translation by mourningmoor
I thought it would just be a small restaurant since it was a cold noodle house.
But this… It was a huge place, big enough to accommodate two tour buses full of customers. And why are there so many customers?
It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but the hall was already packed.
“Maknae, you need to clear table number 3.”
“Yes.”
When a gruff voice called out from the kitchen, a familiar voice responded brightly.
It was Roa.
Roa, who had popped out from somewhere in the restaurant, approached a table with a large tray.
I told him to rest properly, but…
I quickly walked over and took the tray from his hands.
“Step aside.”
“Hyungnim.”
Roa’s eyes widened as he looked at me in surprise.
“Is your leg fully healed? Is that why you’re doing this?”
Then I started placing the empty dishes from table number 3 onto the tray.
“Maknae.”
“Yes.”
Jaewon immediately ran over at my call.
“Take this to the kitchen.”
“Yes.”
Jaewon disappeared into the kitchen with the tray I had filled.
Then Siu, who had appeared with a dishcloth, started wiping down table number 3.
“Hanjoon hyung, that table over there is also empty. Let’s clear it quickly.”
“Got it, Leader.”
Another voice called for Roa from the kitchen.
It must be Roa’s mother.
As Roa was about to move after loudly responding, Hanjoon stopped him.
“You just stay here. We’ll handle it.”
“Yeah. Roa hyung, just handle the cash register. Seriously.”
Jaewon, who had already taken the empty dishes to the kitchen and greeted Roa’s mother, reappeared wearing an apron.
“Ichan-hyung, his mom asked if we could help out since we’re here.”
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
In the end, we ended up helping out without even properly greeting Roa.
The reason was this.
The restaurant wasn’t usually this busy, but recently it had gained a reputation as a must-visit spot, and business had picked up. They had hired more part-timers and kitchen staff.
It was busy, but things were running smoothly.
But yesterday, two part-timers got into a fight and suddenly quit, leaving them short-handed. That’s why Roa was helping out.
Until now, it seems no one knew this was the home of L.I.T’s Park Roa, but things might change a bit now.
“Even with glasses and a hat on, anyone can tell it’s Park Roa. It’s amazing he’s been able to work here like this.”
Hanjoon whispered to me as I was filling side dishes into bowls.
Yeah, the atmosphere has been a bit strange since earlier.
It’s not just Roa. Anyone can tell it’s Kim Jaewon and Yoon Siu, and their striking looks make them stand out even more as they serve.
“Leader, that table over there is taking pictures.”
After putting down the side dish bowls, I took out my phone and checked SNS.
<At a cold noodle house near a beach in Incheon. Spotted an idol. Seems like a hidden camera thing.>
A blurry photo accompanied the post from an hour ago.
The photo was unclear, so people couldn’t really tell who it was.
It was 11:30 AM.
But around 11:45 AM, someone who recognized the person in the photo as Roa left a comment.
<Isn’t that Park Roa? I’m pretty sure it’s Roa.>
Below that, someone confirmed it was indeed Park Roa.
And now, posts were popping up in real-time about L.I.T members appearing in Incheon.
“Hey, check Universe.”
At Hanjoon’s words, I opened Universe, and it was the same there.
<Our boys are working part-time at a cold noodle house in Incheon ㅠㅠㅠㅠ>
└Wait, their comeback was postponed by a week, so did they really film a variety show in the meantime? Pyo! Are you crazy?
<There’s a rumor that the cold noodle house is Roa’s family’s place. Roa’s from Incheon, right?>
└Oh, right. He mentioned in an interview that his mom is a great cook and runs a restaurant. People were going crazy trying to find out where it was. Is this the place?
└Seems like it. The restaurant’s name is Parkga’s Cold Noodle House.
<Roa must be at home recovering from his leg injury. The rest of the members probably went there to visit him.>
└Their bond is really something.
└Photos are flooding in now. They’re working there.
<ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I just ate there, and Jaewon brought me the cold noodles ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ My heart was racing so much I wouldn’t have noticed if the noodles went up my nose. But I didn’t act like I knew them to avoid making them uncomfortable.>
└You did well, Lightbulb ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Thank you.
└This is it. We need to protect our boys.
<Lightbulbs, let’s make a trend. Let’s ask people not to act like they know them.>
Our fans are truly something else.
But it was already too late.
A male customer had already grabbed Jaewon and started talking to him.
“Hey, you’re the idol from King of the Jungle, right?”
Jaewon’s face stiffened with embarrassment.
“Yeah, it’s L.I.T. That’s Siu, right? The mermaid prince.”
Appearing on King of the Jungle really boosted our recognition, but it also has its downsides.
Once your face is out there, you lose your freedom. We came here just to pick up Roa, so we didn’t expect this to happen.
“Leader, shouldn’t we do something?”
We should. We need to handle this in a way that doesn’t seem strange to others.
