# Chapter 36
Hyung came in with them and shook his head.
“How can you arrive first and wait? You should make an entrance later, keeping them in suspense.”
Noona laughed at Hyung’s words.
“That’s something done by people who can’t emphasize their presence except by appearing late, and I don’t need to do that.”
“Wow.”
Our members, who knew these two were siblings, found their conversation amusing.
“As you know, our Crop Five is doing well, and we’re getting many contract inquiries. So please take good care of us.”
“I’d like to, but that might be called unfair support, so let’s keep it at an appropriate level.”
“Well. Understood.”
It was entertaining to see Hyung refusing to back down in this battle of wills.
“Everyone’s professional, so I believe they’ll do well.”
There wasn’t much for us to discuss at that meeting.
Neither side intended to negotiate aggressively, and our side especially wanted to give them more, which made it even more so.
“Now that we’ve formed this connection, I look forward to working with you.”
Noona said this while greeting each member, and they expressed their gratitude with dignity.
Her eyes were busy looking for me in between, and I felt excited at the thought of talking with the guys soon.
Finally, after all the discussions ended, we waited for Noona to leave.
But Noona didn’t seem to think of leaving and waited for us.
“It’s before mealtime, right? Shall we go together?”
“Wouldn’t that be… uncomfortable?”
When I said that, the members’ eyes widened.
They seemed to think I had gone too far, since I didn’t appear to be of a rank to speak that way.
But Hyung stepped in to mediate, suggesting that the young people should be allowed to talk among themselves, so we seized the opportunity and slipped out.
Hyung and Noona weren’t that old either, but that’s how we ended up separating.
After leaving, we didn’t think about the aftermath.
There wasn’t anything to worry about anyway, but the guys still looked concerned, wondering if this was really okay.
“Let’s go, let’s go. What should we eat? Everyone’s hungry, right? You probably came to this important meeting without eating? Let’s go, let’s go.”
After exchanging greetings with Team Leader Hyun, I said this to the guys, and they approached me naturally as if there had been no gap in our relationship, busy telling me everything that had happened in the meantime.
“Hyung, did you see us take first place?”
“When did you take first place? You’ve done it so many times that I can’t keep up with all the broadcasts. Now it seems natural for you to take first place, so I don’t particularly watch music shows. And why are you on so many shows? I get tired of seeing your faces whenever I turn on the TV.”
“Hyung, we’re rookies. We need to show our faces while we can. People don’t treat us like rookies anymore. We’re really just fresh rookies who went on an audition program and got rejected. You can tell we’re rookies just by looking at our faces.”
“Your faces… but why do you all look so old? Hey, Seo Irun. What on earth happened to you?”
Seo Irun was smiling contentedly but stumbled at the sudden attack.
“Hyung, what? Do I look old?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with you? Are you the only one not getting proper care?”
I continued talking excitedly because he seemed shocked, believing what I said, while the other members laughed, realizing I was teasing Irun.
But Irun was serious.
“This is not good. Is it really like that, Hyung?”
“Yes. Team Leader, I think you need to pay attention to Irun’s skincare.”
Team Leader Hyun laughed, and Irun asked the other members if he really looked aged.
Though there was only a one or two year difference, being the oldest in the team seemed to make him sensitive about it.
I felt triumphant after completely crushing one poor lamb, and the members were roaring with laughter watching this.
“I’m really proud of you all. You really pulled it off. I’m so impressed. I didn’t know you would do this well.”
“What are you saying? Didn’t you scout us thinking we would become top stars? I thought that was the case. This is fraud!”
When Jeong Chan raised his voice, Lee Dagyeong also nodded.
“I think we should report this to an investigative program? About a certain manager who lured people with promises of fame, drew them into the agency, and then fled to a major domestic conglomerate—we should ask them to expose this.”
As we walked down the corridor and in the elevator, we kept talking non-stop, and each time, people who recognized Crop Five screamed and gathered around.
