Ocean
Leader: Lee Chan, 23 years old, Alpha, 178cm
Rapper: Evan Lewis, 20 years old, Alpha, 188cm
Rapper: Kang Yechan, 19 years old, Alpha, 192cm
Vocal: Yoo Sangjun, 22 years old, Beta, 182cm
Vocal: Kim Siwoo, 20 years old, Beta, 174cm
The tightrope walking had begun. A first-year group that had already made a successful debut.
The debut song was one of the Ocean songs he knew. ‘Déjà Vu’ written by Yoo Sangjun.
If his memory was correct, it would have been the 2nd album title track, but this time that song was written as the debut song.
He checked several times, but his name was registered as a member of Ocean. When even his profile came up in the search, he covered his mouth with one hand.
Ocean’s members had changed, and the debut date had changed, so everything related to it must have changed as well.
This kind of information that could be written in text wasn’t important at all.
What he needed to pay attention to now was maintaining good relationships with the group members and people related to the agency.
Siwoo raised his head and looked around the quiet van. Sangjun sitting in the front seat was wearing headphones, not earbuds, and looking out the window. This time he turned his body to look behind.
Yechan was looking at his phone, and Lee Chan was sleeping.
And the one seat he was most curious about was empty. Siwoo’s gaze stopped at the empty seat next to him.
Siwoo didn’t move with his eyes closed.
What kind of relationship do we have? Just friends? Group members? Or…
He wasn’t a regressor like himself.
So just a few hours ago.
He wouldn’t know anything about that emotional fight that was so vivid to him.
It was only his.
The emotions he had thought were his from the beginning truly remained entirely his.
How should he look at him when they meet in just a few hours?
The last image of him remaining in Siwoo’s mind was sadness.
It was heartbreaking, overflowing with sorrow, and filled with melancholy. Evan’s hot touch, his soft lips.
The unfamiliar and strange sensations that enveloped his body. He had been wrapped in a wind full of peppermint scent.
But everything became nothing.
The memories of the two had now become only his own memories.
He had dreamed of regression.
He had hoped that everything that had happened to him would become as if nothing had happened.
But not now. Nothing has been resolved.
He should have just not said anything. He shouldn’t have said or heard such things from him.
“……”
‘My Pair.’
He continued to speak after that, but he couldn’t remember the other words. The beginning of the last thing he said was definitely ‘My Pair.’
Lowering the hand covering his mouth, Siwoo filled the search bar with quick finger movements. Soon the search results for the word ‘Pair’ appeared.
pair
- noun <two things of the same kind, especially used together or worn on the body>
- noun <a thing made up of two parts joined together>
- verb to form pairs
After checking the dictionary definition and opening another window, Siwoo’s fingertips stopped.
One of the terms referring to a relationship formed by the imprinting of Alphas and Omegas (more commonly used for the imprinting of Golden Alphas and Omegas. However, the precise definition refers to the imprinting of Golden Alphas and Hidden Omegas.)
Alpha and Omega, it ultimately led to things related to traits.
It seemed to be the same as imprinting, but the term used to refer to it was different. For Siwoo, who didn’t have much information about Alphas and Omegas, it was all difficult language.
“You have to say things that make sense.”
Feeling like he was falling into absurd imagination, Siwoo grumbled and turned off his phone. Then he shifted his gaze out the window. He wasn’t certain.
What kind of relationship had he formed with them?
All of this might be a dream.
A dream brought on by the pressure he wanted to escape from before enlistment.
He wasn’t sure if it was regression or if he was in a dream.
Perhaps when he fell asleep like this and opened his eyes again, he might be with Ongi in his twenty-three-year-old self’s officetel.
Siwoo’s eyes widened as he watched the streets passing by indifferently and quickly.
On a large electronic billboard, a CF that Ocean had filmed was playing.
An image of himself that he didn’t know. He was smiling brightly with Lee Chan and Yoo Sangjun, whom he’d seen for the first time today.
The five of them showed a very natural and comfortable appearance.
Ah. It was a sportswear advertisement. No wonder they were running around on a beach and playing beach volleyball.
“Everyone stay alert. Siwoo, put on your hat, and Yechan you… don’t tell me it’s that hat?”
Startled by Myunghun’s voice, Siwoo looked forward. He’d been spacing out and didn’t even know who the driver was. Isn’t there supposed to be a separate road manager? Why? Why is he driving? Suddenly recalling his age and situation, he thought that Myunghun might be the road manager.
“Chan? Sunglasses?”
“Yes. If I wear a hat, it presses down my hair.”
