Chapter 90: Bomb? (1)
90. Bomb? (1)
Several days passed with my suspicions about Yu-geon lingering heavily in my mind.
And today was the long-awaited airing of Miro Maze Episode 2.
"Alright~ Chicken's here~."
We were gathered in the now-familiar living room of Joo Eun-chan's apartment—so familiar it almost felt like my own place. The one bringing in the freshly delivered chicken wasn't Seo Tae-hyun for once, but Kim Won-ho.
"Let's dig in!"
"Dan Ha-ru, you should properly direct your gratitude to the right person in situations like this."
"And who would that be?"
"The person who paid for this chicken."
At that, Dan Ha-ru and I simultaneously turned our heads toward the same person. Joo Eun-chan, who had been leaning back against the center couch, noticed our gazes and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"...Should I video call my brother for you or something?"
"That would be rude, so I'll offer my thanks to you, his spitting image. Thank you, Eun-seok hyung-nim."
"Thank you, Eun-seok hyung-nim!"
"Wait, why are we doing this? Then I should say it too—thank you, Eun-seok hyung-nim~."
Even Kim Won-ho, who had been setting up the chicken, joined in and bowed respectfully toward Eun-chan.
Holding the remote tightly while flipping to the NTV channel, Eun-chan finally spoke up.
"Stop before I kick you all out."
"Okay."
"Got it."
"Let's eat, let's eat~."
So today's gathering was essentially: 'Eating delicious food ordered with Joo Eun-seok's card at Joo Eun-chan's place while watching Miro Maze Episode 2 together.'
ㅡMy brother sent his card so I could treat my friends to something nice...
ㅡDon't people usually just send cash?
After briefly marveling at the incomprehensible world of the wealthy, Eun-chan had asked me to gather other trainees to join us.
ㅡNow that the nepotism issue is resolved, I want to get closer to the other hyungs too. But, um...
ㅡ...Got it.
And so began the recruitment for Eun-chan's housewarming party.
The criteria were simple: 'Guys who happened to be free today and weren't going home, so they stayed at the dorm.'
...And among them, only those Eun-chan wouldn't feel awkward around.
That's how we ended up with this lineup.
Me, Kim Won-ho, Dan Ha-ru, and...
"Eun-chan. I couldn't find a towel, so I took one from the cabinet."
"Ah, sure. That's fine, hyung. You can use that."
...Lee Do-ha as well.
I'd wondered when Eun-chan and Won-ho had gotten close, but it seemed they'd struck up a friendship during their time on the same team for the second mission, <Cinderella>.
'Seo Tae-hyun said he requested overnight leave today because his mom and uncle were visiting after a long time.'
I didn't ask about the others. I wasn't interested.
Come to think of it, I did overhear something when leaving the dorm.
ㅡHey, babe. I requested overnight leave today. Ah, it's fine. Just wear a hat and mask. Mmm~.
...Looks like some of the guys were starting to get bold one by one.
'I didn't see his face, but that voice was definitely Shin Youngho.'
Yeah, it was about time for the kids' scandals to start popping up one by one.
Our company already had a reputation for only recruiting strong personalities, so trainee background checks were thorough—but scandals don't happen for no reason.
Those destined to explode will explode. And in this industry, even those who aren't will be made to explode.
'I desperately hope I'm not one of them.'
Lost in thought, Kim Won-ho waved his hand in front of my face while tearing into the chicken.
"You look spaced out."
"What could possibly be more interesting than chicken right in front of you? Heatstroke?"
His genuinely surprised tone made me quietly drop an even more shocking bombshell.
"Shin Youngho's dating someone."
"What!?"
"Excuse me?"
"Who?"
The reactions were explosive, as expected. But after the initial shock, they all quickly accepted it as if they'd seen it coming.
"Actually, he had a girlfriend before too. This was back when you were all in the special class—he got caught bringing his girlfriend to the company secretly, and Team Leader Young-gon caught him."
"Gasp, isn't that against the rules?"
"Of course it is. He almost got kicked out back then too, but Han Seong-woo covered for him, or so I heard."
Hey, you little— No matter what, you can't just drop another bombshell like that here...
Instinctively, I checked Joo Eun-chan's expression the moment that name came up.
But contrary to my worries, Eun-chan was calmly conversing with Won-ho, looking completely unfazed.
"So that's why he tried so hard to impress Han Seong-woo hyung."
"Wow, that makes sense. Tch, I should've realized something was off back then. Who would've guessed he was a nepotism hire?"
"Right. Well, at least we don't have to see his face anymore."
Eun-chan's tone was composed as he said this. Just like usual.
I guess the first line of defense against peer violence really is separating the perpetrator and victim.
"...?"
Then I locked eyes with Dan Ha-ru. He seemed to have been subtly gauging Eun-chan's reaction too. As someone who probably knew the situation better than anyone, he must've been more concerned.
'Now that I think about it, his situational awareness is pretty sharp...'
Another enigma I still couldn't figure out.
Though my suspicions toward Yu-geon had grown significantly, I couldn't let my guard down until it was confirmed.
"Oh, speaking of which, I heard some updates about Han Seong-woo hyung."
'Stop it, you little—!'
Having spent his regular class days just dancing with Yoon Tae-hee, Kim Won-ho seemed completely unaware that Eun-chan had been ostracized by Han Seong-woo.
'To be fair, I was unusually quick to pick up on it too.'
Given how subtly that bastard Han Seong-woo had excluded him, even Ji Soo-ho and the trainee development team hadn't noticed until I pointed it out. So Won-ho's casual mention wasn't entirely his fault.
