Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Safely Music Show Stage (5)
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My body rose on its own.
There was no way Kwon Hee-yul could be here. But if that really was Kwon Hee-yul?
"Jae-hyun hyung. I'll be right back."
"Huh? Rehearsal's starting soon."
"I'll be quick. Keep an eye on the guys so they don't go anywhere!"
I hurried outside, but the man who looked like Kwon Hee-yul was already gone.
I glanced around and locked eyes with a broadcasting station staff member standing across from me.
"Hello!"
"Yeah. What is it?"
"Did you happen to see which way the guy who passed by here earlier went?"
"Let me think, that way?"
"Thanks."
No sooner had he spoken than I bolted in the direction he pointed. Rounding the corner of the hallway, I spotted rooms that looked like storage spaces used by the production crew.
'Where'd he go?'
As I scanned the area and walked, a man emerged from one of the rooms. He suddenly bumped into my shoulder and kept going.
At that moment, the staff badge around the man's neck swung loose.
"Sorry."
The man in the hat bowed his head slightly and hurried off.
Just then, a staff member came running from afar.
"Hey! You can't be here."
"I'm looking for that guy…"
"What guy? This area's only for staff. Head back."
With the staff member's firm tone, I had no choice but to turn around.
My mind was a mess the whole way back. That face I saw outside the door—it was definitely Kwon Hee-yul….
Had I really just imagined it? I let out a hollow sigh.
'I should get back.'
I returned to the waiting room.
There was still time before rehearsal, so I needed to clear my head a bit.
As I went to sit in a chair, Baek Si-woo approached and asked.
"Where's Jae-hyun hyung?"
"Huh?"
Why was he asking me for Cha Jae-hyun?
The moment I scanned the waiting room with a puzzled look, my mind went blank.
'Cha Jae-hyun's gone.'
I grabbed Baek Si-woo's shoulders with both hands and shouted.
"Where's Jae-hyun hyung?"
Baek Si-woo's eyes widened. The members and staff looked at us in confusion.
Baek Si-woo shook off my hands from his shoulders and said.
"Jae-hyun hyung? I thought he went because you called him?"
What the hell?
I forced my dizzy mind to settle and opened my mouth.
"I didn't call him. Who said that?"
Baek Si-woo's expression turned serious.
"Some staff member gave Jae-hyun hyung this and told him to follow."
Baek Si-woo handed me the note from the table, and I hurriedly unfolded it.
Jae-hyun hyung. It's Eun-ho. Got something urgent to talk about—can you come?
This is…
"I didn't write this."
Damn it. Something's wrong.
Let me sort this out. So the one who goes AWOL is Cha Jae-hyun.
Is this unauthorized absence happening because someone intervened, not by Cha Jae-hyun's own will?
"Camera rehearsal starts soon!"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
First things first, I need to find Cha Jae-hyun fast. We can't blow our first music show schedule like this.
I let out a short breath and spoke up.
"Manager hyung!"
"What?"
"Can we talk for a sec?"
* * *
"What?!"
The manager's face went pale upon learning Cha Jae-hyun had vanished.
"So you're saying Cha Jae-hyun followed some guy—maybe staff, maybe not—and now he's missing?"
Watching the manager's face turn ghostly white like he'd seen a horror movie made it hard for me to breathe too.
"He won't pick up his phone?"
"Yeah. No answer."
"What do we do if the leader's gone? Rehearsal's about to start!"
The manager was freaking out, ranting wildly.
I got it. If we flub the first music show, it wouldn't just hit the idols—the manager would take heat too.
The company could fire him for "what were you doing while the kid disappeared?"
"Keep calling."
Song Yu-bin kept dialing Cha Jae-hyun, but all we got was the "cannot reach this number" message.
"No answer at all."
"Maybe he can't pick up?"
"Then isn't this really serious?"
Song Yu-bin hesitated before saying.
"Should we just call the police?"
"What?!"
The manager's face drained even more. Song Yu-bin glanced at him nervously and continued.
"Whoever it was pretended to be staff just to take him away. Doesn't seem like normal stuff. Could be a planned crime."
"Police? Are you nuts!"
"But…"
I shook my head at Song Yu-bin.
No way the manager would call the cops. Guys like him hate making a big fuss more than anyone.
"You kids are clueless about the world. What if it's nothing? You want headlines about idols calling cops for something trivial?"
His face red as he spat out words like rap lyrics, the manager soon grabbed his smartphone and called someone.
"Hello? Can't explain long right now—it's urgent. When you get time, can you help look for one of our guys here?"
He was mobilizing all the company people at the station to search the building?
I spoke up as I watched the manager pace the hallway anxiously on the phone.
"I'll help look too."
The manager paused his call and shot me an annoyed glare.
"Forget it. You stay put."
