Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Suffocating Space (3)
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After wrapping up the shoot in the second-floor hallway, we moved to the next location for the following scene.
“Come on. Let’s move quickly!”
We had to finish filming before the sun set, so everyone hustled.
The next spot was the classroom at the end of the hallway—Class 5 of the second-year students. It was where we’d film Cha Jae-hyun’s solo shot.
A scene of him missing his friends in an empty classroom after graduation. Cha Jae-hyun was taking that one on.
“Hyung, fighting.”
“Does the uniform suit me?”
“Why do you keep asking? It suits you great. Hurry up and go!”
Cha Jae-hyun, the oldest among us—who’d been joking that the uniform wouldn’t suit him—pulled it off better than anyone.
“Ready, action!”
Cha Jae-hyun stood in the center of the empty classroom, a sad smile on his face.
His front view filled the monitor. His blue-tinted hair swayed gently in the breeze blowing through the window. He lifted his sharp jaw and let out a bitter smile.
We watched his performance in breathless silence.
‘He’s better at acting than I thought.’
Then Cha Jae-hyun turned and walked to the blackboard. He picked up a piece of chalk and started writing something.
In the silence, only the sound of the chalk scratching echoed. Soon, the chalk clattered to the floor.
The words on the blackboard came into focus one by one.
‘Blue Sky Below’
It was the name of our debut song.
“Okay!”
With just one okay, Cha Jae-hyun broke into a joyful grin.
Next, we headed into the audiovisual room to film Song Yu-bin’s solo shot.
Inside the audiovisual room. Song Yu-bin sat in a chair amid the darkness, getting into his expression work.
“Ready, action!”
Footage began playing on the screen. Low-res video with an old-school vibe showed us kids running around and playing.
Song Yu-bin rested his chin on his hand and blinked. In the close-up, his refined, neat features stood out.
‘But why does his acting feel so unnatural?’
He was supposed to recall school memories with a wistful look, but his face was stiff like he’d just watched a horror movie.
The director, unable to stand it, called out.
“Yu-bin! Your expression’s too rigid. Let’s try it a bit more naturally, okay? Yeah! Imagine there’s a cute kitten in front of you.”
We all sensed it instinctively. The music video shoot was going to drag on.
That’s when Baek Si-woo suddenly spoke up.
“Hey. Jeong Eun-ho. You haven’t seen Eun Hae-sol, have you? He’s been gone since earlier.”
“What?”
My mind went blank. I frantically scanned the area, but just like Baek Si-woo said, Eun Hae-sol was nowhere in sight.
‘He vanished while I looked away for a second?’
My head spun.
“He’s not picking up his phone?”
“Nope.”
“Maybe he went to the bathroom?”
“He’s not there either.”
“Eun Hae-sol’s next, right?”
Baek Si-woo nodded and glanced toward Song Yu-bin.
“Yeah. But with him, it’s gonna take forever. We’ve still got time, so wanna go look together?”
Better with two than one? As I silently grabbed my bag, Cha Jae-hyun wedged himself between us.
“Jeong Eun-ho. Baek Si-woo. What’re you guys talking about?”
“Oh, it’s just…”
We explained the whole situation to Cha Jae-hyun. He looked troubled as he listened.
“Eun Hae-sol’s missing? We need to find him quick. Should I ask Manager hyung?”
I turned. Across the way, the manager was yawning and dozing off. He looked utterly unreliable….
I shook my head without a word.
‘Oh no. This is bad.’
The situation was worse than I’d thought. An undebuted rookie vanishing from a music video set without a word? Bad rumors would spread like wildfire in the industry.
‘Damn it. Is this related to the quest?’
Time ticked away relentlessly, and my anxiety mounted.
‘…No time for this.’
I looked up at the members.
“I’ll find him and bring him back for sure.”
* * *
I ran down the hallway, over and over. My breath burned in my throat.
“Huff…. Hah….”
I’d scoured the entire building, but no Eun Hae-sol. Thinking we might’ve crossed paths, I circled the main building again. Still nothing.
“Ha….”
A sudden thought hit me.
Why was I even bothering with this damn quest?
I’d always figured my life was on a dirt road. That debuting would suddenly flip it 180 degrees into a bed of roses? Not a chance.
Still, I’d thought debut would at least pave it with asphalt. So why did it feel like nothing but thorns?
I slowed to a stop. Glancing at my watch, fifteen minutes had already passed.
Once Song Yu-bin’s shoot wrapped, people would start looking for Eun Hae-sol. If things stayed like this, it’d be a bust.
‘I’m losing my mind.’
I’d boldly promised to find and fetch him, but at this rate, I’d be branded an irresponsible idiot for ditching the set too….
Pacing in frustration, I thought.
‘If I were Eun Hae-sol, where would I go first in a situation like this?’
Time kept slipping away, but no answers came. My thoughts tangled endlessly.
‘Where Eun Hae-sol is….’
Then it flashed through my mind.
‘Suffocating Space.’
It hit me like lightning.
‘I get it now. That’s where he is.’
* * *
I rushed up the stairs.
Sunlight peeked through the crack in the door at the top. The higher I climbed, the closer the light got.
I pushed the door open, and blinding light poured in.
Bang—
“Hah, huff….”
Just as I’d guessed, Eun Hae-sol was there.
He sat on the rooftop railing, gaunt as if he’d topple any second, breathing in sharp, ragged gasps.
Under the blue sky, his white hair whipped in the wind.
“Eun Hae-sol!”
As I approached, his breathing grew even rougher.
“Hey, you…!”
