A Song About the Present Moment
I gave Kim Jin-hyung a quick once-over, top to bottom. The idol who was going to blow up spectacularly in the future was trembling at the corners of his lips, completely unaware of his own condition.
Honestly, it was kind of pitiful.
Fine. For old time’s sake.
I’ll use a coin.
I’m only spending it because I’ve got plenty to spare.
Well, if he kept shaking like that, we might have to stop filming right away.
I muttered inwardly.
Coin Activation! Ease Kim Jin-hyung’s tension just enough. Set the coin cost according to the price!
20 coins are consumed to determine the price.
To ease the tension of rising idol Kim Jin-hyung just enough, 4,727 coins are required.
As the price, Ma Gongja’s tension will be completely released for two days.
The price sounded bizarre.
Why is the cost of relieving Kim Jin-hyung’s tension me having no tension?
First of all, I wasn’t tense.
That’s suspicious.
Should I do it or not?
Just then, Kim Jin-hyung, who’d been standing right in front of me, bounced up and down in place. When our eyes met, he pressed a hand to his chest and said,
“Ah, my nerves are acting up again.”
He really did seem incredibly tense.
I had no choice.
For old time’s sake, really.
Coin Activation.
Everything has a price.
Three seconds later, the stated price will be paid.
Kim Jin-hyung’s condition improved at once. He stopped hopping in place all of a sudden, then tilted his head with a puzzled look.
I smiled brightly and asked, “Hyung, are you okay now?”
“Huh? Weird. I’m fine all of a sudden.”
Of course you are. I used a coin.
The effect is incredible.
I clung to Kim Jin-hyung’s leg and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.
“Mm-hm. Gongja, what’s wrong?”
Huh.
“I suddenly don’t want to move.”
“Huh?”
I was startled by my own condition. But I couldn’t stop my body from acting on it.
“I don’t feel like walking.”
I leaned against Kim Jin-hyung with all my heart and sincerity. My body and mind felt like they were stretching out endlessly.
“Walking feels like such a hassle.”
W-what am I even saying!
I hurriedly covered my mouth. Kim Jin-hyung blinked, looking startled too.
“Oh?”
“S-sorry! Please forget I said that.”
Kim Jin-hyung blinked again, then broke into a grin.
“Ah, our Gongja doesn’t want to walk? It’s okay, Gongja. That means you’re just feeling lazy.”
No, this is because of the coin.
S-so this is what having no tension feels like?
Was I always like this?
I’ve never once in my life thought I didn’t want to walk!
What is this? Did I spend twenty-four hours a day permanently wound tight?
“It’s because of the season change, Gongja.”
Can even a kid be sensitive to the weather?
Kim Jin-hyung lifted me up in one smooth motion.
“There. Hyung will carry you.”
He patted my back.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Hyung gets like this a lot too.”
“My whole body feels all limp.”
That wasn’t a lie. Honestly, I was stunned.
I used a coin out of old affection, and now I’m the one going limp?
Wow, what was I supposed to do about this?
But my behavior was the exact opposite.
I closed my eyes in his arms. To my surprise, it felt comforting.
I wanted to stay like that forever.
I heard Kim Jin-hyung laughing.
“Director, look at this. Gongja likes me so much.”
No, not that much.
“Wow, that’s cute. Huh, the two of you actually have a good vibe together. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it’d work having you play brothers since you don’t really look alike.”
Kim Jin-hyung kept patting my back.
“The company said the same thing. They said the two of us had totally different genres.”
“Hahaha! Exactly. That’s the feeling. You’re both the kind of pretty that looks painted, but Gongja’s like a mural, and Jin-hyung’s like a comic!”
I wrapped my arms around Kim Jin-hyung’s shoulders. He adjusted me so I could hang on more comfortably.
“That’s right.”
“But Jin-hyung, you look more relaxed today?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Hmm, maybe because Gongja’s here.”
Nope. It’s because I used a coin.
And thanks to that, I’m like this.
Being free of tension was no joke.
I know there’s an emergency right now, but I don’t feel like fixing it.
So what if this happens? So what if that happens?
I even want filming to end quickly so I can become one with my bed at home.
I had no idea this kind of thing was lurking inside me.
This is why you shouldn’t get rid of tension.
If I were like this all the time, I’d probably build a house like a sloppy rush job.
Ah, not having to walk is amazing.
If only someone would carry me around for the rest of my life.
I rubbed my face against his chest. I really did feel like a sloth now.
“Gongja. Are you sleepy?”
“No. Oh—am I heavy? Should I get down?”
“You’re not heavy, Gongja. Hyung’s strong, right?”
Hmm, well.
Don’t idols tend to be skinny and wiry?
Just as I was wondering whether I should probably move, Kim Jin-hyung tightened his hold on me and said,
“I’m not letting go. Remember me. Remember this warmth.”
Huh? Why are you suddenly writing poetry?
I tilted my head, and Kim Jin-hyung laughed.
“Ah, that’s the lyric from our new song. My solo track.”
Oh, the song in the music video.
“The lyrics are really desperate. I didn’t realize it because I was nervous earlier, but now it feels more earnest.”
Kim Jin-hyung’s voice trembled faintly.
“When you’ve lost such a precious little brother, of course you’d go crazy.”
Ah.
So that’s the music video’s story.
I remembered the concept art and storyboard.
He was the older brother living with his younger brother in a desolate house.
The two of them went through daily life together. They looked at books side by side, ate together, and the older brother even moved broccoli onto the younger one’s plate, telling him to eat his vegetables.
Whenever the younger brother was with him, the screen still had color.
That’s how special the brothers were.
The music video was about ordinary life. The older brother packed his little brother’s schoolbag for him.
