“Is it because individual profit distribution starts next year that you’re working so hard?”
“No. I’m just rowing while the tide is high.”
Inhan replied with a faint smile to Taylor’s question. Taylor immediately knew it was a lie. Inhan had known how to hide his emotions well since he was fourteen years old.
Hey, you can tell me if it’s hard. At Taylor’s words, Inhan just smiled without answering.
That’s why Taylor was often confused about whether Inhan was really okay or just pretending to be.
Now, that same Inhan was showing his struggle with his entire body.
“Hyung. I’m sorry.”
Taylor sighed at Inhan’s sudden apology. Then he asked Inhan.
“For what?”
“For anything.”
Taylor, deciding that enough was enough, left his bed and approached Inhan. Then he kicked Inhan’s shin, which was positioned below the bed. Ah. Inhan yelped in surprise.
“Hey. If you’re going to keep being so miserable, go wash up and come back. Let me get some sleep.”
At Taylor’s words, Inhan reluctantly got up. At the same time, Taylor’s hand moved toward the crown of Inhan’s head. Taylor awkwardly just placed his hand on top of Inhan’s head. To anyone watching, it looked like he was giving some kind of blessing.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s okay.”
“What is?”
“Just everything.”
At Taylor’s words, tears welled up in Inhan’s eyes. Taylor seemed determined to keep touching Inhan’s heart.
“I’ve never once regretted debuting with you guys.”
Inhan scrunched up his face, almost on the verge of tears. Yet he still playfully joked with Taylor.
“I heard T.OS is performing at Tokyo Dome this time?”
“Why bring that up now? Do you want to die?”
T.OS was a male idol group from WG, one of the three major entertainment companies, and a team that Taylor had once been a part of as a debut lineup member.
It was also one of the few groups classified as top-tier idols.
“They’re a thousand times worse than you guys. Just wait and see. They’ll soon be caught up in personality controversies.”
“You know I joined this company because of you, hyung, right?”
“I know. That’s why hyung loves you so much.”
Inhan closed his eyes quietly at Taylor’s unusually affectionate words. He felt the sadness that had risen to his chin subside a little.
He’s not crying after all. Displeased with Inhan, Taylor changed his attitude again and scolded him.
“Either cry or go wash up. Can you make a decision?”
“I’ll wash up without crying.”
Saying that, Inhan smiled. Then he got up from the bed and headed out the door.
As Inhan exited the room, Yuho was just coming out of the shower in the main bedroom bathroom that the managers used.
Separated by the narrow hallway, the two stood facing each other, briefly making eye contact.
Then Yuho moved away first, and only then did Inhan head towards the main bedroom.
That’s how the two passed each other without a word.
“Taking a shower now?”
“Yes. I was dawdling.”
Inhan answered with a smiling face to Suhyung’s question. Then he immediately erased his expression and entered the main bedroom bathroom.
The strong sound of the shower filled the bathroom, and Inhan shed the tears he had been holding back throughout his shower.
He couldn’t figure out where or what had gone wrong.
In the end, he could only think that he had ruined everything himself.
* * *
“Inhan! Wake up! What’s wrong with you?”
Taylor shouted at Inhan, who was out of it during the rehearsal after already having issues during concert practice.
Raulie, who had been hit on the shoulder by Inhan, was making a fuss with an exaggerated groan.
“Ah. I think my shoulder is dislocated.”
“Raulie hyung, I’m sorry. Are you okay? I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to sleep for the past few days.”
“Are you not going to manage your condition properly?”
Under Taylor’s continued scolding, Inhan hung his head low as if he were a great sinner.
Jueon patted his back in comfort, but Inhan, unable to forgive himself, ruffled his hair in frustration.
With an impossible schedule and lack of proper sleep, Inhan’s body was far from healthy. Taylor had stepped up and complained to the company several times, but his concerns were not accepted.
Now all Taylor could do was to keep cautioning Inhan.
“You’re going to cause a serious accident at this rate. Get it together.”
“Yes, hyung. I’m sorry.”
Inhan apologized to Taylor and positioned himself again. But his head was still foggy. This is going to lead to a real disaster. Even though he was aware of it, his body wouldn’t cooperate with his thoughts.
It felt like he’d made eye contact with Yuho more than usual today. But he didn’t have the luxury to dwell on that fact.
“Inhan!”
Eventually, an accident happened.
Taylor’s voice calling Inhan through the microphone spread throughout the concert venue, followed by screams from fans in all directions. Yuho instinctively ran to where the fans’ gazes were concentrated.
A part of the center stage had sunk as the lift went down, and Inhan was nowhere to be seen.
