Chapter 305: Hobbies (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 305: Hobbies (1)
Choi Je-ho was truly stoic. Whether Jeong Seong-bin was moved or not, he just kept saying what he had to say.
“Keep up the hard work this year too. Let me know if you need anything.”
The Choi Je-ho who once asked me what I expected him to do for Park Ju-woo when he came seeking help was gone. He seemed quite like an older brother now—the kind who wasn't exactly tender, but someone you could rely on.
Jeong Seong-bin nodded happily. Then, he offered some warm, well-wishing remarks to Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was sitting next to him.
Next, it was my turn to receive some kind words. Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was sitting behind me, draped his arms over my shoulders and leaned his head against the back of mine.
“I-wol.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember what I said before?”
You’ve said so many things, how could I know which one?
I tilted my chin up slightly and met Lee Cheong-hyeon’s eyes as he looked down at me.
“I told you that once the year changed, I wouldn't call you ‘hyung’ anymore.”
“And? Are you planning to join the Oldest Line while you’re at it?”
“No. I like being the youngest right now.”
“So you just want to be friends.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon and I giggled as we traded pointless banter.
He grabbed my chin with his thumb and forefinger, giving it a little squeeze.
“Let’s put some weight on you. You’ve lost too much.”
“I’m just maintaining my jawline.”
“You looked perfect right around your debut.”
That was because my synchronization rate was low back then. I was putting in a lot of effort now, but it would still take some time to return to that physical form.
“My muscles are mostly back, so don’t worry.”
“A person isn't made of 100% muscle, my friend.”
Despite his words, Lee Cheong-hyeon diligently massaged my shoulders. He really was a worrywart. I’d have to ask him to order some chewy cold noodles with me sometime soon.
After the first-anniversary schedules were wrapped up, a true sense of calm and peace descended upon the dorm. The breakneck pace that had lasted from the end of the year through the beginning of the new one had finally come to an end. Winter was drawing to a close.
Taking advantage of the lighter workload, I received a new assignment from my counselor.
‘A hobby?’
Specifically, finding a leisure activity that had nothing to do with work. The reason was that I needed a way to refresh my mind.
I mentioned that I played the bass, but since I was currently active as an idol, I was advised that the bass could still be linked to my music work and that I should look for something else.
“So? Is there anything you’ve always wanted to try?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon asked, pausing his typing on his laptop.
“Not really. The only hobby I know is reading.”
“Do you like reading, Hyung?”
“No.”
It was just the hobby I always wrote down on my school conduct record. Isn't that the case for most students in Korea?
“I guess I’ve never really seen you do anything other than work. So the bass is a no-go?”
“Yeah. They told me to find a hobby where I can avoid thinking about work as much as possible.”
“No fields of interest, no known hobbies.”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon closed his laptop and stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Then, as if something had occurred to him, he clapped his fist into his palm.
“How about trying out the other members' hobbies?”
And so, at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s suggestion, the ‘Kim I-wol’s Follow the Members’ project began.
The first hobby missionary was Park Ju-woo.
The reason was simple: Park Ju-woo’s hobby was the most suitable to jump right into.
“Today, we’re going to clean and water the plants….”
Park Ju-woo said as he handed me a spare apron from the dorm.
There was something fanatical about Park Ju-woo’s cleaning. To him, who pursued a perfect zero-dust environment, bedding was merely a type of fabric where dust accumulated after a single day.
“Ju-woo, are you planning to wash every single blanket in the dorm?”
“At least the ones we’re using….”
Park Ju-woo excitedly started the washing machine. I wasn't lying; it was already the third load.
While the machine ran, we operated the steam cleaner and the dishwasher, wiped the dust from the window frames, and took baskets of pillow inserts up to the roof to beat them until the stuffing nearly burst.
We didn't forget to boil the utensils, either. We sprayed the dining table with kitchen alcohol and wiped it until it gleamed. We sprayed deodorizer in the members' shoes and tucked a packet of silica gel into each one.
Once that was done, we headed to the balcony. In the balcony space that Park Ju-woo used as his personal sanctuary, various plants were growing.
“Each plant has a specific watering cycle. The friend you’re going to water today is this one….”
Park Ju-woo pointed to a white, rectangular pot.
“What’s its name?”
“Brilliance.”
“Is there a species called that?”
“Ah… it’s a Hoya Bella.”
Park Ju-woo corrected his mistake a beat late. It seemed he had given names to all his pots.
Since the ‘friend’ I watered needed a pillar to support its growth, I fashioned a support out of the wire left over from making paper strawberry bundles.
“Does this one bloom too?”
“Yeah. If I raise it well….”
“It looks healthy. I’m sure it’ll bloom beautifully.”
By the time we finished repotting, my work gloves were covered in dirt. I used to wonder why I rarely saw Park Ju-woo even when everyone was at the dorm, but it turned out he was tucked away in this corner doing this by himself.
“……How is it? Do you feel a bit more at peace?”
Park Ju-woo asked.
“I feel like the environment has been purified.”
