‘…Mm, the younger brother doesn’t resemble them at all.’
Even the Talent Development Team Leader who had been actively courting the younger sister just smiled, exchanged greetings with the grandparents, and left.
The younger brother was ordinary. It was just that the older brother and older sister were too similarly outstanding.
Also, the atmosphere was quite different. Compared to the siblings who were calm beyond their age to the point of seeming dark, the younger brother was busy jumping around energetically in front of his hyung even in this place full of strangers.
“Hyung! Really! It was totally awesome!”
“Thanks.”
Go Won ruffled his younger brother’s hair and guided the grandmother and grandfather to the sofa seats. While doing so, he went to the grandfather’s side, who seemed to have somewhat difficulty moving, and familiarly supported his arm. To my eyes he seemed like just a kid, but it seems he really is the head of the household. He then took care of his younger sister.
“How was it, Sua?”
“Have I ever come to a place like this in my life… everything was just amazing. …Oppa was cool.”
“Won-ah!”
At that moment, with a resounding shout, Manager Park smiled brightly and held out a phone.
“HOT 100 first place! <DEEP>, as soon as the audio was released it became first place!”
“…! Really?”
“I told you this time would really do well!”
Go Won focused on the phone as if burying his head in it. The breath exhaling from his mouth gradually quickened. Not knowing everyone inside was looking at him, his pupils rippled.
Wow, receiving good results after finishing an amazing performance. Go Won’s going to have trouble sleeping today.
Only after a long while did the gaze that barely left the screen look around the waiting room and stop at me.
At that moment, Go Won smiled brightly.
“Hyung!”
“……?”
“I, I…! This, it worked!”
No, I can see it worked so well you’re speechless. But when your family and other people are all here, are you excited looking at me specifically?
“Hyung, what is it? What? Did our hyung get first place? Hyung, what is it?”
The younger brother who pattered after Go Won pulled at his collar.
“Ah… it means people really like hyung’s song. The one hyung sang last.”
“The one that went deep deep deep deep?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“Won-ah, I’ll take a photo for you. Make sure to post on Miverse and Bogle tonight.”
“Yes, I understand…”
“I saw people screaming too! So that’s why you got first place?”
“Go Suhyeon, come to grandma. Hyung is working.”
“Hyung’s working? What work?”
“Hey, Go Suhyeon…!”
Go Won’s family seemed worried the younger brother would be a bother, but fortunately, the 5th Division was an organization where twenty-year-old Go Won was the absolute youngest. So everyone found the liveliness of a ten-year-old child cute.
Moreover, right now was after hearing such joyful news that they could laugh off most things.
“Won’s younger brother. Your hyung is a celebrity. So he’s taking photos and trying to upload them so many people can see. That’s your hyung’s work.”
“Wow…”
Suhyeon, who exclaimed as if entranced, followed Go Won who moved toward the white wall for filming, then fiddled around beside him touching his waist decoration and such.
“Uh, um, younger brother? Could you go over there with noona for a moment?”
“Noo… I’m just being here.”
It was obvious lingering because he wanted to take photos together. Laughter saying it was cute flowed from here and there in the waiting room.
“Suhyeon-ah. Just a moment, hyung.”
Go Won, the person in question, tried to appease his younger brother in difficulty. But do kids go as planned? That younger sister over there even seemed a bit angry at the younger brother.
‘Still, he’s today’s protagonist, so we shouldn’t let him be embarrassed at the end.’
I tapped Manager Park’s shoulder.
“Just take a family photo once. Since you brought everyone here. Take a group photo with those who were on stage together before taking off the outfit too.”
“Oh, right. We should do that. Family photo is good. Won, then go sit over there with your younger brother.”
“…Ah, understood.”
Go Won and his family took photos with bewildered faces like people who fell into a strange land. Of course, the younger brother alone was excited with his arm stretched out straight.
Then Go Won took photos with the dancers and session musicians. While the younger brother was held tightly by noona, he left all the solo shots to be uploaded on SNS too.
“Now we’re all done.”
“Hyung, just a moment.”
I thought things were wrapping up like that, but Go Won approached me.
“Hyung, please take a photo with me too.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“My photos are expensive.”
“BigTree sunbae-nims took them easily.”
“When on earth was that?”
“You did challenges too. I also… please do it.”
“No. Your dance is too hard.”
Still, he did grow compared to debut. The guy who couldn’t get out a single word is now asking other celebrities first to take photos.
‘Deep already started so well on its own that I don’t know if photos and challenges would particularly help.’
Go Won, who checked the photo taken with me, smiled.
“It came out well, hyung.”
“Yeah, use it well.”
“Yes, I’ll save it well.”
…Wasn’t the purpose a proof shot?
“When are you coming home today?”
I asked thinking he’d come home after even having dinner with staff, but Go Won shook his head.
“Ah, I, before the promotion period starts, I’m going to sleep over with my family one last time.”
“…Ah.”
Well, it’ll be difficult to meet for as short as a few weeks, as long as a month or two.
Still, I thought we’d have conversations like ‘How dare you not know the song of the century <Steak>?’, ‘Anyway, the stage was good and you did everything well’ at home later.
An utterly unjustified disappointment welled up. Why did I think that scene was natural?
