Chapter 129
Chapter 129
Translator: Penny
Chapter 129
"Huh? You're not eating any more?"
I asked, chewing on a slightly undercooked piece of beef that still showed a hint of pink. Gyeon Hajun rubbed his forehead and sighed again.
"Why are you bringing up Kwon Yunseong in front of me again?"
"Was the rift between you two really that deep...?"
So deep that just hearing Kwon Yunseong's name made his irritation flare? Come to think of it, the start of our inexplicable cold war had been right after I relayed Kwon Yunseong's apology.
"I told you, it wasn't even worth apologizing for. Are you doing this on purpose?"
Confused by his words, I flipped the beef on the grill with my chopsticks, blinking blankly.
"No, what do you mean?"
I don't understand why you're reacting so sensitively to Kwon Yunseong's name when you claim he's meaningless to you. He's meaningless to me now too.
"No, I misspoke."
Seeing my reaction, Gyeon Hajun stood up. Wait, we won this premium beef as a prize to eat! Why are you going inside after only a few bites? How much did this cost?
"Why are you suddenly acting like this when you were enjoying the Korean beef?"
"Just... I'm pathetic."
His words killed my appetite, and I slammed my chopsticks down. Ryu Jaehee quietly lowered the heat on the grill.
"Hey, Hajun-a. Aren't you being a bit harsh?"
When I asked seriously, Gyeon Hajun, who had just wiped his face, corrected himself.
"I forgot to specify the subject. I meant I'm pathetic—I'm pathetic about myself."
He left those words hanging in the air before disappearing into his room. I watched his retreating figure, frowning.
What's that supposed to mean?
Since the System hadn't deducted my Original Intent Score for "fomenting discord," I was certain I hadn't done anything wrong in this conversation.
"Let's just set aside Hajun Hyung's portion and eat. We're used to you guys fighting now, so..." Kim Dobin suggested calmly, continuing to eat his beef. Ryu Jaehee, who had been frozen with the tongs in his hand, finally snapped out of it and scolded him.
"Hyung, how can you even eat beef right now?"
"Korean beef is innocent."
"Yeah, Hyung's just clueless."
"Dobin's right, Korean beef is innocent. But still, cook it properly before eating, Dobin."
At my words, Ryu Jaehee sighed and turned up the heat on the grill. The beef party resumed, though at a noticeably slower pace than before.
"Come to think of it, did I ever tell you guys I completely cut ties with her?"
"I don't think you did..."
"I didn't."
"Did you cut ties? From what I heard today, it sounded like you'd reconciled."
Kim Dobin, Ryu Jaehee, and Seo Yehyeon replied in turn. I raised my eyebrows at Seo Yehyeon's comment.
"Where on earth did you get that idea from what I said?"
"Would you hug a friend you'd broken up with tightly enough to win a balloon-popping game?"
"Of course, when Hanwoo beef is on the line! You think I'd hug someone just for fun?"
As I grumbled, Seo Yehyeon shook his head.
"Capitalist society is truly terrifying."
Not only was I not being praised, but after the disastrous atmosphere, I was now being treated like a Hanwoo-crazed maniac. I irritably swept my bangs back.
"Damn it! I risked my neck to get Hanwoo for the members, and this is how they repay me?"
"No one forced you to hug your ex-friend and get Hanwoo."
"Then don't eat it, Hyung."
"I wasn't planning to anyway."
As we argued, Ryu Jaehee groaned and shoved a piece of beef into my mouth with tongs.
"Why are you guys fighting too?"
I swallowed the forcibly stuffed beef and shook my head.
"We're not fighting. This is just a conversation."
"That's right, Kid. We're not fighting."
"Can't you resolve things with Hajun Hyung like this too?"
"We need to know why he's acting like this before we can resolve anything."
Grumbling, Kim Dobin slid Gyeon Hajun's plate of beef away before Dobin could reach for it.
Two days had passed since the Korean beef incident.
And it had been a week since the cold war between Yoon Eden and Gyeon Hajun began.
"Hyung, please do your best."
Ryu Jaehee, convinced that the team's atmosphere couldn't be left as it was, made a decisive move.