It even started with the older brother patting the shoulder of his young sibling, who was sleeping in the same bed.
Of course, K-pop music videos always had a twist.
It turned out the younger brother was already dead.
The older brother was seeing his reincarnation alone.
And later, once he realized the truth, he would break down and scream.
The final storyboard panel showed the older brother hugging the empty bed sheets and sobbing his heart out.
I took a deep breath.
My role is the lovable little brother.
Now I was starting to worry.
Can I really do this well?
Like this, with every screw loose?
I can tell there’s danger, but for some reason I’m unbelievably calm.
So this was why a healthy level of tension mattered so much.
“Ah, but Jin-hyung really listens well.”
“We’re close.”
“You met on a parenting variety show, right? That was years ago, wasn’t it?”
“I thought Gongja wouldn’t remember me, but he does. I must’ve really liked him back then.”
No, that’s not it.
When I opened my mouth to object, I saw the guy’s face turning red.
Is that from exhaustion? Or because he likes me?
Ah, he’s tired. Well, then there’s nothing I can do. I nodded and said,
“I like hyung a lot. But hyung, I think your arm might hurt. I’ll get down.”
Kim Jin-hyung shook his head hard.
“No! It doesn’t hurt!”
It looks like it hurts though? Listen, even if I’ve gotten a little lazy, I’m not the kind of guy who clings to someone else when they’re struggling and acts clueless about it.
I started to squirm down from his arms. Then Kim Jin-hyung said urgently,
“I don’t want to let go!”
Huh.
“I’ve been thinking, and I feel like this might be the only time I can hold Gongja.”
That’s… true, but still.
“The next time we meet, Gongja’ll be even bigger, won’t he? You might even end up taller than me.”
No, how far are you taking this?
“So I want to hold you as much as I can right now.”
I blinked. I had no idea where to start or what to say.
Then the director said,
“Jin-hyung, you’re getting way too deep into it again, aren’t you?”
“No. We have to cherish the present.”
“This kid is always like this whenever he acts.”
“This moment won’t come back once it’s gone.”
R-right. I didn’t really know what was going on, but if I got down now, it would probably be a disaster.
If I keep being held, I’ll be comfortable, and that’s good enough.
I swung my legs a little. For some reason, I was starting to worry about this music video.
I let out a long breath. And then filming began.
* * *
“Gongja, from there, you just grab Hyung’s shirt and spin around.”
“Yesh!”
“And Jin-hyung, don’t forget to look flustered.”
The scene itself was simple.
It was the part where I circled around Kim Jin-hyung as he folded the laundry.
In the music video, the younger brother had just gotten out of the bath. So I was wearing a towel wrapped around my wet hair.
Yeah, this I can do.
I checked the camera position and confirmed my path. Honestly, maybe because music videos barely had any dialogue, it was convenient that the acting directions were shown so physically.
Filming went smoothly.
Thank goodness. Really.
Even with the tension gone, my motivation is still normal, at least.
Once we actually started shooting, I acted diligently.
I heard the staff shout, “Stand by, cue!”
I smiled brightly and circled around Kim Jin-hyung. He was folding the towel and laughing, then stood up from his spot. After that, he reached out a hand as if to catch me.
In that instant, running suddenly felt like a pain in the ass.
I just want to get caught.
But a playful little brother shouldn’t do that, right?
I laughed and twisted my body. Just as I moved forward, my foot caught on the towel.
Thunk—
The sound came before the pain. I blinked. The first thing I felt was the stinging in my palm.
“Cut! Gongja, are you okay?”
“Gongja, how is it?”
“Are you hurt?”
Duk-su rushed over like lightning. I shook my head. Then I held out both hands.
“It just hurts a little here.”
Duk-su let out a breath of relief.
“You broke your fall well.”
Ah, I guess I did it without even realizing.
Good thing I learned that.
It was the result of Duk-su’s training.
“Nothing else hurts?”
I nodded.
“Yep!”
“Gongja, what about your knee?”
Kim Jin-hyung lifted up my costume.
“I’m okay!”
I’d scraped it a little, but that was all. I was really fine.
I looked at the director and said,
“Gongja’s fine!”
“Oh, good. Ah, the time...”
The director checked his wristwatch and said,
“Let’s just film this one and then take a break.”
“Yes!”
“Glad you didn’t get hurt. All right, let’s go again.”
Filming started up once more.
I went back to my original position. Kim Jin-hyung lightly patted my shoulder and moved into place again.
Honestly, it was nothing much.
I want to finish this fast.
Wow. I thought it, then shocked myself by thinking it.
I’ve never once had this thought before!
I shook my head. Honestly, the power of the coin. What an incredible thing.
* * *
Kim Jin-hyung quietly approached Gongja. In the corner of the studio, Gongja was bundled up tightly on top of a sheet.
Kim Jin-hyung crouched down and asked Duk-su,
“Is Gongja asleep?”
“Yes.”
“He must be tired. He sure sleeps well.”
“He’s a little different from usual.”
Duk-su said seriously,
“Even when I tell him to sleep, he won’t, but today he actually is.”
Kim Jin-hyung grinned widely.
“I see. Hey, manager-nim, can I post a photo of Gongja on social media?”
Duk-su nodded readily.
“Yes.”
“Gongja doesn’t use social media, right?”
Duk-su said seriously,
“No. He hasn’t made an account yet.”
“He really should. Though, honestly, there are a lot of pros and cons to it. It was a plus for us, though.”
Kim Jin-hyung spoke seriously.
“We didn’t have any real way to promote ourselves because we weren’t popular yet. So we worked really hard on social media.”
Duk-su nodded.
“Still, Gongja has been getting a lot of nasty comments lately.”