Chapter 199: Absence of a Teammate (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Absence of a Teammate (6)
What exactly had I done to wrong Kang Gi-yeon?
When was it that he started looking at me with such disapproval?
Kang Gi-yeon’s eyes were shot with blood. In that moment, a scene flashed through my mind.
It was the day I first woke up in the hospital after being beaten by Yu Han-su. Kang Gi-yeon had been looking down at me with an expressionless face.
‘Hyung, aren’t you even angry?’
‘About what?’
‘Do you really have no thoughts other than the fact that we were shocked and that you’re going to report Yu Han-su?’
Compared to now, he had been chillingly calm back then.
‘I stopped Je-ho Hyung earlier because he seemed too worked up. But you, Hyung...’
Then, Kang Gi-yeon had added:
He wished I’d just act normal for once. He said it made them feel like fools for worrying themselves sick.
But what did that have to do with the situation now?
As I stood there, unable to grasp his meaning, Kang Gi-yeon spoke.
“I told you before, didn’t I? It feels like we’re the only fools because of you.”
“...”
“You want to know what you did wrong? You want to know if I’m uncomfortable because of you?”
Kang Gi-yeon bolted upright. His breathing was becoming ragged.
“You really... have a talent for pissing people off until the very end.”
With that, he stormed into the room, opening the door with enough force to break it.
It was the room I used.
When Kang Gi-yeon emerged, he was clutching my suitcase.
“You said you were fine.”
He muttered, his voice cracking as if the words were being squeezed out of him.
“You said you were used to it. You said nothing hurt. You said you don’t lie.”
“Gi-yeon, wait a second.”
Kang Gi-yeon didn’t hesitate as he flung the suitcase open. His hand reached for the zipper of an inner polybag.
“Gi-yeon!”
Despite my voice calling out to him, he didn’t stop.
With a sharp zip, the bag flew open, and a cascade of empty headache medicine bottles and discarded blister packs tumbled out. The plastic containers and metallic trash hit the floor with a loud, clattering din.
“Do you still think you have the right to tell me to get counseling? What about you, Hyung? Do you think this is normal?”
Kang Gi-yeon grimaced. He looked like he was in agony.
“Am I still the only problem? Someone is holding on like this, and I’m supposed to go to the hospital just because I’m a little nervous? Me? With what face? Wake up. The one who needs counseling or a hospital is you!”
Kang Gi-yeon screamed, his face flushed red.
My head dropped. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye.
As my gaze fell upon the scattered medicine boxes, a sudden memory surfaced.
≫ What happened with Lee Cheong-hyeon’s drug addiction?
Is he a real junkie?
└ No, they say it’s an addiction to headache medicine.
└ Can you even get addicted to headache medicine;;; First I’ve heard of it.
≫ I just feel bad for Lee Cheong-hyeon.
All his fans left because they thought he was doing drugs, but he wasn't.
It would be less unfair if he actually had done drugs.
└ I know the kid isn't at fault, but I left the fandom because of how the agency handled it... They stayed silent while the fans were getting torn apart, only to make the guy read an apology for an hour straight on a live stream.
≫ Anyway, it’s true he has a drug addiction.
I quit my last group because of a druggie, and now another one pops up here.
└ Isn't this a bit different...? Misuse of headache medicine is actually more common than you’d think.
└ I just searched and it says you can't get addicted to over-the-counter headache meds lol. Nice try with the forced shielding.
└ It means it’s unlikely, not that the possibility is zero... Depending on the painkillers or the specific ingredients, you can get addicted, or it can turn into chronic headaches that make it impossible to stop taking the meds. It’s a dangerous habit to trust only one or two sources you’ve seen.
≫ But it’s true he acted in a way that invited misunderstanding.
Everyone in that circle tested positive, so who’s going to believe it if only Cheong-hyeon came back negative? lol
└ Cut the bullshit. As if UA would spend money to forge test results just to cover up an artist’s scandal.
└ Even if he didn't do drugs, isn't there enough reason to doubt his behavior? lol Who told him to hang out with those idols in the first place?
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Lee Cheong-hyeon, who became addicted to the same headache medicine I take.
Jeong Seong-bin, who was subjected to Jang Jun-hu’s power trips for years.
Choi Je-ho, who had a turbulent family history because of an immature father...
‘Why are these kids so much like me?’
If it were just one or two, I would have said I was overthinking it.
But even the medicine being the same was enough to warrant suspicion. And now, right in front of me, Kang Gi-yeon was breathing with the same ragged gasps I used to make while huddled in the bathroom at Hanpyeong Industry.
“Look at this.”
It was Kang Gi-yeon’s voice that broke my runaway train of thought.
His dry, hollow gaze was pinned on me.
“Your member is going through your bag without permission, exposing everything you’ve been hiding, and making a total mess of things—and yet, you’re off thinking about something else.”
“Gi-yeon, that’s...”
“Moments like this, I wonder if you’re even human.”
I was surprised, too. I was flustered.
But right now, I had outsourced all my negative emotions to this thing called the System.
No, even before that, this series of events was just too suspicious.
So...
“You asked why I’m anxious?”
Kang Gi-yeon’s body trembled. I could hear his teeth chattering.
“I don’t have the confidence to overhaul my entire self like you do, Hyung. I know I rely on you too much. Maybe that’s why. I can’t let my guard down because I don’t know when you might collapse, and even when you seem fine, I suspect it’s a lie.”
“...”
