translation by mourningmoor
I didn’t need to ask Jaewon to know the reason.
Because I had received a message from Möbius’ Kim Jeongsoo.
Kim Jeongsoo:
Ichan-ssi. Are you at COEX? We’re at COEX too. When are you finishing? Should we grab a meal together?
The message had been sent 30 minutes ago.
As soon as I got in the car, I replied.
Me:
Hyung, I just saw your message. Are you still at COEX?
Then came the reply.
Kim Jeongsoo:
No. We just finished a fan sign event at Parnas Mall. We’re on our way to the company now.
I hesitated over how to respond when another message came from Kim Jeongsoo.
Kim Jeongsoo:
Hey. We also did a guerilla fan sign event. You know we landed that cosmetics ad, right? But there were so few people. Why are there so few? Then we heard you guys were doing an event at the plaza. It all made sense.
This was the reason. The reason why the maknae couldn’t smile.
Möbius just happened to be nearby.
It was also possible that Junhee, Jaewon’s close friend, had sent him a similar message.
Me:
How did you figure it out so quickly?
Kim Jeongsoo:
Next time, let’s exchange information.
Me:
We should at least respect each other’s schedules.
It was unfortunate that the timing and location overlapped, causing trouble.
We even avoided overlapping album release dates, but the event location ended up clashing. It wasn’t very considerate.
But Kim Jeongsoo’s reply was oddly delayed.
It seemed like he had something on his mind, as the “typing” indicator lingered for a while.
Then I received a very unexpected message.
Kim Jeongsoo:
Ichan-ah. It’s us who didn’t respect the schedule. You guys announced it last night. We probably decided on it after seeing your announcement.
What was this? They decided after seeing our announcement?
Something felt off.
Kim Jeongsoo:
Anyway, that’s how it turned out. I feel a bit sorry towards you.
Me:
Is something wrong?
Me:
Is it because of Junhee?
As I hesitated over whether to add more, a reply came from Kim Jeongsoo.
Kim Jeongsoo:
Is Jaewon okay?
Of course.
I had a rough idea, but it seemed the issue had finally surfaced.
Me:
He should be fine. Let’s talk later, hyung.
I put my phone back in my jacket pocket and called Hanjoon, who was sleeping in the back seat of the van.
“Hyung.”
Hanjoon opened his eyes immediately and looked at me.
“How’s the maknae been when he sleeps? Does he still cry sometimes?”
To my question, Hanjoon’s expression grew even more serious.
* * *
It was the day after the guerilla event.
After finishing dinner and returning to the practice room, PD Jeon Soo-oh, who was in charge of our self-produced content, was waiting for us, having finished setting up for filming.
No one was surprised.
We had been notified in advance that there would be filming for our self-produced content.
As Hanjoon opened the practice room door and walked in, he joked.
“What are you going to make us do today? Since you called us to the practice room, is it something physical?”
PD Jeon Soo-oh shook his head with a smile and held up a sign.
Mind Reading Game
As soon as Hanjoon saw the sign that said “Mind Reading Game,” tension appeared on his face.
“What are you going to make us do?”
At that moment, PD Jeon Soo-oh shouted.
“Four sides.”
Hanjoon, startled by the sudden command, widened his eyes.
“F-Four sides? Four sides of what? What do I do? Will I regret it?”
“Wrong. Hanjoon, minus one point.”
Then Roa, who had raised his hand, jumped forward.
“Four-leaf clover.”
PD Jeon Soo-oh, smiling brightly, hit the xylophone.
“Ding dong. Roa, one point.”
“Where does this even exist? You didn’t even explain the game, and now I’m minus one point?”
Hanjoon, clearly annoyed, grumbled. But PD Jeon Soo-oh, without a hint of hesitation, looked at Hanjoon and presented the next question.
“A tree with many branches?”
“B-B-Ba…”
“Time’s up, wrong. Minus one point.”
This time, Siu raised his hand.
“A tree that doesn’t catch the wind.”
“Ding dong. Siu, one point.”
And so, the game began.
PD Jeon Soo-oh, as I had requested beforehand, kept the members thoroughly on their toes.
Hanjoon subtly caught the drift, and Siu skillfully jumped in.
Thanks to this, Jaewon, who had been feeling down since yesterday, got caught up in the competitive spirit and laughed while playing the game enthusiastically.
It was a pretty good choice.
Even though we were busy preparing for the comeback, we couldn’t skip filming for our self-produced content, which the fans were eagerly waiting for.
Jaewon, who was highly competitive, quickly forgot about reality and got immersed in the game, and fortunately, we got the chance to switch roommates without making it obvious.
“Nice. This round will decide the winner.”
Hanjoon, who had won the numbered mind-reading game, shouted triumphantly. Hanjoon, who had struggled in the word connection game, went on to win several games in a row and was now close to taking first place.
