Chapter 181
Chapter 181
When the company first learned of my hospitalization, they were, naturally, aghast.
I’d been sent on vacation, only to end up with a four-week recovery period; it must have felt like a bolt from the blue.
And when I explained the full story, their shock only intensified.
“A-A stalker?!”
“Yes. I ran into some crazy person…”
It was a makeshift excuse, similar to what I’d told the members, but the agency’s faces paled even further when I added, “I gave them a good thrashing, too.”
They probably wanted to ask me to keep quiet to avoid a PR nightmare, but since I was the one suggesting we keep it under wraps, they practically beamed with relief.
“Of course, Moon-dae. We’ll expand our security personnel as much as possible, so don’t you worry! To think this happened right in the middle of your vacation…”
The way they subtly implied it wasn't their responsibility since I was on vacation was truly impressive footwork.
Still, they must have felt a bit guilty, considering they knew I was staying at the dorm but hadn't checked in on me once for days.
Predictable.
Anyway, thanks to that, the headline was easily decided.
[TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae Hospitalized After Fall During Concert Practice]
Clean, wasn't it?
We decided to post a notice on the company’s official account as well, and the details were neatly packaged as a mix of sprains and bruises.
That should do it.
Honestly, I thought the topic would die down around here.
When I searched online, rumors of my hospitalization were already circulating under the surface, but everyone was keeping quiet due to the questionable sources.
Naturally, the talk started among those obsessed with idols' private lives.
It hadn't spread further than that.
Moreover, the hospital I was in was one the company frequently used, so the staff were tight-lipped.
This meant almost no details about my actual condition had leaked.
While there were occasional accurate guesses, they were mixed with so many rumors and lies that they were dismissed as just more gossip.
Since people were already talking like that, I figured the excuse of a "stage injury during concert practice" would be convincing and not particularly shocking.
Furthermore, the company moved quickly to manage the embargo to prevent any unnecessary articles before the official statement.
The new General Manager certainly seemed to know how to run the company well.
It’ll be fine.
I gave them a passing grade in my head and enjoyed the rest of my vacation.
I’m glad I managed to salvage at least four days.
My hospital stay was extended until the end of the vacation to align with the "injury" narrative for the official materials, but I had no complaints.
Aside from the fact that my time off was cut in half, staying in a private room wasn't much different from what I had originally planned to do.
However, I did feel a bit uneasy.
…This place must be expensive.
I’d heard that even a six-person ward was pricey, so a private room must be costing a fortune.
It was even funnier because my injuries were actually minor enough that outpatient treatment would have sufficed.
I’ve really been through it all.
Well, what’s good is good. Since the company was footing the bill, I spent the time relaxing comfortably.
I read books and watched some videos. Basically, I spent my time mindlessly eating the three meals a day provided by the hospital.
The members would visit occasionally and bring outside food, so the special treats were quite nice.
“M-Moon-dae. I brought strawberries.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“I-I’ll wash them…!”
It was mostly Seon A-hyun, but other guys came by too.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae! Pizza!”
I think this guy is just using a hospital visit as an excuse to buy what he wants to eat.
Regardless, spending four days lying down and just consuming food was quite thrilling.
Then, on the last day of vacation.
The articles and notices were released as planned.
[Park Moon-dae Falls During Concert Practice… ‘4-Week Recovery’]
[TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae Injured During Vacation]
But… once the news broke, the situation unfolded differently than I had expected.
The reaction was far more intense.
Park Moon-dae’s fans were venting their worry and rage with terrifying intensity.
Wait a minute.
I broke into a cold sweat.
It wasn't like I was unconscious, or even had a broken leg, so was all this really necessary?
I had agreed to sit out of group schedules for about ten days after the vacation ended, so I expected some people to bash me for that, but surprisingly, there were almost none.
Even when such comments appeared, the fans were tearing them apart.
It was brutal.
First of all… I didn't expect the agency to get attacked this hard.
Since we often showed the members participating in album or stage production in our self-produced content, I thought they would take the stage equipment issues in that context.
Perhaps… their worry had become so extreme that they wanted to find a cause and demand corrective action at any cost.
…Does Park Moon-dae getting hurt bother them that much?
It was a strange feeling.
“…Hmm.”
I rolled up the sleeve of my hospital gown.
There was still a bit of swelling, but the bruising had mostly faded, leaving just a moderate yellow and blue tint.
This should be fine.
Since I was scheduled to be discharged and return to the dorm tomorrow anyway, I figured I should do something while I was still in the hospital.
Click.
I took a selfie and uploaded it to SNS.
*
Hello, Loviewers.
