Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: A Thank You Dinner
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After a quick change of clothes, I went out in front of the dorm to find a black car with its headlights on.
I walked closer to see if it was the right one, but the windows were tinted so dark I couldn't see inside at all.
Just then, the car window rolled down slightly, and an arm shot out, waving at us.
“Over here. This is the car.”
It was Kang Ju-hyeok.
A group of adult men walking around was bound to draw attention, whether it was us or not, so we got in the car.
“It’s been a while, everyone. You all been well?”
“We’ve been fine. But hey, what’s with the car?”
“Picked one up. What do you think?”
At my question, Kang Ju-hyeok made a V-sign with his fingers.
“Where’d you get the money?”
“I got my first settlement yesterday.”
“Enough to buy a car? On your first one?”
“Yeah. We’re being sent to a lot of events right now. I’m reaping the benefits. It’s not an expensive one, and it’s used, but the important thing is that I bought a car, right? This is my car.”
Kang Ju-hyeok said, his voice brimming with excitement.
“That’s why I said I’d treat you to a meal. Let’s go. I found a great place.”
“But hyung, you do know how to drive, right? It’s not like you just got your license less than a month ago or…”
Though I was in the car, I’d never heard that Kang Ju-hyeok knew how to drive, so I asked cautiously.
“I’ve been driving since before my debut, so you don’t have to worry. My dad always said a man needs to know how to drive and made me drive whenever we went to the store or anywhere else.”
Only then did I feel a sense of relief.
If we had gone out on our own and gotten into an accident, it could have turned into a massive problem.
‘Rumors spread like wildfire after an accident. Things like drunk driving, or being reckless about safety.’
Besides, since it was Kang Ju-hyeok driving and not a member of RE-V, it was the perfect setup for a fight between fandoms.
If just one BRAVE said something like, ‘Why did Kang Ju-hyeok take our boys out and get them into an accident?’, it had the potential to escalate into a huge fight.
‘If Kang Ju-hyeok has been driving since before his debut, then even if an accident happens, we can at least avoid claims that he was driving recklessly without knowing how. Of course, it’s best if no accident happens at all.’
“Everyone buckled up? We’re off.”
The car quickly left the apartment complex.
Contrary to my worries, Kang Ju-hyeok’s driving was remarkably steady.
“So, what are we going to eat?”
“I asked my company’s CEO and found a great spot. He said not many people go there, so a lot of celebrities frequent it.”
“A place like that exists?”
“Apparently, there are certain places celebrities go to often. Isn't that interesting? No. We’re celebrities too, but isn't it kind of amazing how different our worlds are based on popularity?”
“That’s true. I guess the lives of popular and unpopular celebrities really are different.”
Before long, the car had left the city and was in the suburbs.
“Looks like it’s pretty far out?”
“That’s why not a lot of people come, right? If it were in the city, it’d get crowded in no time.”
“Ah.”
“Let’s just think of it as going for a drive.”
We chatted idly for another thirty minutes or so before arriving at a restaurant that looked like a mountain cabin.
“This is it.”
“What do they sell here?”
“Dak-galbi. I’m starving, so let’s hurry inside.”
We followed Kang Ju-hyeok into the restaurant.
As he’d said, there weren’t many people inside.
It looked like only two tables were occupied, and they were all elderly people who likely had no idea who we were.
“How many?”
“Six of us.”
“Then please have a seat at that table over there.”
“Okay.”
As soon as we sat down, the side dishes were quickly set up.
“Should I prepare a serving for six?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, please wait just a moment.”
The employee left with just those words and quickly disappeared.
“Their only menu item here is dak-galbi.”
The menu on the wall truly only listed dak-galbi, fried rice, drinks, and alcohol.
“I see.”
“Oh. And if you ever want to go out somewhere, ask your company. They share all the places the senior artists have found.”
“They do that for you?”
“Yeah. They said it’s a bigger problem if you guys go to some weird place and get your picture taken or a crowd gathers. They said you’ll learn to manage on your own as you get more experience, so you just need to be careful at the beginning. I’ll share them with you, so you guys can hang out together on your days off.”
“Debuting about a month earlier really makes you seem like a senior.”
At Haru’s words, Kang Ju-hyeok suddenly puffed out his chest and started acting cocky.
“I am your senior. You should all call me senior.”
“Yes, yes, senior. We’ll call you senior from now on.”
When I playfully drew out my words and used the title ‘senior’, Kang Ju-hyeok’s eyebrows shot up.
“Here’s your food. It’s already cooked, so you can eat it right away without heating it up.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Just then, the food arrived.
“Thanks for the food.”
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes, yes, it’s my treat, so everyone eat up.”
