Chapter 98: Bomb? (9)
98. Bomb? (9)
As Ha-ru had said, the convenience store was quite a distance from the new company building. Walking would take a while, but by car it was about 10 minutes, and by bus around 15 minutes.
Concerned that someone might recognize them, Ha-ru suggested taking a taxi, and the two agreed.
"Tae-hyun hyung kept saying he just wanted one spoonful of ice cream. Seriously, I was so scared we'd get caught... I used all my strength trying to stop him from going to the fridge!"
"What were you planning to do if he went while you're out here?"
"...! It's—it's fine! I told Jae-young to message me if Tae-hyun hyung heads toward the kitchen, and I haven't gotten any texts yet!"
As Hajin had judged, going out with Ha-ru turned out to be a good choice. Listening to Ha-ru chatter away—still unaware of what had happened with Yu-geon—Hajin felt his tangled thoughts gradually unravel.
Mental Care... still feels a bit unstable.
Though much better than before, if he didn't keep a firm grip on his emotions, they threatened to spill out chaotically.
Still, at least it wasn't like last time, where he'd completely lost control and burst into tears. That was something to be grateful for.
It's fine. Nothing will happen until the third mission ends.
There was still time. Just as he was mentally steeling himself, the taxi arrived at their destination.
"I hope they still have the ice cream in stock..."
"You checked the app, right? Then it should be there."
"What if they're closed...? It's still really early morning."
"Convenience stores are all 24-hour these days."
Hajin gave half-hearted replies to Ha-ru's whining as they approached the store entrance—when suddenly, someone burst out in a hurry.
"......"
"...Huh?"
"What the—? How are you...?"
"Yu-geon hyung?!"
Ha-ru exclaimed in surprise at the person who'd just exited the store. Yu-geon, wearing a gray hoodie pulled low, froze in place, looking just as shocked as the two of them.
Then—
"H-Hajin hyung!"
"What the hell are you doing here?! What were you doing inside?!"
"No, it's just—"
"Hajin hyung, stop!"
The moment Hajin saw Yu-geon in this unexpected place, something inside him snapped. He stormed forward and grabbed Yu-geon by the collar. Yu-geon, too stunned to react, could only push weakly at Hajin's shoulders.
Ha-ru rushed over and managed to pull Hajin away, but the explosion had already happened—Hajin looked ready to lunge at Yu-geon again any second.
"Hyung, calm down first! Okay? Yu-geon hyung, say something!"
"......"
"Dan Ha-ru, let go. Right now, Lee Yu-geon, you—!"
Because of you, everything's going to hell!
The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but Hajin barely managed to swallow them. He just barely recognized how impulsive and violent his current state was.
Then, someone else stepped out of the convenience store.
"Yu-geon! Is this your phone...?"
"......"
"...?"
"Oh my. Wh-what's going on here?"
♪♩♬♩― ♬♪♩♪―
A middle-aged woman in a convenience store uniform looked between the three of them with feigned surprise. In her hand was Yu-geon's outdated 2G phone, its ringtone blaring incessantly. In the midst of the standoff, Yu-geon let out a deep breath and moved.
"...Thank you, Manager. That's mine."
"You—you said you had to leave quickly, didn't you? Oh no. Because of us..."
Manager?
What kind of situation was this? Just as Hajin was about to call out to Yu-geon again—
[Syㅣstem4492Staㅌte멤 ber #중@...]
[ㅁㅁㅁㅁ멬ntal @#4어 Systeㅌm001!tem 복#$6/.]
[ㅂgu 중....]
[...]
[...]
"Ugh...!"
"Hyung!"
Eeeeeee—
The tinnitus that had tormented Hajin earlier that morning returned. Reflexively curling in on himself, he saw the shattered system windows flicker and refresh.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. He's been like this since yesterday..."
"Let's sit him down first. Manager, just one bottle of water. I'll pay."
"No need, I'll get it. Just a second."
Yu-geon, alarmed by how close Hajin seemed to collapsing, quickly guided him to a chair outside the store. With practiced movements, he checked Hajin's pupils, pulse, and consciousness.
"Look at me. Can you see me clearly?"
"...I-I'm fine. If I just... sit like this for a bit... I'll be okay."
Yu-geon helped Hajin drink the water the manager hurriedly brought. After a few more system window refreshes, Mental Care seemed to stabilize—Hajin's vision gradually cleared, and his mind grew sharper.
Rubbing his still-throbbing temples, Hajin locked eyes with Yu-geon, who was kneeling in front of him.
"......"
"Should I... not call 119?"
"His vision seems back. How many fingers am I holding up?"
"...Two."
"It's three."
"...It's two."
"He's fine."
It took a little longer for the tinnitus to fade completely and for Hajin to return to his previous state. As his emotions settled, the clues he'd unconsciously dismissed began rearranging themselves in his mind.
—Yu-geon joined the company to debut, right?
—I only found out by chance, too.
Yu-geon, who showed no interest in idols, let alone debuting.
Seo Tae-hyun, who claimed to have "found out by chance" about Yu-geon's circumstances.
—That ice cream was limited edition or something, so he had to go all the way past the big intersection for it.
The convenience store selling the special diet ice cream Tae-hyun had imported, and Yu-geon seeming familiar with the manager there.
The barely functional 2G phone in Yu-geon's hand.
—My parents are coming to this competition, so I can't wear something that hideous.
—Liar. Then I'd have gotten the collar prize.
—He never does weekend practices either...
And the final puzzle piece connecting all these situations:
<Miro provides tuition and living expenses for trainees in difficult circumstances.>
"Haah..."
Once his thoughts reached that point, Hajin gently—but firmly—grabbed Yu-geon's wrist.
