# Chapter 85
Most of them were people who had become friends through the God Ki Hyun Cover Contest, and there were also some who came to greet me through their introductions.
They congratulated me on taking on the hosting role and carried on various conversations.
Since these were faces I had often seen while following Crop Five around as their manager, I wasn’t completely awkward as I exchanged greetings.
“We were really worried at the company because our release timing coincided with Crop Five’s. We wondered if we should delay our album release. But we decided to just go ahead, thinking that at least we’d have something to say even if we failed.”
When someone spoke almost self-destructively like that, laments from all around followed saying they had been in similar situations.
“But I think it turned out even better. They say overall ratings for entertainment programs have increased lately because everyone’s watching Crop Five and God Ki Hyun-sunbaenim. The company said it was actually a good decision to release now.”
“I heard that too. Crop Five is truly Crop Five. Ratings jump dramatically whenever they appear. God Ki Hyun-sunbaenim has a broad fan base but there are limitations, you know. I don’t mean to speak badly about the sunbaenim. In that sense, it seems better for us the more Crop Five promotes.”
Being able to hear such things directly from the field was helpful to me in many ways.
“Our company’s CEO is dying with envy for Grand Tamer. He keeps asking what don’t they have, with Crop Five and God Ki Hyun-sunbaenim. So I told him we’re envious of Grand Tamer too. Both of their CEOs are incredibly handsome.”
“I did the same. CEO Kang, couldn’t you please take me with you?”
I could see aspects I hadn’t been able to see when I was Crop Five’s manager or Grand Tamer’s CEO, and completely different conversations were exchanged.
Sijin seemed to enjoy the experience as well, and we both enjoyed the time together comfortably without the burden of work.
“Please get ready, both of you.”
At the staff member’s words, Sijin and I looked at each other.
“Well. You look perfect, my star.”
Sijin laughed at my words.
“It’s nice to go up together, Hyung. So I don’t have to watch you waiting alone.”
“I think I might have preferred that time more.”
When it was time, I felt a little nervous, but everyone around was so supportive that I just went all out with an attitude of whatever happens, happens.
As time passed, I felt like I was getting better and better, so I asked if I didn’t seem really good, but Sijin politely asked who I was talking about.
It was my fault for expecting such an answer from him.
My image of dancing excitedly while watching the stage was occasionally caught on camera, and I flinched each time.
Sijin waved and smiled whenever the camera zoomed in on him, and watching that, I thought that a star really is different.
I had fun while the singers performed on stage, but sometimes I stumbled when it was time for me to speak, but overall it was successful.
“So! Sijin-ssi. You finally get to meet these people. We’ve waited a really long time. Did Sijin-ssi wait too?”
“No, not really. I didn’t particularly want to see them here as well.”
“I see. There were rumors that Crop Five’s member composition has changed, have you heard about that, Sijin-ssi?”
“Yes, I’ve heard. They were saying ‘Crop Four and God Ki Hyun,’ or ‘God Ki Hyun and the Kids,’ but it seems to have settled on Crop Five.”
“Then shall we invite them?”
About three times I blurted out the script I had prepared before Sijin had finished speaking, but I chose to believe it wasn’t very noticeable.
While going backstage, I said to Sijin:
“Sijin, am I too good that it’s burdensome for you? I think it might be. And I might be compared to you. I feel like I’m doing something unfair to you.”
Sijin tilted his head as if wondering what I was saying.
Then he put his ear close to hear me better, and burst into laughter, holding his waist.
“Hyung. It is burdensome, but I’ll endure it.”
“You will? You’ll endure it? I’ll try to be more careful from now on.”
“No, Hyung. I’ll just endure it well. So don’t be careful.”
Sijin couldn’t stop laughing and continued to do so, while I enjoyed Crop Five’s performance.
I followed along when Crop Five was practicing their choreography, and now I was dancing enthusiastically beside them, considering myself quite skilled.
Ah, could I possibly be recruited as a member at this rate?
When that thought occurred to me, I stayed quiet for a while, but it didn’t last long.
When the recording was finished, I felt refreshed and ran after Crop Five, asking if I wasn’t amazing, and the members just shook their heads.
