Restart 11

As Siwoo showered in warm water, he recalled the game they had just played. Evan seemed to be in a good mood, but whenever their eyes met, his expression would harden. Before preparing for the game, Evan had blatantly asked him if he was crazy, and had forced him to wear the clothes he had been wearing.

Not wanting to attract unnecessary attention, Siwoo hurriedly put on his clothes and got into the water. Then Evan came up beside him and stroked his head. So he thought Evan was pleased. Was it because he had covered up his unsightly body anyway? Or was it because he stopped clumsily throwing hearts at the camera?

But when their eyes met throughout the game, he couldn’t keep up with Evan’s ever-changing gaze. Even when he was smiling brightly, why did he become so cold?

Moreover, when their eyes met while he was being held by Hyunsu hyung, goosebumps really broke out all over his body.

“Haah. Seriously, why is he like that to me?”

He came out of the bathroom, gathered his clothes to put on, and let out a long sigh. At first, he dreamed of living boldly and briefly like a flame, but having lived several times now, his attitude toward life had changed to just living thinly and long. To such a Siwoo, Evan was truly a harmful person.

Wearing torn skinny jeans and a white sleeveless T-shirt, Siwoo looked around. When he thought of the other members with even flashy hair colors, he inevitably fell behind in appearance due to his traits, so he ended up paying attention to his outfit for no reason. If he had known this would happen, he should have brought clothes in brighter colors. Even though he thought he didn’t want to stand out, he also didn’t want to be completely buried.

“You don’t know how to give up, do you, giving up. Kim Siwoo, isn’t it about time you gave up?”

Criticizing himself, he put on an oversized white shirt. Since blue skinny jeans and white were the main colors, he wore dark blue sneakers and layered several necklaces.

“What earrings would be good?”

Muttering to himself, he picked up dangling earrings, then saw the multiple necklaces hanging around his neck and put them back down. Then he put a rather flashy and large-design ear cuff on just one side, grabbed his backpack, and went out.

“Huk.”

The moment he left his room, something covered him from behind, startling him so much that he dropped the backpack he was holding.

“Our Siwoo is so cute.”

His eyes just rolled around from the strong force hugging him tightly from behind, and only after hearing the voice did Siwoo realize the other person was Hyunsu.

“Why are you so surprised? You need to eat well and gain some weight. What kind of breakfast is coffee, coffee. I saw you undressed earlier and you’re skin and bones.”

Whether it was a joke or not, Hyunsu easily let go and naturally put his arm on his shoulder, nagging him. Siwoo just smiled slightly at Hyunsu’s scolding. An emotion he hadn’t felt for the past 10 years or so welled up. When living in a group, things like this were always commonplace.

To take even one shower, you had to set a number and wait, and even trying to have one meal was chaos. Even preparing to go out like this reminded him of those times.

“If you suddenly do that from behind, it’s startling.”

“Well, you’re a solo artist so you wouldn’t know. When you live in a group, we always joke around like this. When we go out for lunch today, sit next to me.”

“Why?”

“Since I’m the MC, it’s good if you’re next to me.”

“It’s okay…”

“What’s okay? You’re subtly slipping away, but I can’t stand for that. Just react well from next to me.”

Having finished what he wanted to say, Hyunsu even messed up the hair he had carefully styled, then whistled and left first. Siwoo stared blankly at Hyunsu’s retreating back.

The ‘Journey’ members were really strange. Honestly, this world was a place where it was difficult to rise without stepping on others. Being above someone meant that there were that many people below you. Even if you didn’t use the expression “stepping on,” it was that kind of pyramid structure anyway.

Even in the same group, when appearing on broadcasts, they hoped to stand out more than other members. On music show stages, they wanted to be caught in the ending shot. In variety shows like this, they had to be funnier, and even in a ruined state, they had to be caught on camera even one more time. It was a place where you had to catch people’s eyes by doing that.

Was it because they had all already established themselves firmly? Whenever Siwoo fell behind, whoever it was would approach him, talk to him, and guide him to enter the same frame. Just now, Hyunsu had deliberately come to take care of him. If Hyunsu hadn’t said such things, Siwoo had been planning to sit in the most corner seat.

Since he deliberately came to find him and even said such things before leaving, Siwoo had no choice but to sit next to Hyunsu at today’s lunch. Siwoo’s steps as he grabbed his backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and went out were powerless.

I’m really bad at reacting. What should I do?

* * *

The expected lunch time was 1 o’clock, but the clock was now pointing to 3 PM.

After drinking a cup of coffee in the morning and playing in the water for over an hour, hunger was literally the best sauce. No matter what was happening around him right now, the cream pasta placed in front of him came first. Earlier, Hyunsu hyung had hinted about reactions. But reactions were only possible when your stomach was full.

