Conditions for Becoming a Kind Idol Leader 17

"Hi, Aion. We're at the album jacket shoot for Summer Blue."

Kyeon In-woo leaned his face toward the camera lens and gave a wicked grin, curling his fingers in a teasing little beckon. The camera director caught him on screen and fired off the prepared question.

"What kind of concept is this album?"

"Ahh, nothing special this time. None of that deep, philosophical, ugh... stuff we usually do. I'm skipping all that and going for a real brain-off time. We’re just having fun at the beach and at the villa."

The shoot would be done in two versions, Summer Blue and Ocean Blue, and what he was wearing now was for the Ocean Blue version. Kyeon In-woo walked alongside the camera director, continuing his explanation of the album without missing a beat.

"Since it's the ocean, of course we have to get wet. I mean, you could guess that from the fact that it's the sea. Anyway, each of us has a different role. Ours are all tied to the beach."

Wearing a zip-up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rash guard, Kyeon In-woo snickered, then tapped the surfboard standing in the sand with his finger and lifted the corners of his mouth in a cool, satisfied smile.

"I get this one."

The camera director caught on and asked, "So you're a surfer?"

"Yep. This album is Zero One's first time trying this kind of concept, so what do you think? We were supposed to wear wetsuits, but they were way too tight and uncomfortable, so we settled on rash guards instead."

When we were first deciding on the concept, they asked who would take the surfboard, so I snatched it up fast. I've ridden before, after all. He talked nonstop at the camera as he said it.

"I like working out, sure, but surfing is still kind of new to me. It's a longboard, so maybe it doesn't look as cool, but cut me some slack. It's not like the photos are actually showing us riding waves, so it should be fine, right?"

Looking around to see if anyone was nearby, Kyeon In-woo spotted Lim Se-bin sitting alone in a beach chair far off in the distance.

"I've done the basic intro, so let's go, Director."

With a mischievous grin, the camera shook dramatically up and down, and the screen cut.

* * *

Lim Se-bin, who had been sitting in the chair with his eyes closed, sensed someone approaching and slowly opened one eye. The blankness in his face shifted in an instant the moment he recognized the camera.

"Say something, would you? This hyung thinks smiling is enough to get by."

Kyeon In-woo pointed at the camera from the corner of his eye and motioned to Lim Se-bin. With a troubled expression, Lim Se-bin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rolled his eyes, then faced the camera properly and gave an awkward smile.

"Right. Aion, we're coming to meet you with a new concept this time, so I don't know if you'll like it."

He scratched his cheek shyly and lowered his head a little, then peeked up through his lashes, glancing back and forth between the camera lens and the empty air.

"It's a little awkward, isn't it?"

In an oversized, thin white short-sleeved T-shirt with his hair down, Lim Se-bin looked much younger than his age.

Just then, sunlight shattered over him. Thanks to that, his already pale skin caught the light and glittered like broken glass.

"Man. I didn't get special effects like this back in my day. The weather's doing the work. Right, Director?"

Kyeon In-woo casually asked the camera director for agreement, and the camera bobbed as if laughing in response.

The camera director kept piling on questions for more usable footage, but eventually seemed satisfied and nodded.

"Se-bin looks good too. Next is... ah, In-woo."

"You called?"

"We need to film the members' self-cams too. We were going to have Young-in do it, but I don't see him. Can you help out instead?"

"Yep."

The camera director handed Kyeon In-woo the selfie camera and left to film another member.

The instant the director disappeared, Lim Se-bin's expression hardened as though nothing had happened, and he closed his eyes again, folding his arms. It was a silent signal that he had no intention of talking further.

So prickly. Since it was familiar, Kyeon In-woo only shrugged and looked around.

Need a new target, but that Cheon Sa-yoon bastard isn't even worth looking for, and Pyo Jae-ho's probably changing clothes or something, because he's nowhere to be seen.

Huh. Where'd Go Young-in go, then? Now that he thought about it, there wasn't a familiar face anywhere in sight. Normally he'd stand out immediately.

Walking along the sandy shore with the sea at his side, Kyeon In-woo filmed everything that passed through the frame. Might as well get his job done while he looked for Go Young-in.

