Predicting realistic results doesn’t make him gloomy. Do Yeonjae treasured all the trophies he’d received so far. What mattered was the hearts of the fans who wanted to give RAYEON trophies.
With just that heart, he could gain the strength to stand on stage.
For a large agency idol group, RAYEON had grown while experiencing quite a lot of ups and downs. Just look at how a member was hastily replaced right before debut. Compared to promotions where they barely managed to snag a single trophy due to poor performance, how grateful was the present?
Also, this promotion period showed several noteworthy positive signs. For instance, the RAYEON video whose view count exploded. Yeah… the challenge he’d filmed with Kwon Isoo a few days ago.
That challenge, which became a hot topic as soon as it was released as a short, literally turned the entire community upside down.
– Holy fuck this combo is insane..?
– No but look at both their faces, I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know where to look;
– Yeonjae.. how did the Lord give such a talent..
– But why is Kwon Isoo dancing so hard? It seems more sincere than his debut stage
└ Huh his expression sucks though
└└ What are you talking about our Isoo is smiling brightly right now
└└└ No how the fuck is that
– Wow I heard they were trainees together, their dance chemistry is good 👍
– Yeonjae is the tallest in RAYEON but standing next to Isoo-nim there’s a height difference, so interesting lololol
– Crazy this can’t be a one-time thing, just push for something anything
– I’ll write a three-line acrostic poem with Do Yeonjae’s name
└ Give more
Even though he’d expected the reaction to be decent, he didn’t know it would blow up this much. Kwon Isoo did dance well, but… Is star power really something you’re born with? The view count rose frighteningly fast every time he checked, so he eventually stopped checking. The last time he saw it was 2.87 million…
What was even more absurd was that after the challenge went up, he received countless contacts from acquaintances. Those contacts with suspicious intentions generally started with greetings saying they were watching this promotion well and ended with subtle requests to introduce them to Kwon Isoo.
I don’t even have Kwon Isoo’s number. Ahh… too bothersome to reply. With a monotonous expression, Do Yeonjae shoved his phone into his pocket and got off the elevator. It was the 7th floor.
Do Yeonjae, who didn’t sleep much, tended to come to the practice room during promotion periods when he had ambiguous time to sleep. Because if he went to the dorm, he’d just uselessly use his phone. He felt like the live pitch kept wavering during the highlight part when performing on stage, so today he planned to nail it down for sure. Then if he got sleepy, he could just lie down on the practice room floor and close his eyes briefly.
“……”
He stopped just as he was about to turn the corner. It seemed like he heard some voice from over there. It didn’t particularly feel familiar… Why did I stop?
He blinked and was about to step forward again when this time the voice was heard more clearly.
“So, that noona asked me to give her hyung’s changed number…”
Ah, that voice… It was NEOS’s youngest, Choi Taeon. He remembered feeling a secret sense of kinship since they both debuted at seventeen. He’d be eighteen now… Seeing him chattering non-stop, there seemed to be someone next to him. That someone was just silently walking without any response.
……Wait. If it’s NEOS.
“…That noona too, really, she’s been like that since before debut. Just because hyung was her partner dancer once, she’s been persistent since then…”
It’s Kwon Isoo. The protagonist of that story was definitely Kwon Isoo. Do Yeonjae flinched and took one or two steps back. He really didn’t want to run into him. Even more so after blurting out that nonsense. He pressed his cap down low and hurriedly moved his steps. Holding his breath, he entered the bathroom next to the elevator and carefully closed the door.
Seeing them coming this way, they must be on their way home. They’ll take the elevator and go down soon. Letting out a small sigh and leaning against the wall, he heard Choi Taeon’s voice from a place closer than before.
“Sweet, the elevator’s on the 7th floor. Jackpot.”
I just need to wait a bit before going out. Let’s handle the backlogged messages in the meantime. He picked up his phone again. Insincerity oozed from his gesture of sliding down the chat room list. That was just like him, thoroughly indifferent to people outside his boundary.
After roughly replying to a few people, it became quiet outside the door. They must have gone down by now. He straightened his body that had been leaning at an angle and grabbed the doorknob. Thinking thoughts like ‘It’s not like I committed a crime but this is kind of a reality check…’
And as soon as he opened the door, he was startled.
“……!”