They say looking at greenery stabilizes the mind and body, and that was exactly how I felt. Or maybe it was just the sound of the washing machine running in the background.
Park Ju-woo and I delivered the dried bedding to each member’s room. Then, after a refreshing shower, we sat on the living room sofa, turned on the air purifier, and drank warm milk while watching the air quality indicator change from ‘Poor’ to ‘Good.’ It wasn't a bad experience.
In the evening, I watched a musical movie in the living room with Lee Cheong-hyeon. It was the first time I’d watched something on the dorm TV that wasn't Spark’s own faces.
“You picked a surprisingly famous one.”
I said, looking at the screen. The Phantom of the Opera was pulled up.
Lee Cheong-hyeon asked, “What did you think I’d pick?”
“Some philosophical movie that a normal person like me would find hard to understand.”
“Classics are masterpieces no matter when you watch them.”
While Lee Cheong-hyeon prepared the movie, I turned off the living room lights. I didn't forget to turn on a mood lamp in case Choi Je-ho came out of his room.
Jeong Seong-bin, hearing that we were watching a movie, even brought us some salt-free popcorn he had popped himself.
Everything was perfectly prepared, but watching the movie wasn't exactly smooth sailing.
“Cheong-hyeon, if a God of Rap told you he’d teach you, would you follow him?”
“Would I? Hyung, how old do you think I am?”
“Could you abandon the teacher who made you a prima donna for the sake of love?”
“I’ve never been in love or been a prima donna, so I don't know. But the moment he kidnapped her, I think the Phantom stopped being a teacher and became a criminal.”
This was because we couldn't play the movie for more than five minutes at a time. We were constantly hitting the pause button to engage in heated debates.
The discussions weren't even productive. Halfway through, it turned into a random barrage of dialogue, almost like a contest to see who could bring up the most useless topic.
“That scene where the chandelier fell earlier. If there’s an NG, do they just keep dropping new chandeliers?”
“Wouldn't that be too expensive?”
“How does that mask stay on without falling off?”
“Maybe it’s glued onto the face makeup?”
And then, toward the end….
“The visual aesthetics are impressive.”
“Can’t we make our music videos like this?”
“Cheong-hyeon, that’s The Phantom of the Opera.”
“Do you think Ju-woo Hyung could hit the same high notes as Christine?”
“What kind of song are you planning to give Ju-woo?”
“I don't have anything in mind, but I’m curious.”
……It ended up like this. Regarding the visual aesthetics, it might be possible if we squeezed a massive budget out of UA, but since we could worry about that after getting the budget, I decided to keep my expectations low for now.
Through this process, it took a total of five hours to watch a single movie. I didn't realize that watching a movie could be such an exhausting activity. My mouth was sore from talking, and my eyes were tired.
“How was it? Do you think it’s suitable as a hobby?”
“I’m not sure. But I think it’s a good activity in terms of generating new ideas.”
At my words, Lee Cheong-hyeon turned on all the living room lights.
“That’s not allowed! The whole point of finding a hobby was to stop thinking about work!”
With that, movie watching was disqualified from my list of potential hobbies.
A few days later, I coordinated my schedule to go out with Kang Gi-yeon. Our destination was a manga cafe. My goal was to read the entire series of Kingdom Cafeteria ~Another~.
“I’m going to read ‘King Terra,’ but what are you going to read?”
“I have plenty to read.”
Kang Gi-yeon said calmly. The moment the elevator doors opened, his eyes sparkled. I could see the glint in his eyes even through his hat and mask.
We circled the shop to find the largest space that wouldn't be cramped for two people. Eventually, we settled into a spot that felt like a second-floor attic in the corner.
“What do you want to eat, Hyung?”
Kang Gi-yeon asked. The menu was as packed as Web Cell data.
Furthermore, everything was high in calories. They were the kind of foods I couldn't even imagine Kang Gi-yeon eating.
“The calories look really high…?”
“You said you were going riding with Je-ho Hyung tonight anyway.”
Kang Gi-yeon said that if I couldn't choose, he would just order something appropriate. His ordering seemed to go on forever. This kid, who usually wasn't like this, just kept adding items to the menu.
I tried to give him my card, but he had already paid for everything. Suddenly, I had become a piece of trash who let a member who hadn't even graduated high school pay for his meal and drinks.
“What’s your account number?”
“It’s fine. Think of all the times you’ve bought things for me.”
I quickly sent him a message via online banking to transfer the money, but Kang Gi-yeon didn't accept it. Instead, he disappeared toward the pink-colored corner to find some manga.
When he returned, he was holding about five volumes of a familiar manga.
“It’s rude to take too many at once, so read these first. It’s the volume for Part 1.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll look at some books and bring them over. Go on in first.”
While I stayed tucked away in our corner, Kang Gi-yeon was busy moving back and forth.
Once the manga, blankets, and all the ordered food were ready, Kang Gi-yeon took off his shoes and entered the small room. He had to fold his long legs quite a bit, but it was cozy in its own way.