This is Park Moon-dae.
I am sorry and regretful that I have to miss activities due to my poor self-management.
It is not a major injury, and I am scheduled to be discharged tomorrow. I will recover quickly and show you a good side of myself.
(Photo)
*
In times like this, writing formally was the right way to prevent any unnecessary talk.
“Looks good.”
No useless expressions, included the necessary information, and attached a photo to show my current status.
This should put everyone at ease.
Satisfied, I immediately monitored the reactions to the post.
“…??”
And then I was flustered.
Below that, my post was being translated into all sorts of languages like English and Japanese, with endless crying emojis being attached.
It was practically a tidal wave of sobbing.
Some were even adjusting the contrast levels on my wrist to identify the bruise marks.
“…….”
What do I do about this?
In the end, when I was discharged the next morning, I posted a photo taken with the members with the caption, “I’m Moon-dae.”
Only then did the atmosphere calm down a bit, though the tone of sobbing and over-immersion remained.
I’ll have to… prepare for the concert diligently.
If I didn't show them a perfectly healthy side of myself, I didn't know where this atmosphere would go. I kept that in mind, feeling like I was about to break into a cold sweat again.
And the moment I finished the discharge process and entered the dorm, another intense reaction was waiting for me.
Cha Yu-jin had just returned from his vacation.
“Moon-dae Hyung! I’m ba—Huuuuh?!”
“No!”
“M-Moon-dae hurt his ribs!”
He must not have had time to be briefed since he returned at dawn; the guy who was about to raise his hands and pat my back at the entrance was immediately physically restrained by the other members.
Cha Yu-jin’s eyes went wide.
“Ribs?? Meat?”
“Here.”
When I vaguely pointed toward my waist, Cha Yu-jin pointed at me with a shocked expression.
“Is it true?? You didn't hit them??”
“…I got hit while I was hitting them.”
“He hurt his wrist, too.”
“Oh my god!”
Cha Yu-jin muttered with a devastated face.
“You lost….”
“I told you I won. I hit them more.”
[What, did you land a hit on their jaw or something?]
“Yeah, I landed one on the jaw and bashed their head, too.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Cha Yu-jin nod, his respect restored.
“Cool!”
“Sure.”
A sudden wave of fatigue washed over me.
…Come to think of it, I was roommates with this guy.
I’d forgotten because so much had happened.
I want to go back to the private room.
It was a sudden wish, but naturally, it didn't come true.
[So, my mom isn't a huge fan of seafood. But she did like the hairtail! Mmm, the meat was sweet.]
“……Hairtail is good.”
[I wish our team could go eat it together!]
As soon as I lay down on my bed for the first time in a while, I listened to Cha Yu-jin’s travelogue of his trip to Jeju Island with his mother until right before their schedule.
My attempts to sneak out to the living room were thwarted about three times by a barrage of questions.
At this point, the fact that I wasn't accompanying them to the schedule was my only hope.
Please.
And as scheduled, the members, including Cha Yu-jin, left the dorm for a short evening schedule.
Since final concert rehearsals were starting in earnest tomorrow, it was one of the few official schedules I would be missing.
“We’re off. Get some rest.”
“If anything happens, call the manager hyung!”
“I will see you when we return around 10 PM.”
“Yeah. Do a good job.”
The crowd receded from the dorm like a tide. I lay back down on the bed as soon as they left.
“Phew.”
I had a semi-dried persimmon in my mouth, a gift from Kim Rae-bin in return for my video call singing performance.
It was sweet.
The world was quiet.
“……Hmm.”
But… I didn't feel as good as I expected.
It feels like I accidentally slept through an important major exam and ended up skipping it.
Missing a schedule entirely made me feel like I was losing out without gaining anything.
Let’s at least do some planning.
I should at least pretend to work. Frowning, I thought of a few pressing issues.
The top priority was… the concert, obviously.
Should I change the composition of my solo stage?
Since it was a solo performance, it would be problematic if the stage felt lackluster because my injuries hadn't fully healed.
And for the excuse that Park Moon-dae got hurt practicing alone during his vacation to seem credible, this was the best way.
It needs to be a stage where a fall or a wrist injury could plausibly happen if I made a mistake.
And at the same time, a performance that allows for flexible adjustments even if the currently injured areas haven't fully recovered……
Hmm.
I considered a few options before stopping at one.
“Is this the best one?”
Then, a little after 10 PM.
I called out to one of the guys who had returned from the schedule.
“A-hyun.”
“Huh??”
“Can I ask you something related to your major?”
“O-Oh??”
If I couldn't manage everything, I’d at least have to make the impact of the moment count.