translation by mourningmoor
We ended up helping out with the dinner service too, since the part-timers wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow.
I don’t know how many Filaments were among the flood of customers, but as promised, no one acted like they knew us.
The incident during lunch had already spread on SNS within that short time, becoming a hot topic among the fandom.
Anyway, thankfully, we managed to finish work without any issues, and we were able to comfortably grill samgyeopsal (T.N. Korean pork belly) on the rooftop of Roa’s family’s restaurant building.
After eating our fill of grilled meat, the members set off the fireworks Roa’s father had bought, enjoying the end of our short vacation in a fun way.
The youngest member is 18, and the oldest is 21.
In a few months, they’ll all be a year older, but they’re still at the age where they love setting off fireworks and having fun.
As I sat on the rooftop bench, watching the members with a content expression, Roa quickly came over and sat beside me.
“Thank you for coming to get me, Hyungnim.”
Come to think of it, this kid hadn’t called me once in the past week.
I left him alone because I wanted him to reflect, but from his perspective, he could’ve at least called.
It seems he didn’t even contact the youngest member once.
“If I hadn’t come to get you, were you planning to stay here forever?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“When Hyungnim told me to stay at home, I thought there must be a reason.”
Ha, look at this.
How could I not adore him?
“So I came here and thought about it carefully.”
“And?”
“I realized I’ve been too impatient.”
Roa scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
“That’s why I cried earlier. I felt so sorry to the members.”
But his expression was lighter now.
“When Hyungnim said earlier that if I overwork myself like this and mess up my knee, I won’t be able to perform at the concert.”
Roa, who had been leaning back on the bench, sat up straight, his face slightly flushed.
“It really hit me hard.”
It was a short time, but it was enough to be a wake-up call for Roa.
“I realized I was only thinking about myself. I pushed myself too hard because I wanted to do well.”
It seems he’s realized that it’s most important to rely on each other and work together as a team, rather than overexerting himself.
“My body isn’t just mine anymore. If I get hurt, the team stops, and the Filaments get hurt.”
I nodded and patted his shoulder lightly.
Because I was proud of him.
“You worked too hard. Too hard.”
He poured his all, even more than his all, into the team, regardless of his own well-being.
“You pushed yourself too harshly.”
“I just wanted to be like you, Hyungnim.”
“Like me?”
“Yes. Someone who remains calm even in the midst of a storm.”
Roa smiled and continued.
“That’s something only someone with real skill can do.”
No, that’s something only I can do.
Even if you have the skill, it’s not something just anyone can do.
You have to be someone who can move the storm itself, like me.
“I thought I had to work myself to death to be like you, Hyungnim.”
“It might look that way to you, but I’m not working that hard.”
I expected this.
I know that not just Roa but the other members have been greatly influenced by me.
While it’s had a positive impact, it’s also causing side effects like this.
“Didn’t you hear Seo Hanul’s interview? He said he stayed up all night doing something, only to find out I was playing games with Yoo Noah sunbaenim.”
“Ah, come on. We all know how hard you work, Hyungnim.”
It’s laughable to try to lie to members who are with me almost 24/7. They’ve even seen me bleed from my nose, so what’s this about playing games?
“Alright, I admit it. I work hard. My goal is to surpass ARCHE. Not just surpass, but leap over them.”
Currently, ARCHE is undoubtedly the top idol group.
They’ve conquered the American market and are revered as idols among idols.
Perhaps that’s why Roa’s expression was visibly tense.
Even I think my goal is excessively high.
“But that doesn’t mean I work myself to death.”
“If your goal is that high, shouldn’t you work yourself to death? Surpassing ARCHE means becoming the best in the world, right?”
“Right. Becoming the best in the world. That’s why I don’t work myself to death.”
“Why?”
“Because the goal is too high. The higher the goal, the more you need to manage your stamina. You have to take care of your body. It’s a long-term battle.”
Roa, looking like he’d had an epiphany, nodded.
“If we were just going to shine briefly and disappear, we could flap our wings like mayflies until we die. But that’s not us. We’re in this for the long haul.”
Yes, we’re just barely breaking out of our cocoons. The light is barely peeking through the slightly opened shell.