I let out a long sigh and was about to step forward when a thick, rough hand grabbed my shoulder.
“You and Hanjoon, just keep filling the side dishes.”
Roa’s mother, with her gruff voice, rolled up her sleeves and stepped out alone.
“Yes, sir.”
She approached the male customer who had grabbed Jaewon and spoke loudly.
“My son is L.I.T’s Roa. These are his teammates. You know L.I.T, right? The idol group that appeared on King of the Jungle.”
The restaurant buzzed, and camera shutters clicked everywhere.
“It’s fine to take pictures. I knew what I was getting into when I let my son become a singer.”
Roa, who was at the counter, quickly ran over and grabbed his mother’s hand.
“Mom, stop.”
“Stay back. I have something to say.”
Shaking off Roa’s hand, his mother continued.
“I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to visit the dorm, and he’s been so busy he hasn’t been able to come home. It’s only when he’s hurt that I get to see him. Oh, didn’t you all know? My son injured his leg.”
“Mom, please stop.”
“Stay back.”
With a pitiful gaze, Roa’s mother looked at the customers.
“My son is the celebrity, not me. Can’t I even speak? Isn’t that right?”
She turned to the man who had been holding onto Jaewon earlier, and he awkwardly nodded, saying, “Of course.”
“But this is our home, and I want my Roa to feel comfortable here.”
Roa’s mother, who had been quietly watching her son, now turned her gaze to me.
“And I want these kids to feel comfortable too.”
It seemed she felt sorry for us, having to endure the public’s gaze even here. A bittersweet smile appeared on her face.
“This is a friend’s house, after all.”
At her words, the people who had been showing excessive interest in us awkwardly scratched their heads.
They exchanged glances and smiled sheepishly.
To these people, Roa’s mother delivered the final blow.
“So, what I’m saying is, take your pictures and look all you want.”
She pulled Roa close to her and shouted in her gruff voice.
“But do it secretly. Secretly.”
It seemed she wanted to remind everyone that no matter how famous an idol is, they’re still someone’s precious child.
And to please not make her son uncomfortable in his own home.
“Don’t act like you know them openly. Do it secretly. Otherwise, I might just close this place down.”
At her words, the man who had been acting like he knew Jaewon stood up abruptly and waved his hands.
“Oh, come on. If you close this place, where are we supposed to get such delicious cold noodles?”
“That’s why I said do it secretly.”
“Yes, yes. Got it.”
The man, who had grabbed Roa’s mother’s hand, nodded with a pitiful expression.
“I’ll act like I don’t know your son. Just let me see him once.”
Apologetically, he patted Roa’s mother’s hand and then looked at the members.
“Jaewon-ssi, I’m sorry. Siu-ssi, I’m sorry.”
Jaewon and Siu, smiling awkwardly, nodded and said it was okay.
When the boys accepted his apology, the man finally smiled brightly and shouted to the people in the restaurant.
“From now on, everyone act like you don’t know them.”
“Yes.”
Right on cue, hashtags like #FreedomForLIT and #TheVirtueOfPretendingNotToKnow started trending on Twittle.
Thanks to Roa’s mother’s little stunt and the Filaments’ efforts, the restaurant quickly returned to peace.
Roa’s mother, who had been quietly observing the scene, turned to us.
“You heard that, right?”
She gestured to the now quiet restaurant and gave her gruff command.
“So get back to work. We’re swamped.”
* * *
Lunchtime stretched past 3 PM.
Literally, Roa’s mother’s cold noodle house was a hit, and we worked until our mouths were dry.
At 3:30 PM, we finally sat down and got to taste the famous cold noodles of Eurwangni.
“Ma’am, this is the best.”
Hanjoon, giving a thumbs-up, devoured the cold noodles.
Jaewon and Siu were too busy eating to lift their heads from their bowls.
I was no different.
I had no idea what cold noodles were, but they were amazing.
When it comes to food, this world is unbeatable.
After finishing the noodles and even the broth, we finally looked at each other.
Come to think of it, we haven’t even mentioned why we’re here.
“Park Roa.”
Roa, who had been silently watching us eat, bit his lip and looked at me.
“We’ve decided to hold a concert in January.”
“A con…cert?”
Tears welled up in Roa’s eyes at the news.
“PD Pyo even booked a gymnastics stadium.”
If it were the usual Roa, he would have rattled off the seating capacity of the gymnastics stadium and what we needed to do next. But today, he was unusually quiet.
All he did was hold back tears with his reddened eyes.
He must have realized a lot during this time.
Enduring a whole week without doing anything must have been tough. He must have also realized that getting hurt only hurts himself.
Looking at Roa, I brought up what I had been thinking.
“You, listen. If you overwork yourself like this and mess up your knee, you won’t be able to perform at the concert.”
Finally, Roa nodded, tears falling.