“Right, got it. Let’s see each other after you come back.”
I said this, but I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see the guy’s face knowing the murderous schedule of the promotion period will pour out from next week.
***
After Baek Hanje left, even though it was filled with staff, the waiting room felt empty.
As Go Won blankly spaced out looking at his own hand, another guest visited the waiting room.
“Hyung, hello…?”
Peeking his head out from outside the door and stealthily gesturing was Newton’s maknae Yusang.
When he approached closer, all five Newton members were there.
“Sunbae-nim, hello.”
Go Won bowed his head politely to Newton in greeting.
“Watched the stage well. The new song was crazy!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Ah, it’s already HOT 100 first place. Did you see?”
“Yes…”
It’s true they got closer than before after experiencing a certain incident together, but it doesn’t seem like they’re at this level yet.
Go Won stealthily leaned his body back, but Jeong Yusang noticed the sign and paid no mind.
“Ah, now we became the rolling stones of the new label. To close our mouths tight about past things and look good to hyung!”
Jeong Yusang shouted too honestly. Go Won thought it wasn’t his imagination that he’d been reminded of Suhyeon while looking at him.
And he was glad he seemed to have recovered quickly.
“Congratulations on the comeback. And on the good results too.”
Stopping Yusang’s free-spirited mouth, leader Nam Jungho stepped forward.
“Thank you.”
“…It’s way better than the demo we secretly eavesdropped on.”
“……”
“You knew after all.”
With a guilt-ridden expression, he soon exhaled a long breath.
“We’re preparing for a competition program now.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Um… we’ve also been neglecting domestic activities, and if we go on a competition, we can show our stage plenty to fans. It’ll be a good opportunity.”
“I see.”
Nam Jungho let out an empty laugh toward himself who brought it up rather solemnly.
Go Won seemed to have absolutely no thoughts like ‘A K-dum idol on a competition program?’ That ignorance, just for now, made him choke up a bit while also feeling futile at the appearance of being completely clueless about the entertainment industry’s ecosystem.
Because the time he’d spent choking up and sharpening himself alone felt more pathetic and sorry.
“For already-debuted idols, participating in competition programs can look like admitting you’re just a so-so group that didn’t make it to the top tier.”
“…Ah.”
“So, I also consulted with Director Kwon Taeyoung sunbae-nim. Whether you’d hear bad things if we go on a competition right after the divisions merged…”
Already, fans’ protests that the company took less care of Newton due to comparison with Go Won had even escalated to truck protests.
But going on a competition program at this timing of all times. It was good timing to be accused of treating them more like leftovers after the division merger.
Kwon Taeyoung’s answer to that was concise.
‘If a singer wants to do it, they do it.’
‘That’s what the company exists for—to take that criticism.’
Hearing Nam Jungho’s words, Go Won nodded.
“That does sound like something the division head would say.”
“……”
Nam Jungho, who had been looking intently at Go Won’s face, exhaled a long sigh.
“Ah, I’m going crazy with jealousy.”
“What?”
“I’m saying I’m going crazy with envy that Go Won-ssi is in your first debut year right now. That it’s been half a year since debut when you met good executives, good seniors and are riding high…”
“……”
“But you know, this is the last time I’ll do this inferiority complex. I’m so envious of Go Won-ssi right now, but I’m going to try hard to escape from a position where I only envy others.”
Newton also now met management that actively listened to their voices.
Above all, Newton also only debuted 2 years ago.
The members are young and opportunities are scattered everywhere. It’s funny to lament their circumstances when they debuted at a major entertainment company like K-dum. When he turned his gaze that had been stuck in self-pity looking only at the distant heights, objectification happened.
All of Executive Director Choi’s close associates, who had been the head of the 4th Division, were demoted. But Kwon Taeyoung chose not to push the 4th Division under the 5th Division, but to embrace both sides at once.
In other words, the working staff who had been with Newton were intact.
They just had to excitedly climb up from where they could.
“I’m sorry for everything until now. I’ll sincerely support this promotion.”
Only then did a bright smile appear on Nam Jungho’s face, who had cast everything off.
After Newton returned, the manager who confirmed backstage was roughly organized put Go Won in the van with his family and saw them off.
“Hyung, what’s this?”
Go Won picked up a bouquet placed next to the seat he usually sits in. It was a bouquet filled with blue roses like this album’s concept.
“Ah, that’s what Hanje brought. It was in the waiting room but you didn’t see it because it was hectic, right? I took care of it.”
“……”
“If he says you didn’t see the gift he gave, how much would he tease you again? Hyung did well, right?”
Go Won laid Suhyeon, who had fallen asleep leaning on him, toward the cushion, then carefully examined the bouquet.
What Baek Hanje casually offered was always only huge things. This bouquet was also large enough to fill Go Won’s arms.
Was that why? The scent was strong enough to cover his whole body.
Go Won discovered a card inside the bouquet. He quickly illuminated it with his phone.
To the deepest light.
-From the Sunbae Who Paves a Flower Path.
“……”
Go Won kept capturing the two lines written on the card in his eyes. Enough to recognize the form with just the dim light outside the window even after the phone turned off.
The handwriting on the card was the same as the handwriting in memos sometimes written on lyric sheets given to Go Won.