The van, which had been quiet until now, became noisy. It must mean they were getting close to the airport.
Siwoo took out the ball cap from his backpack. He still didn’t know what was what. But he absolutely couldn’t stand out.
He pressed the ball cap down deeply to cover his face as much as possible.
The moment the van stopped at the airport departure hall entrance, his heart started beating rapidly.
The moment the car door opened, the cheers and flashing camera lights that could be heard were unfamiliar but he had memories of experiencing them.
Suddenly the sound got louder. Based on the sound of the door opening and closing, it seemed that Sangjun hyung who had been in the passenger seat had gotten out. And the back door of the van opened. It was his turn to get out.
He gripped his backpack tightly. Then, with his head down, he carefully got out of the car.
Siwoo’s body swayed at the cheers that rang out once again. At the same time, thanks to the hand that grabbed his forearm, he didn’t fall ungracefully, but contrary to his thoughts, the cheers grew louder.
“Be careful.”
Only after hearing the gentle voice did Siwoo realize he was practically in Sangjun’s arms and quickly straightened his body.
“Thank you, hyung.”
“……”
Amidst the continuous cheers and flashes going off in front of his eyes, Sangjun said something to him. Because he couldn’t hear well, Siwoo took a step closer to Sangjun.
“You don’t look well today. Are you really sick? Do you have any regular medicine? If not, ask Myunghun hyung to buy some before the plane takes off.”
Naturally, Sangjun leaned down and spoke into Siwoo’s ear.
Siwoo just nodded. Then he took another step back to create distance from him. He didn’t know what was what, but for now he had to quietly watch the situation unfold.
* * *
Except for the small commotion when Siwoo stumbled getting out of the van, nothing special happened until they boarded the plane.
He remembered that Ocean used to travel on private jets, but should he understand since it’s still first class?
Sitting in the first-class seat, Siwoo diligently took out the items in his backpack. Indeed, his habits don’t go anywhere.
Seeing the heated eye mask and moisturizing mask, the corners of Siwoo’s mouth twisted.
After putting on the moisturizing mask and heated eye mask and covering himself with a blanket, he created his own space.
Since WiFi was available, Siwoo took out his phone again.
This time he entered a video site instead of the search bar. Things like their first album stages or their activities during that time were faster to see in videos than text.
A flashy stage. Bright spotlights. Their own cheering methods.
In the video was Kim Siwoo. With a bright expression that must have been practiced dozens, hundreds of times, he danced and sang to the fast-tempo music.
His heart beat rapidly. His name was in the cheers. Swaying light sticks, cheers. He was moving to that song that he had sung alone and danced to when bored.
Siwoo clenched his molars tightly. Was it really a dream? Could it be a dream?
The scene at the airport departure hall just now came to mind vividly. Even without Evan, such a large crowd had gathered? The sound of people calling his name. The placards, photos they were holding, some of them were his.
Because there was thorough control, it wasn’t that difficult. But recalling what Evan had said, Siwoo walked with his head down, only looking at the hem of the person in front’s clothes.
Until boarding, he walked with them, and Yechan, Chan hyung, and Sangjun hyung joked around and talked comfortably looking at the camera moving with them. In place of himself who didn’t speak, Yechan said that his condition wasn’t good and patted his shoulder.
They were truly close like members of one group.
‘It’s a CF and photoshoot, but it feels like we’re going on a trip.’
Through their conversation, Siwoo gathered as much information as possible. The place they were going now was England. Evan had gone to England first due to visa issues. Their schedule was to proceed with the planned schedule after meeting up with Evan locally.
Siwoo, who had been watching stage videos, now shifted his gaze to videos made by fans. He unconsciously clicked on one with the title “Evan Introduction Video.”
Evan in the video looked a little younger than he knew him. He’s quite sweet and friendly, so why does he show such a cold appearance in front of the camera? Evan in the video was exactly like his old self. Before actually meeting him. Siwoo had thought that too while watching Evan’s videos.
He certainly performed on stage better than anyone, and knew how to appropriately engage and withdraw on variety shows. He hadn’t left anything like a dark history anywhere. That appearance of being so perfect that he didn’t seem realistic was still there.
The video program naturally continued to the next video. Siwoo didn’t need to choose or select anything in particular.
[Ocean] Relationship Analysis Part 3: Same Age Evan & Siwoo
A video showing scenes of the two together or appearing to banter flowed out. But Siwoo’s expression watching it gradually hardened. After watching the entire video, Siwoo searched for a somewhat sensitive term.
—Ocean discord—
