Chapter 189
Chapter 189
The birthday celebrations lasted even longer than I expected.
Honestly, I thought it would end after they sang the song, but they insisted on eating the entire cake right there in the waiting room.
“D-do you like the cake?”
“Yeah. It’s light.”
“It seems selecting the strawberry whipped cream cake through a vote was a beneficial choice. The strawberries are in season, so they are quite plump.”
Since I was the birthday boy, I received a massive slice, and the conversation revolved around it until I had finished every last bite.
There weren't even any cameras. It meant they were doing this purely for the sake of it, without any intention of making content out of it.
“…….”
Looking at the cake board that Cha Yu-jin had scraped clean of every last bit of cream, I finally had no choice but to say it.
“Thank you. This is nice.”
“……!”
“Ah~ Mundae-ya, I think I’m gonna cry! My goodness, what’s gotten into our Tibetan Mundae?”
“It’s because the cake is delicious!”
“Happy birthday, Mundae-ssi~”
Reactions poured in from all sides—from the guy pretending to cry to the staff member who stopped packing the last of the luggage to clap.
Good grief.
I let out a small chuckle.
Then, I pulled out my smartphone and opened the camera app.
“A photo? Sounds good!”
“Ah, it would’ve been better if we took it before eating the cake.”
“Over here!”
Holding the empty cake board, I took several group selfies in a row with the six of them.
“Guys, we have to move now!”
“Yes!”
Following the manager’s urging, I finished the post I had been writing earlier as we headed to the car.
=========================
Hello, Loviewers.
This is TeSTAR’s 🐶.
The concert was truly enjoyable. I was so happy that I didn't even realize how the three days passed. Thank you.
I just received a surprise birthday celebration and wanted to share it with you all.
I hope you have the best night in the world.
♡ 🐶 ♡
=========================
After attaching my individual photo and the group photo we just took, I finished the upload. For some reason, I felt a sense of relief.
The reactions were instantaneous.
The comments were filled with excitement and affection, still lingering in the afterglow of the concert.
I could feel the goodwill even in the foreign languages and emojis.
“…….”
Perhaps because we had just shared that time together directly, there was more to read into the comments. I slowly kept refreshing the feed as I looked through them.
Occasionally, some nonsense would pop up, but I didn't even pay it any mind.
However, a comment that wasn't nonsense but still caught my eye appeared.
…Mundae is fast ‘too’?
The nuance was strangely off.
I hit the back button on my post and returned to the main feed of TeSTAR’s social media account.
Then, I saw the post right below mine.
“……!”
A long post starting with ‘I love you, Loviewers’ had already been uploaded in several parts.
A full twenty minutes ago.
Furthermore, each post included his own solo shots and behind-the-scenes group shots taken during the last concert.
…It was Keun Se-jin.
The guy peeked at my smartphone screen with a slick, cheeky look on his face.
“Ah~ Mundae posted too?”
“……!”
I knew it… this guy is something else.
Was this surprise birthday party just a scheme for him to get the jump on me?
Even though that couldn't be the case, I briefly harbored suspicions while we moved to the after-party venue.
“My~ friend~ is~ really, really cute!”
“Pwahaha!”
The other members were cracking up while Cha Yu-jin belted out a children’s song.
This was the scene exactly one hour after the after-party began.
Most of the staff had slipped away and gone home, leaving only the manager and a few others. They were likely somewhat conscious of the grim atmosphere within the company.
And the guys who remained…
They’re a bit drunk.
Usually, it’s more comfortable to be at least a little tipsy when you’re among drunk people, but that was impossible for me.
Because what I held in my hand was non-alcoholic champagne.
“You, you! No!”
I hadn't said a word. I silently stared at Bae Se-jin, who was like a hawk, clearing away any liquor bottles near me.
For the record, that bottle was already empty.
“…I’m sleepy.”
He looked it. He seemed ready to use a liquor bottle as a pillow and pass out.
He’s starting to lose the context of his words.
I looked around at the atmosphere—everyone was pleasantly buzzed but not overly so—then shook my head and stood up.
“Oh? Where are you going, Mundae~?”
“Restroom.”
I wasn't actually going to the restroom; I was just going out for some fresh air, but what did it matter?
Since we had rented out the entire restaurant, which came with a terrace, it was convenient not to have to worry about other people’s eyes.
Though I bet there’s some bastard waiting nearby to take a photo the moment I show my face.
It didn't matter. I was just going to sit quietly.
Stepping out onto the terrace, I briefly escaped the space filled with singing and laughter.
Click.
The moment I closed the door, the cold winter air slapped my cheeks, but it wasn't that cold since there were camping heaters around.
This place is worth the high price.
I just sat there, quietly looking up at the night sky.
“……Hmm.”
As is typical of the Seoul night sky, stars were barely visible, but that actually helped calm my mind.
What filled the space where the gratitude and joy had settled was…
Slide.
“M-Mundae-ya?”
“…Seon A-hyun.”
Why was he here?
Not long after I had closed it, Seon A-hyun poked his head through the reopened door.
“C-can I come out too…?”
“I suppose.”
It’s not like I had rented the place for myself, after all.
“Okay!”
Anyway, Seon A-hyun took that as permission and quickly stepped outside.
Click.
The door closed again, and the terrace became quiet.
Seon A-hyun quietly sat down nearby, though not too close.
“…….”
Strangely, something came to mind.
Wasn't it exactly this setup when I received hot chocolate from Seon A-hyun?