"Neither Hajun Hyung nor Eden Hyung would ever confide in a younger member like me. Eden Hyung is obvious, but Hajun Hyung is secretly very proud too... That's why your role is so crucial. You need to draw out their true feelings."
Ryu Jaehee grabbed Seo Yehyeon and pleaded earnestly.
"The future of our group depends on you, Hyung."
"Kid, don't put such a burden on me..." Seo Yehyeon replied weakly to Ryu Jaehee's solemn words. As the oldest member, he had been assigned this weighty task, but he remained deeply skeptical about the reconciliation project.
Why not just lock them in a room and keep them there? Let them punch it out or talk it through—they'll figure it out eventually, right?
Sighing heavily, he opened the door to the room shared by Gyeon Hajun and Kim Dobin.
"Yehyeon Hyung?"
The unspoken question hung in the air. Seo Yehyeon scratched his cheek awkwardly, his voice trailing off.
"Ah, Dobin asked me to... switch rooms for a bit."
"Dobin wants to room with Eden?"
Of course, it wasn't Dobin's idea. It was a tearful sacrifice for the team.
Even Seo Yehyeon knew the excuse sounded ridiculous, but he nodded shamelessly anyway. Gyeon Hajun smirked knowingly and asked,
"Is this about Eden and me?"
Seo Yehyeon, his inner thoughts instantly exposed, flopped onto Kim Dobin's bed and nodded.
"And I'm personally curious too. There must be a reason you reacted like that."
"There is. The problem is, it's too embarrassing to tell Eden directly."
"Not even me?"
"Are you sure you want to know? It'll involve digging up the past, which could be pretty tedious."
When Gyeon Hajun nodded at his teasing remark, he began to recount his past in a low voice.
"I have no good memories of Newborn. It was swarming with political maneuvering, territorialism, immature jerks, and guys who would sabotage anyone with talent."
[ Dobin, ask Yoon Eden what Newborn was like for him. ] 11:47 PM
Hearing this, Seo Yehyeon quickly texted Kim Dobin, who was in the same room as Yoon Eden.
A tense silence hung in the air when a short vibration sounded. Seo Yehyeon, looking embarrassed, immediately put his phone on silent mode.
[ Dobin: He said it was fine? He actually liked it. ] 11:49 PM
[ Yehyeon: No politics, bullying, or power plays? ] 11:49 PM
[ Dobin: He said Hajun Hyung told him there were, but he didn't experience any of it himself. ] 11:51 PM
Same agency, different perspectives.
But given the speaker, Seo Yehyeon couldn't help but lean toward trusting Gyeon Hajun's account.
"Yoon Eden said he didn't experience any of it."
"That's not surprising. Unlike me, Eden wasn't a target for politics, bullying, or power plays."
Seeing Seo Yehyeon's puzzled expression, he elaborated.
"You know those kids who are always the center of attention in a group? Eden was exactly like that."
Was Yoon Eden really that kind of jerk?
Seo Yehyeon recalled the demonic Yoon Eden from their trainee days and early debut period, a memory that still burned vividly in his mind. He couldn't reconcile that image with the idea of Eden being a natural leader.
Yet, the current, more relaxed Yoon Eden—though Seo Yehyeon hated to admit it—was indeed the kind of jerk who could command attention.
"In Newborn, Kwon Yunseong was the one who really clicked with Eden's personality and became close to him. Not me."
This revelation surprised Seo Yehyeon. All he had ever witnessed between them was constant snarling, sarcasm, and attempts to tear each other apart. He never imagined they had shared such a past.
"They were really close. I think Yoon Eden was even closer to Kwon Yunseong than he was to me."
[ Dobin, ask if he was closer to the KICKS Leader or Hajun in Newborn. ] 12:07 AM
Dobin: He said it was about the same?
[ Dobin: But since they recorded guide vocals for original songs together, he thinks he was closer to Hajun Hyung. ] 12:10 AM
[ Dobin: OMG Hyung, I think Eden Hyung noticed something. He looked really uncomfortable, so I couldn't ask any more questions ㅠㅠ ] 12:11 AM
Hajun, Yoon Eden was closer to you.