“I can’t trust you. I’m terrified you’re going to drop dead somewhere. It might be nothing to you, but it’s everything to me. You might have forgotten it all, but I still remember that day.”
With his eyes rimmed with red, Kang Gi-yeon poured out his grievances.
“You’re not that kind of person, but I’m constantly afraid you’ll be attacked by people again. To me, there’s no one more perfect than you, but if someone like you gets condemned, I feel like someone like me will just be cursed at by the public and forgotten. Are you satisfied now?”
“Gi-yeon.”
“I’m trying, too. I read letters until they’re worn out to remind myself that there are more people supporting me than hating me, and I try not to twist the compliments the hyungs give me.”
“...”
“But what am I supposed to do when I can’t help but imagine the worst?”
Kang Gi-yeon’s voice sounded resigned, as if he had given up on everything, yet also passionate, as if venting suppressed fury.
“Don’t say you hid it because you were worried about us. That’s not consideration. It’s selfishness.”
He stumbled over his words, yet he drove the dagger home with absolute certainty.
“It’s because of you. You’re the reason I’m anxious.”
+
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
▷ Awareness Reduction Function for negative emotions is in effect.
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+
The System chimed. No further explanation was needed.
It was Jeong Seong-bin who stepped in to handle the situation.
Seong-bin took Kang Gi-yeon into the room. Park Ju-woo followed, giving us a look before closing the door.
Suddenly, only Choi Je-ho, Lee Cheong-hyeon, and I were left in the living room.
“Sigh...”
A deep sigh rose from the pit of my stomach. I rubbed my face harshly with my hands.
I crouched down to start picking up the trash, but something dropped beside me. It was a trash bag.
Looking up, I saw Lee Cheong-hyeon staring down at me.
“Why are you putting that back in your bag? Aren’t you going to throw it away?”
“...I should.”
“I’ll separate the plastics. You just put in the general waste. Je-ho Hyung, please fold the cardboard boxes.”
With that, Lee Cheong-hyeon crouched down beside me and began sorting out the large medicine bottles.
“They’re all empty. These are 30-count bottles... just how many are there?”
“They’ll hear you inside.”
“You think Kang Gi-yeon didn’t see? It’s all out in the open now. I think you’ve lost your right to speak, Hyung.”
His tone was playful, but there was no smile on Lee Cheong-hyeon’s face.
“Since when?”
“If you mean when I started taking the medicine, it hasn’t been long.”
“Then that means you took all of these in that short amount of time.”
That was just daily life when I worked at Hanpyeong Industry, you punk.
“Why does your head hurt? Explain it properly. Otherwise, I’m calling Chan-yeong Hyung immediately to tell him you’re having side effects from the surgery.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon spoke firmly, rummaging through the suitcase to see if any trash remained.
“It’s chronic headaches. I’ve always had them.”
“It wasn’t bad enough to need medicine when we were trainees.”
“Can’t you just let it go? I feel like I’ve answered quite sincerely.”
“You call this an answer? You just got caught.”
As a few more blister packs were pulled from my hand, Lee Cheong-hyeon’s brow furrowed deeply.
“I wasn’t going to say this because I thought it might hurt your feelings, but right now, I understand why Kang Gi-yeon said you don’t seem human.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t get hurt by things like that.”
“I mean everything, including that very point.”
While Lee Cheong-hyeon and I were talking, Choi Je-ho, who had finished folding the boxes, stood up. He held the boxes neatly, ready for recycling.
“Do you get side effects?”
“From this? There is a recommended daily limit.”
“How many pills a day?”
“Less than eight, I think.”
“And you?”
“I try to stick to the limit.”
“Yeah, right.”
Choi Je-ho looked at the pile of trash and let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s not like I’m taking them recklessly. I took them like this for years in the past and I was fine.”
I said it thinking they needed a reason to feel relieved, but Choi Je-ho and Lee Cheong-hyeon’s expressions only grew darker.
“When in the past?”
“When I was a student.”
I figured if I said it was from my days as an office worker, I’d get hit with a penalty for a Leak of Heavenly Secrets or something, so I gave a vague excuse. Lee Cheong-hyeon let out a sigh.
“Kang Gyeon was right. We should have sent this Hyung to the hospital first.”
“Let’s talk about that later. The dorm is a mess right now.”
“Later when? After you start coughing up blood? Or when your suitcase is overflowing with trash?”
“It’s not about that.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon irritably tossed the plastic bottles into the recycling bin.
“We’re in the middle of a promotion period. We have a fan sign event tomorrow and promotional activities for ‘In My Office.’ You want us to just scrap all that?”
“...”
“Fans don’t stream and buy albums to see a group with missing members. If you were worried about how to fill Gi-yeon’s absence, that’s one thing, but we can’t have more empty seats.”
We already had a history of missing self-produced content or live streams due to the Yu Han-su incident. I didn't want to throw a wrench into the fandom's atmosphere, which was already uneasy, especially during a promotion period.
Can you even call yourself an idol if you only give your fans reasons to worry? How could I just take from the people who were trying to gain strength from me?
“My turn comes only after Gi-yeon has made a perfect return. There’s no compromise on that.”
I tightly tied the neck of the small trash bag.
“Instead, once that condition is met, I’ll do whatever you guys say without a word of complaint.”
This was my way of backing down. Lee Cheong-hyeon wasn't so dense that he wouldn't notice.
The night was deep. But it didn't seem like sleep would come easily.