I spoke up without thinking.
“Did you come out for some air?”
“O-oh, me?”
“Yeah.”
“That… there’s that too. Um, I-I had something I wanted to ask….”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Seon A-hyun hesitated for a moment while fidgeting with his knees, then suddenly spoke.
It was an unexpected question.
“Um… Mundae, by any chance. After the five years are up, are you… not going to be an idol anymore?”
“What?”
The words I had heard from Keun Se-jin not long ago when I gave up on the stage equipment came out of Seon A-hyun’s mouth.
However, the nuance was a bit different.
…It sounded like Seon A-hyun was sincerely worried about it.
“Y-you told me before.”
Seon A-hyun lowered his head slightly.
“That it could be d-dangerous, so not to overdo it on stage. That it’s better to do it… healthily for a long time.”
“……!”
“L-last year, when I did that impromptu backflip during the year-end stage!”
Seon A-hyun even explained the situation in detail, perhaps thinking I wouldn't remember.
He didn't need to. I remembered it well.
I did say that.
Seeing Seon A-hyun recklessly doing something on stage that could lead to a major injury, I had given him that advice because I thought he had a tendency to push himself in a self-destructive way when he felt pressured.
And since then, Seon A-hyun hadn't particularly been stubborn about it.
…Right.
If anything, it was the other way around.
“B-but Mundae… you’re overdoing it. You haven't even healed yet, but you’re, like, using wires and stuff…….”
Once I realized my alcohol dependency, I found myself admitting this as well.
I wondered if it was a reproach, but there was no way.
“Y-you said it’s better to do it healthily for a long time… so I wondered if maybe Mundae… doesn't plan on doing it for a long time….”
“…….”
It seemed Seon A-hyun had pointed out the truth with surprising sharpness.
How should I spin this contradiction?
‘I said that then because it was impromptu and seemed more dangerous,’ ‘My performance doesn't have that high a risk of injury,’ ‘I thought I was basically all healed up’….
Various answers passed through my mind.
And they were things Seon A-hyun might have been able to roughly accept.
But in the end, the answer that came out with a sigh was this.
“…I’m not sure.”
My sigh spread white into the air.
“I think I want to, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it until then….”
“W-why?”
It would be hard to give a concrete answer to that.
I generalized the situation.
“Because you never know. You don’t know what will happen. Looking at how things are going… it seems like this job is hard to do long-term.”
“…….”
Seon A-hyun was silent for a moment, but soon he snapped his head up.
“I-I also think that… it’s true we don’t know if we can d-do it for a long, long time.”
“Right.”
“B-but doesn't that mean… we could do it?”
“……!”
“W-we could spend these five years well and safely… and keep doing it together. I-if that happens, it would be bad if Mundae is struggling then because he overdid it now….”
“…….”
“S-so, can’t we just think of it as… doing it healthily for a long time?”
I felt like I’d been hit over the head.
Because his logic… seemed more rational.
…Of course, I should have acted with the possibility of staying in this body in mind.
The fact that it could end also means it might not end.
Then, naturally, shouldn't I have established a long-term plan in case it doesn't end?
It’s not like this is a field where you can see a clear future anyway.
I had been lost in useless thoughts in an industry where you could retire tomorrow if a scandal broke out.
The irrationality of my recent attitude finally stood out. It was as foolish as throwing away retirement plans just because a plague was going around.
The classification is clear now.
My head cleared.
If I end up living in this body even after finishing all the status effects, I would surely be cursing my past self—who didn't establish a long-term plan—enough to make my dreams of a long, healthy life come true.
I finally let out a chuckle.
“Why wouldn't it work? It will.”
“…! R-right!”
“Yeah.”
Only then did Seon A-hyun grin. I looked up and gazed at the night sky again.
Five years from now, huh…
Then should I start drafting a route while keeping the contract renewal issue in mind?
Slide, bang!
“Wow! It’s cold!!”
“Yu-jin, you’re wearing short sleeves right now!”
“Heol, Mundae-Mundae is here! You said you were going to the restroom, but did you run away?? I’m really disappointed~”
“…….”
The blueprint I was briefly trying to draw was immediately shattered by Cha Yu-jin and the other drunks who invaded the terrace, but it wasn't without results.
Because the very next day, a variable in the long-term plan was revealed.
“You guys got your photos taken while making a scene on that restaurant terrace. Guys, I told you to be careful!”
“Gasp!”
“But everyone is saying you’re cute. I talked to the company, and the articles are good too!”
“Phew.”
After hearing the first bit of heart-dropping news as an intro from the manager, the internal company situation that slipped out afterward was what was important.
“Anyway, it’s a relief the company has stabilized a bit so the response was fast. Let’s be more careful from now on!”
“Yes!”
I had already seen the statement they posted this morning.
The General Manager had issued it directly under his own name.
It was practically a letter of surrender.
To summarize:
- We really messed up with the 30 missing seats. But Tnet are bullies, so we couldn't help it T_T Please hurry up and curse them. We won't do anything stupid from now on and will work hard to take care of TeSTAR.
In this context, setting the fans strictly as customers seemed to have worked better than any pointless emotional appeal.
They must have caught their breath at least.
However, the manager’s words didn't end there.
“Even now, they’re saying there’s a labor shortage, and there’s talk that when the girls come in, some staff might be transferred over there… Ah, but guys, I still want to keep being TeSTAR’s manager!”
Oh.
This… the board was being set in a rather interesting way.