"But we need to find Jae-hyun hyung. More people searching is more efficient, right?"
Irritated, the manager ruffled his hair and snapped.
"Ugh, damn it! Fine, do what you want. But be back before rehearsal. Got it?"
"Yeah."
The manager finished his call and strode off somewhere quickly.
The members left in the hallway stared at each other with stiff faces. They all looked lost on what to do.
No Cha Jae-hyun meant I had to step up as leader.
"Baek Si-woo. You stay here and keep an eye on Eun Hae-sol. Yu-bin, you're with me."
Song Yu-bin hurried over. As we started walking, Baek Si-woo's worried voice called out.
"You're gonna search the whole station? We don't even know where he is—that's too reckless."
"No. I know where he is."
"What? How?"
No sooner had I spoken than I raised my smartphone toward the members.
"This is…"
* * *
Three days before the music show.
When I got the quest to prevent one of the members from going AWOL, I racked my brain for days.
How could I clear this quest successfully? After agonizing, I came up with a plan.
Riiing―
'Pick up. Please.'
Just then, the ringing stopped.
"Hello?"
"Huh Seung-tae! You free to talk now?"
Huh Seung-tae. The guy famous since way back for being a computer whiz.
Sure, he's a total psycho among psychos, but we've been friends long enough that I can trust him.
"What's up? Busy debut star calling me? Ah, shit, I'm dead!"
"You gaming?"
Screeching game sounds and keyboard-smashing noises blasted through the phone.
"Aaaagh―!"
Still glued to games, huh. I sighed involuntarily.
"What'd you call for?"
"Got a favor to ask."
"Our superstar Jeong Eun-ho asking a favor from a normie like me? What's that about?"
"Cut the superstar crap. I just debuted. Stop joking and hear me out seriously."
"Okay."
I steadied my breath and spoke.
"I want to install a location tracking app."
I explained the situation—minus the quest part, of course, making up another reason.
"World's dangerous these days. Thought it'd be good for us members to have it."
"Sure! Install it then."
"But market apps are inaccurate and sketchy. Remember that location tracker you made messing around with your hacker friends? Can you send it?"
At that, Huh Seung-tae went "Ah" like it clicked.
"Yeah."
"Oh, and… for emergencies, can you add a feature that tracks even if the app's deleted?"
He replied in an annoyed tone.
"Ugh, that too?"
"Stalkers are stressing us out bad. Sorry."
Lying pricked my conscience, but for the quest, no choice.
Soon Huh Seung-tae's voice came back.
"Not impossible. Takes a few hours—hang tight."
An hour after hanging up, a KakaoTalk notification from him popped up. In the chat, there was a file titled 'SOS24.apk'.
[Huh Seung-tae]
Download and install~
[Jeong Eun-ho]
Thanks.
My head spun wondering if this would really stop the AWOL, but…
"I have to make it work."
[Jeong Eun-ho]
SOS24.apk
[Jeong Eun-ho]
Everyone install this?
[Song Yu-bin]
Huh, what's this?
[Jeong Eun-ho]
Now that we're officially debuted, we need security apps. Instructions pop up when you run it—read and memorize them.
* * *
I hurried my steps.
The tracking app showed Cha Jae-hyun in the broadcasting station's 8th-floor bathroom.
Why he was there was a mystery, but even weirder—he hadn't moved in minutes.
Song Yu-bin and I reached the 8th floor. As he stepped out of the elevator, he said excitedly.
"Wow, I've been so busy lately I forgot…. If we hadn't installed that tracker, we'd be screwed."
Speeding down the hall, Song Yu-bin said in awe.
"Hyung, you're a visionary. How'd you think to install a location tracker? Like you knew this would happen."
I flinched for a second.
"Lucky guess."
I brushed it off and kept running.
At the end of the hallway, a faint voice came from somewhere.
"…help! I'm locked in!"
We locked eyes.
That voice—Cha Jae-hyun.
"Let's go."
We dashed to the bathroom at the hall's end. The closer we got, the clearer Cha Jae-hyun's voice became.
"Someone's locked in here!"
"What the…."
It was a lockable-from-outside type. Someone had done this on purpose.
A paper saying 'Under Maintenance' was stuck on the door, but rubbing the writing with my finger smeared fresh ink.
'Written recently.'
Whoever it was, they were blatantly screwing with us.
"I'll get you out!"
Song Yu-bin turned the handle, and as the door opened, Cha Jae-hyun stumbled out, drenched in cold sweat.
"Hyung! You okay?"
I saw the two hugging in emotional reunion.
Then Cha Jae-hyun said.
"Wait. What time is it?"
Checking the clock, camera rehearsal was in about 5 minutes.
Would being even a minute late count as AWOL?
Damn it.
"Everyone, run!!"