Yuho looked down below the 2-meter-high stage. There, Inhan was lying collapsed with his head in his hands.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah. I’m okay. Um…”
A male staff member nearby helped Inhan, who was trying to get up while sitting upright. There was quite a lot of blood flowing on Inhan’s face. Yuho quickly jumped down below the stage.
“Agh!”
Yuho’s heart sank at Inhan’s scream. He wanted to approach closer, but his entire body was stiff and his legs wouldn’t move. His hands had been trembling continuously for some time.
“There’s something wrong with my wrist…”
“The medical staff will be here soon. Can you stand up?”
“I can stand. But I need to perform now…”
“What? The performance isn’t the issue right now…”
“I’ll help him.”
While the staff was taken aback by Inhan’s determination to continue, Yuho stepped forward and moved to Inhan’s side.
Inhan, who seemed disoriented, watched Yuho’s actions intently. He still looked dazed, as if he hadn’t fully realized he was injured.
“Hyung. I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
Yuho unwrapped the scarf around his head and pressed it against Inhan’s cheek. He couldn’t bring himself to touch near the wounded forehead.
“Was that blood? I thought it was sweat.”
“It’s blood. Your forehead is cut.”
At Yuho’s words, Inhan wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. Only after confirming the blood soaked on the back of his hand did he seem to recognize his condition.
“It really is blood.”
“…”
“Hyung.”
“…”
“Yuho hyung.”
“…Yeah.”
“My forehead is cut, so why are you crying?”
Only after hearing Inhan’s words did Yuho realize he was crying.
Once he became aware of it, Yuho felt even more sorrowful and shed tears profusely down both cheeks.
As big tears dropped from Yuho’s large eyes, Inhan’s heart ached. At the same time, he felt relieved.
“Don’t cry, hyung. I’m really okay.”
“…It’s because of me.”
“You didn’t push me to fall, so why is it because of you?”
“I, I made things hard for you…”
“It’s because of the company. The schedule is what’s making it hard for me.”
“Inhan! Are you okay?”
Looking up at the voice calling him, Inhan saw Taylor looking down at the two of them from the stage. Around him, the members were gathering one by one.
By now, the manager hyungs had also reached where the two were.
Inhan tried to appear calm as he spoke to Taylor.
“I’m okay. My forehead is cut and my wrist seems sprained, but everything else is fine. So Taylor hyung, please go and handle things quickly. The fans must be shocked.”
“Is this really the time to worry about fans?”
“It’s absolutely the time to worry about fans, hyung. Hurry.”
“Alright. Go straight to the hospital. Don’t be stubborn.”
“I will. I’ll be back soon. Yuho hyung, please go back up quickly too.”
Saying that, Inhan pushed Yuho away, but Yuho shook his head, expressing his refusal. Inhan turned to Taylor with a troubled expression.
“Can I borrow Yuho hyung for a moment? I’m sorry, hyung.”
“No, what are you sorry for? Hurry to the hospital. I’ll wrap things up well.”
“Yes, hyung.”
At Inhan’s words, Taylor headed back to the fans with a face full of worry.
Jueon and Raulie also reluctantly left their positions.
“Should I come with you too?”
“No. Yuho hyung is enough.”
Yeomin, unable to let go of his concern, offered to accompany Inhan, but Inhan immediately refused.
“If you go too, how will they manage here? Just hurry back.”
Raulie scolded him and quickly took Yeomin away. Soon the stage lights came back on, and Taylor’s speech continued.
At the same time, Suhyung approached Yuho and spoke.
“Yuho. I’ll take Inhan. You should finish the stage and come later.”
At Suhyung’s words, Yuho couldn’t even answer and just wiped his tears while hiccuping. It looked like someone might mistake Yuho for the injured person.
Juseung went to the opposite side of Inhan and supported him. As a result, Inhan’s body noticeably tilted towards Juseung. This essentially meant that Yuho’s support was no longer needed.
“…Okay.”
Just as Yuho finally answered and was about to pull away from Inhan, Inhan, forgetting the pain in his wrist, urgently pulled Yuho’s shoulder. Ah. Inhan let out a small cry, and Yuho, startled, opened his already large eyes wide and almost began to wail.
Oh boy. Suhyung stepped back, thinking he had made a needless intervention.
“Hyung. I don’t think we should send Yuho hyung back on stage in this state…”
“You’re right. The fans would be even more shocked, wondering what had happened.”
Suhyung agreed with Inhan’s words and gave up trying to separate Yuho. From Suhyung’s perspective, it was a relief that the two were reconciling in this way. Indeed, rumors of discord between the two, which had only been mentioned occasionally in malicious communities, were showing signs of surfacing more prominently.
“Let’s have Yuho go with Inhan too.”
At Suhyung’s words, Yuho nodded slightly. Inhan flexed his arm to pull Yuho closer and embrace him.