I think this comeback and concert will be a turning point, allowing us to rise to the next level.
“And the reason I can remain calm isn’t because of my skill, but because I’ve been through life-and-death situations.”
“Right. Hyungnim is like a jujube tree struck by lightning. You survived that lightning strike, so…”
That damn lightning-struck jujube tree.
But in this world, it’s better for my existence to be seen as something extraordinary like that. I can’t exactly say I’m a grand mage instead of a jujube tree.
“You’re truly amazing.”
“Why? Because I’m a symbol of luck again?”
“No. Because you’re immortal.”
Immortal, huh? Not entirely wrong.
I chuckled and rummaged through my bag on the bench.
“Being immortal is a bit too much. Let’s just stick with being a symbol of luck.”
Then I pulled out the box I had prepared.
Roa’s gaze lingered on the long velvet box.
“What’s this?”
I pointed to his earlobe as he looked at me with wide eyes.
“Piercings.”
“Piercings?”
“Yeah. Call everyone over.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the members started gathering on the bench one by one.
“Why?”
Despite the chilly October evening, Jaewon’s face was drenched in sweat from playing so hard. Beside him was Hanjoon, also sweaty from playing with the youngest.
Siu quietly climbed onto the bench and sat next to me.
“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll explain.”
At my words, the playful glint in their eyes turned serious.
This is one of their greatest strengths.
They know how to clearly separate work and play. And they’re incredibly quick to catch on.
“We probably won’t have any vacations for a while.”
They all nodded, as if they had expected this.
“Think of this as our last vacation and enjoy it to the fullest.”
No one objected.
They accepted reality as it was.
“And I want you all to steel yourselves.”
These kids have always been easy to communicate with.
Even though there’s not much of an age gap, they listen seriously to me as their leader.
That’s why I could honestly talk about the direction we need to take.
“Album promotions are one thing, but once the concert starts, it’s going to be tough. Really tough.”
The preparations for the concert, scheduled for January, will begin soon.
And after that, we’ll probably have a concert in Tokyo.
This is almost certain, as PD Pyo is coordinating schedules with Niji TV.
I’ve also heard that there’s a concert request from Hong Kong.
Even though the concert schedule isn’t officially announced yet, things will change once the Seoul concert is revealed. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get requests from the US or Brazil.
“There won’t be any free time, and our daily 24 hours will be strictly managed by the company, including sleep. No holidays, no meeting friends.”
This is a huge opportunity, and it’s not something we can miss.
But for members who are still so young, this kind of restriction might feel suffocating.
Sure enough, Jaewon’s face darkened.
“It’s tough. But I hope we can accept this with gratitude.”
We’ve always been like this, but from now on, we need to stick together even more as a team.
“Which group that debuted around the same time as us has had as much success as we have?”
Just look at the groups that appeared on King of the Jungle with us. MuteSeven disbanded, and Möbius is just building their career at their level.
“We’re only in our second year, and we’re already being compared to T.I.ONE.”
It’s an incredible achievement.
“And everything we achieve comes with a price.”
Even now, our rivalry with T.I.ONE and the increasing number of seniors trying to hold us back are examples.
As the broadcasters’ treatment of us changes, singers of similar seniority are looking at us with envy.
There are more eyes on us, and even small mistakes aren’t tolerated.
“I want you all to steel yourselves for that.”
At my words, the kids nodded with serious expressions.
“It’s going to be hard. But it’s okay. Because we have each other.”
From now on, we’ll rely on each other.
“I’ll be your support. So don’t ever think you’re alone in this.”
Then I opened the velvet box.
Inside were five piercings, neatly arranged.
“These are friendship piercings.”
The members looked slightly moved, as if they hadn’t expected this at all.
“I engraved a spell on the piercings.”
“A spell…?”
Roa, with wide eyes, leaned closer to the box to get a better look.
“They might be too small to see clearly. I even used a magnifying glass to work on them.”
I engraved a magic circle on the piercings.
Of course, it’s not like the ring Lim Jingyu had.
That was an illegal trade of sorts, where you provide mana in exchange for a magic circle, but this is a minimal defensive tool to protect my people.
“It’s nothing much. Just like a talisman.”
Then I casually placed my hand on Roa’s knee.