“Seomin-ssi is so cute.”
Ki Hyunshin said he enjoyed the stage without feeling nervous thanks to me and Crop Five, and asked to be invited often in the future.
“It’s not up to me to invite you, but I’ll try my best, Hyung.”
“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”
I had anticipated that the response wouldn’t be bad, but it exploded much bigger than I expected.
The hosting by Ki Hyunshin, Crop Five, and Han Sijin.
There were many elements that could become issues, but why…
Why was my dancing fancam the most popular?
The clip of me jumping in with my memorized lines before Sijin finished speaking also gained popularity.
[Oh my. Why is Seominie so cute? It looks like he’s speaking first because he’s afraid he’ll forget his lines.]
[Nooo. I understand the worry about forgetting, but still, he should speak after Han Sijin finishes his lines. He’s so cute I might die from cuteness overload. My number one pick from today!]
[I love you, Seominie~. He seems to be showing off without even realizing he’s showing off, and he’s so cute it’s driving me crazy. His stage outfit that looks styled yet unstudied is exactly my taste. He was always cute, but now he’s lethal. Like a seal has been broken.]
[How could Crop Five not adore him and bear it? The way Crop Five’s faces light up every time they see Seominie is exactly my taste~.]
Why is everyone saying I’m cute instead of mentioning how cool I am?
* * *
We received an offer.
An actual offer came in asking if Sijin and I could host together.
I was incredibly surprised, but Sijin maintained an expression that suggested it wasn’t a big deal.
He was… cool.
But there was no need to think long about whether to accept the offer.
Sijin said he didn’t really want to go, and that made further consideration unnecessary.
Sijin expressed his wish to have such time together for at least a few months, saying he had made a significant decision because he wanted to increase the time he spent with me.
If that’s what Sijin wanted, I had no reason to refuse.
There was no urgent need to earn money, and Grand Tamer was stable, so we could make decisions at a leisurely pace.
Sijin decided to take some time to recharge for now, and I decided to care for him, so all the excuses were in place.
Hyung gladly approved it, which was an acknowledgment of how Sijin had been endlessly running forward all this time.
We spent most of our time at my house, and Sijin listened to a lot of music during that time.
In Crop Five, there were times when Sijin had to adjust his capabilities to create the most ideal image together, but now he composed songs and music that were filled with himself from beginning to end.
I continued with my own work while Sijin worked.
I was also getting back into translation, which I hadn’t done for a while, but I wasn’t officially taking on outsourced projects. Instead, I was doing it as a hobby activity that I could stop at any time.
I was working on translating specialized books in my field of interest that hadn’t been translated domestically, and it became a quite satisfying hobby for me as it helped me focus and develop myself.
If I finished translating to the last page, I could potentially officially release the result to the world, and I was keeping various possibilities open.
We would each do our own work without disturbing each other while being together, and then take breaks together.
We gradually got used to that time.
Sijin would stop working and often look at me or approach me to look at the book I was reading beside me.
“Shall I play with you?”
“Won’t it disturb you?”
“No. It’s not work, just something I’m doing.”
“Then please play with me.”
“Should we have lunch? Should I make something delicious?”
“I don’t want anything in particular. Oh, or do I?”
He looked at me with lewd eyes, and my heart seemed to drop.
If we calculated the time, we were quite long-term lovers, but my heart still pounded when I heard his words and felt his touch.
Come to think of it, how amazing he was.
But it didn’t seem all that surprising either.
The proof was that there were probably tens of millions of people outside suffering from Han Sijin syndrome.
Before I knew it, his lips approached.
Then he kissed my forehead, eyelids, bridge of my nose, and cheeks.
I felt his breath everywhere except on my lips.
A relaxed smile that I could now see without feeling uncomfortable.
His eyes sparkled with elegantly folded corners.
I suddenly felt pleased at the thought that only I in the world knew how beautiful his eyes were.
“What color is this, exactly?”
“My eyes?”
“Yes. It’s both brown and gray. So incredibly subtle.”
“Really? Aren’t they black?”
As he said this, Sijin looked into my eyes.
