Chapter 225
Chapter 225
Persuading my roommate was easier than I expected.
"I haven't looked at the internet in a while, and I didn't exactly have any withdrawal symptoms."
"Y-Yeah. You were... totally fine, Moon-dae...!"
"So, it wasn't an addiction in the first place. I think it's more accurate to say I was looking at it to relieve stress."
"Uh, u-huh?"
"Like you said, it could become a source of stress if it gets excessive... but I've found my rhythm while taking a break."
Seon A-hyun stood there with his mouth agape, clearly not expecting the conversation to connect this way.
"I think I can regulate it on my own now before it reaches a stressful level."
"O-Of course, I'm sure you'll do great, Moon-dae, but..."
And here, I threw a curveball.
"It's thanks to you. Thank you."
"...!! N-No, it's because you managed it well...!"
"Right. I'll keep managing it well and monitor things within a stress-free limit."
That was it.
Afterward, Seon A-hyun was dragged along to our schedule looking like a man who had just been swindled, but he recovered quickly, so I suppose it was fine.
Thus, I successfully resumed monitoring the internet freely during my breaks.
"They said preparation for tomorrow's concept photo shoot starts at 7 AM, so let's not go to bed too late."
"Yes, sir!"
And so, at night, after the day's work was done.
It's been a while.
As soon as I lay down on my bed, I did a quick sweep of the relevant communities.
Starting slowly from the past.
First, K-NOW, which had a lot of footage filmed early on, was gradually moving away from the "K-Pop Hell Camp" vibe and was now doubling as a "Healing Camp."
That smooth change in direction seemed to have landed well with the viewers, and thanks to that, TeSTAR was still scoring quite a few points.
Since our skill levels and composure were being compared to the civilian participants, the editing seemed designed to make the fans feel a sense of pride.
My screen time was concentrated in the beginning, so there wasn't much change there, but as the behind-the-scenes footage was released... there were quite a few comments calling me cute.
Everything would have been great if it weren't for the fact that the behind-the-scenes footage was from the special stage practice I did with Cheong-ryeo.
...That's crossing the line.
Not the fans, but the variety show's behind-the-scenes editing. I quickly skipped past the reactions from that date.
And then, the GED exam.
Perhaps thanks to the people who uploaded visual evidence, the overall reaction was surprisingly heartwarming...
"...?"
What's with these guys?
I didn't know why they were fighting a battle all by themselves, but regardless, there were clear traces of bastards who had tried to provoke me, failed, and gotten exhausted.
I got a free win.
...It seemed Seon A-hyun's advice had been effective at just the right time.
I turned my gaze to the next bed. Our eyes happened to meet, saving me the trouble of calling out to him.
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Huh?"
"For a late-night snack."
Seon A-hyun seemed to think about what I meant for a moment, then his face lit up with "!!" as he bolted upright.
"O-Oh, M-Moon-dae, do you want a late-night snack?"
"......"
It was the "Me, who lacks interpersonal skills with peers and failed to immediately realize he meant he was hungry" symptom.
I figured I could just treat him to something tomorrow morning as a return favor. I calmed the non-sequitur-spouting Seon A-hyun down and resumed my monitoring.
Let's see. After that, there weren't many big topics for a while.
Since it was a non-promotional period, the main focus was just fans reacting to roommate or moving-related content.
However, as I moved toward the present, the atmosphere beneath the surface changed completely.
It started with a verification post.
*
[I saw Syeom-byeol at the hospital, what a win]
: My stomach hurt so I went to the ER, and on my way back, I saw a few tall guys getting out of a van in the parking lot.
Based on their proportions and the number of people, I had a God-tier logical suspicion they were idols, so I looked closely and it was Syeom-byeol. I confirmed it because Kim Rae-bin wasn't wearing a mask. lol. He's so careless.
But he looked pale. Does he have a sick family member? It really looked like that.
(Blurry photo)
*
Since it was posted on a community that believed a celebrity's private life was public property, it didn't draw any criticism and only received a lot of reactions.
I suppressed a sigh.
...We were careless.
But at that time, there was no way anyone could have considered such things.
Not when we were in a situation where someone might be on their deathbed.
"......"
I set the timeframe to after that post and checked various results by combining search terms like "Rae-bin" and "hospital."
The speculation that one of Kim Rae-bin's grandparents was ill was almost a certainty.
Still, in most fan communities, mentioning it openly was prohibited.
It spread faster than I thought.
It seemed to be because the original verification post had spread widely before being deleted.
The company's response was a bit slow.
They were clearly so focused on rescheduling the album preparations and preparing for the media response that they missed this.
Because of that, it was the perfect environment for crazy stalker-types to run wild under the surface.
They seemed to feel a strange sense of superiority, as if they had monopolized information that many were curious about.
It seemed like a few people who had heard news from the company or staff, or had cloned phones, were reproducing information and acting out.
On top of that, there were even bastards claiming to be Kim Rae-bin's fans while making all sorts of groundless speculations and ridiculous complaints.
It was a spectacle.
...This side wasn't kept in check either.
It was my fault for leaving it in this state because I didn't have the mental capacity to care about this at the time.
"......"
F*ck, let's stop. Self-criticism should be done when there's time to spare so it's not a nuisance.
Shut up and use your brain.
A few immediately useful patterns came to mind.
First, releasing a screenshot of the group chat would be the most cost-effective.
