# Chapter 29
‘Couldn’t he scrub my back for long? Ah, I see. Since he suddenly became famous, it might be hard for him to go to public bathhouses now. Come to think of it, I’ve never taken him to one. He probably wouldn’t go alone. I should scrub his back occasionally. A top star can’t have dirt on his back. Still, it’s cute. But is that really why he wrote “scrub backs” as his wish?’
When I went inside, Lee Dagyeong was already in the bathroom.
He probably thought it would be less embarrassing to undress first than to do it in front of me.
‘Why is he so cute?’
But that thought only lasted until that moment.
‘…’
The sight of Lee Dagyeong standing naked in the shower booth under the water wasn’t the cute, childlike image I’d had of him.
It was unbearably awkward when he turned to look at me as if asking me to look at him.
The incident in the fitness room came back to me.
I finally realized that it wasn’t something that happened spontaneously, nor was it a mistake.
His well-defined muscles were even more prominent from constant exercise and dance practice, and his already handsome face seemed to shine even more today.
What was it called? Camera massage?
I wasn’t sure if that was really a thing, but Lee Dagyeong definitely looked much more handsome than when I first saw him.
Lee Dagyeong now felt as close to me as a real brother, someone I would rush to save without hesitation if anything happened to him, but at some point, he had shed the image of a younger brother and become a man.
I hesitated for a moment, feeling bewildered and flustered, but I felt I had to leave.
With that thought, I was about to go when he called me.
“Hyung… you have to grant my wish.”
That damn wish.
Hadn’t it started as a joke?
And this is clearly a misunderstanding.
Could it be that the other guys also had this kind of meaning behind their wishes?
Because I glossed over it, was this the only situation where the atmosphere had become so suggestive, or were they all trying to create a similar atmosphere?
No, that can’t be right. That doesn’t make sense.
Considering how much of an object of envy Crop Five had become among people, such imagination was really an excess of confidence.
Crop Five’s popularity was so incredible that they were enjoying more fame than debuted singers, despite not having debuted yet.
Singers at the peak of their popularity proposed collaborations with them and asked for featuring.
It might mean their skills were being recognized, but the desire to share in their buzz must have been significant as well.
The members were gaining fans, and their fan base was quite broad.
Given who they were, it was difficult for me to think that such members liked me and expressed such strange wishes.
“Hyung…”
Lee Dagyeong’s voice trembled.
He came out of the shower booth and approached me.
His body with water droplets falling was so seductive that it was almost overwhelming to look at again.
“You like me too, right, hyung?”
He said with a shaky voice.
“…”
“You do. You like me too, hyung. Don’t say you don’t. I know everything.”
The first few steps toward me seemed to take years, but after that, it wasn’t the case.
Suddenly gaining some courage or confidence, he quickly approached me.
“Why… why are you doing this, kid!!”
But in the end, I couldn’t stop him.
I couldn’t tell when the guy who approached in an instant had embraced me.
He held me tight and wrapped his arms around my back.
“Hyung. I like you so much.”
“…”
“It’s okay for me to like you, right?”
“…”
I never imagined I would hear such words.
Of course, I like Lee Dagyeong too, but the way I like him isn’t the kind of feeling he’s talking about.
“Let’s stop. Dagyeong. Let’s stop now. This joke has gone far enough.”
“Why is it okay with Seo Irun but not with me?”
It was as if he was protesting that he was no longer a child.
“Hyung. I like you so much. I feel like I’m going crazy because I like you so much. Please just look at me. Hyung. When you look at other hyungs, I want to kill all of them. Because I want you to look only at me.”
He was saying such chilling words with that cute face.
I looked at him in surprise, and he grinned.
As if asking if I was surprised.
“Why are you saying that? It’s not like you really think that way. You shouldn’t think like that. You know that, right?”
Do I have to teach him everything?
Lee Dagyeong remained stubborn until the end.
“But it’s the truth. When you look at other hyungs, I want to grab your shoulders and turn you around forcefully. I want to shout at you to look only at me.”
“…”
I wondered when Lee Dagyeong had changed like this.
I felt like I could never call him young again.
