Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Stargazing and Home
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After finishing our meal, we got into Kang Ju-hyeok’s car and headed somewhere new.
“Where on earth are we going?”
“Seriously. It feels like we’re heading somewhere more and more deserted. There’s nothing but trees outside the window.”
“Why? You think I’m going to kidnap RE-V or something?”
Kang Ju-hyeok playfully lowered his voice.
“You are all being kidnapped by me right now. If you want to live, you’d better forget about calling the police.”
Laughter erupted at his words.
“What would you do after kidnapping us? Are we even useful for anything?”
“Hmm…”
Kang Ju-hyeok couldn’t seem to think of anything, remaining silent for a long moment.
“You’re right, you’re not very useful.”
“What do you mean we’re not useful? We’re perfectly able-bodied.”
“Seriously, where do you even learn to say things like that? I’m convinced we need to check your nationality.”
At Haru’s comment, Kang Ju-hyeok shook his head and replied.
“You can learn it if you watch all sorts of things, like variety shows, movies, and dramas.”
“No matter how many American dramas I watch, my English doesn’t improve. If it worked like that, I should be able to speak at least three languages by now. Anyway, we’re finally here.”
At the word “here,” I turned my gaze to the window.
But all I could see were dense trees.
‘What in the world is here? Is there some kind of mountain cabin cafe?’
The car’s engine had already been turned off.
It seemed we had arrived at our destination.
“Alright, everybody out.”
I looked around, but there was truly nothing there.
It was just the middle of a mountain.
Meanwhile, Kang Ju-hyeok opened the trunk and started busying himself.
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
I sidled up and asked. Kang Ju-hyeok turned to face me, a picnic blanket clutched in his arms.
“You’ll find out when it’s all set up. For now, go spread this over there.”
Kang Ju-hyeok pointed to a flat patch of ground.
I took the blanket from him, slightly bewildered.
“Alright.”
While I was spreading the blanket, Kang Ju-hyeok remained busy on his own.
‘What on earth is he planning?’
With each move he made, something new was piled onto the blanket.
“Are we camping here or something?”
“Yep.”
I’d said it as a joke, but Kang Ju-hyeok’s reply was serious.
“It’s really nice to just spread out a blanket like this, sit down, drink coffee, and relax.”
Kang Ju-hyeok had successfully transformed an empty space on the mountainside into our very own campsite.
“Did you buy all of this too?”
Haru asked, lightly tapping a gas burner and a kettle-like object with his finger.
“Nope. My older brother’s hobby is camping, so I stole it. My earnings mostly went into that car, so I don’t have much money.”
“Is it okay to just steal your brother’s things?”
“It’s fine. He’s in the military right now, so he can’t use it anyway.”
At that, none of us could laugh.
‘Come to think of it, it’s a huge relief I regressed before I had to go to the military.’
If time had passed and I had already completed my service before regressing, I would have been forced to enlist twice.
The mere thought of it was horrifying.
‘Going through military service twice is a definite no. I should really be thankful for that, at least.’
“But this blanket is bigger than I thought. I’ve never seen one this big.”
Just as Lee Ho-jun said, the blanket was spacious, even with six grown men sitting on it.
“Everyone, look up at the sky.”
At Kang Ju-hyeok’s words, we all tilted our heads back and looked up.
“Oh, stars.”
“There are more stars than I expected.”
“You’re right.”
A fair number of stars dotted the sky above.
“This place is nice. Stars above, city lights below.”
“That’s why I come here often. Our CEO told me he comes here whenever he feels stifled. We’re always living busy, glamorous lives. He said we’d need time to relax like this.”
“He’s a wise man. It’s definitely good to have moments like these.”
“Yeah. This is so relaxing and nice.”
It was truly a leisurely time.
“Once you all get paid, you should buy a car like me. Our job naturally comes with restrictions on movement since our faces are known, but having a car gets rid of all that.”
“How do you know when we’ll get paid, or how much?”
Kang Ju-hyeok let out a small laugh at Haru’s words.
“Come on. What are you worried about? You’re way more popular than me. You’ll get paid soon enough. And a lot more than me, I bet.”
“I hope so.”
One by one, we started sprawling out on the blanket.
“You all said you weren’t going home until tomorrow evening anyway. Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves before we go.”
We stayed there for a long time, gazing at the stars, and only returned to the dorm late at night.
* * *
My body must have been more tired than I thought, because when I opened my eyes, it was already afternoon.
After a quick wash, I went online and bought a few new outfits.
Just as the fans wanted, this time in some brighter colors.
‘The fans were so heartbroken when I mentioned I didn’t bring much stuff to the dorm and didn’t have friends, so it’s only right that I buy some. It’s not like they’re that expensive.’
I needed to show a slightly different side of myself.
So, I also sent a message to Wi Yeo-jun for the first time in a while.
I asked if he wanted to grab a cup of tea sometime.
