translation by mourningmoor
At that moment, the man's expression twisted strangely.
Ha, are your emotions all tangled up?
Then, he quickly averted his gaze.
"I haven't found it yet. When I do... I'll return it."
When I find it, I'll return it...
"So, if you don't find it, you're not going to return it? Huh?"
The man gave a reluctant smile and met my gaze again.
"Ichan-ah. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"
The 《unease》 he was emitting grew more intense. I heightened the emotional tone one level higher.
It’s a 《lie》.
"You didn't keep it."
I flashed a sly smile, lifting only one corner of my mouth, and my voice turned colder.
"Promise."
"Ichan-ah. No, I—"
The man stammered, his words coming out in a rush. He awkwardly fumbled at his chest, then rifled through his clothes and pulled out his phone.
"Oh no, the CEO's calling."
The man frowned as he held up his phone, then put his sunglasses back on.
"Was it nice to see my face?"
As if he had finished his business, he casually raised his hand in a wave, then gestured at my hand resting on the window frame.
What is it? Is he telling me to move my hand off the frame? Because he's going to roll the window up.
"Sorry, but if you're Kim Chanyeong, I can't just move aside that easily."
"Give me the laptop."
Without removing my hand, I leaned in closer to the car and spoke coldly. The man's eyebrows furrowed.
"You'd better find it and bring it to me, alright?"
Then I gave him a chilling smile.
I was curious about what kind of emotions Kang Ichan's actions would provoke in him.
《Anxiety》, 《nervousness》, 《thirst》, 《anger》, 《irritation》, 《avoidance》...
Ha, look at this. Why are there so many?
Endless negative emotions are pouring out. But amidst all these emotions, there's no 《guilt》. This guy, he's really a bad one.
The thin lips that were twitching uncomfortably curled into an awkward smile.
"Alright, Ichan-ah. I'll definitely find your laptop. I'll find it and bring it to you."
The man, making a rather awkward expression, rubbed his palms together apologetically.
His insides are swirling darkly, but his gestures seem quite desperate.
Then, he lightly pushed my hand away.
"See you next time? Hmm?"
Oh, did he just lay a hand on me?
Whether it's HS or SS, all those guys are unbelievably bold.
I can't break all his fingers, though.
"Keep your promise."
I pretended to give in and stepped aside, then the window went up. After that, the black car quickly sped off down the alley.
HS Entertainment's Director Kim Chanyeong... huh.
I flipped through the diary of Kang Ichan I had learned about through media acquisition in my mind.
"Kang Ichan, is that the bastard? The one who stole your song?"
* * *
As I opened the practice room door, the sound poured out.
Only One. There's only one way.
Shouting to the sky, getting buried in the roar of the crowd
Until I can understand the little secret inside you
I'll recognize you, I’ll embrace your heart.
Because we are one and only to each other.
The kids, blasting music loud enough to shake their bodies, are moving freely.
The moment I stepped into the practice room, my part started playing.
A world I've never been to, a path I’ve never walked.
Familiar yet unfamiliar me, in this strange world.
But I’m not worried. Because I have you.
Only you. Only One, Only You.
Familiar lyrics, familiar rhythm, familiar moves.
As I hummed the song, I copied the moves I had learned from Ji Youngjun, the instructor, through media acquisition.
And immediately, the reactions started pouring out.
"Wow! Hyung!"
With wide eyes in surprise, Roa approached. As the main dancer, his sharp gaze was no ordinary one as he observed the movements.
"What was that? Were you purposely not doing it?"
Of course. Did you really think I couldn't do it?
Me, who spent drawing that complicated magic circle with my whole body for over 300 years?
Instead of answering, I just smiled and continued dancing.
Before I knew it, the youngest member had also approached.
Like Roa, his eyes widened in surprise, and then he started grumbling for no reason.
"Aww, I liked the one from earlier better."
Then, he started dancing lazily, the same dance I did before heading out for my jog around the neighborhood.
As the lead dancer, it seemed the kid was also quite skilled at dancing. He quickly copied the moves and danced just like the feeling I had put into it.
The little guy was impressive.
I gave the youngest a bright smile and adjusted my movements slightly.
"How about we mix it like this?"
When I combined the fluid movements the youngest had been longing for with Youngjun's moves, Roa's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ohhh, Ichan-hyung."
Roa, with his eyes still wide open, gave a thumbs-up.
"A hidden master."
His eyes sparkled as he spilled out all sorts of compliments, then, almost in a daze, he opened his mouth.
"We want to recruit you for our dance line."
"Dance line?"
"Jaewon and I are the dance line. We also do the dance break together."
Dance line, dance break.
Damn, more information to process.
At that moment, Roa tilted his head slightly.
"But, was Ichan hyung always this good at dancing?"
Roa's mumble was answered by Jaewon, who was copying my moves with a bright smile.
"Nope. He was 4th in the dance ranking. Hanjoon hyung was so bad at dancing that he barely avoided being last. Then there's Siu hyung, who's just a bit better."
Hanjoon, who was terrible at dancing, and Siu, who was only slightly better, frowned and looked over here.
