“We can all move companies together.”
The first one to speak after the director left was Inhan.
“We just maintain the group well, and when the contract ends, we move to another company. We can even establish our own company independently.”
No one could readily answer Inhan’s words. It was too risky a decision for the popular members. But when the person in question came forward saying it was okay, opposing it also looked strange.
“Yeomin hyung and I have already decided to do that. You hyungs just need to decide.”
Since there were still 2 years left, they decided to put the post-contract termination issues on hold for now. You never know what incidents or accidents might happen in the meantime, and there might be opportunities for even their firm hearts to change.
Yuho in particular was feeling greater anxiety than the other members.
* * *
“Why are you sitting there?”
Inhan, who had been the first to settle down at the empty table in the office, asked Yuho, who sat diagonally from him.
“Huh? Oh, well…”
At Inhan’s sudden question, Yuho was flustered. At the same time, he was afraid that he’d been caught deliberately avoiding sitting next to him.
“Why nitpick about that? Just sit anywhere that’s empty and be done with it.”
Fortunately, Raulie was the first to express dissatisfaction and intercepted Yuho’s answer. Yuho kept his mouth shut.
“Isn’t Yuho hyung not sitting next to you because you keep pestering him from the side? You’re so clueless.”
“No. That’s not exactly…”
Since it was actually true, Yuho couldn’t make any more excuses.
“Awesome. I get the seat next to Yuho hyung.”
Yeomin excitedly claimed the seat next to Yuho, and Inhan looked at Yuho with a hardened face. Yuho kept his gaze down and avoided Inhan’s eyes.
“What do you want to eat for lunch?”
“How about jeyuk?”
The first to answer Taylor’s question was Raulie. Positive reactions came from Jueon and Yeomin’s mouths, and Yuho was quietly waiting for everyone’s decision to end.
“What about you, Yuho hyung? Is it okay?”
“Huh? Oh. I’m good with that too.”
Surprised by Inhan’s sudden question, Yuho inadvertently gave an answer.
“Okay. Let’s eat jeyuk.”
Inhan spoke to Yuho nonchalantly. As if nothing had happened between the two of them, daily life continued.
But there was definitely a subtle difference.
Inhan, who had always stuck to the seat next to Yuho and been busy talking to him, was sitting diagonally from Yuho, silently staring at his phone screen.
“Shouldn’t we buy something when we go see Jeonga noona later?”
“Let’s just buy a bouquet and macarons on the way.”
When Yeomin next to him spoke, Inhan answered simply and focused on his phone screen again. Unable to stand it, Raulie took issue with Inhan’s behavior.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah. KakaoTalking.”
“With who?”
“With Jua noona.”
“Don’t tell me the Jua noona you’re talking about is Yoo Jua-nim.”
“That’s right though?”
“Ah, crazy.”
At Inhan’s answer, Raulie let out a cry. Actress Yoo Jua, called the icon of the next generation of pure innocence, was the female lead of the healing drama ‘Summer Melody,’ which Raulie had been singing about as his life drama. Jung Inhan is in contact with that Jua-nim? From Raulie’s standpoint, it was a story to drive him crazy.
“Did you tell Jua-nim I’m a fan or not?”
“Of course I didn’t.”
“Do it. Say it many times. Say it until her ears get calluses.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll say it.”
“Do it right now.”
While Raulie was making a fuss, Yeomin had a face colored with betrayal. And he questioned Inhan.
“What, Jung Inhan? When did you exchange contact information?”
“During the last shoot. You were right there, hyung.”
“Did you ask for contact information first?”
“No. Noona did.”
“Wow. Disgusting.”
At Yeomin’s remark, Yuho, sitting across from him, flinched. Was that expression one that could be used so easily? His heart felt unsettled for no reason.
“What’s disgusting? Last time when the girl idols came, you…”
“Hot! I said hot, not disgusting. Haha.”
At Inhan’s counterattack, Yeomin hurriedly changed his words. As expected, Jung Inhan was not to be messed with carelessly. Even knowing that, it was a mystery why he kept making the same mistake.
“Even with the air conditioner on, it’s really hot. Should I lower the temperature more?”
“No. Yuho hyung will catch a cold. Can’t do that.”
At Inhan’s remark, carelessly tossed out, Yuho’s gaze turned toward Inhan. But Inhan’s gaze was still directed at his phone. Yuho felt unnecessarily embarrassed and just fidgeted with his fingers.
“Inhan. Don’t just take care of Yuho’s health, take care of his love life too. Don’t keep having a thing with people by yourself.”
The one who flustered Yuho with an out-of-the-blue remark was Jueon. Yuho urgently tried to stop Jueon.
“No. Hyung, I’m fine…”
“Hyung. A thing? You’re saying our Jua-nim and Inhan have a thing? I can’t accept it.”
Thanks to Raulie bristling and refuting Jueon’s words, Yuho’s statement was buried. Thinking it better to make it like it never happened, Yuho naturally closed his mouth.
“Accept it. They’re contacting each other all day, what else would it be if not a thing?”
“No. I only believe what Jua-nim says. I won’t listen to what other people say. Especially not Jung Inhan’s words.”
“I don’t need to take care of Yuho hyung.”
“Huh?”
While Jueon and Raulie were having a noisy argument, Inhan’s words were directed at Yuho. His gaze was also directed at Yuho.
