soft as freshly spun silk.
Seo Eunwon who followed Lee Juha around like a baby bird, and Yeom Sangyeop who put his arm around Lee Juha’s shoulders freely as if they’d known each other for a long time. Just seeing people next to Juha made Taeri inexplicably angry. He just wanted to jump in like that and monopolize all of his attention.
No, if he had his way, he wanted to wake up in the same bed, rub skin all day while sweating through practice, then wash together and lie in the same bed embracing tightly while falling asleep.
Even though it was ridiculous how desperate he was to keep Lee Juha by his side, just seeing Lee Juha lying there with his white body exposed made Taeri’s desires boil up again.
The first round of competition hadn’t even started yet, but with this kind of mindset, how could he focus on the program? Could he do well until the end? It felt hopeless.
It was the first trial Choi Taeri had ever faced in his life.
* * *
Juha’s first sofa sleep was very satisfying. Moreover, the bed and sofa were far apart, so there was no chance of his movements overlapping with Taeri’s.
That didn’t mean Juha’s feverish heart had calmed down. He was still bothered by Choi Taeri, and his heart pounded when their eyes met.
The more this happened, the more Juha tried to distance himself from Choi Taeri. Fortunately, the daily schedule was so busy there was no time to fall into other thoughts, but whenever he had even a little free time, Juha found himself looking at Choi Taeri out of habit.
The muscles bulging on Taeri’s arms when he wiped sweat from his forehead during break time, Choi Taeri’s refreshing smile like he’d finished a sports match.
He was still cheerful and good at conversation with the friends around him.
Honestly, Juha envied those who could treat Choi Taeri only as a friend without any emotions.
How nice would it be if he could do that? Couldn’t he just get along friendly without showing his true feelings?
But Juha had already spat harsh words at Taeri telling him to behave properly and fled to the sofa.
‘Would he still want to be with me now?’
Usually Juha was quiet and patient, but once he decided something wasn’t right, he had to say something to feel satisfied. That personality had shone uselessly bright now.
‘I don’t know, damn it.’
Whatever happens, happens.
Just get through this filming somehow and use a different room from Choi Taeri during the next filming and it would be resolved. It’s probably just a passing emotion caused by sexual frustration.
Juha tried to console himself.
* * *
Amid the anxious days, the showcase day dawned.
The stage to be shown during the first broadcast would be filmed in a special studio, and a press call was scheduled for the evening.
Since all 80 people needed to get made up, the schedule started at 5 AM.
They repeated the dance and song dozens of times just to record a 5-minute stage. At first they counted the repetitions, but later even counting became meaningless.
The requirements kept pouring in endlessly – filming by groups separately, filming group shots, alternating between studios for filming.
When other groups were filming, they rested a bit, but some kids who were anxious practiced even during that time.
After 6 hours of filming, they immediately moved to the showcase venue. Since the schedule had started so early in the morning, everyone collapsed in the bus.
No matter how energetic and young they were, everyone’s legs were swollen and their soles stung every time they touched the ground from exhaustion.
‘It’ll be worse when we debut.’
Compared to company seniors who were active while sleeping only 2-3 hours a day, this much was bearable.
In the swaying bus, Juha sat blankly. He was too tired to feel sleepy. He felt like the day would just pass like this.
Seo Eunwon sitting next to him had already fallen asleep leaning on Juha’s shoulder. He’d acted tough during filming but seemed tired after all.
In the midst of this, a few who still had energy left were laughing and chatting even in the bus.
“My hands and feet went together, I’m telling you. When it happened the third time too, I really almost cut off my hands and feet.”
It was the voice of 2nd place Yoo Youngin who had been sticking close to Choi Taeri. He had been sitting next to Juha on the first day – he didn’t have any special skills but was a participant with noticeable looks and charm. Moreover, he was noticeably close with Taeri from the same group. The cameras often caught the two of them, curious about how 1st and 2nd place got along so friendly without competition.
Although they shared a room, once they left the room, Choi Taeri and Lee Juha were as distant as 1st place and 24th place.
It was none other than Lee Juha himself who had created that distance.
“That’s why I told you to practice more yesterday. I said I’d teach you. You can’t dance, hyung.”
Taeri’s voice mixed with laughter as he answered Youngin.
Taeri was friendly with Youngin, who was 2 years older than him, as if they’d known each other for a long time.
Has he ever smiled at me like that?
Juha fell into thought while looking at the back of Choi Taeri’s head sticking up from the seat.
Since he started sleeping on the sofa, Juha had been avoiding Taeri. When Taeri occasionally spoke to him in front of the room camera, he just answered without awkwardness.
Even after being scolded by Juha, seeing his consistent appearance in front of the camera made Juha think Choi Taeri was already a pro.
“Hey, be quiet. Someone’s snoring.”
“Who?”
At Youngin’s words, Taeri suddenly turned around.
‘Who’s snoring?’
Juha, who had been blankly listening to their conversation, met eyes with Taeri. He felt like he’d been caught peeking, but he was too dazed to think about avoiding it.
“It’s not Lee Juha.”
Choi Taeri grinned at Juha and turned his head. He looked quite satisfied.
‘Shit… I got caught.’
He’d pretended not to care, pretended to have no interest, but while spacing out, Taeri had caught his sincerity.
