Chapter 91: Internal Strife (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: Internal Strife (1)
To Jeong Seong-bin, Kim I-wol was undoubtedly the most reliable member of the team.
He felt as though he could lightly share concerns with I-wol that were difficult to voice even to his other friends or the younger members.
Moreover, Kim I-wol was capable, multi-talented, and even proactive.
Even though he had started his trainee days late and lacked a natural flair for dancing, I-wol grew steadily through effort that everyone had to acknowledge.
Because of that, Seong-bin had never once worried about Kim I-wol.
Well, except for one thing: his health.
I-wol’s physical stamina was far superior to the other members. Even when the others collapsed from exhaustion after long hours of practice, I-wol always remained unfazed.
And that wasn't all.
When everyone else returned to the dorm exhausted and headed straight for bed, it was a daily routine for I-wol to sit in front of his laptop before his wet hair had even dried.
He never missed a PT session, either. In fact, the trainer was often surprised by I-wol’s machine-like, unwavering training volume.
Once, while eating bread I-wol had baked on the way to school, the younger member Gi-yeon had said...
"Is I-wol hyung actually a cyborg?"
...He was that consistent.
During periods of extreme sleep deprivation, his dark circles would deepen slightly, but I-wol was always composed.
He didn't get exhausted from lack of sleep, nor did he become sensitive while managing his diet.
There was only one time, during a group monitoring session, when he said he was tired and went to his room early.
Even without being told, Seong-bin knew it wasn't because I-wol felt unwell. He simply assumed there was a reason and didn't pry further.
Furthermore, I-wol wasn't the type to fully accept it when someone worried about him.
Most of the things I-wol said were along the lines of...
"I'll take care of myself and sleep. Don't worry about it."
"I'm still okay. You go in first."
"I'll head back once I've finished tidying up."
Seong-bin knew that I-wol always drew a firm line when it came to his work and schedule.
Therefore, the most Seong-bin could do was occasionally mention his concern for I-wol's health or nag him to go to sleep by bringing up his younger brother, Lee Cheong-hyeon.
So, when that very Kim I-wol suddenly had a nosebleed in the middle of the practice room...
Seong-bin was deeply shocked, yet a part of his mind couldn't shake the feeling that the inevitable had finally happened.
Everyone else was startled, but I-wol didn't even flinch.
Instead, he calmly pressed a wad of tissues under his nose and said he would keep practicing while blocking the bleed.
Even as blood streamed through his fingers, I-wol remained nonchalant.
It was to the point where one might wonder if something had actually torn inside.
Everyone urged I-wol to return to the dorm, but he wouldn't listen.
Despite the bleeding not stopping for over ten minutes, he remained stubborn. It wasn't until Kang Gi-yeon—who rarely raised his voice at the older members—forcibly packed I-wol's bags that he finally left the practice room.
Only after confirming that I-wol was lying down in his bed could everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I should definitely contact the manager hyung in the morning.
With that thought, Seong-bin also lay down and fell asleep. That is, until someone woke him up.
That someone placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.
Then, a small voice called out to him.
"Seong-bin, Seong-bin..."
The person calling his name repeatedly was his friend and other roommate, Park Ju-woo.
Seong-bin struggled to open his eyes. In the dark room, he could faintly see Park Ju-woo's silhouette.
"Mmm... what is it?"
"Sorry for waking you. But... did I-wol hyung go somewhere?"
"What?"
In that instant, Seong-bin snapped awake as if he’d been struck on the back of the head.
"What do you mean? He's not in his room?"
Seong-bin bolted upright. His eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, saw the anxious expression on Park Ju-woo's face.
"I woke up and went to check on him because I was worried his nose might be bleeding again, but his bed was empty... I thought maybe he told you before he left."
Seong-bin had heard no such thing.
He immediately kicked off his blanket and headed to the other members' room.
Just as Ju-woo said, one of the bottom bunks was empty.
Some might say, "Can't a grown man step out for a bit at night?"
But the Kim I-wol Seong-bin knew was someone who never deviated from the rules.
For someone like I-wol to leave without a word meant there was definitely a reason.
Seong-bin rushed to the living room and grabbed the phone. He called the manager.
If I-wol had rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night, the manager would surely have accompanied him.
However, contrary to Seong-bin's hopes, after the ringing stopped, he heard the voice of the manager who sounded like he had been in a deep sleep.
"...Hello?"
"Ah, Hyung..."
"Seong-bin? What's going on at this hour?"
Seong-bin was flustered by the voice dripping with sleep.
He tried to remain as calm as possible, apologized, and hung up after making the excuse that he had suddenly forgotten tomorrow's schedule.
Park Ju-woo, who had been watching Seong-bin as he knelt in front of the living room cabinet during the call, asked:
"...The manager hyung doesn't know either?"
"Yeah. It looks like he went out on his own."
Seong-bin toyed with his lips, trying to hide his growing anxiety.
He kept thinking back to earlier that day—I-wol's face, which had been pale enough to look white, and the blood that had flowed incessantly over the back of his hand.
It was then that Park Ju-woo spoke up.
"I'll go take a walk around the neighborhood... He might have just gone to the convenience store to buy some medicine."
"Huh? No, I'll go. You go back to sleep."
