As they talked, it passed 9 PM. Unseong thought he should send Yuho home now.
“It’s already gotten this late. Yuho, you should head home now.”
“Ah. Yes. It’s gotten a bit late.”
“I’ll take you. Let me just grab my jacket.”
“No. I’m fine. I can just take a taxi.”
“I’m not fine with it. Wait.”
Unseong headed to the break room inside to get his car keys and jacket. At the same time, the studio doorbell suddenly rang.
“Who is it? There’s no one who should be coming. Yuho, can you go check for me?”
Unseong asked Yuho to check on the visitor, puzzled.
“Ah. Yes.”
Yuho immediately got up from his seat and headed to the door. And the moment he opened the door, he came face to face with a familiar face.
“It’s been a while. Yuho hyung.”
Standing at the studio door was Domyeong.
“Hello. Sunbae-nim.”
“Who is it?”
“Well, Domyeong sunbae-nim came.”
“What? Without even contacting me?”
Yuho moved his body so Domyeong could enter, and Domyeong passed by Yuho and headed toward Unseong.
“Why? It’s not like I came somewhere I shouldn’t.”
“Still, shouldn’t you get the owner’s permission before coming?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Domyeong apologized with a face that wasn’t sorry at all. Unseong was annoyed but decided to let it slide since it wasn’t a one or two-day thing.
“I need to go out right now, you know? If you have something to say, wait.”
“I’ll take Yuho hyung.”
At Domyeong’s answer, Unseong narrowed his eyes. Jung Inhan. So you’re going to come at me like this, is that it? Annoyed, Unseong expressed his dissatisfaction to Domyeong.
“That kid sent you and you came? The great Seo Domyeong has no backbone?”
“I came for multiple reasons. So let’s cooperate.”
At Domyeong’s attitude of consistent shamelessness, Unseong was irritated, but thought he couldn’t continue this argument in front of Yuho. In the end, Unseong decided to pass the choice to Yuho.
“Yuho, what do you want to do?”
“Pardon?”
“Whose car do you want to take?”
“Pardon? Why do I have to……?”
Yuho was genuinely flustered. If I had to choose, I think I’d be more comfortable with a taxi. However, he couldn’t give an honest answer to the looks in the eyes of the two people who didn’t seem easygoing. In the end, Yuho had to make a difficult decision.
“Then I’ll go with Unseong hyung……”
“Why? You don’t want to ride in my car?”
Before Yuho’s answer could finish, Domyeong asked Yuho. Yuho reluctantly answered.
“It’s not that.”
“Or, am I making you uncomfortable?”
“That’s not it either.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Settled what? Yuho’s mind was hazy in this incomprehensible situation. He felt like sending a rescue request to Suhyung or Juseung.
“Settled what?”
Unseong challenged Domyeong on Yuho’s behalf.
“Exactly. You should have answered the kid’s call.”
At Domyeong’s following words, Unseong was at a loss for words.
I didn’t answer to make him sweat a little. The kid couldn’t even wait that long. Unseong acknowledged his own fault and decided to send Yuho off obediently.
“Yuho. Is it okay if you go in Domyeong’s car?”
“Pardon? Why?”
“Domyeong seems to have something to do nearby.”
“Ah. Then I’ll do that.”
With even Unseong backing down, there were no other options left for Yuho. He really didn’t want to ride in Domyeong’s car since it seemed like Inhan had sent him, but he didn’t have the courage to go against his senior sunbaes’ wishes.
“Then I’ll see you on broadcast day.”
“Yeah. Yuho, get home safely. Next time come without Inhan knowing.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely do that.”
Yuho said goodbye to Unseong and followed behind Domyeong who was going ahead.
“Yuho hyung, sit in the back.”
“Pardon?”
“Someone’s going to sit in the front seat.”
“Ah. Okay.”
Yuho obediently sat in the back seat. It felt somewhat uncomfortable, like he was treating Domyeong as a driver, but he had no choice but to do as told.
Throughout the drive, Domyeong didn’t say a word.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the car, and eventually Yuho, unable to bear the awkwardness, spoke to Domyeong first.
“But, sunbae-nim.”
“Yes. Why?”
“You just calling me Yuho is……”
“I don’t like that.”
He’d gathered some courage to speak up since it was awkward being called Yuho hyung by Domyeong who was much more senior, but unfortunately Domyeong flatly rejected Yuho’s suggestion in one stroke.
“Then, at least speaking casually to me……”
“That too.”
I didn’t expect him to reject this. Yuho bit his lip in embarrassment. Still, he thought it was too much considering they’d met three times now.
I thought we’d gotten a bit closer at the preview screening. Yuho felt unnecessarily hurt and asked Domyeong.
“You’re not uncomfortable with me, right?”
“I just think this level of distance is appropriate.”
“Why?”
“Because it seems like there are several people who would dislike it if I got close to you.”
“Several…… people?”
