The morning of the CSAT.
[Go ace it, I’m sleeping more bye]
Closing Park Jaeseon’s half-hearted encouragement, I was opening the map app with trembling hands.
“Ah, I’m freezing to death.”
I was walking following an address on a shabby piece of paper.
Kim Seohyeon’s home address. Precious information I’d found by digging all the way through elementary school graduation albums.
Why am I going through this shit here… it was because of memories from before the regression.
[Title: One more Kim Seohyeon TMI]
Overslept and couldn’t take the CSAT lol
└ Crazy lololol
└Where’s the source? Lee Yesol?
└Ex-cop Esper testimony said he called 112
└He’s late like eating meals during Territory Games too lololol
This bastard oversleeps today and might not be able to take the CSAT if things go wrong. So I’m personally going to wake him up.
This place is practically a chicken coop…
I hesitated for a moment in front of a multi-family house that looked like it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed right away.
No matter how run-down our neighborhood is… The Republic of Korea’s number one superhero… lives in a basement room like this with trash piled up and cracks all over the walls? I doubt it’s even a building with usage permits.
With a doubtful heart, I stood in front of the entrance, but there wasn’t even a doorbell. I pounded the rusted iron door with my fist.
“Seohyeon-ah, let’s go to the test site!”
But this bastard, there’s no answer.
“Hey!”
Bang bang!
“Kim Seohyeon! Are you sleeping?!”
He must really be sleeping deeply and soundly. Well, that’s why he can’t hear the alarm on this important day.
I knew this would happen, so I prepared just in case.
I shook out the bag I was carrying. Tools spilling out.
I’d brought them all from Father’s feed storage.
Since I’d learned how to pick locks in advance, it wasn’t difficult. There’s nothing else to it, you just have to smash it.
It was the moment I was about to strike the handle with a hammer.
The door opened with an unpleasant metallic sound.
“Why.”
“No… it’s the CSAT today so I came by.”
Huh… what? This guy, with his bright eyes, didn’t look like he’d just woken up.
I was flustered and couldn’t say anything, when beyond the guy’s shoulder… no, past his armpit, I saw an elderly person lying down sick.
Without even time to think further, I pushed the door open and went in.
Kim Seohyeon’s grandmother was drenched in cold sweat.
“Since when has she been like this?”
“She’s always been a bit unwell.”
“But why aren’t you going to the hospital?”
“……”
Is this bastard not going because of money?
These days hospitals even do deferred payment.
I looked around the house. The heating seemed to be barely working, and on a small table was a fried egg that had been eaten once and left abandoned.
Never mind the CSAT or anything, she looks like she’s about to become a corpse, I can’t just leave this be.
“I think her blood sugar dropped?”
First, I called 119 and took out a caramel from my school uniform pocket and put it in Grandmother’s mouth.
There were five in a set, so I unwrapped another one and shoved it into Kim Seohyeon’s mouth.
“You eat too.”
“I’m fine.”
“You didn’t eat breakfast.”
Kim Seohyeon frowned deeply but didn’t refuse the caramel forcing its way between his lips.
“Go take the test. I’ll take care of Grandmother.”
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“……”
Tsk. I had nothing to say.
Of course it’s an investment for the future…
But Kim Seohyeon, who had no way of knowing my ambitions, was misunderstanding according to his own circumstances.
“You’ve been like this for the past few days.”
“……”
“Because you pity me?”
At that moment, my twenty-eight years of experience caught on. This bastard is completely wrapped up in self-hatred.
“What are you talking about.”
I smacked the guy’s head. It’s true I feel bad for him, I do, but.
“You can’t even be grateful to me.”
“Don’t act charitable. I don’t need any pity.”
“Ah, seriously. I came because I want to be friends with you, okay?”
He didn’t seem to believe it.
“Why would someone like you with me.”
“……”
“What do you need from me.”
“I need the world, okay? The world.”
Just then, I heard an ambulance siren outside. I opened the entrance door wide and kicked aside the tools scattered in the hallway so the paramedics could enter easily.
“Over here.”