Unfortunately, he was heading abroad for a photoshoot, so we couldn’t make plans.
“Everyone, go have a nice meal at home. See you back at the dorm.”
“Okay.”
We had all agreed to go to our respective family homes for dinner and then return, so we waved goodbye in the elevator and parted ways.
“Let’s get going, too.”
We were definitely going to my house, yet it felt like our roles had been reversed.
“Yoon-seul! Haru! Get in!”
My mom and dad were leaning out of the car, waving enthusiastically with their faces and hands.
“We can see you just fine without all that.”
“Hello.”
“Alright, let’s head home.”
“Okay.”
As soon as we were in the car, my parents sped off towards home.
“How’s living in the dorm?”
“It’s great.”
“It is.”
None of us ever did anything that would annoy the others, so there was never any reason to fight.
“That’s a relief.”
“It really is.”
The distance from the dorm to my house wasn't far, so we soon pulled into the apartment building’s parking garage.
“You must be hungry.”
“No.”
Honestly, it had only been a few hours since I’d woken up, and all I had done was shop online, so there was no way I was hungry.
Despite that, my mom seemed desperate to feed me.
“What about you, Haru?”
“I’m fine too.”
“Really? Well, come on in and have a seat.”
“Okay.”
When we entered the house, someone who should have been in the living room was missing.
“Where’s my sister?”
“Your sister said she had plans today.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I told her to stay home since you were coming, but she said it was a prior engagement and she couldn’t.”
My parents would have naturally preferred the whole family to eat together, but I was actually more comfortable with my sister being out.
‘I don’t want the members to see how she treats me.’
“We can just eat together next time.”
“Dinner will be ready soon, so just rest.”
“Mom, take your time.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go to your room, Yoon-seul.”
“Sure.”
I led Haru into my room.
“So you’re just a minimalist by nature, huh?”
Haru said in a tone of admiration as he slowly looked around my room.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s not easy for a room to be this empty. I’m impressed.”
Part of it was because I’d been living in the dorm for so long, but my room didn’t really have anything that could be called “stuff.”
That’s because I generally didn’t keep anything that wasn’t essential for daily life.
‘Is it that bad? I feel like I have everything I need.’
“You don’t have a lot of stuff either, hyung.”
“My house in Japan is overflowing with junk. My mom always nags me to throw things out because there’s so much stuff in my room. I just deliberately didn’t buy anything in Korea because I never knew when I might have to leave.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. If I accumulate a bunch of stuff, how am I supposed to carry it all back to Japan? Shipping it would cost a fortune.”
I thought it was a chore just to bring my things from the dorm to my house; I couldn't imagine what it was like for Haru.
Since he had to fly from one country to another, he must have had to think twice before buying anything.
“But now that I’ll be getting paid, I’m thinking of buying some things. I’ll be in Korea for another seven years, after all. So it should be fine to accumulate a little more stuff. You bought clothes today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. That was a good idea. By the way, can I take a picture in here?”
“Why here?”
“To show the fans. Don’t you think BRAVE would like it?”
“I don’t mind, but…”
As soon as he had my permission, Haru took out his phone and started snapping pictures of my room.
“Boys, dinner’s ready!”
Just then, my mom called for us.
“Let’s go eat.”
When I came out of my room, my eyes were met with a table laden with food.
“Mom, are we having a feast?”
“It is a feast. You got first place, didn’t you? This is a party to celebrate RE-V’s number one win.”
My mom’s smile was stretched so wide it seemed to touch her cheekbones.
My dad was trying his best to act composed, but his eyes, curved into crescent moons, showed no sign of returning to normal.
I felt like it was the first time I’d ever seen my parents look so happy.
I had only ever caused them grief by insisting on becoming an idol, so it finally felt like I was doing something right.
“You eat a lot too, Haru.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”
Grateful for my parents' efforts, I ate twice as much as usual, even though I felt like I was about to burst.
Most of the food that had filled the table was now gone.
‘I think I overdid it. There’s no more room. I can’t even drink water at this point.’
Feeling like I could barely breathe, I leaned back against the sofa.
“Time for fruit for dessert.”
“Mom. We just had dinner.”
“So? Fruit is different. Fruit isn’t a meal. And it’s vitamins. Vitamins are so important for people.”
“Mom, I’m an idol. I can’t gain weight.”
“What are you talking about? I saw it on social media too. The fans are worried that RE-V is too thin. Besides, you said your promotions are over and you’re preparing for the next album. It’s okay to eat a little more at times like this.”
She didn’t look like she would listen to anything I said.
In the end, with a look of half-resignation, I had to accept the apple my mom handed me.
I glanced to my side and saw Haru, already looking slightly dazed as he bit into his own apple.
‘Right. It’s not like this happens every day. Let’s just eat a little for Mom and Dad. It’s not like anything terrible will happen from eating this.’