Kwon Isoo was standing there blocking the doorway. His sneakers dragged on the bathroom’s marble tile making a screeching sound. Why isn’t he leaving and is here? Do Yeonjae’s flustered gaze looked at Kwon Isoo wearing a gray hoodie with the hood up, then examined beyond his broad shoulders.
Then Kwon Isoo casually tilted his head. The black mask hooked on one of his ears dangled precariously.
“He went down first.”
“……Huh?”
“Choi Taeon.”
Oh, I see. Do Yeonjae, who inadvertently nodded, suddenly narrowed his brow. Those words meant he knew everything about him deliberately avoiding him by coming in here. Ah, embarrassing…
“…Need to use the bathroom?”
Do Yeonjae tried to quickly escape this space while pretending to clear the way. But just as he was about to step forward, a huge physique blocked the front. Moreover, Kwon Isoo moved his long legs with large strides, driving the person inward… then soon, click, he closed the bathroom door.
“……?”
At what happened in an instant, Do Yeonjae blinked widely. What just happened? Since this was the first time in his life being locked in a bathroom, he couldn’t grasp the situation well.
Moreover, Kwon Isoo, after locking someone in, just stared down at him intently without saying anything. An ice-cold face. The pupils with their back to the light looked endlessly dark. Those emotionless eyes seemed to urge something, making his mouth dry for no reason.
Soon a blunt voice flowed from him.
“Why.”
…Is he angry?
“Why are you avoiding me?”
I didn’t avoid you. Do Yeonjae was about to answer like this but stopped. Because he wanted to stop the obviously visible lies.
“Isn’t this better for you too?”
It must be uncomfortable for Kwon Isoo too to run into someone he dislikes. He couldn’t understand why he’d deliberately follow him in and glare as if engaging in a battle of wills.
Or at what part of his answer heat rose, making his jaw clench tightly.
“Fuck, Do Yeonjae…”
He spat out sharp words and suddenly approached. As much as the distance closed, Kwon Isoo’s body scent wafted over. A bit stronger than last time… Suddenly cracks appeared in Do Yeonjae’s brow.
Last time he’d only caught a whiff in passing so he wasn’t sure.
“Do you smoke?”
Do Yeonjae really, really hated cigarettes. The reason was because they’re harmful to the throat. Likewise, he didn’t particularly like people who smoked either. Because secondhand smoke is twice as harmful.
Of course, he had no right to interfere with others about whether to smoke or not, but his dislike regarding cigarettes clearly showed on Do Yeonjae’s expression, so the RAYEON members naturally came to think, I should never smoke for life… What did the youngest even have in terms of likes and dislikes, they could accommodate at least that much. It actually had a negative impact on stage lives too.
Since no one made a fuss about such things, Do Yeonjae didn’t know what his expression looked like when talking about cigarettes. The expression containing his dislike revealed itself without fail just now too, and it was enough to ruffle the mood of Kwon Isoo, who was reading every bit of that face.
Kwon Isoo growled fiercely. Ah, fuck…
“What does it matter? Whether I light a cigarette or not. What are you to me?”
“……”
“Don’t make that kind of expression with someone in front of you. It’s fucking disgusting.”
What was my expression for him to be like that? Do Yeonjae thought briefly then closed his lips. Because no matter what reaction he showed, what words he said, it seemed to reach Kwon Isoo unpleasantly.
“Not answering? What are you to me, Do Yeonjae?”
But now he’s getting angry for not answering. Haa… Does he want to hear that badly that I’m nothing to him? It seemed Kwon Isoo would only be satisfied after hearing words that threw away all pride. Do Yeonjae, who’d become tired, decided to say what he wanted moderately.
“I just asked if you smoke. I won’t interfere. Like you said, we’re nothing to each other.”
Even though he’d said the words he wanted, for some reason Kwon Isoo’s expression became even fiercer. Veins bulged in his neck. His sharply bristling eyes poured out a fierce blue glare.
“Ha, you’re really acting like a fucking asshole.”
His face seemed thoroughly twisted and the voice flowing out lowly was chillingly cynical.
“Nothing to each other… Right. You made it that way.”
“……”
“After fucking things up like that, showing off that you’re happy as hell alone, selfish bastard.”
At the last words, Do Yeonjae frowned. Showing off that I’m happy as hell? When did I?
He was about to ask what he meant, but Kwon Isoo had already stormed out of the place.
