Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Translator: Penny
Chapter 131
After a moment of awkward silence, I reluctantly broke the ice.
"Where's Ryu Jaehee?"
"Jaehee said something came up suddenly."
That bastard! If he had to send a substitute because of an emergency, he should have at least given me a heads-up.
I frowned and reached for my phone, but Gyeon Hajun spoke first.
"I thought you said it was easiest to have me do the guide recordings. It's a bit surprising you asked Jaehee this time."
His face clearly showed his disappointment. I groaned and gestured toward the sofa.
Gyeon Hajun sat down on the sofa, having already removed his scarf and coat and placed them on one end. I pulled the studio chair over and sat facing him.
Just as Gyeon Hajun opened his mouth to speak, I sighed preemptively and said,
"Listen to this first. When I told you not to feel indebted to me, that included my relationships in Newborn."
He brushed his bangs aside and continued, "As I've said before, leaving Newborn was my choice, and cutting ties with those relationships was also my choice. And... you know this too. Breaking up with Kwon Yunseong wasn't just because of you, but because of what he did to 'us'."
In other words, it wasn't your fault that things ended that way with Yunseong.
"It's just that, breaking up with Kwon Yunseong made me realize again that nothing lasts forever. I just wanted to prepare for the possibility of an end between us too."
This time, he swallowed the words he could never bring himself to say aloud.
Even if those words planted anxiety in you, I've already seen our end once. What can I do but hope this time will be different?
"Then why do you think I'll be the one to end things first?"
I pressed my lips together at the sharp question before retorting as if spitting out the words:
"Because I'll never end it first."
"Even if there's no lingering guilt between us now, I feel the same way. Unless you do something terribly wrong to me."
Gyeon Hajun let out a heavy sigh and countered, "Well, in our first iteration, I didn't do anything terribly wrong to you. I just gradually wore you down. In the end, the overwhelming guilt crushed you, forcing you to break things off first."
Was that the terrible wrong you were talking about?
"I'm sorry. I should have been clearer. I've completely cut ties with Kwon Yunseong, and I have no regrets or lingering feelings about him."
Gyeon Hajun returned my awkward apology with one of his own.
"I'm sorry too. I overreacted."
The reconciliation was almost comically swift, considering the prolonged cold war between us. But we both knew this apology wasn't the end of it. There were still unresolved issues lingering from that night's brief conversation.
"I've been wondering about something," Gyeon Hajun began slowly, his dark brown eyes meeting mine directly. "I've thought about it alone for so long, but I can't figure it out."
"Why did you leave Newborn to follow me? What did I ever do to you?"
It was a pure question, devoid of resentment or burden. Only then did I feel a sense of relief.
When he had asked me why I approached him first, I had awkwardly blurted out, "Your voice."
While that had been the initial reason, I knew I couldn't give that answer now.
"Because you gave me the confidence to walk this path."
He brushed his bangs aside, his expression blank as if he didn't remember. Yet I spoke of the past as vividly as if it were yesterday.
"You said it yourself. Who was it... I can't even remember the name. Back at Newborn, after getting scolded by the Dance Trainer and doubting if being an idol was right for me, you told me I could make it a choice I wouldn't regret."
Whether I remained an underground rapper or became an idol trainee, my future remained uncertain. Returning to the underground felt like a blow to my pride. In that state, your words were like a guiding star.
The other guys would whine about me abandoning them if I brought it up, or give half-hearted, age-appropriate responses like, "If it doesn't work out, why not just quit and go back to being an underground rapper?"
Among those who couldn't grasp my anxiety and regret, you were the only one who saw through my facade and helped me escape that swamp.
Gyeon Hajun blinked slowly and murmured, "...I thought you were closer to Kwon Yunseong than to me."
Back then, I never bothered to weigh the value of friendship, so even I didn't realize it. But looking back now...
"If Kwon Yunseong had been kicked out, I would have hesitated, weighed my options, and then left Newborn with him."
Either way, loyalty mattered more to me than the future back then. Even if Kwon Yunseong had been pushed out by the "Parachute," I would have left Newborn.
The only difference would have been the hesitation.
"Three years ago? Four? Ugh, I can't remember... Anyway, I left without a second thought back then. That's the only difference."
The key difference was that when I followed Gyeon Hajun, I left without hesitation.
That was answer enough.
Gyeon Hajun silently took the sheet music with the lyrics from me, scanned them, and burst out laughing.
"Isn't this a bit too much of a friendship anthem?"
"Ah, seriously? Ryu Jaehee said something similar..."
He ruffled the back of his hair and grumbled.
"Give it here. I'll rewrite the lyrics."
"We should at least try singing it once. It's a friendship anthem written by Yoon Eden, after all."
"I'm going crazy. It's not like I wrote it specifically about you, Jun-a. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Oh, really? So there were other friends running toward the same goal besides me?"
Is he misunderstanding again and thinking it's about Kwon Yunseong? I turned to look at him, my face filled with worry, but a mischievous smile played on his lips, impossible to hide. Relieved, I casually draped my arm over Gyeon Hajun's shoulder.
"What do you mean? You know, our members."
"Wow, I never thought the day would come when you'd include Yehyeon Hyung and Dobin in your circle of friends."
"Is that really something to be so moved about...?"
After escorting Gyeon Hajun to the recording booth, I gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Then I'll leave it to you again today."