But the two of them continued the conversation without a care.
"But can someone's skills really improve this suddenly?"
"Of course. It's like a lightning-struck jujube tree. The nervous system got activated through shock therapy."
Jaewon said with a bright smile, making a decisive statement. Then Roa, with a serious expression, muttered, "Ah," as if in agreement.
Why is a lightning-struck jujube tree mentioned here, and why is Roa agreeing with it?
These two brats. I really can’t bring myself to adore them.
"Shut up."
I shoved the fried snack I took out of the white bag into the youngest one's mouth.
"Eat this."
As the plump squid fry filled Jaewon's mouth, he widened his eyes and screamed.
"Uuuugh, H-hen!"
Then, he gave me a thumbs-up.
Yeah, please eat that and keep that loose mouth shut, okay?
Holding the bag of fried snacks in Roa’s arms, I approached the audio.
From behind me, I could hear the kids going "Wow—" in excitement.
Somehow, I feel like my shoulders are lifting a little.
It’s exactly that feeling. The strange sense of accomplishment when I first brought carrots to the bunnies in the Parapara mountains.
The bunnies ate those carrots so happily.
Looking back, I noticed that even Hanjoon had joined in, grabbing some fried snacks.
Yeah, this fried snack I personally earned, so enjoy it. You filthy dungeon bunnies.
Then, I pressed the button on the audio.
This flows out again.
"Then, shall we give it a try?"
I moved my body while looking at the reflection of Kang Ichan in the mirror.
I lifted my previously bent body high, making sure the angle of my knee was just right.
Here, I softly snapped my joints, and my upper body went this way.
The legs tap twice to the side.
I snap my joints again with force, and as I lower my arms, it's smooth.
This time, I make sure the angle of my knees is a right angle.
Yeah. Dynamic, flowing like water...
Get ready, bunnies. Tomorrow, I'll treat you to a company dinner.
* * *
Tears hung from Ji Youngjun's eyes.
With 10 years of choreography experience, he had never seen an idol improve so dramatically.
"This bastard, you've been deceiving me all this time."
《Emotion》, 《Emotion》, 《Emotion》...
An endless parade of emotions.
And the parade of emotions naturally... led to a company dinner.
Well, it was supposed to lead to a company dinner.
"A company dinner... you said?"
On the cramped table of the dorm, a modest meal was laid out.
A barren iron plate, a mountain of vegetables, red kimchi, and something in a plastic container... pickled radish? What even is pickled radish.
"So you said it was a company dinner, but what is this?"
I demanded an explanation from Gyuhyung, who was standing next to me.
"This is the company dinner. It's a pork belly party, after all."
Gyuhyung gave a sheepish smile.
No, is he seriously laughing right now.
To me, a company dinner means going to a big restaurant, sitting around a large table, and eating fancy food.
Isn’t that what a company dinner is in your world? Huh?
But what’s this? A pork belly party? What even is that?
At that moment, Roa tugged at my arm and gave me a bright smile.
"Hyung, sit down. Alright?"
Now that I think about it, these kids have been sitting around the table, looking quite excited since earlier.
《Anticipation》, 《happiness》, 《excitement》...
What in the world is pork belly that stirs up these emotions like this?
Eventually, the youngest started banging his spoon and chopsticks on the table.
"Give me rice! Give me rice!" he kept shouting.
"Alright, sit down."
Gyuhyung lightly tapped my back.
"Today, I'll grill the meat for you, so eat as much as you want. The stingy CEO said it's okay to buy a lot, so I got plenty."
And so, the pork belly party began.
The pink pork placed on the grill sizzled as it cooked, making a hissing sound.
The meat, crispy with patches of brown, was being cut by Gyuhyung with scissors, and the children's chopsticks became busy.
The sizzling oil, the kimchi sizzling alongside it, soaked in oil and cooking together.
The smell was decent, but somehow the food seemed primitive, and I hesitated to dive in.
How did I end up at this barbaric table, when I was always the one sitting elegantly and eating only fine food?
I found myself thinking that the "cup rice" I had eaten over the past two weeks might have been a better choice.
It was then.
A piece of perilla leaf on lettuce, three pieces of pork belly laid on top, garlic, ssamjang, and chili pepper added, wrapped up neatly, and Jaewon targeted my mouth.
“Ah―”
I-Is he asking me to eat the food he touched so disgustingly with his own hands?
“As a token of thanks for the fried food.”
A reward for the fried food I gave yesterday?
Ha, suddenly, the image of the bunnies on the back hill of Parapara comes to mind.
They gathered their front paws and chewed at the carrot I brought...
“Ichan hyung, please, ah― do it.”
Jaewon, smiling brightly, grinned widely.
Maybe I lost my mind for a moment because I was thinking about my hometown. Without realizing it, I had opened my mouth, following the youngest.
In the meantime, a large wrap slid into my mouth.
Hey, I told you I’m not eating it.
Unable to spit it out, I mumbled and then bit down hard on the wrap.
And then I realized.
Ah— there is something in this world that's worth mixing in after all.
You know.