Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Translator: Penny
Chapter 139
After finishing his recording, Seo Yehyeon emerged from the booth, looking pale and exhausted. As the Devil Instructor manifested within me, I pushed away the eleventh chocolate Ryu Jaehee tried to shove into my mouth.
"My mouth is getting too sweet, Jaehee. It's making me even more irritable."
"You've already eaten ten chocolates! Is that even healthy?" Seo Yehyeon immediately pointed out the number of chocolates I'd consumed as soon as I stepped out.
Ryu Jaehee replied earnestly, "If it weren't for these chocolates, Hyung might have gone through even worse hell."
"So I fed you well, then," Seo Yehyeon conceded readily, collapsing into a chair at the back of the recording studio.
With Ryu Jaehee's smooth recording, the first phase of our project was complete. Editing and the remaining tasks would be handled at my studio.
"Pink Therapy failed, Gyeon Hajun Therapy succeeded, and Chocolate Therapy and Ryu Jaehee Therapy achieved partial success."
"How can you call Ryu Jaehee Therapy a success?"
"I heard the tone of the instructions got a bit softer," I said.
"Maybe that's just because it was after Yehyeon Hyung's turn, so he was tired?"
"I can tell the difference between being tired and softening up because he liked it, you know?"
I glanced at the Maknae Line, who were bickering about whether it was a success or failure in front of the camera, and casually tossed out, "Just say it was a success."
"See? I told you I'd make Ryu Jaehee Therapy work!"
I scratched the back of my head, watching Ryu Jaehee grin triumphantly. What's the point of all this?
"Yes, that concludes our 'Let's All Be Happy' Project!"
"Then we'll be back with our next project! Dream of me!"
"Victory is ours."
I saluted the camera, still wearing my Ranger Training Assistant Instructor hat, and was immediately met with jeers and complaints from all sides.
"Ah, Hyung!"
"This isn't military content!"
"We really shouldn't have sent him!"
The evening after finishing the recording.
"Hajun Hyung, where are you going?" Ryu Jaehee asked, watching Gyeon Hajun put on his shoes by the entrance.
As Gyeon Hajun prepared to leave so late, nearing 10 PM, all eyes turned to him. This was unprecedented, and he became the center of everyone's attention.
Visibly uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny, Gyeon Hajun awkwardly turned his head and replied, "My sister said she had some errands near the dorm and stopped by. I'm just going to see her for a bit."
"Jun-a, grab something from the convenience store on your way back—mmph!"
"What convenience store? At this hour?"
Seo Yehyeon slapped a hand over my mouth as I was about to ask Gyeon Hajun to run an errand. I shook off his hand and snapped, "Hey, what's that for?! I was just asking him to get a AA battery because the remote's dead! Listen to the whole sentence before you jump to conclusions!"
"Oh my god, it wasn't for late-night snacks? You're actually growing up!" Seo Yehyeon stared at me with a look of genuine awe.
Before I could respond, Kim Dobin chimed in smugly, "This is all Hyung's karma, you know... the karma of eating potato croquettes and double chocolate cream bread at dawn..."
"Shut up, you brat!" I ruffled Kim Dobin's hair roughly, sending him scurrying to hide in the corner of the sofa.
"Hey, hey, Hajun-a, wait a second!"
Seo Yehyeon suddenly stopped Gyeon Hajun as he was about to open the front door and leave.
"Take Yoon Eden with you. You might run into a sasaeng."
I, who had been sprawled on the sofa watching TV, scowled at this sudden spark that had flown my way.
"Why me?"
"Ah, that's true... If you two meet alone this late, people who don't know Hajun Hyung's family situation might misunderstand... Yehyeon Hyung's insight is sharp as ever."
Ryu Jaehee nodded in agreement and gave a thumbs-up. Seo Yehyeon scratched his cheek awkwardly and muttered, "It's just that Yoon Eden's presence is a direct countermeasure against sasaengs..."
"Are you treating me like some kind of sasaeng repellent charm?"
"I've never treated you like paper. Though I have treated you like a bodyguard."
"It's the same thing."
"You think paper and people are the same?"
"No, why are you twisting the conversation again? That's not the point."
"So, are you going or not? If you don't, I will."
"I have to go. Hyung wouldn't be able to handle the sasaengs anyway. It would just cause trouble for Jun."
Muttering, he grabbed the black hoodie draped over the sofa armrest and threw it on over his t-shirt.
As he ambled toward the entrance to slip on his slippers, Ryu Jaehee, who had been deep in thought, suddenly stood up and proposed, "Wait, let's all go together. That way, there'll be no room for misinterpretation."
"Even with Yoon Eden coming along?"
"There are people in this world with boundless imaginations, Hyung."
With that, all five of us left the dormitory. Gyeon Hajun called out to his sister, and a woman standing near the apartment entrance, who looked remarkably like him, turned around sharply.
"Oh, Sis! Long time no see."
As I bowed politely beside Gyeon Hajun, his sister recognized me and greeted me warmly.
"Eden! It's been ages! You've become a full-fledged celebrity now, haven't you? Wow!"
I had met Gyeon Hajun's sister twice before: once during our trainee days with Newborn and again during our time with LnL. I had never met his brother.
"You and Jun are getting along well, right?"
"Haha, of course!"
