translation by mourningmoor
I threw the blanket to the floor.
“Get dressed and come out.”
Roa also got out of bed.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Is your knee okay?”
“I’ll manage.”
“Alright. Both of you, dress warmly and come out.”
Right now, Jaewon is hurting.
At the tail end of puberty, his family is falling apart, his friendships are crumbling, and the ground beneath his feet is shaking.
Yet, bravely, he doesn’t cry anymore. He’s hurting and bottling it up all by himself.
It seems the kid is growing up. A bit faster than others, but what can you do? It’s the kind of burden you have to carry because his life isn’t ordinary.
In the end, he has to overcome it on his own.
“I can’t do much else, but I’ll run with you every night.”
* * *
Every day, after practice, we ran together.
We really didn’t talk about anything—just ran.
About a week after we started running, Jaewon finally opened up.
It meant he had sorted things out in his mind.
“I’m okay now. Running with you, hyung, practicing, and staying busy made me forget about it. I can sleep better now.”
So, I asked if he wouldn’t run anymore starting tomorrow, but he said no.
“I’ll keep running.”
He said his lungs hurt like they were about to burst, but it felt refreshing, so he liked it.
“Running at night is nice. I don’t have to worry about other people’s eyes. So, keep running with me, hyung.”
Instead of answering, I ruffled his hair.
Hehe, the maknae’s smiling face looked at ease.
So, Jaewon was okay now, and it was time to deal with the aftermath.
* * *
2 AM.
Jaewon went to bed with a much lighter expression.
After watching Jaewon fall into a deep sleep, I grabbed my phone and went outside.
Then I immediately called Kim Jeongsoo.
―Are you crazy? It’s the middle of the night.
Kim Jeongsoo, who had been woken up, mumbled.
Regardless, I headed straight to the playground near the apartment where Möbius was staying.
“Come see me. I’m below your dorm, so come down.”
I knew things weren’t the same between Jaewon and Junhee.
Kim Jaewon and In Junhee. They’ve been friends since kindergarten, and their parents are close, so they started preparing to become idols together.
They were both selected as trainees at Bishop Entertainment, but when Junhee was cut, Jaewon left with him. Bishop tried hard not to lose Jaewon, which shows how much Junhee meant to him.
But it seems Junhee didn’t feel the same way.
Junhee signed with his current agency without even discussing it with Jaewon. Jaewon was left out in the cold.
Fortunately, PD Pyo had been keeping an eye on Jaewon since his Bishop days and brought him here.
In the end, the fates of these two kids diverged.
Still, Jaewon took care of Junhee until the end, calling him his best friend. He was grateful that Junhee stayed by his side when his parents were going through a divorce and things were tough.
So, I thought they could still be good friends.
Even if their paths diverged, friends are friends.
Even if I didn’t feel particularly close to him, he was still a friend.
But it seems that’s no longer necessary.
“Junhee hasn’t been doing well lately.”
At 2 AM, Jeongsoo, who had been called out to meet me, let out a deep sigh and opened up.
“Junhee has always been ambitious and hardworking. But seeing you guys do so well has made him more sensitive.”
Jaewon is also ambitious and hardworking. The difference is that he doesn’t act sensitive about it.
He knows that just as his efforts and dreams are important, so are others’.
“But lately, Junhee has become quite prickly and overly sensitive. He’s been exhausting everyone around him.”
Möbius also seemed to have their share of issues, as Jeongsoo’s expression wasn’t great.
“But it turns out he and Jaewon have grown apart.”
“What do you think the reason is?”
The reason was obvious, but I wanted to hear Jeongsoo’s answer.
And Jeongsoo hit the nail on the head with his first words.
“Jealousy.”
Yeah, jealousy.
The jealousy that arises when two kids who started together see their fates diverge—one succeeding and the other stagnating.
“I think it’s jealousy. And… I don’t think that’s necessarily bad. People can feel jealous. Jealousy can drive growth.”
Jeongsoo’s words weren’t wrong.
Because they’re human. Because they’re flawed humans, it’s possible.
“I don’t think jealousy is bad either. It’s the actions that stem from it and the consequences they bring that are the problem.”
At that, Jeongsoo hung his head.
“I’m sorry. If it’s about the event location, I’m really sorry. If I had known earlier, I would’ve stopped it, but I missed it.”
Jeongsoo scratched his head, looking ashamed.
“We were originally planning to do it at the Yeoksam store, but because of Junhee, we did it at Parnas.”
“Why did he do that?”
So, he deliberately created that situation.
He deliberately created that situation and played the victim.
“He said he wanted to see how things would play out if Möbius and L.I.T went head-to-head.”
He wanted to see how things would play out? What a ridiculous notion.
We debuted around the same time, appeared on variety shows together, and were nominated for rookie awards together. Our promotion periods overlapped several times, and we even competed for CFs.
We’ve already gone head-to-head in every way possible.
