Chapter 325: The Leader's Grace is as Vast as the Sky
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 325: The Leader's Grace is as Vast as the Sky
Jeong Seong-bin, the leader of Spark, cherished and loved his members dearly. Consequently, he spent a great deal of time looking after them with meticulous care.
It wasn't a burden, however. The members respected him deeply as their leader. Even in a team with two older members, Seong-bin had earned their recognition without conflict, largely thanks to the members' own consideration.
Seong-bin loved the members' passion, warm hearts, and diligence, but sometimes those very traits made his heart ache for them.
Just a short while ago, Seong-bin had been jolted from his sleep by the sound of a mouse scrolling. Stepping out into the living room, he found Kim Iwol surfing the web at the kitchen table without even turning on the lights.
"What are you doing, Hyung?"
"Looking for supplements. Was the mouse too loud? Should I switch to a silent one?"
"No, it’s not that..."
It felt a bit disrespectful to think this about an older brother, but for a moment, Seong-bin felt proud of Kim Iwol. He wondered if it was really necessary to shop in the middle of the night, but since Iwol was buying supplements of all things, he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
"What kind are you looking for?" Seong-bin asked, trying to blink away the lingering sleep.
As he drew closer, he saw the screen was filled with products supposedly good for throat protection.
"You and Ju-woo use your voices a lot. Especially you, since you have to host so many things. I figured I’d pick some up. There was one I used to take, but I can't find it. That one was really effective."
As he spoke, Kim Iwol tapped his temple with his left palm. It was a habit he had whenever he had a headache.
A headache is still pain. Seeing Kim Iwol act as if migraines were just a natural part of life, Seong-bin recalled a conversation he’d had with Kang Gi-yeon.
‘Seong-bin Hyung, you know how they say a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body?’
‘Right.’
‘Then what kind of mind dwells in a body that lacks sleep?’
When had that conversation happened? Was it when Kang Gi-yeon was searching for the causes of headaches after Kim Iwol first revealed his chronic migraines?
Iwol’s dull eyes, which looked like they needed a good night's sleep more than anyone else's; the unextinguished light of the laptop; the index finger that wouldn't stop scrolling; and the left hand that seemed to be pressing harder and harder against his temple—it all made Seong-bin feel upset.
"I have some recommended products. I'll ask Manager Chan-yeong to buy them for us."
"Will you? I guess you would know better about these things."
Kim Iwol, who rarely listened when told to stop doing something, backed down easily whenever Seong-bin appealed to his expertise. It was obvious he was thinking, ‘Seong-bin probably knows more about this than I do,’ even though he was a singer himself.
Seong-bin didn't want to resort to such tactics. However, when he judged that putting his Hyung to sleep was more important—even if it meant exploiting the man's low self-esteem—Seong-bin willingly made the bitter choice. He made a mental note to make sure to praise Iwol’s voice during vocal practice later.
That night, a third 'Patience Mark' was etched into Seong-bin’s notebook.
The next morning, as soon as he opened his eyes, Seong-bin requested the company to leave two slots empty in the self-produced content filming schedule.
And so, back to the present.
Seong-bin had reached the point of planning a massive event for his oldest Hyung, who had achieved Spark's first-ever Triple Crown.
"Hello, I'm Seong-bin. Since today is a surprise content shoot, I'm the only one filming first!"
Greeting the recording camera warmly, Seong-bin briefly summarized the situation.
He explained that three 'Patience Marks' had been recorded next to Kim Iwol's name, and that he had prepared this shoot for the sake of his Hyung’s healthy lifestyle.
"But I'm not very gifted when it comes to creative events. So, before I plan the content, I'm going to seek some help from someone close to me."
After finishing his intro, Seong-bin placed a call. The other party picked up after only a few rings.
— Hello?
Seong-bin quickly gave a preliminary explanation to the person whose voice sounded remarkably like his own.
"I'm filming self-produced content right now, and I called because I have something to ask. The camera is rolling, so don't say anything weird."
— A phone call with a celebrity's family? I've always had a fantasy about this. Hello, everyone! I'm Jeong Seong-bin's twin, Jeong Seong-jun! My zodiac sign is Aries, my blood type is B, and my favorite color is amethyst with a hint of gold pearl! Doesn't the color just scream 'wealthy'?
"I'm hanging up."
— No! Don't ruin my glorious MeTube debut!
Seong-bin looked fed up. Jeong Seong-jun’s voice continued to chatter incessantly through the speakerphone.
"...So that's why I called, to see if you had any good ideas."
Having finished his explanation, Seong-bin parched his throat with the drink in front of him.
— For events like this, it's most fun to target the person's weaknesses.
"Did you even listen to a word I said? I told you, I'm not trying to play a trick on him."
Seong-bin’s voice was thick with exasperation. Jeong Seong-jun cackled.
