Chapter 279: Santa Boy Knows (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 279: Santa Boy Knows (2)
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Kang Gi-yeon met secretly in front of the shoe rack. Their movements as they opened the cabinet doors were cautious.
To prevent any unexpected noise, Kang Gi-yeon held the umbrellas steady from above, while Lee Cheong-hyeon fumbled around the corner of the shoe rack below to pull out the cams and mounts.
“We just need to install them at the points we checked earlier, right?”
“Yeah. But are you sure you won’t get caught by Ju-woo hyung?”
“He’s sleeping with an eye mask on today, so it’s fine. He must’ve been exhausted.”
Roommates naturally know each other's habits inside out. At Kang Gi-yeon’s words, Lee Cheong-hyeon patted his friend’s shoulder reassuringly.
After finishing their plot, the two split up with three cams each. A determined resolve to succeed in this prank radiated from them.
Returning to his room, Lee Cheong-hyeon closed the door carefully. He hid in the corner, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
The first cam was to be installed on top of the cabinet, where both hyungs' beds were visible at once. Placing the camcorder there would allow him to capture both of them waking up simultaneously.
Having grown accustomed to setting up cameras through frequent filming of self-produced content, Lee Cheong-hyeon set up the camcorder with ease. He didn’t forget to check if it was recording properly.
After pressing the record button to capture the entire room, Lee Cheong-hyeon pulled out the gifts he had hidden under his blanket. Clad in the darkness with a large non-woven fabric stocking tucked under each arm, he looked less like Santa and more like a thief.
Lee Cheong-hyeon draped one stocking over Choi Je-ho’s headboard. Kim I-wol’s share was placed on top of the suitcase right next to his bed.
“I-wol hyung might wake up if I’m not careful… so I can’t get too close to the bed,” he whispered to the camera.
Next, he focused on installing the individual cams. He had already scouted the angles to best capture the two hyungs discovering the stockings. Thanks to that, he was able to move with minimal movement.
It’s a relief I-wol hyung doesn’t wake up easily these days.
In the past, Lee Cheong-hyeon would have been caught by Kim I-wol long ago. And I-wol would have nagged him, asking why he hadn't been recruited if they were going to do an event like this.
Grateful for the improvement in his hyung’s sleep quality, Lee Cheong-hyeon diligently finished setting up the camcorders.
Me
[Installation complete on this end.]
[How about you?]
Lee Cheong-hyeon reported his progress. The reply came much later.
MBF
[I’m not even halfway done.]
[It’s not easy doing this without waking Ju-woo hyung.]
Oof.
Lee Cheong-hyeon cheered for his struggling friend. If he went over to help, the probability of waking Park Ju-woo would only double.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, a message arrived from Kang Gi-yeon saying he had finished the installation.
The two Santas crawled back under their covers and fell into a deep sleep, acting as if nothing had happened.
*
I woke up to the sound of my alarm. Still half-asleep, I checked my Challenge.Living notifications first. Perhaps because it had been three hours since I last checked, there weren't many new posts.
Are those kids sleeping in?
The top bunk and the room next door were both silent. Usually, if even one alarm went off, everyone would wake up on their own, but today was different. There was no sign of life in the living room either.
I was debating whether it was better to wake the members up for a meal or let them sleep more when I saw something strange in front of me.
It was a red, non-woven fabric lump with things stuck all over it. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.
I sluggishly sat up and saw something similar sitting on Choi Je-ho’s bed.
When I picked it up, the fabric felt large and heavy, making a clattering sound.
…A stocking?
I wasn't sure if something big enough to fit my head could be called a stocking, but the shape itself was definitely one.
When I pulled out the contents, a glass mobile emerged.
“What is this?”
I stared at the mobile for a long time. The jellyfish-shaped sun catcher sparkled in the morning light. It was an item that really didn't suit me.
Thinking it definitely wasn't mine, I was about to put it back when a card inside the stocking caught my eye.
On the back of the card, which featured a tree on a red background, were two short memos.
【To the good little child I-wol, who takes such good care of his younger brothers:
I give you this cute mobile.
Hang it by your bedside and look at it every day!
This is a gift for a brave child who didn't cry at all this year.
I hope you become an even cuter, more beautiful, and jewel-like I-wol next year~】
【I-wol hyung,
Merry Christmas.
I’m giving this "good adult" gift to you, who has worked so hard.
As Santa, I’ll be watching over you next year too.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
- From Santa Gi-yeon -】
…Are they out of their minds?
I rubbed my eyes and read the card again. The content remained the same.
This jellyfish sun catcher is a gift? A Christmas gift?
I’d never really received Christmas gifts before. How am I supposed to react to this?
For now, I did as Lee Cheong-hyeon instructed and hung the mobile on the post of the bunk bed. However, realizing it might cause a forehead injury when waking up, I moved it to the window frame.
Perhaps the light reflected off the glass, because Choi Je-ho, unable to bear the brightness on his eyelids, frowned and opened his eyes.