"...Does it hurt? Should I call 119?"
"Lee Yu-geon. I'm about to ask you something really rude."
"......"
"If you hear it and hate me for it, just hit me. But I need to confirm this, so don't misunderstand. Just nod if I'm right."
Hajin met Yu-geon's gaze squarely, unapologetically warning of his rudeness. Even Yu-geon, who rarely showed surprise, could only nod under the weight of that intense stare.
"Are you... the breadwinner for your family?"
"......"
"Is that why you joined Miro? After practice, you go straight to part-time jobs?"
It was an incredibly invasive question, but Yu-geon sensed no mockery or condescension in Hajin's tone. If anything...
...His eyes look strange.
Not pity, not sympathy, not scorn or contempt—just a strange look.
After a moment, Yu-geon nodded quietly.
The Blue Flare team rushed to the meeting room as soon as they got Hajin's message: "Found Yu-geon. Need to talk privately in the meeting room."
"Lee Yu-geon!"
"Shh. Kim Won-ho, lower your voice."
Hajin had deliberately chosen the meeting room over the practice room to avoid prying eyes and ears. Remembering that, Won-ho clapped a hand over his mouth and hurried over.
"Are you okay? Where the hell have you been?"
"S-Sorry about that."
Once Eun-chan, Doha, and finally Si-woo arrived, the meeting room door closed.
"......"
Unlike usual, Yu-geon seemed slightly tense. He knew today's incident was entirely his fault.
Not that I didn't have my reasons.
But he also knew that would just sound like excuses to the hyungs across from him. So he stood up and bowed deeply.
"First, I'm sorry. This was my mistake."
He apologized sincerely, but no response came. He'd expected as much...
"Is that all?"
"...Huh?"
Si-woo's voice was calmer than anticipated. Startled, Yu-geon looked up. He'd thought Si-woo would be angry like during the first mission, and Doha—whose thoughts were always inscrutable—would just stare at him blankly as usual.
But both were looking at him normally, without any particular emotional turbulence. Just as Yu-geon was closing his mouth in surprise, Si-woo finally revealed a sliver of emotion.
"Rather than an apology, I'd like an explanation. That's why we're all here, isn't it?"
Whether we should accept your apology or not—we'll decide after hearing it.
Si-woo's follow-up wasn't accusatory either. So Yu-geon slowly sat back down and began his story for the first time.
"I'm not sure where to start..."
In the quiet meeting room, only Yu-geon's voice could be heard.
"There's four of us at home—my grandfather, me, and my two younger siblings. My parents left when I was little, and we haven't heard from them since."
Even before joining Miro, Yu-geon's life had revolved around part-time jobs. Fortunately, he'd been tall and mature-looking since childhood, so he'd managed to find work despite being underage.
—Delivery.
—Hey. Working hard as always, breadwinner kid.
—What are you talking about? You guys ran away from home too.
—Hey, don't phrase it like that. We're independent, kid.
The only real joy in Yu-geon's life outside family had been dance—something he'd picked up by chance after befriending the instructors at a dance academy where he delivered food. Unable to afford lessons, he'd learned by watching whenever he made deliveries.
—Hey, want to learn some dance? You've got the build for it.
—I don't have money.
—Help us film at night, and we'll teach you for free. Deal?
Thanks to the academy director who took a liking to him, Yu-geon finally had something he could learn without worry.
Finishing his evening part-time job, then dancing with the hyungs at dawn.
Those moments were Yu-geon's happiest. Only then could he forget the painful realities of life.
"Then one of the practice videos we filmed got uploaded to YouTube... and Miro contacted me because of it."
At first, he'd refused. He couldn't sing.
What changed his mind was Miro's welfare system.
"They said they'd cover tuition, living expenses, and meals if I joined... and as a trainee, I'd only need to attend until fourth period. So I agreed. That way, I could feed my siblings and help at my grandfather's store before coming here..."
"So you never had any intention of debuting?"
"Honestly, with my singing skills? And no guarantee of success either. I just planned to stay until I turned twenty, then leave quietly. ...Sorry to the staff."
Then suddenly, the survival show began.
"Honestly, I didn't want to do it, but they said I'd have to leave the company if I refused. And right then, my grandfather injured his leg... They said they'd pay appearance fees, so I just went with it."
Though he'd agreed to participate, Yu-geon added that he couldn't quit his part-time jobs because of his grandfather's hospital bills.
Now Si-woo understood why Yu-geon always left immediately after scheduled practice.
"And today?"
"Normally, I just work evenings and switch with the manager at dawn. That's why I could make it back on time. But some drunkard caused a scene at the store... Had to call the police and deal with everything..."
"......"
"...Anyway, I'm sorry. I've been sorry to all of you. But it's not like I'm debuting anyway, so I didn't want to drag this out."
Silence filled the room again after Yu-geon finished.
This is why I didn't want to say anything.
Yu-geon hated pity.
He'd worked hard to keep things light, to avoid dwelling on his own struggles. But people always ignored that effort, treating his life like something to be tossed in the trash.
"You must have suffered so much," "After all you've been through..."
He couldn't stand that kind of treatment. But since he'd messed up this time, he'd just have to endure it.
Feeling a mix of disillusionment and irritation, Yu-geon looked up at his teammates.
Just as everyone seemed hesitant to speak, someone broke the silence.
"So?"
"...Huh?"
It was Doha who spoke. With the same unreadable expression Yu-geon always struggled with, he cut straight to the point.
"I want to hear what you plan to do now."
"Uh..."
"Are you saying we should understand because you'll keep being uncooperative?"
"What? N-No, that's not it."
This reaction... is new.