Siwoo deftly used his fork and spoon to roll up the cream pasta. When the noodles were nicely rolled on the fork, he opened his mouth and popped the pasta in. He closed his mouth and chewed, then stabbed a cucumber pickle with his fork and ate it.

After chewing thoroughly, he ate one more crunchy cucumber pickle and picked up his cola.

“Everyone listen while eating. We need to divide teams for the afternoon tour, so how should we do it? We need to divide into two, two, and three people.”

When Hyunsu, who had said he would MC, brought it up, Siwoo’s heart grew anxious. Ah, can’t we eat a little more first? Everyone was hungry, so no one responded to his words.

He needed to react, but since he was chewing pickles, he couldn’t speak. Cola, cola. I need to drink quickly and react. Siwoo hurriedly drank his cola.

“What? No one’s going to answer? Then let’s team up with the people on my right based on me. The last ones at the end will be three people.”

Siwoo, who had been thinking he should unconditionally say yes if they played a game or proposed any method, looked at him, unable to put down his straw yet, only rolling his eyes.

Whatever method they used to decide teams, for now he just hoped it wouldn’t be with Evan. And right now, Hyunsu was sitting on Siwoo’s left.

With Hyunsu decided as his partner, Siwoo’s gaze, now at ease, turned to the steak. Siwoo picked up his fork and knife and cut a piece of the steak placed in the center to eat. This place does steak well too. The spaghetti was delicious too. Whether everyone had no complaints, the reaction that wasn’t there from the start wasn’t there now either.

“Hyung! How can you do that!”

Just as he was about to eat one more piece because the steak was delicious, Siwoo’s shoulders visibly jumped, startled by the loud sound he heard.

“What do you mean how can I? Me and Siwoo will go. Luca and Yechan will go. You can go with Louis and Ian. What’s the problem?”

Evan, who had been sitting at the end of the table, stood up abruptly. He was gripping a knife tightly in one hand. He probably wanted to speak from the beginning, but seemed unable to speak in time because he had food in his mouth.

“Why are you going with Coco, hyung?”

Ah! I suddenly lost my appetite. Siwoo put down the fork and knife he was holding. Seriously, why are you doing this to me? Are you really my fan? But even if you’re a fan, you’re really strange. I’m not even an omega. You glared at me earlier. You cursed at me. You bad guy!

“Because Siwoo is next to me? You don’t like me and Siwoo teaming up? Then let’s team up with the left side based on me. Me and Ian. You and Louis. Luca, Yechan, Siwoo. Like this.”

Unlike the excited Evan, Hyunsu placed a slice of pizza on Siwoo’s personal plate. They had won the water polo game thanks to Siwoo today, and it was to tease Evan who was particularly obsessed with Siwoo. Only Siwoo didn’t know, but currently Hyunsu’s pheromone scent was strongly emanating from Siwoo’s body.

While ignoring Evan’s piercing gaze and working hard to rub it on during water polo, it had all disappeared while Siwoo was washing up. So he deliberately hugged him and, to provoke Evan, earnestly asked him to sit next to him at lunch.

Probably all the members here were on Hyunsu’s side, not Evan’s. Now that Hyunsu’s pheromone scent was coming strongly from Siwoo, everyone was smiling and stealing glances at Evan. But no one told Siwoo, and no one bothered to spray deodorizer or say anything to Hyunsu.

Having lived as an idol, Hyunsu prided himself on knowing Evan quite well. Their broadcasts overlapped so they met in waiting rooms, and they had spent a lot of time together privately outside as well.

If Siwoo were an omega, he might think Evan had fallen in love at first sight, but it wasn’t even that. Anyway, Evan was showing a strange appearance right now.

“Huh? I don’t need to eat it.”

“It’s delicious. You didn’t eat this.”

Hyunsu kindly spoke to Siwoo, who quickly refused upon seeing the pizza. The reason Evan was getting worked up now wasn’t simply because they couldn’t be on the same team. He was accurately aware of the pheromones.

It was visible that he wanted to approach Siwoo and cover those pheromones with his own pheromones or spray deodorizer. But whenever it seemed like Evan would approach Siwoo, everyone approached him with one heart and mind. Evan, who had repeatedly approached to talk to him or couldn’t even get near Siwoo in various situations, couldn’t hide his uncomfortable mood.

“Ah, seriously, let’s just play a game instead. Fair and square.”

Siwoo, who had been concentrating on the pizza for a moment, raised his head at Evan’s words. Still gripping the knife tightly in one hand, Evan stood at the opposite end of the table.

“The number game. 1!”

As soon as Evan finished saying let’s play a game, Luca, who had been observing this situation until now, stood up abruptly and shouted the number 1.

“2.”

“3.”

In an instant, Louis stood up, and Hyunsu was next.

“4!”

“5.”

“6.”

“Kukukuk…”

The game really ended in an instant, and the one who couldn’t shout a number until the end was Evan.