Posting things we discussed regarding Kim Rae-bin's work on SNS, like a sort of comeback teaser.
That would immediately put an end to speculations about Kim Rae-bin's current state or anxieties about his participation...
Even in the worst-case scenario, it would be effective.
Meaning... even if Kim Rae-bin couldn't participate in the early stages of this promotion.
It would reduce the amount of unnecessary criticism he'd receive.
There would still be bastards who would cling to it, but this time, I was prepared to handle them cleanly.
I should drop a notice of legal action first.
That's the first thing to do as soon as the dedicated team is formed. And I will finish forming that dedicated team within this promotion period, even if it means I don't sleep.
Before that, I'll do what I can right now.
I immediately picked the most suitable conversation regarding Kim Rae-bin's work and took a screenshot.
Then, I tried to quickly get consent for the upload in the group message room.
Kim Rae-bin was a night owl, so he'd likely be awake even now.
[I think the fans would like it if I posted a screenshot of what we've been working on. What do you think?]
[Keun Se-jin: (I'm in favor of that emoticon)]
[Cha Yu-jin: I have to be in it!]
As expected, the ones who wouldn't be sleeping popped up and reacted immediately.
And Kim Rae-bin's response arrived not long after.
But the content was a bit strange.
[Kim Rae-bin: I'ts fne]
"......?"
It was a typo that didn't suit Kim Rae-bin at all.
A trace of something, as if he had slipped while trying to type "It should be fine."
...Did he make a mistake because he's sleepy?
I crossed my arms. And I waited for a reply with the most conservative stance possible.
However... even after several minutes, a corrected answer did not come.
"......"
This meant that the Kim Rae-bin had lost contact without correcting a typo.
It wasn't a laughing matter.
The expected situation is...
It was Shitty, but a very intense assumption hit my head first.
I tapped my arm with my finger.
...An obituary?
If that were the case, I shouldn't call him now. Calling would only be a distraction in an urgent situation.
I barely managed to reach a rational conclusion.
...I'll check tomorrow morning.
By then... whether it's for better or worse, everything would have been settled.
[Keun Se-jin: Rae-bin?]
In the message room, other guys sent messages calling for Kim Rae-bin a few times, but it soon went quiet.
It seemed everyone had caught on to the atmosphere.
About what might have happened.
"......"
I kept my brain running to derive... the most rational response.
An obituary and an SNS upload shouldn't overlap in timing.
I decided to hold off on the upload.
And I immediately put down my smartphone and lay on the bed.
"M-Moon-dae. Are you sleeping...?"
"Yeah."
Let's just sleep instead of having useless thoughts.
This wasn't a situation where I had the time or luxury for that.
I didn't fall asleep very easily, but using fatigue as a sleeping pill, I was able to fall asleep around dawn.
However, even after daybreak, there was no contact from Kim Rae-bin.
*
It was past 8 AM.
"Let's contact him."
"Uh, we don't know the situation, so how about waiting a bit longer—"
"I'm going to call him!"
"Wait. We're already late for our schedule. Let's talk while we move."
The living room was noisy with the guys giving their respective opinions on the current situation.
The time to leave for the practice room had already passed. I sat on the edge of the sofa and tilted my head back.
Dammit.
My head isn't working.
Is it because I couldn't sleep?
That guess was probably an excuse too. The Bacchus 500 was working fine. This wasn't fatigue; it was a problem with my mental state.
I exhaled.
...I have to check.
...Any further delay would be avoidance. I really had to call now.
It was then.
Vibrate!
"......!"
The smartphone in my hand rang.
A call... was coming in.
"Is it Rae-bin??"
It was Kim Rae-bin.
Without even a moment to think, I immediately pressed the call button and held it to my ear.
"Hello."
Kim Rae-bin's voice was...
Bright with excitement.
"......!"
It wasn't an obituary.
Suddenly, a strange sense of relief, like fireworks exploding at the top of my head, surged through me.
And it ran wild.
I didn't know if it was good. I just couldn't control my voice.
"Then you should have contacted us right away...!"
"......."
It was such a 'him' answer that I was speechless.
Feeling drained, I pulled the smartphone away from my ear. The members crowded around me.
"Is it Kim Rae-bin?!"
"Is he okay?"
Ryu Cheong-woo asked quietly.
"Moon-dae, should I take it?"
"...Yes."
I handed over the smartphone.
The voices of the guys crowding around and chatting excitedly into the phone rang in my ears.
"Rae-bin~ your voice sounds good!"
"How, how is it?"
I... didn't know.
I just felt strangely refreshed.
Whether it was because of Kim Rae-bin, the phone call, or this damn situation and the status window, I didn't know... but f*ck, I just did.
The fatigue was fading.
Am I crazy?
I let out a hollow laugh and pressed my brow.
"Rae-bin says he's coming up this evening!"
"Oh, the timing is perfect~"
Indeed.
It seemed that sometimes, things just lined up perfectly like this.
As soon as I got my smartphone back, I accessed SNS.
Let's just do what needs to be done quickly.
My head and hands were itching.
*
That morning.
It was less than an hour after Kim Rae-bin had called Park Moon-dae.
A short post was uploaded to TeSTAR's SNS.
*
Heart-fluttering (Photo)
*
The post, uploaded abruptly without even an introduction of who it was, was accompanied by a screenshot of a friendly group message room carefully selected by Park Moon-dae.
It was the signal flare for their comeback preparations.