# Chapter 56
Things moved quickly.
I moved to Seyoung Media and became a department head, and rumors spread during that time.
People at Grand Tamer and Seyoung Electronics alike discovered who I was and couldn’t hide their shock.
Some said the Seyoung Group Chairman’s grandson had infiltrated the company, but there weren’t many negative comments about me.
Testimonies emerged that I had been diligent and respectful, almost unbelievable for a Chairman’s grandson, and anecdotes I couldn’t even remember myself came flowing out.
I wasn’t certain, but it seemed I had done reasonably well in my company life.
At Seyoung Media, numerous people came to greet me.
Even though I should have been the one going to them.
I earnestly asked them to never do that again, saying I just needed to be treated according to my position.
The department head position was by no means a low one, and I worked hard to learn what I needed to know in that role.
Many people actively helped me, so I picked up the work quickly.
The first thing I did when I got there was to create a company that manages live commerce hosts.
Under my leadership, Seyoung Media focused on live commerce, employing various people from different fields for broadcasts, and established a separate management company to oversee them.
People affiliated with our company could receive specialized training in their respective fields and achieved outstanding sales and volumes based on their high product knowledge.
As a result, there was a growing trend of businesses wanting to collaborate with our company for live broadcasts.
People found it strange how we were different.
Each detail of the sets, lighting, and props was different, we pursued uniqueness in camera techniques, and we attempted changes that differed from other broadcasts—all of which were well-received.
Without that work, I would have struggled to overcome Crop Five’s absence.
Occasionally I received messages and heard news about them, but it was like being allowed only a few sips of water in a state of extreme thirst.
It actually made the thirst worse, and it became difficult to endure the longing.
Company employees asked me many questions about Crop Five.
Their awkwardness due to my being the Chairman’s grandson lasted only a few days, and later they treated me normally, as if they thought I wasn’t much different from anyone else.
However, no matter what, they couldn’t ignore my connection with Crop Five, so they asked about them whenever they had time.
If Crop Five had peaked and was on a decline, or if they had suspended activities and were being forgotten by people, it might have been different, but that wasn’t the case.
Rather, it was the opposite.
Articles about them frequently appeared, and their tremendous success was even reported in foreign media.
In such a situation, it was natural for people to have many questions when someone who knew Crop Five well and had once taken care of them was right there.
While answering people’s questions, I also nurtured my longing for those guys.
‘This won’t do. I think I should go see them once. When they return, these guys probably won’t leave me alone. They’ll make a big fuss about how I could possibly not visit them even once.’
While I was gauging the timing to slip away, news that I wasn’t sure whether to be happy about reached me.
Han Sijin had strained his throat and would be missing performances.
Fans wanted to see the remaining Crop Five members perform even without Han Sijin, so it was decided that the performances would continue with just him missing.
A strained throat was certainly something to worry about, but since it was said to be a preemptive response, I didn’t take it too seriously.
Some people wondered if he could just lip-sync if that was the only issue, and I had the same question, but later additional news came that Han Sijin had injured his ankle.
In the end, he couldn’t dance either, so he decided to return to Korea and focus on treatment.
I felt guilty for feeling excited when the kid was injured.
When Han Sijin contacted me, my voice unintentionally rose in pitch for that reason.
—What’s going on? Haven’t you heard I’m injured? Or were you just waiting for me to get hurt? Why does your voice sound so happy?
He grumbled as soon as he called, and I burst out laughing.
“When are you coming? Should I pick you up at the airport?”
—Of course.
Saying that, he told me his flight arrival time as if it had been decided from the beginning.
“Hey. You’re not pretending to be sick on purpose, are you?”
—Ah, seriously. What are you saying? I’m a professional. Han the professional. Han the professional.
“Alright, I got it. You said your throat hurts, right? Don’t talk too much. We’ll see each other soon anyway, so hang up quickly.”
—I just need to listen without talking, right? Tell me what’s been happening. Let me know what you’ve been up to as well.
Then I realized that until then, I hadn’t properly told the guys about myself, and I wondered how to overcome this difficulty.
“Nothing much. I’ve just been living as usual.”
—Living as usual, eating meals with the Chairman, calling him ‘Grandfather, Grandfather’?
“…! How did you know?”
—There’s internet, did you think I wouldn’t know? Have you considered how powerful the news would be that Crop Five’s former manager is the Seyoung Group Chairman’s grandson?
“Ah… about that, Sijin…”
—I’m speechless. No. Why didn’t you tell us? Were you afraid we’d ask you to buy us expensive things?
“It just turned out that way. At first, there was no need to mention it, and later… well, even less so. I thought there was no point in saying it now. You know? Suddenly out of nowhere, ‘My grandfather is the Chairman’? Besides, I wasn’t close with my grandfather and had only seen him a few times.”
—…
Han Sijin was silent for a moment, but it didn’t seem like he was upset with me.
He seemed to understand that I hadn’t grown up as a member of Seyoung Group from the beginning but found out later.
—Anyway, don’t be late. At the airport.
“Alright. You don’t be late either.”
—That’s not exactly up to me. But I’ll try my best to not be delayed.
We made pointless comments and snickered before hanging up.
Finally.
He’s coming.
* * *
Leaving the airport was like a scene from a spy movie.
I couldn’t even get inside.
News about the flight he was using had spread, and it was reported that people had gathered at the airport and formed lines.
Han Sijin called me and told me not to come into the airport but to wait outside, and following his words, I waited, worrying about when I would be able to see him.
The waiting time seemed endless, but finally Han Sijin appeared.
I approached him, and he got into my car with his manager.
“You got out better than I expected?”
“Yes. I was lucky. Maximum’s members got off in front of me. So while people’s attention was directed there, I ran. A few people seemed to recognize me, but I was blocked by Maximum’s fans. If not for that, I might still be trapped there.”
Han Sijin spoke excitedly, and I told him not to talk too much.
“My throat doesn’t hurt that much.”
“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital first anyway?”
“I understand. I’ll just take care of urgent business first and then go right away.”
Han Sijin said that and suggested we drop off the manager who came with him first.
The manager was someone I hadn’t seen before, and he said he came along because the others had to stay at the site.
He had a puzzled expression, wondering if it was okay for him to go home first, but when Han Sijin actively said it was fine, he couldn’t hide his pleased expression.
After dropping him off, Han Sijin moved to sit next to me.
“Hyung. Can we go somewhere we can get indoors as quickly as possible?”
“Why?”
“I think you know why.”
I looked at him once and smiled.
“You’ve never been to my new house, have you?”
“Is it close from here?”
“Yes. It’s close.”
“Then that’s perfect. Let’s go.”
From that point on, we didn’t say much else.
I was just as eager.
From the moment I saw Han Sijin, I wondered how I had managed to endure all this time.
He said the same thing.
How on earth did I endure it?
He said he thought I would come to see him at least a few times.
I drove without even having the presence of mind to talk and brought him to my house.
Until we got inside, we acted as urgently as people being chased.
Then, as soon as we entered, I quickly took off my clothes.
Seeing me do that, he seemed to realize this place was where I lived alone and also took off his clothes.
The fact that he was with me now was driving me crazy.
When I looked at him with softened eyes, Han Sijin kissed me and then stared at me for a long time.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to do this. I thought if I saw you again, I would keep looking at you like this.”
Then he kissed me gently, and I embraced him.
“You seem to like kissing, hyung.”
“I like everything. With you.”
“You even know how to say such things. Kang Seomin.”
“You’ve become cheeky.”
“Isn’t this better?”
He said with a grin.
“Why do you like me, hyung?”
What did I like about him?
I didn’t even need to think about it.
He’s my star.