As I listened to Gyeon Hajun's guide recording, I nodded along until his voice gradually became tinged with laughter. I pressed my forehead and signaled for him to stop.
"I think I need to completely rewrite the lyrics. They're just... too emotional, even for me to listen to..."
So this is why dawn's emotions are so terrifying. I had been so impressed with the lyrics I'd scribbled down in my notepad during a sleepless night, tearing them up in admiration. But hearing them aloud now made me genuinely want to tear them up for real.
Anyway, for that reason, we stopped recording the guide track and entered the dorm together. Ryu Jaehee, who had been sprawled on the sofa, suddenly sat up.
"Whoa, you two finally made up? Wow, I'm saved, seriously."
"Hey, when you have a sudden emergency and send a substitute, you're supposed to call ahead and ask for permission first."
I playfully put him in a headlock, and Ryu Jaehee, struggling, widened his eyes and retorted, "Huh? What are you talking about? I did have a sudden emergency, but I was planning to record and leave. But Hajun Hyung said he'd go instead, so I said okay!"
What was going on? Gyeon Hajun had clearly told me that Ryu Jaehee had an emergency and that's why he was substituting. Gyeon Hajun had already slipped into his room long ago.
Wait a minute... Did Gyeon Hajun actually say Ryu Jaehee sent him as a substitute?
The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.
"Why didn't you contact me?"
"Hajun Hyung told me not to."
Realizing the situation, I burst out laughing.
"I never imagined you'd actually come here because you were genuinely upset."
As I grinned and glanced toward Gyeon Hajun's room, Ryu Jaehee warned me, "If you use this as an excuse to tease him, you know another Cold War will break out, right?"
"Hey, am I a kid? Would I really tease someone over something like that?" I grumbled, clicking my tongue. It's a shame I can't tease him about it.
The Lunar New Year, one of the nation's biggest holidays, was approaching.
This was our second Lunar New Year since debuting, and we received a five-day vacation to coincide with the holiday break.
Seo Yehyeon, whose hometown was in the provinces, decided to stay at the dorm. Ryu Jaehee also chose to remain instead of going home.
Gyeon Hajun planned to visit his family only on Lunar New Year's Day, while Kim Dobin rushed home as soon as the vacation started, claiming he needed to visit both his maternal and paternal grandparents.
"But why aren't you going home even with the vacation?" I asked, nudging Ryu Jaehee, who had chosen to stay behind again, just like last time. The jerk lived in Seoul and barely ever went home.
"It's obvious we'll have to perform ancestral rites. I'm sick of the ritual food, so I'm skipping it."
"But last vacation wasn't even a holiday break!"
Ryu Jaehee replied with a nonchalant expression.
"For some people, home isn't a comfortable place, Hyung."
Right. Just like how not everyone has good memories of their grandparents. I nodded in understanding.
"But why are you staying, Hyung?"
"If I go home now, my dad's side of the family will drag me away. You've seen how stubborn my grandfather is. He's the type who insists everyone must gather for holidays and that the eldest male relative must receive New Year's bows without fail."
Profanity detected.
Original Intent Score -2
Shit, is "꼰대" considered profanity too? Can't the System just flag actual swear words?
As usual, I endured the Original Intent Pain while submitting an upgrade request to the System.
"Besides, they're making a huge fuss about bringing me home right now. Do they think I'm crazy enough to go?"
"Why not?"
"Last time, they couldn't catch me because there were guests around and I bolted to the buffet first. This Lunar New Year, they're using the New Year's bow excuse to lure me back and finally get their hands on me."
I could vividly picture my grandfather's face, red with fury, as he roared about bringing shame to the family.
But wasn't the jerk who filmed and uploaded the video the one who truly disgraced us? There wasn't a single lie in my diss track, after all.
Last year, the Lunar New Year holiday overlapped with our promotional period, so we managed to avoid trouble. But this time, we couldn't use that excuse.
So, I decided to just endure until the day before Lunar New Year and the holiday itself, then slip away to my maternal grandparents' house the day after.
I still couldn't understand why Grandfather was so obsessed with the New Year's bow. I even included that in my diss track, but he clearly hadn't listened or learned anything from it.
The four of us spent our first Lunar New Year holiday together. The next day, while the three of us left in the dorm were eating rice cake soup that Gyeon Hajun had made, my phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Mom.
After hesitating, I decided I should at least wish my parents a happy new year, so I answered the call.
The lively chatter around me suggested I was likely at my paternal grandparents' house in Seongbuk-dong.
Eden, Grandfather won't scold you about the 80th birthday celebration. He wants you to come and give New Year's greetings.
"Wow, legendary waste of time."
I clicked my tongue and muttered in exasperation, prompting a sigh from my mom.
Your dad's going crazy right now, heading to your dorm to drag you back. Come quickly before he gets there.
"I'll make sure to be there in time for the New Year's greetings. Tell Dad not to bother coming to the dorm—I won't open the door anyway..."
Yoon Eden!
I flinched at my father's thunderous voice from the side and immediately hung up.
"Guys, let's get ready."
I slammed my spoon down and gestured. Ryu Jaehee, who had been quietly setting down his own spoon, asked, "Ready for what?"
Grinning, I smoothed down my messy, bird's-nest-like hair and replied, "New Year's greetings."
📝 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