Seeing that bright smile, he finally came to his senses.
Biting his lips in regret, Juha belatedly met eyes with Youngin who had turned to look his way. His face looked displeased about something.
‘Fucking bastard.’
Youngin’s lip movements were clearly saying exactly that toward Juha.
‘Huh? What?’
Juha doubted his eyes.
Meanwhile, Youngin turned back around and chatted with Taeri as if nothing had happened. Youngin’s voice acting like nothing was wrong grated on Juha’s nerves.
“Hyung, is something wrong?”
When Juha’s body stiffened, Seo Eunwon who had been sleeping against his shoulder groggily woke up.
“Oh, no. Just sleep. Nothing’s wrong.”
Juha patted Eunwon back to sleep while glaring at the back of Youngin’s head.
Could he really have been talking to me?
Why?
What did I do?
All Juha had done was envy Youngin who stuck to Taeri like glue.
He wondered if it might have been something else, but there was no other way to interpret that lip shape besides ‘fucking bastard.’ Moreover, the way Youngin’s lips twisted when he spoke added to his certainty.
However, Lee Juha wasn’t one to just sulk after hearing such words.
‘I should ask.’
Juha’s eyes grew coldly calm.
People like that do worse things if you act easy from the start.
Having spent 6 years as a trainee, Juha had experienced more than anyone how ugly the jealousy, scheming, and hierarchies among men could be. If you pretend not to know, you immediately become ‘someone you can treat that way.’
‘I absolutely can’t stand that.’
On one hand, he thought he might have really seen wrong, but Juha wanted to confirm.
Soon the bus stopped in front of the venue. The trainees got off the bus in order from the front seats.
The showcase was in 3 hours. It was tight timing to match the rehearsal formation and check costumes and makeup again.
As soon as Juha got off the bus, he approached Youngin. Not knowing Juha was coming, Youngin was smiling brightly and chattering to Taeri.
Taeri, who had been turning his head to listen to him, soon spotted Juha. Taeri’s eyes widened at Lee Juha’s unexpectedly aggressive stride.
“Youngin hyung.”
Juha passed by Taeri and called out to stop Youngin. Taeri, who thought he was approaching him, flinched. Panic suddenly flashed across the face of Youngin who had been stuck close to his side.
“…Why?”
“I think you said something to me on the bus earlier. I didn’t hear it properly, could you say it again?”
There was no sense of unease in Juha’s attitude as he blinked curiously as if genuinely wondering.
“What did I say?”
Youngin asked back calmly, but couldn’t hide the tension in his eyes.
“Hyung, what did you say to Juha?”
Taeri, who was beside them, also asked Youngin.
“No, I didn’t say anything?”
Youngin blinked and shook his head. His big eyes and innocently drooping eye corners hid Youngin’s hypocritical true nature.
“Oh, really? Then I must have seen wrong. I was startled thinking you called me a ‘fucking bastard.’ Sorry for misunderstanding, hyung. Do well today.”
Despite his polite tone, Lee Juha’s eyes were rigidly hardened.
Behind Juha who left coolly, frightened Seo Eunwon scurried after him.
A smile spread across Taeri’s lips as he watched Juha’s retreating figure.
‘This is driving me crazy, really.’
He had a heart attack because of Lee Juha.
Taeri was struck again by the temperature difference between Lee Juha who had been blankly staring at the back of his head on the bus and Lee Juha who just delivered a strong punch to Youngin.
The prickliness of a pale, thin beauty-type person was definitely charming. It made him want to scratch gently just to see that prickliness once more.
Taeri, who had been staring at Juha, suddenly turned his head to Youngin beside him.
Eyes glaring at Juha with displeasure. It was obvious that Yoo Youngin had said nonsense to Lee Juha.
Lee Juha never picked fights first, but he never let fights picked with him slide.
“What the hell, that bastard… what did I even say.”
Youngin rubbed his arms as if getting goosebumps.
“Hyung.”
When Taeri called him, Youngin again looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Yeah, why?”
“Do you dislike Juha?”
Youngin seemed flustered but soon fixed his expression.
“Dislike him? He’s your roommate, why would I dislike him.”
Though Youngin answered with a bright smile, Taeri saw through his intentions.
More than anyone, Yoo Youngin tried not to earn Choi Taeri’s hatred. Though he was ranked 2nd, Youngin didn’t seem to have any intention of overtaking Choi Taeri for 1st place.
Rather, his intention to ride on the chemistry with Choi Taeri regardless of what rank he got was strong.
“Right? Juha misunderstood, right? I naturally believed hyung wouldn’t have said anything. Juha must have had a tough day today too.”
‘Believed.’ At Taeri’s words, Youngin’s eyes sparkled for a moment. Even though he acted sly, Yoo Youngin was quite transparent.
Just then, a camera filming the trainees entering the venue approached them.
“Let’s go. We have the most important thing left.”
Taeri turned his body toward the camera direction and patted Youngin’s shoulder. At the word ‘we,’ Youngin smiled pleasantly.
The word ‘believe’ and the sight of the two appearing affectionately on screen was enough. If he had taken Lee Juha’s side in front of Youngin for no reason, there was no telling what he might do.
He wanted to prevent Lee Juha from making enemies from the start.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