So, what more was he curious about that he had to do this?
And if he was so curious, why didn’t he just test it out himself? Why send that kind of message? Why.
“Do you know about the weird messages Junhee sent to Jaewon?”
“……?”
“Kim Jaewon. Are you really stepping on me? Do you think I’m that insignificant? Do you wish I’d just disappear? Should I die?”
“What, what are you talking about?”
A flustered Jeongsoo stammered.
“That’s the content of the messages Junhee sent to Jaewon. He even came to the plaza where we were holding our event and sent those messages while making eye contact with Jaewon.”
It was quite different from what Jeongsoo had just told me.
“And it didn’t stop there. He posted it in the group chat with their school friends too. Saying Jaewon was following him around and stepping on him. He made Jaewon out to be some kind of villain.”
“Th-that can’t be. That’s absolutely not true. If anything, Junhee was the one following you guys…”
“You think that’s all?”
Jealousy had completely blinded him.
Friendship had turned into hatred, and the immature kid was becoming more and more petty.
“He’s also been carelessly spreading rumors about Jaewon’s parents.”
Jeongsoo’s expression stiffened in an instant.
“You’ve heard it too, right?”
“Yeah.”
Jeongsoo glanced at me and nodded.
“I scolded him for it. I told him we don’t need to know about Jaewon’s personal life.”
If it had just been about his personal life, I wouldn’t have been this angry.
The problem was that he made up stories and spread them around.
If I had known it would come to this, I should’ve paid more attention when Roa expressed his discomfort with Junhee.
“It seems Junhee knows he’s been wrong too. No wonder he’s been in a worse state lately—it’s because of what he did to Jaewon.”
“Enough.”
Cutting off Jeongsoo, I got to the point.
“The reason I wanted to see you, hyung, is so you don’t misunderstand.”
Something similar happened when I was in the other world.
Some guys from another guild dared to mess with the rabbits on the back mountain.
When rabbit tail brooches became trendy, they came into my territory and hunted them.
So, what did I do to those guys?
I made them pay dearly for daring to touch what was mine.
“At least I believe that In Junhee’s actions don’t represent Möbius’ intentions.”
“Th-that’s absolutely not the case.”
Jeongsoo, waving his hands in denial, furrowed his brows and asked.
He seemed quite anxious.
“Wh-what misunderstanding?”
“Hyung.”
Instead of answering, I looked at Jeongsoo with a serious expression.
“I like you, hyung.”
At that, Jeongsoo’s anxiety turned to fear.
“Hey, why… are you like this? It’s scary.”
“I hope we can keep being good to each other.”
I meant it.
Until now, the relationship between L.I.T and Möbius has been defined by my relationship with Kim Jeongsoo. To the public, we’ve been seen as groups that support and cherish each other, making competition seem meaningless.
This has had a positive impact on both teams.
And it should continue to be that way.
“I’m planning to get a bit tougher from now on, but I have no ill will toward Möbius. Even less toward you, hyung. I told you, I like you.”
Not knowing how to respond, Jeongsoo’s large eyes wavered.
“But there’s one thing I can’t tolerate, and that’s anyone messing with my people.”
It wasn’t a threat. It was a warning.
“Ah, that applies to anyone who messes with you too, so don’t feel bad.”
And it was also a form of consideration.
“I’m not going to let In Junhee off the hook.”
A consideration to let him know the target in advance so he can prepare for any eventualities.
“But I won’t touch Möbius. Just In Junhee, precisely.”
As I clenched my teeth, Jeongsoo gulped.
“I’ll tear him apart.”
* * *
Time passed steadily.
The intense practice schedule gradually eased up.
It meant we were almost ready.
And we were about to kick off our comeback activities.
“The schedule’s a bit tight, isn’t it?”
Gyuhyung, who handed me the weekly schedule while I was getting my makeup done, smiled.
As practice decreased, other schedules increased.
It was inevitable with the comeback approaching.
Magazine photoshoots with interviews, variety show appearances, CF shoots. Since last week, all our schedules were related to the comeback.
“Well, there’s only a week left until the comeback, so it can’t be helped.”
I nodded while looking over the schedule. Gyuhyung smiled as if proud.
“You’re only in your second year, but you’ve got the vibe of a seven-year veteran.”
At Gyuhyung’s words, I chuckled and joked.
“Why only seven years? Why not say 300 years?”
“Alright. You do seem like a 300-year veteran idol.”
As Gyuhyung played along, my makeup was finished.
When I stood up, Gyuhyung furrowed his brows.
“Are you really okay with today? Suddenly appearing on <Gentleman>.”
“I’m fine, of course.”
It’s company policy not to appear on physically demanding variety shows before a comeback to avoid injuries.
But I insisted on breaking that policy and appearing on SBC’s <Gentleman>.
“You really have to be careful. If you get hurt, the comeback and even the concert could be ruined.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t get hurt.”
I’m just going hunting, that’s all.