Besides, the update he'd heard about Han Seong-woo was downright shocking.
"...What's he doing now?"
"He enlisted. Apparently, his father shaved his head and dragged him to the military himself."
"His... his father personally?"
"Not sure. But however he messed up, his family completely disowned him."
Eun-chan's expression, which had been perfectly composed, twisted slightly. The outcome was so absurd he seemed unsure how to react.
I shoved a chicken leg into Eun-chan's mouth and pressed Won-ho for details.
"Where'd you hear that? Is it reliable?"
"Overheard Shin Kyoungho talking about it with his buddies during sports day."
And that was when I got the real shock.
"Wait. Shin Kyoungho? Not Shin Youngho?"
The world seemed to crumble beneath me. His name wasn't Shin Youngho?
"Right? You've been calling him Shin Youngho this whole time, haven't you? Was my hearing off?"
"His name isn't Shin Youngho?"
"Nope. Why would you change someone's name like that? Yeah, that explains it. I thought I misheard earlier."
"You're absolutely sure it's not Shin Youngho?"
"Positive. It's Shin Kyoungho."
This was unbelievable.
It felt like being told the white sheep you'd been admiring was actually a gray goat all along.
"Whatever, his name isn't the point right now. How the hell did Shin Kyoungho even find out about this?"
"How did he find out?"
Dan Ha-ru's eyes sparkled with curiosity. He was determined to hear every last detail of that bastard's miserable downfall.
"Apparently, Han Seong-woo called Shin Kyoungho to borrow money. He was sobbing and begging, according to the story."
"From the military?"
"Yep. From the military."
Everyone present let out a collective "Ooooh~" and nodded slightly. Even Lee Do-ha, who'd been silently listening the whole time!
'If he enlisted now... he'd be discharged at 24? His idol career is over.'
These days, even those who want to enlist often can't—so forcing him in immediately like this... He's definitely headed straight for the front lines.
And being disowned by his family, his only backers? For someone who tried to buy his way to success, it was the perfect ending.
I was so gleeful I wanted to hear more, but unfortunately, the gossip session ended there.
Because Episode 2 had finally begun.
"Oh, it's starting. It's starting."
This seemed to be everyone's first time monitoring a broadcast together.
I glanced at Lee Do-ha sitting beside me—the roommate who'd tagged along simply because he shared a room with Kim Won-ho.
"Hey. You good? Not uncomfortable?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Just wondering if we dragged you here too suddenly. Won-ho said you'd be at the dorm today, so we figured we'd invite you."
Even among special class alumni, Do-ha didn't seem particularly close with Eun-chan or Ha-ru.
Still, it would've been awkward to only invite one of two roommates.
When Do-ha readily accepted my half-hearted invitation, I was the one caught off guard.
Listening quietly to my explanation, Do-ha turned the question back on me.
"Are you uncomfortable with me being here?"
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Would I have invited you if I was?"
"If you guys are fine, then I don't mind."
Do-ha picked up his drink as he said this plainly.
Given how clearly he spoke his mind, he probably genuinely didn't feel out of place here.
'Well, that settles it.'
At any rate, I couldn't tolerate anyone feeling uncomfortable in this gathering.
After double-checking Do-ha's expression, I turned back to the TV just as a condensed recap of Episode 1 began playing.
"They'll probably just show the performances and results today, right?"
"Most likely. They already showed all the practice footage they could."
I answered Dan Ha-ru's question while dipping a fry in ketchup.
'Ah. I want to check reactions, but I can't use my phone with everyone here.'
I'd have to monitor responses tomorrow. For now, I decided to just relax and enjoy Episode 2.
The practice process for Teams A and B continued from the previous episode.
While Episode 1 focused on individual trainees' personalities and characters, Episode 2 seemed to highlight 'how they came together as a team.'
ㅡNo matter what, I can't let myself be a burden to the team... I keep reminding myself of that.
"Wow... The hypocrisy is unreal."
"Ha-ru, you just said your inner thoughts out loud."
The episode showed Shin Kyoungho's thoroughly nauseating interview during the interim evaluation, where Seo Tae-il had called him out.
When I cautiously pointed out that Dan Ha-ru had voiced what everyone was thinking, he tore into his squid ferociously without batting an eye.
"I regret not saying it to his face."
"Uh-huh. I see."
Dan Ha-ru absolutely seemed like the type to stare Shin Kyoungho dead in the eye while saying that.
As I nodded quietly, Seo Tae-il's evaluation continued on screen.
ㅡBut Hajin, you're still holding back, aren't you?
The episode showed Seo Tae-il's remark and my surprised close-up reaction, followed immediately by his interview segment.
ㅡHmm... Hajin, huh.
The interview room had a black background with Miro Maze's neon title logo.
Seo Tae-il sat on a high bar stool, arms crossed in thought.
For some reason, I felt oddly nervous. After all, this was someone's evaluation of me—spoken where I couldn't hear it.
ㅡHonestly, I have really high expectations for Hajin.
"Wow, official confirmation—Seo Tae-il's favorite trainee."
"Everyone talks like that in interviews. It's not like he can say 'That bastard Kang Hajin.'"
As Kim Won-ho jumped to conclusions, I tried to counter him—but then the next line came.
And it was something I never could've imagined.
ㅡI actually think Hajin and I share quite a few similarities.
"Was that confirmation just now?"
Me? Similar to who?
The transcendent leader of a 13-year veteran idol group, Seo Tae-il?
...Me?