“I just do all of this. There’s no guarantee it’ll work on the masses in the end anyway.”
As he said, aiming for a trend doesn’t mean it’ll hit with 100% accuracy. But somehow, he felt convinced that if it’s Kwon Isoo, he could make it possible.
“You’ll write a good song.”
“…….”
“If it’s your song, it’ll definitely work.”
Then Kwon Isoo grumbled with a blank face.
“…You really have all sorts of ways to pressure people.”
“Did my words pressure you?”
“Yeah. So share that pressure with me.”
“Okay. What should I do?”
Kwon Isoo, who was looking at Do Yeonjae with a crooked gaze as he readily answered, said.
“Your name, Do Yeonjae, will be listed first in the songwriting credits for that song.”
“…Huh?”
At the unexpected words, Do Yeonjae was momentarily stunned. Credit listing is usually decided in order according to contribution. In the case of songwriting, it’s determined character by character based on who wrote more parts. He knew well since his name had been included in last place for RAYEON’s 4th anniversary fan song.
So what Kwon Isoo was saying meant that he should write most of the lyrics for the song <Cats Never Lie>.
When it comes to songwriting, all he’d done was barely get his foot in at the very end of the credits, but suddenly first place? He’d made up his mind to participate in the lyrics, but… Seeing Do Yeonjae’s face tinged with pressure, Kwon Isoo held out his hand.
“You said you scribbled some lyrics. Where is it? Show me.”
“Th-that… I only wrote a little bit to get a feel for it at first. I was going to show you once it was certain we’d use this keyword.”
At Do Yeonjae’s uncharacteristically stuttering appearance, Kwon Isoo’s lips curled up wickedly. He leaned in close and said teasingly.
“It’s confirmed now.”
“…….”
A groaning sound flowed through Do Yeonjae’s teeth. There were definitely some decent lyrics, but they were just a roughly scribbled first draft, and he was somewhat embarrassed not knowing how they’d look to a professional’s eyes.
Still, he wanted to honor Kwon Isoo’s words about sharing the burden together. Since he was challenging songwriting anyway, why not just do it? There’s nothing he can’t do.
…Still, let me polish it just a bit more.
“I’ll send it via message.”
At the desperate eyes filled with pleading emotion, Kwon Isoo raised his eyebrows and leaned back as if he’d let it go for now.
“From now on, write a little bit every day and send it. Even just one or two lines is fine.”
“Got it.”
“And don’t revise too much. What you wrote roughly at first might actually be better, and whatever you write, I have to filter it out anyway.”
“Ugh… that’s harsh.”
As the meeting came to a close, the atmosphere became much lighter. Do Yeonjae, who turned off the tablet screen, rubbed his eyes. Kwon Isoo leaned completely against the backrest and picked up the chocolate muffin he’d had his eyes on.
“Looks like good ideas came out?”
PD Woo, who had been watching the two throughout the meeting, slyly chimed in.
“I was actually really moved. That Isoo-ssi would think about the program this much…”
“Who did?”
Even with the indifferent answer, the PD wasn’t discouraged. Because there were small crumbs stuck around Kwon Isoo’s mouth as he bit a big mouthful of the choco-loaded muffin. Moreover…
The PD held back laughter and pointed out what had been bothering her.
“But you two… the mission ended a while ago, but neither of you asked to have the wrist string removed?”
“…….”
“…….”
Oh my. They’d gotten so used to it that they hadn’t even thought about needing to remove the string. Yeonjae and Isoo looked at each other ridiculously.
* * *
A critical mission had arisen.
After finishing even the interview, Do Yeonjae returned home to the dorm with shoulders much heavier with burden.
“Yeonjae’s here? How was today’s filming?”
Baek Sian, who welcomed Yeonjae, was in the middle of folding laundry on the living room sofa while deeply immersed in the TV. On the screen, the final live broadcast episode of the dance survival variety show that Baek Sian had been diligently watching every broadcast for several weeks was airing.
“Yes. Hyung, did you do laundry?”
“Yeah. The underwear laundry basket was piled up so I just ran it this morning. When the schedule’s relaxed, I should do it myself, at least this much.”
He asked because today wasn’t a day when the dorm manager came, and Sian added that laundry dried crispy in the sunlight is actually quite fun to fold. Yeonjae, who chuckled at those words, asked.
“What about Yoon hyung?”
“Dunno. Sleeping, I think?”
Yeonjae, who nodded, came out after washing his hands in the bathroom. He was about to go to his room to prepare for a shower when Baek Sian suddenly grabbed Yeonjae and asked him to vote via text for the team he was supporting.