“Oh my, Grandmother, please come to your senses. Can you hear my voice?”
A few questions and answers went back and forth through Kim Seohyeon.
I removed Kim Seohyeon’s hand that was tightly gripping Grandmother’s wrist and held it myself. Grandmother was immediately placed on a stretcher and transported, and I stopped following to take out a heat pack and place it on Kim Seohyeon.
“Hey, do well on the test.”
Black eyes quietly looked at me.
I tapped the guy’s shoulder as encouragement and got into the ambulance.
* * *
“The test you had done. Nothing was found, and it seems she temporarily had dehydration symptoms. We gave her nutritional supplements… Elderly people lose energy rapidly if they skip even one meal, so she shouldn’t skip meals.”
I recalled the fried egg that had been on the small table. It seemed like he’d tried to feed her something, but would that restore her energy?
“Should I schedule an outpatient appointment for you?”
“No.”
“Okay, you can leave after paying.”
After all the injections were done, it was already noon. I supported Grandmother, who had barely regained consciousness and gotten up, and escorted her home.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry, what should I do. Our Seohyeon’s friend, you’re so kind, so kind. You’re handsome too. Really, you’re as handsome as our Seohyeon.”
“Hehe. Seohyeon is taking the test.”
“Aren’t you taking the test, child?”
“I’m not going to college.”
“You found your path early. Good job, good job.”
Seohyeon’s grandmother, even while feeling discomfort moving, made a constant effort not to lean on me.
I didn’t urge her to lean comfortably and kept my arm there so she could hold onto it anytime.
“Oh my. What should I do. The child paid for the hospital. I’ll definitely give you the money when I get home.”
I smiled and nodded.
“Your face is very much a smiling face, child.”
“Hehe.”
I escorted Grandmother into the basement room first, then bought chicken porridge drizzled with sesame oil.
Since having someone else nearby can be bothersome for a sick person, I left the house and decided to sit in front of the wall.
The weather was so cold in the morning, but in the afternoon the cold air all died down.
When I was playing an online game to kill time, I saw Kim Seohyeon running from far away.
“Seohyeon, did the CSAT go well?”
“Uh… how’s Grandmother?”
“She’s inside.”
“Why are you outside when it’s cold?”
“…It’s not even cold though?”
“No, never mind.”
Kim Seohyeon soon made a face like he realized why I was outside.
Not because your house feels damp and cramped and dirty or anything like that.
“I was outside in case Grandmother felt uncomfortable.”
Kim Seohyeon tried to determine the truth of my words.
He really has a victim mentality underlying everything, this guy.
“Why do you want to be friends with me?”
“……”
“It’s too sudden.”
What I said this morning seems to be bothering him quite a bit. Thinking about it, from Kim Seohyeon’s perspective, it was a thought he could definitely have. A kid who barely talked to him since elementary school is suddenly making a fuss about being friends…
I handled it appropriately thanks to my experience.
“Hey, we’re graduating soon.”
“So.”
“So I gathered courage.”
“……”
“Not all relationships have to seep in like drizzle soaking clothes, right?”
Kim Seohyeon stayed still. He seemed somewhat convinced by my straightforward words that didn’t beat around the bush.
“Anyway, thanks for today.”
I tapped the shoulder of the guy who completely lowered his guard and turned around.
“I’m going. Oh, right. Hey.”
“…?”
When I turned around, I met head-on with Kim Seohyeon’s eyes that looked full of thoughts.
“Grandmothers like nutritious rice with sesame oil drizzled on it. You know what that is? Sticky rice with steamed ginkgo nuts in it. You look like you don’t know what that is. Hey, give me your number. I’ll find the cheapest one and send it to you on KakaoTalk.”
“I’m in the class group chat.”
“Ah~ right, right. Got it. Go in. I’ll contact you!”
I waved my hand and quickly crossed through the village showing signs of running out of battery.
* * *
Like hitting the peak of refreshing energy with sporty dance, uniform high notes stretched out straight. The evaluation stage ended with an ending cut of pointing at myself with my thumb.
At that moment, applause and cheers piercing through the space burst out.