Everyone’s chopsticks began to move busily.
“But why the sudden decision to treat us to a meal?”
“I just felt that after earning some money, it was right to treat the people I was grateful for.”
“We fall into the category of people you’re grateful for? That’s quite an honor.”
“Ah. You all helped me when I wasn’t in my right mind. I’m thankful for that.”
I recalled the events of that day.
Thinking back, it was truly dreadful.
“Especially you, Yoon-seul. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve just hidden away with the label of a school bully. So you eat a lot today, okay? You helped the most.”
“The company would have helped even if I hadn’t, so…”
Being praised in front of the members made me feel doubly embarrassed.
“No. If it weren’t for you, I would have just disappeared. I was completely incapable of rational thought back then.”
Kang Ju-hyeok said with a shrug.
“Besides, I even yelled at you for no reason. Like I was having a hysterical fit.”
He seemed to be talking about the time he’d yelled at me, asking why he was the only one going through this and how unfair it was.
“Well, anyone would have been like that then. I was the same.”
“True. After I calmed down, I watched your live video.”
“You watched that?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I just felt a sense of kinship. I wondered if you were like me. That’s what I was thinking.”
I couldn’t understand why he would watch that video out of a sense of kinship.
My brow furrowed instinctively.
Seeing my expression, Kang Ju-hyeok burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny? It’s not funny at all.”
Despite my sarcastic tone, Kang Ju-hyeok continued to laugh, even wiping away tears.
“You’re laughing way too hard.”
“Have you been having a tough time lately? Is your schedule too packed? He’s acting really weird.”
He paid no mind to Haru and Park Ji-ham’s reactions.
It seemed he couldn’t stop the laughter that had erupted.
‘Well, at least he’s not crying, so I guess that’s a relief.’
Only after laughing for a while longer did Kang Ju-hyeok return to his usual self.
“No. It’s just that your expression reminded me of when you were holding that CCC Lemon.”
CCC Lemon. That was clearly going to haunt me for a long time to come.
As I shook my head, Kang Ju-hyeok took a sip of water.
“Ah. I laughed so hard my stomach hurts.”
“Ju-hyeok. Have you not had much to laugh about lately?”
Haru asked with a serious expression.
He had even placed the chopsticks in his hand neatly on the table.
“No. I’ve been so happy lately that everything makes me laugh.”
Kang Ju-hyeok said this and then smiled radiantly.
More brightly than ever before.
“Alright. If that’s the case, then…”
Haru picked up his chopsticks again with a hesitant look.
“By the way, did you know Park Su-hyeol is streaming again?”
At Kang Ju-hyeok’s words, I froze, a piece of dak-galbi halfway to my mouth.
“What do you mean? He’s streaming again? His ID was suspended. How can he start streaming again? That makes no sense.”
I had definitely seen a post on social media confirming that Park Su-hyeol’s streamer ID had been suspended.
[We did it! We won! They posted an official statement saying his ID was suspended! Ha. I’m so happy. We worked so hard for this. Today, we party. Honestly, I was worried because there are a lot of nasty people on that site.]
↳ This is so great. Yeah. How dare a school bully try to crawl back out.
↳ We really went through a lot. Everyone worked so hard. So, so hard!
↳ But really, for the victim’s sake, he shouldn’t be doing anything in the public eye. Imagine how hurtful it is from the victim’s perspective. Having to constantly see the face of the person who tormented you to death. Not being able to use social media or watch YouTube because of that guy.
“He’s streaming on a different site. It was a name I’d never heard of… but yeah, that’s what I heard.”
“Aren’t you bothered by it, hyung?”
Because of Park Su-hyeol, he had almost given up on his dream of becoming an idol, a dream he had worked so hard to pursue again, yet Kang Ju-hyeok seemed so calm bringing it up.
As if it were no big deal at all.
“He can’t talk about you or me anymore, can he? And the company showed me a short clip of his stream; it doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy for him.”
I knew what he meant without him having to say more.
Watching a flood of insults in real-time is not something you can easily handle, no matter how much you steel yourself.
Hadn’t I experienced it myself?
I had tried to force myself to act like I hadn’t seen anything, but if it were that easy, no celebrity would ever be hurt by malicious comments.
“Apparently, no one’s donating to him either. His image keeps getting worse, and all he gets is hate. They say it’s gotten to the point where even the people who donate to him get criticized? I heard that’s pretty rare. Well, that’s what they say.”
His tone was indifferent as if he were truly talking about someone who had nothing to do with him anymore.
“Seeing that just made me think I should focus on doing well myself. He’s someone who can’t affect my life anymore. So let’s just hurry up and eat. We have another place to go after this.”