Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Tie Up and Throw
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In times like this, the leader stepped up. Yoo Hajin grabbed Ki Jaeyun's shoulder and said,
“We'll explain on the way.”
“Hajin hyung, I have to eat that cake.”
“We have a war to fight. This isn't the time for cake.”
“No, what war? Oh, that thing from last time?”
Ki Jaeyun clung tightly to the leader's waist.
“Um, can I sit this one out? I'm scared of Cha Dowon.”
“No.”
“Ah, hyung.”
“Mutual prosperity, mutual destruction—that's what a team is.”
“Um, Hajin hyung. Why are you suddenly using such fancy words? Did you study hanja?”
Kang Minje smiled languidly and said,
“We're Zenith. Live together, die together.”
“Ah, no, I mean, I can't handle it. I'm scared!”
Lee Seungjun grabbed Ki Jaeyun's arm and dragged him along.
“You can't be the only one sitting it out.”
“Why, why not!”
“We're a team. Isn't it better to take the beatings together?”
“Ah! I want to bail!”
Lee Seungjun picked up Ki Jaeyun like a monkey and carried him off with one arm. Watching this, Yoo Hajin said worriedly,
“Jaeyun-ah, don't annoy Seungjun. We'll need his strength for Dowon—don't waste it.”
Kang Minje nodded vigorously in agreement.
As they left the café, the sky was perfectly clear. Kang Minje muttered to himself.
‘I'm worried.’
I hope our Dowon doesn't get too mad.
‘How are we gonna handle that?’
It called for a heavy resolve.
Kang Minje let out a deep sigh. Contrary to his wishes, the weather was already springlike.
‘Why is it always clear on days like this?’
Kang Minje shook his head and kept walking. It was something they had to do, but it was terrifying.
***
The moment they entered the dorm, the smell of food hit them. The four members cautiously entered the living room.
“Eek!”
“What's all this?”
The large table was covered in all sorts of food. And the kitchen was filled with steam and frying sounds.
Zenith's maknae turned his head.
“Oh, you're back?”
His beaming smile was pure Cha Dowon, but his hyungs couldn't speak.
“D-Did you make all this yourself?”
“This live broadcast was all about frying.”
That explained it—the table was piled high with fried foods.
“The fans requested all kinds of stuff to fry, so I did it all!”
Cha Dowon adeptly turned the camera.
“Everyone! The members are here!”
Even at a glance, the chat was flooding in. Yoo Hajin immediately clutched his forehead.
“It's not just fried stuff.”
“Since I was at it, I tried a bunch of things.”
“Um, is that cheese?”
“Fried cheese too.”
Ki Jaeyun reached out immediately. Yoo Hajin swiftly grabbed his waist.
Lee Seungjun asked,
“When did you make all this?”
“Earlier.”
Zenith's rapper crossed his arms. He thought sincerely.
‘He's got some real skills.’
Sometimes Cha Dowon moved like he had eight arms.
‘His right and left hands move independently.’
He'd seen him flipping through scripts with one hand while reading a variety show script with the other more than once or twice.
‘Cha Dowon is a great idol, but maybe manual labor is his true calling?’
If you dropped him at a construction site, he'd probably build a house by himself.
‘No. A restaurant would suit him too.’
He could open multiple branches and become a boss.
Lee Seungjun shook his head.
‘A restaurant's good, but politics would fit him best.’
He imagined Cha Dowon giving a speech in parliament and got chills. He'd probably devour the country whole.
‘Better he stays an idol.’
He's endlessly sincere with his work and fans.
Cha Dowon grinned brightly at the camera. Reading chat and cooking were basics for him.
Then, Kang Minje spoke. He held rope and tape in his hands.
“I prepared in advance. Let's start. Seungjun-ah.”
“Yes.”
All battles favored surprise attacks. The three hyungs crept forward. Then Lee Seungjun first pinned Cha Dowon's arms behind his back.
“Wh-What!”
“Minje hyung!”
“Yeah!”
Yoo Hajin grabbed the struggling Cha Dowon's lower body tightly. With upper and lower body restrained, now Cha Dowon's mouth started acting up.
“What are you doing?”
“Binding you.”
“Why?”
Lee Seungjun forced a smile and said,
“It's content. That thing you value so much.”
“What?”
Perfect. He was flustered. No need to hold back. Kang Minje tied him up decently for a first try. But he slipped up in an odd place.
“Hyung, the legs too!”
“Oh!”
Kang Minje tossed back his long hair and tied the legs diligently. He was sweating on his forehead from the focus.
“I've never heard of content like this! Did Executive Director Joo plan this?”
Even in the midst of it, Zenith's maknae remained perfectly rational. They couldn't drag it out anymore. Lee Seungjun hoisted Cha Dowon up and slung him over his shoulder.
“What the hell!”
At this point, they absolutely couldn't respond. He just marched straight to the room.
There was an obstacle in the middle. Ki Jaeyun just blinked at the mess.
“Uh, th-that...”
“Jaeyun-ah, move!”
“Y-Yeah.”
After finishing the tying, Kang Minje turned off the gas stove first. Then he smiled brightly at the camera where Cha Dowon had vanished.
“Hello. This is Zenith's Kang Minje. I hijacked the live broadcast.”
“Minje-ya, that sounds like a robber.”
“Oh, does it? Hajin-ah. Greet the fans.”
The two carried on shamelessly.
“Hello. To the peak!”
“To you! Kang Minje here.”
“This is Zenith's leader, Yoo Hajin. The reason we're hijacking the maknae's broadcast is...”
“Hajin-ah, hijacking sounds robberish.”
“Then what do we say?”
“Handover?”
Messages flooded the chat. Kang Minje smiled awkwardly. This really wasn't easy.
***
‘What the hell is this?’