“Hyung…”
His voice simmered pathetically.
I could no longer stop him as he approached.
Before I knew it, I was holding Lee Dagyeong tight and kissing him deeply.
What? What did I just do…
The pleasant feeling passed instantly, and I was left with the deepening thought of how I should face this kid from now on.
I thought Lee Dagyeong would regret it too.
But seeing his gaze, which had become even deeper and changed from before, I could tell that was my misconception.
Lee Dagyeong had wanted me for much longer, and much more intensely.
“Hyung. I like you. I will forever. I won’t ask for anything else. I won’t be greedy. I don’t want to lose everything by wanting too much. Just… just keep looking at me like you do now. Just look at me a little longer than the other hyungs. I’d prefer if you didn’t look at the other hyungs at all, but since that’s not possible, I won’t be stubborn about it.”
“…”
At the moment, I couldn’t think of anything.
I silently washed myself and went outside.
It felt like all the strength was draining from my entire body.
* * *
Han Sijin, who I thought was okay, caused problems again.
And in front of many people.
We were in the middle of an idea meeting, and Sarah seonsaengnim was also there.
Although he must have clearly heard what I said, he didn’t answer and ignored me.
Others seemed to sense that the atmosphere was strange, looking back and forth between me and Han Sijin.
“Han Sijin. I asked you something. Didn’t you hear me?”
I tried to speak as calmly as possible, suppressing my bad mood, but Han Sijin snorted.
“He’s acting stuck-up.”
His voice was low, but it was clearly audible.
I was sitting across from him, and there were other people between us, so I could be fairly certain that almost no one missed those words.
I couldn’t even ask what he said.
It would have been better if I had been roughly slapped in the face.
But not everyone held back.
Cha Yeonwoo, who was sitting next to him, suddenly stood up and punched Han Sijin in the face. Han Sijin wobbled while sitting in his chair and then tumbled to the floor.
No one stopped Cha Yeonwoo, and just as it seemed he might leave it at that, he looked like he couldn’t contain his anger and tried to kick Han Sijin in the stomach.
Jeong Chan stepped in to pull Cha Yeonwoo back from behind, apparently thinking that was too harsh.
“This crazy bastard must be desperate to die. If you want to die, just jump from here. You son of a bitch! Stop acting crazy. Because no one would care if someone like you was gone. Stop darkening your face and ruining the mood!”
Cha Yeonwoo shouted, but no one told him to stop.
It seemed like everyone had been feeling similarly, and it finally exploded.
The members looked at me.
They were only worried about me.
Not caring at all about Han Sijin who had been beaten.
“Don’t worry about it, hyung. That bastard has been weird for a while now. He probably got scouted by another company.”
“Crazy bastard. If you’re going to leave, just leave quietly.”
Jeong Chan and Cha Yeonwoo said one after another.
They seemed to think that was the reason Han Sijin had been making a sour face.
It might have been unfair to Han Sijin, but no one bothered to listen to him or even wondered what the truth was.
He seemed to think he had crossed the line too, and apologized to me.
But no matter how much of a manager I was, I had no intention of accepting his apology in such a situation.
“If another place asks you to come, go. I’ll sort out the contract for you. There will probably be additional settlement money besides what you’ve already received for filming ‘Crop Five.’ I’ll sort that out for you too, so leave without muddying the waters. I won’t beg someone like you to stay. It’s better if you leave before debut.”
“…”
Han Sijin’s face turned pale at my words.
It seemed like someone might have stepped in to stop me, but no one did.
“That guy doesn’t seem to want to leave. Let’s move to another place and continue the meeting. We still have decisions to make.”
As Seo Irun said that and stood up, all the other members stood up too, and so did Sarah seonsaengnim.
Han Sijin was her favorite student and the object of her deepest affection, but after seeing how he treated me, it seemed like all her feelings had vanished.
She always said that character came before skill, and it seemed like she thought she had seen a glimpse of his true nature in this moment.
I also instantly felt all my emotions cool, and I had no desire to defend him at all.
“Hyung…”
Han Sijin called from behind me, but I didn’t stop walking.