He walked for what felt like forever before he found Go Young-in standing alone a little way off from everyone else.

Go Young-in was silently staring at the ocean, and for some reason he looked even less alive, less motivated, less willing than usual. He looked like if someone touched him, he'd crumble on the spot.

That lifeless back somehow reminded him of some day in the past. It felt like this was the first time he'd seen Go Young-in looking like that since the incident back in high school. It wasn't even the same situation, so why did it feel so precarious, just like back then? Maybe because it wasn't a pleasant memory.

Kyeon In-woo narrowed one eye. He couldn't just leave him alone like that, and anyway, he had footage to shoot. Maybe, too, he wanted to clear that heavy atmosphere.

So with the camera in hand, Kyeon In-woo strode toward Go Young-in. His steps were a little more hurried than usual.

The moment he arrived, he shoved the lens straight at him without warning.

"What're you doing all alone, Go Young?"

As if he had been expecting some unfamiliar visitor, Go Young-in didn't even flinch. He only stared slowly at the lens, and the camera captured his face exactly as it was.

He looked mostly the same as always on screen, but in person, beyond the camera, Go Young-in's face had gone chalk-white.

"Why are you so slow? Were you surprised, by any chance?"

It was clearly teasing, but Go Young-in would normally have shot back. This time, though, he was eerily quiet. Only then did the change become obvious. His lips were parting as if he were short of breath, and the tips of his fingers were trembling faintly.

Kyeon In-woo's playful attitude turned serious before he noticed it himself. After a brief silence, he called out to him.

"Go Young."

"... "

"What's wrong with you?"

Kyeon In-woo carefully touched his shoulder. Even so, Go Young-in was shoved backward with the ease of a dry twig. What the hell.

Splash.

"Ah."

Go Young-in's low gasp came through.

At the sound of splashing water, Kyeon In-woo looked over reflexively. The camera hanging from his slack hand was now framing Go Young-in's bare foot submerged in the water. Go Young-in had stepped backward and been caught by the incoming tide.

He looked frozen stiff, not moving, in a way that was somehow unnatural. Go Young-in stared blankly at his own foot, then looked at the receding water and finally pulled it free, hiding it under the sand.

The footprints stamped into the beach disappeared without a trace beneath the next wash of foam.

Go Young-in, who had been staring at the ground the whole time, suddenly lifted his head. His face was dazed in a way that met Kyeon In-woo's eyes from far away.

* * *

It was dark and cold. His stomach churned. Through the blurry field of vision and eyes that wouldn't open properly, a faint beam of light pierced the blackness. Huh. Wasn't it daytime just now?

Not long enough to count as being submerged, just a second. I only put my foot in for a moment and pulled it back out, and it's still like this. Until now, the fact that I had really died never felt real.

Was it because of the memory that had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just flashed past? The phrase reset after death suddenly felt tangible. So this is what it was like. I really died. I died. I did, didn't I? It felt like scraps of memory were drifting up to the surface from underwater. Along with the shallow ripples, darkness kept pressing in.

Maybe because of that, the memory that had been pushed into a corner started swelling larger and larger. I had been running down the coastal road. There had been another car coming the wrong way. The flimsy guardrail, the sea visible below the cliff, sea, sea, and more sea. Sinking, and sinking, and sinking. Why couldn't I get out? How had I ended up trapped? How, exactly?

My chest kept feeling tight, and I didn't even know why. It felt like what having water in your lungs must be like.

Even though the sunlight was sharp enough to burn his skin, his bones felt frozen. Cold. Chilled through. His lips began to tremble on their own. He felt like he was about to turn inside out. His vision was blurred too,

and marks that couldn't be seen were left behind where the seawater had coiled around him. He couldn't even twitch, as if a water ghost had grabbed hold of him. His ankles hurt.

It felt like he'd turned into a hard wax doll. What a disgusting feeling. It was suffocating.

His ears rang dully. He was sleepy. He heard a voice. Whether he really heard it properly, he couldn't tell.

"Go Young, are you hurt somewhere?"