Finally, Eun Hae-sol slumped weakly to the floor. I knelt beside him, checking his condition.
‘Just as I thought. He’s the one having a hyperventilation attack.’
I glanced at my watch in a panic. Thirty minutes had passed.
I quickly unzipped my bag and pulled out the contents. Something I’d prepared the day before the shoot to prevent an accident.
It was…
A black plastic bag.
‘Please let this work.’
I hurriedly pressed the bag over Eun Hae-sol’s face.
‘Come on, work…!’
Eun Hae-sol buried his pale face in the bag and started breathing. The bag inflated and deflated in time with his breaths.
The paper bag method. A hyperventilation fix I’d crammed all night.
[Cover the patient’s nose and mouth with a plastic bag and have them breathe out and in.]
It wasn’t perfect, but I figured it’d do for first aid. If it didn’t work, I’d call 119.
Luckily, Eun Hae-sol’s breathing was stabilizing.
“Ha, haa…”
Back to normal, he lay there limply. His empty eyes stared at the sky.
“You okay?”
Looking at me, Eun Hae-sol spoke in a slow, sluggish voice.
“How’d you know I was up here?”
“You felt suffocated, so you came here, right?”
At that, Eun Hae-sol’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he sat up. His gaze screamed, *How’d you know?*
I continued evenly.
“I’ve been there. Back in trainee days, whenever I felt suffocated, I’d come up to the roof a lot.”
“How’d you know about hyperventilation treatment?”
I flinched at his question but brushed it off vaguely.
“Just… I know a lot of stuff.”
I checked my watch and stood.
“Alright. Let’s get up. We’ve got a music video to shoot.”
As I said that and moved to stand—
Eun Hae-sol didn’t budge. Puzzled, I looked down at him.
“Why’d you save me?”
“Huh?”
Seeing him ask that, I replied.
“A person’s suffering— you just leave them be? Cut the nonsense and let’s get back to shooting.”
As I reached out my hand, Eun Hae-sol slapped it away and snapped.
“Don’t act all nice. It’s annoying.”
“What?”
Hearing that, a chill ran through me.
‘Why’s he like this again?’
Eun Hae-sol trembled, his face a mix of anger and confusion I couldn’t read.
“I’ve hated it from the start. Acting all goody-goody. You think that makes you special?”
I just stared at him.
“I don’t get it at all. Not one bit!”
My mind went numb.
I’d run all over the main building looking for him—my uniform was soaked in sweat, my legs shaking like they’d give out.
Forcing down my emotions, I spoke.
“I don’t get you either.”
He looked up at me.
“You parachute in to be an idol, skip practice every day. If you’re not gonna do it, why not quit for good? Instead, you sneak practice in the room late at night. You’re the one I don’t get.”
Eun Hae-sol stared blankly into space, silent.
The wind whistled past my ears.
“I just don’t like you.”
“…….”
“When you blew away my seven-year friend and parachuted in? Honestly, I wanted to kill you.”
Eun Hae-sol averted his gaze without a word. I kept going.
“You think I saved you because I like you? I did it because I had to. Saving a person is just what you do, like it or not.”
At my words, Eun Hae-sol’s face went slack in shock. Then he let out a small chuckle.
He laughed for a while before his expression turned wistful.
“Saving a person is just what you do. So why haven’t I ever gotten that in my life?”
“I know you’ve had it rough.”
“How do you know?”
How the hell do I explain this?
‘I saw your memories with a sub-quest item’? Yeah, that’d get me labeled crazy on the spot.
I hesitated, then answered.
“It shows.”
He chuckled again.
“I’ve had it rough? Everyone thinks I’ve had it easy…. Isn’t that hilarious?”
A thought struck me.
Why am I even having this conversation? Eun Hae-sol’s a lost cause, a total mess, a walking time bomb.
But looking at him, something felt off. Hate mixed with pity, and somewhere in there…
‘I don’t know. What do I even want? What should I do with this guy?’
Glancing down, I saw the watch.
The one I wore like a talisman today—the watch Kwon Hee-yul gave me six years ago.
“…….”
Suddenly, Kwon Hee-yul’s constant refrain came back to me.
His words about always living positively.
‘Should I think positive in this mess too?’
I watched the ticking second hand, lost in thought.
‘What would Kwon Hee-yul do here?’
After wrestling with it, I slowly spoke.
“I’ll help you.”
That’s probably what he’d say.
“…What?”
To the stunned Eun Hae-sol, I unstrapped the watch from my wrist and handed it over.
He stared blankly at it in my hand, then looked up.
“What’s with the watch all of a sudden?”
“Kwon Hee-yul gave it to me a long time ago.”
At the name, Eun Hae-sol flinched. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, then vanished.
I continued.
“About six years back? When I was on the verge of getting cut. I held on through trainee life staring at this. All that X-level crap from the cutoff scare—I wore it to never feel that again, grinding through somehow.”
Eun Hae-sol bit his lip.
“So what’re you trying to say….”
“Wear it from now on.”
“Why?”
“Every time you look at it, think of Kwon Hee-yul. How desperate that spot was for him. Remind yourself every damn day.”
Eun Hae-sol’s dazed eyes widened, then he burst out laughing.
“You’re messing with me, right?”
“No. I mean it. I want you to get your head straight.”
“…….”
To the silent Eun Hae-sol, I went on.
“Work your ass off. As hard as he did. Get your act together, then give it back. It’s precious to me.”
He slowly reached out and took the watch.
It dropped limply into his palm.
“Let’s go.”
Eun Hae-sol stood, and we left the rooftop.
For a fleeting moment, that guilt on his face. I decided to believe in it.