Swallowing the words she couldn't bring herself to say aloud, Seo Yehyeon turned off her phone.
"That's why I reacted so sensitively. Even if Kwon Yunseong participated in the gossip, he couldn't have erased all those years of friendship in such a short time."
Gyeon Hajun let out a hollow laugh and muttered to himself, "Maybe he was just indirectly blaming me for driving a wedge between them..."
Seo Yehyeon hurriedly grabbed Gyeon Hajun, who looked like he was about to dig himself into a hole.
"Yoon Eden isn't the type to beat around the bush like that. He can't even do it. From what I've seen, he's got a disease where he'll die if he doesn't speak his mind directly."
"That's why I said I misspoke. I got worked up and blurted something out without thinking, which isn't like me." Gyeon Hajun awkwardly ran a hand over his face.
"Besides, Yoon Eden said he's completely cut ties with the KICKS Leader, right? Knowing his personality, he probably made a clean break."
"No, Eden's surprisingly sentimental. That's why he hasn't leaked those embarrassing photos of Choi Hyeonmin smoking—he's just using them for blackmail. If I had them, I would've leaked them ages ago. Seriously, how can they live like trash and still call others 'holier-than-thou'?"
Seo Yehyeon was slightly surprised to see Gyeon Hajun's hidden temper, especially considering Yoon Eden's warm-hearted nature.
"So, what made you two become friends?"
"I don't know either. He said he liked my voice."
"Seriously? That's it...?"
Gyeon Hajun nodded.
"That's what makes it even more confusing. Why would he give up Kwon Yunseong and kick his way out of the Newborn Debut Team just to follow someone like me?"
Realizing this was the root of the conflict, Seo Yehyeon instinctively pressed his forehead.
Yoon Eden, you crazy bastard. You left out way too much of the reason.
"And why is he so convinced I'll cut him off first? We haven't fallen apart, and the only debt I owe him now is the existence of our doomed CEO."
You said you never resented me... Gyeon Hajun thought bitterly, recalling a past conversation.
"Didn't you just ask me to tell you before cutting ties? Looking back, it doesn't sound like a firm conviction."
"The fact that he said it at all is the conviction. He'd already made up his mind before speaking."
Could knowing each other too well have become a poison this time?
Having laid bare his thoughts, Gyeon Hajun offered a calm apology.
"I'm sorry for ruining the mood. Even if I had my reasons, there's no excusing that kind of behavior at a group dinner."
"It's fine. There are guys who would shamelessly ask what they did wrong in the same situation, let alone apologize."
The thought of having to talk to that "shameless jerk" already made his head throb.
"What is Gyeon Hajun to me?"
Seo Yehyeon's sudden question caught me off guard. After a moment's hesitation, I blurted out, "He's special."
"Yeah, but why?"
"Because he's the first friend I ever approached and made myself."
I gave him the reason he asked for, but Seo Yehyeon still looked unconvinced.
"What's so special about that?"
"Well, I've never actually gone out of my way to make friends before."
"What kind of life has this guy even been living...?"
Ignoring his muttered remark, I sprawled out on my back in a starfish pose.
"Kim Dobin, you, and now Jun... Is human connection always this complicated?"
As I murmured, staring up at the ceiling, Seo Yehyeon retorted in a condescending tone, "Human relationships are complicated, you idiot."
"I don't know..."
Since high school, people had always gravitated toward me without any effort on my part. All I had to do was pick out the ones I clicked with. It was easy.
Even in the Underground, Yongcheol Hyung had been the first to approach me. Getting close to the Crew Hyungs and constantly being introduced to new acquaintances through mutual connections made expanding my network effortless.
Newborn was no different. The only challenge there was Gyeon Hajun, who showed no interest in me despite my attempts to befriend him.
"I never faced any real difficulties before my debut," I said slowly.
Even before the regression, things had started to unravel after my debut.
As I spoke, Seo Yehyeon sighed and patted his bed.
"Of course. You've only ever been surrounded by people who liked you."
When I turned to look at him, Seo Yehyeon met my gaze with serious eyes and said firmly, "But we're not here because we like you. Our relationship started as business. You need to understand that clearly."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny