“Hyung, are you done?”
“Yeah.”
Doha checked to see if the microphone had come loose.
“They said we’re doing a brief pre-interview.”
“Okay.”
“You seem pretty used to it now.”
“Yeah……”
To be honest, standing in front of cameras no longer made his stomach churn or his eyes spin. He didn’t even have the awareness that cameras were there anymore. His life was just filming and content every day, so when he came to his senses, he’d be in a state of “Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing right now?” It was especially bad when the boundary became blurred when he was busy learning new songs.
This is abuse. It’s abuse.
“But what were you talking about earlier?”
Sehyun recalled what the staff had said.
“They said they’re my fan.”
“Our Doha hyung is so popular.”
Sehyun playfully poked Doha’s cheek.
“You’ll mess up my makeup.”
“Wow, you seem really professional.”
It was a voice mixed with laughter. How annoying. Lim Sehyun.
“What are you going to say in the interview? That we’re going to get first place?”
“You do it.”
“Ah, the leader always passes it off.”
“I just want to quit being leader.”
“Are you going through puberty these days, hyung?”
In the end, Doha let out a sigh. Really annoying. Lim Sehyun.
* * *
Even though they practiced so much, today’s stage strangely left him with regrets. Why didn’t the movements stick better?
Catching his ragged breath, Doha drank water. Then Eden came and sat next to him.
“Hyung, you don’t look good.”
“Ah…… I think I made some mistakes today.”
“They’ll edit it anyway, so it won’t even show.”
“But……”
Suddenly, he wondered if this was regret. In the past, when a stage that made his legs tremble ended, he just thought “I’m free!” But now.
‘Don’t tell me I want to do well?’
That’s a really dangerous thought. Why am I trying to make an effort to do well at idol life? I shouldn’t lose my initial resolve.
Like other idols, Baek Doha was also in a battle with his “initial resolve.” The impure initial resolve to just do things half-heartedly, kill time, and leave.
“Hyung, your singing style has really changed lately. I think it’s similar to Sehyun’s too.”
“Huh?”
“You two have become a bit alike.”
Fuck. What kind of nonsense is that?
“That’s really rude.”
“Haha.”
Eden, who took Doha’s words as a joke, laughed heartily.
“Lim Sehyun seems amazing.”
“Why are you suddenly praising him……”
“He’s really, how should I say…… like a hyung. Should I say he’s someone I can rely on.”
“You’ve been brainwashed.”
Poor guy. Eden eventually knelt before Lim Sehyun’s demonic charm too. It’s because he’s a regressor and knows everything that’s going to happen. Don’t be fooled.
“These days, I think we’re pretty good.”
“Mm.”
Eden looks happy. Being next to someone who looks happy made it feel like happiness was contagious.
“Ugh! It’s hot. Hot! Why does my outfit have so much fur?”
Yunbeom, who had approached at some point, plopped down next to Doha and took a water bottle.
“Where’s Lim Sehyun?”
“Over there.”
As soon as the stage ended, Lim Sehyun ran off saying he’d do monitoring and was stuck right next to the PD. What a scary guy.
“He doesn’t seem human. He’s a robot. We need to peel off his skin.”
At Doha’s words, Yunbeom chuckled. Haram came and sat next to Yunbeom.
“They said we’re having a company dinner today!”
“Yeah. Beef.”
“Nice!”
“Why are you acting like you haven’t been able to mooch food anywhere?”
When Yunbeom scolded Haram, Haram stuck out his tongue.
“Anyone want to bet on whether Lim Sehyun brought chicken breast today!”
Hey, no way. It’s not just anything, it’s beef. It’s the same protein, so would he really bring chicken breast on top of that?
“I’ll bet 10,000 won he didn’t bring it.”
“Look at that weak betting. Then I’ll bet 10,000 won he did bring it.”
Yunbeom countered Doha’s bet.
“What about you, Eden hyung?”
“Childish.”
Eden said it was childish, but quietly murmured, “He probably didn’t bring it……”
Then, the ungentlemanly Lim Sehyun suddenly looked at the members.
“Oh, did he hear?”
The members sitting in a row avoided Lim Sehyun’s eyes and giggled. Doha thought that the level of conversation among adults who were old enough was just like fifteen-year-old boys.
Was it because the heat from the stage hadn’t left his body yet? His heart was pounding. For some reason, this moment didn’t seem so bad……
‘It’s because of the beef.’
This must all be the excitement of anticipating Korean beef. It’s definitely not because this moment is enjoyable. Only perverts with M tendencies would enjoy something like this!
* * *
“Cheers!”
Clink, a clear and cheerful sound filled the room. Cider and cola glasses collided in the air.
“Kyaa! I feel alive!”
Yunbeom, who had struck all sorts of poses on stage, gulped down carbonation and let out an ahjussi-like exclamation. Doha also felt his tension finally release as the cool cider went down his throat.
This was a Korean beef specialty restaurant famous for being expensive even near the broadcasting station. They were able to come here thanks to the CEO bestowing the corporate card to commemorate successfully completing the third competition.
“Come on, eat, eat! Don’t think about dieting just for today!”
Cheolhwan held the meat tongs and shouted boldly. On the grill, 2++ grade Korean beef sirloin with marbling blooming like snow was cooking with a sizzle. The savory smell of oil stimulated their noses.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Haram’s eyes sparkled as he picked up his chopsticks. Eden also couldn’t take his eyes off the meat. A day of liberation from diet management, the fate of idols. Everyone’s chopsticks moved faster than light.
Doha was moved by the taste of meat melting in his mouth.
‘Ha…… Money really is the best.’
Meat kept piling up in front of Doha. As he ate whatever came his way, Doha suddenly discovered Sehyun constantly bringing meat like a mother bird and tilted his head.
“You eat.”
“Just watching hyung eat makes me full.”
“Liar.”
In the end, Doha saw it. The chicken breast tucked neatly in Lim Sehyun’s hoodie pocket.
Eventually, Doha grabbed a handful of beef from the grill and placed it on Lim Sehyun’s plate.
“Chicken breast is forbidden today.”
At Doha’s words, Sehyun laughed like an old man. Sehyun also started eating the beef deliciously. Just when he thought he was eating quietly, Lim Sehyun opened his mouth.
“You know the final competition is a new song, right?”
Lim Sehyun was starting up again. Doha quietly picked up a lettuce wrap. Then he grabbed Lim Sehyun’s chin and turned his head toward himself.
“Hm?”
“Eat vegetables too. Our Sehyun.”
Doha stuffed a bunch of lettuce into Sehyun’s mouth. It meant don’t talk about work when we’re happily eating meat.
“Mmph, mmph!”
At that sight, laughter burst out around them. It was a pleasant time for once.
* * *
As expected, meat tastes best when eaten with a corporate card.
After happily filling his belly, Doha left the restaurant before the other members and headed to the van. His plan was to claim a comfortable seat early. But there was one thing he overlooked.
There was no one to open the car door.
In the end, Doha ended up shivering in the chilly weather, earnestly waiting for the group to come out. He pressed down his hat thinking people might recognize him, and suddenly thought he’d become quite the celebrity now.
As he unnecessarily composed himself from embarrassment and looked at his reflection in the car window, his pocket vibrated.
Doha, who usually had no place to receive contact from unless it was spam calls, looked at his phone nonchalantly but was a bit surprised to see the name on the screen.
[Seo Yungyeom Sunbae-nim]
‘At this hour?’
Doha confirmed there was no one around and pressed the call button.
“Hello?”
– Ah, Doha-ssi. Did the company dinner go well?
He recalled telling Yungyeom they were having a company dinner when they greeted each other after filming ended.
“Yes, we just finished eating and came out. Have you eaten, sunbae-nim?”
– I just had a simple salad.
“You should eat something substantial.”
– Haha, I’m controlling my weight these days so I’m being careful. Next time, send me a photo of what you’re eating, Doha-ssi. So I can be vicariously satisfied.
Why does he want photos of someone else eating? YouTube is full of mukbang videos to be vicariously satisfied with.
“Ah…… Okay.”
He agreed for now. He was gradually getting curious about the purpose of the call.
– I called because I was so busy after filming ended today that I don’t think I got to tell you your stage was good.
“I think you did……”
He definitely remembered him making double thumbs up.
– Actually, that’s an excuse. I wanted to urge you about when we’ll make our next appointment.
“Ah……”
So it wasn’t the common “let’s eat together next time” kind of meaning. Is he hungry? He said he was managing his weight, so he might be eagerly waiting for a cheat day.
“Um…… I think I need to check my schedule.”
– What would be good. Do you have any foods you can’t eat? Like allergies.
“I don’t have anything like that.”
– I thought so.
How did he guess that in advance? This face seems like the type that would look pretty picky.
– What do you like?
“I don’t discriminate between Korean, Western, or Chinese food, I like meat, I like sashimi, and I like desserts too.”
As soon as he answered, he heard a faint laugh from the other side of the phone. He didn’t think he said anything funny. Is he generous with his laughter?