I was finally seeing the diligent virtuous deeds of my past life when I clutched my side and rotted in the practice room until age twenty-four, developing live performance abilities.
“Thank you.”
“Yesol-ah, from your outfit you’re wearing tennis clothes, it suits you so well. Pretty. You came determined to get first place today, didn’t you?”
“What is this? Did you train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber or something?”
I don’t know what that room is, but it seemed like a compliment.
“How did your breath control get this good? How can a person change this much in just a month? I’m speechless because you did so well, I feel like I saw the future of our company’s debut group today. I saw it.”
The choreography trainer famous for nitpicking stroked his scruffy beard in admiration.
“But you gained weight, man.”
“Isn’t it actually better-looking now that he gained weight?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, let’s stop gaining right there. You can’t gain more, got it? The debut group concept is boyish beauty.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay, good work.”
My personal evaluation stage full of praise ended and a brief intermission came.
The reverent atmosphere among the trainees who had watched each other loosened, and it was time to share water and chat.
The kids who didn’t get good evaluations looked down the whole time, and the kids who got good evaluations were excited and exchanged compliments among themselves.
The latter approached me.
“Hyung, I think you’ll really get first place this time.”
Seon Doyu, the all-rounder who always took first place in dance, rap, and vocals, massaged my shoulder and praised me.
“Doyu-ya, you were cool too.”
No matter how well I do here, the billboard of the soon-to-debut idol ‘Flotin’ would be this guy anyway.
‘Flotin is Baekje Protein!’
Right after debut, he’d shoot a protein commercial for a major corporation and be called by the nickname ‘Protein boys’ by fans.
“Ah… I felt it again today. I really want to debut with you, hyung.”
I smiled ambiguously.
“Seriously, Lee Yesol. You bastard, your arm was hurt but when did you prepare like this, explain right now.”
Kim Jaei grabbed mine and Seon Doyu’s shoulders respectively and joined in.
This guy was the one who always tempted kids to go eat tteokbokki during trainee days.
“What should we eat after this ends? Tteokbokki~?”
As expected, my memory was accurate.
This guy was also good at performing, a so-called ‘stage genius,’ and was scheduled to become one of Flotin’s first-string members.
The way his lips moved, his slightly lazy yet sharp tone was enough to gather up reed-like fan hearts.
So among fans who initially went through a denial period because of Seon Doyu, there were many fan routes where they fell for Kim Jaei’s prickly puppy charm and settled down with conviction.
And those two get shipped to death.
…How do I know this?
I didn’t want to know either.
I accidentally got caught in a search while looking up what the kids were doing these days. Actually, I was even jealous of that.
There was a time when I endured using that jealousy as fuel for passion.
“Okay, okay. Let’s go in if you’ve all finished drinking.”
During the remaining trainees’ stages and feedback time, yawns kept coming out. Kim Jaei sitting next to me kept repeating the cycle of dozing off, waking up once to respond, then falling asleep again.
Meanwhile, from the back seats, sobbing and completely dejected voices came over.
“Ah… I think I’ll be at the very bottom.”
“It’s okay. Just prepare well for next month’s group evaluation.”
After all the trainees’ performances ended, individual rankings were displayed on the board. From 1st to 16th place, very straightforward and stark.
“Huuung… ung.”
It was a time when being frustrated at low rankings and laughing at high rankings was all there was to life.
“Wow, hyung, first place! Congratulations!”
Seon Doyu made a fuss and patted my shoulder.
[Individual Overall Ranking]
1st place, Lee Yesol
2nd place, Seon Doyu
3rd place, Lee Seojun
4th place, Kim Jaei…
And the first place special allowance was a whopping 1 million won!
“General Lee, will you treat us to tteokbokki?”
Kim Jaei suddenly started hovering around me.
‘Ah, right.’
There was a monthly culture here where the person who got first place treats everyone to delicious food.
“Hyung, I really wanted to eat mango bingsu.”
Seon Doyu joined in too.
If I buy all this, there’s no point in getting first place.
“Ah, wait, I need to go to the bathroom…”
“…Hyung?!”
So I just ran away.