“If I get first place, I’m breaking up with the maknae. I can’t sleep because of his snoring.”
At that, Jaewon immediately got defensive.
“What are you talking about, hyung? Your snoring is way louder.”
“Funny. As if you’re the only one?”
Hanjoon didn’t back down either.
But there was a lot of affection in his voice and eyes. It was the same for Jaewon.
After spending quite a long time as roommates, it seemed like they had developed a deep friendship, even though they bickered a lot.
Still, we were planning to switch rooms.
The reason was Jaewon.
Yesterday, Hanjoon had spoken seriously about Jaewon’s condition.
[The maknae barely sleeps.]
[He’s not the type to not sleep. When his parents had issues, he at least cried back then. But now, he just doesn’t sleep. It makes me even more worried.]
[When Jaewon is this unstable, I think Roa and you should be by his side. With me, he just jokes around and plays. I don’t think I can comfort him.]
It was a valid point.
So, through Gyuhyung, I tested Jaewon.
I suggested that, since he seemed to be having a hard time lately, maybe switching roommates for a change of pace would help.
After thinking for a while, Jaewon shook his head and replied.
[It’s fine. Why should my feelings matter enough to switch roommates? That’s such a hassle. I don’t want to burden the team.]
It was a very un-maknae-like answer.
So, I took drastic measures. I decided to assign roommates with a “forced” randomness disguised as coincidence.
And so, the final game began.
“Alright, alright. Now, the final mind-reading game with the winner’s wish on the line. Everyone, draw one card and stick it on your forehead.”
The game was to have the highest number on your card, but you couldn’t see your own card.
Those who forfeit get 0 points, the final winner gets 1 point, and those who survive till the end without catching on get -1 point. So, it was a game where you had to convince others to drop out quickly.
As the game started, tension was evident on everyone’s faces.
Since Hanjoon needed to win, I was busy figuring out when to drop out at the right moment.
At the same time, I had to make sure Jaewon didn’t catch on, so I came up with all sorts of reasons to convince others to drop out.
“I’m out.”
Roa was the first to put down his card.
Then Siu declared he was out.
No matter how quick Jaewon was at reading the room, there was no way he could win in a rigged game like this.
Eventually, unable to withstand the subtle battle of wits between me and Hanjoon, Jaewon declared he was out.
As he put down his card, Jaewon shouted loudly.
“Ugh. I hate seeing Jun hyung so smug after winning. Ichan hyung, fighting!”
But there was no way that could happen.
Even though the number on my card was much higher, I put it down without hesitation.
“Hmm, Jaewon cheering for me makes me nervous. I’m out too. Hyung, take the win.”
And I quickly put my card down on the floor.
“Yes! I’m first place.”
Hanjoon, who had clenched his fists and cheered, proposed switching roommates as planned.
“My wish is to switch roommates. Yoon Siu, who definitely doesn’t snore. Be my roommate.”
Siu smiled and went to Hanjoon’s side. Then Jaewon, pouting his lips, hesitantly came to my side.
Roa spread his arms wide to welcome Jaewon.
And so, the new roommates were decided. And that night.
I heard Jaewon crying softly under his blanket.
Of course, only I could hear it. It wasn’t like he was actually crying.
* * *
The reason I decided to share a room with Jaewon wasn’t just for his mental state.
It was also a way to get a closer look into his mind.
During practice or other schedules, Jaewon never revealed his true feelings.
All that was visible was his gloom, but it seemed like he had set aside any detailed thoughts.
Then I heard from Hanjoon that Jaewon had been tossing and turning at night.
Whether it was because he had grown up too much or too quickly.
Jaewon had become a master at hiding his emotions.
All the emotions he had suppressed throughout the day would burst out under the blanket when everyone was asleep.
Today was no different.
The first night Roa and I became roommates. Thinking we were asleep, Jaewon’s breathing under the blanket became rough.
And his inner thoughts became clear.
《Kim Jaewon. That little thing? It’s nothing. I’ve been through worse. So what if I don’t have friends》
《But I can’t hate Junhee. He’s going through a hard time too, that’s why he’s like that.》
《But talking about my family like that… How could Junhee do that? He’s not just anyone.》
Ha, what did that little brat do?
I let it slide because he’s Jaewon’s friend.
I threw off the blanket and sat up abruptly.
At that, Jaewon’s inner thoughts immediately quieted down.
I got out of bed and approached the bunk bed.
Roa was already sitting up.
He also knew about the maknae’s unusual behavior, so he looked very anxious.
“Hey. Kim Jaewon.”
I pulled the blanket off the top bunk where Jaewon was.
Jaewon’s face, which had been holding back tears, was now stiff with embarrassment and guilt. He spoke in a rough voice, as if annoyed.
“Ah, what?”
He tried to pull the blanket back over his head, but I wasn’t going to let him have it so easily.
“What do you mean, ‘what’? Let’s go for a run.”