It felt like a hard smack to the back of the head. I stared at Lee Seungjun tying me to the bed. True to his diligent nature, he was putting in real effort.
‘What did I do to deserve this?’
I was just working hard, wasn't I?
I'd spent the past few weeks productively. The live broadcasts started as a way to forget stray thoughts. They began modestly but grew bigger.
‘The fans kept increasing.’
Was this what it felt like to preach on the street? Seeing the numbers rise was incredibly rewarding.
‘Plus, I'm a regressor anyway.’
I knew what broadcasts would trend in the future. Maybe that's why I pushed quantity over quality.
‘People really should work when useless thoughts creep in.’
I'd heard I was overdoing it, but I had cheats. As long as I managed recovery, I didn't even need sleep.
‘I heard the fans were getting tired of all the lives first.’
Hearing that made me so proud. I figured three years like this would clear my head too.
“What the hell!”
“Shh.”
“Tying me up out of nowhere?”
Lee Seungjun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said,
“You're overdoing it.”
“I'm fine. Hey, I was broadcasting. What if the fans get shocked?”
“Hajin hyung and Minje hyung are covering it.”
“No, untie me and I'll do it.”
“If we have to, Jaeyun-ie will eat your food and keep it going. Don't worry.”
I couldn't fathom the reason. What's wrong with you guys? Did you all eat something bad?
“You'll collapse. Rest and sleep.”
“I won't collapse. If I was gonna, I'd have keeled over ages ago.”
Lee Seungjun stared at me and said,
“Should I gag you too...”
Crazy.
“Hey! Untie me now!”
I struggled with my arms. Maybe because that jerk Kang Minje tied it, but the ropes were annoyingly tight.
“No. Not untying.”
Wow.
‘What the actual fuck?’
The broadcasts were working great. They were small-scale, but even that brought variety show offers pouring in. Dramas, variety, lives—they all looped back to CFs.
‘Being busy was nice.’
Work kept Kang Minje and Yoo Miho off my mind.
“Dowon-ah.”
“What?”
“Why are you pushing so hard?”
“If I do well even overdoing it, isn't that fine?”
“You really don't get how we feel. You.”
I sighed involuntarily. I knew he cared.
“Dowon-ah. Put yourself in our shoes. If one of us worked like you, what would you do?”
Put 'em to sleep with cheats.
I shrugged. Still tied tight.
‘Yeah, whatever...’
I could see why the others might worry.
‘But leaving me be would boost Zenith's popularity overall...’
Such a pain.
“So what if I work? Work's great.”
“You're working too much. You haven't even been eating properly lately.”
Hadn't I? I ate while doing cooking broadcasts...
“You'll get it after resting once. How much you've been overdoing it.”
“I'm fine.”
“No one can work like that and be fine.”
The conversation looped. Back to square one. I sighed, still tied.
“I'll untie you once you're deep asleep.”
“I'll fake it and escape.”
“I can tell by your breathing.”
Impressive skill. This guy knows that too.
I wriggled to flip onto my side. Damn. Felt like a maggot.
‘My stamina's fully recovered with cheats...’
Suddenly, my eyes blurred. Hilariously, sleep crashed over me the moment I lay down.
Lee Seungjun's voice came.
“Why are you overdoing it like this?”
“Just like work, that's all.”
I mumbled at the ceiling.
“When I work, stray thoughts go away.”
“You had a lot to think about?”
“A bit?”
Kang Minje and Yoo Miho loitered in my head. I let out a long breath, and darkness pressed down on my eyes.
‘They say eyelids are the heaviest thing in the world...’
Come to think of it, I hadn't slept at all lately.
Consciousness dropped. Nothing more to see.
***
The living room had a mountain of food. The members sat at the table. It felt like visiting the grandparents' during holidays.
“You did all this alone.”
The fried foods had cooled, but they looked great. Executive Director Joo washed his dry face.
“Impressive.”
Executive Director Joo was amazed.
“Dowon’s good at cooking.”
“I felt it before, but he could open a restaurant at this level.”
Executive Director Joo cautiously picked up a fried one with chopsticks. The salty seasoning and shrimp combo was killer.
“Even cold it's this good—hot must've been amazing.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Executive Director Joo set down his chopsticks. As tasty as it was, it made his insides burn.
“Seungjun-ah.”
“Yes.”
“What'd he say?”
“He said it was to forget stray thoughts.”
Executive Director Joo pondered deeply.
“Our Dowon... Schedules were busy, but he made time to eat and sleep.”
“We know he was managing it.”
“I tried stopping the personal broadcasts too, but I didn't know then. Turns out he'd fit right in planning. Broadcasting and engaging while just walking!”
His hosting was so good the PR team was floored.
“The lives were great.”
“But you tried to stop him?”
“I did. He didn't listen.”
Executive Director Joo returned to the point.
“So, he caused all this chaos to forget stray thoughts?”
“Yes.”
“Is our Dowon in puberty?”
The Zenith members exchanged glances.
“Come to think of it, he's that age, right?”
Ki Jaeyun said while eating fish cake fritters.
“Isn't rebellion usually skipping school?”
“Yeah?”
Yoo Hajin tilted his head.
“Less rebellion, more rampage?”
So this was all puberty rampage?
“Not even funny. Hey.”
Idol puberty rebellion is supposed to be slacking off or club scandals.
‘Or dating...’
What kind of rampage is this?
“Maybe because it's Dowon. Escapist rampage is new.”
Ki Jaeyun chewed squid fritters and said,
“It's kinda scary. He's ambitious, sure, but isn't he a total psycho?”
“Psycho fits.”
“Ah, psycho ambitious type.”
Everyone in the living room suddenly recalled the nickname.
“Two more rebellions and we're in trouble.”
They couldn't just watch anymore.