"Uh... "

A person. Familiar. A face he'd seen so many times he remembered it now. Kyeon In-woo. So it was Kyeon In-woo. His eyes stung. Was that really Kyeon In-woo? Right, how many Kyeon In-woos was this now? Who was he? They had debuted together, and this was the last Kyeon In-woo?

Probably?

"Why are you standing around here by yourself?"

Was he right? He should probably give some kind of answer, and keep talking.

"Why do you look so deathly pale? Don't tell me you didn't sleep well again today?"

That was probably Kyeon In-woo.

"You're right."

"Right, my ass. ...Hey. You're not even listening to me, are you?"

"Huh? Uh, probably not."

"Fuckin' hell... Go Young-in, seriously."

Who was it? A familiar expression. This was a strange situation.

"Hey."

It was familiar. He was angry. Sleepy, and he always was. Something, this time, in the classroom after school, it was raining. My chest was tight again, I was sweating cold, and actually it wasn't just once.

"You're doing this again, aren't you?"

Twisted. Familiar. Angry. Who was it?

He knew that expression. He knew nothing. Why.

You're going to die again.

Smack!

A sound like palms meeting rang out.

"Go Young-in."

It felt as if the darkness had been switched off and the view had brightened all at once. Go Young-in blinked slowly.

Ah... a familiar face came into view.

Kyeon In-woo?

When had he gotten here? He was too confused to make sense of it. What was this situation? Kyeon In-woo's big hand was right in front of his nose. The hand that had unconsciously risen toward his cheek dropped weakly away. Ah. That was a hand clap.

"When did you get here?"

He hadn't even noticed him approaching. The status window should have told him, but he hadn't heard anything. Why not?

This bastard, if he's coming, he could at least make some noise.

If you're going to call me, then speak. Planting a clap straight in someone's face like that was one thing, but he really had a talent for startling people.

Right. The damned status window was working perfectly normally again today, useless as ever. But did it really have to keep nagging him to talk?

Go Young-in glanced at Kyeon In-woo cautiously. Come to think of it, his expression had been frozen solid for a while now. At a glance he looked ready to bury someone alive. He looked furious... Kyeon In-woo really did have a face that made a strong impression before he even opened his mouth.

What was he supposed to say? He didn't even have anything to say, and if he said something wrong he'd only make him more angry. No, but why was he this mad? Usually Kyeon In-woo only got like this when he was picking a fight with Cheon Sa-yoon.

Did Cheon Sa-yoon start something again? But there wasn't a single head in sight around them besides his and Kyeon In-woo's. The already wide beach looked almost empty.

Feeling as though the status window was pressing him to say anything at all, Go Young-in finally opened his mouth.

"Did something happen?"

Of course the effect was minimal. Minimal my ass. In fact, Kyeon In-woo, who had been glaring at him without answering for a long while, twisted his tightly shut mouth into something clearly displeased.

"You asking me that?"

"Did Sa-yoon say something to you?"

"Fuck, I should just stop talking."

Kyeon In-woo pressed hard at his brow, let out a sigh, and muttered a curse under his breath. I can hear you, bastard. Then Go Young-in noticed the small camera in his hand. It looked like he'd been filming a self-cam, but the power was off.

"Why are you just holding it if you're not filming?"

"What do you think?"

How the hell am I supposed to know...

He pretended not to understand Kyeon In-woo's sharp tone. If he got tangled up in this, it would never end.

"Who've you filmed so far?"

"Me, Lim Se-bin, and you."

"Me?"

When had he filmed him? Go Young-in was puzzled, but he let it pass just as quickly. Judging by the mood, if he asked when he'd been filmed, Kyeon In-woo looked ready to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠snap again.

As expected, his face darkened even more.

"...You really are hopeless. Go rest somewhere. We can't even talk to each other."

Having ended the conversation on his own terms, Kyeon In-woo treated him like a nuisance and dragged him toward the staff cluster without any ceremony. Then he dumped him on a manager who looked startled and stormed off to film Pyo Jae-ho instead.

Am I a bundle of luggage? Well... the next shoot is starting soon anyway. Whatever. I'll just get my own part filmed later.

Go Young-in let the situation go with practiced ease.