Not just one? Yuho tried to gauge who besides Inhan would be uncomfortable, but he couldn’t think of anyone at all.
“I’m rather fatal, you see.”
Hearing Domyeong’s following words, Yuho was shocked. No, of course he acknowledged that he was fatal, but how could he say that so shamelessly with his own mouth. Is this what it means to have the capacity of an entertainer? This kind of thick skin?
Yuho once again thought that not just anyone could become a star.
“That last bit was a joke.”
“It sounded sincere though.”
“Then take it as sincere and be careful.”
To think he’d live to hear someone directly tell him to be careful not to fall for them. Yuho was still dazed, but Domyeong was smiling as if something was amusing.
“……Yes. I’ll try.”
Yuho answered half-heartedly.
Domyeong’s car stopped on the road again in less than 5 minutes. When Yuho looked out the window wondering what was going on, he could spot a familiar face.
“Taeyoon hyung?”
“Oh. Yuho. Long time no see.”
Taylor opened the car door with a very natural motion and got in the passenger seat. He didn’t even look flustered.
Right. The two of them knew each other. Yuho recalled the TMI he’d forgotten and calmed his surprised heart.
“Were you two close?”
“We’re not close.”
“Right. We’re not close.”
At Yuho’s question, Taylor and Domyeong simultaneously gave negative answers. Yuho had tens of thousands of things he wanted to ask, but realizing that neither of them were people who would obediently answer, he decided to shelve his curiosity for now. I’ll have to search SNS later. For now, he decided to trust the netizen investigation team.
“Taeyoon hyung. Were you nearby?”
“Yeah. I had plans with the guys.”
Here, “the guys” referred to Taylor’s celebrity best friends. Every single one of them was a top-tier first-class idol or top actor.
“Where are you going now? Home?”
“No. I’m going to the studio.”
“Are you pulling an all-nighter at the studio again today?”
“Probably.”
“Then when are you going home?”
At Yuho’s question, Taylor’s brow furrowed sharply. Well. When did I go?
“I think I went about 5 days ago.”
“If you’re going to be like that, why did you move out independently?”
Taylor started pondering his answer again.
“Because I had too much stuff?”
“Ah. I’ll acknowledge that.”
Yuho recalled the current chaotic scene at the dorm. The members’ shoes overflowed even after filling several shoe racks, to the point where they had to store them in their individual rooms, and the laundry got so mixed up that sometimes it was hard to find the owner. For Taylor with his sensitive personality, dorm life must have been quite arduous.
“You always said you couldn’t handle dorm life, hyung.”
“I did. I’m different from Jung Inhan.”
“That’s right.”
At the sudden mention of Inhan, Yuho’s mouth tasted bitter. None of the members had expected that the kid who insisted that moving out independently was absolutely not allowed and that he would arrange a dorm even if he had to pay for it himself would be the first to leave the dorm. See, I told you I was leaving. Yuho felt sad about the reversed situation.
“I heard Inhan’s going to the dorm today?”
“Pardon?”
At Taylor’s words, Yuho reacted with momentary surprise. At the same time, he wondered what answer would be the most appropriate to give.
“He said he’s going to the dorm to sleep today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow’s the day of the kids’ music video shoot.”
“Ah. I heard from Yeomin last time.”
“I’m planning to go once in the middle. Do you want to go too?”
At Taylor’s question, Yuho was troubled. It was hard to make excuses about being busy when he didn’t particularly have a schedule, and saying he couldn’t go to the younger members’ filming site because he was practicing wasn’t a suitable excuse either. That’s when a thought crossed Yuho’s mind.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I have to practice for the joint performance broadcast I’m doing with Unseong hyung. I haven’t memorized the sheet music yet.”
“Okay, then.”
After that, it was just silence. It would be nice if Taylor and Domyeong at least had a conversation with each other, but as if to prove their claim that they weren’t close, the two didn’t exchange even a single word with each other.
Yuho just kept rolling his eyes back and forth, and later gave up.
“Thank you for giving me a ride.”
Before getting out of the car, Yuho expressed his thanks to Domyeong.
“Well, I came for multiple reasons anyway.”
“Still.”
“Yuho. Go in.”
“Yes, hyung. I’ll see you at the company.”
“Yeah.”
After also saying goodbye to Taylor, Yuho got out of the car and headed toward the apartment building entrance.
To think the two of them were close enough to share rides. Yuho was dazed at witnessing an unexpected friendship.
Taeyoon hyung is surprisingly sociable after all.
Yuho checked his phone messages, feeling unnecessarily anxious.
Inhan’s profile, which he’d added to favorites, had been unchanged from the photo of a black sky for several months now.
Yuho was now getting used to not receiving contact from Inhan.
Still, the emptiness like a corner of his heart had been hollowed out couldn’t be filled no matter what he did.
Yuho became afraid that even if he could never see Inhan again, that feeling probably wouldn’t change.