Although our cold war had ended only recently, we were currently on good terms, so I nodded in agreement.
"Since Jun grew up as the pampered youngest, always being taken care of, I'm a bit worried. We taught him to look after himself, but... I hope he's not acting like he's still at home in the dorm. Don't bother taking care of him; just let him be."
Actually... it's not that we're taking care of Jun; it's Jun who's taking care of us...
Under the sister's worried gaze, I gave an awkward smile.
"Hello, Hajun Hyung's sister!"
After greeting the other members one by one, we waited nearby while the siblings shared a warm conversation.
The spring weather was pleasantly cool. Watching the two of them chatting affectionately, I blurted out,
"Is it good to have siblings? I'm an only child, so I wouldn't know."
"Well, my hyung is the worst. I literally got beaten up growing up."
"No, younger brothers are way worse. They never listen. I totally get Dobin Hyung. You have to beat them to make them listen."
"Younger sisters... sometimes they're great, but other times... sigh."
Seeing the conversation winding down, Gyeon Hajun waved us over. His sister handed him a clear bag containing a large box and said, "Here, take this and share it. I'm not sure if boys like desserts. I've been catering too much to Jun's tastes."
"Pfft, we're crazy about desserts!"
"That's right, all five of us love desserts," Kim Dobin said with his usual charm.
Seo Yehyeon, who rarely touched sweets outside of camera time due to concerns about weight gain, chimed in, "He's right. We all have a sweet tooth."
It wasn't entirely untrue. Kim Dobin and Ryu Jaehee would eat anything, and I wasn't particularly averse to sweet things either.
"Get home safe, Noona. If you visit your parents, tell them I'm doing well."
"Drive carefully, Noona!"
After Gyeon Hajun's sister's taxi arrived and we watched it drive off, we finally returned to our dorm.
The moment we took off our shoes, Kim Dobin placed the dessert box he'd been carrying on the living room table and turned to Gyeon Hajun with sparkling eyes.
Gyeon Hajun glanced sideways at Seo Yehyeon, who stood with her arms crossed, her expression as resolute as if you couldn't pierce it with a needle. He gently soothed Kim Dobin, "Let's just open it and see what's inside. I'm curious too."
As soon as the box was opened, it revealed a feast of desserts: cheesecake, a cream cake smothered in chocolate, strawberry shortcake, grapefruit tart, and tiramisu in cups, all packed tightly inside.
The moment Kim Dobin smacked his lips, Seo Yehyeon swiftly closed the box again.
"We'll eat it tomorrow. If you eat this late at night, it'll all turn into fat."
As if on a mission to remove the desserts from their sight immediately, Seo Yehyeon quickly placed the box in the refrigerator.
Gyeon Hajun, his eyes lingering on the refrigerator with a hint of longing, finally tore his gaze away and said, "We can just watch the live broadcast tomorrow and eat it then."
"Do we really have to watch the live broadcast...?" I asked, my tone skeptical.
Kim Dobin clapped his hands enthusiastically in response. "Of course! It's the perfect opportunity to see Ranger King Eden Hyung in action!"
"Just watch the rerun by yourself. Since when have we ever made a point of watching each other's personal schedules live?" I grumbled.
The other members chimed in with their own comments.
"I'm curious, though."
"Me too."
"Yeah, let's see just how brutal that Ranger Training was that made him torment me so much in the recording studio."
"This Instructor clearly warned beforehand that my attitude would change depending on the recorder's attitude."
"This isn't a recording studio, you know?"
Seo Yehyeon shuddered as if reliving a nightmare.
The next day, during the live broadcast, we gathered on the living room sofa, a dessert box before us, and turned on the TV.
"Can I eat the cherry on top of this cake?" Kim Dobin asked, pointing to the cherry atop the chocolate whipped cream cake.
I nodded absently, glancing at the other members. Gyeon Hajun and Seo Yehyeon didn't seem to object either, so I replied casually, "Ask Jaehee."
Before my words had even finished, Kim Dobin whipped around to face Ryu Jaehee.
"Jaehee! Can I eat this?"
"Yeah, Hyung, go ahead. I don't really like cherries."
"Why? Don't you think this cherry tastes good? I only ever ate these and those clear, square ones from fruit cocktail."
"I tried it once a long time ago, but I spat it right out. I haven't eaten it since."
During the commercial break before the show started, everyone took the opportunity to dig into their chosen cakes or tarts with forks.
"What's inside this cake? Grapes?" Ryu Jaehee mumbled, tilting his head as he chewed on a bite of chocolate cream cake.
"Fruit? It's cherries. This isn't just chocolate cream cake; it's Black Forest cake, I think," Gyeon Hajun said with a smile after taking a bite, adding that it was his favorite dessert.
The dessert boxes were completely empty before the broadcast even began. Gyeon Hajun took a photo of the empty box, now littered with crumbs and cream residue, to send to his sister with a thank-you message.
The broadcast finally started. As the members laughed at my dazed expression while being dragged to the training camp, I struggled against them, gasping for breath.
Suddenly, I heard ragged breathing beside me.
Turning my head, I saw Ryu Jaehee frantically scratching his neck.
Noticing the angry red marks around his neck, I grabbed his wrist to stop him. Cold sweat dripped from his face as he managed to gasp out, "Hyung, I can't breathe..."
📝 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