— What I mean is, you have to put Iwol-hyungnim in a dilemma. If you do it half-heartedly, he'll just talk you out of it. Hyungnim is no pushover. He doesn't seem like the type to just sit still and let you do everything for him.
Jeong Seong-jun’s reasoning held weight. Kim Iwol might play along while the cameras were rolling, but once they were packed away, he would surely spend thirty minutes nagging.
Seong-bin, if you were going to plan something like this, you should have told me in advance. You have school to attend; you need to save your time. Next time, just give me a brief summary of the idea and I'll... and so on.
"Then what should I do?" Seong-bin asked, opening his diary as he was swayed by Seong-jun’s logic.
— What is Hyungnim weak to? Not things he dislikes. You know, like people who turn into mush the moment they see a puppy.
"Hyung doesn't really have any weaknesses."
— He does seem that way.
Nothing was easy from the start. Seong-bin agonized over it until something suddenly flashed through his mind.
"He's weak to praise."
The image of Kim Iwol suffering during the informal speech time was vivid in his mind. Yet, at the same time, it was something Kim Iwol needed.
— So he praises others until his mouth goes dry, but gets embarrassed when he's the one being praised? What a contradictory man.
"And he's weak to being treated. He gets incredibly flustered when he receives gifts."
The number of times Kim Iwol had bickered with Gu Ja-han over whether or not to return clothes was too many to count.
Kim Iwol never accepted anything easily. The bass guitar he received for his birthday was probably the first and last thing he had accepted without a fight.
— He's the perfect type to tease! Why are you even worrying when you have such a perfect target?
"I told you, I'm not trying to tease him!"
Jeong Seong-jun burst into delighted laughter every time Seong-bin got flustered. For a split second, Seong-bin regretted calling the guy.
— For the brother who has no talent for rebellion, I, your younger brother, shall give you a pro-tip. Take notes carefully.
But even the chatterbox had his uses.
Jeong Seong-jun proposed a sophisticated 'healing event that is fun for broadcast while supporting Hyung's rest, all while technically being a prank'—something Seong-bin could never have come up with on his own. Seong-bin’s hand moved busily as he gripped his pen.
The sweet melody of a violin woke me up. Neither Seong-bin nor I had such classical tastes in alarms.
Did Lee Cheong-hyeon learn a new instrument? I hadn't heard a word about it, but with him, it wouldn't be strange no matter what he picked up or where.
While his spirit of never-ending self-improvement was worthy of praise, it was currently morning. Early morning, even before my own alarm was set to go off. Playing an instrument at this hour was unthinkable in a multi-unit building.
'Cheong-hyeon isn't the type to forget about noise complaints between floors.'
Just as I was about to get up to calm the unstoppable performer, I realized something was off.
For someone playing in the living room or another room, the beautiful melody sounded far too close to my head. And it wasn't like we had bunk beds anymore.
I snapped my eyes open. After the initial blurriness cleared, I saw Jeong Seong-bin standing by my bedside.
He was dressed in a suit resembling a tuxedo, wearing white gloves, and even his hair was perfectly styled.
"What the...?"
For a moment, I wondered if I was still dreaming. Since Seong-bin was wearing a black suit, I even wondered if I had ended up in the afterlife again. Having Seong-bin as my Grim Reaper instead of Department Head Nam would be a luxurious way to go, but still.
It felt too real to be a dream; the violin was reaching the climax of the piece. In Seong-bin’s hand was a phone playing '50 Classical Pieces to Relax the Mind.'
Even though it was early, the room was as bright as if the lights were on... and then I saw the camera. So the lights were on.
Moreover, contrary to my expectations, the sun was already up. Did Seong-bin turn off my phone alarm in advance? Why go through all that trouble?
Seong-bin turned off the music with an elegant gesture. His hairstyle, neatly waxed with his forehead half-exposed, caught my eye. Just what time did he go to the salon?
As I looked at him with a face full of questions, Seong-bin bowed at the waist.
"Good morning, Young Master."
"What did you say?"
I doubted my ears. Seong-bin avoided my gaze. Draped over his arm, which was bent in an 'L' shape, was a white towel folded with sharp precision.
What was the point of draping the towel so atmospherically? The words 'UA 10th Anniversary Commemorative Towel' were clearly printed on the bottom.
"What are you doing, Seong-bin?"
"Please come for your meal. Everything is prepared."
Seong-bin refused to give a straight answer. I almost suspected he had borrowed 'King Terra' from Kang Gi-yeon.
However, I soon realized my suspicion was wrong.
Seong-bin’s ears and the back of his neck were turning bright red. It meant that, at the very least, he wasn't doing this because he was enjoying himself.
The camera was rolling, and Seong-bin was acting strange. In the midst of the confusion, I scrambled out of bed and headed toward the living room.