“What’s that?”
“Sorry. I’m just adjusting the position.”
“Do we have to get up now?”
“No. Sleep more.”
At my words, Choi Je-ho pulled the blanket over his head and turned over. Then, with terrible timing, the stocking fell onto his head, making him pull the blanket back down.
“What is this now?”
“They say it’s a gift from Santa. Since you’re awake, open it.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a look that asked what on earth I was saying so early in the morning, Choi Je-ho pulled at the fabric. Because he grabbed the bottom of the stocking, the contents spilled out onto the blanket. They were fairy lights.
“What is this?”
“Aren't they lights?”
When he lifted the wire, a long string of bulbs dangled down.
“There’s a card inside too. Check it.”
At my suggestion, Choi Je-ho reached into the stocking. He pulled out a card with a reindeer on it, a different design from mine.
“Ha…”
“What does it say?”
Choi Je-ho, who had put on the glasses I handed him, spoke as if he couldn't believe it.
“It says to take care of my shins.”
It was a message that made it impossible to hold back my laughter. While I covered my mouth and laughed, Choi Je-ho gathered the pile of lights, still frowning.
“What time did they even go to sleep?”
“Didn't they go to bed after 5:00 AM?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon was fast asleep on the top bunk. He looked incredibly peaceful, dead to the world.
“Sigh…”
I sighed and pulled his blanket up for him.
It was a few minutes later that I locked eyes with the camcorder attached to the side of the bunk bed like a side-view mirror.
*
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Kang Gi-yeon’s surprise Christmas event ended in success. The two of them were all smiles as they checked the recorded footage. In an instant, the older members were turned into thoughtless scum who hadn't even considered preparing gifts for the younger ones and just received them.
“Is there anything you want? Even now…”
“Seong-bin hyung, that would tarnish the spirit of our event.”
Because Lee Cheong-hyeon acted like that, we were deprived of the chance to atone for our sins even late. It was truly lamentable.
Perhaps that was why Park Ju-woo decided to just use his gift happily. He even came out of his room wrapped in the blanket he received.
“Look at Ju-woo hyung. Seeing the gift being used like that makes the giver so proud!”
At Lee Cheong-hyeon’s passionate speech, I held the jellyfish in one hand, and Choi Je-ho wrapped the lights around his head before giving a spectacular runway performance. Cheong-hyeon laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
“Seong-bin, what did you get?”
“A branding set.”
With that, Jeong Seong-bin walked out holding a handful of ballpoint pens, a notebook, and some dangerous-looking stickers.
Why on earth did Kang Gi-yeon give Jeong Seong-bin something like that? I didn't even want to know the reason.
“What about the notebook you were using?”
“I’ve almost filled it up. So Gi-yeon said he bought me a new one.”
At Jeong Seong-bin’s terrifying remark, we all froze like stone guardian statues. Kang Gi-yeon subtly avoided Jeong Seong-bin’s gaze.
“How… did that happen?”
Park Ju-woo, who was the most prone to feeling guilty, gathered his courage to ask. We swallowed hard, waiting for Jeong Seong-bin’s answer.
“It’s nothing much.”
Jeong Seong-bin spoke as he unwrapped the notebook.
“I just heard from the company about the progress of the lawsuit against Hong Un-seop.”
A chill ran through the room.
Lee Cheong-hyeon grabbed both of Jeong Seong-bin’s hands.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Sometimes, one murder can prevent three marks of patience…”
At the joke that could have ruined his career as an idol, I scolded Lee Cheong-hyeon for over thirty minutes while cheering for Jeong Seong-bin to relieve his stress with that notebook.
The Christmas miracle continued even after the morning gifts.
We received another Rookie Award from a different broadcasting station, read fan letters sent by our fans, and had a luxurious dinner with the managers using the corporate card.
On Kang Gi-yeon’s birthday, his parents treated us to a meal. They earnestly requested that we scold and teach him well, saying that since he was an only child, he only knew himself and lacked life skills because he only focused on dancing. Jeong Seong-bin and I could only keep shouting, “Gi-yeon is doing so well, Mother!”
During the New Year’s countdown stage, Choi Je-ho and I remained on stage together, waiting for midnight.
“10, 9, 8, 7…”
While everyone shouted the numbers together, I looked at his profile.
In the past, he was the type who wouldn't even pretend to shout the numbers on a stage like this, but now he was moving his lips with a slight smile.
You’ve worked hard too.
I thought to myself as I followed along with the remaining numbers.
“3, 2, 1!”
“Happy New Year!”
Paper confetti exploded from both sides of the stage. Fireworks went off overhead.
Choi Je-ho looked at me and said, “Happy New Year.”
The image of a stoic Choi Je-ho I had seen on a screen long ago, wearing a hanbok and wishing everyone a Happy New Year with a placid expression, flickered in my mind and vanished.
“You too.”
The new year had dawned.
It was our second January 1st with Spark.