“Since he’ll do well on his own.”
At Inhan’s ambiguous words, Yuho felt confused. It was also questionable why he wasn’t explaining his relationship with Jua. Yuho deliberately avoided their met gaze and answered Inhan.
“That’s right.”
“Do well on his own at what? He kicks away connections that roll right to him with his own feet.”
“Raul. When did I…”
“Then why didn’t you date that actress you filmed the web drama with?”
Why is Soi’s story coming up here? Looking closely, Raulie had quite a tenacious side. Yuho sneaked a look at Inhan’s expression, conscious of how it might look.
Perhaps his mood was unpleasant, as Inhan’s face was noticeably hardened.
Yuho reflected on his past of using the innocent Soi to probe Inhan and denied Raulie’s words.
“We weren’t anything.”
“So why? Our forever-single, no wait, Seon Yuho-ssi who held hands with a woman for the first time in 5 years became someone who contacts a woman, so why didn’t you even try to become something?”
At Raulie’s rapid-fire questions, Yuho couldn’t collect himself. That said, he couldn’t explain the circumstances in detail, so he decided to answer vaguely.
“Well, that’s just… because she wasn’t my ideal type.”
“What if she was your ideal type?”
This time, the one who threw a question at Yuho was Inhan. Inhan was interrogating Yuho with a face devoid of any smile.
“Then would you have seduced her?”
“What are you saying, Jung Inhan? Is Yuho hyung someone who would step up first to seduce someone?”
Before Yuho could answer, Raulie stepped up first and intercepted the answer, but Yuho stared directly at Inhan as he answered.
“Yeah. I would have seduced her.”
Though it was a question whose intention he couldn’t understand, to say no would make him look ridiculous. I’m a man too, and it was irritating that they seemed to see him as so pathetic that he couldn’t even seduce the person he loves.
“Whoa. Yuho hyung. You’re manly for once.”
“Our precious Yuho hyung doesn’t need to seduce anyone first, you know? Jung Inhan. Don’t instigate our Hyo hyung with pointless words.”
Raulie gave a thumbs up at Yuho’s answer, and Yeomin hugged Yuho while scolding Inhan. Inhan still had an expressionless face.
“What exactly is your ideal type, hyung?”
“What, Jung Inhan. Are you really going to introduce someone to Yuho?”
Jueon made a fuss, welcoming Inhan’s question, but Yuho’s mood was hitting rock bottom. He couldn’t know what answer he was hoping for with that question, but he could clearly feel that he was being toyed with.
“Yes. If there’s someone among the people I know.”
“It’s someone you don’t know.”
In the end, Yuho bristled at Inhan’s words.
“Someone I don’t know, who?”
“Would you know if I told you?”
“I might know.”
“Even if you knew, I have no intention of telling you.”
At the continuing nerve war between Inhan and Yuho, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly became chilly.
“What’s with you two? Why are you suddenly like this?”
Raulie asked the two in surprise, but no one answered.
“Hey. Jung Inhan. Why are you treating Hyo hyung like that?”
Yeomin also scolded Inhan in a sharp voice, but Inhan’s gaze continued to be directed at Yuho.
Ahem, ahem. Jueon’s throat-clearing continued, and just as Taylor was about to step forward to say something, Raulie’s mouth opened first.
“The jeyuk should be here by now, right?”
Raulie hurriedly changed the subject to refresh the atmosphere.
“Oh, oh. Probably? I’ll check the time.”
Jueon hurriedly agreed, but the ruined atmosphere didn’t come back to life. Eventually, Jueon stood up from his seat, trying to escape this uncomfortable situation.
“I’m thinking of going ahead and waiting. Yuho. Want to come with me?”
“Ah. Yes.”
Yuho readily accepted Jueon’s proposal. When Yuho got up from his seat and approached Jueon, Inhan also stood up and said to Jueon.
“I’ll go.”
“Huh? You?”
“Yes. Yuho hyung and I will go.”
At Inhan’s words, Jueon seemed flustered. Uh. Well, I mean. After hesitating, he eventually accepted Inhan’s proposal.
“Okay. You two go. Uh, but actually there’s still 20 minutes until arrival. You don’t have to go right now.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Oh, okay. Inhan. Then come back.”
Yuho looked at Jueon hoping to be rescued, but Jueon shook his head slightly, expressing regret.
Having arrived together on the first floor of the building, Inhan and Yuho decided to sit and wait on the chairs set up in the hallway.
Yuho sat two seats away from where Inhan sat.
“Why are you sitting there? Come sit next to me.”
At Inhan’s words, Yuho obediently moved seats. When Yuho sat in the seat next to him, Inhan reached out his hand and held Yuho’s hand. Having just had a big argument and now holding hands. Yuho was dumbfounded and shook off Inhan’s hand.
“Why? You still hate even holding hands with me?”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”
“I said let’s date, didn’t I? We decided to do that.”
“You said you have a thing with actress Yoo Jua?”
I didn’t want to talk about this kind of thing. The feelings that had been piling up in Yuho’s chest like a burden since earlier finally burst out.
“Then is that not okay?”
Inhan asked Yuho with a shameless face. And added words in a deeply sunken voice.
“Are you going to leave me alone again and run away?”
Whether Inhan’s sharply pointed words stemmed from disgust or disappointment, Yuho couldn’t tell.