The members were instantly surrounded and gave autographs, but the crowd didn’t diminish—it just kept growing.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re meeting our former manager after a long time for a meal. Could we do photos and autographs next time? Our manager works so hard here that he doesn’t even meet with us.”
When Seo Irun said this, screams erupted from everywhere.
It wasn’t just women who were enthusiastic; men also exclaimed “Ooooh!” seemingly appreciating Irun’s husky, rough voice.
Come to think of it, Irun’s voice texture seemed different from before, but once he spoke up like that, a path opened for us.
“Thank you. Have a nice day.”
“Thank you. See you next time.”
The members excitedly waved their hands and said this, and people looked curiously at me mingling casually with them.
This is the kind of person I am.
Team Leader Hyun had approached me without me noticing.
“Hey, Seomin. Don’t you miss this job? Sometimes I feel bad. I feel like I’ve stolen the position that you should have.”
“What are you saying, Team Leader? It’s your position. If it weren’t for you, who would have taken care of these guys? If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t even have functioned as proper humans.”
“Oh come on! No matter what, that can’t be true. I don’t think we would have failed to function as proper humans? Sijin might have been on the edge, but the rest of us would have been fine.”
When Cha Yeonwoo spoke confidently, everyone nodded.
Somehow Han Sijin had become the target of teasing, but he didn’t get angry and looked amused.
Now that I noticed, all their faces showed a sense of ease.
That was what I was most grateful for, more than anything else.
“Where should we go? What do you want to eat?”
“Don’t you have to go back in, Hyung?”
Seo Irun asked this, for whatever reason he had in mind, and when I nodded, he grinned.
“Then let’s go to our dorm. Our dorm has changed, and you haven’t visited even once, Hyung. So let’s go to the dorm.”
“The dorm changed? Why? You fools. The dorm you had was an amazing place, why did you change it?”
“No, the new one is better. And more expensive. The monthly rent is three times what it was before.”
“Huh? The CEO really spent that much money? Team Leader, is what they’re saying true? They’re not lying?”
Team Leader Hyun laughed loudly.
He was asking what kind of impression I had of these guys to think that way.
I had no objection to going to their dorm.
On the way, a few people decided to get off to buy food, but since other people would recognize the members and crowds would gather quickly, I offered to go, and Han Sijin got off with me.
Lee Dagyeong tried to follow me but was stopped by Jeong Chan.
I stood there awkwardly, wondering if they sensed some kind of atmosphere, but they just told us to buy expensive stuff and left first.
Han Sijin put the cap he had taken off onto my head.
“You should wear it, why are you putting it on me?”
“You’re famous too, Hyung. And if I walk beside you, people will recognize who I am.”
“No way. Isn’t that being self-conscious? It’s been so long since I quit being your manager, do you really think people would still think that?”
“I have a cap too.”
After putting the cap on me, Han Sijin took another cap out of his bag.
When did he prepare that?
Anyway, I went to the mart with him, and there we picked items that the members liked.
Han Sijin was amazed that I still remembered all of that.
“These things don’t fade away. Every time I see these things, I remember. When I see pollack roe, I think ‘Chan liked this,’ when I see imitation crab meat, I think ‘Dagyeong liked this’—those kinds of thoughts come to me.”
“What about me?”
“You liked pajeon.”
“Me? When did I?”
“I knew you’d be like this. You liked pajeon. Seafood pajeon.”
“Ah, you should say seafood pajeon. I don’t like plain pajeon.”
“You ate well even when there was no seafood and it was just green onions, and now you’re like this? Does this mean you’re doing better now?”
“I don’t think that’s right. Did I really eat pajeon without seafood?”
I bickered with him as we shopped, thinking I couldn’t lose to someone who seemed determined not to admit it until the end.
We weren’t recognized by people until we left, but I took the lead at the checkout.
In case people recognized his voice.
But as we passed by, we heard some people talking.
“Isn’t that Han Sijin?”
“Who? Where?”
“There. The person wearing the cap.”
“I don’t think so…”
We hurried out, leaving those people behind.