"You have school tomorrow, Seong-bin. I can just sleep until practice."
With that, Park Ju-woo headed for the front door. Suddenly, Seong-bin remembered the time Ju-woo had been suffering from a high fever.
Back then, I-wol had dashed outside in the middle of the night without a second thought. Perhaps that was why Ju-woo was being so proactive now.
At the same time, Seong-bin remembered something I-wol had suggested to the team for his own sake.
'Then let's at least move in pairs within the company.'
...Those were his words.
Seong-bin pushed himself off the floor. He left the dorm together with Park Ju-woo.
The two of them ran around the neighborhood for a long time.
They checked every single convenience store and even went to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.
They asked if a tall man named Kim I-wol had come by, but the only answer they received was "No."
"Maybe he didn't go out for medicine...?"
Ju-woo's voice trailed off. It was already past midnight.
Then, something flashed through Seong-bin's mind.
It was a question I-wol had suddenly asked not too long ago.
'Assume that if you practice hard exactly as I tell you for one week, you'll definitely get a corresponding result. Would you do as I say then?'
'Definitely?'
'Yes, definitely.'
One week. And since then, I-wol had been checking the members' time to ensure they practiced in five-hour blocks.
And I-wol himself had been practicing for nearly fifteen hours every single day.
"Ju-woo."
"Yeah?"
"I think I know where Hyung is."
Seong-bin started running immediately.
Even when Ju-woo asked where they were going, Seong-bin didn't stop, only shouting back that it was the practice room. Ju-woo seemed surprised but didn't question him further.
As he hurried his steps, Seong-bin prayed that this practice-addicted hyung wouldn't be there.
He prayed that his stubbornness to keep practicing wasn't just because of some "revelation from ancestral spirits" or whatever it was.
However, what greeted Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo in the basement of the UA Building was a bright white light leaking from the practice room—a room they had definitely turned the lights off in before leaving.
When Seong-bin opened the door, he saw Kim I-wol standing there, drenched in sweat, looking as if he had just been relieved of a great burden.
I looked at Seong-bin's face, then at the clock on the practice room wall.
"What are you doing here at this hour? Don't tell me you came alone?"
As soon as I said that, I saw Park Ju-woo's head peeking over Seong-bin's shoulder.
Two minors out for a night stroll hand-in-hand. They're asking for a scolding.
Just as I was debating whether to criticize them for running out in the middle of the night without a word or praise them for at least coming together, Seong-bin’s expression turned dead serious.
"Hyung, is that really what's important right now?"
Rarely seen, a deep furrow appeared between Seong-bin's brows.
"Do you have any idea how shocked we were when you disappeared? And why are you in the practice room at this hour when you're not even feeling well?"
Only then did I realize these kids had come all this way because of me.
It was a shame I got caught, but since I’d already filled my time, I didn't mind heading back. I capped my water bottle and spoke.
"Sorry. I thought you were all asleep. I'll head back now..."
"No, it's not an apology I want to hear!"
Seong-bin's voice echoed through the practice room. He shouted in frustration.
"You were bleeding so much, but you just kept saying you were fine! You wouldn't even listen when we said to go to the hospital! What if it's something serious?"
"Seong-bin, it was just a nosebleed..."
"Normally, your clothes don't get soaked just from a nosebleed! You don't stumble while walking, either!"
Seong-bin didn't back down an inch. It seemed seeing my T-shirt covered in blood had been quite a shock to him.
But I really didn't need to go to the hospital. My nosebleed wasn't a health issue; it was a system penalty.
Besides, in the nine years of health checkups I’d had, not a single problem had ever been found. There was no way I had some major illness.
I was at a loss as to how to explain this. I was just grateful that Park Ju-woo was making a clumsy attempt to hold Seong-bin back.
Despite Ju-woo's intervention, Seong-bin didn't stop.
"Hyung, we're even moving in pairs now because you told us to. We're filling our practice hours and doing everything you said. So why is it that you haven't kept a single promise about telling the members when you're hurting?"
"It's because I wasn't hurting. Who expects a nosebleed?"
"Would you say the same thing if it were Cheong-hyeon or Gi-yeon? That this kind of nosebleed is nothing, so they should finish their practice hours before leaving?"
Seong-bin was being even more persistent than when I was hit by Yu Han-su.
I let out a small sigh internally. I didn't want to get into an argument with a kid.
"Seong-bin, you said it yourself back then."
"...Said what?"
"About practice. You said you'd do it even if there were no results."
When I asked if he would practice hard on the premise that he could get results if he just followed my lead, Seong-bin had definitely answered that way.
And sure enough, with his good memory, Seong-bin recalled that conversation immediately.
I didn't miss the opportunity to continue.
"I did it because I was certain there would be results. I wanted to get us into the best shape possible before the comeback. That's not a bad thing."
"The premise didn't include overexerting yourself like this."
"That's just a matter of difference in condition. Is there anyone in the team right now who isn't practicing to their limit?"
"Why is that limit so harsh only on you, Hyung? It's true we're all doing our best, but we don't sleep as little or practice as much as you do. Because you're taking care of everything for us! So why are you only like this to yourself..."
"Seong-bin, surely you're not asking because you don't know?"
I shrugged my shoulders and said,
"It's because I'm so much further behind than the rest of you."