“Please, Yeonjae. Voting only costs 100 won. This team’s story is really real, you know? They absolutely must win…”
The team’s leader suffered a serious injury a few years ago but bravely challenged the survival… there was a big crisis in the middle but blah blah… the reason why the team name has to be ‘Dark Rose’ and so on… Yeonjae, who couldn’t understand even half of the story that flowed like an otaku’s, coolly nodded.
“Got it. Let me shower first.”
“No! Voting ends soon. Please, if not you right now, our team is doomed. If not you, Dark Rose can’t win.”
What kind of great influence could just one vote have… Even if you don’t go that far, I’d obviously listen to hyung’s request. Yeonjae, who lightly laughed at his two-year-older hyung’s fuss, took out his phone from his pocket.
“Where do I send the text?”
“To #0808, ‘Dark Rose.’ Absolutely can’t have typos. Got it?”
Sian, who had been anxiously glancing at Yeonjae silently typing, belatedly corrected himself.
“No wait, just send ‘3.’”
“Already sent it.”
Only after showing the text screen with ‘Dark Rose’ accurately entered did Sian continue folding laundry with a relieved face. Yeonjae, who was really about to go to his room now, stopped dead at his hyung’s muttering.
“But whose is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“…….”
As soon as he heard those words, a chilling sensation swept his nape.
Come to think of it… he seemed to have put ‘that’ in the laundry basket.
When he turned his head creakily, sure enough, underwear lavishly plastered with red roses on a black background was dangling in Baek Sian’s hand. Gasp… At the same time Yeonjae’s face turned white, Sian muttered with a strange expression.
“Dark Rose? Is this a sign of victory?”
“…Hyung.”
Yeonjae, who rushed over in a hurry, snatched away those underwear.
“This is mine.”
“Huh? This? Looking at it, it’s definitely not your taste… Where’d you buy it?”
Sian tilted his head. And for good reason—Do Yeonjae usually preferred underwear with clean designs. He seems like he wouldn’t wear such a flashy design even if given… At Sian’s sharp words, Yeonjae, whose eyes rolled around, stammered an answer.
“A gift… I got it as a gift from a friend.”
Sian, who saw Yeonjae’s blank expression, giggled as if understanding.
“Was it a useless gift exchange? Here, take this with it.”
“Yes… thank you, hyung.”
Baek Sian held out Yeonjae’s underwear that he’d folded separately. Do Yeonjae entered his room while looking troubled at the rose picture on top of the pile of underwear.
That day when he drank with Kwon Isoo and fell asleep, when he woke up in bed, his clothes had been changed to Kwon Isoo’s training suit.
And what had been changed was also the underwear that had gotten soaked from ‘that incident.’
Do Yeonjae, who first encountered the underwear settled snugly on his lower body, frowned and stared endlessly at the intense roses. It doesn’t seem like something he’d been wearing… what is this bizarre design?
He almost had a serious misunderstanding about Kwon Isoo’s underwear taste, but he was able to clear up the misunderstanding the next day while eating pork belly.
‘That? It’s new. I got it as a gift but the design is shit so I left it in the box. Either wear it or throw it away.’
‘…Ah.’
So he changed me into something he got as a gift… Do Yeonjae, who became embarrassed again at the fact that as a proper adult, he’d had his underwear changed by a friend’s hands, paused for a moment before answering.
‘…I’ll return the training suit set later. I didn’t bring it from the dorm because I didn’t know we’d meet today.’
‘Do whatever.’
Unlike himself, Kwon Isoo had cleanly washed his clothes that had been left at the officetel and brought them in a paper bag. A thin hoodie and jeans. Yeonjae, who received them back with thanks, brought it straight to the dorm. And he immediately took it out and organized it in the closet…
“…….”
Wait, hold on.
The underwear I wore that time. I don’t think it was in the bag?
At the belated realization, Do Yeonjae’s eyes widened. Yeonjae, who entered his room with quick steps, closed the door with a click. He looked inside the paper bag placed near the door, but it was just empty, nothing visible.
Strange. I’m sure I only took out the hoodie and pants from inside…
He’d done the deed and fallen asleep almost immediately, so he couldn’t grasp the circumstances. If Kwon Isoo had washed the underwear but forgot to put it in the bag, he would have contacted him via message or said something today. Seeing that there’s no word… could it be he just took them off and forgot about them as is?
“Then…”
That… underwear soaked with fluid is rolling around somewhere in Kwon Isoo’s place right now?
